The Creator and the Redneck (TWD Story)

Chapter 124: Kingdom?

(Author/Red: Happy New Year Everybody!!)

Alita's Point of View

"No! No way in ****. That was not the deal. You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. So any arrangements we had is now done. Null and void." Gregory says as he paces behind his desk.

"We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. Hmm? We don't know each other." He says sitting down and looking up at Rick.

"I owe you nothing. In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk." Gregory says.

'Wow what a great leader!' I thought sarcastically.

"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place. Your courage was inspiring." Jesus and I cut in as Gregory looked at me surprised.

"Yeah, I've heard all about it." I told him with a bit of an angered look.

"Hey, don't you work for me? Aren't we friends? Jesus? Alita? Hmm?" Gregory asked.

"Gregory, we already started this." Rick speaks up.

"You started it." Gregory points back.

"We did. And we're gonna win." Rick tells him.

"These are killers." Gregory fired back.

"Is this how you want to live? Under their thumb, killing your people?" Rick asked.

"S-Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like. Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have." Gregory states.

"How many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?" Maggie asks.

"We? I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret." Gregory says.

I bite my tongue to keep myself from saying or doing something for a while.

"And does it even matter? I mean... W-w-what are you gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight." Gregory points out.

"You're wrong. When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up." Tara points out.

"I mean, people just-" Tara tries to start again.

"L-Let me stop you before you break into song, okay? And, by the way, who would train all this common fodder?" Gregory asks.

"I will. Give me a week." Sasha, Rosita, Ethan, and Mark called out.

"Rhetorical, okay?" Gregory sings out.

"I don't want to know. I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever." Gregory says wanting nothing more of this conversation.

"You can't hear anything if you're dead." I commented.

"Would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?" Rick snaps.

"Yeah. Sure. Okay." Gregory says.

"So, what will you do to fix the problem?" Michonne questions.

"I didn't say we had a problem. You did. And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview." Gregory says.

Daryl steps up from where he was leaning.

"What the ****, man? You're either with us or you ain't. You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth." Daryl says.

I nodded, as I looked now at Gregory who stood up.

"I-I think I've made my position very clear. And I want to thank all of you for not being here today and not having this meeting with me or- Or being seen on your way out. In other words, go out the back." Gregory says as Rick nods for us to leave.

"Walking *********." Rosita insults as we walk out.

"I wanna knock that idiot's teeth out." Sasha threatens.

I run a hand over my hair in frustration.

How could a person-

A leader of a community be so spinless?

"Yeah, well, we don't need him anyway." Daryl comments walking past us.

"Yeah, that's right. Cause we have Maggie, Sasha, and Jesus here. On top of that we have new people with us." Rick says as he looks over at Mika, Amy, Mark, and Ethan.

Soon Evelyn and little Alita going to their parents.

"And... Enid." I said as the door opens reviling the young girl.

"Hey, um-" She starts, just by her voice I could tell somethings wrong.

"What's wrong?" Sasha asks.

"Nothing. Just... Come outside." She tells us, we followed behind her and once we got outside we find a group formed out front.

"What's going on?" Maggie asks.

"Hey. So, if you don't remember, I'm Bertie. And I owe my life to you all, twice over. A bunch of us do. Enid says that you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors with you. Is it true?" Bertie asks.

"Yes." Maggie replies.

"Do you think we can win, that we really could beat them? Us?" She asks.

"I do." Maggie tells her.

"Well, Enid says you could show us the way. I'm ready." Bertie says.

"Me too." Mummers of agreement sound out from the group, a small smile was on my face as I looked over them.

"It's a start." Michonne points out with me nodding.

"We'll get more." Sasha assures us.

"It still won't be enough." Nate states.

"No, it won't." Rosita agrees.

"Well, we find the right stuff, then maybe we don't need the numbers. Blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground." Daryl says.

"You said there weren't just soldiers with the Saviors, that there were workers there. People didn't have a choice. I mean look at Amy, Mika, Mark, and Ethan with their kids." Tara reminds him.

"I don't know, we probably got more people from our first group still in there." I spoke up with Ash, Nate, Amy, Mika, Mark, and Ethan with me.

"We gotta win." He tells us, I raised an eyebrow at him.

"We need more hands, another group. Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance works against us. We gotta get back. If they come looking for Daryl and Alita, or the people who came with Alita, we need to be there." Rick points out.

"You don't have to get back." Jesus said as we turned to him.

"Not yet." He says pulling out a walkie talkie.

"It's one of theirs, long range. We can listen in, keep track of them." Jesus tells us.

"So, if we're not going back, what are we doing then?" Michonne asks him.

"I think it's time we introduced you to Ezekiel. King Ezekiel." He smiles at us, as I shared a look with Rosita.

'King?' I mouthed, she shrugs, then it hits me.

"King?" Rick repeats, Jesus just smiles.

"Alita, You should remember who this is." Jesus said smiling.

I just looked really confused at him and everyone who was looking at me.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't know an Ezekiel." I said rolling my eyes at them.