The Hunter's Prey

Chapter 7

Once we got back home, Rick called a meeting in the church. Everyone from Alexandria came, besides the ones on watch. I found a seat next to Daryl. I scanned the room and looked at all the faces. Some of these people would be killers by the end of the night. I wasn't new to killing, a lot of us weren't. Glenn and Heath still hadn't killed anyone. As far as anyone else from the original Alexandria group, they probably haven't. They probably won't be coming for that reason. I quickly snapped back into focus, as I realized Rick had already started talking.

"And we can work with the Hilltop. Maggie hammered out a deal. We're getting food- eggs, butter, fresh vegetables. But they're not just giving it away. These Saviors, they almost killed Sasha, Daryl, and Abraham on the road. Now, sooner or later, they would've found us, just like those Wolves did, just like Jesus did. They woulda killed someone or some of us. And then they would try to own us. And we would try to stop them. But by then, in that kind of fight, low on food, we could lose. This is the only way to be sure, as sure as we can get, that we will. And we have to win. We do this for the Hilltop, it's how we keep this place. It's how we feed this place. This needs to be a group decision. If anybody objects, here's your chance to say your piece."

The room was silent for a few seconds, before we heard shuffling. Everyone looked back at a now standing Morgan.

"You're sure we can do it? We can beat them?" Morgan looked at Rick.

"What this group has done, what we've learned, what we've become, all of us. Yes, I'm sure."

"Then all we have to do is just tell them that."

"Well, they don't compromise." Rick began to protest, but was quickly cut off.

"This isn't a compromise. It's a choice you give them. It's a way out, for them and for us."

"We try and talk to the Saviors, we give up our advantage, our safety. No, we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive."

"Where there is life, there's possibility."

"Of them hitting us."

"We're not trapped in this. None of you are trapped in this." Morgan looked around the room at everyone.

"Morgan, they always come back."

"Come back when they're dead, too."

"We'll stop them. We have before."

"I'm not talking about the walkers."

"Morgan wants to talk to them first. I think that would be a mistake, but it's not up to me. I'll talk to the people still at home. I'll discuss it with the people on guard now, too. But who else wants to approach the Saviors, talk to them first?" Rick put an end to their banter and addressed the whole group.

"What happened here, we won't let that happen again." Aaron stood agreeing with Rick and turned to Morgan. "I won't."

Aaron nodded before sitting back down. Everyone seemed to be on the same page, except Morgan.

"Looks like it's settled. We know exactly what this is. We don't shy from it, we live. We kill them all. We don't all have to kill. But if people are going to stay here, they do have to accept it." Rick left with his final words.

Everyone filtered out of the church and headed home. We were gonna leave tomorrow. Daryl and I headed back home. Daryl headed off to finalize some things with Rick. Knowing I was going to need sleep for tomorrow, I curled into bed. A few minutes passed before I heard my bedroom door open. Looking over I saw Daryl walk in.

"Dixon, what are you doing?"

"Going to sleep."

I smiled slightly. Sharing a bed wasn't something I thought we were going to be doing. He crawled in next to me. His arm snaked around my waist as he got comfortable. Soon both of us were asleep in each other's arms.