Surviving The New World (Book Six in the Surviving The Walking Dead Series)

Meeting the Alpha

Everyone stood in silence as we stared at each other. The whisperers stared at us, we stared at them, not a single person broke eye contact. "Our community is more than capable of defending itself!" Aaron called out to Lydia's mom...Alpha.

"I show you my face because we mean you no harm," Alpha responded. "I just want my daughter." Aaron looked to Daryl and then me, earning a subtle head shake from both of us. "I know you have her."

"You should turn around," Daryl suggested. "Leave now and no one gets hurt." I mentally groaned. Great, Daryl is gonna start a fight instead of trying to take the peaceful way about it. Has he forgotten that Luke and Alden are still out there? The Whisperers remained silent as Alpha stared up at Daryl.

"Wrong answer." Alpha raised a band in the air and an even bigger group of Whisperers came into view, approaching the barricade.

"Nice, Daryl," I grumbled. "Why don't you just tell 'er to kill us?"

"They don't see her, not yet," Kelly softly spoke up as she lowered her binoculars.

"Who?"

"Connie. Me, her, Magna, and Yumiko went out last night to try and find Luke, but it was too dark, we just got back today."

"That girl told me what 'er mom does to 'er," Daryl told Aaron. "We ain't sendin' 'er back to that."

"But what if she has Alden and Luke?" Aaron asked. "Pissing them off can get them killed."

"Did you kill our friends?" Magna asked. "We found their horses."

"No," Alpha simply answered. "Which one of you leads these people?"

"What the hell does it matter?" Daryl growled.

"Then I'll just address all of you," Alpha shrugged. "Your people crossed into our land. There will be no conflict. Your people killed out people. There will be no conflict. I'm done talkin'. Bring me my daughter or there will be conflict."

"No one touches the girl," Daryl lowly muttered. Daryl climbed down from the platform and made his way towards the cellar.

"Daryl, does she have Alden with her?" Enid asked.

"I don't know."

"What does she want?" Henry asked, but Daryl remained silent. I quickly rushed after him. "No, Daryl, we—we can't do that."

"I'm with Henry on this," I butted in. "We send 'er back, she wont be alive for long. She's seen too much, knows how good this place is, they're against these places. Once she goes back and tells them about this place, they'll all want to come, Alpha can't have that."

"She ain't gettin' 'er," Daryl informed.

"Then what are ya doin'?"

"She's done talkin', I'm not." Daryl turned to the guards and motioned for them to open the gates. I tried to grab him, to pull him back, but he shrugged out of my grip and stormed out of the gates.

"What do we do now?" MJ asked as he approached us.

"Nothin'," I sighed. "We just gotta trust Daryl, hope he can figure this out."

"Trust Daryl?" MJ scoffed. "That's rich."

"I know, but we ain't got any other choice."

"Oh my God," Enid whimpered. I looked over to her as she peered through the wall. I quickly rushed over and joined her, my heart instantly plummeted.

"What?"

"They've got Alden and Luke," I sighed once more. "Fuck." Daryl turned on his heel and made his way back inside. Enid instantly ran to him.