Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 90 (Before the Fight Begins)

A couple of days later, Rick brought some of the group to Hilltop. Carl, Tara, Gabriel, Aaron and several others. At first, he was surprised to see Daryl and CJ there, but he understood why they would come back to somewhere familiar without him around to tell them off. Plus, he was happy to see them both.

Carl was happy to see CJ because he'd brought her bow and arrows with them. He was excited to tell her that he'd been practicing with it, though he claimed he still wasn't very good. She promised him she'd help him get better as soon as she could come home. As happy as she was to be reunited with her old weapon, she was happier to see him and be able to spend time with him.

The reason they had come to the Hilltop was because Tara had told the group about a place, a community, she'd come across whilst she was away called Oceanside. It was a small place in the woods by a beach, pretty far away. The community was made up of women and children; their men had been killed by the Saviors.

They had guns. Guns and weapons that Alexandria and the Hilltop needed for when the fight came. What with Oceanside already hiding from the Saviors, there was a small possibility that they would be willing to join the fight. Though, that wasn't the main goal. The goal of going there was to get the weapons.

To CJ and Daryl's confusion, Rick already had a few guns packed in the RV. He explained to the pair that they had discovered a group of people who lived in a landfill sight. Or rather, the group had found them, emptied Alexandria's pantry and left a ransom note after they kidnapped Gabriel. Rick made a deal with the woman in charge, Jadis, to get guns for her group. In return, she agreed to participate in the fight.

The group was down by two people: Sasha and Rosita. The previous day, the pair had headed to the Sanctuary in the hopes of killing Negan and saving Eugene. The others were concerned when they found out, but there was nothing they could do. CJ thought that for two very smart and capable women, going off to do this was a very dumb thing to attempt. The group had no way of knowing for sure where they were, so they couldn't afford the time it would take to search for them.

CJ rode with Daryl on his bike, with his crossbow strapped to her back so she could wrap her arms around his middle. Alongside them, Rick drove the RV and Jesus drove a car following them. The drive was a good three or so hours, but they thankfully didn't run into any trouble and were able to make it to their destination before midday.

A plan was devised: they set up explosives around Oceanside's camp, a mile or so out, so they wouldn't be seen. Tara was the one that knew the people of the community, so she went in to talk to them. Michonne was camped out in a tree with a sniper rifle, ready to fire warning shots should anyone head that way.

Tara was given a time limit, and if she didn't come to an agreement with the leaders of Oceanside, Natania and her granddaughter Cyndie, within that time, the explosives would be set off to attract walkers to the community. They didn't plan on actually hurting anyone, but these people had something they needed; they were going to get it.

CJ was camped out near the armoury with her bow in her hands. With her was Daryl, Aaron, Eric and Jesus. They were hidden in the shrubbery, and they would be the first ones to come out when the explosions started.

"You alright?" Aaron asked in a hushed tone, knelt down beside her. "Haven't had much chance to talk to you since... you know."

"I'm good," she smiled faintly. "Getting on with shit. Trying to, anyway. How are you guys doing?"

"We're okay," he replied, looking over at Eric. "He's not too happy with all this. He's only here because he was worried to let me come alone."

"Yeah," CJ mumbled, biting her bottom lip as she glanced over Daryl, who was talking to Jesus. "I know the feelin'."