Ellie Dixon

Null and Void

"No! No way in hell. That was not the deal. You people swore you could take out the saviours. You failed. So, any arrangement we had is now done. Null and void. We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. We don't know each other. I owe you nothing. In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk." Gregory explained as we all stood around his office.

"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie, Glenn and Sasha saved this place." Jesus retorted. Yea, the Hilltop had been attacked with walkers and fire... But, they were all good now! "Your courage was inspiring." The sarcasm dripping from Jesus' tone made me smirk.

"Hey, don't you work for me?" Gregory responded to Jesus. "Aren't we friends?"

"Gregory, we already started this." Rick tried.

"You started this." Gregory corrected.

"We started this." Rick continued. "And, we're gonna win."

"These are killers." Gregory tried to reason with Rick.

"Is that how you wanna live?" Rick questioned. "Under their thumb while they're killing your people?"

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

"How many people can we spare?" Glenn asked. "How many people here can fight?"

"We?" Gregory repeated, a scoff in his tone. "I don't even know how many people we have. And, does it even matter? I mean... What are we gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers. Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna wanna fight."

"You're wrong. Usually, when people get the chance to do the right thing? They do." Tara countered. "I mean, people just-"

"Let me stop you before you break into song." Gregory dismissed. "And, by the way, who would train all this cannon fodder?"

"I will." Sasha answered.

"Give me a week." Rosita said at the same time.

"Rhetorical, okay?" Gregory said in such a patronising way that made my blood boil.

I couldn't help what I did next. I pulled my boomerang from my belt and threw it in his direction. I quite literally broke the glass in his hand in half. A high pitched scream escaped his mouth as some of the whiskey spilled onto his hand. I smiled to myself as the boomerang came back to my hand. "Ellie." Michonne said in a warning tone.

"He basically asked for that. Rhetorically." I answered with a shrug.

"Will somebody keep that-" Gregory cut himself off.

"You better choose your next words carefully." Maggie spoke in a warning tone. I glanced around and saw angry looks on people's faces, directed at Gregory, and not me! I threw a deadly weapon at him, could've killed him if I wasn't me, and they still chose my side.

Gregory clenched his jaw, sitting in his chair behind his desk. "I never wanna hear another word about it. Ever."

"Would we be better off without the Saviours? Yes, or no?" Rick's voice was slightly raised and anger dripped off every word.

"Yea. Sure. Okay." Gregory agreed with a shrug.

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

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

Dad pushed himself off the wall. "What the hell, man? You're either with us, or you ain't. You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth."

"I think I've made my view on the matter pretty clear." Gregory raised his eyebrows. "And I want to thank all of you for not being here today. And, of course, not having this meeting. And for not being seen on your way out. In other words, go out the back."

Rick started to leave, followed by Michonne, Carl and the others. I stayed there, glaring at him. "Ellie, come on." Sophia called from the door. It was just me, her and Gregory in the room.

I walked over to his desk, putting my hands on the wood and leaning closer to him. "If you don't help us? If you don't fight in this war... And, whisper turns to gossip that Mr Gregory leader of Hilltop, sold out Negan? That you made a deal with us to kill Negan? Maybe it's like a game of Chinese Whispers. What Negan hears is... Gregory wants Negan's head on a plate. Gregory wants to kill Negan. Gregory wants nothing more than to see the Saviours fall... What do you think Negan will do to you, Gregory?" I watched as horror slowly took over Gregory's face, he paled, leaning back in his chair. I stood up straight again, tapping the desk. "Just a thought." I said with a smile on my face, before walking over to Sophia who grinned at me.

"I ever tell you that you're awesome?" She whispered while we caught up with the others.

"I say it enough for both of us." I shrugged.

We walked to find everyone standing on the porch. I moved to the front because I'm nosey. I saw a bunch of people... Fifteen... Standing on the grass in front of the steps. "If you don't remember, my name's 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 saviours with you. Is that true?"

"Yes." Maggie nodded.

"Do you think we can win? That we really could beat them?" Bertie questioned.

"I do." Maggie confirmed.

"Well, Enid says you could show us the way." Mrs Cooper spoke up. I grinned at her. There was a rhythm of people agreeing from the crowd.

We were heading to the front gate, against Gregory's request. "It's a start." Sasha spoke up. Glenn and Maggie were staying in the Hilltop, Maggie was still faking her death and Glenn needed to be there for her. Enid was staying too, but she was walking us to the gate... Her fingers interlocked with Sophia's.

"We still need more." Michonne replied. "It won't be enough."

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

"Well, we find the right stuff, maybe we won't need the numbers." Dad suggested. "Blow them up, burn them to the ground."

"Sounds delightful." Jessie commented from my left.

"Ellie said that there wasn't just soldiers with the saviours. That there are workers there too." Carl pointed out. "People who didn't have a choice."

"A lot of those people were my patients." The doc spoke up, he was coming back to Alexandria with us because we desperately needed a doctor. 

"We gotta win." Dad answered.

"We need more hands, another group." Rick stated. "Negan had outposts. The geography, the distance, none of it works out for us. We gotta get back. If they come looking for Daryl and their doctor, we gotta be there."

"You don't have to get back." Jesus disagreed. "Not yet." Jesus held up a walkie. "It's one of theirs. Long range. We can listen in, keep track of them."

"If we're not going back, where are we going?" Michonne asked.

Jesus sighed. "I think it's time to introduce you to Ezekiel. King Ezekiel."

"King?" I repeated.