The End of a New Beginning // Daryl Dixon

Part 54

Meredith 

I SLIPPED ON a jacket for the cold night. The meeting with Deanna was coming up, which meant tonight will determine whether Rick is getting kicked out or not. I hope not. I was nervous for him. Rick gets kicked out, so does Judith and Carl. But, Rick wouldn't let that happen. There's gotta be another way for us to convince Deanna and Reg into keeping him here. She's got kids of her own, there's no way she'd kick him out.

I walk into Deanna's backyard, finding Maggie, Carol and a few others standing near the fire. I lightly made my way through the crowd and joined the girls, greeting them.

"We're going to start." Deanna announces. I furrow my brows, noticing Rick isn't even here.

"Can we wait?" Maggie asks. "There's still people comin. Glenn, Rick." Deanna turns the other cheek.

"We're going to start." She calls. "It's already dark. We're going to talk about what happened. Not the fight. Not what precipitated it. We're dealing with that. We're going to talk about one of our constables, Rick Grimes. We're going to talk about how he had a pistol he stole from the armory, about how he pointed it at people. And we're going to talk about what he said. I was hoping he'd be here."

"She said he's coming." I speak up.

"I'm sure he'll be here." Michonne adds.

"And I'm sure we can work this all out." Carol smiles. 

"I wanna give everyone a chance to share their peace before we begin. So, if you have anything, please..." Deanna allows. Michonne was the first to speak up. She shared her words about Rick before Carol stands up, then myself, Abraham and finally Maggie.  

"Before we hear from anyone else, I-" Deanna steps forward. "I would like to share something in the spirit of transparency. Father Gabriel came to see me the day before yesterday and he said our new arrivals can't be trusted, that they were dangerous, that they would put themselves before this community. And not one day later, Rick seemed to demonstrate all the things Father Gabriel said." I furrow my brows in disbelief. After everything we've done for Gabriel, he just turns around and throws us, all of us, under the bus? Just like that?

"I hoped Gabriel would be here tonight." Deanna continues. 

"I don't see him here, Deanna." Jessie speaks up. "So you're just saying what someone said. Did you tape him?"

"He's not here." Maggie says.

"Neither is Rick." Deanna says sternly. Maggie holds a stare before turning away and storms off. Tobin stands up.

"Deanna, may I?" He asks. Deanna nods.

"I just wanna keep my family safe. You know? And I don't eve know what that means anymore, but if it means that we've got to get of rid-" Everyone's heads turn to the sight of a blood covered Rick, holding a body over his shoulder. He approaches the fire pit and drops the body right in front of it, people gasping, shrieking, backing away. It was a walker body.

"There wasn't a guard on the gate." Rick huffs out. "It was open."

"I asked Gabriel to close it." Spencer tells Deanna.

"Go." She demands. Spencer rushes off.

"I didn't bring it in." Rick continues. "It got inside on its own. They always will-the dead and the living, because we're in here. And the ones out there...they'll hunt us. They'll find us. They'll try to use us. They'll try to kill us. But we'll kill them. We'll survive. I'll show you how. You know, I was thinking- I was thinking how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives? But i'm not gonna do that. You're gonna change. I'm not sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be. Right now, you have to be. Lucky runs out." Footsteps approach us and I turn my head to see Pete entering the meeting, Michonne's sword in his hand. He breathed heavily and an angered expression laid on his face.