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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: WE MUST BE KILLERS
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WHEN THEY ARRIVED back at Alexandria, Rick held a meeting in the church just outside of Alexandria. Everyone needed to make a decision. There were two options and one of them was much harder than the other. Melanie still didn't know which one she wanted to do. She knew which one they needed to do but Melanie didn't know if she would be capable. Melanie had killed people before, innocent people and the people she could be about to kill aren't innocent but that didn't stop her from questioning it. Something about sneaking into a compound while people are sleeping and killing them in their sleep made Melanie's stomach churn uncomfortably, enough to throw up.
Melanie wanted to go but she knew Margot would protest, maybe even Rick. Melanie had an idea, however. Melanie and possibly Maggie could keep watch on the perimeter to make sure that nobody else was going to come while everyone else was taking out the compound. It would be a way for her to help without getting any blood on her hands. Melanie was going to bring it up to Rick and Margot later on but for now, she kept it to herself as she sat beside Carl at the meeting.
"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," Rick explained to everyone in Alexandria. "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 would've 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 win. And we have to win."
Melanie took a deep breath as Rick continued, "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 peace."
There was a moment of silence as everyone looked around, waiting for anyone to say something. Morgan stood up, "You're sure we can do it? We can beat 'em?"
"What this group has done, what we've learned, what we've become, all of us," Rick explained, nodding at Morgan. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Then all we have to do is just tell them that," Morgan suggested.
"They don't compromise --"
"This isn't a compromise," Morgan interrupted. "It's a choice you give them. It's way out, for them and for us."
"We try and talk to the Saviors, we give up our advantage, our safety," Rick continued, raising his voice. "No, we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive."
