RUN THE WORLD | H.RHEE

009

TAKING ALICE'S ADVICE-009

"Here, you are, sweetheart," Matilda smiled, handing a little girl a cookie. The little girl bit into it and thanked her before running off to her mother. "How many did we sell so far?"

"Uh, maybe two dozen," Carol replied, placing another tray of cookies on the table. "Thought we'd sell more,"

The dark-haired woman nodded, her eyes flickered over to the stand across from them, it was the most popular so far. "Yeah, but it looks like the Willams stand is doing much better,"

Carol looked over there as well, a frown was placed on her lips. "Aren't they the ones who Maci was talking about?"

"That's her mom and dad, Willow and Allen Williams. One of the most notable people in Commonwealth," she said, almost bitterly. "And one of the people who still believe in Pamela."

The two women watched as Willow Willams stand on a chair, talking to the crowd around her stand. The people seemed to be hanging on every word, listening intensely to what the woman had to say. Matilda and Carol couldn't hear what Willow was saying, but it seemed to really move the crowd.

"What do you think she's saying?" Carol asked and handed a cookie to someone, her eyes never leaving the woman.

Matilda sighed, pressing her lips. "I only can guess it's something to do with Pamela." She put down her clipboard down, saying. "Stay here, I'll find out what she's talking about."

The soon-to-be mother of four headed towards the stand, slowly weaving her way through the crowd, her eyes locked onto Willow, who was holding one of the hands of someone in the crowd. As she got closer, staying in the back of the crowd, Matilda could hear what the woman was saying.

"These Outsiders---these barbarians came into our community and ripe us away from our healthy lives. The life where we had a powerful, wonderful leader, who loved us entirely." Willow states, strongly. "Pamela was our leader, our savior. She was the one who saved us! Not those Outsiders!"

"Yeah!" Half of crowd cheered.

"She's more delusional than I thought she was," Zeke said as he came over and stood next to his friend.

Matilda nodded, muttered. "Yeah, I say so,"

"Do these people actually believe in this crap?" Kel says, signing for her sister, who was standing next to her.

"Looks like it," Connie signed, looking back at the preaching woman. "Half the people are crying."

Magna, who was standing on the other side of Matilda, rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding? This woman is a joke,"

"They took our leader and locked her in a sell to rot! We need to get her back; she is our only hope in this world! She doesn't deserve to be in that dirty, old cell. Pamela deserve to here, with us!"

The crowd cheered as they started to chant 'Pamela' over and over again. Willow grinned as her eyes locked onto Matilda and the group. She throw out of her, pointing to them and said.

"There they are! The people of the hour!" She exclaimed, causing the crowd to turn to Matilda and her group. "Our so called saviors!"

"This is like the Saviors all over again." Michonne muttered as her and Rick came up from behind them.

"Matilda!" Willow called out to the woman. "Why don't you come up from? Come, come. Don't be shy."

Matilda hesitantly walked up to where Willow was, and awkwardly stood on a chair next to her. Willow grinned, chuckling as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, Matilda—can I call you that? Our children are friends after all. I—we've been speculating for quite sometime that our beloved leader, Pamela, is locked in a cell by you and our people." The woman started, the eerie creepy grin never left her face. "Tell me, Matilda, is that true? We—your people, would like to know."

Matilda was silent, her eyes flickered over the crowd before they landed on Alice who was standing among the crowd. The redhead woman shook her head, silently telling the mother of her boyfriend to not tell the people about Pamela.

"No, it's not true." Matilda finally said, lying to the people of Commonwealth. Maybe Alice was right, maybe by telling the truth it will cause something more. Or maybe either way it will start something. "Pamela is not locked in a cell."

"Then where is she? If she's not locked in a cell." Willow asked.

"She's—she's in a safe place with a few of my other people." The mother of four stated. "I assure you; Pamela is alive and safe. There's nothing to worry about."

"Then if she's safe, why isn't she here?" 

Matilda swallowed, trying to quickly come up with a lie. "As I said before, she is safer at the place she's at, rather than here. There are bad men who are after her, and this would be the first place they would look. You folks are safe, no doubt, but it's safer for her if she remains at the place, she's at." 

"Is she really safe? Or is this a compete lie?" Willow asked, and Matilda hoped that she didn't catch the lie. 

"Pamela is completely safe. We are protecting her with everything that we have. She is being protected by a group of my men who I trust to insure she is safe," Matilda said, half of that was true. Some of her men were guarding the cell the woman in. 

Something flickered in Willow's blue eyes, before she smiled, squeezing Matilda shoulder as she addressed the crowd. "There you have it, folks. A long-overdue respond from our very own, Matilda Dixon!" 

Matilda smiled, strained at the woman before she jumped off the chair with some help before heading over to her family. Her father looked at her, his eyes flickering between his family. "Do you actually think they believed that?" 

"I hope so," Matilda muttered, as Alice came over to them. 

"Nice job, Tilly, but I think the crowd believed it. Just not so much, Willow." Alice says, glancing up at the woman who was watching them. "She definitely doesn't not believe it," 

"Well, shit. She's going to snoop around us to find out we're lying," Zeke says. 

"We just have to watch what we say around people. Especially around her." Kel says, looking at her family. "Or we can just talk in sign language. Nobody understands it here,"

Matilda nodded, signing. "That's a good idea. We have to figure out a way to stop whatever Willow and her group are planning," 

*** 

A/N: This chapter is ass because I'm having a hard time with these chapters.