Leaving the Apocalypse Behind | The Walking Dead

Battle Ready!

It's late in the afternoon when Rick and Michonne go to the clinic to talk with Father Gabriel. They patiently wait outside his room while Tara and Haley help him transition into as comfortable a sitting position as he can tolerate. He opens his eyes slowly, trying to bring everything into focus but they are still swollen and bruised from the beating he endured at the hands of Jeremiah. Tara offers him a glass of water, "Take it slow, Gabriel. I know it's hard but Rick and Michonne are here to talk to you." They see him wince in pain and know the deep wounds on his back are still very raw and that the healing process must be a long, agonizing one. What the Flock did to him cannot be undone and his recovery, both physically and mentally, will take a long time but it's retribution time. Rick will make them pay for the harm they inflicted both to Gabriel and the children. That's what they've come to talk to their friend about today.

Rick walks forward, gently placing one hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "It's so good to see you sitting up. Trust me, we wouldn't put you through any of this but Mercer, Princess and Maxxine have come from the Commonwealth with bad news. They've had some of their own children disappear and in the same way Jaxon did. It's time for us to take action but first we need your help. We need to ask you some questions. Do you feel up to that?" Gabriel struggles a moment, takes a slow sip of water before giving Rick an affirmative, "Yes." Rick begins, "Do you know where they were holding you?" In a raspy voice Gabriel declares, "C...Cu...Culpepper Creek! Rick, I was held in Culpepper Creek. Jeremiah is the leader and the one solely responsible for doing what he calls, 'cleansing.' It's as if he took great pleasure in seeing it done." Rick responds, "Gabriel, two things...did you ever see or hear any children there? If so, do you know where they may be holding them?" Gabriel is slow to answer as if he's thinking back to a specific time. "The...there are children there. It's a little fuzzy as to which building I was being held in but it's a small town. I was kept in a separate room. One door and one window, high and near the ceiling. Gabriel stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Rick could tell his friend was getting tired. Tara stepped forward but Rick waved her off. "I'm sorry Gabriel, but we need to know." Gabriel continues..."I may not be able to go with you but I can give you what information I can remember. In the beginning, I was kept in what amounted to a large storage room at the end of the hall. It had only one small, octagon-shaped window near the ceiling and one way in or out. No chance of escaping either because there was always a guard at my door. Eventually, I was taken to a larger room where Jeremiah was sitting. He yammered on for a bit about his insane new world agenda and how as a 'man of the cloth' I had been misleading the children. I had to be 'cleansed' of the old ways and retrained in the ways of the Flock. He left the room and I was taken down a flight of stairs which led into a larger room and then pushed out the front door onto the street. Wait!" 

Gabriel says excitedly, "Now I remember that room. I remember the stand with tourist brochures by the front doors. It was the hotel! It was the lobby of the hotel!" Rick interrupted, "Good job! What about the children?" Gabriel continued, "I was just getting to that. As they were leading me down the hall, I remember hearing a child crying. Then, as they were dragging me back up the stairs and thrown into my room, I heard multiple children. The sounds I heard were coming from somewhere further down the hall. I truly believe they are being held in a back room or rooms on the 2nd floor of the hotel." He then slumps back on his pillows. Tara steps in once again and this time, she is adamant about allowing Father Gabriel to rest for a while. Michonne speaks up, "Gabriel, you've done great. A couple more things...can you give us a description of this Jeremiah and how many of his group you saw?" Weakly, Gabriel answers, "He's about 6' and 250 lbs.  He was wearing glasses, has bushy, black eyebrows and a goatee.  He has at least twelve, I saw, but there could have been more. I saw sentries on top of some of the buildings too. Please, please...be careful. These are ruthless people." Rick squeezes his shoulder. "We are too when you hurt one of ours. You know what this info means to us. Gabriel, We're gonna get those kids back and make Jeremiah pay." Without another word, Rick and Michonne walk out of his room, closing the door behind them.