ꜰᴏᴏʟ'ꜱ ᴍᴀᴛᴇ || ᴛᴡᴅ

149: ᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ

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There was no time to mourn Rachel. Gunshots could be heard outside, as the Soldiers were ordered to shoot anyone trying to climb the wall to the safety of the estates. 

"People are dying." Mercer loaded his rifle, packing more ammo into his bag. "I can't just stand by."

He looked at the people around him, watching him.

"The truck is gassed up with some reserves in the rear. It's enough to get you home. We can sneak you out the back. This isn't your fight. These aren't your people."

"Yes, they are." Ezekiel looked from Rachel's body in Daryl's arms, to Mercer. "And so are you." He looked at the others. "You may not think this place is worth saving, and I get that, given how they've treated us. But it's worth it to me. The people are worthy. And I am not going to allow them to fall without a fight. Not today. I'm with you. Who else?"

Sami was leaning against the wall nearby, watching Daryl's back. but he raised his hand without hesitation. Carl wouldn't leave them. Which meant Rachel wouldn't. "I'll fight. Actual people here did nothing, it's the ones hiding behind the walls that I'll throw to the walkers."

"Yeah." Aaron stepped forward. "We can do a lot more than just save ourselves. We need to."

"I'm in." And "I'm with you." Filled the room. No one was running. No one was saving themselves. They were all going to fight, just as they'd always done. For the prison. For Alexandria. For Hilltop. But this time, it wouldn't fall.

Outside was loud. The screaming of the people outside the walls of the estates, where the richest of the Commonwealth citizens lived, was only going to draw more walkers, never-mind the clanging of the metal gates they were trying to get open. 

Soldiers stood on the other side, in formation, guns raised. 

The first out was Mercer with his troops, followed then by the others. Guns raised at Milton and her soldiers, surrounding them. 

Sami took in the sight - the people screaming, only attracting the walkers straight to them. They probably weren't far behind. Milton, still in an ironed, color coordinated suit. Earrings in her ears. Makeup on. The soldiers around her, already hesitant to follow her orders.

"Traitor!" Milton yelled, looking at Mercer.

"No. You are, Governor. You disappeared hundreds of citizens. Lead the dead to our doorstep. You killed a child. And now you've left thousands out there to die."

As he finished speaking, they could hear the groans. And see the citizens turn back to see the walkers stumbling over to them, their groans echoing as people began to cry.

Gabriel walked towards the gate, ignoring the yells of Milton and her general.

"We're opening the gate and letting these people in. I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me."

The General raised her gun. "Stop, or we will be forced to shoot you."

"Shoot him!" Milton roared, as Gabriel reached the gate.

"Stop!"  Sami looked at Milton, as her eyes fell on him. "What's the point? Keep the gate closed so you stay alive?"

"If I open that gate, the dead will get in. not just the living."

"The dead'll get in anyway, they've gotten this far. This the .  . . splitting people up, the wars. That's the problem. Dead are never a problem when you've got people willing to lay down their lives for the person at their side, regardless of their social status. You made this place like the old world, when that was broken to begin with. There's the dead, and there's the living. It's not that complicated. Even if you survive this, who'd want to? Knowing your life is built on the blood of thousands."

The General lowered her gun. "Lower your weapons. Lower your weapons! He's right! Give the priest the key."

They did as she said, though they could see some of her soldiers disagreed, and Gabriel took the key, working on the lock.

"On your command, General Mercer."

"Pamela Milton." He walked towards her. "You're under arrest for high crimes against the people of this Commonwealth. Cuff her."

Sami, along with the others, made their way to the gate to help pull it open, the people flooding inside, many still screaming, as they got to safety, the gates being shoved closed behind them, the dead now pushing against it and growling, reaching their hands out to reach them. 

Danny watched as Lydia ran to Elijah, who was in the crowd, pulling him in for a hug as he kissed her head.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

Danny turned away. He couldn't think of Rachel. He couldn't. Or Rosita. His breathing was already getting bad, his eyes hard to see through the tears that kept gathering. 

He tried focusing on what was around him. Jerry was alive, too. Joel was with him. 

He focused on the people who had just come inside. It was nowhere near enough. There were either thousands dead, or thousands still out there. Or both. 

Which, according to Jerry, was what had happened. 

Sami stayed in the estates, making his way through the tunnels and lining fuses as Rosita told him to over the walkie. She was staying with the children, which he understood, so he was the one in the dark with Max lining the tunnels under the estates.

Danny, meanwhile, stuck with Daryl. He helped lead a truck out of the estates, through town square, where he jumped on the back, and to the fuel depot, where he, Ezekiel, Mercer, and others loaded up as much fuel as they could into the truck, before bringing it to Sami. 

Sami and Princess then worked on plugging up a record player in Pamela's house to the PA system, and then as many speakers as they could find were plugged up around the water fountain in the centre of the estates, blasting 'Cult of Personality' for the walkers to follow, Eugene and Sami then placing dynamite that Mercer brough over atop of the fuel cans, while the others poured the fuel into the sewers. 

The trigger for all this? The needle on the record player settling back into place after the song finished. 

Getting everyone out in time with the walkers not stopping them was hard, but manageable. When the estates were engulphed in flames and fire, they were long gone, though it shook the ground for miles. Sami just hoped the noise wouldn't attract even more walkers.