SPINNIN | RICK GRIMES

SEVENTY-SIX

      IT WAS ABOUT A WEEK LATER, JOSIE HEARD THE NEWS OF THE WALKER herd that was trapped in a quarry and Rick called a meeting to devise a plan to lead them away from Alexandria, so they all met up in Deanna's house.

      "My team, we saw it early on," Heath began to explain. "Back when we were one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of the trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers, maybe a dozen of them."

      "No one's been back since?" Maggie asked.

      "DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction," Heath replied. "And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."

      "So all the while, the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in," Michonne said.

      "And here we are," Rick said. "Now, what I'm proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now, maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east, all of them, right to us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon."

      "This is... I don't even have a word for it," Carol shook her head. "This is terrifying, all of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."

      "Maybe there is," Carter spoke up. "Couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg, construction crew. We can try and make it safe."

      "Even if we could, the sounds of those walkers are drawing more and more everyday," Rick replied. "Building up the exits won't change that."

      "We're gonna go what Rick says," Deanna spoke up. "The plans he's made out."

      "I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away," Rick explained.

      "Me too," Sasha volunteered. "I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep 'em coming, Daryl keeps 'em from getting sloppy."

      "I'll go with her," Abraham offered. "It's a long way to white-knuckle it solo."

      "We'll have two teams," Rick said. "One on each side of the forest, helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly. So they're out. So who's in?"

      "Me," Michonne replied.

      Glenn looked over at Rick. "I'm in."

      "I'd like to help as well," Gabriel offered.

      "No," Josie snapped, who stood next to Rick.

      "Who else?" Rick asked. "We need more."

      "There's gotta be another play," Carter stepped forward. "We can't just control that many."

      "I said it before; walkers herd up," Rick replied. "They'll follow a path if something's drawing 'em. That's how we can get 'em all at once."

      "So what?" Carter asked. "We're supposed to just take your word for it? We're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after-"

      Josie glared at Carter. "After what?"

      "After he waved a gun around, screaming, pointing it at people," Carter retorted before he looked at Rick. "After you shoot a man in the face. After you-"