Wings

World Expansion III

"Travel doesn't become adventure until you leave yourself behind" – Marty Rubin

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Remy

Remy made her way back to Rick's at the end of the day with Make Way for Ducklings in hand. Maybe she would read it to them after supper and it would help take her mind off the sense of danger she couldn't shake.

She scanned her surroundings the whole way there, not wanting Spencer or anyone else to get the drop on her, and that's how she saw him.

Spencer was leaned against the fence...talking to himself? He paused, as if listening. She wondered if she could get around behind him quietly, but didn't want to risk it alone. She ducked into an alley to continue observing. Had he really cracked? He kept pausing. He didn't look agitated. It honestly looked like real conversation. But with whom?

—-

Daryl

Gregory was talking about a deal. The man asked him if the 'drop' was light, and Gregory insisted that it wasn't. A woman cut in, telling them that 'they' still had Craig. One of the others spoke now, saying they agreed to keep Craig alive if he would deliver a message. Daryl's heartbeat picked up.

"What's the message?" Gregory aske. And that's when the guy sank a knife in his middle, and the room exploded into a flurry of action.

Rick and Michonne grabbed the man, Nathan. "GET OFF OF ME! I have to!!"

Rick started hitting him, trying to knock him out, but it was taking too long. The other man tried to break them up, but Abe grabbed him first. He turned quickly knocked the giant to the ground. He started choking him. Daryl grabbed him and moved quickly to an arm bar and held it. He glanced at Abe to see his lungs inflate and felt relief. But not for long.

Nathan was quickly getting the better of Rick, who was worn out. To Daryl's frustration, it seemed no one but the 4 of them were making any moves, though most were tending to Gregory. Suddenly, Nathan had Rick's back and his knife to Rick's throat.

"STAY BACK! Anyone who tries to stop me is killing my brother!" he screamed.

Behind him, Michonne moved forward. "Drop it," she growled.

Nathan spared a quick look behind to assess the threat, and that's all it took. Whip fast, Rick's knife sank into his captor's jugular. Nathan dropped his knife and bled out on the floor.
Daryl could feel the eyes staring at them all. Daryl's man tensed in the arm bar. When he spoke, it was choked. "NATHAN!" he cried, "You killed him..."
Rick was having none of it. "He tried to kill Gregory, then me."
Now, the woman with them rushed Rick, hitting him in the head and knocking him down. Michonne was on her in a second. Rick could do a lot worse than Michonne, Daryl thought, she's a warrior.

Men with spears came to break his reflection. Rick pulled his gun from its holster. "Drop it!" One of them said to Rick.

"I don't think I will."

Paul broke in. "Everyone, it's over. It's over. Nathan was our friend. But let's not pretend he was anything more than a coward who attacked us. He did this. And these people stopped him."

Rick looked to Paul. "What can I do?"

"Put the gun away, you've done enough. You need to know that things aren't as simple as they might seem," Paul said. "Just gimme some time."

Harlan and the others got Gregory up and took him to surgery.

Daryl looked over to see Abe still laying on his back staring up at the ceiling. "Hey man," he asked, "you good?"