Safe haven, Rick Grimes

050. HE THREATNED TO KILL ME AND HE MEANT IT

Chapter fifty

"He threatened to kill me and he meant it."

That night, Scarlett had woken up and as she did, she remembered where she was what happened, as her and Jessie were sitting on the porch, Carol was watching them across the way as Rick walked up to her "I sent a casseroule to Deana's family. We want her to see that. Scarlett's alive that's a good thing. I talked to Sam some more. He said his mom put a bolt on the inside of his closet. Tells him to lock himself in sometimes and not come out till morning. He said he can hear his dad yelling, things breaking, his mom crying. Today he came in through the garage and found Scarlett unconscious by the front door bleeding and his mom in the same condition in the living room. All Pete had was bloody fists and a lump on his head which means he his Scarlett in the head so hard that he knocked the both of them out." Carol shared.

As Scarlett stood up from the porch and began walking down the steps, Rick turned to go after her but as he did, Carol grabbed his arm "I got her." Carol told him, walking off the porch to go meet her, and as she did, Rick walked off the porch as well going and walking toward's the pond, he stood there, as he puled the gun out of his back pocket and put it in front of him "hey, Rick." Pete said, as he walked up behind him "Rick." he said, as Rick turned to him "you okay, man?" Pete asked, as Rick glared at him, Pete looked at him with furrowed brows "keep walking." Rick told him "what? What are you.." Pete asked, but then he realized what as he turned and kept walking, as Rick watched him go.

Scarlett saw Carol walking toward's her "where is he?" she asked her "I made sure he didn't come get you." Carol shared "good." Scarlett told her, as she stepped out of the dark, in the moonlight, Carol's eyes went wide seeing the bruises and dried blood on her face "he can't see me. I don't want him to." Scarlett told her, as Carol nodded.

The next morning, Rick woke up and when he turned in his bed, he was hoping that Scarlett would be next to him, but she wasn't, as he got up for the day, changing into his police uniform, he went to find Deana who was out by the graves "I'm sorry for what happened. How you holding up?" he asked her "I'm not." Deana told him "we have a problem with Pete." Rick told her "I hoped it'd get better. And when Scarlett came I thought it would stop but when she told me that her and him were a long story and I saw how he got in her face at the party. I realized it was only gonna get worse. But he's a surgeon. He's saved lives. He might be saving Tara's life."  Deana shared.

"All while he beat up my wife along with his own yesterday. We have to stop it." Rick shared "how?" Deana asked "we separate em. We tell him that's how it'll be from now on." Rick shared "what happens if he doesn't want to do that?" Deana asked, stepping toward's him "it's not his choice." Rick told her "so what happens?" Deana asked "I kill him. We kill him. Just like I told my wife I would if he ever came near her and tried to put his hands on her again." Rick shared "we don't kill people. This is civilization, Rick." Deana shared.

"Back when things were civilized he threatened to kill my wife and he meant it. That's how I met her, she was a scared woman running away from her abusive husband. I told her I'd keep her safe, both then and now when she knew he'd be here. So what? We're just gonna let him hit her? Kill her?" Rick asked "no, we exile him if it comes to that." Deana shared "we do that, we don't know when he comes back and what he does to them. Letting him go makes this place vulnerable. You really wanna wait till someone in that tower has to take care of it? And that's if we're lucky." Rick shared.

"We are not..executing anyone. Don't ever suggest it again. That sort of thinking doesn't belong here." Deana told him "people die now, Deana. They do. There's times like this you can decide who and when. Or it can be decided for you. And if it comes down to him or my wife? I'm picking my wife." Rick shared, turning and walking off.