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."

Night fell over Alexandria, wrapping the quiet streets in heavy shadows. Scarlett sat on the front porch steps of the corner house, her body aching with a dull, throbbing pain.

When she had first opened her eyes hours ago, the world was spinning. The smell of copper and stale alcohol filled her senses, and for a terrifying second, she thought she was twenty-four again, waking up on the floor of their old house. The crushing realization that she was still trapped in Alexandria, still running from the same monster, had made her chest seize. She had barely managed to drag herself out to the porch for air, where Jessie now sat beside her in a shattered, binding silence.

Across the street, Carol stood half-hidden in the darkness, keeping a vigilant watch on the two women. Hearing footsteps, she turned as Rick approached her, his face a tight mask of suppressed rage.

"I sent a casserole to Deanna's family," Carol whispered, her eyes never leaving the porch. "We want her to see us doing that. Scarlett's alive—that's a good thing. But Rick, I talked to Sam some more. He told me his mom put a deadbolt on the inside of his closet door. She tells him to lock himself in sometimes and not come out until morning. He said he can hear his dad yelling, things breaking... his mom crying."

Rick's jaw clenched so tightly the muscles jumped.

"Today, Sam came in through the garage," Carol continued, her voice dropping into a chillingly flat register. "He found Scarlett unconscious by the front door, bleeding. His mom was in the exact same condition in the living room. All Pete had were bloody fists and a lump on his head. It means he hit Scarlett so hard it knocked the both of them out cold."

On the porch across the way, Scarlett slowly stood up. She stepped down the stairs, her movements stiff and guarded. Rick instantly turned to go after her, but Carol's hand snapped out, catching his forearm in an iron grip.

"I've got her," Carol told him firmly. "Go."

Carol released his arm and walked out into the street to meet Scarlett. Left alone, Rick walked away from the houses, his boots crunching softly on the grass as he headed toward the community pond. He stood at the edge of the water, the moonlight reflecting off the dark surface. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his hidden revolver, his fingers wrapping tightly around the grip as he stared at the weapon.

"Hey, Rick."

The voice cut through the dark. Rick didn't flinch.

"Rick," Pete called out again, his tone casually arrogant as he strolled up behind him. "You okay, man?"

Rick slowly turned around. He didn't raise the gun, but he didn't hide it either. He just glared at Pete, his eyes dead and predatory in the moonlight.

Pete stopped walking, his brows furrowing as he felt the immediate shift in the air. "What? What are you—"

"Keep walking," Rick interrupted, his voice dropping into a guttural, dangerous growl.

Pete opened his mouth to snap back, but as his eyes dropped to the firearm in Rick's hand, the cocky smirk vanished from his face. Realizing exactly what kind of man he was standing across from, Pete swallowed hard, turned on his heel, and hurried away into the dark. Rick watched his retreating back, his thumb resting heavily on the hammer of the gun.

Further down the street, Scarlett watched Carol approach. "Where is he?" she asked, her voice raspy and raw.

"I made sure he didn't come get you," Carol assured her gently.