Safe haven | Rick Grimes

052. WALKERS IN THE QUARRY

Chapter fifty two

"Walkers in the quarry."

They stood at the edge of the massive quarry, staring down at the thousands of walkers thrashing below. Large trucks had been parked across the exits to hold the herd back, but the makeshift barricade was a ticking time bomb.

Rick scanned the faces of the group, his voice sharp and commanding. "I know this sounds insane, but this is an insane world. We have to come for them before they come for us. It's that simple. This is where it all starts tomorrow. Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit, and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at red, staying on the west side of the road. Daryl gets on his bike—"

A low, deep rumbling cut him off, vibrating through the dirt beneath their boots.

Sasha snapped her head around, her eyes widening. "You see that?"

They all watched in horror as the edge of the cliff began to give way. The dirt crumbled rapidly beneath the heavy wheels of the main blocker truck. With a deafening screech of twisting metal, the massive vehicle tipped over the edge and plummeted into the quarry below.

The main exit was wide open.

"It's open!" Tobin yelled over the rising roar of the herd.

"We've gotta do this now!" Rick shouted, his instincts kicking in instantly as everyone started to move. "Tobin's group, get going! Go!"

"No, Rick! We're not ready!" Carter protested, panic lacing his voice as he tried to stall.

Rick ignored him, turning his focus straight to Sasha. "Sasha! Abraham!"

"Damn straight," Abraham barked, a wild grin breaking through his red beard. "We'll do it live!" He and Sasha didn't hesitate, sprinting straight toward their car.

"You meet Daryl at red. Let him take them through the gauntlet!" Rick called after them.

"Yeah, we meet at red!" Sasha yelled back over her shoulder.

"Go!" Rick ordered.

Beside him, the core group braced for the onslaught. Daryl raised his crossbow. Michonne drew her katana, the steel catching the dim light. Morgan shifted his weight, tightly gripping his staff. Scarlett raised her gun, her hands safely hidden inside heavy protective gloves to shield her healing wounds.

Glenn came running over, breathless but focused. "Rick, I'll hit the tractor place."

"Okay. Who else?" Rick asked, already moving past him to track the herd.

"Rick, this was supposed to be a dry run!" Carter desperately tried to reason, rushing to keep pace.

Rick completely tuned him out. "Daryl, get ready."

"They're coming," Daryl muttered.

Down the road, the wall of walkers finally breached the gap between the remaining trucks. The sheer volume of the dead was staggering, a slow-moving tidal wave of rotting flesh. Sasha and Abraham's car roared to life, tires spinning as they sped down the road to take their positions.

"Rick, we haven't even gone through the whole plan!" Carter argued, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Rick stopped and whipped around, his eyes piercing through Carter. "We can't go back. We're finishing this."

Seeing that Rick wouldn't back down, Carter turned and bolted down the path, Heath right at his heels to get into position.

Rick sprinted toward the treeline with the rest of the group. "Tobin, you hit it on my signal! They're heading for home—we don't have a choice!"