Safe haven | Rick Grimes

066. WE'RE HERE FOR DARYL

Chapter sixty six

"We're here for Daryl."

Inside the office of Barrington House, Gregory paced behind his large wooden desk, his face flushed with irritation.

"No. No way in hell," Gregory scoffed, waving his hands dismissively. "That was not the deal. You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. Any arrangement we had—"

"We didn't fail," Scarlett interrupted, her voice cutting through his frantic rambling like ice.

Gregory stopped, blinking at her in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"We did exactly what you asked," Scarlett shared, taking a deliberate step toward his desk. "We killed everyone at that outpost. It's you and Jesus who neglected to mention the fact that the Saviors don't just live out of that one compound. You didn't tell us it's an entire army of people who all call themselves Negan."

Gregory opened his mouth to object, but Scarlett kept going, her gaze unyielding. "Especially since I heard while we were waiting out there that when they attacked this place the other night, you stayed in here and hid like you always do, while Maggie and Sasha saved everyone. You started this."

"You started it!" Gregory shot back, pointing an accusatory finger.

Rick stepped forward, his massive frame instantly dominating the space in front of the desk. "We did. And we're gonna win."

"These are killers, Ricky!" Gregory insisted, his voice pitching higher.

"Is this how you want to live?" Rick asked, leaning in slightly. "Under their thumb, watching them kill your people?"

"Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like," Gregory argued, crossing his arms defensively. "Sometimes, Lottie and Ricky, you just have to count the blessings you have."

Maggie stepped up next to Rick, completely ignoring Gregory's cowardice. "How many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?"

"We?" Gregory scoffed, letting out a sharp laugh. "I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret. And does it even matter? I mean..." He sighed heavily, looking at them like they were insane. "What are you gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? Because like Lottie just pointed out, that's what we have here. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."

"You're wrong," Tara countered from the back of the room. "When people actually have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean, people just—"

"Let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" Gregory cut her off with an eye roll, waving a dismissive hand in her face.

Tara stared at him in shock, completely thrown by his dismissive attitude.

"And by the way," Gregory continued, leaning back in his chair, "who would train all this cannon fodder?"

"I will," Sasha said instantly.

At the exact same moment, Rosita snapped, "Give me a week."

Gregory's eyes went wide. He held up his hands defensively. "Rhetorical, okay? I don't wanna know. I never wanna hear another word about it, ever."

Rick stepped even closer to the desk, his presence looming large. He held his hand out toward Gregory. "Would we be better off without the Saviors? Yes or no?"

"Yeah. Sure, okay," Gregory mumbled, waving a hand to brush it off.

Scarlett placed a calming hand on Rick's shoulder, pulling him back an inch so she could step into his place. She looked directly at the leader. "So, what are you willing to do to make that happen?"