Safe haven | Rick Grimes

069. SHE'S THE ONE YOU SHOULD FOLLOW

Chapter sixty nine

"She's the one you should follow."

"They have guns. A lot of them. I saw it," Tara shared, her voice shaking but resolute.

"What?" Rick and Scarlett asked in unison, their attention completely locked on her.

"That community I found when I went missing," Tara explained, taking a breath. "It's all women and children. They have an entire armory. They have more than enough guns."

Scarlett stepped closer, her maternal and protective instincts rising. "What stopped you from telling us before, Tara? Did they threaten you?"

"No," Tara whispered, looking down at her hands. "I made a promise to a girl who saved my life. I swore I'd never tell anyone about them."

Rick looked at her, understanding the agonizing weight of breaking that trust for the survival of Alexandria. "Are you ready if this goes south?"

"It won't," Tara insisted.

"If it does... you don't need to feel bad," Rick told her gently.

"I do feel bad. I will," Tara shared honestly, a tear slipping down her cheek.

Scarlett reached out, squeezing her shoulder. "Tara, you don't have to. You're saving our lives."

They lost no time putting a massive team together. The next morning, a heavy convoy rolled out of Alexandria, bringing the RV and the van. Daryl had even traveled down from the Kingdom, riding alongside them on his motorcycle.

The first phase of the plan brought them to the swampy outer perimeter of the territory. Jesus, Gabriel, and Daryl waded into the water, quietly recovering a hidden cache of firearms from the riverbed that Tara had marked. Meanwhile, Aaron, Eric, Scarlett, Rick, Tobin, and Scott boarded a small boat, cutting across the water toward the shores of what Tara called Oceanside.

Once the boat scraped against the sand, they moved inland. The group slipped like ghosts through the dense foliage, following Tara as she guided them toward the heart of the village.

Reaching a thick oak tree that provided a perfect tactical vantage point overlooking the camp, Scarlett unslung her shotgun. She stepped onto a low branch, and Rick moved in right behind her, bracing his hands under her boot to give her an extra boost up into the canopy.

"Once you're up, watch for the signal," Rick shared, his voice a low whisper against the rustling leaves.

"Once Tara gets in there, it'll only be a matter of time," Scarlett shared, peering through the branches at the cabins below. "They don't exactly seem like the trusting type."

Rick looked up at her, his eyes full of fierce affection. "You good?"

"I'm with you," Scarlett told him, a soft, confident smile breaking through her focus.

Rick smiled back at her, reaching up to give her ankle a reassuring squeeze as she climbed higher into the leaves to secure her sniper position.

Waiting up in the dense canopy of the oak tree, the sudden, muffled thuds of the smoke bombs and flashbangs echoed from the perimeter of the village. Scarlett pressed her eye to the shotgun's scope, tracking the dirt paths below as the smoke began to plume.

Movement caught her eye near the center of the camp. Two Oceanside soldiers broke into a sprint, heading straight for the weapons storage. Scarlett adjusted her aim and pulled the trigger, sending a warning shot tearing into the dirt right at their feet. The dust erupted, forcing the two women to screech to a violent halt. Before they could scramble, Scarlett fired two more precise shots, splintering the wooden frames of the armory doors to lock them out.