Safe haven | Rick Grimes

070. WE'LL SEE YOU AFTER

Chapter seventy

"We'll see you after."

They all remained frozen in the cramped, concrete cell as Dwight sank to his knees, his gaze lingering heavily on Scarlett and Daryl.

"Look at me," Rick commanded, his voice slicing through the thick tension. Dwight turned his head slowly, looking up into the barrel of the revolver. "Why?" Rick asked.

"Because I want it stopped," Dwight shared, his voice low and raspy. "I want Negan dead."

"So why don't you kill him?" Rick asked flatly.

"It can't just be me. They're all Negan," Dwight shared, shaking his head.

Tara stepped forward, her posture rigid as she leaned down into his space, her eyes burning with a deep, furious grief. "That girl you murdered..." she shared, her voice trembling. "She had a name. Her name was Denise, and she was a doctor. And she helped people."

Dwight swallowed hard, looking up at her with a hollow expression. "I wasn't aiming for her."

The explanation sparked an immediate reaction. Scarlett moved toward him, pinning Dwight against the concrete wall. Daryl stepped in as well, his knife drawn and ready as he faced the man who had caused them so much pain.

"Do it! Do it!" Tara urged from behind them.

"If you want to end it this way... go ahead," Dwight managed to say despite the confrontation. He looked at them with a heavy expression. "I'm sorry. I am. I know you want to."

Rick didn't lower his weapon, his mind weighing the tactical risks. "He could just be here to see if you were here, Daryl," he noted, keeping his eyes locked on the prisoner.

"We don't trust you," Scarlett said firmly.

"He owned me. But not anymore," Dwight insisted. "What I did... I was doing it for someone else. But she got away. So now I'm here. And so are you, because of her."

"Do it!" Tara voiced again, her grief fueling her demand.

"There's another choice," Dwight insisted.

"Not for you," Scarlett dismissed him coldly.

"She's right," Tara argued, looking at Daryl. "Daryl, you knew Denise. You know what they did."

"You can trust me," Dwight pleaded, looking between them.

"We can't," Scarlett told him flatly.

"We work together, we can stop him," Dwight shared, looking toward Rick for some sign of a reprieve.

"So you can betray us later? No thanks," Scarlett said, refusing to believe his sudden change of heart.

Dwight looked directly at Daryl, desperation showing on his face. "You knew me then, and you know me now. You know I'm not lying. I'm not."

"Do it! Do it!" Tara urged, Daryl brought the knife down while Scarlett held Dwight firmly against the wall.

"They have Sasha," Rosita shared suddenly from the back of the room, her quiet voice instantly silencing the cell. "If she's even still alive."

"Why didn't you say something before? He could be our only chance to get her back," Jesus shared, turning to Rosita in frustration.

"Because I don't trust him. But I trust Daryl," Rosita shared simply, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Negan's coming soon," Dwight shared, breaking through their argument.

Rick stepped toward the wall, his boots scraping on the concrete. "When?"