Safe haven | Rick Grimes

073. THEY'RE GONNA HIT BACK

Chapter seventy three

"They're gonna hit back."

Rick's hands shook as he lifted the walkie-talkie back to his lips, his voice tight. "North, West, South... report."

He let go of the button. Only static answered.

"We... we have to go," Scarlett said, her breath hitching as panic set in. "If Negan got out, he's going to—"

"Come on," Rick cut in, shoving the dead radio away.

They scrambled back down the ladder, their boots slamming against the rungs. Regrouping with Jadis and the Scavengers, they moved cautiously down the approach road, weapons raised, scanning the perimeter. They stepped directly into the Sanctuary's outer courtyard, surrounded by the rotting remains of the slaughtered herd.

Jadis looked around the empty, blood-soaked plaza, her face expressionless. "Different from picture."

Before Rick could reply, heavy machine-gun fire tore through the air, chewing up the asphalt around them.

"Ducking! Left!" Rick yelled, grabbing Scarlett's shoulder as they dove behind a low concrete barrier. Bullets pinged violently off the metal structures above. "Jadis! It's coming from the upper windows! Return fire!"

Scarlett scoffed, looking through a gap in the concrete. "She's not firing, Rick. She's running."

Through the dust, they saw Jadis and her remaining people already retreating toward the tree line, abandoning them to the gunfire. The engine of a heavy vehicle roared in the distance, and the crunch of tires on gravel grew rapidly louder.

An armored car screeched around the corner.

"Go! Go!" Rick shouted.

Scarlett vaulted over the barrier, her movement fluid despite the chaos. Rick followed a split second later, both of them unleashing a volley of suppressive fire toward the windows to cover their escape. The passenger door of the car swung open—Carol was behind the wheel, with Jerry riding shotgun. Scarlett and Rick tumbled into the back seat just as a fresh wave of bullets riddled the car's frame.

Rick instantly threw his body over Scarlett, shielding her as Carol slammed the vehicle into reverse, tires screaming as she backed out of the kill zone.

Once they hit the main road, the gunfire faded. Rick sat up, his breathing ragged. "They got out. It hasn't been long. We have to warn Alexandria and the Kingdom. Negan is going to hit back hard."

"We can grab the scouting vehicles near the east lookout and split up," Carol said, her eyes locked on the road ahead.

Jerry shook his head from the passenger seat. "We might have to find other rides, boss. The snipers probably used those cars to get away when the herd collapsed."

"I don't think our snipers got away, Jerry," Rick said grimly, looking out the cracked window.

Scarlett wiped a streak of sweat and grit from her forehead, her mind racing. "But who would breach the walls? You said the plan was airtight. You had a—" She froze, the pieces suddenly clicking together as she remembered a conversation before the siege. She remembered the look on Daryl's face. "Daryl..."

Rick looked down, the weight of the betrayal settling over him. "Yeah."

He wrapped his arm securely around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest as the reality of the failed plan set in. He pressed his lips to her temple, his voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "I mean it, Scarlett. Thank you. If you hadn't broken into that place..."