Safe haven | Rick Grimes

077. PUT YOUR HANDS UP NOW, BLONDIE

Chapter seventy seven

"Put your hands up now, blondie."

They climbed back into the van and regrouped with the scouts they had set out with. By the time they made it back to the Hilltop, darkness had fallen, and a fleet of Savior vehicles was already parked outside. Everyone leapt out of the van, weapons raised and at the ready.

The eerie sound of the Saviors' whistle echoed through the night, instantly followed by a sudden burst of heavy gunfire.

"Goddamn it, no! Back to the truck! Go! Go! Go!" Simon's voice shouted over the chaos.

As he and the remaining Saviors came running out in a panic, the Hilltop defenders flipped on their vehicle headlights, blinding the enemy. Rick, Scarlett, and the rest of the group surged forward, unleashing a hail of bullets.

Scarlett and Rick worked in tandem, cutting down Saviors as they tried to flee through the open gates. When their guns clicked empty once again, they discarded them without hesitation. Scarlett drew her machete, and Rick gripped his axe as they rounded the side of a bus. A Savior swung blindly at Rick, but Rick parried and killed him instantly. Scarlett spun on her heel, dropping another Savior who charged them from the shadows. As they cleared the corner, a third enemy rushed forward. Scarlett kicked him squarely in the chest to drive him back, allowing Rick to step in and finish him.

Rick walked toward a wounded Savior on the ground, but the sudden roar of a revving engine cut through the air. Scarlett turned and sprinted toward the gate, meeting up with Maggie. Rick was right on her heels. The three of them raised their handguns and fired a final volley of bullets into the escaping vehicles as they sped away into the dark.

Breathing heavily, the three of them stood in the quiet aftermath.

"I wanted them dead. All of them," Maggie shared, her voice shaking with rage. "Negan most of all."

"Yeah," Rick shared, staring out into the night. "Me too."

Maggie looked at them. "Did you see him?"

"Not here," Scarlett told her. "We went out there with your plan, but he was at the back of the convoy. Alone. Vulnerable. We broke off and took our shot. We crashed his car, and he ran into a building. We went after him and tried to kill him. We even set his bat on fire. But..."

"We didn't get him," Rick interrupted softly. "But we tried."

Maggie looked between the two of them, her expression softening with gratitude. "Thank you."

The next morning, Scarlett and Rick were in the room where Judith and the other children were sleeping. Together, they pried the wooden boards off the windows to let some fresh air in, since the generators had been shut down to conserve fuel. Neither of them spoke a word, but the silence between them was heavy and understood.

Later, they sat outside on the porch. Scarlett quietly stitched up Rick's cuts before tending to her own.

Nearby, a conversation drifted through the courtyard. "I wouldn't have died if I had gone out there," Henry insisted.

"You would have, Henry. Just trust me," Carol replied gently as she guided the boy inside.

Rick finished reloading his firearm and slid it back into his holster. A shadow fell over them as Siddiq approached, holding a medical kit. "I can treat your wounds," he offered softly.

"I already did it," Scarlett muttered. She stood up, completely avoiding eye contact, and turned toward the door. Rick stood up to follow her.

"Look, I know you don't like me..." Siddiq shared hesitantly.