Safe haven | Rick Grimes

082. YOU AIN'T GOTTA WORRY ABOUT HIM ANYMORE

Chapter eighty two

"You ain't gotta worry about him anymore."

A month had passed since construction began on the bridge. Members of Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and even the Saviors were all working together. They had set up a nearby camp to keep production moving faster, but the joint effort created new problems. Alexandria and the Saviors were facing a critically low food supply, and Hilltop was lagging on their promised shipments.

It was up to Scarlett to figure out what was going on. Michonne insisted on riding along, though the decision weighed heavily on her. Leaving her children behind with people she didn't completely trust didn't sit right with her—especially with a nasty bug making the rounds at home, and the lingering, painful memory of leaving Carl only to return to him dying.

Scarlett and Michonne rode their horses up to the Hilltop gates, which swung open to let them pass. They pulled up to the stables and dismounted. When a stable hand reached for the reins of Scarlett's horse, she shook her head.

"Don't put mine away," Scarlett said. "I don't think I'm gonna be here that long."

"Scarlett," Michonne warned softly, sensing the tension.

Jesus walked up to meet them. "Hi," he greeted.

Without answering, Scarlett turned and marched toward the animal pens where Maggie was working. Michonne and Jesus exchanged a brief, knowing look before following quickly behind her.

Maggie dismounted her own horse and walked up to meet them at the fence. "Hey," Maggie said, looking past them. "Just you two?"

"From the Sanctuary," Scarlett replied shortly.

"Find out anything?" Maggie asked.

"Word is the ethanol was sent out last week, just like they promised," Scarlett shared.

"Well, it's still not here," Maggie countered.

"And that's..." Scarlett started, her frustration bubbling up.

"Yeah, Jesus mentioned that," Michonne interrupted smoothly, trying to keep the peace. "We don't know what happened."

"They could be lying," Maggie suggested.

"They're not," Scarlett snapped. "Attacked by walkers, possibly. Going AWOL is another possibility. But honestly, I don't care. What I care about is the food that you promised and haven't handed over."

Jesus stepped in, trying to diffuse the argument. "We could do it. We have the surpluses."

"Yeah, but for how long?" Maggie asked, crossing her arms. "Until we get that fuel, that tractor isn't moving. Which means the big fields don't get plowed, and our yield comes in short."

"Which is exactly why we took the plow from the museum," Scarlett countered, stepping closer. "The one Ezekiel almost died for."

"I need a blacksmith to fix it, and I don't have one right now," Maggie shared coldly.

Scarlett let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Rick told me how you spoke to him when he came here. That's exactly why I didn't come with him. If I'd been there and you talked to him like that, I wouldn't have been so nice. And he also told me how you hung Gregory in front of everyone that same night—in front of two children, Maggie. Then you locked up Earl because he's the one who attacked you. He's elderly, and he just lost his son. Are you really going to keep him in there forever?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided," Maggie said, her voice hardening. "It's the first time we've had to deal with something like this."

"Which is why we need rules," Scarlett pressed. "I mean, do you really think he'll try to do it again?"