Surviving. (Book Two.)

Chapter Thirty Nine.

Sarah;

At sundown, I left the house and started making my way down to the meeting place, pulling my jacket tighter around me to fight off the chilly night air. 

When I'm getting closer, I notice and am glad that they've got a roaring fire set up and a bunch of chairs in a semi circle but instead of taking one of the free ones, I stand next to Maggie as Michonne is talking and notice that there's a few people missing. 

Rick being the one that concerns me most. This meeting is to do with him after all. 

"Where's Glenn?" I whispered, nudging Maggie's shoulder gently and when I notice Nicholas isn't here either, I start to worry. 

"I don't know," she mumbled, "He said he'd be here but I haven't seen him since this afternoon." 

I frown, staring into the fire and since I'm so immersed in my own thoughts, I miss what Carol's saying but to be honest, I'm not too bothered. It's probably some bullshit story that she'd made up and as always, they're probably believing it. 

"Simply put, there is a vast ocean of shit you people don't know shit about," Abraham says, as blunt as usual, "Rick knows every fine grain of said shit and then some." 

"My father respected Rick Grimes," Maggie then said, taking her turn, "Rick is a father too. He's a man with a good heart who feels the things he does, the things he has to do. And all of us who were together before this place, we're family now. Rick started that and you won't stop it. You can't and you don't want to." She spoke right to Deanna now, "This community, you people...that family. You want to be a part of it too."

Deanna nodded, taking in everything that she had said before stepping forward, "Before we continue and hear from anyone else, I want to share something in the spirit of transparency. Father Gabriel came to see me the day before yesterday and he said our new arrivals can't be trusted." 

Immediately, I look around for the priest and see that he isn't here. Coward. He didn't show up because he knew we'd all be here and he knew that Deanna would definitely tell everyone what he said. And after we saved his life? 

"He said that they were dangerous," Deanna continued, "That they would put themselves before this community and not one day later, Rick seemed to demonstrate all the things Father Gabriel said. I had hoped he would be here tonight." 

"I don't see him here, Deanna," Jessie said from in front of me, "So you're just saying what someone said. Did you tape him?" 

"Neither is Rick." she retorts quickly.

"Excuse me," Maggie said quietly, turning so I'd be the only one to hear her, "I'm going to hopefully find Rick or Glenn. This is all going wrong." 

I nod and watch her disappear into the darkness before turning to listen to a man, I think his name was Tobin, speak, "I just want to keep my family safe and I don't even know what that means anymore but if that means that we've got to get rid o-"

I turn when I hear something approaching, thinking that it was Maggie with Rick and Glenn but I was shocked to see that it was just Rick on his own but he was covered in blood and was carrying a walker on his shoulder. 

I gape at him as he dumps the body near the fire, causing the few women from the community who are here to gasp and move back. 

"There wasn't a guard on the gate. It was open." he says, looking at each of us individually. 

"I asked Gabriel to close it," Spencer, Deanna's other son tell her. 

With a jerk of her head, she's instructed him to go back to his post. 

"I didn't bring it in. It got inside on it's own." Rick tells us, "They always will; the dead and the living because we're in here. And the ones out there, they'll hunt us. They'll find us, they'll try to use us, they'll try to kill us. But we'll kill them. I'll show you how." He pauses and looks around at us again, "You know, I was thinking...how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives? But I'm not gonna do that. You're gonna change. I'm not sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be. Right now, you have to be. Luck runs out." 

Everyone's quiet and as everyone takes in what he's said, I notice Pete lurking around in the gateway behind everyone, Michonne's sword in his hands and automatically, my hand goes to my knife. Not that I'd be able to do anything with it. His blade is bigger than mine. 

"You're not one of us!" Pete bellowed, "You are not one of us!" 

"Pete," Jessie tries to say but one of the other women put their hand on her arm. 

"Pete, you don't want to do this," Deanna's husband says quickly, moving towards the dangerous man. 

"Get the hell away from me, Reg." he hissed, pushing him away slightly. 

"Reg," I say quietly as the man stands in front of Pete, hand resting on his chest when he tries for a second time to get him to stop. 

"I said get away from me!" Pete demanded, "Get away! Get away!" 

Everyone let's out shocked screams as the drunken surgeon swipes the sword right across Reg's neck, which sends the older man to the ground choking on his own blood. 

Then, everyone is suddenly on their feet; either trying to get away from the commotion or in my case, moving to kneel down beside Deanna, moving my hand to Reg's neck to try for some reason to stop the bleeding, even though I know that nothing can really help him. 

The blood is practically spurting from his wound, covering my hands and even parts of my face but I keep it there. 

"No! My love, my love!" Deanna cries as she holds her dying husband in her arms, wailing louder when the man finally goes still and she pulls him away from me, closer to her chest, "No! No!" 

I fall back on my knees, looking around and I see that Abraham has now pinned Pete to the ground. 

"This is him!" he shouts, muffled slightly since Abraham is pushing his face into the ground, "This is him!" 

"Shut up!" 

Deanna looks up at Rick through narrowed eyes. "Rick..." she says thickly, "Do it."

I barely have time to blink before Rick whips his gun out and shoots Pete in the head with no hesitation and I close my eyes when I hear Jessie scream. 

"Rick?" 

I open my eyes at the unfamiliar voice; seeing Aaron, Daryl and another man standing at the entrance. Rick and the guy stare at each other in disbelief. 

I notice that Daryl is looking for me and when he finds me, his eyes widen at the fact that I'm covered in blood and I get up, practically stumbling my way across to him where I wrap my arms around his neck. 

He quickly reciprocates the affection, ignoring the fact that I'm probably staining his clothes with Reg's blood. 

He and Aaron are back and they're safe and they're alive. Everything is okay now. He's home.