Here We'll Remain>>C.G

Part 26

Thea's PoV

      Of course, our plan went out the window as soon as we found out that Negan's men were blocking every route to Hilltop. It was like they knew what would happen and planned all of their interferences accordingly. They wanted to eliminate us. Today was the day of the showdown between the Saviors and Alexandria. 

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      I was sitting behind Sasha on the passenger side of the R.V. Carl sat on the other side behind Abraham. Rick knelt inbetween both Sasha and Abraham, looking out the front window. He was trying his best to tune out the heartfelt conversation that he was in the middle of, literally. I had a happy smile on my face as I listened to the two, confessing their fondness of each other in way most people wouldn't understand.

      I tried not to listen in on their supposedly private conversation, but I couldn't help it. I glanced at Carl from time to time, the smile on my face staying the same. I knew this trip was dangerous, but this was a good moment. 

"Bitch nuts." Those words sure snapped me out of my thoughts. I furrowed my eyebrows at Abraham's use of words. My thoughts were soon answered when Abraham slowed the vehicle and stopped. I stood, peering over Rick's right shoulder, Carl doing the same on the other side. My heart started beating faster as I saw yet another blockade of Negan's men. 

"We making our stand?" Sasha asked. 

"Yeah, we end it," Carl breathed, his one good eye trained carefully on all the men. I looked up at him, my mind racing. Carl is going to get exactly what he wanted. I bit my lip and looked forward again, waiting for someone else to speak.

"No, not now. They've been waiting. They're ready. With one of us behind the wheel, that's five on 16. We're gonna play it our way; how we want it," he told us, sizing up our competition. "Right?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Carl. Carl paused, glancing into his father's eyes.

"Right."  Rick nodded and turned back to the front.

"Alright. Go slow," He instructed Abraham, who began to back up, away from the blockade. They fired off a few gunshots in the air while we got turned around and headed in a different direction. 

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        We had all settled back down, now that we were on a different path to Hilltop. We all knew that it was just a matter of time before we ran into more men. Carl sat next to me this time, the two of us taking up one bench seat that belonged the table. Eugene sat on the other side. 

    Everyone was quiet, until Abraham stopped the R.V. yet again. I sighed, not even wanting to get up, knowing I'll be greeted with the same sight. 

"We can't go through it. Can't risk the R.V. You stay behind the wheel, just in case," I heard Rick say. That peaked both Carl and I's interest. We walked up behind Rick to get a glimpse of what he was talking about. When I did, my eyes widened, and my mouth fell open. Even inside the vehicle, I could clearly hear the sounds of their growls and the rattle of the chains.

"We'll clear it," Rick muttered, checking his gun before heading outside. Sasha soon followed behind him, along with Eugene. I looked at Carl, and he nodded reassuringly. I gulped, swallowing my rising fear. I pulled my gun from my holster and followed everyone outside. Aaron was the last one out of the R.V.

     We all slowly approached the line of walkers, each one of our guns raised, pointed in all different directions to make sure that Negan's men weren't around. I knew it was trap, but like Rick said, we had to clear them or the R.V. would be destroyed. 

"Putting together a red rover like that takes people. A lot of them," Eugene pointed out. I crept closer to the walkers, surveying the chain that wove in and out of their bodies. Fresh blood still seeped from the holes and gashes where the chains protruded. I grimaced at the sight, and the thought of people actually lining them all up like this. 

"Come on, let's do this," Rick called out, moving his AK-47 behind his back and reaching for his ax on his belt.

"Dad" He was interrupted by Carl's voice. He was on the complete opposite side of the line I was. 

"That's Michonne's," Aaron spoke up. I frowned. What could he being talking about? I put my gun in it's holster and walked over to where Rick, Carl, and Aaron were standing. All I could see was Rick's face drop as he spotted what Aaron was talking about. I looked to see where he was looking. I gasped. A couple locks of Michonne's hair were stuck in the skull of a walker.

"That's Daryl's," Sasha spoke up, a little further than us. My head snapped over to the walker she was looking at. My face paled, seeing the two arrows that stuck out of the monster's chest. I stared in shock. I walked up to the walker, staring it right in the face. I had no fear in this moment.

     I reached forward, under the arms of the walker, and pulled out the two arrows carefully. I didn't want to  break the tips during the extraction. Once I had them, I wiped away the blood with my shirt. I held them in my left hand and pulled my knife out with my right. We were all going to kill the walkers, and I was going to start with this one. I raised my knife, ready to drive it into the walker's skull, when gun fire erupted from each side of the road. I raised my hands up in defense, cowering down, so I wouldn't get hit. 

"Get back to the RV! Go!" Rick shouted above the gunfire. I wasted no time following his instructions. Running was proven difficult with all the bullets aimed at our feet. They weren't trying to kill us, but herd us. 

       I felt a hand on my shoulder as I tried to make my way back to the vehicle. I glanced over, seeing Carl. He was breathing heavily, and his grip was tight. With his steady hand and the knowledge they weren't trying to kill us, I grew confident. I sheathed my knife and grabbed my gun. Around us, our group was already opening fire on our assailants. Abraham even came out to join in on the fight. 

    Carl and I stood back to back, firing off shots, hoping that one of them will find a target. I head the sound of the chains rattling more than usual. I took a quick look to find Rick chopping the arm off a walker, freeing it from its handcuffs. Now, the line was broken into two separate ones, the middle now free. Sasha gunned down the right side easily, Rick taking down the other. With all of them down, we retreated to the inside of the RV. 

      We drove on through, the bullets stopping. I plopped onto the floor of the vehicle. My heart and breathing were erratic. My hair was frizzed, and I could feel the beads of sweat on my forehead. My head rested against the wall, and I closed my eyes trying to calm myself. My hands subconsciously played with the arrows that I still held tightly. I opened my eyes to look at them; the only piece I had left of Daryl. 

"I'm sure he's alive. They're just trying to scare us," Carl told me, taking the spot on the floor next to me. I had to believe his words. I didn't even want to think about him possibly being dead right now. He's one of the people I just couldn't lose. 

     I leaned over, nestling my head into Carl's chest. This was all beginning to be too much, and I knew that hard part hadn't even started yet. Negan knew what he was doing to us. This was just his opening act. He wanted to wear us down before the real fight began. 

    Carl ran his hand up and down my head in a soothing motion. His other went around my waist, pulling me in closer. I breathed in deeply, his familiar scent calming me down. I just wanted this all to be over.