Determined to Endure: The 4th Installment in my Daryl Dixon Love Story

Chapter 24: Done and Tired

When I sit down to eat, Maggie sits across from me. As I take bite for bite, she lowly tells me, "should go easy on Rosita, she lost someone too, yanno."

"We all did" I remind her. Glenn and Abraham were just as important to me as they were to everyone else at the camp.

Maggie reminds me, "Yea but her and Abraham.."

"Yeah I know" I interrupt her, "but she doesn't have to accuse me of screwing Negan. I didn't go with him for me, I went so I could save Daryl!"

"I know but not everyone here knows that. You were asked willingly if you wanted to go and you said yes." She explains.

I look at her with bewilderment. How anyone could think I did that for any other reason besides helping Daryl blows my mind, "who?" I inquire, wanting to correct them on what actually happened. Either by words or possible force.

She shrugs, "I'm not entirely sure but you'll have a chance to explain. I'll make sure. Things are still really tense around here, did you know Negan went to Alexandria yesterday?"

"With Carl, yeah. That's when we left. What happened?" I ask, never hearing the outcome of that visit. Maggie explains to me what Rick told her. Who died and what they did. I'm thankful I got out before he got back, that both Daryl and I did. But I know he'll be on the lookout for us, and I wonder how we're going to stay hidden. We can't go back to Alexandria, that'll be the first place he looks. Maggie lets me sleep on the couch that night and in the morning, I go to breakfast but bring my food back to the trailer. I'm not in the mood to get stared at or accused of things and I don't want to explain myself to my people or to people who know nothing about anything. After we eat, everyone heads to Barrington and we all stand in Gregory's office.

"We need you guys, we need to fight them. You'll help us supply and we'll teach them how to fight." Rick talks to him, leader to leader as the rest of us listen.

"No! No way in hell." Gregory shoots it down immediately, "that was not the deal. You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. So any arrangement we had is now done -- null and void. We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met." He sits down at his desk, "we don't know each other. I owe you nothing." His eyes widen as if he just thought of something important, "in fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk."

"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place." Jesus spits out towards him, "your courage was inspiring."

"Hey, don't you work for me?" Gregory spits back towards him, "aren't we friends?"

Rick adds "Gregory, we already started this."

"You started it." Gregory responds.

Rick makes it clear, "we did. And we're gonna win."

"These are killers." Gregory lightly slams his hands down on his desk, looking to Rick with dismay.

"Is this how you want to live? Under their thumb, killing your people?" Rick asks him.

"S-Sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like. Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have." He responds.

Maggie asks, "how many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?"

Gregory scoffs, "we? I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret. And does it even matter? I mean, w-w-what are you gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? 'Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."

Tara pipes in, "you're wrong. When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean, people just—"

Gregory doesn't let her finish, "l-letme stop you before you break into song, okay?" He clears his throat, "and, by the way, who would train all this cannon fodder?"

I quickly volunteer, "I will."

Rosita comments, "give me a week" at the same time I spoke.

"Me too" Sasha throws in.

"Rhetorical, okay?" He sang out sarcastically, "I don't want to know. I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever." He tries to end it there.

Rick, clearly not okay with Gregory's response asks, "would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?"

"Yeah. Sure. Okay." He throws his hands up.

"So, what will you do to fix the problem?" Michonne asks him.

"I didn't say we had a problem. You did. And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview." He turns his chair, suggesting he doesn't see us.

Daryl pushes himself off the wall, his voice low but firm, "what the hell, man? You're either with us or you ain't. You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth."

Gregory, clearly uncomfortable with him stands and says, "I -- I think I've made my position very clear. And I want to thank all of you for not being here today and not having this meeting with me or -- or being seen on your way out." He pauses for only a second and then elaborates, "in other words, go out the back."

We all walk out, knowing this sorry excuse for a man won't change his mind. Rosita snarls, "walking ballsack."

And Sasha snickers, "I wanna knock that idiot's teeth out."

"Yeah, well, we don't need him anyway." Daryl mutters, last out.

"Yeah, that's right. 'Cause we have Maggie and Sasha and Jesus here." Rick says.

The door opens and Maggie adds, "and— Enid. Hey."

Sasha asks, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just—" she chuckles, "come outside."

A few of us look around at each other but then follow her out the door. At the bottom of the steps to Barrington is a group of people. Maggie steps down to talk to them, "what's going on?"

A women speaks out on behalf of everyone, "hey. So, if you don't remember, I'm Bertie. And I owe my life to you all, twice over. A bunch of us do. Enid says that you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors with you. Is that true?"

Maggie admits, "yes"

"Do you think we can win, that we really could beat them? Us?" She gestures to the people around her.

Maggie answers again, "yes."

Bertie sighs, "well, Enid says you could show us the way. I'm ready."

All of the people around her all call out together, "me too. Yeah. Let's do this. I'm in." Maggie looks to Enid and smiles and I know everyone's hope is lifting.

Maggie tells them all she will work on a time for training and will gather them up soon. As we all start to walk to the front gates, Michonne comments, "it's a start."

Sasha adds, "we'll get more."

"It still won't be enough." I say, knowing how many people the saviors have.

Rosita agrees, "no, it won't."

Daryl suggests, "well, we find the right stuff, then maybe we don't need the numbers. Blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground."

Tara reminds him, "you and Sadie said there weren't just soldiers with the Saviors, that there were workers there. People didn't have a choice."

I nod to agree but Daryl just says, "we gotta win."

Rick adds, "we need more hands, another group. Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance works against us. We gotta get back. If they come looking for Daryl and Sadie, we need to be there."

We get to the gate just as Jesus says, "you don't have to get back. Not yet." He pulls a walkie out of his pocket, "it's one of theirs, long range. We can listen in, keep track of them."

Michonne asks, "so, if we're not going back, what are we doing, then?"

Jesus answers, a small smile on his lips, "I think it's time we introduced you to Ezekiel." He pauses and then adds on for emphasis, "King Ezekiel."

"King?" Rick asks and we all stare at Jesus with wonder.