All Out War

Chapter 46

Maggie was pacing back and forth when we got to her office. She was deep in thought. I went and stood next to her holding her hand.

"Thanks," she whispered.

I nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"We're gonna head out tomorrow," Rick said addressing the room that was now very cluttered.

"It could be a trap. To get us all in one place," I said.

"It could be. But we won't be at the points on the map. We'll be heading in that direction but we're gonna hang back. See what we can see," Rick said.

"We're gonna need weapons. Dianne and I can go ahead and take inventory of what we have and report it to you," Rosita said.

"That would be a huge help, Rosita. Thank you," Rick said.

"We'll probably need to pack, in case some make it over here," Tara said.

"That's a good idea, Tara. And we've already started packing. We're gonna have to have all that finished by tomorrow morning. We have to be prepared for anything. They may have something else planned for us. Whatever happens, the second we see Negan, we put an end to him. To all of this," Maggie said.

"We've got another big day ahead of us. You all should get as much sleep as possible. Finish packing what you can before midnight. The rest we'll deal with tomorrow. We'll go into the plan further in detail tomorrow morning. Let's get to work, everyone," Rick finished.

Everyone exited the office.

"Have you eaten?" I turned and asked Maggie.

"I was just about to get something. We got more food if you haven't realized it," she said as we headed out.

"Someone's run was successful?" I asked.

"There were these women we came across when you, Daryl and Rosita were out. Enid, Michonne and I noticed a crate just outside the gates. 'Records for a key to the future' it said. I was cautious of the whole situation. Trusting new people is something that will always be hard in this world. I'd threatened to keep them here to keep an eye on them but in the end, they gave us food. I let them go because they didn't fight. They didn't show any sign of hostility," she said.

"And so all they wanted was the records?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I was doubtful myself but they gave us food when they didn't have to. And it's helped. If this place stays standing after tomorrow, it should last us for a while," she said.

"Well, that's a good sign, I think. Least they didn't say that they were Negan. Maybe there are others out there who have never even heard of that asshole," I said.

"Yeah. One can only hope," she said.

"I want this thing done already. I want that son of a bitch dead. For all he's done...I want him to suffer," I said.

"So do I. I hope we get that chance," she said.

"We will. Cause that's how it needs to be. Now, let's get you something to eat," I said.

We made our way over to Charlie and she made Maggie and me an egg sandwich. We both went and sat down at one of the picnic tables to eat our sandwiches.

"How'd things go out there?" she asked taking a bite of her sandwich.

"The place is up and running and Eugene is in charge of it. It's what we thought. And we had him...Like we said earlier, we were gonna bring him back here but like typical Eugene, he was a slippery son of a bitch and we ended up losing him," I said biting into the sandwich.

"Shit. So I bet we can count on them being armed to the teeth, huh?" she said.

"Unfortunately," I retorted.

"Well, at least we know," she said.

"Yeah. You should rest a little longer," I said starting to stand up.

"You and I both should," she said taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Well, you've been pregnant longer than I have. And there is the slightest sign of a bump. I'm not quite there yet," I said.

"You spoil me," she said chuckling.

"You deserve it," I retorted.

"You didn't finish your sandwich," she said.

"I'll get to it later. I promise. Finish yours. I'm gonna work on what I can," I said.

"Not too much," she said.

"Same goes for you," I said.

I walked over back to Charlie.

"Hey, you mind if I leave this here for a bit while I get started on work?" I asked.

"Not at all. I'll be sure to keep it warm for you," she replied.

"You don't have to. A cold sandwich is still a sandwich. Don't go out of your way," I said.

"Alright," she said.

I went back to the house. I went up to our room and started gathering essential things for us to take. After a few minutes, Daryl walked into the room.

"Hey," he said wrapping his arms around me from behind.

He kissed my neck and I leaned my head against his chest.

"Hey," I said placing my hand on the back of his head.

"You okay?" he asked.

I turned around to face him.

"Yeah. Just...thinking...and packing," I said.

"You thinking about tomorrow?" he asked wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Yup. He's gonna be there. I have a feeling that he will be. Tomorrow is gonna be our chance to finally take him out. Is it weird that I want tomorrow to be here already?" I said.

"Not at all. I've got that same feeling too. We're so close," he said.

"After tomorrow, hopefully we can start getting back to living the way we want. And the way we all deserve," I said.

"After tomorrow, you are all that will matter. You and our kid," he said.

I smiled and kissed him deeply. We parted and I held him close to me. I didn't want to think about the fact that there was a chance that we could die tomorrow. Any one of us could. Seeing those many bullet casings that they had brought Eugene, it scared the shit out of me. As much as I wanted to believe that we'd all make it out alive, there was still a part of me that couldn't help but think of the other possibility. There was no way in hell that I was gonna tell any of this to Daryl. I couldn't let him know how I was feeling the slightest hint of insecurity about this whole thing. He always hated when I talked about me dying. I was not gonna do that to him. Not this time. But whatever happens either way, I'm ready for it. And truth be told, I have been ready for it for a long time. I would gladly and willingly die for every single person here. If my death meant that they all could live peacefully, then so be it. I'm done running. I'm not backing down. I'll fight until my very last breath.