Captive | The Walking Dead |

53

Isabella was in the kitchen when she heard the front door open.

"Dad!" Carl exclaimed as he rushed to hug his dad.

She hurried after him, and the couple wrapped themselves in a hug with smiles on.

"Are you okay?" Carl asked.

"Yeah," Rick nodded. "Look, I'm sorry-"

"I heard about the meeting," Carl cut him off.

"You're staying home," Rick told him.

"If anything goes wrong, you need to be here safe and with Judith," Isabella told Carl.

"That's what this place is? Home?"

"Yeah," Rick told him.

"They need us here, they won't survive without us," Carl told him.

"If they kick us out, that's on them," Isabella said.

"I might have to threaten them, maybe kill one of them."

"You won't," Carl told Rick.

"I might."

"You have to tell them," Carl said.

"I told them last night."

"You have to tell them so they can hear you."

"I don't know if they can, does that scare you?"

Carl shook his head at that. "Just for them."

Rick nodded and Carl went upstairs, leaving Isabella and Rick alone.

"He's a smart kid," Isabella said.

"He is," Rick countered. "How's everything here?"

"The best they can be," she shrugged. "I was thinking of going out there and mingling with the community to try and get some sympathy."

"Smart move," Rick nodded.

"Judih's been crying for you, guess she likes you," she joked and Rick laughed as he turned to go upstairs.

"What, no kiss?" Isabella gently stopped him.

He smiled as he turned and gave her a kiss on the lips, before she pulled away to go out.

She decided to bring Bear with her and build his reputation amongst the others as a sweet dog. She knew her best option was to find someone who was a gossiper and she could manipulate.

She went around doing her best to each and every community member.

Lastly, Isabella spotted a woman named Bianca. She was one of those typical neighborhood white moms who'd show up at the first sign of chaos for the drama.

Isabella hurried over to her and got to work. She put on the water works, she'd used the same tactics with Guillermo.

"I can't raise two kids out there all alone," she sobbed to Bianca who sympathetically put her hand on Isabella's shoulder. "The kids love it here so much, and Bear runs around playing with the kids around here."

"Nothing's set in stone sweetie," she said. "I promise none of us will vote y'all out. I'll tell the members in my book club to vote for y'all to stay."

Isabella thanked Bianca profusely before she left the woman, and she couldn't help but smile knowing that she didn't have to do much work.

Once night hit, the group gathered around a fire where the meeting would occur. Isabella was a bit early but was shocked when Rick wasn't there.