RULE THE WORLD | D.DIXON

095

"How's the star student doing?" Rick asked, stopping in front of the man and teenager.

"Ready to take on anything." Saddiq answered.

"Good. She's gonna get her chance. I'd like you to head back home and help Kelly. There's a bug around." Matilda replied, looking at the man.

Saddiq nodded. "Okay, I'll head out with the next escort."

Enid whipped her head towards the three with wide eyes. "Wait. He's leaving—sorry. Uh, it's fine. I-I've got this."

Rick chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"My final line item is foodstuffs—or the lack thereof." Eugene said as they started walking again. "Alexandria is stretched wafer-slim supplying' grub to both the camp and the Sanctuary. Meaning our wafer-slim pickings are getting wafer-slimmer by the day."

"Yeah. Michonne's on it."

***
Max walked across the bridge with a bucket of small granola bars they had scrounged up in his hand, whilst Henry was holding a jug of water and a cup. He handed one each to a few Saviors, who thankfully didn't give him a hard time, before giving one to Regina.

The woman smiled at him in thanks, patting him on the shoulder as he approach Jed who leaned against one of the pillars. Handing the man a bar, Max slipped the bucket on his arm before pulling out his small notebook that his dad gave him.

Some of the Saviors had made fun of him for being mute and using sign language, his dad had defended him against the people. Daryl and him had yet to tell his mom, knowing it wouldn't end well for the Saviors who made fun of him.

You need to start working.

Max wrote on the piece of paper before showing the man. Jed read it and scoffed, plucking the notebook out of his hand.

"I don't need a kid to tell me what to do. Get lost, kid." Jed said before tossing the notebook into the water below. "Oh, and give me these."

The man went to grab the bucket when Max pulled it out of his reach and shook his head. Hurrying away from the man, Max headed towards his best friend to see that he was having trouble with one of the Saviors.

"Easy there, buddy. I'm still thirsty." Justin said, going to take more water.

Henry tried to take back the cup before the man refused to let it go. "No. No. There's not enough. You can't."

Max stepped forwards the man and Henry. "Back off, Justin. There's not a enough."

Justin was one of the people who made fun of Max when they were at the sanctuary. The man ignored the boy, pulled the jug of water out of Henry's hands and shoved him into Max.

The two boys collided with each other and fall to the ground. Justin began to drink the water as Henry and Max stood up quickly. The younger boy immediately took out his stick, swinging it under the man's feet and knocking to the ground.

"Back off." Henry sneered as Max picked the water jug.

Jed laughed, pushing off the pillar. "Hey, man. It's cool. I got my ass handed to me by a couple of kids one time, too. Of course, I was six at the time."

Max gave the jug to his friend as his dad grabbed Justin by his shoulder, stopping the man from attacking his son and Henry.

"Hey. Kid's just doing his job. Get back to work." Daryl sneered, glaring at the man.

"I don't need your people telling me what to do. You're not my babysitter anymore." Justin scoffed as he started to walk away.

Daryl grabbed him by the shoulder again, causing Justin to swing his fist towards him. Max watched in alarm as his father punched the man in the face, making him fall. Justin grabbed a handful of sand, throwing it into his dad's eyes before tackling the redneck.

That seemed to make all hell break loose as Jed attacked Aaron, who went to defend his dad. Max couldn't do anything as he was a lot weaker than the four men, and hoped his mom and grandfather heard what was going on.

To his pray, Matilda, Rick, and Eugene came sprinting down the road towards the bridge, pushing their way through the crowd. Rick grabbed Justin, restraining him as his daughter grabbed ahold of her husband.

"Daryl! Stop, enough!" Matilda shouted as she pushed against the man's chest. "Dare, stop!"

"I said enough! Enough!" Her father shouted as he looked between Justin and his son in law/brother.

Matilda relaxed, letting go of her husband as he spat blood out of his mouth. She followed after him as the redneck walked away towards the HQ tent.

"So, that asshole just gets a free pass? Is that it?" Daryl ranted once Rick and Carol had joined the couple.

"It's just a few more days. I don't like it either, neither does Tilly, but we're in a rush to get that work done. He's strong. The Saviors are over half the workforce, and we've had too many walk off already." Rick replied, heated as his son in law.

"Yeah, cause that's who they are. Some of them ain't ever gonna fall in line just 'cause you say so." Daryl sneered.

"Daryl's right." Carol spoke. "These people have never had to live together. And we can't expect them to just forget what's happened."

"It hasn't been easy. I know. It won't be, not for a while, but it's not about forgetting. It's about moving ahead, all of us, together. We keep doing that, they'll see we're all on the same side." Rick said.

"Are we, though?" Daryl asked, looking between his wife and Rick. "Are we on the same side, Rick, Tilda?"

Matilda licked her lips as a feeling guilt spread through her body. She was backed in corner, on one hand she agreed with her husband and on the other hand she agreed with her father. She doesn't want to choose between the two men who meant the world to her, she didn't want to pick sides.

"Well, you tell me." Her father said, before she could open her mouth.

"Thing is, man, I've been tryin' to. But you don't seem to want to hear it." Daryl says before walking out of the tent.

Matilda glanced between Carol and her father before following after her husband with thoughts running through her head.