The Walking Dead - Male Reader x Hailee Steinfeld OC - Already Dead

CHAPTER 36 - THE HILLTOP

"No! No way in hell. 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, all right? We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. Hmm? We don't know each other. I owe you nothing." Gregory, the leader of Hilltop, said. He took a seat in his office, the group spread out in the room.

Y/N was beside the window, arms folded.

"In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk." Gregory added.

Maggie chuckled at the comment. "Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place." Jesus butted in. "Your courage was inspiring."

"Hey, don't you work for me? Aren't we friends?" Gregory asked Jesus.

Rick took a step forward closer to Gregory's desk. "Gregory, we already started this. We did. And we're gonna win."

"These are killers." Gregory argued.

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

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

Maggie stepped forward. "How many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?" She asked.

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

"You're wrong." Tara spoke up from the door. "When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean, people just-"

"Let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" Gregory interrupted, he cleared his throat. "And, by the way, who would train all this cannon fodder?"

"We all could, Greg. Maggie, Daryl, Sasha, Rosita, Rick, Michonne, Lucy, me and fuck, even a 16 year old could." Y/N pointed at Carl.

"Rhetorical, okay? I don't want to know. I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever."

Y/N chuckled and made his way to Gregory's desk, placing his hands on the oak. "Let me ask you a question, asshat. Would we be better off without the Saviors, yes or no?"

"Yeah. Sure. Okay."

"So, what will you do to fix the problem?" Lucy asked, pulling Y/N back by his forearm.

"I didn't say we had a problem. You did. And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview."

By this time, Daryl had already lost his patience alongside Y/N. "You're either with us or you ain't." Daryl spoke out. "You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth."

Gregory stood up and fiddled with his watch, "Well, I... I think I've made my position very clear. And I want to thank you all for not being here today and not having this meeting with me or... or being seen on your way out. In other words, go out the back."

Rick looked around at his people and nodded towards the exit, everyone began to make their way out. "We don't need the prick anyway." Y/N said to the group.

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

The door opened and Enid smiled at the group. "And Enid." Maggie added. "What's wrong, darling?" Maggie asked.

"Nothing. Just - just come outside." Enid escorted the group outside of the building, a crowd of people had formed outside.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked the people.

"Enid says you could teach us how to fight the Saviors. I'm in." One of the people said, the rest of the crowd joined in one by one.

The group made their way out of Hilltop from the front gate, everyone throwing ideas around. "Still won't be enough." Rosita moaned, walking beside Lucy.

"If we find the right shit, maybe numbers won't matter. Burn them to the ground or blow them up." Y/N suggested.

"Either way, we need more people, find another group. Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance works against us. We gotta get back. If they come looking for Y/N, Lucy, Daryl, we need to be there." Rick told.

"You don't have to get back. Not yet." Jesus stopped the group, taking a radio from his belt. "It's one of theirs, long range. We can listen in, keep track of them."

Michonne raised an eyebrow. "If we're not going back, what are we doing, then?"

"I think it's time we introduced you to Ezekiel. King Ezekiel."

"King? I'll stay here and make sure Gregory don't try something stupid." Y/N told the group. "Stay safe out there."

Y/N walked around Hilltop, helping the occupants of the community with their chores and just being a helping hand. Ranging from handing out clothes, picking food from the garden, standing on watch, cutting fire wood.

Y/N placed the log on the stump and lifted the axe over his head, swinging it down. The log fell into two, falling either side of the stump. He placed another log and did the same, until all the logs were cut, and ready to be used for night.

Y/N looked at the axe and rubbed his index and middle finger across the sharp edge, impressed by work.

"Y/N!" Jesus shouted, Sasha was beside him and they made their way towards Y/N.

The young adult looked around and only saw the pair, he immediately thought the worst. "Where the others?"

"Gone back home. Lucy and Daryl are being kept at the Kingdom, they're safe. The Saviors know you escaped and they're gonna be looking for you. You've got to keep your head down." Jesus said, pointing down to a basement. "If the Saviors arrive, you hide in there with Maggie."

"What'd King Ezekiel say?"

"He's not going to help. But, we will sway him, trust me."

Y/N sighed. The Saviors were going to come to Hilltop sooner or later, meaning Y/N would die or get captured, or hide in a basement. "We needs guns. Now, soon."

"We will."