Violent Silence • Rick Grimes ✓

-92-

"Thanks."

"No problem, Red."

Scarlett walked outside just as she saw Rick walking toward Deanna's house as if he was on a mission. "Rick?"

Rick turned, his shoulders sagging in relief at seeing her. He stopped walking to let her catch up before taking her hand.

"You okay?"

"No," she admitted, "but I will be. What's goin' on?"

"We need a meeting. All of us."

Deanna was surprised to see Scarlett walking inside her house that day. She felt like it was her fault that Scarlett had to share her traumatic story in front of everyone—all to prove that she was not an evil woman. Deanna knew she was not a bad woman. It was as clear as day just by watching the interviews over again. Every single person in their group had said nothing but kind things about Rick and Scarlett.

Deanna listened to Rick, calling the meeting immediately when she saw the horror on his face. When everyone who was able to make it sat around Deanna's living space, Rick began to explain what he and Morgan saw on the run to bury Pete's body. There were hundreds of walkers in that ditch. It was devastating knowing that was close to their home... where her children were.

Heath, a man who had just gotten back from a run with two others, nodded at Rick when Rick mentioned if anyone had ever seen it before. "My team... we saw it early on, back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers. Maybe a dozen of them."

Scarlett stood tall, arms crossed as she ignored the eyes on her. She listened to Daryl, seeing him nod subtly in the corner of the room. "No one's been back since?" she asked Heath gently.

Heath shook his head. "DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."

Rick looked at Scarlett, making sure they were on the same page. They were. They always were. "So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in. And here we are. Now what I'm proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon."

"This is—I don't even have another word for it," Carol began, still putting on a show for the others as she clutched her chest in fake fear. "This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."

Tobin stepped forward hesitantly. "Maybe there is. I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew—we can try and make it safe."

Scarlett shook her head. "Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more every day. Building up the exits won't change that," she advised softly, trying to keep the hardness out of her voice. Tobin did not fight her. He nodded in agreement after a moment.

Deanna sat in the corner of the room, though her hard eyes were on her people. She let her gaze move to Rick and Scarlett. "We're gonna do what Rick says, the plan he's laid out."

No arguments.

"I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away," Rick began.

Sasha nodded and rose her hand. "Me, too. I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep 'em coming, Daryl keeps 'em from getting sloppy."

"I'll go with her," Abraham volunteered. "It's a long way to white-knuckle it solo."

Rick nodded thankfully at them. He put his hands on his hips. "We'll have two teams. One on each side of the forest helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly. So they're out. So who's in?"

"Me," Glenn murmured before speaking to Maggie. Scarlett was close enough to hear their conversation. "You should keep an eye on her. Keep going with the plans you talked about."

Maggie sighed. "I know, but this is important."

"She's important. People are scared. They need to see her come back," Glenn told her.

"That's not the only reason," Maggie muttered.

Scarlett furrowed her brows as Glenn smirked. "Yeah, it isn't."

A few people offered themselves up, and Scarlett nudged Rick. "You know I'm in, Sheriff," she told him. He opened his mouth to argue. "Don't. Plenty of people are here to watch the babies. I pumped some milk already, though I'm drying out. Good thing they found formula on that last run."

"Did not need to know that," Abraham commented about her tits drying out. She smirked his way, rolling his eyes.

Carter rose his hand shakily. "There's got to be another play. We can't just control that many."

"I said it before, walkers herd up," Rick commented. "They'll follow a path if something's drawing them. That's how we can get 'em all at once."

"So, what? We're supposed to just take your word for it? We're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after..."

"After what?" Scarlett asked with a smirk. Rick grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

Carter sneered her way. "After you wave a gun around screaming, pointing it at people. After she shoots a man in the face. After you—"

"Enough!" Deanna shouted.

"I'll do it. Whatever you need, I'm in," Tobin said, Heath following.

Deanna nodded. "Now who else?:

Carter sighed, shaking his head. "The plan. Go through it again."

"Man, he just said it," Daryl grunted out.

"Every part again. The exact plan."