Future Ghosts • TWD

76. Understand.

"I heard about the meeting," Carl brought up.

The meeting was that night, and the people of Alexandria were going to decide Rick's fate. Glenn had come by, just like he promised, to explain it to them. Rick was going to explain his side of the story, and they would make a decision based on that. But it didn't seem fair to Rosie. These people were obviously going to have a bias towards Pete, considering he was their surgeon, and Rick was just some stranger that only appeared in this place less than a month ago. If they had the choice between Pete and Rick, they were going to choose Pete.

"You're all staying home," Rick told the kids. Rosie scrunched her face up, about to argue, when Carl spoke up before she could.

"That's what it is now, right?" Carl asked. Rosie wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about at first, but he continued. "Home?"

Rick turned him, his face tense. "Yeah," he agreed.

"They need us. They'll die without us," Carl continued on.

Rosie nodded in agreement. "They're stupid," she said, crossing her arms. They all turned to look at her for a moment, and Ian elbowed her in the side. She gave him a look that was supposed to say, what? It's true, but she wasn't sure if that was really what her eyes were giving off.

"I might have to threaten one of them. I could have to kill one of them," Rick said, walking closer to Carl. Rosie knew that it would more than likely have to come to that. She knew that this place was too welcoming, too lenient, too stupid. Rick was going to have to fix that in order for them all to be safe. She knew that, but they didn't.

"You won't," Carl said, denying it.

"I might," Rick told him, giving him a stern look.

"You have to tell them," Carl replied.

"I told them last night," Rick argued. Yeah, and that didn't work out very well, did it? Rosie wanted to say, but didn't.

"You have to tell them so they can hear you," Carl said to Rick.

Carl often said things like that- things that had more meaning than Rosie could understand upon first hearing the words. Sometimes Carl said things that were smart in the way that she really had to think over all of the meanings it could possibly have. Tell them so they can hear you. They heard him. He was yelling, of course they heard him. But hearing someone was different from understanding someone, Rosie had learned. And these people weren't understanding Rick. Sometimes Daryl would finish his sentences with, ya hearin' me? And Rosie would always say yes, because she was hearing him. But hearing wasn't the same as understanding, so they'd always end up in some other mess because of it. What Carl was saying was that Rick needed to tell them so they could understand him.

"I don't know if they can," Rick said in a quiet, serious voice. I don't know if they can understand. Rosie didn't know if they could understand, either. Something bad would have to happen, in order for them to understand. They'd have to live it to understand. Carl sighed. "Does that make you afraid?" Rick asked.

"Just for them," Carl said, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. "You have to tell them."

Rick nodded. He nodded in understanding. He needed to tell them, and he understood that. But he didn't know if they would hear him, or if they would understand him. Either way, Rosie decided that she was going to be there to see what would happen, whether Rick knew about it or not. She wasn't going to wait at home while Rick's fate was decided for him. What if he killed someone, and then someone killed him? What would she do then? She wanted to be there, so she was going to be there.