Spider Monkey

Chapter Eighty - Six - Alpha

Hedley was going back to the house when he saw Carl, Michonne and Daryl looking over the wall, a crowd quickly forming. He ran up so he was in between his father and boyfriend. He looked where they were looking and saw a group of walkers but they were standing still, looking up at those looking down. One of the walkers took off her mask to reveal a human beneath.

"I am Alpha." She spoke with a dangerous tone, "And we only want one thing from you. My daughter."

"Our community is more than capable of defending itself!" Carl warned, posture strong.

"I show you my face because we mean you no harm." Alpha called out, "I just want my daughter. I know you have her."

Carl looked at Hedley and watched his boyfriends face turn into a snarl.

Daryl saw it too and yelled out calmly, "You should turn around. Leave now and no one gets hurt."

Alpha growled, not liking it, "Wrong answer."

"That girl told me what her mom does to her." Daryl said to the others, "We ain't sending her back to that."

"Yeah, but what if she has Alden and Luke?" Michonne said. "Pissing her off can get them killed."

"Did you kill our friends?" Carl called out. "We found their horses."

"No." Alpha answered, then looked at everyone on the stand, "Which one of you leads these people?"

"What does it matter?" Daryl growled.

"Then I'll just address all of you." Alpha said, "Your people crossed into our land. There will be no conflict. Your people killed our people. There will be no conflict. I'm done talkin'. Bring me my daughter, or there will be conflict."

Daryl and Hedley shared a look. Daryl nodded then told the others, "No one touches the girl." Before storming off and back down. The others quickly followed.

Hedley placed a hand on his father's shoulder and Daryl looked at him.

"She ain't gettin' her." He promised his son.

"Then what are you planning?" Hedley asked.

"She's done talkin'. I'm not." And with that the father and son went out of the gates to confront the threat.

"You can't have her. Now... if it's a fight you're lookin' for, we got enough firepower to light you up. Right here and now." The sound of a baby cooing stopped Daryl's speech. The Dixons looked up and saw one of the 'Walkers' holding a baby covered with a blanket. "You brought a baby out here?"

"We're animals." Alpha said simply, "Animals live out here. Animals have babies. So we have babies out here. Now, what were you sayin'? Lightin' us all up? You seem to want conflict. I don't. So I'm proposing a trade." Suddenly two of Alpha's people came and revealed that they have Alden and Luke. They had their hands tied behind their backs and a cloth in their mouths, both had a knife to their neck.

"I wanted to kill them. But I want my daughter more. One of mine, two of yours. It's a good trade, which is why you're gonna take it. Now... bring me my daughter."

The Dixons went back into the community. Hedley looked at his father, needing instructions.

"We got to give her up, kid." He said, "I'm sorry."

Hedley flapped his hands in distress. Which only intensified when they heard the baby crying from behind the gate.

Hedley then nodded to Daryl, "Okay. You get Lydia. I'm going to climb up in the trees to get a better look out. If these people are what I think they are, I know they're not gonna just walk away."