Scarlett (Rick Grimes/OC)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The crowd gathered in the yard is a pretty good size, about twenty people in all. Mostly, it's made up a' men, but a few women are lurkin' around too. The air is thick and tense, and everyone is angry lookin'. I can feel glares on my back as I walk by, but I don't let myself waver; I just keep walkin', eyes straight ahead and expression blank.

Hershel hobbles to us faster than I've ever seen him move, and the crowd watches as he and Rick murmur to each other. I catch snatches a' what they're sayin'. "...she ain't got no family, but those kids loved her like a mother..." and "... Ya' gotta say somethin' before this becomes bigger than it already is..."

Rick nods at Hershel and then looks at the group of us, sayin' quietly, "Ya'll hang around at the back in case this gets ugly. Michonne, Sasha, Scarlett, ya'll bail if somethin' goes down."

"Over my dead body," Michonne scoffs under her breath as Rick walks away.

Nobody says a thing as Rick hops up on a picnic table and looks out at the crowd. Sasha looks at me and quietly whispers, "Whaddaya' think he's gonna say ta' make this better?" She looks worried.

"I have no idea," I admit, just as tension boils over in the crowd.

"What are you gonna do about the bitch that's killin' people?" one man shouts. I recognize him as Henry, but I don't know a last name. He's spittin' he's so mad, and his face is red like a tomata'. The whole crowd goes nuts after that, and they all start shoutin' loudly.

"The old man ain't done nothin'!" a woman with wide hips and red hair declares, pointin' an accusin' finger at Rick. Hershel, who's seated at the picnic table Rick's standin' on, doesn't say nothin', doesn't even bat an eye.

"Yeah! Says we can't do nothin' 'til we know who it is!" a black guy says from the lady's left.

Rick takes all of this in stride and lets the crowd do their shoutin' and yellin' fer a few minutes until he holds up a hand, callin' fer order. Fer a second, I think that nobody's gonna stop, but they do quiet down eventually.

"We can't do anything until we know fer sure who's doin' this, but we understand that ya'll're scared," Rick declares. This gets the crowd goin' on a fresh round a' shoutin', and Rick sighs.

There's a sharp whistle from close by me, joltin' everybody. I whip my head right and see Daryl with two fingers in his mouth and a pissed expression on his face. "Ya'll listen ta' him now and calm down for fuck's sake! You think we ain't scared too or somethin'? Listen, I know this is some shit, but ya'll gotta trust him and us! Good Lord above." Daryl huffs and slumps up against the wall we're standin' on and crosses his arms over his chest.

This is the most passionate declaration I've ever heard from the surly redneck, and it's kinda odd ta' watch him actin' like this. I'm proud of him though- I didn't think he'd say anything at all.

Attention falls back on Rick when he nods gratefully at Daryl and starts speakin' again. "Daryl's right," he begins. "Ya'll've gotta trust us. We're gonna find the woman who did this one way or another, but it might take some time. The council's gonna meet and come up with an official plan of action. Now if ya'll can be peaceful and patient, when the meetin's over, I'll come back and tell ya'll all about it. Deal?" Rick looks at the people and the crowd and they all exchange looks with one another. They're wary looks- uncertain looks- but no one says or does anything hostile so I guess they agree.

"What about our children?" a blonde woman in the crowd shouts. I recognize her as Caroline Adsen. She's got two sons who probably aren't even seven.

"Caroline, I promise ya' that I will do everything in my power ta' protect the children of this community. Ya' can hold me ta' that too." Rick nods at Caroline and she nods back.