Chapter 30 | Surprise
Episodes 8x1(Mercy), 8x3(Monsters), 8x6(The King, The Widow, and Rick), 8x8(How it's gotta be)
"We've practiced. We've been through it over and over again. We all know the plan doesn't end this morning. That we may have to live in uncertainty for days, maybe more. That we have to keep our faith in each other. If we can hold onto that with everything we have, the future is ours. The world is ours."-Maggie Rhee
----------------------------------
-May 11th 621 days since the start.
-These past few days we have been getting ready to attack the sanctuary. The blacksmiths at Hilltop have been really busy making shields for cars so we can be safe in vehicles. Dwight gave us a list where all of Negan's look outs are so we have no problem attacking the sanctuary. Tara, Daryl, Morgan, Carol and some others are helping lead biters to the sanctuary. We wanna trap them so we can take out all of the other savior outposts. Dwight also told us today Negan and the other outpost leaders are all going to be in the sanctuary today having a meeting so we can trap them all. So now me and Maggie and some of the others from hilltop are heading to the clearing where the kingdom soldiers and Alexandrian soldiers are before we all drive up to the sanctuary together.
-With so much going on these last days I have barely been able to hang out with Carl. I feel bad about it. I love him and I hate not seeing him. Also I haven't got my period. I hope I'm not pregnant but it's very possible that I am. I have a test to take in my room at the barrington house but I haven't had the courage to do so. I think it's just best for now for me to just wonder. I know I should just take it, pull the band aid off but I can't. What if I am? What would Carl say about it? Would he be happy? He did say he pictures having a family with me, but does he want that so soon.
-"Whats the matter." Maggie says while we are driving to the clearing.
-I play it off like I'm just scared of the battle.
-"Just jitters." I say.
-"We're just going to be there at the start and then we will head back to the hilltop." Maggie says.
-We get to the clearing and everyone else is there as well.
-We talk to everyone and just get to know one another.
-"Here over your sternum." Jerry says and gives me some armor.
-"No. I'm going back with Maggie after." I say.
-"Dude sternum. Dude." He says and hands it to me.
-Before we head out to the sanctuary Rick, Maggie, and King Ezekiel give a speech.
-"When I first met him Jesus said my world was going to get a whole lot bigger. Well we found that world. We found each other. That bigger world is ours by right. That we've come together for it, all of us it's that much more true it's ours by right. Any person who would live in peace and fairness, who would find common ground it's there right too. But those who use and take and kill to carve out the world and make it there alone we end them. We don't celebrate it. We don't have shame about it either. There's only one person who has to die and I will kill him myself. I will. But if it's the others, the others who prop him up stand by his side, even those who just look the other way so be it. Then we keep making the world bigger. Together." Rick says to all of us.
-"Together. Bond forever! To quote the bard "For thee who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." King Ezekiel says and puts his arm on Rick's shoulder. "For she today my sister." He says and puts his hand on Maggie's shoulder.
-Shiva roars from the bed of a truck in agreement to the King.
-"We've practiced. We've been through it over and over again. We all know the plan doesn't end this morning. That we may have to live in uncertainty for days, maybe more. That we have to keep our faith in each other. If we can hold onto that with everything we have, the future is ours. The world is ours." Maggie says.
-After that we all get in our vehicles and drive over to the sanctuary.
----------------------------------
-I look at the building and it surprises me that people would live somewhere as run down as it looks. Biters are on the fences to draw people away and I presume to keep other biters away.
-Everyone parks their cars in ways so we have cover just in case the saviors start firing at us.
-Rick gives the signal and everyone fires 4 shots in the air.
-We wait a minute and Negan walks out.
-"Well shit, sorry I was in a meeting." Negan says, and Simon, Dwight, Eugene and a man and a woman who I don't know the names of walk out of the sanctuary.
-"I see you got your little mud flaps with you. So I'm not exactly feeling a reason for us to try throwing lead at each other. I care about my people. I don't want to just march them into the line of fire because I want play "My dick is bigger than yours." It is. We both know it. But I'm also comfortable enough to accept the fact if it wasn't. I'm certainly not gonna let my people die over that shit...like you're about to. So, Rick, what the hell can I do for you?"
-"Dwight. Your name's Simon. You're Gavin. And you." Rick says and points to each of them.
-"Regina." The woman says.
-"Rick I'd feel remiss if I-"
-"No. I know who you are." Rick says, talking to Eugene because he turned on us and became "Negan"
-"Listen, you five. The Saviors inside. All of you have a chance to survive here. To survive this. You all can live if you surrender. Can't guarantee it any time but now. Right now." Rick tells them.
-"So they surrender... and you and your little piss patrol doesn't kill them. That sounds like a good deal! What about me, Rick?" Negan says.
-"I already told you. Twice. You know what's going to happen." Rick tells him.
-"I do. I do know what's gonna happen. You don't. You have no idea the sh¡t that's about to go down. Let me ask you something, Rick -- Do you think you have the numbers for this fight? You don't. Simon?" Negan says and Simon goes inside for something.
-We all see Gregory walk out of the sanctuary.
-Maggie looks at me and Jesus.
-"Of course that's where he went." Jesus says.
-"What do you have to say to the Rick and the piss patrol, Gregory?" Negan says.
-"The Hilltop stands with Negan and the Saviors. Any resident of the Hilltop who takes up arms or who supports this ultimatum against the Sanctuary or any of the Saviors, for that matter -they will no longer be welcome in the colony." Gregory says.
-"And?" Negan says.
-"Their families will be thrown out and will be left to fend for themselves!"
-"And?" Negan says.
-"Go home now. Or you won't have a home to go back to!" Gregory says.
-"You do what you need to do." Maggie says to the hilltop residents here to fight with us.
-"All I have at the Hilltop are a bunch of books and an old lobster bib." Jesus says.
-"You heard the man. Go back to separating wheat and shit or whatever the hell it is you people do." Negan says.
-"Doesn't look like anyone's goin', does it?" Maggie says
-"Hilltop stands with-"
-"The Hilltop stands with Maggie!" Jesus says.
-"I feel... like I invested a lot in you, and I am very, very disappointed." Simon says to Gregory and pushes him down the stairs.
-An explosion goes off in the distance and we hear the sound of walkers getting closer so that means this has to go down now.
-An explosion goes off in the distance signally that Daryl and the others are close with the herd of biters.
-"Sounds like shit is going down, Rick." Negan says.
-"You "lieutenants..." you're gonna have to make up your minds." Rick says.
-"Maybe we can take a time out here." Gavin says.
-"No. This has to happen now. This is the only way. You're gonna make me count. Okay. Okay. I'm counting. 10! 9! 8! 7!" Rick then cocks his gun and starts shooting at them.
-We all do as well and take out the windows for the sanctuary so the residents inside don't feel safe once the biters get here.
-"Now! Maggie tells us and we all get in the cars to get away from the sanctuary due to the amount of biters that are going to be here soon.
------------------------------
-Me and Maggie make it back to the hilltop while most of the others go to attack all of the saviors' outposts.
-I'm doing gate duty and then I see a car pull up and guess who it is. Gregory.
-I tell Maggie and we go to talk to him at the gate.
-Gregory is making a commotion outside the gate and then we open it up a little bit.
-"What is the gate broken? I've told them to oil that. The gates not broken." He says.
-"What are you doing with Gabriel's car? Where is he?" Maggie asks him.
-"I don't know who that is. The car was just there." Gregory says.
-"Then what are you doing here?" Maggie asks.
-"I live here. This is my home. I built this place. Uh, you weren't here for that, because some of us didn't just show up." Gregory says.
-"Shut your damn mouth! You're really gonna stand there and pretend like you didn't try to sell us out, sell this place out to the saviors?" Maggie yells at him.
-"I was working on the side of sanity. I was working for peace." Gregory says.
-"You threatened to kick people out." Maggie says.
-"I tried to save lives. Now those people are cannon fodder." Gregory says.
-"Those people are fighting for a better life." Maggie says.
-"Look the throwing out the families line was all Negan. He made me say those horrible things. I went to them in-in-in you know in the interest of-of furthering good faith diplomacy. I tried to save lives. Some people without opinions are colored by a preoccupation of vengeance, might call that heroic."
-"You were looking out for yourself. You went there to betray us. To warn Negan that we were going to fight. That's what you told Kal when you dragged him there. It's why Kal left you there." Maggie says.
-"Kal? Kal is delusional." Gregory says.
-"What the hell." Kal says from the watch post.
-"Kal! C'mon man." Kal flips Gregory off. "You know you can be dramatic. That thing with the sorghum pancakes." Gregory says.
-"You mean when you ate a little girl's pancakes." Kal says.
-"I did not eat those pancakes!" Gregory yells.
-His outburst tells me he did in fact eat those pancakes.
-"Listen for what it's worth, I did exactly zero harm to your cause. Negan already knew everything." Gregory says.
-"Goodbye Gregory." Maggie says and starts walking away from the gate.
-"Wait! No! Please! All right I went there because I was scared, all right? I knew you were going to fight and-and I didn't want to be complicit. because I didn't think you could win. But I see now what you all saw all along. That-That the saviors can't be reasoned with. That fighting them is the only way. I was wrong. I-I-I made a mistake and I'm sorry. Please Maggie we're all just human beings with faults and flaws and-and fears. But is this who you are? Have you no mercy? Have you no humanity? Have you know charity? Please! Open the gate. Open your heart. Don't leave another human being out here to die!" Gregory pleads.
-"Let him in." Maggie says to Kal.
-"With everything he did. Why?" I ask her.
-"He's not worth killing. Not yet anyway." Maggie tells me.
-"You won't regret this. I've changed." Gregory says but me and Maggie start to walk away from him.
-"Uh... Maggie." Kal says.
-Kal opens the gate and we are greeted with Jesus with a group of surrendered saviors.
-"We are not letting them in no way. With what they did and what they do. They are monsters!" Gregory says.
-"Gregory." Jesus says.
-"No this is not a sanctuary for killers. We'll be putting the safety of everyone in jeopardy!" Gregory says.
-"Get out of here." Maggie tells Gregory.
-"I know what they are. I have stared into the face of-"
-"Gregory go!" Maggie says sternly.
-"He actually came back after all that." Jesus says.
-"And I actually let him in." Maggie says.
-I look at the saviors and see one looking right at me. I don't think much of it until I do a double take and realize I have seen him before. It's Alden. The last time I saw him he was on a run with my dad. Maybe I can talk to him and find out what happened to my dad. Could my dad be with the saviors as well? I hope not but I guess it could be a possibility because he's here.
-"No offense Jesus, but I kinda agree with that prick." Tara says talking about the prisoners.
-"There are families here. Children." Maggie says.
-"There's two empty trailers out back. We can lock them up in there with round the clock guards until this whole thing is over. And go from there." Jesus says.
-"You know what they've done to us. What they've taken from us." Maggie says.
-"Of course I do. But they surrendered." Jesus says.
-"Jesus." Maggie says
-"We can't let them go, and we can't kill them. We can't." Jesus says.
-"Why don't we leave them outside for now? Make sure they are guarded at all times until we figure out what to do with them." I say to Maggie.
-"That sounds good for now." Maggie says. The saviors are put up against the wall and a few people will be guarding them for now.
-I volunteer to guard them so I can talk to Alden hopefully but Maggie tells me to come inside.
-I don't push because I don't want Maggie to know I know one of the prisoners.
-I go to my room and just stare at the pregnancy test for a bit. It's mocking me, telling me to just get it over with and find out. After staring at it for a few more minutes I decide screw it. I'll just get it over with.
-I go to the bathroom to take the test but I'm startled by Maggie when I come out of the bathroom to wait in my room if the test is positive. I put it behind my back to try to hide it.
-"There you are, I've been looking for you Aaron came back with an update. What are you hiding back there." She says about my very obvious attempt to hide the test.
-"Nothing. So it was just Aaron. Eric didn't make it." I say.
-"No. I think it's better to discuss this in the office." She says.
-We head to her office and she reads a letter from Carol saying how only Jerry, The King and her made it back from the outpost. Shiva died too. Francine, Eric, and a few more Alexandrian fighters were killed. At the outpost Rick found a baby named Gracie and Aaron brought her back here to keep her safe.
-"I can't believe all of the Kingdom fighters are gone." I say to Maggie.
-"It's war there are going to be a lot of losses on both sides." She says.
-"Does anyone ever really win a war." I say to her.
-"We are going to win." She says to me. "So are you gonna tell me what you are still hiding?"
-"It's nothing." I say.
-"Really?" She questions.
-I pass her the test. I don't even look at it to see if it came out positive or negative.
-She looks at it.
-"You're pregnant." Maggie says.
-I know I should have looked at the test to not be surprised if it was positive. But Maggie saying those words just made it more real than ever.
-"I guess so." I say.
-"Are you happy about it?" She asks.
-"It's just not good timing for me. You're pregnant and I need to help you. How am I supposed to help if I'm pregnant as well?"
-"Does Carl know?" Maggie asks.
-"No. You saw the test before I even looked at it." I say.
-"You're gonna be okay. If I can do it you can do it." Maggie says.
-"You think so? I feel like everyone is going to look at me strangely because of how young I am."
-"Who care what everyone thinks. The world isn't normal. And if anyone says anything to you which I don't think they will. Tell them to come talk to me. Ava you're one of the strongest people I know." She says.
-"Thanks Maggie. Hey big favor please don't tell anyone until I tell Carl." I say.
-"That's your news to share, not mine." She says.
-"What the." Maggie says and looks out the window.
-I look out too and see Jesus carrying a bag outside the gates presumingly to the prisoners.
-We walk out to see what he is doing.
-We see Jesus handing food to the prisoners. I don't have a problem with it but I know Maggie will.
-"Jesus." She says and walks over to him. You're giving away our food.
-"We had a bumper crop of turnips in the root cellar. We couldn't get rid of them. Saviors left them behind after they raided us." Jesus says.
-"That cellar is there for a reason. We might have plenty now but that could change. We got to look after our own." Maggie says.
-"Paul this is a farce. It's gone on long enough. I mean build a gallows already. You're handy Margret. Save the bullets and be done with it." Gregory says.
-"Gregory!" Maggie says.
-"What? I'm just saying what everybody inside there is thinking." Gregory says.
-"Go inside. Now!" Maggie tells him.
-"Come on Gregory." I say.
-"You know I'm right." Gregory says.
-I lead him to go inside and while walking in I see Alden giving me a pleading look. Probably due to the fact he heard everything that they were just talking about.
---------------------------------
-A little bit later Maggie comes to my room while I am holding Gracie.
-"What do you think we should do with the saviors?"
-"Well they surrendered. Maggie I've killed plenty of people but it was in defense I don't think it would be right just executing all of them." I say.
-"But they have done something to us." Maggie says.
-"Maggie we both heard what Carl and Daryl both said not all of the saviors are there because they want to. Some of them just do it to survive."
-"If that's what we think we should do, that's what we're going to do." Maggie says.
-"You're going with my decision." I say.
-"Yes I trust your opinion. You're one of the people I trust most in the world." Maggie says.
-"Thank you Maggie you're like the big sister I never had." I give her a side hug due to holding Gracie. I can't believe that I'm going to be a mother. Saying those words even weirds me out.
-Maggie has a pen built for the prisoners.
----------------
-May 12th 622 days since the start.
-The pen gets finished and Maggie tells me to have Jesus bring the prisoners in.
-"Maggie says to bring them in." I say to Jesus.
-The saviors are brought in and put in the pen.
-"Starting now we'll keep the prisoner here. We'll feed them. We won't mistreat them. But we won't stand for anything less than total corporation." Maggie says.
-"Uh. Margret with all due respect, uh, I'm just shooting straight here. We can't let people we don't trust run around inside our walls." Gregory says.
-"You're right Gregory. In fact I couldn't stop thinking about what you told me yesterday. You see, I grew up on a farm. I know all about sheep and wolves." Maggie says, and Kal, and Edanardo take Gregory by the arms.
-"What are you doing?" Gregory asks.
-"Come on Gregory." Kal says.
-"Let go of me. No Kal are you serious? Ednardo? Wait this can't wait." He says and struggles.
-"Calm down." Ednardo says.
-"No don't tell me to calm down, I am not going in there. You can't! Maggie! Just stop for a minute!" Gregory says and continues struggling to go in the pen.
-"Calm down!" Ednardo says again.
-"No. Please no. God." Gregory says and is pushed into a bar knocking him down.
-"Oh god I didn't do anything." Gregory says as he cries and gets dragged into the cage.
-While this is going on one of the prisoners thought it was a great idea to go for Diane's gun.
-I hit him with the end of my gun, knocking him down.
-"Blondie I remember you. You were in the line up terrified so don't act all tough now. And you." He says and points to Maggie. "Oh honey you're gonna get these people killed. Well you already got some people killed didn't you." The savior says.
-Maggie hits him again with her gun knocking him out.
-"Hey thank you." Alden says to Maggie.
-"Don't make me regret it. Or you will." Maggie says to him.
-Aaron walks away and me, him and Maggie go into Maggie's office and we all sit down and talk together.
-Aaron wants to go to Oceanside to see if we can have them join the fight.
-"I keep forgetting he's gone. I have this weight. There's moments when I think I'll see him, that I'll, uh, be able to talk about how I'm feeling with him. And my mind catches up, and I remember that the pain is about knowing it will never happen." Aaron tells us about his dead husband.
-"I know that feeling." Maggie tells him.
-"Does it get easier?" Aaron asks.
-"No. But it helps to do something about it." Maggie tells Aaron.
-Jesus walks in the office.
-"How is he." Maggie asks about Gregory.
-"Gregory's fine. He's trying to suck up to the saviors now. I just wanted to say, I think you did the right thing. And I wanted to thank you." Jesus says to Maggie.
-"Don't. Thank Ava she convinced me." Maggie says and Gracie starts crying.
-"However the saviors in the pen might be bargaining chips. Maybe we'll have to trade them for some of our own people. They're alive because we might need them. However Ava, Jesus, when this all ends and we don't need them I can't promise they'll live."
-Aaron gets up and leaves and I follow him. He's going to Oceanside to recruit them and I know he won't be able to do it alone. I also want to make sure he is okay. I want to let him know if he wants to talk to anyone I'll listen.
-He is getting in a car and I run up to him.
-"Where are you going?" I asks even though we both know I know where he's going.
-"To make sure we win." Aaron says.
-"Let me come with you. You're right, we need to win." I say.
-"Grab your stuff. And some food. We might be gone for a while." Aaron says.
-I run into the house and grab my bow and grab my backpack and take a few cans of food and a few bottles of water.
-I run back and Aaron is ready in the car and we head out to Oceanside. When we get back from this mission I plan on going to Alexandria to tell Carl about the baby.
-------------------------------
-"They have to talk to us right? After coming all this way." I say finally breaking the silence.
-He doesn't answer for a second.
-"Sorry I was." Aaron says not finishing his thought.
-"What?" I ask.
-"Eric and I used to take trips like this back when we were looking for people to bring to Alexandria. We drove to the Hilltop just a few days ago and helped armor those cars. He was always right there where you are now. I was just remembering that." Aaron says.
-"I'm sorry." I say.
-"I need to make sure he died for a reason. Tell me what you were thinking." He says.
-"I was just thinking about Oceanside. Wondering if they will talk to us." I say.
-"I hope so. We got to try not to scare them. Tara said up until her, they killed on sight. It's going to be a risk. We need to have them be a part of this. We just have to convince them. We have to." Aaron says.
-"We should have brought guns for them." I say.
-"We have to hold onto those guns." Aaron says.
-"I could give Cydnie mine." I say.
-"You're gonna need your gun." Ava.
-"Right, I just want it to end before that." I say.
-"I do too. You know how to drive?" Aaron asks me.
-"Kinda. My dad showed me how to do it a few times. I'm better than Carl anyways." I say and laugh at that last part remembering how he totaled that car a few weeks ago killing a biter.
-Me and Aaron switch and I take the wheel.
-I turn on a road.
-"Why are you turning? We're supposed to be going straight." He says.
-"Uh I just want to check something out. Maybe it's just about giving them something they can use." I say.
-"You're right can't show up empty handed. Social graces." He says realizing what I was thinking while we go past a sign to where I was planning on going. The Roanoke Way Distillery.
----------------------------
-It wasn't that hard to get. There were a few biters in the place but that was it. Aaron takes a truck with the stuff we grab and we drive in separate vehicles to the outskirts of Oceanside.
-"Is this good." I say about the place I parked.
-"I don't know. It's as good a place as any." Aaron says.
-We decide to stay in the spot for the night because the sun is going down and we don't want to be seen as threatening to Oceanside.
-After the sun goes down and we are in the car for a little bit there's a noise outside the car.
-Me and Aaron check it out and go around opposite sides of the truck.
-I hear a loud grunt from Aaron, and a woman's voice.
-I don't even know what she said but I shoot her killing her, and go to check on Aaron who's knocked down on the ground.
-"Drop it now." A girl says and I realize that it's people from Oceanside.
-"Grandma. Grandma. Oh god. No." Cydnie cries to the person I shot dead on the ground.
-I killed Cydnie's grandmother
Word count 4313
~Sorry it took me so long to update with the holidays I couldn't. And before you ask yes I really did make Ava pregnant. I was a heavy decision that took me a long time to decide if I should or shouldn't and I decided to. As always I hope you have a wonderful day/night :).