are you ready --- ac/dc
♮♮♮
[POV]
Alexandria was working on a plan to divert an insanely large herd of walkers, one of the biggest anybody had seen. They met in one of the houses as Rick covered the issue.
Heath spoke first on the matter. He and another few had been on a run and missed the welcoming of Rick and his group. The few confused Alexandrians soon met Eugene upon arrival back home. Then, they met the rest of their group.
"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've 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."
Maggie looked up to Heath from the couch, "No one's been back since?"
"DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself."
"So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and drawing more in." Michonne realized.
"And here we are." Rick looked around to the filled room, "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." Rick paused, trying to read the expressions. "This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this now."
"This is-" Carol sighed, "I don't even have another word for it. This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."
"Maybe there is. I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots?" An Alexandrian who had been there since the start proposed. Carter. He'd helped Reg build the walls that surrounded the community. "I-I could draw up a plan. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew- we can try and make it safe."
"Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more every day. Building up the exits won't change that."
"Deanna stared out the window, but spoke loudly, "we're gonna do what Rick says, the plan he's laid out."
She'd been distant since Reg had tragically been murdered, only speaking when necessary.
"I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away."
Daryl nodded to Rick. JJ, who was standing next to the window where Daryl was sitting, looked between the two of them. A wave of nerves flooded her. She had thought about talking to Rick about accompanying Daryl as he led the walkers away.
"Me too." Sasha stated. "I'll take a care, 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 decided. "It's a long way to white-knuckle it solo."
Rick agreed. "We'll have two teams. One on each side of the forest helping us 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?"
Michonne was the first to volunteer. "Me."
JJ looked to Glenn who was busy quietly pleading with Maggie not to go.
"I'll go." JJ offered.
"No." Rick immediately shot her down. "I need you here with Carl and Judith, keeping an eye on things."
"But-" JJ began to argue, huffing as Glenn interrupted.
"I'm in."
"I'd like to help as well." Gabriel raised a finger.
Rick shot him down faster than he had his sister. "No...who else? We need more."
"There's gotta be another play." Carter suggested, anxiously. "We can't just control that many."
"I said it before, walkers herd up. 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?" Carter challenged. "We're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after..."
"After what?" Rick's voice lowered.
JJ kept a close eye on her brother's movements.
"After you wave a gun around screaming, pointing it at people. After you shoot a man in the face. After you-"
Deanna jolted around, "enough!" She easily quieted the room.
"I'll do it." Heath broke the silence.
"Me too." A woman raised her hand.
Tobin leaned to Rick, "Whatever you need, I'm in."
"Now who else?" Deanna questioned.
Nicholas looked to Glenn, who warned him not to volunteered, but he did anyway. "I'll go. We have to do this. I need to help."
"You sure you can handle it?" Rick checked.
"You need people."
Rick hesitated but nodded. "We'll make this work. We'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe. We will."
"The plan. Go through it again." Carter insisted.
"Man, he just said it." Daryl sassed.
"Every part...again. The exact plan."
♮♮♮
JJ sat on the curb and watched as Daryl worked on his bike.
"So, what do you think of the plan?"
"Don't think we have a choice." He answered her.
"I should be out there too."
Daryl looked back at her, "Nah, you shouldn't. It'll be better you stay here with Carl n' Little Ass Kicker. Safer."
"I can defend myself." JJ stated.
"Yeah, I know. I just- already got too many to worry about while we're out there already."
"You don't have to protect me, Daryl."
"That's not what I'm worried about. If you go out there, everyone else is at risk. Cause I'd put you above anyone else."
JJ smiled, "I know that wasn't really a good thing, but what you said...-it was really hot."
Daryl scoffed, "stop."
Rick walked out, catching the two-off guard.
"He good?" Daryl asked, referring to Morgan.
"He is." Rick told him, "He told me what happened out there with the trucks."
JJ perked up. Daryl hadn't told her any of the details of his and Aaron's run.
Daryl stood up, "he tell you about those guys he met? The Ws?"
"Like that walker we saw, yeah."
"The walker with the W carved into his forehead?" JJ asked, still sitting on the ground.
Rick looked as if it were obvious but got snarky with his sister. "No..."
JJ rolled her eyes, "no need for the tude."
"We need more watch points. And I'm gonna tell Deanna we don't need to go looking for people anymore." Rick decided. Daryl remained quiet. "You feel different about it?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Well, people out there, they gotta take care of themselves, just like us." Rick began to walk away, "I gotta go talk with Carter and the others. I'll be back."
"You think he's wrong? About looking for more people."
"Yeah." Daryl admitted. "Finding' people...that's takin' care of ourselves."
♮♮♮
[JJ]
I stood with Maggie and Tara watching as Rick's plan came to life.
Maggie eyed Nicholas.
"He got Noah killed?" Tara clarified.
"He did. He did more than that." Maggie seethed with anger. "He lured Glenn into the woods and tried to kill him."
"What?" My jaw dropped. "Want me to beat his ass? I'll beat his ass."
"Yeah," Tara agreed. "I'll back 'er up too."
"Glenn told me I could tell everyone if that's what I wanted to do. Could get Nicholas exiled. He'd die out there. Could've done that. Could do that right now."
"He got Noah killed and he tried to kill Glenn?" Tara repeated.
I huffed, "all I'm hearing are reasons to kick his ass."
"Glenn saves people. Even people like that." Maggie looked back over to the two. "I couldn't accept it either. But then I thought about you, Tara. How we were on different sides of that fence on the worst day of my life. And now you're on of the most important people in the world to me. Things can get better. We can make them better." Maggie told Tara, who looked hurt. "You tell me what you want to do?"
Tara sniffled, "I'm just gonna follow your lead, okay?"
Maggie pulled her into a hug. "That means if you want JJ to beat his ass, you can."
"Just give me the word. I'm ready." I assured.
"Thanks, JJ." Tara nodded.
I placed a hand on her shoulder, "anytime."
♮♮♮
"So...today's just a test run, right?" I double checked as Daryl got on his bike.
"Surprised you're even up." He ignored the question.
I crossed my arms, looking off.
"What's botherin' ya?"
"I don't know." I shook my head. "I just have a bad feeling about this. Plus, you just got back from the other run."
"It's gonna be fine. We'll be back before you know it."
I nodded, still not 100% convinced.
"Hey." He got my attention by tapping my arm. "I'll find you after."
"You better."