chapter twelve !
❪ monsters ❫
RILEY SAT next to maggie, opening the bible's. daryl, carol and bob went missing and she was getting worried every minute.
the door opened, catching everyone's attention. sasha stormed in and stood in front of gabriel, "stop."
the man furrowed his eyebrows as he stood quiet. "what are you doing?" sasha asked.
gabriel didn't say a word, causing the woman to step more closer, "what are you doing? this is all connected." she paused, "you show up, we're being watched, and now three of us are gone."
"i... i don't... i don't have anything to do with this." he stuttered, glancing at everyone.
sasha pulled out her knife with a click. everyone stood up, alarmed. gabriel raised his two hands in defense.
"wait!"
"don't!"
"sasha, put it away." her brother, tyreese, ordered.
"who's out there?" she stepped closer to him, eager for answers.
"i–i don't have anything to do with this." the priest backed away in fear.
"where are our people?"
"i don't have anything to–"
"where are our people?!" sasha yelled in anger, riley being taken back from her loud voice.
"please, i don't have anything to do with this." gabriel repeated, his voice shaky.
sasha backed away as rick stepped forward, "why'd you bring us here?"
"please, i–"
"you working with someone?" rick asked as he tilted his head.
"i'm alone. i'm alone." gabriel admitted. "i was always alone."
"what about the woman in the food bank, gabriel? what did you do to her?" rick inquired. "you'll burn for this. that was for you, why? what are you gonna burn for, gabriel?"
out of surprise, rick grabbed the collar of the man's suit and pushed him against the table. "what did you do? what did you do?!"
"rick!" riley called out. the grimes man looked at the teen before stepping away from gabriel.
"i lock the doors at night. i always lock the doors at night. i always lock the doors at night. i always–" the priest started to break down, "they started coming my congregation. atlanta was bombed the night before and they were scared, they were– they were looking for a safe place, a place where they felt safe." tears started to fall from his eyes, "and it was so early. it was so early and the doors were still locked. you see... it was my choice."
"there were so many of them and they were trying to pry the shutters and banging on the sidings, screaming at me. and so the dead came for them." he sobbed, "women... children. entire families calling my name as they were torn apart, begging me for mercy. begging me for mercy. damning me to hell."
"i buried their bones. i buried it all." gabriel nodded. "the lord sent you here to finally punish me," he fell down onto his knees, "i'm damned. i was damned before. i always lock the doors. i always lock the doors." he cried out.
whistling was heard from the outside, riley turning her body around towards the window. her heart slowing dropping.
"there's something–" glenn said. "there's someone outside lying in the grass."
the group ran out, sasha beating everyone to it. "bob!" she cried out. riley's eyes widened when she saw that he only had one leg.
walkers started to surround them. "get bob inside. we'll take care of them!"
sasha looked up at the young girl, "can you help me, please?" riley quickly nodded, bending down to help grab the unconscious man. "help me. help me."
"get inside! go!" rick yelled as gunshots rang.
riley and sasha brought bob, sasha's eyes welling up in tears. they placed him carefully on the red carpet as they waited for rick and the others to come back outside.
bob's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred. "bob!" sasha cupped both sides of his face.
rick came inside and stood beside them, "bob, you have to tell me what happened."
"it...it all happened so fast." the man murmured.
sasha placed a hand on his chest, "who did this to you?"
"i was in the graveyard. somebody knocked me out. i woke up outside this place, it looked like a school. it was that guy, gareth and five other ones." rick's eyes darkened at the mention of the name.
"they were eating my leg right in front of me. like it was nothing. all proud like they had it all figured out."
"did they have daryl and carol?" rick asked him.
"gareth said they drove off." he groaned, attempting to sit up.
"he's in pain. do we have anything?" riley glanced around at everyone.
"i think there are pill packets in the first aid kit." rosita stood up and walked over to get the supplies.
"save 'em." bob huffed.
"no." sasha refused, shaking her head.
"really!" he sat up and pulled down his sleeve, revealing a walker bite in his shoulder. sasha stared in disbelief at the bite mark before looking at him. "it happened at the food bank."
sasha gave him a sad smile, "it's okay." she reassured him. riley and the rest of the guys were bummed because they really grew a liking of bob. he was kind, funny and helpful. most of all, a good person.
"there's a sofa in my office." gabriel spoke up. "i know it's not much, but... "
"thank you." sasha interrupted.
everyone stood quiet until tyreese stood up, "i got him." riley nodded and carl grabbed her hand to help her up.
"thanks," she murmured to the boy. he nodded and gave her a little side hug, in which she needed.
judith started crying, carl and the smith girl walked over to the basket that the baby was in and grabbed the handle, taking her to the other room.
GABRIEL CLOSED the door shut and locked it. everyone was huddled in his office while rick and the others went out again.
riley let out a shaky breath, it felt like hours. carl turned his head and connected eyes with the girl, "don't worry, everything will be fine."
she nodded and stood close to the baby in the basket. the church door opened, alerting everyone. riley and carl pulled out their guns, aiming it at the door.
she glanced at gabriel, who shifted nervously in his spot, behind the desk.
"well, i guess you know we're here." gareth announced, walking through the aisle, "and we know you're here. and we're armed. so there's really no point in hiding anymore." he paused, taking steps closer to the door.
"we've been watching you. we know who's here. there's bob and eugene, rosita, martin's good friend, tyreese, carl," he smirked before continuing, "and don't get me started on riley, who i still have her knife by the way."
the smith girl felt her jaw clench in anger. she hated this man with a passion.
"judith." he finished. "rick and the rest walked out. with a lot of your guns. listen, we don't know where you all are but this isn't a big place. so let's just stop this now before things get more painful than they need to be."
the knob on the door started rattling, riley aiming at the door carefully. "look, you're behind one of these doors and we have more than enough firepower to take down both. can't imagine that's what you all want."
riley heard footsteps approaching closer to the door, "how about the priest? father, you help us wrap this up, we'll let you walk away from this. just open the door and you can go. you can take the baby with you. what do you say?"
judith started crying, riley turning around to the baby. her eyes slightly widened now that gareth and his men know where they're at.
she lowered her gun and grabbed judith from the basket. "shhh," riley tried to calm the baby down. carl looked at the two before continuing to aim at the wooden door.
"it's your last chance right now to tell us you're coming out."
riley's heart slowed down when she heard two gunshots, she knew it was rick because it was apart of the plan. the group knew that gareth was watching them, so if they saw that rick and the rest left, they would break into the church.
"put your guns on the floor."
"rick, we'll fire right into that office. so lower your gun–"
the mans voice was cut off with a yell escaping him, clutching onto his hand when another bullet was shot. "put your guns on the floor and kneel."
the brunette sighed and looked at judith, who still had tears stained on her face. she tugged the baby closer to her and tried her best to calm the little one down.
"she okay?" carl aimed his gun down, turning his attention to the pair.
riley nodded, "yeah she's okay, i think she was just–"
she was interrupted when painful screams echoed in the church. tyreese furrowed his eyebrows and went closer to the door, opening it slightly.
riley carefully placed the baby back in her basket and walked towards the small gap of the opened door. her face slowly dropping at the horror scene that she was seeing. she saw everyone completely slaughtering gareth's men like they were animals.
she glanced at glenn, maggie and tara because they were frozen as they stared at everyone else that was killing the enemy. tyreese looked in disbelief, riley deciding to step away.
"it could have been us."
RILEY AND carl watched sasha make bobs grave after everyone said goodbye to him. she was sad for her because she can understand how it feels losing your loved ones.
"this is our route to DC." abraham handed rick a map, "we'll stick to it as long as we're able. if not, well, you got our destination. once eugene gets to the big brains left up there, things are gonna bounce back. this group should be there for it. you should be there for it."
"they will be." maggie told him.
"we will," michonne nodded in agreement.
"we will." rick stated with a nod.
"let's go," the redhead walked away and towards the bus. riley waved goodbye to glenn and maggie, them giving the girl a small smile with a wave.
when abraham's group got on the bus, rosita gave riley a nod, in which she returned back.
abraham closed the doors and drove off. rick sighed and looked at riley before pulling something out of his gun holster, "riley," he called out.
"yeah?" she raised her eyebrows at the man.
"i believe this belongs to you." he revealed her knife, the brunettes face breaking into a smile.
"thank you," she took her knife from his hand, placing it into her holster.
"no problem." he patted her shoulder before making his way towards tyreese.
riley turned her head, looking at carl and judith.
"everything's going to be alright."
"you mean it?" she asked with curious eyes.
"always."
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AUTHORS NOTE:
rip bob, he deserved better!
riley after rick says that he doesn't kill the living but slaughters a whole group:
ugh y'all im failing a class and it's global like i hate that class sm that every time i enter the room i just wanna unlock the window and jump off.
but anyways
please vote for the next chapter and DONT BE A GHOST READER <3