"We need a way to get them distracted so we can ambush them." Jesus says.
"What if we have someone go out there and act hurt, maybe they'd help?" Rosita suggests.
"Doubt it, they'd probably shoot you on the spot."
"What if we use the walkers? Push them their way?" Maggie adds.
"We need a strategy though, we can't usher zombies at people without them wanting to come to us." I say, dismissing the idea.
"What all do we know about them?" Tara asks, as this is her first run since she's been back from her wound.
"They like their weapons, they take half everyone's supplies that they encounter, they like the people they negotiate with.." Jesus goes on, but then it hits me.
"What if we use Gregory?" Everyone looks at me.
"How? Gregory seems to be the guy who'd run to the first person whose got his metal, even if it is the easy way." Rick says.
"We could use the walkers," Maggie tries her idea again. "But we find one that looks most like Gregory, then we'll discuss from then on." We all split in groups of two in hopes of finding a Gregory look-a-like. I go off with Daryl, killing walkers once we check them.
"Ye and Jesus are buddies now?" Daryl asks, stabbing a walker in the forehead. I scrunch my brows together and look at him before stabbing another.
"What are you talking about?"
"Ye seem to be spendin' a lot of time with him."
"Because no one else is giving him a chance. I'm pretty sure that if I wouldn't have come into that room when I did, he'd be dead and we wouldn't have Hilltop as an alliance."
"Maybe so, but ye take 'im everywhere ye go." I stop killing the walkers and look at him, growing angry. He does the same.
"Not that I need to explain myself to you, but he offered to stay at home with the girls so we could come out and do this but-" He cuts me off.
"He woulda ran." I throw my arms in the air.
"I don't know why I even try with you. Everything is a fucking argument and you don't even let me finish my sentences." I walk ahead of where we are, finding one that has the same hair as Gregory and looks a lot like him. It'd be a good prop from afar.
"Maybe ye should go with 'im, get married, have kids, see if I care." I stab the walker and grab it by it's legs, pulling it back to the group. "Now ye're not even answerin' me?" I stay silent, still dragging the body. I feel a sudden pain in my stomach, making me stop dragging and take a quick breather. He sees my sudden actions and rushes to my side, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"I'm fine." I say, grabbing the mans legs again. He takes my spot and starts to drag the man himself. I watch as he goes towards the group, away from me. I just stand there, with my back to the group. Why does my stomach hurt to bad? I just ate. I brush it off and walk back to the group.
"No, we can't just leave it laying." Rick says, with the head in his hands by the hair.
"Someone needs to go up there and we can ambush them then." Glenn says.
"I'll go." I say, stepping forward.
"No." Daryl and Glenn say in unison.
"I'll be fine, someone needs to do it."
"Then I will." Daryl says.
"If I may," Jesus says, taking a step forward as well. "It would be in our best interest to let her go. They don't kill women without Negans approval, it's his rules. If they disobey it, they die." I smile, knowing the can't turn me down now. Rick hands me the head.
"Be careful, Judith and Sophia still need you." I nod and rub under my eyes, making them red and puffy like I'd been crying, then start to walk to the men. Once they see me, they raise their weapons. I put a horrified face on, once they see me, they stop. I cradle the head in my arms as I approach them.
"Woah there, little lady, whats wrong?" One of the men asks.
"It's just- someone came, t-they killed.." I trail off, but they buy it.
"Who killed who?" The other asks, looking concerned.
"Some group came in and killed Gregory." I say, handing them the head.
"The fuck?" The first man asks as he notices it's not really Gregory.
"The same group that's gonna kill you." I say, stabbing one of the men in the heart. I hear Daryl's arrow fly, then the other man falls to the ground. I pull my knife from the mans heart. He struggle to reach for his gun laying a few feet from him. I grab it and stab him in the temple, finishing the job. We go inside, swarming each room. I go to one room with Jesus and we kill the sleeping men. Once we make it to the third room, I decide to speak. "This feels kind of wrong, Jesus." I whisper, stabbing another men.
"Why?"
"They're sleeping, they don't even know what's happening to them. They don't have a chance to see their families again."
"There's only men here." He tries to reassure.
"Which means there's more." He doesn't answer, knowing I'm right. We finish killing the men in this block and go to the next one. He goes in, but I see Maggie struggling so I run to help her, killing some woman trying to kill her. Maybe this is all the people but they just have men and women separate.
"Brook!" Maggie half scream whispers. I turn around with my knife at the ready but get stabbed in the abdomen. I shriek a little from the sudden pain, but stab the man in his temple. "Let's get you back."
"No, we need to finish what he started." I say, then feel a hard object meet the back of my head. My vision becomes blurry as I fall The the ground. I wake up to cold water being slashed on me. I shiver, then jump in pain as the water makes it way to my open wound. I look down and see the knife gone, blood flowing everywhere. "Fuck!" I shout, trying to move but I got stopped by zip ties on my wrists and ankles. I try to break out of them, having no luck.
"It's no use, doll." An old woman says. I hear moving a few feet away from me, I see Maggie and Carol tied up at as well. Then I see someone on the ground who looks as if they're about to turn.
"What do you want with us?" Carol asks, shivering in fear. The hell is she doing? I don't know her to be weak.
"We just want to kill your men. You kill ours, we kill yours."
"How do you expect to get them over here when all you have is us? I doubt they even know we're gone." I say, trying to out smart them.
"We used your walkie talkie to communicate with them."
"Paula, there was a little girl on there, I don't think this is a good idea." Another says. Little girl? Sophia? Judith?
"Then we'll kill the kid." Paula says without a second thought.
"I swear to god if you lay one fucking hand on her, I'll-" She cuts me off.
"You'll what? Kill me? With a wound like that?" She asks, pressing her hand on my wound. I keep my scream in but I try to hit her, with no luck. My vision blurs as tears well in my eyes from the pain. I try pushing them down so she doesn't know she's winning.
"Mom? Are you there?" It's Sophia. "Judith needs you, Mom. Eugene is here and Judith is having a nightmare and wants you." Paula brings the walkie to her mouth, getting ready to speak.
"Paula." The lady warns again.
"You're Mom is dead-"
"Stop!" I shout at her, trying to get her to stop but also trying to get Sophia to know I'm still here.
"She wanted me to tell you something though-"
"Don't listen to her, Sophia!"
"She regrets being your Mom."
"You bitch!" Maggie yells. Paula walks to Maggie.
"Get away from her." I warn, getting up and jumping to her. I almost fall from the ties on my ankles, but I manage. Then, the walkie goes off.
"Is it true? Are my girls really dead?" It's Rick, sorrow laced in his voice. Paula turns around, noticing me and punches me in my jaw, sending me to my ass.
"No, but ones on the verge of death." She flares at me. I start to work on my ties, then remember the knife in my boot.
"What do you want?" I reach to my shoe, grabbing my knife and pulling it out.
"I want you dead." I work on cutting my arms free. Maggie sees me and smiles.
"At least let me know they're alive, send one out." She looks to think for a second.
"One goes out and one comes in, you decide." The line's dead for a while, obviously they're discussing.
"It's a deal." Paula looks to the three of us.
"Who can be free?"
"Let her go, she's wounded and needs medical attention." Maggie says.
"No, I'll be fine. You need to go." I say to Maggie, then look at Paula. "Let her go, she's pregnant." Paula looks saddened for a moment, but nods and sends two of her people to remove Maggie.
"It's okay. Tell the girls I love them and don't forget your promise." I say, Maggie's eyes water as the the door opens. She leaves and someone I've never saw comes in. She holds the bottom on the walkie and shoots the person who came in. I lean over to try to stop the pain in my abdomen.
"Why can't we work together, as women?" Carol offers. I finish undoing my wrists and do my ankles to where if I moved my feet out, the restrain will break. I move closer to Carol, slowly, and slide them to her. She starts to do the same thing.
"That's not an option anymore." I feel around for my gun that I hid behind my back and it's gone, damn it. I move up but I fall back down in pain. I start to see black and white dots blur my vision and words start to mesh together.
"I can't... we need a doctor... she needs a doctor... we just need to let her go.." I try to push past the pain as I hear the radio.
"One of ours, Brook, is injured. How can we get her out of there in one piece?" It's Jesus.
"She won't make it out of here alive, she's lost too much blood as it is." She replies. She's not wrong, I've lost more blood that I'd like to admit. But if I'm going to die, I don't want it to be in vain. The woman who looked dead turns, opening her eyes. Carol looks at me with wide eyes, sliding me my knife back since she cut her restraints too.
"I can't do it, she's my sister." A woman cries from the side. I pull my feet apart, breaking the restraint. I look at Carol.
"You need to go. I'm not going to-to make it out. Tell the girls... I love them.." I trail off, finding it hard to speak. I stand up with my knife ready as the walker limps to me. I go to swipe it, but hear the other women crying, not able to watch me do it. I see Carol get up in the corner of my eye and go behind me. I stab the walker as two of the woman fall to their knees, crying. I stab Paula with my knife, not able to pull it out.
"Brook!" Carol yells, I turn as she throws me my gun. I shoot Paula, then another, Carol kills the last one. I go back to Carol, hugging her. As I pull away from her, I notice my blood staining her shirt. "We're getting out of this." She says. I start to become faint as I grab my walkie.
"We'll be out i-i-in a minute." I stutter. As we start to walk out, the door opens. Carol hides as I turn, not able to move fast enough from so much blood loss. The men look around, noticing the dead bodies all around.
"You did this?" One of them asks, I nod and stumble backwards. As he approaches me, the place becomes vibrant with fire. The place they just entered is now engulfed in flames. I feel my arm being grabbed and I'm being drug off.