Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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I stood inside the church, my mind still going a hundred miles an hour. My anxiety hadn't died down, and it was becoming evident to Rick that something was heavy on my mind. He probably thinks it's unease about the whole situation we've gotten ourselves into, and I won't tell him otherwise. I stood at the altar with Rick, my attention on all the people in front of us, but unable to process anything Rick said. I studied their faces, watching some expressions contort with fear, determination, and annoyance. My stomach turned again, and I took in a silent breath, focusing on that instead of trying to pay attention to Rick and his rambling. I love him with every fiber of my being, but sometimes, he goes on and on. A shuffling near the back grabbed my attention, my eyes settling on Morgan as he looked up at us.

"Are you sure we can do it?" Morgan asked hesitantly, "That we can beat them?" I suppressed the overwhelming nausea that threatened to overtake me and found my voice for the first time since Rick called this meeting.

"What this group has done, what we've learned, what we've become, all of us—" I looked around and pursed my lips, retaking a deep breath, "Yes, I'm sure." Morgan looked to the ground before refocusing on us, his lips pursing.

"Then all we have to do is just tell them that," Morgan shrugged.

"These people won't compromise—" Rick started but was interrupted by Morgan.

"This isn't a compromise," Morgan shifted his weight onto his other foot while he looked at us, "It's a choice you give them. It's a way out for them and for us." I bit my lip as bile started to rise in my throat, forcing me to swallow heavily as I tried to push it back down.

"We try and talk to the Saviors. We give up our advantage, our safety," Rick stressed to his friend, "No, we have to come for them before they come for us. We can't leave them alive,"

"When there's life, there's a possibility," Morgan states, sounding like one of those pro-life commercials or billboards they used to put up everywhere. My nausea started to subside, and my stomach growled, making me silently groan. If it's not one thing, it's another.

"Of them hitting us," Rick raised his voice slightly.

"We're not trapped in this," Morgan snapped, "None of you are trapped in this," I scratched my face and looked down, tired of all this back and forth. From what Rick told me, I knew Morgan had a new outlook on life. He now thought all life was valuable, whereas he had lost his mind and tried to kill anyone back then. It's strange seeing how someone can do a complete 180.

"Morgan," Rick sighed, "They always come back,"

"They come back when they're dead, too," Morgan pointed out.

"Yeah, we'll stop them," Rick stressed, "We have before."

"I'm not talking about the walkers," Morgan breathed, his eyes landing on the floor with a faraway look.

"Morgan wants to talk to them first," Rick said. They have ears, don't they? I'm sure they followed along, "I think that would be a mistake, but it's not up to me. June and I will make rounds and talk to the people still at home. We'll talk to the people on guard now, too, but who else wants to approach the Saviors? Talk to them first?"

"What happened here," Aaron jumped up from his place on one of the pews, "We won't let that happen again," He looked at Morgan and pursed his lips, "I won't." He turned his attention back to us and gave us a nod. Still annoyed, I touched my growling stomach and stood tall with Rick.

"Then it's settled," I nodded with Rick, dropping my hand, "We know exactly what this is. We don't shy from it; we live. We kill them all." Silence droned on for a few seconds between us, my stomach being the only noise to be heard, "We don't all have to kill, but if people are gonna stay here, they do have to accept it."