Tour Guide ➣ Carl Grimes

12. Decisions Decisions

Deanna had sent an announcement saying there would be a meeting that night in order to decide what they should do about Rick. Hannah knew what people were going to say, 'He's crazy', and 'He's dangerous', and 'This is all your fault'. In reality, the incident had been no one's fault. After everything she had heard Gabriel say and everything she's found out from Carl, Hannah knew the group had been through unimaginable situations. There was a reason they were so intimidating. They had to be.

Hannah found herself in her room, pacing back in forth between the bed and the window. Outside, she could still see people wandering in the middle of town, hoping to get one more glimpse at Rick or Pete before they were rushed away. After the fight broke apart, Hannah ran to her house, which wasn't too far from where it all went down. She didn't want to be there when they had to deal with the aftermath.

Hannah had never been the type of person to enjoy conflict. She rarely fought with people and she very seldom argued. She wasn't good at making decisions either, and yet here she was, pacing back and forth, trying to decide what to do. Hannah could see Deanna from her window. The woman was headed towards her own home, accompanied by her husband, Reg. Hannah wanted desperately for all of this to go away. She didn't want to decide whether or not to be scared of these people. She didn't want to have to be scared. And more than anything, she didn't want the new group to leave.

After grabbing the sweater she had thrown on her bed when she first got inside, Hannah finally decided she needed to talk to Deanna. She couldn't let her make this decision without understanding that what Gabriel said hadn't been true. These people were just as scared as they were. They're just as human. They deserved a chance to prove that.

When Hannah got to Deanna's house, she found the woman leaning against the wall of her porch, watching Alexandria continue on. Hannah couldn't quite decipher the look in her eyes. She looked angry, her brows were furrowed and her body was tight, but she also looked sad, like she had disappointed herself. Like she had disappointed her people.

"Deanna?" Hannah asked softly from the bottom of the steps. The woman blinked out of her state and smiled at the girl, though it seemed forced.

"I just," Hannah started, walking up the steps, "well I just wanted to talk to you about the meeting tonight."

Deanna sighed and moved off of the wall.

"I know it's scary, Hannah, but we will figure it all out."

"No, no that's not what I mean, um, I wanted to talk about Rick. About what your plan is." Hannah said quickly.

"Well, what's your plan?"

Hannah thought for a moment. What was her plan? What had she come here to say? Did she want Rick to be kicked out? Did he deserve it?

"It's just," She started hesitantly, moving closer to the woman in front of her, "We all knew about Pete."

"Hannah--" Deanna tried to cut her off.

"No. No, we all did. I know you did. And we didn't do anything about it."

"We couldn't do anything about it, Hannah. He is our doctor, we need him. I'm sorry, I truly am, but we all make sacrifices."

This caught Hannah off guard.

"Sacrifices? Who is sacrificing? Ron and Sam were being abused. Jessie was being beaten! That's not them sacrificing themselves for the good of the community. A leader doesn't just let that happen!"

Reggie heard the conversation outside and joined them on the porch, allowing Hannah to realize how loud she had gotten. She allowed herself a breath before continuing.