meanstreak
rick grimes 𝘹 fem!𝘰𝘤
© WANDARYEN ──── 2024

"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." Heath, standing next to the couch where Glenn and Maggie currently sat, was describing the Quarry my group was planning on tackling today. A place not too far from Alexandria that was filled with hundreds — possibly thousands of walkers. If we don't tackle this situation soon, there is a possibility they will stumble across the community and tear it down. "The people, they must have 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 glanced over her shoulder up at Heath. "No one's been back since?"

He shook his head with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never really 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 they're drawing more in." Michonne added, pointing out the obvious.

Rick nodded. "And here we are." I gazed up at him, eager to listen to his proposal. We stood side by side in front of the entirety of Alexandria in Deanna's living room. The woman was focusing her attention out the window beside us, but I had no doubt she was listening to the entire conversation. "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." I slowly nodded my head in agreement, my gaze flickering towards the floor naturally. "Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon."

This is — I don't even have another word for it." Carol's soft voice piped up, causing my head to tilt upwards. She was putting on the show for the community — a mask, if you will, that she's been wearing since we arrived. "This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way."

Carter, a member of the community, took a step forward beside her. "Maybe there is. I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew -- "

I slowly shook my head, "it's not that easy."

"We could try and make it safe," Rick sighed. "Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more every day." He shifted on his feet beside me. "Building up the exits won't change that."

"We're gonna do what Rick says, the plan he's laid out." My head turned towards Deanna when she finally spoke but her gaze was still centered on the window.

Rick slowly nodded beside me and gestured towards Daryl, who was sitting on a windowsill by himself in silence. "I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away."

"Me, too." Sasha spoke up sitting beside Maggie on the couch. "I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep them coming and Daryl keeps them from getting sloppy."

"I'll go with her." Abraham suddenly included himself with a raise of his hand. "It's a long way to white-knuckle it solo."

I nodded my head, shifting my gaze between the both of them. "That's good — you'll both be Daryl's support. If things get hazy, something goes wrong, Abraham will be your back up."

Rick was rubbing his bandaged knuckles — the result of what happened with Pete still lingering on his face as well with smaller bandages covering the cuts on his skin. "We'll have two teams. One on each side of the forest helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly — so they're out. Now who's in?"

Michonne raised her hand. "Me."

I tilted my head closer towards Rick but flickered my gaze towards Carol, sending her a very subtle nod while I spoke. "I'll stay with Maggie and Deanna here. We need to make sure while there's a group out there handling the quarry — everything stays under wraps here."

"Perfect," Rick agreed. "I have an extra walkie we're going to use to communicate. Any questions or concerns can go straight through Sienna."

Glenn tilted his head, facing Rick and I. "I'm in."

Out of the corner of my eye, Gabriel took a hesitant step forward with his hand raised. "I'd like to help as well." Without looking back, Rick shook his head. "No. Who else? We need more."

Part of me wanted to feel bad for Gabriel — the part of me that always tried to see the good in others. But after hearing about his last conversation with Deanna, how he filled her head with bizarre fear over my family — I'd rather have him sit alone and twiddle his thumbs for a few days.

Carter exhaled slowly with a slight tilt of his head. "There's got to be another play. We can't just control that many."

My gaze wandered towards him as Rick spoke. "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."

I watched Carter become visibly tense with his eyes drilling into Rick's. "So, what? We're supposed to just take your word for it? We're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after — "

"After what?"

"After you wave a gun around screaming, pointing it at people." My eyes narrowed slowly at the man but his own didn't falter from Ricks. "After you shoot a man in the face. After you — "

Deanna spun around from the window, "enough!"

I stepped forward away from Rick, slowly crossing my arms over my chest while I brought my attention towards Carter with a stern gaze. "We've reached a point where we're not asking you — I'm telling you. A horde this size will rip this town to shreds. Have any of you been caught in the crossfire of one before?" I purposely allowed my gaze to wander amongst the group, arching an eyebrow curiously but no one spoke up. "The silence is telling so I'll take that as a no. So you either shut up and contribute — or sit back and watch it happen but you better not complain about the aftermath." I stepped backwards and positioned myself beside Rick again.

Heath stepped forward and raised his hand. "I'll do it."

"Me, too." Another member of the community stepped up.

Tobin, who stood beside me, nodded in agreement. "Whatever you need, I'm in."

"Now who else?" Deanna spoke, her eyes wandering slowly.

Nicholas raised his hand. "I'll go. We have to do this — I need to help." My head tilted when I followed Rick's gaze land towards Nicholas. "You sure you can handle it?"

He nodded. "You need people."

Rick slowly nodded in agreement before shifting his body to speak towards the entire group. "We'll make this work. We'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe — we will."

"The plan." Carter spoke, focusing on his right hand without meeting our stares. "Go through it again."

Daryl quickly turned to him, "man, he just said it."

Ignoring him, Carter lifted his gaze towards Rick, not blinking once. "Every part again. The exact plan."

"She's so peaceful when she sleeps," Carol hummed with a smile tugging at her lips.

I nodded, glancing down at the baby monitor to see Judith resting peacefully on her back. One arm tossed over her head, causing me to laugh softly under my breath. "At least one of us sleeps this well."

Carol hummed in agreement, turning the knob of her kitchen timer. "I wanted to ask you something," she placed the timer to the side and pressed her palms against the island counter.

I looked up from the book situated on my lap while I sat comfortably in a bar stool. "Go ahead."

"Were you upset with Rick for asking us to break into the armory? You didn't find out until after — I just wanted to know what you were thinking."

I tucked the wrinkled piece of paper between the pages I was currently reading and closed the book. "At first I was overwhelmed with anxiety," I placed the book on the counter and folded my hands over top of it. "I didn't get it at first — but then it occurred to me that these people don't know what they're doing." I lifted my gaze towards Carol. "What Carter said earlier this morning, how hesitant everyone was on the idea — they don't get it. Part of me wants to call them inconsiderate, but the other part of me wants to help teach them to learn. They don't know what's out there and I think it's our responsibility to help them see it."

The corner of her lips tugged upwards, her gaze faltering towards the monitor with a slight tilt of her head. "In some ways, you and Rick are the same. You see the good in others and want to give chances — but not without precaution."

I followed her gaze back up but they never met mine — they were focused on something over my shoulder. "What?" I furrowed my eyebrows, watching as she moved around the island and towards the kitchen window. "Are they back already?"

"No, no, no!"

I jumped up from the chair and ran directly towards the stairs, intending to find Carl until he appeared with a rifle in his grasp. "I saw from upstairs — they're coming in from all over."

My hands gripped the railing of the stairs as my chin tilted towards the second floor. "Stay here and protect Judith. You don't let anyone in this house unless it's me — do you understand?" He nodded eagerly and I waved my hand, gesturing him to move. "Go, now."

Carol and I simultaneously pulled out our weapons and exited the house. "We need to get to the armory," I insisted in a hushed tone while we crouched through the bushes. I spotted one man dragging a neighbor with his hands bound like a leash. Another neighbor was being repeatedly stabbed — until a man used their blood to write the letter W on their forehead. "These handguns aren't going to do shit," I muttered softly.

I followed her closely behind as we traveled behind two large houses and some more bushes. The sound of someone's cries caused us both to stop before rounding the corner of the house. One man and a woman attacked one of our neighbors — slicing her stomach open in one motion.

I jumped on the first man with a grunt, using my knife to stab him in the neck while Carol attacked the other.

The woman, bleeding out on the porch steps, cried loudly while trying to tend to her own wound. Carol jumped to her aid, sitting on the steps and holding her tightly to her chest while covering her mouth so her cries wouldn't carry.

More screams echoed throughout the neighborhood. People ran up and down the streets.

I quickly put my weapons away and bent down at the knees, using my strength to grab ahold of the legs of one man and drag him closer towards the house. I repeated that with the other — sweat forming across my forehead.

"Get dressed, quickly." Carol instructed while peeling off the clothes of one of the men. "We need to look like them — appear like our enemies to blend in."

My eyes flickered from the body towards the older woman, a slight tug at the corner of my lips. "I'm learning the Carol Peletier way?"

"Damn right," she muttered softly.

We both covered ourselves with the clothes of our victims. Large pants covering my legs but I used my belt to keep them up, followed by a thick black jacket to cover my upper half and a scarf to cover my face.

By the time we finished changing into our alter egos, the blurring sound of a truck horn blasted through our eardrums and a panicked wave shot down my spine.

"What the fuck is that?" I brushed the hood back slightly with my gaze traveling towards the sky. Both Carol and I visibly paused while trying to pinpoint the exact location in which the sound was coming from.

"Sienna? Sienna?!"

Rick's voice muffled in my back pocket, but loud enough to stop another stranger from abusing a dead body and turn to face the direction Carol and I were standing.

The woman didn't hesitate to tackle the man to the ground and slice his neck open. I hissed under my breath, quickly yanking the walkie out of my pocket and turning the radio off. Which wasn't the best idea off the top of my head — but I'll allow him to rail me for that later.

Carol and I quickly jogged between more houses, coming across Morgan and his staff currently debating with one of the strangers.

"Gonna be slow."

Carol jumped on him quickly, assaulting him in front of Morgan once I appeared beside her. "I could have stopped him." He stated, visible frustration forming.

She ignored him and ushered me beside her, using the man's blood to draw the letter W across her forehead before my own. "The others back?" She questioned.

"No. It's happening out there." He lowered his staff, eyes gazing amongst the neighborhood.

"They're doing it now?" Carol questioned before I stood back up.

"We had to!"

"These people don't have guns," she pointed out. "If they had guns, they'd be using them."

I nodded eagerly, keeping a close eye around our corners to make sure no one tried to sneak on us. "We need to get to the armory — fast."

Morgan, ignoring me completely, shook his head slowly. "Did you hear me?"

Carol was in the middle of checking the man's body, searching for more weapons or gear to disguise ourselves. "Sienna's right, we have to get to the armory before they do. If we keep moving, this might work."

"You don't kill people."

"Of course we do."

"Carol!" My gaze quickly fell on Morgan, who focused his attention down to Carol with a stern glare. "You don't like it."

She slowly rose to her feet, her gaze flickering between him and mine. "We're gonna get to the armory and we need your help." She used the chain wrapped around the man's body to secure Morgan to stage the fact that we captured him.

"We head straight to the armory," I instructed calmly while the three of us traveled through the streets. "We don't stop for anyone," Carol added.

One male quickly shifted past us with a nod. "Good catch, Aphid, Selene."

Out of the corner of my eye, another one attacked one of our people — I couldn't recognize who without making it obvious before Morgan halted his steps and Carol tugged him forward. "Come on — leave him."

Morgan shifted his gaze between Carol and I before forcefully shaking himself from, snatching back his staff, and running off to help whoever got tackled.

Carol and I continued walking, leaving Morgan behind and passing by the town homes where the Armory was located.

Two strangers, one male and one female, appeared before us. Carol pulled out the handgun from her pocket while I hovered my hand over my knife. "Hey, Aphid, where'd you get the gun?" I yanked out the blade the moment Carol started shooting towards the duo — both of them crouching to miss the shots.

We took off running towards the armory — both of them trailing after us until we reached inside. I quickly tossed Carol a rifle after she took down the female and shot after the male. He exited the house in panic, running back out into the neighborhood screaming.

I kneeled on the ground, grabbing a random bag and started stuffing it full of the smaller guns. "I'm going back out there, we need to split up."

"Good plan. We'll take down more that way." Carol suddenly held the rifle in my direction and I glanced up, quickly shaking my head before nodding towards another gun. "No, hand me that shotgun." Her head tilted and I raised my eyebrows up at the woman. "Uh-huh."

She tried to fight back the smile, placing the rifle down and snatching up the other gun. "Oh, I like this new version of you." I exchanged the bag of weapons for the shotgun, grabbing a handful of bullets and stuffing them into my pockets. "Hand out the guns — get everyone involved. We kill them all."

I opened up the jacket and stuffed the gun between my arm, intending to hide it from the obvious that I was pretending to be one of the others.

"Here." Carol piped up.

I lifted my gaze and saw Rick's machete with the red handle staring back at me. I tilted my head sideways before nodding, accepting the weapon. "Hope you don't mind sharing, sweetheart." I whispered before exiting the armory.

I ran back to the street, looking down both ends of the road before choosing the left and took off running.

I used the machete first to take down as many of the W people that I could find. Most were stealth attacks while they were occupied, killing one of the members of Alexandria.

When I stumbled upon a dead W with its throat slashed open, I silently gazed around the area to search for more — my eyes flickering towards two that were headed in my direction. I slowly kneeled down in front of the dead woman, placing the blade directly in front of my knees before retrieving the shotgun.

I held it firmly against my chest — carefully listening for their footsteps as they drew closer.

I furrowed my eyebrows and started softly weeping, creating the illusion that I was mourning one of their people while the scarf covered my mouth.

Their footsteps drawled closer before one of them whistled. I didn't turn around or stop my dramatic cries, purposely waiting for them to get closer until one whispered the name I heard earlier.

"Selene?" Their boots skid across the ground and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I whimpered once more while I cocked the double barreled shotgun, quickly spinning around and aiming for one of the man's chest. "Gotcha." I pulled the trigger with my eyes narrowing — watching him fly backwards before I shifted to the next and repeating the same action.

I snatched the melee weapon off the ground before stabbing them both in the head — keeping them from turning. Once I stood up, I immediately darted back down the street with the scarf around my neck.

Another one charged towards me and I switched the machete to my dominant hand, swinging it forcefully towards the woman's chest. She responded with a painful cry, falling onto her back with a thud and I quickly reloaded the gun before shooting her in the head next.

I ran around the community for another five minutes — passing by Carol and Morgan at least once but not stopping to check on either of them as I continued my assault.

I started making my way towards my house, my eyes narrowing on someone jogging up the front porch with the intention of getting inside. My chest slammed against my chest and I quickly tucked the handle of the melee weapon under my armpit, softly running up behind the man and shooting him directly in the chest.

The front door swung open at the same time and my glare was met with Carl's panicked gaze. "I told you not to open the damn door!" I snapped, diving beside the man and driving the blade through his head.

"I saw you through the window — are you okay!?"

"Yes," I hissed softly, collecting my gear while glancing over my shoulder to make sure nobody was coming. "I think it's over, but I need to make several laps to make sure. I'll check on the others — lock the door behind you."

When he didn't move, I turned back to face him and raised my eyebrows with my voice growing stern. "Carl. Lock the door — I'll be right back."

"Okay," he nodded quickly. "Okay."

I watched him shift back into the house and purposely waited until I heard the door click before jogging off the porch and back onto the street.

I wanted to make sure every single one of these monsters were put down. None of them could escape — nor could they get ahold of our weapons. Rick was gone with the others and it was my responsibility to protect our home.

dylan
SAVE ME SEASON 6 SIENNAAAA SAVE MEEEEEEEE