Rick's POV
After a short walk, we finally arrived at Hilltop. The morning sun was already high, and the air was warm with the scent of dry earth and fresh crops. It hadn't taken long—just a few minutes of brisk walking—but the tension of what might be waiting here made the journey feel longer.
As we approached the gates, one of Hilltop's guards spotted us and called out, quickly signaling for the gates to be opened. The heavy wooden doors creaked apart, and almost immediately, I saw Jesus walking toward me with purpose in his stride.
"Rick," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "About that proposal of an alliance—I'm in. I'll work with you."
I nodded once, pleased. "What about Gregory?" I asked.
"Follow me," Jesus said without hesitation.
He led me across the compound and down a short hall. Then, with a quiet gesture, he opened a nearby door just enough for me to get a glimpse inside.
There he was—Gregory. Sitting alone inside a secured room, guarded by two Hilltop members standing at attention. The man looked agitated, pacing inside like a caged rat.
Jesus closed the door quietly.
I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Well, I'll be damned," I said with a grin. "You actually did it. Nice one, Jesus."
He gave me a modest shrug. "It was time."
"Now then," I continued, "let's talk about the alliance."
"Wait here," he said, and then motioned for me to follow him again. He led me back to the same room we used the last time we talked—simple, quiet, away from most ears. We both took our seats at the table inside.
Daryl and Merle didn't follow. I'd told them to stay outside, to keep an eye on the people and observe how they were reacting to our arrival. Knowing them, they'd blend in just fine and catch anything out of place.
I looked back at Jesus. "Let's get started."
"Let me get started first," I said, leaning forward slightly, keeping my tone steady. "I'm the leader of a group called The Right Arm. Our base is in Georgia. One of my people came across signs of a settlement out here, and that discovery eventually led us here."
Jesus folded his arms, raising an eyebrow. "This community you discovered… it's us, right?"
I smiled at him, and for a moment, he looked stunned—almost confused.
But I chuckled and shook my head. "No. The first community we discovered was Alexandria. Then we found you—Hilltop. That makes three communities in total. And I've already spoken with Alexandria's leader. She agreed to the alliance."
Jesus' posture straightened slightly, his interest clearly piqued.
"With Hilltop, Alexandria, and our base combined," I continued, "our total population has likely crossed over 400."
He blinked. "Don't tell me…"
I nodded. "Yeah. My community alone has over 200 people."
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Seriously? That many?"
"Every one of them trained, working, surviving," I said. "And willing to help others, as long as we stand together."
Jesus sat back, clearly impressed. Then a grin spread across his face as he let out a soft laugh. "Well… I'll be damned. You weren't kidding."
He leaned forward again, tone shifting to something more serious. "Alright then, Rick—what's the plan?"
"Hmm… what do you plan to do with Gregory?" I asked, watching Jesus carefully.
He let out a slow breath. "Honestly? I haven't decided yet."
Without missing a beat, I said, "I want to bring him back to our base and imprison him there. He's a danger to this place, and keeping him here might do more harm than good. What do you think?"
Jesus nodded after a moment of thought. "That works for me—as long as he doesn't die in your custody. People might hate him, but we still need to do this the right way."
"No problem," I assured him. "He'll be kept alive and under control."
I leaned back in my chair. "Also, I want you and Deanna—the leader of Alexandria—to come to our base as well. Not immediately, but a day or three after we've left. I'll be heading out in a week, and I'll leave one of my men in Alexandria to guide both of you and anyone else you choose to bring."
Jesus nodded. "Alright, that works. So the leader of Alexandria is Deanna?"
"Yeah," I confirmed. "She's solid—smart and experienced. And along with Gregory, we'll also be bringing Spencer from Alexandria. He committed a serious offense and needs to answer for it."
Jesus hesitated for a moment, processing everything. Then, after a pause, he looked at me with a more serious expression.
"Actually… there's one more community I know about."
As soon as Jesus said that, something clicked in my mind—like a light bulb suddenly turning on. I couldn't help but grin.
"Haha… I knew it," I said, leaning back. "It was the right call to come here first."
Jesus raised an eyebrow, confused by my reaction. "What?"
I laughed. "I had a feeling there was more out here. Right again."
He chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong. The community's called the Kingdom. And yeah… they have a king. And a tiger."
I blinked. "A tiger?"
"Yep," he said, clearly amused. "Lucky you, right?"
"Very," I replied with a smirk. "So, this king… you think he'll be open to our alliance?"
Jesus nodded confidently. "Yeah, I think he will. I've spoken to him personally. He's… eccentric, sure, but decent. Level-headed when it matters."
Of course he is, I thought. This is the same man who eventually becomes the Governor of the Commonwealth in the future.
If the Kingdom joins us too… we won't just have three communities.
We'll have four.
"All right," I said, leaning forward. "How about we head to the Kingdom in about two days?"
Jesus looked at me, considering it for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, that's fine with me."
I reached out and shook his hand firmly. "Good. I'll be leaving soon, but I'll leave one of my men here. He'll guide you and your group to Alexandria in two days."
Jesus gave a small, satisfied smile. "Sounds good. I also want to see this Alexandria for myself."
"You will," I said with a nod. "It's different from Hilltop—but strong, and worth standing with."
Things were finally coming together. One step at a time, the pieces were falling into place.