Chapter 74 – "The Next Move":
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The night was heavy over Alexandria.
Inside the main house, the council room was filled with low murmurs, tense breath, and a fire that cracked too loud in the silence. Rick stood at the head of the table, both hands pressed down on a map littered with markings—routes, names, possible ambush points. His revolver lay to the side, unloaded but symbolic.
Rosita hadn't spoken to him since she returned.
That bothered him more than he'd admit.
"We lost people," Aaron said. "Good people. Innocent people who just wanted to live
All because we sent her in with lies."
"She volunteered," Rick replied quickly. Too quickly.
"No," Michonne said from the corner. "She obeyed you."
Everyone went quiet.
Rick's jaw clenched. "The point is—it didn't work. But the Sanctuary's weaker now. They lost men. They're rattled. This is the time to strike."
"We don't even know where Negan and Axel stand anymore," Gabriel muttered. "If they were divided before, they aren't now. Your plan united them."
Rick ignored the sting in the words.
He looked down at the map again. "We still have numbers. And now we know something else—we can get close. ."
"What's the endgame, Rick?" Tara asked. "You kill Axel and Negan. Then what? Another war? Another leader with a grudge?"
Rick didn't answer immediately. He looked around the room, his eyes dark, his face unreadable.
"I'm tired of always reacting," he said. "Of waiting for someone to strike first. The only way this ends… is if we control everything."
"And who controls you?" Aaron asked softly.
Rick didn't respond.
Outside, the wind blew cold against the window.
In the shadows of the room, a plan was forming—not one of hope, but of domination. Rick Grimes wasn't seeking peace anymore. He was building an empire.
And if Axel stood in the way of that empire…
Then Axel would burn.
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The sound of engines filled the morning silence like a distant storm.
Trucks, bikes, and armored vehicles rolled down the cracked roads, their tires grinding against dirt and gravel as Rick led the front. Alexandria, Hilltop, Oceanside—each had sent warriors, soldiers, fighters. This wasn't a negotiation. This wasn't a warning.
This was war.
Rick stood in the back of the lead truck, rifle across his chest, eyes locked on the road ahead. Beside him, Daryl rechecked his crossbow, Michonne rode silent, her katana resting across her lap. Every face behind them was set in stone.
This was the move Rick had promised.
"This is the last time we run," Rick said, voice low but heard. "We end them. Tonight."
Behind them, Rosita watched in silence. She didn't hold a weapon—just stood with her arms folded, gaze fixed on the horizon, on the distant tower where the Sanctuary waited like a sleeping monster. Part of her still questioned everything. But it was too late now. The wheels were in motion.
Hours later, they reached the outer forest near the Sanctuary. They stopped in the cover of trees. Rick signaled the scouts forward. No movement on the outer walls.
Too quiet.
Daryl stepped forward, scanning the area with sharp eyes. "This don't feel right."
Rick didn't blink. "Doesn't matter."
He raised his hand.
"Tonight… we take the Sanctuary."
In the distance, high above them, Axel stood on the roof of the Sanctuary—calm, unreadable, wind brushing through his black-and-silver hair. He had seen them coming hours ago.
Silas stood at his side, knives sheathed, eyes dead cold.
"They're here," Silas whispered.
Axel lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly. "Let them in."
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