chapter 83

Chapter 83 – "A Man, Not a Monster"

The morning sun filtered through the gray clouds above Alexandria. A chill hung in the air, not from the weather, but from the tension that had settled across the town like a storm waiting to break.

Rick stood at the edge of the community's main square, eyes distant, face worn. Michonne was nearby, sharpening her katana, though she hadn't used it in days. Daryl leaned against the wall, arms crossed, silent as ever. Maggie sat by the stairs with Judith in her lap, the child clinging tighter than usual.

Then he returned.

The man who had left in the night without permission. He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't one of the fighters. His name was Eddie, just a middle-aged man with no special skills—just a good heart and too many questions.

He stood in front of the group, breath heavy, face pale. And he spoke.

"I went to the Sanctuary."

Every eye turned toward him. Rick stood straighter. Daryl narrowed his eyes. Maggie froze.

"You what?" Rick said, quiet, dangerous.

"I had to see it," Eddie said. "See him. Axel."

Rick took a step forward, jaw tight. "You could've been killed."

"I wasn't," Eddie replied. "Nobody even stopped me. In fact… it was quiet. Peaceful. People were working together. I saw kids laughing. I saw men and women building, planting, helping each other. No fear. No cruelty. No chains."

He paused.

"And then I saw him."

Eddie looked around the group. "Axel wasn't sitting on some throne. He wasn't barking orders. He was helping fix a fence. He was laughing with them. Working with them. As one of them. No guards. No guns. No fear."

Rick shook his head slowly. "You saw what he wanted you to see."

"No," Eddie snapped, louder than anyone expected. "I saw something real. That man—Axel—he stopped a war with nothing but his words. And we were the ones at his gates. We were ready to burn it all down. And he let us walk away."

He stepped closer, voice raw. "You told us he was a monster, Rick. That he was a killer, a tyrant, worse than Negan. But I saw something else. I saw a man carrying lumber with children. I saw him stop working to tie a little girl's shoe. I saw a man trying to protect something instead of destroy it."

The silence hit hard.

Rick opened his mouth, but Eddie cut him off.

"You keep talking about revenge. About peace. But what you really want is justice for Glenn. For Abraham. I get it. We all do. But how many people have died already because of that? How many more will die if you keep pushing this?"

Maggie stood, eyes wet but hard. "So what? We forgive Negan? We forget everything?"

Eddie looked at her gently. "No. You never forget. And maybe you don't forgive. But if you can look at Axel—really look—and still say he's the one that deserves to die more than anyone else… then maybe we're not the good guys anymore."

Rick turned away.

Eddie's voice softened.

"I'm not asking you to trust him. I'm asking you to think. If Axel didn't want peace, he would've killed us all that day. You know it. Hell, we almost gave him a reason. And still, he let us go."

He looked at everyone.

"And maybe… just maybe… that man is trying to build something. And maybe we should stop trying to tear it down."

He walked away after that.

Leaving the group in silence.

Rick didn't speak.

Daryl just stared at the ground.

Maggie held Judith tighter.

And somewhere deep inside each of them…

Doubt began to bloom.

---

The sky over Alexandria was gray again, clouds heavy with the promise of rain. The town had been quiet for the past day, whispers of Eddie's return still hanging in the air like fog.

Then came the knock.

Soft. Calm. Repeated once.

From the guard tower, Scott peered through binoculars. His voice crackled over the radio.

"Rick… it's him. Axel. Alone."

Rick was already halfway to the gate by the time the words reached him. Daryl followed, Michonne close behind. Maggie stayed behind with the others, her hand clenched tightly around a railing.

The gate creaked open slowly.

And there he was.

Axel stood still, hands raised in peace, no weapon in sight. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, and a small, tired smile played on his lips. He looked almost... peaceful.

"I didn't come to fight," Axel said, his voice soft, like the breeze before a storm. "I came to see."

Rick didn't say a word, but his hand was close to his gun.

Axel took a step forward, unafraid.

"I know you hate Negan. For Glenn. For Abraham. For everything. And I get it. I really do." He looked at Michonne, then to Daryl, his eyes lingering there for a second longer.

"But I don't want war. Not over something that happened a long time ago. Not anymore."

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky as if searching for something.

"I came here to help. Together, maybe we can actually live. Together, maybe we stand. Maybe we fight the things that actually want to wipe us all out. But if we keep fighting each other…"

He shook his head.

"If we keep fighting, everything burns. All of it. Your crops, my people, your homes, our children's futures. Everything."

He smiled, a small crooked grin.

"Well… maybe not me," he added with a light chuckle. "Because I'm strong. I'm dangerous. And I could probably kill everyone here."

The guards tensed, hands tightening on their weapons. Daryl stepped forward instinctively.

But Axel's smile didn't fade. His tone was almost joking.

"Relax. That's not why I'm here." He stubbed the cigarette out on his boot and looked Rick in the eye.

"I just came here to stay for a while. In Alexandria."

Rick's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Axel shrugged, his voice lower now, almost tired.

"Because I've been living in hell for years. Because I'm tired of being a monster. Because maybe… just maybe… I want to remember what it feels like to be human."

Silence stretched between them.

And then, something strange happened.

Rick didn't say no.

He didn't say anything.

He simply opened the gate a little wider.

---

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