TWD: Awakened As Rick

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4 Months Later

The Right Arm had changed.

Watchtowers stood tall, fully manned with rotating rifle teams. Solar panels lined the roofs of the central buildings. Training drills echoed across the fields each morning. Glenn's Scout Unit had grown to eight active members, now patrolling miles beyond the walls with silent discipline.

But beneath the structure, something delicate stirred — a change everyone noticed… but no one dared speak about.

Lori was pregnant.

Infirmary – Morning

Carol measured Lori's vitals in silence. Clara jotted down notes.

Two months in. The small curve of her stomach was visible now. A quiet truth, growing too obvious to hide.

Lori sat upright, composed, but tight-jawed.

"You told him yet?" Carol asked, not unkindly.

Lori shook her head.

Carol placed the clipboard down. "He already knows. We all do. But him especially."

Command Post – Afternoon

Rick stared at the map board.

Guillermo stepped in, passing him a report from the scout unit.

Rick took it with a nod. "Good work."

But Guillermo lingered. "You're holding it together better than I would, hermano."

Rick glanced up. His voice was flat. "I didn't come into this world blind. I knew the pieces. This was always part of it."

Guillermo exhaled. "Still has to sting."

Rick didn't answer. 

Training Field – Same Time

Shane barked commands at the recruits, helping clear out a makeshift obstacle course. Sweat clung to his arms, his jaw tense.

Lori watched from a distance, one hand resting on her stomach. When Shane finally approached her, his voice was low.

"You sure he's not gonna make a move?"

Lori hesitated. "He's… not angry."

"That's worse," Shane said. "It's like he ain't even human about it."

Lori looked away. "He's just not who he used to be."

Shane scoffed. "None of us are."

Later – Perimeter Tower

Daryl found Rick standing alone, scanning the woods with binoculars.

"Got news," Daryl said, holding up a scrap of parchment. "Glenn's scouts found drag marks near the old state trail. Boot prints. Cart wheels too. Someone's movin' in the woods."

Rick nodded slowly. 

Daryl grunted. "You gonna talk to Shane?"

Rick didn't move. "No. They're together now. I accepted that before I woke up in this world."

Daryl raised a brow. "You're cold about it."

Rick finally looked at him. "I'm not here to be Lori's husband. I'm here to lead. That baby doesn't change the mission."

Glenn's Scout Outpost – Night

Glenn finished debriefing his unit, now five strong. Amy, Daniel, and two newcomers — Jules and Rey — stood at attention.

"Tomorrow, we split into teams," Glenn said. "Recon the western ridge. Rey and Amy, you're shadowing. No direct approach. Mark trails. Report back. If you're spotted, retreat."

Rey raised a hand. "You think it's another group?"

Glenn glanced out toward the trees.

"I think something's coming."

Rick's Cabin – Midnight

Rick sat alone, loading magazines by candlelight. A bottle of whiskey rested nearby, unopened.

The silence wasn't heavy. 

The past was the past.

He had a war to fight.

Lori and Shane… they were a chapter he'd already read.

The storm rolled in from the west — not one of rain or thunder, but of panic.

At dawn, the watchtowers of The Right Arm spotted a vehicle convoy approaching fast from the southern trail — headlights flickering, engines grinding, trailing dust and smoke behind them.

Rick stood at the gate, rifle ready, Daryl beside him.

"That's Homestead's trucks," Daryl muttered. "They're runnin' hard."

Rick nodded, already signaling the inner compound. "Open the gate. Get medics ready."

Three pickup trucks skidded into the courtyard, engines hot and radiators steaming. Homestead survivors poured out — bloodied, breathless, some missing gear, others sobbing.

Rick helped pull an injured woman from the back bed. "Where's your leader? Where's Graves?"

Harper Graves stepped forward.

Homestead is gone. Overrun three nights ago — walkers breached the southern perimeter. We tried to hold. 

Rick's face remained still, but his eyes narrowed. "How many?"

Harper hesitated. "We lost over half. Fifty made it out. Thirty are combat-capable."

Guillermo arrived with Clara and Jacqui, ushering the wounded inside the clinic. Shane and Glenn helped direct traffic, turning the southern yard into a triage zone.

Lori stood on the porch, holding Carl's hand, watching the smoke on the horizon rise like a funeral pyre.

Council Chamber – Same Day, Afternoon

The full council gathered — Rick, Shane, Guillermo, Glenn, Morgan, Daryl, and now... Harper Graves.

She stood before them, composed despite the bags under her eyes.

Rick addressed the table.

"The Homestead stood with us. They traded with us. They've bled now. We take them in — no debate."

Guillermo nodded.

Shane leaned back. "What about food? Resources?"

Rick turned to him. "We're already expanding north. We train them. Rotate guards. We've handled more with less."

Glenn added, "Their knowledge of the southern valley is worth gold. Maps, weather patterns, choke points."

Rick looked to Harper.

"Then from today forward, Harper Graves holds a seat on this council. You'll oversee the integration of your people. I want all command-trained personnel debriefed and posted within seventy-two hours."

No one objected.

Harper said. "Understood."

Training Grounds – Later

Shane and Daryl led new drills with Homestead fighters alongside Right Arm troops. Despite their exhaustion, the Homestead people held formation, adjusting quickly to the tighter protocols.

Rick stood beside Harper, watching the drills.

"You had a good unit," he said.

She nodded. "We were holding… until the herd came. I saw it with my own eyes. Hundreds. Maybe a thousand. We couldn't stop it."

Rick was quiet for a moment. 

South Wall – Sunset

Morgan walked the new perimeter trail with Carl beside him. The boy had grown quiet lately.

"Are we safe now?" Carl asked.

Morgan looked down. "Safer than most."

Behind them, smoke still curled from the far southern hills — the last remnants of Homestead.

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If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Ptreon for early access, exclusive chapters, and more:

15 Advanced Chapters on Patreon

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This Chapter is Credited to Noble Clearly_False