Volume 17: Something To Fear

Volume 17: Something to Fear includes issues 97-102. In this volume, Rick and his group fight the Hilltop Colony's enemy, The Saviors, a large group of brutal people led by man named Negan. If Rick manages to defeat all of them, Hilltop Colony will donate half of their supplies to the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Plot Synopsis
Fr. Gabriel Stokes is keeping a church service for survivors outside. After it, Abraham asks Maggie is everything alright, as he sees her holding her stomach. Maggie convinces him that she is fine.

Abraham goes to see Eugene and asks how Rosita is doing. Eugene tells him that she's fine and doesn't want to see him, implying that they are in a relationship. After Abraham leaves, Rosita tells Eugene she and him are not together; Eugene says he was just trying to mess with Abraham. Meanwhile, Heath is keeping watch on the zombies in the gate. Abraham hopes Rick and others will be back soon. On the way to Alexandria Safe-Zone, Rick and his squad hear a motorcycle from behind their van; a squad of Saviors are following them. An unnamed member tells them to stop their vehicle. After noticing that they aren't from Hilltop, the man claims that they "must give a different tribute" to Negan and demands that they give up all their supplies as opposed to just half. Rick assumes the one talking is Negan; the Savior claims everyone in their group are "Negan". Rick doesn't grant his command and has Michonne and Andrea kill three of the group, still leaving the one speaking alive. Rick tells him to get back to Negan and tell him to stop harassing the Hilltop colony. As the survivor leaves, Carl says he remembers his father to murder one of the Marauders with a knife; Rick tells him just to get in the van.

Rick and others arrive back to Safe-Zone, with the supplies. Maggie goes to hug Glenn. She reveals to him she is pregnant.

Rick holds a meeting and tells everyone what happened outside. Rick says they have to put some people in danger to defeat the Saviors, but not to make an army. He asks that if anyone objects the plan, they are free to speak their mind; no one objects to the plan. Later, in Rick's apartment, Andrea tells she is happy that Rick stopped being a coward.

Next morning, Abraham and Eugene leave the Safe-Zone without telling anyone, in order to find some ammunition. They are watched by three unnamed men, assumed to be Saviors.

Abraham tells Eugene that he's noticed that the latter has lost some weight, possibly to attract Rosita. Eugene says she sees it, but doesn't believe that he has a chance with her. Abraham says he just needs to be less unusual than other guys to get her to like him. He also says that although he still has some feelings for Rosita, he just wants her to be happy whether he is with her or not. Then Dwight, one of the Saviors, shoots an arrow into Abraham's head, killing him. Eugene grabs Abraham's gun, but is taken as a hostage by Dwight and three other Saviors. Dwight says if Rick and the others had not killed their friends along the way, they wouldn't have killed Abraham. One of the Saviors tells Dwight that Eugene is not in a situation of power; they still decide to use him as a bargaining chip and has him lead them back to Alexandria.

Meanwhile Carl goes to Rick's room and finds him on along with Andrea. indicating that Rick and Andrea had sex. Carl then says he does not have to say anything about sex, Rick replies and says that it can be uncomfortable for both to Carl. Then you hear the machine gun of Abraham and Rick goes to see who was shooting and tells Carl to stay at home. Dwight appears outside the Alexandria gates and requires Rick to let him in with a larger group of saviors. Rick says to Dwight, what was the response of the message he left the surviving member on the road. Dwight says that Negan did not take kindly to the message and rearranges to open the gate or will kill Eugene, then storm the community and take whatever and whoever they want. Eugene then bites Dwight in the crotch, injuring him. One of the other Saviors trys to get at Eugene but Rick kills him and tells Dwight to leave or they all would die. Refusing, Dwight tells the others to attack; another Savior desires to kill Rick's group using the machine gun they took from Abraham but gets shot in the head by Andrea. She tells instructs the others to make a line against the wall so they can topple the Saviors. Dwight decides to kill Eugene for mutilating him but after realizing that this group are not to be taken lightly, he instructs the remaining Saviors to flee to reduce casualties.

Rick tells Andrea to accompany him to kill Dwight and the Saviors who survived. While Rick and Andrea are searching, they are surprised to see the corpse of Abraham. Rick says that there's "no fucking way they're going to escape." While still looking for the Saviors, Rick and Andrea find a group of zombies, Andrea was going to kill them but Rick tells her to keep the ammunition to be used on the Saviors. But since there were too many zombies they turned back, taking the body of Abraham so it could be buried back at the community. Andrea enlists the help of someone to help take the body of Abraham; Glenn and Heath arrive to help her. Holly is distraught by the death of Abraham. Glenn tells Andrea that Abraham needs to be shot in the head so he won't come back as a walker, but she tells him that the arrow impaled him through the brain and would not return. Andrea then asks Rick what they should do, and Rick says "I do not know."

In the next issue, Issue 99, Glenn, Heath and Nicholas are seen fighting zombies behind their car barrier just outside of the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Andrea walks into Rick's home and they disscuss the situation between The Saviors, Carl walks in on Rick and Andrea hugging, without them knowing, Carl backs out of the room and smiles.

Glenn is telling Maggie about how he wants to leave the Alexandria Safe-Zone and how he wants to move into the Hilltop Colony, Sophia exits the kitchen so Glenn and Maggie can discuss this moving topic. Glenn explains that it is much safer for the baby that Maggie is having. Maggie shouts at Glenn and they hug, while hugging, Maggie explains that she just doesn't know.

The citizens of the Alexandria Safe-Zone mourn for Abraham Ford.

Rick, aswell a lot of other survivors, are about to leave the place to travel to the Hilltop Colony. Rick tells Andrea to stay and cover the Alexandria Safe-Zone and to keep it safe.

After Rick tells Andrea that she has to stay behind and protect the survivors, a band containing Rick, Carl, Michonne, Heath, Glenn, Maggie, Sophia and a few more of the Alexandria Safe-Zone citizens leave the Safe-Zone heading for the Hilltop Colony. All the while a couple of The Saviors decide to attack the Alexandria Safe-Zone at dawn.

Credits

 * Rick Grimes
 * Carl Grimes
 * Michonne
 * Andrea
 * Glenn
 * Maggie Greene
 * Sophia
 * Sgt. Abraham Ford
 * Rosita Espinosa
 * Dr. Eugene Porter
 * Fr. Gabriel Stokes
 * Aaron
 * Eric
 * Heath
 * Dr. Denise Cloyd
 * Spencer Monroe
 * Nicholas
 * Mikey
 * Paula
 * Holly
 * Olivia
 * Barbara
 * Dwight
 * Lots of unnamed Saviors
 * Alexandria Safe-Zone residents

Deaths

 * Sgt. Abraham Ford
 * Many members of The Saviors
 * Glenn

Trivia

 * According to an interview with Robert Kirkman, Daryl Dixon and other characters from the television show will be introduced as comic book characters in this arc.
 * The Volume title, "Something to Fear" refers to a comment made by Rick in Issue 96 about how the first thing Michonne does when faced with a new situation is to look for a threat.