Chapter Ten
I stared down at Maggie as she began to breath deeply, in pain, in the back of the RV as everyone else slowly filed in from Alexandria. She looked up at me weakly before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell unconscious again. I dabbed her face with a cold, wet towel before sitting down besides her on the bed.
"You good back here with her?" Rick asked as the door closed and the engine revved up, I nodded.
"There's not much I can do until we get to Hilltop where they have medicine, but she's keeping an even heartbeat."
Rick walked away and I felt the jolt of the RV before we exited the gates and began our journey to Hilltop all over again. Something had happened over the last couple days since we raided the Sanctuary armory and barracks; Daryl, Glenn, Michonne and Rosita had gone out after Denise was killed and then back out again after Daryl took off without a word. There was a chance they were making their way back to Alexandria, but my money was on Dwight getting them first. From what Daryl had told me, a dirty blonde, ksinnt guy had shot through her head with his old crossbow.
A part of me felt guilty,; poor sweet, young Dwight who helped me escape had become a true Savior then. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing as the RV bumped along the road. Maggie's hand touched mine and I looked at her as she weakly squeezed it.
"He'll be fine."
"I'm not worried about Daryl, Maggie...I'm worried for all of you." I whispered and she looked away.
"So am I." she squeezed my hand again and took the wet cloth from me,"I'll be fine for right now."
I got up and joined the others in the front of the RV, sitting next to Sasha and staring out the window at the passing trees.
"We're gonna be fine." Sasha nudged me and I shook my head, "What?"
"Being fine is one thing, making it to Hilltop is an entirely different story." I watched Rick and Abraham talk about the road, "They're going to know by now what went on in the building, they're going to come after everyone. Even if we get to Hilltop safely, there's no telling when Negan's going to attack there."
"Jesus said they weren't expecting Negan for a while."
"We used to do surprise runs, whether five in the morning or midnight...we were unpredictable and we should still treat the Saviors that way."
"The enemy doesn't know who we are." Rick chimed in from the front, "They don't know our faces."
"Nobody else drives a Winnebago around, Rick." I smiled, "All they need is a-"
"You've gotta be shitting me." Abraham cursed up front and I looked through the front window, "What the bitch is going on."
"What?"
"Enemy's close."
Abraham stopped the RV and we looked outside to the barricade in the road, several cars and a dozen more Saviors were lined up, waiting for us. I felt cold, I knew this tactic, we used it a lot when people tried running from us. I checked the bullets in my rifle and Rick ran a hand through his hair nxniously.
"We doin' this?" Abraham asked, Rick shook his head.
"No." Rick turned and exited the RV and I jumped after him, grabbing his arm and jerking him back.
"Don't, don't go out there. Don't you dare, Rick. Simon and his gang are ruth-"
"Relax Melaney, we're not looking for a fight." He fell from my grip and walked out followed by everyone else, I stomped my foot then shoved Daryl's bandana over my face to cover me up and followed.
"We'll probably have to kill one of you." Simon was saying, I could see his face clearly and man was it as ugly as I had ever seen it. He took after Steven's ugly face, but I remember seeing Steven's body back at the armory...fucker had it coming, "That's just the way it is, but then we can start moving forward on business. All you have to do is listen."
"Rick, get back in the RV Everyone get back in the fucking RV." I urged, seeing some of the men starting to cock their weapons. I stepped in front of Carl, shielding him with my body, "Carl, go."
"Yeah...that deal's not gonna work for us. Fact is, I was about to ask you for all of your stuff, only. I'm thinking I don't have to kill any of you." Rick replied, already backing up slowly.
I grabbed Carl and dragged him back to the door as Simon and Rick continued shouting to each other, Carl protested but I gave him a shove back into his seat.
"Hey-"
"I got you guys into this mess, I'm going to get you out. If you died, I'd be the one at fault." I explained, helping Eugene inside, "I know these people, Carl. Your dad's headstrong and won't listen to me, so please, don't be like him."
I jumped as everyone hurriedly got back in the RV and Abraham pulled a U and got us the hell out of there. I ran to the back and passed Maggie on the bed, watching Simon fire three shots into the air.
"What's going on?"
"We're about to hit several roadblocks."
"They found us."
"They knew we'd run to Hilltop." I nodded, Maggie groaned in pain and I sat next to her as she clutched her stomach, "We'll get you there, Maggie don't worry."
"MELANEY!" Abraham called and I left her there and made my way to the front as Abraham came down another road and saw further down another group blocking the way.
"We're running out of options fast." Sasha input as she and Eugene poured over the map.
"Don't try it." I shook my head as another group of Saviors walked forward and began firing into the air, "Abraham we need to turn around now. Rick, we can't go through them."
"We're gonna play it our way, how we want it." Rick nodded in agreement and Abraham turned the RV around yet again.
"They're your people, Mel. What game are they playing at?" Sasha looked at the map and then back to me.
"We did this a lot...every single road going to the place we need to go is going to be blocked. We know this area, and we know it well. They're going to bully us into the route they want us to take."
"And which are is that?" Eugene was ready to circle it with a red pen, I studied the map.
"I'm not sure." I looked at Rick, "But it's not going to be pretty wherever we end up."
"How many people have survived this? From you doing this to them?"
"We left no survivors." I looked at my machete, "But that's all up to you. When we hunted them down, they gave up."
"Alright. Let's keep heading down this way, see if anyone else comes up." Rick sighed and sat back down in the passenger seat.
"Melaney, some help?" Aaron was in the back with Maggie, I left everyone and joined them, closing the door behind me for some peace.
Maggie was passed out again but her skin was still warm to the touch and her heartbeat was normal. Aaron was dabbing her pressure points with cold water, I kept ahold of her wrist, zoning out on her heartbeat.
"They're smart." Aaron was shaking, scared as he looked out the back window to the trees.
"No...Negan is. This is all his plan, when asking nicely doesn't go to plan, this is his way of throwing a tantrum. He'll make an example of someone else." I let go of her wrist as she moved to lay on her side, we propped up her back on pillows.
"He's going to kill us, isn't he."
I looked outside to the fading daylight, to the dark sky and the dead trees. Maggie hummed as she found a comfortable spot finally, her body relaxed.
"I don't know." I shook my head and got up, "Stay with her, she'll probably be awake soon to throw up."
I walked out of the room and closed the door again before I sat next to Eugene on the couch, not bothering to look over the map even when he showed it to me, explaining different shortcuts we could possibly take.
"Melaney." He shoved my shoulder and I looked to him tiredly.
"What?"
"Would they be expecting us to go by foot?"
"...we never thought about people doing that, then again we made it a lot farther than our other victims had even bothered to fight for."
"Melaney, this normal?" Rick called to me again and I got up, barely peering out the window.
A line of walkers stood in our way, chained together and leering at us.
"Yeah, you shouldn't...shouldn't..." my eyes widened as I remembered this scheme, "Oh no."
"Melaney!"
I hopped out of the RV and drew my blade as I ran up to the walkers, looking over their bodies frantically.
"Fuck!" I cried out, spotting a walker wearing Daryl's vest. Carl was right behind me as I fell to my knees in anger and slammed my fists into the ground.
"Dad! that's Michonne's." Carl pointed to the black dread that had been shoved into one of the Walker's face, "That's Daryl's."
"They got them, we need to leave now, cut them down." I got up and raised my weapon up and aimed for the Walker that was wearing Daryl's vest.
Gunfire broke out all around us suddenly, hitting the ground at our feet and ripping through the Walker's bodies.
"Get back to the RV! Go!" Rick yelled, shooting back at the Saviors who were hidden. I popped off a few rounds with my rifle, screaming and cursing in anger.
"Start it off!" Abraham yelled, "Melaney, come on!"
"Fuck. All. Ya'll!" I screamed, managing to clip a Savior in the shoulder before Abraham dragged me back to the safety of the vehicle by my jacket.
We ripped away from them, RV squealing in protest as the gunfire immediately died down and quieted. I sat up next to the passenger seat and looked out, sweat beading down my face as the RV popped and hissed.
"What is that?" Sasha looked outside.
"Undercarriage could have caught a bullet, or could be transmission." Eugene was looking at the dials behind the wheel, "It could be nothing."
"They were firing at our feet, they blocked the road but they weren't trying to stop us." Rick came back from checking on Maggie, "They want us in this direction...just like you said."
"And then we'll be in for a rough firefight." I breathed out slowly and closed my eyes.
Not even ten minutes later we rolled up on a highway overpass where the Saviors threw over a body, we watched a man struggle as his neck snapped but didn't kill him. I stayed in the back with Maggie as the Saviors yelled at us, trying to get her pain down with advil.
"They're not gonna stop." Maggie panted, "They're gonna-."
"Maggie, relax. We have this handled alright, like Rick said, just focus on you and the baby right now." I watched us roll around another corner, away from the Saviors yet again, "Try to pass out again, time will go by faster."
"-we have to come up with another plan." Eugene was saying, I sat next to Sasha again as Carl took over watching Maggie.
"We're out of road, Eugene and now we're almost out of gas." I interrupted, "The only plan is by foot, like we mentioned earlier."
"...they're waiting on this rust bucket." Eugene nodded and the RV began to slow to a stop, "And they don't know the moment-to-moment occupancy of said rust bucket."
"Aaron, get the gurney in the back and have Carl help load her on." I turned to the others as the RV halted, "We're going by foot then. Through the trees and brush, it's the only way left."
"Eugene-"
Sasha objected but one look from everyone and she quieted. This was it, we were going to make a run for it. Eugene was right, the Saviors would be looking for the RV now, not us. I reloaded my gun as everyone said their goodbyes with Eugene and Maggie was pulled out slowly from the back wrapped in blankets and cradling a pillow.
"Please be safe." I hugged Eugene as nighttime finally fell over us under the trees, "Please come back to us alive."
"I will do what I can, to the best of my abilities." he nodded and I kissed his cheek softly, "Melaney, I-"
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happens to you, G." I hugged him one last time before I joined Rick outside, keeping watch as Maggie was lowered.
"Softly, quietly is the key." I whispered, we watched Eugene drive off for a moment before we made our way into the brush, twigs snapping beneath our feet.
Nobody talked for a long time, just the grunts and silent breaths filled the air between all of us as we listened for any sound of movement. I pulled the bandana further up my face as I walked alongside Rick and Aaron who were carrying Maggie.
"How is she?" Rick tried to look back but almost rolled his ankle in the process.
"Maggie, you awake?" I whispered, Maggie's pale face shone under a sliver of moonlight before her bloodshot eyes found mine. She nodded weakly, "She'll live. We're still a ways away though, Rick."
I returned to walking up front with Carl by my side, his one eye glancing around ever so often.
"There's nothing out here." He looked behind us to Abraham and Sasha bringing up the rear, "There's not even a dead Walker."
"...You're right." I stopped and let everyone amble past me, trying to listen to something, to anything. Carl was right, there was nothing dead nor living out here...and the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up as I peered through the darkness to what I thought was a shadow.
"-what happened to Denise, I'm not gonna let anybody die like that again." Rick was saying to Carl, Carl looked to his left.
"Rick..." I warned.
"Son-"
"Everybody RUN!" I screamed as there was a flash from farther back in the forest...a flashlight.
Rick looked back to me as I drew my rifle at the sound of several hundred whistles ringing through the air like a siren's melody, calling the sailors to their death. I threw one of my knives that was strapped to my back blindly and herd it makes its mark before I ran to help Maggie and the stretcher.
They came from the dark then, surrounding us as we tried to make a break for it, we didn't even get five feet in front before faces started popping up everywhere like ghosts, still whistling and whistling.
I knew the whistle, I knew the tune.
I wanted to run.
My heart was beating, beating, beating-
Why couldn't I breathe? I just wanted to-
Whistles and yells and jabs-
Breathe Melaney, breathe-
Someone was calling my name, who was calling me?
Why couldn't I move, why couldn't I fight?
Where was Rick-Rick-
I had to get them to safety-
All my fault, this was all my fault, fault, fault-
Daryl- Daryl where are you? Daryl-
I was slammed into the ground by a Savior, he knocked the breath out of me and I let him, he grabbed and jerked the weapons out of my hands and from my holsters. Someone was screaming-I was screaming, that was me, I was so loud in this forest.
I screamed again as I was pulled up by my hair and dragged past Maggie's empty gurney and over to where Rick and the others were kneeling in the dirt-
Kneeling...No, no-no- nonoononononono-
"Stay the fuck down!" the butt of a gun was smashed into the side of my head as I struggled to get to my feet, my knees buckled and I went down into the mud, crying hysterically.
"Mel-Melaney, shh." Carl urged besides me, I looked up as Eugene was brought to the line we were forming, bloodied and bruised with terror written across his face.
"No..." I couldn't even move anymore, I could barely whisper.
My entire body began to shake, like I had a disorder. The back of a van was opened up not far from us and Michonne, Glenn, Daryl and Rosita were hauled out looking worse for wear.
The RV loomed in front of us, I refused to even look at Daryl as I spotted a familiar face behind him with a crossbow. Half of Dwight's face was burned, melted. Simon stood not far away grinning like a maniac, I let my body curl in on itself and I dropped my head to the ground, hair falling in front to shield me.
The door to the RV opened and I felt my soul scream in terror.
Negan.