Devastation
By Althea M
Chapter 11
Negan must have been following the moon phases because the trucks rolled up about the same time the next month. Rick met him at the gate, opening it allowing Negan to ride in followed by two pickup trucks. Negan stepped down, bat over his shoulder, strutting in a circle in front of his vehicle. Rick closed the gate behind him and came around to stand face to face with the man and his bat.
"Rick!"
"Yes."
"Looks like ya'll had a good haul. Lucille gives incentive." Negan threw his head back and laughed heartily. Rick took a step back and just looked at Negan's feet. Negan finally recovered himself.
"Well, let's get your people onto loading it up."
Several Alexandrian stepped forward and began moving the stacked items into the first truck.
"Rick?"
"Yes."
"You remember my request, right? Where's the Asian."
"Glenn."
"Whatever. Where is he?"
Rick turned his head to the right, looking up the street toward where his family lived and called out, "Glenn!"
Glenn was already walking in his direction, his gait relaxed, unhurried, but purposeful, as though he knew he needed to be there and it was where he wanted to be. He pulled up beside Rick, spared a glance at Negan, and addressed Rick directly.
"You wanted to see me, Rick."
"No," Negan interjected, "I wanted to see you." Glenn turned dull, unreadable eyes to the big man.
Rick slowly eased away from the pair, keeping his eyes down cast while still keeping them both in his peripheral vision.
Focusing his full attention on Glenn, Negan looked him over. "You're looking well, little man." Glenn let his eyes travel slowly to the ground.
"A little birdy told me that haggard little woman I dispatched in the clearing was…your hump." Rick shot a look at Glenn. Did he just stop breathing? Then he could see Glenn inhale slowly. "I was fond of her," Glenn said quietly. Rick continued to drift away while also directing the loading of goods to the vehicles.
"You were 'fond' of her, were you?" Negan chuckled. "Well, I tell you what, the next little slanty-eyed doll me and my boys run across, we'll be sure to save her for ya'." Negan chuckled and it was contagious with his men within earshot. "Of course, you'll have to let her rest for a few days before you can…"
"Why did you want to see me, Negan?" Glenn interrupted.
Negan was a bit taken aback. He'd been interrupted in his comedic moment. That apparently wasn't right. "Let me explain something, little man…" and he reached to put his hand on Glenn's shoulder.
Rick marveled. Glenn could be a slippery little devil. Thin, strong, agile. So, when Negan went to pat him on the shoulder in that way bullies and other oppressors do, not to be friendly or benevolent, but to exude that air of 'you can't do anything about it', it got interesting.
Glenn dipped his shoulder away from the touch, as though he could feel the heat of the man's hand. Negan chuckled at this and reached for him again. He should have left well enough alone. But in the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't have made a difference.
His men stood back, relaxed, smirking. He was in no danger, not from this guy, this 'little man'. All but a handful of the Alexandrian's weapons had been confiscated; they'd been left with low capacity hand guns. They had too much to lose, in Negan's opinion. And the rule was that all the Alexandrian's, except those specifically cleared or on a run, had to be present, when the delivery was picked up.
So, Negan was unprepared for the small man's attack. Glenn blocked Negan's hand sweeping it to his left. Glenn then lunged forward on his right foot and drove his right fist, palm flat, fingertips tight against the leading edge of his palm, up and into Negan's throat. Negan clutched is throat, gagging around his ruined trachea, instinctively pitching forward. Glenn then rocked back, balancing on his left foot and, striking out with his left hand, jabbed his index and middle fingers into Negan's eyes. The cry Negan made was that of a mortally wounded animal. Then, Glenn lunged forward, again on his right foot, and drove both his fists under the larger man's floating ribs. With his throat crushed and swelling shut, the air in his lungs had nowhere to go and likely ruptured them. Blind and suffocating, Negan fell to the ground, writhing in pain, his wounds both devastating and terminal. 'My Grand Master would be proud', thought Glenn.
Breathing easily, Glenn said softly, "That's for Maggie."
Now one of Negan's men made that move that said all Hell was going to break loose. But he was slow and it did. Shots rang out, one taking down Glenn. The Alexandrian's scattered, some going into hiding, while others, and members of the Atlanta group, took pre-determined, covered positions to fire from. But the remaining members of Negan's gang were taking precise hits, dropping with no indication of where the shots were coming from.
Abraham and Eugene had been most successful in their endeavor. Not only had they gotten the gun shop into operation, they had kept its existence from both Negan's group and many of the Alexandrians. No leaks. They had included with each weapon, as part of the manufacturing, because of the nature of the non-human threat, whether handgun or rifle, a silencer.
With Sasha, Michonne, and Abraham, taking the distance shots with rifles, and the close range fire being handled by Carl, Rick, Daryl, Aaron, Rosita, and a few hand-picked, trained citizens of Alexandria, added to the disorientation and disarray of the remaining gang members. The plan was simple; no one left standing. Glenn would cut the head from the snake; the others would kill the body. The gunfire attracted walkers. Gang members had two choices; die inside the gates or die outside the gates. It was over in less than ten minutes.
Once things settled down, Rosita ran over to Glenn, fearing the worst. She pulled her knife, just in case, and rolled him over onto his back and checked his pulse. She sagged, but then put her knife away and began to check out his wound. He'd been hit in the shoulder, a through-and-through. Rick came running over, calling his name, "Glenn! Glenn!"