Five weeks had passed and Kinsley was doing so much better. She was able to walk almost normal now. She didn't have to have any help from me or Carol and the only time she struggled was when we went long distances walking. She would get out of breath and the pain would get worse.
Things with the Saviors were still bad and we were just so ready to end things between them. I honestly was just ready to kill Negan with my own bare hands and I know Kinsley and Maggie were too. He had hurt all of us and he deserved to be punished.
It was early in the morning around 7:00 and I was downstairs drinking my coffee. Kinsley and Carol were both still upstairs asleep. I was staring out the kitchen window lost in thought when I heard a knock on the door.
I looked through the peephole and saw that it was Rick, so I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch with him.
"Hey sorry the girls are still asleep so we will have to talk out here. Want some coffee or anything?" I asked.
"No, I'm good. Thank you though."
We both took a seat on the rocking chairs.
"Daryl, I just want this war with Negan to be over. After everything he has done to hurt our family he deserves to die, no more waiting. After what he did to Abraham, Glenn and Kinsley and our people, I am tired of waiting around and letting him have more time on this earth."
"Same. I am so ready for this war to be over. Yes, we haven't been fighting with the Saviors as much lately, but I hate all of our people are having to live in fear, especially Kinsley. I want the thought of him hurting her again to stop being hung over her head. This fight has gone on too long."
"Daryl this is why I came over here. I am ready to round up the group and go out after Negan today. Let's freaking get this over with. Do you think your family is ready to fight now?"
"Kinsley still has a little trouble walking, but if I stay with her to make sure she is okay, she will be fine. Once she hears we're going to end things with Negan I know she will be willing to fight again. Same with Carol."
"Okay, great. Gather your family and I will gather the rest of the group and we will head that way."
He shook my hand and I walked back inside to my beautiful wife sitting at the kitchen table.
"So, we're going to fight Negan now? I overheard you guys from inside."
"Yea we're trying to kill him and end things now. No more waiting around. Are you okay with that?"
"Hell yes I am. I want to take his life myself for what he did to Kins, but Daryl do you think she's ready for that? She still can't walk long distances. I don't want her to get hurt or get in a predicament where we have to run and she get left behind."
"Ready for what?" Kinsley's sweet voice said from the stairs.
She made her way down and I drew her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head.
"Dad, what do I need to be ready for?"
"Rick just came over here and asked if we would be ready to go fight Negan today and end him and things between him and his people."
Kins didn't even let me finish, interrupting and saying, "Hell yes. Let's go now. I am ready to kill that bastard."
Carol grabbed Kinsley's hand and said, "Me too baby, but do you think you are ready? Are you going to be able to walk that far and shoot? Are you ready to face him again?"
"Yes, I will be fine and I could never miss watching his time here end. He deserves it."
"Let's do this then" I said and she fist bumped me.
We had been driving on the road for what seemed like forever. Rick was leading the group and I was behind him with the rest of the group behind me. I didn't know how to feel at this point. I was nervous because our whole family had left Alexandria and the Hilltop to go end things with Negan. I was nervous for Kinsley and how she would take the walking we would have to do and how she would take seeing him again. I knew it would take everything for me not to kill him on the spot because literally every bone in my body hated him, so I couldn't imagine how she was feeling.
I looked back in the mirror at my girl and she just gave me a reassuring smile. She was ready. She was so strong and so brave. She reminded me so much of myself.
We got to a crossing in the road and we saw a group of Saviors standing there. They turned and looked at us like deer in headlights. Rick slammed on the brakes in front of me, so I slowed down and threw the car into park.
"Stay here. You need to save your energy Kins" I turned around and said.
Rick, Michonne, Carol and I jumped out and shot the five Saviors as they were running away. Rick walked up to their dead bodies and found a piece of paper in one of the guy's hands.
"What is it?" Carol asked.
"Oh my gosh. It's a map. It's a map to where the Saviors are meeting at! This is how we find them!" Rick said.
I couldn't help but smile at Carol. We would finally get revenge for what he did to our sweet girl and to our friends.
We all jumped back into the cars and headed towards the spot on the map.
"What did you find dad?" Kinsley asked from the backseat.
"We found a map to where the Saviors are meeting up. Not much longer now and you will be able to give Negan what he deserves."
"I can't wait to kill him with my own bare hands" she said.
I just laughed and said, "Maggie might fight you for that baby."
We had driven for about 20 minutes and we reached the bottom of the hill the Saviors were meeting on top of. I grabbed my family's armor from the trunk and tied my chest protector on. I handed Carol hers and then helped Kinsley strap hers on. Kinsley strapped her knives on and then slung a gun over her shoulder. She was so ready to fight again.
"You ready?" I asked her.
"Yes. Let's do this thing."
We all headed up the hill together and as we edged the top my heart sunk. There stood Negan and his men all lined up with guns pointed at us. I took my arm and pushed Kinsley behind me.
"So, I see you fell for the little trap on the road back there" Negan said.
We should've known it wouldn't be this easy to catch them.
All the Saviors aimed and were ready to shoot us now. My heart sunk because there was nowhere for us to go. The only hope we had was that they would miss or that our bullets would hit them first.
"Everyone get ready to fight. Pick a Savior and aim" Rick said.
Kinsley stepped out from behind me and stood between myself and Carol. She gave me a reassuring nod as she aimed her gun right at Negan.
I heard Negan yell fire and I flinched, ready to fire my own gun until I looked up at the top of the hill. All the Saviors except Negan fell to the ground. I was so confused. Our group hadn't shot yet. I turned around, but no one was behind us.
All of the sudden Negan took off running to Eugene and it all started to make since. Negan had Eugene make bullets for the Saviors to kill us with and he sabotaged the bullets so that they would shoot back on the Saviors.
I made eye contact with Rick and we all ran to the top of the hill to save Eugene and to charge Negan. Carol helped Kinsley up the hill and when she reached the top her eyes grew wide. She made eye contact with Negan for the first time since he cut her open. I could see the anger brewing in her eyes as she took a deep breath. Carol grabbed her arm because she was scared she might take off after him right then and there.
Rick and I were able to save Eugene from Negan and I brought him over to the rest of the family while Rick went after Negan. He followed him to a tree where Negan crawled like a baby trying to scramble away from him.
Carol went over to talk to Maggie and to comfort her while I stood with my girl. I knew this was the end for this horrible person and I was so ready to watch him get what he deserved.
Rick took a shot at Negan, missing and hitting the glass hanging from the tree. The next shot Rick tried to fire didn't shoot so he dropped his gun and Negan and Rick went at it in a hand-to-hand combat. Negan pushed Rick to the ground and I immediately feared for his life. I pulled my gun up to my shoulder, ready to fire if Negan tried to make a move.
Rick started talking to him about Carl and what he wanted for the groups. I looked over and saw a tear drop from Kinsley's eyes. She missed him so much.
Rick turned and looked at all of us. I could tell there were so many things going through his mind at the moment. All the sudden he turns back to Negan and slices his throat with a piece of glass and Negan falls to the ground, blood pouring everywhere.
He turned to the remaining Saviors and offered them to join their community as long as they didn't agree with Negan's worldview anymore. He then turned to the doctor from the Hilltop and instructed him to bandage Negan's neck up.
At this point, all I heard was screaming from my left and right.
"No! How could you? He killed Glenn!" Maggie screamed.
Carol held her and the two came crashing to the ground. Maggie was crying and screaming at Rick, rocking back and forth in Carol's arms.
At that same time, Kinsley pulled her knife out of her belt and tried to take off running towards Negan to finish him herself.
She also screamed "No!" over and over again.
I luckily stuck my arm out and caught her, bringing her in to me. She dropped her knife and cried into my chest as we too came to the ground.
"It's not fair. It's not fair. He doesn't deserve to live" she said over and over as she was crying.
"I know baby, I know" I said as I held her in my arms crying myself. Seeing her cry made me cry.
I never questioned Rick's leadership skills but this was the one day I definitely did.