Let's do this...
"How about now?" Maddie yells across the farm, looking at the house. Kate runs out onto the porch, with both of her thumbs in the air.
"It's clear!"
Everyone sighs in unison, looking down at the pipe. Together, they managed to clear it and get clean water flowing again.
Louis starts wheeling himself away, "Make sure you boil it before you drink. At least for a couple of days."
She looks at Negan, who is busy covering up the hole in the ground. He stands up slowly, eyebrows furrowed. She knows what he is thinking. Who in the hell would shove a human arm into the water system?
He glances at her before scratching his beard, "Go inside, honey."
"What? Why?" she grabs his hand, squeezing, "What're you going to do?"
"Nothing," he rolls his eyes, "I just want you inside."
To be safe? To be out of the way? Maddie shakes her head.
"It's fine. I'll stay out here."
He sighs dramatically, "Madison."
"Don't Madison me," she points, "We'll figure this out together, okay?" she lowers her voice, "Besides… I doubt it was somebody from our group who did this."
She almost wants to say it was an accident. But an accident would have looked… accidental. There were fucking screws positioned near the arm in neat lines.
Negan runs a hand down his growing beard, "I need to shave this shit."
"Don't you dare," she steps forward. They both smirk.
Side by side, they walk back to the house where Noah is grieving the goat. Negan decides to pay his respects by awkwardly nodding. He didn't give a shit about the goat. She wasn't very resourceful. Aside from goat milk and cheese, which Negan hates anyway.
Maddie looks at the cow behind the fence. Thank God the cow is safe.
"It just dropped fucking dead?" Negan asks.
Noah stands up and wipes his eyes, seeking comfort from Kate beside him. She shoots Negan a look that says 'Be a little more sensitive, you prick'.
"I… I don't know," Noah answers, running a hand through his hair, "She was okay this morning."
"Her stomach is bloated. Maybe she ate something?" Kate proposes.
"But what? All the grass around here is safe."
Maddie looks down at her feet as Negan pulls her against him gently. She rests her head on his chest, "Do you think it's linked to the water?"
Kate sighs, "I don't know, Maddie."
When it starts to drizzle, everyone resumes going about their tasks. Mike, Trevor and Martin disappear inside. Nikki and Noah help Kate around the kitchen, taking their minds off the deaths that happened. Louis hauls up in his room, and Maddie convinces Negan to sit with her on the porch swing.
He drapes an arm around her shoulders as they watch the rain spray down. Some of the water drips in front of them and Maddie flinches as it lands on her face.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks after a long silence.
Negan narrows his eyes, "I think someone is watching us."
Something churns inside her stomach and she sits up, scanning the trees. Negan smiles slightly.
"Not right this second, darlin'."
"Oh," she looks back at him, "You mean…?"
"Yeah," he nods, "Nobody in this group would fuck up the water. What would be the point of that?"
She shrugs slowly, trying to understand the situation. None of it makes sense to her. Unless like he says, somebody on the outside is doing this. But why? Clearly, they want to be noticed. Otherwise, why the theatrics? Why not just clog up the pipes sloppily? Why clean around it? Why arrange the nuts and bolts in neat lines?
It sends a chill down her spine. Somebody that messed up…
"I'll keep watch tonight," he says, "I don't fucking trust the security in this place."
"We'll lock the door," she says, "We'll be fine."
"You can't be sure, darlin'," he leans down to capture her lips, as if to get away for a few seconds, from this fucked up world.
She kisses him back slowly, placing a hand on his heart. Only at the sound of somebody clearing their throat, they jump apart. It's Mike.
Maddie smiles awkwardly, turning her body to face him. Negan doesn't give a shit. He looks away.
"I was wondering if we could have a talk," he says, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
"Sure," she nods, standing up.
"No, sweetheart," he looks at Negan, "With him."
It takes a whole minute of eye signals to make her step away from the two men. She watches Mike claim her seat next to Negan. When they start talking, she is too far to hear. At least the rain stopped. She hops down the steps onto the grass.
She lifts her head up, feeling the last spits of water drip down on her face. Her hands go into her jacket pockets as she takes a deep breath of the air. If she closes her eyes and focuses really hard… it's like she is in her back garden… hanging up the washing.
A laugh erupts from the two men and she turns quickly. They are both stood up, shaking hands. There is a smile on Negan's face. Well, that is hard to believe. She blinks and continues watching. What just happened?
Mike waves at Maddie and she steps closer to the porch, "Sweetheart, bring us a bottle of France's finest," he gestures to the shed, "We have a lot to celebrate. And erm… mourn."
He looks down at the ground, shaking his head.
"It's a shame about Noah's goat. What a tragedy."
Negan and Maddie both agree, nodding and murmuring as if small talk has reappeared in the apocalyptic etiquette.
Negan walks down the steps, finally getting rid of that weird thing on his face. A smile. Maddie gives him a weird look and he shrugs. Did they just settle their differences? That fast?
"France's finest was gobbled down by a fucking college girl," he whispers.
"Shut up," her cheeks redden and she slaps his chest. Mike grips the railing on the porch, oblivious to their exchange of words.
"Just try and get something that looks similar," Negan suggest.
Maddie rolls her eyes, "I think he'll read the label and figure it out, stupid."
He chuckles, darting his tongue across his bottom lip, "Just go, darlin'."
She leaves a soft kiss on his lips before jogging over to the shed, grinning like an idiot. She is about to get into a lot of trouble. Shit. This will either be hilarious or really bad. But she is already smiling. And she thinks one look at Negan will push her over the edge to burst into laughter.
The door is slightly open when she reaches it. Strange. Maybe somebody left it open when they were all trying to fix the pipes.
She pushes it open all the way with a loud creak and starts descending the stairs. The air feels wet, but it's the kind of air she likes to smell. She takes a deep breath, smirking as she imagines what is going to happen when she hands Mike the wrong bottle. It's like being a teenager again.
"Hello, Maddie," a figure at the bottom startles her.
She gasps loudly, holding onto her chest. And then she starts laughing, "Jesus, you scared me."
Martin smiles slightly before turning back to the wine closet. She hears him chuckle in response, "I'm sorry."
Her feet are glued to the stairs as she tries to figure out what Martin is doing here. She looks back up to the open door and the grey sky before her eyes start adjusting to the darkness again. Is there a light switch somewhere? The darkness doesn't seem to bother Martin.
"What are you doing down here?" she takes a few steps down hesitantly, noticing a half-empty wine bottle in his hand. His back is turned to her so she doesn't have to fake a smile.
Martin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Having a drink."
She nods and glances at the wine closet where she is heading. He is standing right in front of it. This is going to be awkward.
"Excuse me," she moves past him and opens the doors, pretending to read the names of the wine bottles. It's not like she can concentrate on anything. His breath is scattered against the back of her neck.
"I think Mike is about to throw one of his parties," she jokes.
"Oh, yeah?" she hears movement behind her, "What does he have to celebrate?"
"I think he's trying to make friends with Negan. And the water, we fixed the water."
"Hmm," she can almost hear him shrug.
Maddie turns around carefully, and to her dismay he is still in the position he was when she came down here. Does he have a thing against personal space? She can smell the wine on his breath.
"I saw you and Negan," he takes another swing, sloppily putting the bottle down on the table. That's when she realises he is drunk, "Guess he took my advice."
"What does that mean?" she raises a brow, stepping back when he steps forward. Her back is against the closet. She folds her arms casually, keeping an eye on the open door at the top of the stairs.
"About fucking you."
She flinches at his words, looking away when his eyes land on her chest. She watches them fill up with tears, and for a second considers asking about it. But her fear renders her speechless. Why is she afraid?
"Mike is waiting for me," she laughs nervously, "I should go."
"No, he's not."
His arm blocks her way. She winces and turns her head when he starts closing the distance between them.
"Negan is at the top of the stairs," she blurts, voice breaking.
It's enough for him to realise that she is lying. He brings his hands up to slide the jacket off her shoulders.
"Please, stop," she tears up, looking at the door again, "I'll shout for help."
"No, you won't," Martin slides a hand down the curve of her chest, the only barrier being her tank top. No, she won't.
What the fuck is wrong with her? Scream! Scream now!
"Help," she whimpers, paralyzed.
"You don't need to be afraid of me," he chuckles, petting her hair, "Aw, don't cry."
She shudders as his fingers wipe her tears. She manages a loud groan. Okay, now just turn the sounds into words. She can't.
He kisses down her neck, hands running across her back, "No, please don't!"
"Shut up," his voice turns cold as he grabs her neck, "You'll shut the fuck up. This won't take long."
Her hands are clenched into fists by her side but she can't move them.
"Get on the floor," he orders.
"No," she cries, shaking her head, "Please, don't."
When did she become so pathetic? She can't even defend herself against a drunk nobody. And it's not like he is hurting her. It's his words. Why can't she fight back?
He pushes her down, which knocks the air out of her lungs along with a scream. She tries to mimic the sound and make it louder. Negan. Negan is right above her. He's outside. He could hear her. She has to try.
"Shut the fuck up," he grabs her face, straddling her trembling body.
"No, please!"
"I said shut up! I will fucking kill you!"
Maddie covers her face when he strikes her. He gets busy working on his belt. She closes her eyes and forces herself to scream, "Help me!"
"You stupid bitch," Martin's eyes widen and he grips her neck, "I said shut up!"
"NEGAN!" she screams, kicking with her legs. Something crashes behind Martin. Must be the wine bottle, "HELP ME!"
"Fucking cunt!" he yells, securing both hands around her neck, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
He lifts her head and crashes it down against the floor repeatedly, until her voice is taken.
She hears ringing and feels her eyes bulging as his fingers begin to squeeze. She tries to scream but it's impossible. She can't even take a breath.
Her arms dart out as she tries to grab his shirt. She can't quite reach. Her legs are useless and her eyes start to darken. She digs her nails into his hands but that only makes him squeeze harder.
At this point, she can't breathe. She can't gasp. She can only convulse underneath him like a fish out of water.