Chapter 35: "Loss" Part 2

When Negan and his men pulled up at the Cedar Valley camp, it was obvious what had taken place. He found Zane sitting in front the building on a chair, smoking a cigarette.

Negan and Renee got out and began walking towards him while the other men spread out and checked the compound. Zane laughed at them painfully.

Renee hugged Zane but had to quickly pull away because of the heat emanating from him. He was burning up, his breathing raspy.

"My shoulder hurts like f*ck!"

Renee dug into her bag and pulled out a small syringe with morphine. He gently refused.

"Don't waste any of it on me. I'm dead already."

She held his hand for as long as she can. Negan stood there, watching the exchange between two people he loved most in this world…..his childhood best friend who have been there for him through his darkest hour growing up and the woman he have come to love so deeply.

Zane turned to him and stretched out his hand.

"Help a friend to his feet one last time?"

Negan did so without question. Renee walked away to the car without words. She knew they would need some privacy. Negan and Zane began walking towards a clearing among the trees at the eastern side of the camp.

Renee was looking at them. When they reached the clearing both men stood looking at each other, neither one not knowing what to say to the other. What are words worth anyway at this point? It can neither comfort or heal.

Zane, with trembling hands, brought the cigarette up to his lips looking Negan straight in his eyes. There was unspoken words in this movement which Negan understood.

In one quick, fluent swipe, Negan brought out a blade from behind his back and buried it in his friend's skull. As the blood leaked through Zane's mouth, he fell forward against Negan's chest.

The cigarette burned through Negan's shirt and into his chest as he held his friend against him. After a minute, he let his friend slide peacefully to the ground.********************

Renee watched sadden as Negan called over some of his men to bury Zane. He took off his bloody shirt and put it over his friends face and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him.

He remained expressionless as he leaned up against the car, watching the men burying his friend. She stood in front of him and placed both hands on his chest. Suddenly, without warning he pulled her close.**********************

Twenty minutes later, Negan and his crew was pulling out of the compound to head home when Marshall, from the Orange Field camp came driving towards them recklessly. He jumped out and ran towards Negan's vehicle. He was covered in blood.

"We've been hit."*****************************

Negan looked around angrily at the state of the Orange Field camp. The men were busy clearing out the bodies of both his men and walkers and making whatever repairs they can to the building.

Negan saw the bodies of five men he didn't recognise piled up in a heap. Renee was also attending to some of the men who were injured.

"We managed to kill five of them as they retreated. The gunfire brought the walkers all around us." Marshall said weakly.

Negan looked at him in rage...waiting for a plausible explanation.

"We don't know what happen! One minute we were out here getting ready to go on a supply run...the next minute we were under attack. Thank god Zane left here when he did!"

"What did you just say?!"

The man turned to see Renee standing behind him. She was staring at him.

"Zane was here?!" With Jasmine?!"

Marshall swallowed hard as Renée looked from him, to Negan and back. Negan pushed Marshall out of the way and grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey...we're gonna find who did this!"

She looked at him meekly.

"I…..I can't do anymore here. We need to get the injured back home."

"Ok."

Negan began barking orders for the injured to brought back to the Sanctuary and for the rest of the men to clean up and stand guard until further instructions. They then headed for home.****************************

Rick, Abe, Glen and Daryl meet to discuss what to do with Paula and Daniel.

"I say kill at least one of them...just to make a point." Daryl said flatly.

Abe concurred with his sentiments. Both Rick and Glen disagreed.

"We should lock them up….indefinitely. They could be useful to us in the long run."

"Don't see it." Abe passively argued.

"Let's sleep in it tonight."*****************************

Back at the Sanctuary... Renee, Jasmine, Sarah, Angie and Martha attended to the wounded. Everyone was on high alert...agitated. Negan has some business to address.

Since Dwight was brought back to the Sanctuary, he has been locked up in one of the guard rooms at the back of the building.

He has been fed but he hasn't had any contact with anyone. Now as he look up at Negan standing before him, he wonders if his fate has been already sealed.

"I gave you specific orders to watch Alexandria….not to infiltrate, not to take over. They have some of your men! My men! They got information out of them and attacked our camps in Cedar Valley and Orange Field!"

Dwight looked at Negan frightened.

"Yes….Misty is dead!...You killed her!"

Dwight bowed down his head...tears flooding his eyes as Negan paced the floor slowly infront of him.

"My best friend is dead because of you! He got bit by one of the men who died because of your f*cking sh*t. He died trying to clean up the mess you caused! You cost me almost forty men!"

Dwight looked up at him again.

"For that….you're gonna pay!"

Negan knocked on the door and Trevor walked in with Lucille in hand, grinning. He could see that the bat was freshly washed and clean. Instantly, Trevor and three other men in the room held Dwight down, bent over on a small table which was dragged to the center of the room.

Negan saw the terrified look in Dwight's face.

"Don't worry…..I'm not going to kill you. Just need to take my pound of flesh!"

With that...Negan pressed Lucille against the side of Dwight's face and began dragging the prickled bat over it. The wire cut deep, leaving long streaks of jagged lines filled with blood.

Dwight screamed and struggled against the men who was holding him down against the table. It was useless. The second time the bat was raked against his face...it took off chunks of skin that was already hanging off from the first contact.

Blood now freely ran down Dwight's face into his mouth and eyes. Dwight begged Negan to stop. Negan ignored him and dragged the bat a third time. Dwight's face became numb.

The men released him and he collapse to the floor. As the men filed out of the room, Negan looked down at a trembling and bleeding Dwight on the floor.

"The thing I hate most after rapist….is disobedience. Worst yet..disobedience that bears no fruit."***********************

Renee had just sat down to take a break from attending to the injured men when she saw Negan walked past, with a bloodied Lucille in hand. She feared the worst as she caught up with him.

"What did you do?!"

Negan turned to look at her as she was looking at the bloodied bat.

"I didn't kill anyone..if that's what you're asking."

She pointed at the bat.

"But I did hurt someone…"

He pointed to the guard room. Renée ran to it. On opening the door, she became angry. She raced back to Negan and upon reaching him, she shoved him. He barely moved.

"What the f*ck is wrong with you?!"*********************

"Wait...are they fighting?!"

Jasmine, Robbie and Sarah stood watching the commotion between Negan and Renée. They saw when she pushed him and her arms waving frantically in the air at him. Negan just stood there looking at her. Suddenly, she stalked off.

"Wow!" Was all Sarah could say.***********************

The night shift for guard duty had just changed when Renée wearily walked up to her room. There was dried blood on her clothes and she felt sticky.

A nice warm shower will fix that. Negan was waiting for her. She glanced at him and stripping quickly headed straight for the shower.

A few minutes had passed when she heard the shower pulled open and Negan stepped inside. She was pissed at him and he knew that.

She kept her back to him as she washed the sweat off of her skin.

"He disobeyed me so I punished him."

Renee said nothing, keeping her back to him.

"Renee…."

"Please stop talking. I know what you are and what you do...I don't like it but I am here and I am dealing with it. But I still have a right to be pissed at your a** if I want to whether you like it or not."

"Yes ma'am."

She gave him the soap.

"Wash my back."*************************

The next day Paula and Daniel was placed in the cells with 24hrs guard watch until they can be separated. Rick held a council meeting for all the residents at the church.

"We can no longer get comfortable...be comfortable. We must be alert at all times. We have struck back at the heart of a new enemy...and we have struck hard."

He paused.

"It is possible that they will now be coming for us. I know that we are ready to defend our home as we have done it... but we must be willing to not only kill to protect our home...but do terrible things...unspeakable things. I know that this threat is the first human threat most of you have ever encountered outside of the walkers and it was scary. They have four camps and we have completely obliterated one of these camps and severely crippled the other. Although we have lost five people, their deaths were not in vain as we have atleast managed to even out the numbers of people we will have to kill. The Hilltop is already with us to fight this threat...we are not alone. We are in this together."

Rick looked around at the nodding and determined faces in the crowd as they go back to their homes..in a new battle ready frame of mind. He is proud of them...they are willing and capable of fighting to keep their homes from all invaders.

Two days have passed and there wasn't a peep or a whisper of any suspicious activities around Alexandria. Jesus decided it was time to head home to check on things. He said his goodbyes and left.***************************

Negan stood and surveyed the large gathering of men in front of him.

"Let's go and introduce ourselves to our new neighbours."