The outside world was silent and still. The sky was a mix of blues and grays, a light breeze swayed the tree limbs that bordered the small cabin. One or two walkers growled nearby on the outskirts of the simple wooden fence as they stumbled over the weed-choked landscape.
Negan's boots scraped over the floorboards that assembled the front porch and he stared outward looking for someone or something. He paced for a moment and then sat down at the top step, settling his feet down on the third and placed the rifle across his lap.
A part of him wanted to shout out loud toward the woods to see if he would get a response. Another part of him wanted to pack the truck and go but he knew being on the road wasn't an option.
Nothing stirred or changed, and soon Alexandra called to him but obeyed his requests not to go outside. He rose from where he sat to eat a protein bar and drink some water before heading back out front.
Negan knew he could have done a perimeter run but he didn't feel right leaving the house unoccupied. Right now he stood in between whatever was out there and his family, and he had no intention of going elsewhere.
With time his adrenaline spike faded along with his patience. Negan didn't like games. He was a straight shooter and felt that whoever left the cryptic note on the doorstep was leaving them in a world filled with paranoia and anxiety.
Or they're going back to get more of their people, he thought.
Negan checked the gun again to assure it was loaded and tried to keep his handguns out of plain sight beneath his jacket. The less these people knew, the better... though had they really been watching them for weeks then he was sure they had gathered plenty of information.
"Hello," a voice came lowly from somewhere unknown and Negan rose to his feet. "Hello. Is anyone there?"
Negan looked around and spotting a handheld radio sitting up against the base of the house. "What the fuck..." he reached down, angry with himself for not picking up on it sooner and didn't waste any time. "Who the fuck is this?" he asked, keeping his rifle ready in one hand. His eyes scanned the woods.
"My name's Matt," the male voice spoke. "I left you a note earlier."
"Roger fucking that, what do you want?" Negan listened, feeling the rush of adrenaline pass through him again and he made eye contact with Alexandra through a screen in one of the windows.
"We didn't want to spook you guys by just showing up... for our safety mainly, but we wanted to see if you would be interested in merging with our people."
"Didn't want to spook us huh?" He glanced around from side to side again and stepped back onto the porch. "So the anonymous letter... leaving a walkie talkie by the step...you didn't think that would do the fuckin' trick?"
"Sorry... yeah I know it must've seemed strange but we didn't want to get shot on the spot if we approached you guys, thinking we were looters or something."
"Are you?"
"No."
Negan paused a moment and then went on. "What's your community? Why have you been watching us?"
"People stumble upon this house every now and then. I lived there once. Over time it kind of accidentally developed into a trial home for people. As the number of people in our community grew, we began watching over the cabin and taking care of it. When someone new came along we would study them from a distance and see what they were like. If they appeared to be good people, we would invite them in."
Alexandra whispered through the screen. "What do you think?"
Negan wasn't sure. He was never content when it came to strangers, but eventually the would have to trust someone. "It's an elaborate fucking lie if he's lying," he said quietly, and the held down the button on the radio. "What if we don't want to join? What happens then?"
"Then we'll leave you alone."
"Won't try to steal our shit in the middle of the night?"
"Of course not," Matt's voice came over the small speaker. "You have children there for one... and secondly, we have our own supplies." There was a pause, "We'd like to meet with you if you'd like. We're not far."
"Who the fuck is we?" Negan asked.
"Myself, my wife Annie and our friend Vince."
"You three the leaders of this place?"
"I don't know that you would call us that... founders maybe... we've set rules but not in an iron-fist type of way."
Negan hesitated. He didn't want strangers in the proximity of Alexandra, Lucy and Sarah. On the same note, he wasn't about to leave them or bring them all along to meet in a neutral location. Because of that, he decided the only way was for Matt and the others to come to the house.
"I hope I'm not going to fuckin' regret this," Negan said to Alexandra.
"They know where we are anyway," she reminded him and then shrugged. "What do we have to lose?"
He knew she was right and prayed that these people were who they said they were. In there world they had to pick and choose the chances they took. "If you try to lay a finger on any one of my family members I will kill you. I'm a reasonable man but I don't fuck around when it comes to that shit. You understand?"
"Loud and clear," Matt said almost immediately. "I get it... but we're not going to try to hurt your family or take anything. Should we come to you?"
Negan hesitated again and closed his eyes. He pressed the button on the side with his fingers and didn't immediately respond. Finally he spoke. "Yes."
"I know it easy to say from my point of view, but don't worry."
"I don't ever fuckin' worry Matt," Negan told him, "Only worry is for you if you try to hurt my family."
