Chapter 44: "Time"

The rain have been pouring down for the past three days. Rick is not complaining though. For every day the rain is relentless Negan's visit is pushed back and Alexandria gets to keep what is theirs a little bit longer.

The residents have been in their homes with a few persons here and there scurrying back and forth at the pantry for supplies for their family. It was late evening and Rick and Michonne cuddled on the floor in a thick blanket, in the corridor near the door leading out to the second floor balcony.

The children was down for the evening. With baby monitor within reach they watched the rain poured down. Rick hates the rain but Michonne could sit and watch the water droplets hit on the ground, on the trees, on people all day long. Most of all, she loves to hear the rain drops tap dancing on the roof.

'It's magical.' She had explained to him. 'The rain on the rooftop is the best musical orchestra nature have to offer.'

Michonne pulled her husband's arms tighter around her. She loved the warmth of his body against her. Although this moment of temporary freedom is blissful, she knows that Alexandria's predicament is not to far from Rick's thoughts. Neither from hers.

"We need to get to Eugene and the others to check up on them. I'm sure they heard the second attack, so most likely they have gone on walkie talkie silence. Besides, we need to know if they still have supplies or if they need any."

Rick said nothing to her statement.

"Rick?"

Michonne turned up her head to look at him. He turned to look at her the same time and their eyes met. He nodded, an acknowledgement that he had heard her. She turned back around.

"The rain would have the perfect cover for a small group us to sneak up to the factory and check on things and get back without Negan's people knowing."

"Yeah, but you heard what the others said. Out there is brutal right now. It's too risky."

"Yeah.."

Two days ago…..

Damien, Ramona and Russell sat in the car. They have been stuck there for the past two days due to the heavy rainfall. Russell broke the silence.

"Well this sucks!"

He stretched out in the back seat, bored.

"I wonder what Negan and his people are doing now?"

Ramona and Damien turned and looked at him.

"I doubt anything much." Ramona pointed outside. "What can you do with all this rain? It's not like you could go outside or anything."

Damien took out the last sandwich.

"Any takers?"

Both Ramona and Russell shook their heads.

"It's the last one. We need to head back home to report and get more supplies."

Russell sat up from his seat.

"What about Negan? He's suppose to go Alexandria today to take half of everything we have."

"Does it look like Negan is going anywhere? It has been raining since yesterday. No one has gone out or come in into the compound. It's even worst today than yesterday. He isn't going anywhere."

She noticed the look on Damien's face.

"What?"

"I don't agree with you. Negan just might go to Alexandria today. He could take a small amount of people, heavily armed of course but he's only coming for supplies. It's not like we are going to resist him."

Ramona shook her head in disagreement.

"There is no way Negan is leaving that nice, cosy Sanctuary of his just to pick up food from us. From what we've seen so far..we know he and his people are not starving."

"True." Russell agreed. "He could have a wife though. I wouldn't leave my wife alone in this kind of weather." He winked at Ramona.

"Don't know about a wife but do you think that young woman we saw is his daughter?"

"Maybe. They are close though. She's always surrounded and protected. She is definitely important to him."

"We could probably use it to our advantage."

"Maybe. That's if we could get to her. If she's as important as I suspect, she is never too far away from him so getting to her is damn near impossible."

"Nothing is impossible. It can be done."

Ramona looked ahead and saw some walkers drifting towards them. She pointed them out.

"That's our cue to leave. More will be coming and if that happens we wouldn't be effective fighting them off. Not in this mud."

Damien turned the key. The engine started then died. He swallowed hard and turned the key again. The engine only sputtered.

"No way this is happening!"

Just then, a walker crashed against Ramona's side of the car window.

"Jesus Christ!"

The walkers herd ahead of them was getting closer.

"We need to do this quickly before that herd reaches us! Ramona...take care of that walker and watch our backs while we check out the engine!"

On the count of three Ramona open her car door pushing the walker to the ground while Damien and Russell rushed to the bonnet of the car.

They glanced at Ramona as she effortlessly dispatched the walker with her knife and began surveying the scene, keeping her eyes on the herd as they opened the bonnet. They were only there for 30 seconds when Ramona shouted out.

"Look out!"

They turned around to see two walkers reaching out for them from the left side of the car. They both slipped and fell in the mud as they tried to back away. The two walkers fell on top of them.

Ramona managed to shoot one in the head when she heard a groan behind her. She turned to see a walker was right up on her. She pulled the trigger. She did a quick visual sweep of the area.

The gunshots had attracted even more walkers. She looked at Damien and Russell who was already on their feet and backing towards her. The herd was swarming from all directions now.

"Leave everything! We have to go! Now!"

With that they turned from the car and their belongings and fled into the forest, clearing walkers from their path as they go.********************

Jesus and Aaron looked out the window of one of Alexandria's safe houses that they were in. The rain was unrelenting as it pounded the earth.

"So glad we didn't get caught out there in this!"************************

Lizzie looked at Keith as he slept. There isn't anything else to do besides sit in the car and sleep because of all this rain. She listened at the sound of raindrops on the roof of the car.

This kind of weather always reminds her of how lonely she is. She lost her mother, father and younger sister to walkers when this whole end of world shit started to happen. She fled to her husband's office only to find him there f*cking his secretary on the desk. She suspected he was cheating but to actual confirm it at a time like that was even more disheartening.

When they saw her staring at them, they froze in their motion. The woman's skirt was up around her waist and her husband's pants down around his ankles. She swallowed hard trying to registered what she had seen. The woman jumped off her husband's desk and pulled down her skirt. She followed her husband's eyes as they followed the woman who fled the office.

Then their eyes locked for a minute or two as her husband walked up to her. They stood there, in each other's personal space. When he reached out to touch her face, she flinched. Then abruptly, she turned around on her heels and walked straight out the office and out of her husband's life. She watched Keith's chest as it rise and fall to the smooth rhythm of his breathing.

Her eyes traced along the length of his body down to his crotch. There was a bulge in his jeans...a sizeable bulge. She swallowed hard. Then he coughed. She looked up and saw Keith looking at her…a small smile on his face. She turned away embarassed, looking out her window. Minutes of silence passed between them.

"I think it's time we head back home to report what we've seen and get more supplies. As it is, we can't do anything here. We can't monitor anyone."

"Ok." Keith replied and turned the key for the ignition.**************************

Gregory lay on his bed, his hand down his pants. The weather was cold and he was in his room all by his lonesome. As his hands worked its magic, he closed his eyes and imagine being on top of Renee...what it would be like to be inside of her again.

An obsession has taken hold of him since he saw her. He wondered what she was doing every minute of the day, what she was thinking about at her every waking moment. After all these years of being in different relationships with different women, it bothered him that someone else has been inside of her.

Something about Renee have always stayed with him. Probably it was because he was her first and she got pregnant for him...she carried his child in her. No other woman have ever gotten pregnant for him that he knows of. When her friend told him that their baby had died, both a sense of relief and guilt did come over him.

Now Negan get to be the one to experience her softness, her sweetness... gets to f*ck her. He is probably f*cking her right now. His hand flogged mercilessly at it's target to achieve the pleasurable goal. He closed his eyes, his lips parted. He thought about the endless possibilities if he got Renee alone with him just one more time.

He learned a few things over the years about women and their anatomy. A woman's body was made to take pain..all kinds of sexual pain. The things he would do to her in a locked room, just the two of them. He needed one chance...just one. He moaned at the mental picture in his head and minutes later, he felt sweet, sweet release. He gasped loudly, knowing that the rain on the rooftop will drown him out. Sitting up, he looked down at the mess in his pants.

"What a waste." He muttered. "What a goddamn waste!"********************

Renee stood at the entrance of the pantry looking at Jasmine and Trent interacting. They were sitting on the sofa across the hall from her with their friends. Jasmine's legs was across Trent's lap and he was whispering something in her ear. She laughed loudly. Few minutes later they kissed and looked lovingly into each other's eyes. Her daughter was happy and in love. She felt proud of her accomplishments..that she achieved her goal. She raised a well balanced young woman. Her job is done. She turned and went inside the pantry. She closed the door.**********************

Negan pressed his ear against the pantry door and heard the faint sound of crying. He knocked on the door.*********************

Renee heard the knock. She quickly dabbed her eyes dry.

"Come in." She answered.

The door opened and closed.

"Take what you need. I'll be right there."

She turned around and saw Negan just standing there looking at her with sorrowful eyes. She slowly drifted back into the counter behind her, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes again. She shut them tightly, fighting them back. Seconds later strong hands engulfed her and pulled her close. She put her arms around his waist and cried.***********************

Later that night…..

Despite how tired they were Damien, Ramona and Russell kept on running. Tree branches whipped at their sore eyes but they didn't have a choice. It was getting dark and they had no food, no water and most importantly...no shelter. The rain showed them no mercy and walkers were closing in everywhere..like at a buffet table. They were about to run out into the road but it was Ramona who saw a car light in the distance first.

"Look!"

They came to a sliding halt and squinted into the distance.

"Saviours?!" They looked at each other.

"It doesn't matter. We need their vehicle and we're going to take it."

"F*ck!" Russell shouted as he pulled the trigger and shot a walker behind Damien.

They turned their heads towards the direction of the incoming car.

"Think they heard that?"

"Let's hope not."

They crouched down behind some bushes near the road, guns in hand...waiting.********************

"You hear that?!

The car came to a slow halt. The occupants looked through their windows of the car.

"Yeah...be ready for anything."

Fingers clenched firmly on their gun triggers.***********************

It seemed like forever for the car to reach them. Ramona peeped over her patch of shrubbery.

"Where are they?" Damien asked.

"Shit! They have stopped!" Ramona whispered.

"Damn it! They heard the gunshot!" Russell cursed under his breath. "What do we do?!"

Damien mind was racing. Russell was about to make a mad dash for the car when Ramona pushed him back down.

"Wait!"**************************

The driver of the vehicle slowly released his foot off the brake and the car slowly rolled forward.

"How far up do you think they are?"

"I don't know."

"How many do you think are there?"

"I don't know."

"F*ck."

"Just keep your eyes open."***************************

"They are driving again...but slowly." Ramona reported.

"They know we are out here. They are trying to locate our position."

Damien looked at Russell who was fidgeting.

"Keep still you f*ck! It's dark and they can't see us. Just get ready."************************

It took about five minutes for the car to reach their desired spot. Damien, Ramona and Russell rushed out.********************

It was man who saw the three figures rushing out from the corner of his eyes on left hand side. He immediately cut the headlight of the car and the road was engulfed in darkness. **************************

The only sound that could be heard was the running engine of the car in the deafening silence.

"We don't want no trouble! We need to get home." Damien called out into the darkness.

There was no response.

"Hand over the keys and no one has to get hurt!

Silence.

Damien whispered to Ramona.

"Whatever happens, try not to shoot the car."

The driver didn't hear when the footsteps approached the car but froze when he heard three taps on the driver's side window.

"Keys now….asshole!"

The driver recognized the voice.

"Russell?!"

He turned on the car headlights and saw Damien and Ramona infront of them pointing guns at the car. Russell drop his gun in shock.

"Keith! What the f*ck?! I could have killed you! Jesus Christ!

Ramona and Damien lowered their guns as Lizzie got out of the car in the rain. She looked at them and noticed that they were soaking wet and on foot.

"What happened to you guys?!"

"Short story...rain and walkers."

"Can we go home now?!" Russell asked exasperated looking at Lizzie, Damien and Ramona. They all filed into the car and started their journey home.********************