Well, here it is, the final chapter. Now, I honestly thought that this would be my last fiction to post for 2020, but I got a little inspiration and decided to try and write a Christmas piece. I am 95% done with A Come-up Christmas. Then I got some more inspiration and decided that maybe I would try and write a piece for all four of my current completed stories. So now I am 95% done with A Haunted Christmas and 95% done with A Mayhem Christmas. I am about 30% done with A Crazy Christmas which is interesting, because I thought that one would be easiest to write, but it is not. So hopefully, in a week or so, I will have all four done. I plan to post them all in one collection. If you have not read my other three stories, well then now is your chance! I have a TWINS one shot posted that goes with the Come-up and the Comeuppance story that might be helpful to read also. Each Christmas story is a one-shot and is a future story, no flashbacks. I hope I can finish "A Crazy Christmas" in time to edit all four and ready for posting. Wish me luck! And now, the last chapter of "The Man, The Machete, and The Mayhem." Enjoy!
Chapter 10-The Machete, The Savage, and The Reckoning
"Look, Rick is a goody goody good boy, bout as boy scout good as you can get," declared Shane.
"We get it," said T-dog interrupting Shane's speech, "we need to get in there and handle the dirty stuff, make the hard choices." He spoke matter-of-factly and he nodded his head as if he knew what he was talking about.
Shane cut T-dog off, "Uhhh, no. That is the exact opposite of what I am saying. Ricks brain will, and do not doubt me on this, it will turn reptile and run on fight or flight. And there ain't no flight even on the table. Flight ain't under the table, or near the table either. All he got is just fight. He will run on pure adrenaline coursing though is entire body and savagery and brutality will immediately follow."
All the new crew stood with their mouths open, shocked and terrified, but damn if they were not excited too.
"He will burn this whole world to the ground if it means him and Michonne are the last ones standing surrounded by his kids and his extended family, which is all of us," revealed Darryl. "But look guys, I can tell Rational Rick is on the edge of becoming Savage Rick, but don't worry yet, we're all still good. Until we see him with his red machete, we are a go with our Plan A. When we see the red machete, then we are going to have to switch from plan A to Plan Fuck You, cuz with it, that man will cause some damn mayhem" Darryl states with an air of finality.
Darryl, Shane, Glen, Abraham, Rosita, T-dog, and Noah all watch Rick walk across his backyard and into his man cave, a little guest house near the pool that Rick converted but his two oldest boys and his wife rapidly took it over.
"Where are you going man?" Yelled Glen from the back-porch door out to Rick.
"To my outdoor safe," Rick hollered back nonchalantly.
They watched him enter his mancave and a few minutes later walk out with something shiny in his hand.
"What is that he's holding?" asked Rosita cautiously.
"His red machete," disclosed Shane already aware what he was going out there to get.
"Well, Plan Fuck You it is then," uttered Abraham.
"Shits about to go down," exclaimed Darryl.
"Yup," Shane blew out a breath and whispered to himself as he prepared for what was to come, "The man, the machete, and the mayhem." Shane knew just what his best friend was capable of and hoped his new crew was ready.
The team left the house and headed to Governor Blake's hunting cabin, which they still could not believe that the Governor of the great state of Georgia was involved in kidnapping Rick's family, and into the Georgia woods prepared and ready for some bloodshed. The location of the cabin was nice and quiet and gave Negan and Blake the advantage. But it also gave Rick and his crew one too. Noah and Rosita were in the car with Rick and Shane, and they stared as Rick quietly ran his fingers across the blade of the machete over and over. They both looked at each other knowing they were about to see some brutal shit and they were both one hundred percent all in.
When they took the exit indicated on the map, they noticed there was not much police activity in the area. When they saw the vastness of the search zone, there would have been no way the police would have found the cabin quickly, it would have taken them hours to arrive there from the current starting location the police and FBI planned out. Rick figured it was just a matter of time before the helicopters would arrive, so they had to move quick. According to the map, the stream that was adjacent to the road was about 2 miles down. They drove down the road, scanning the area constantly, and at just a quarter mile shy of two miles, they parked the cars behind a grove of trees in an effort to hid them from view. They jogged the remainder of the way, off the road, until they saw the cabin. It was more like a lodge than a cabin. Rick was expecting a small log type cabin, but instead it was a slick and gaudy modern monstrosity that was a stark contrast to the simple natural environment that surrounded it. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Just like the Governor himself. They split up in teams of two, Rick and Shane, Darryl and Glen, Abe and Noah, surrounded the house and Rosita and T-Dog stayed about a mile or so back on the lookout for any oncoming vehicles. Rick wanted to make sure that if the kidnappers or Negan tried to exit the house, or if there were any visitors coming to the house, someone on the team would have eyes on them and take them out if they could.
"When you get eyes on my wife and kid, text the group and let us know," Rick said before giving everyone the signal to surround the house. They did not have time to get the fancy ear piece radios from the department, so they made due with the group text they set up on the way to the cabin. Once everyone was in place, Darryl and Glen moved towards the side window and confirmed Michonne and Abigail was in the house. Rick was about to storm the door when they all got a text saying a vehicle was slowly approaching about a mile back. Rick texted that they needed to be stopped and restrained, but Rosita and T-Dog were already on it. They shot out the tire and the vehicle swerved off the road and hit a tree. When Martinez stumbled out, dazed from the hit to the head on the steering wheel, Rosita was on him, gun to his head and T-Dog knocked him to his knees, cuffed him and put him in the truck of his own car.
"The guy has been restrained, name is Caesar Martinez according to his ID, did you hear the shot up there?" texted Rosita to the group. Caesar was panicking inside the truck. The Governor had sent him to take out Negan, Blake would be pissed. He was deranged and Caesar watched him do some sick shit to people, and Blake got off on it. He fucked people up who failed them, and sometimes their families. He used Negan to do most of that dirty work. Caesar needed to find a way out and fast.
"It was faint, they heard something though, saw one of them come to the window and look out, but then didn't come out the cabin. Darryl, how many people are in the house and what kind of weapons do you see?" asked Rick.
"Looks like three guys including Negan, wait, I see two more. There are five total, four men and a woman. Negan is holding a bat with barbed wire around the top. He was always a weird motherfucker. Two have guns holstered, I don't see any other guns, but that don't mean they ain't got em." Said Darryl.
"How do Abby and Michonne look?" Rick said holding his breath.
"They are tied to chairs, separated across the room, but they don't look hurt," replied Darryl
"What's the plan Rick?" Texted Abe.
"I think we go the simple route, let's go knock of the fucking front door." Said Rick as he moved forward.
"Wait Rick," said Shane holding him back, "they would spot you coming. It needs to be me, Glen or Darryl going to that door. Throw them off."
Rick nodded, "But I am right behind you." Shane text the group the plan and they all got ready for all hell to break loose.
Glenn stood at the front door of the lodge with Shane hidden on his left side and Darryl on the Right. The plan was for Glenn to knock and take out whoever answered the door and Shane and Rick would rush in and incapacitate the one with the messed-up face and take out the woman. Glen would then rush and get the dumb looking one that they would later find out is named Bud. Some of the people in there with Negan wanted to be there and some absolutely did not. Dwight knew he would not fight for a man that disfigured him and took his wife hostage, and Simon wanted out and away from Negan for a while, so his plan was to lay low if anything went down and not lift a finger to help. Regina and Bud were gung-ho on killing and violence and Negan, well the more skulls he could bash with Lucille the better.
"Pizza Delivery," Glen yelled as he knocked on the door gun in one hand behind his back and a red baseball cap hung low.
Simon looked at the group asking who in the hell ordered pizza and when no one said they did, he pulled his gun and walked to the door slowly and looked through the window panel.
"It's a Chinese man," said Simon rather loudly and looking confused back at Negan. "Maybe they got the wrong place or maybe Blake sent them?"
Negan was suspicious but told Simon to open the door and take the man out if necessary. When Simon opened the door, his plan was to move the fuck out of the way and that is exactly what he did. He moved and left Glen in clear view of Bud. Rick and Shane were perplexed as to why Glen did not immediately take down the man who answered, and Glen froze for just a split second, but quickly regained his senses and when Bud reached for his gun, Glen shot him straight in the shoulder. Rick rushed in first and saw his daughter trip the woman on her way to the door, and Rick pounced on her fast to keep her down. Dwight got on his knees and dropped his weapon with his hands up and Simon ran out the front door but was immediately hit over the head by Shane and knocked out. Negan moved quickly towards Michonne as Abraham and Noah rushed in from the back after breaking out the widow and reaching in and unlocking it. Noah ran to the woman and cuffed her, and Abraham did the same with Simon. Bud lay there whining in pain and Negan stood wide-eyed over Michonne, Lucille raised.
"Don't come any closer, or I will bash her fucking brains in," yelled Negan
"Just calm down Negan, now this is over, you lost, let her go and you can walk out of here breathing," if not, I will put you the fuck down," Seethed Rick hoping that he would have the opportunity to do some serious damage to the man while still keeping his wife safe from harm.
Negan grinned wide, "Fuck you Rick, if I can't have her then, neither can you." Negan went to raise his bat and Rick took off towards Negan to tackle him to the floor, but before he could make it to him, he heard a gunshot. Rick panicked and looked all over his wife for any signs that she had been shot, but it was Negan who was bleeding. Shot in the hand by Noah. Negan involuntarily dropped the bat and grabbed the hand he was shot in with his other and ran towards the back of the house and out the back door. Rick gave chase along with Noah. Rick took out his machete while running and when he finally caught up to the man that kidnapped his wife and child, Rick slit Negan's throat. Rick eyed his machete now stained with the Negan's blood then looks up and watches Negan fall to the ground as bloods spills down onto his shirt and his stupid leather jacket.
"Did you kill him?" Asked Noah apprehensively.
"Nope, just slit his throat enough so his new cellmate will have an extra hole available to fuck him in," Rick said calmly before he ran back to the house to check on his family.
"Damn," said Noah, "Savage"
Rick walked past Abraham on the way inside the cabin and told him to call in their location to the police, although with the helicopter flying overhead, it was just a matter of time.
When Rick walked in, Rosita and T-Dog, who had heard the gunshots and ran back to the cabin, had already untied Michonne and his daughter and Rick ran to both of them and hugged them tight and didn't let go for a long time. All three were crying they were so happy to see each other.
"You ok," Rick asked patting both his wife and his daughter down at the same time looking for any sign of injury."
"Yes, I'm fine Rick, but I am worried about Abigail," she whispered, "she developed a strange tapping tic and might need therapy. I'm worried." Said Michonne watching her daughter closely, "She kept tapping on the arm of her chair back at the warehouse."
Rick laughed and picked up his genius daughter into a full bear hug. "Wasn't no tic Michonne, she tapped out Morse Code, that's how we found you."
Michonne looked at her daughter with a wide smile and joined them in the bear hug. All of a sudden, she felt hands wrap around her and Rick and looked to the side and saw Abraham hugging the group, then she saw Shane, Darryl, and then the rest of them joined.
"And he is Korean, you assholes," Darryl yelled to the criminals laid out and cuffed to the floor.
"Rick, we need to call the kids, they are probably worried sick, and our parents," said Michonne and Rick nodded and pulled out his phone right when the police and FBI swarmed in. He handed his phone to his wife while he dealt with the onslaught of officers.
After Negan was released from the hospital and taken into custody by the FBI, he sung like a bird. He told them everything about what him and the Governor were up to. And he had receipts. Lots and lots of receipts to prove what he was telling was true. The Governor was immediately arrested and taken into custody, along with several henchmen including Martinez, whom the FBI found in the trunk of his car.
Once everything settled down and things started to head back towards normal, life was good again. Negan and the Governor were sentenced to prison for a long, long time. Work for Rick was beyond great. He had garnered a badass reputation among the offers, mostly spread by Noah who called him Captain Savage behind his back, along with a deep respect from his subordinates and his superiors. Home was even better, Shane was still coming over and mooching food, the boys turned sixteen and was giving Rick a heart attack every single time Carl and Andre got behind the Wheel. Abigail was accepted into the school for the gifted and Jackson finally started washing his hands after a cute girl smiled his way at school. Judith was still the boss and RJ was still the brat and the triplets were still the triplets. Life was good for Rick. Everything was set back to right and as Rick held Michonne in his arms, he reflected on just how blessed he really was.