The journey had been an uneventful one…and with the combination of rain hammering down onto the truck and Negan's terrible taste in music playing loudly from the car stereo…they was little-to-no conversation between the pair…until they finally found themselves at their destination around mid-afternoon.

Negan had used his radio a couple of times. Checking in with the men in the other truck, as well as Dwight in the back. But the equipment just seemed crackly and pretty intermittent out here in the middle of nowhere.

Blake stared out of the window, as Negan pulled the truck to a halt a little way away from a dark and looming building up ahead.

It looked like some sort of out of town convenience store. Blake knew that most of the ones she had encountered along the way had all been looted of food and medicine long ago…but the windows and doors of this one, looked surprisingly intact…which was good for them, she supposed.

But she knew that that would mean the place had not yet been cleared of walkers which was a dangerous thing. Especially out here where the rain and dull light would cause them to be privy to bad visibility and hearing.

"Well hot-diggity-dog," Negan muttered, peering up at the store and switching off the engine. "Would you look at that fuckin' beauty."

Blake rolled her eyes, shoving the door beside her open and stepping out of the truck into the rain.

She looked around, pulling her knife from her belt, as a second later she was joined by Dwight, Simon, five other men and one woman, all carrying weapons of varying sizes.

They all waited, shifting their weight from foot-to-foot, until a moment later when Negan joined them, strolling lazily around the truck, Lucille resting across his right shoulder.

"Alright boys," he said in a loud voice through the falling rain, loud enough to cause a walker ambling along nearby, to let out a strangled cry of hunger, and begin limping slowly towards them.

But none of them batted an eyelid at this threat yet.

"Now there are some things on that list of mine, that none of those asshole camps that were takin' from, have been able to give me yet," he continued in a commanding tone. "So let's get in there and see what treasure we can dig up. We clear?"

There came a murmur of 'Yes Negan", as the Saviours, all bar Negan himself and Simon, disappeared off, moving this way and that, weapons raised, heading towards the large building.

The rain was coming down hard now, but despite Blake already feeling soaked through and freezing cold she gritted her teeth, raising her head and bringing herself up to her full height, looking over Negan as he spoke.

"And Peaches," finished the tall leader of the Saviours. "You can come with me an' Si here. If you think you can handle yourself?"

Blake pursed her lips, but didn't say a word, as the approaching walker behind her gave a strangled cry, reaching its arms out towards her and baring its teeth.

She turned easily around and impaled the walker through the skull with her long blade.

"I'm good," she uttered, as the body dropped to the ground in a heap before her and she span back around, glancing up into Negan's chocolate eyes.

He offered her an impressed look, and pressed a hand to her back leading her forwards over towards the building.

"Can I just say…" uttered Negan into her ear leaning in towards her. "…that you look hot. as. hellusing that knife. I mean, Jesus Christ, Doll-face, do not let me get on the wrong side of you!"

Blake smirked up at him.

"Uh, newsflash," she uttered in an incredulous voice. "You already are on the wrong side of me, idiot."

But Negan's lips twitched up into a goofy grin.

"Really?" he replied. "'Cause I'm starting to think that soft spot I've got for you, is most definitely mutual, Peaches."

But Blake could only roll her eyes, as the three of them approached the front of the large building.

They had barely reached the door when it was suddenly shoved open from the inside by one of Negan's men.

"Looks like it was already pretty looted a long time ago, boss," uttered the Saviour with dark shaved hair, holding the glass door open wide enough for them to pass through. "But there's a warehouse out back, but the place is riddled with dead."

"That don't mean it ain't a viable option," said Negan as he stepped inside the store gazing about, before staring back at the Saviour poignantly. "Get to it."

The man gave an uneasy gulp and run hurriedly away.

Blake looked around.

The store was large, with high shelves now empty and littered with trash. There were a few broken cans of dog food lying here and there, but no food, so to speak, that Blake could see.

She walked a little ahead, passing a large luminous fifty percent off sign, hanging from the ceiling by just one small cable. But as Blake walked down one of the long aisles, she didn't hear a walker appear from out of nowhere lurching suddenly towards her…

Blake backed up suddenly, her heart pounding in fright.

But as she staggered backwards, she toppled into a stack of animal bedding, losing her footing….

She quickly attempted to scrabble to her feet once again, just as the decaying figure of a man, snapped at her with its green, broken teeth…too close for comfort…. it's face nearing her arm perilously….

Blake panicked, her blood running cold…

But before she could push the walker aside or call for help…. the creature was suddenly knocked aside by a blow to the head, which sent it's, now limp body, flying down the aisle…sliding across the floor.

And Blake could only look up, to see Negan standing there, smirking.

A bloody Lucille held tightly within his grasp.

"You sure you can handle this, buttercup?" Negan said in a teasing voice.

But Blake scoffed grumpily.

"It caught me off-guard is all," she muttered brushing herself down and standing up straight, pushing past Negan and bumping his leather-clad shoulder as she went.

She still had that knife in her hand, and knew that she could just turn around and use it on him if she wanted.

But he had just saved her….

Maybe she could keep him around…for now, at least…

A second later, Negan fell into step beside her, as Simon went ahead, pointing his gun this way and that as they walked, keeping an eye out for more dead.

Blake looked around as they passed down a second aisle, with a few bottles of shampoo, and various tubes of mascara and chapstick sitting on the shelves.

Blake paused momentarily, before grabbing a shiny tube of mascara and a couple of sticks of glossy chapstick, and sticking them into her back pocket hurriedly, hoping Negan wouldn't catch this.

This was all down to what David had said to her last night. If Blake had just made more of an effort with her appearance, maybe her fiancé wouldn't be so hostile towards her. Maybe all his anger…his resentment…it was all down to her.

But Negan, as always, was quicker than she gave him credit for.

"Now you know, if you were to become one of my wives," he began, as Blake felt herself pre-emptively rolling her eyes at his forthcoming comment. "You wouldn't have to worry about scavenging for shit like that. You'd be sittin' pretty up in that suite back at the Sanctuary, applying yet another coat of lipstick and spritzin' yourself with perfume, ready for me to enjoy you, when I got home."

"Wow," uttered Blake in a sarcastic tone. "Not even one date down, and you're straight onto the proposal! Well don't I just feel swept off my feet?"

But Negan just grinned over at her, showing off his line of white teeth.

"You know…when you use that tone with me," began Negan, biting his lip longingly. "I'm not quite sure if you're about to screw my brains out, or, hit me upside the head with a blunt object. But either way, I am surprisingly into it!"

He leaned back, giving a chuckle., as Blake smirked once again, rolling her eyes and tutting.

But it was only a moment later, before any of them had time to utter another word, that five or so walkers appeared around the corner, suddenly spotting Simon, Negan and Blake, and turning towards them slowly.

"I got these two, boss," uttered Simon, pulling a large axe from his belt, and stepping forwards, taking the two loping dead on the left.

Negan gave a sigh, gripping Lucille easily in his hand and heading for the two walkers in the middle.

"You got ol' string bean, over there, Peaches?" he shot back at Blake, nodding over towards a thin looking dead-head in a long blue tabard, which was loosely strung over his decomposing body.

But Blake didn't need to give an answer, strutting forwards and taking the walker down with a single knife-blow to the skull.

She turned, watching as Negan swiped Lucille across the heads of his own couple of dead, giving a hearty yell as he did so.

Blake grinned, raising an eyebrow in his direction, as all five of the walkers were soon floored.

Blake bit her lip, strutting over towards him.

"You might wanna rein it in a bit, baby," she muttered to him in a teasing whisper, leaning in towards the tall, dark-haired Saviour, wrinkling her nose, and patting his shoulder as she slid by. "Coz' it looks like you're having waaaay too much fun."

Negan gave an immediate chuckle, watching her go, his twinkling chocolate eyes looking her up and down yearningly.

But to her surprise, he merely gave an impressed sort of wolf-whistle in her direction, but didn't utter a word in reply.

Blake followed the silent figure of Simon down towards the end of the store and out through a small door at the rear.

This led into a darkened warehouse, where here, large pallets full of what looked like saran wrap were sat. With covered groceries all piled up throughout it.

The Saviours were had already manged to get the large back entrance open and had backed up one of the trucks onto it, loading what they could fit onto the large vehicle easily.

"We got cereal, canned stuff and some toilet paper," said Dwight to Negan, as the tall leader of the Saviours appeared in the room behind Blake, walker-blood dripping from the end of Lucille.

"Well then, load it up," said Negan a little uninterestedly, peering down at the baseball bat in his hand before snatching up a stale, and long abandoned, bottle of water from the top of one of the pallets, and pouring it over his weapon, watching as the watery-looking blood pooled onto the floor at his feet.

Simon gave a sudden clap and stepped forwards, hurrying his men along, as Negan strolled about overlooking his people as they worked.

Blake looked this way and that, moving around one of the pallets that contained yet more dry dog-food.

She was of no use here…part of her wondering why she was even brought here in the first place.

But before she had time to dwell on that thought, she suddenly noticed a small open door at the far end of the shadowy warehouse.

"Hey, anyone taken a look in here?" she called back to the Saviours from around the pallet. But none of them acknowledged her, perhaps not even hearing her at all.

Blake turned back to the open door, peering into the shadowy corridor beyond.

It looked like a row of offices and small rooms….but Blake had scavenged enough in her time to know to never leave any stone unturned.

She raised her knife to her shoulder, walking slowly and silently into the long, dark corridor.

There were no windows here and the whole place was shrouded in an unnerving gloom, that put Blake on edge.

She moved past a darkened office and tried the door.

It was locked.

But by the looks of it, there were still four more doors to go…as well as a red looming door up ahead, which looked like it led outside.

She approached the second door, looking back out in the direction of the warehouse...the main door was still open, shining a bright afternoon light through, into the otherwise, gloomy corridor.

She worried at her lip for a second, turning back to the task at hand….and slowly turning the handle on the second door…

But suddenly, before she could do anything else, there came a sudden loud slam, causing Blake to jump in fright, letting go of the door, as the entire corridor was plunged into darkness.

She looked up, to see that the door leading back into the warehouse was now shut….

…but before she could head back in that direction, there came a sudden loud moaning, and from the office door she had just opened…

… out of the darkness…

….four walkers suddenly emerged.

Blake staggered back in fright as they lunged for her, cutting off the path leading back towards the warehouse.

She paled suddenly…for she knew that she was well and truly trapped….

…with no way out…

"Fuck."

Thanks to JudithMosalii, Jazzyfizzle92, FriendsWithTheMonster, angelskull16, Cmarie1992, elljayde, Sahdowlover1222, Dollfacex94, whereshadowplays and Xmidniteangel15X for commenting on the last chapter.

Hope this chapter was ok, and that you are enjoying Blake and Negan so far?

Please review! :)