Blake's heart thudded in her chest as she scrambled backwards, knife raised.
Through the gloom she could just make out the five walkers, advancing on her hurriedly down the narrow corridor…in between her and the way out.
Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she jabbed at the nearest figure.
But it was quicker than she had thought, and staggered towards her, arms raised.
Blake jumped backwards, not wanting to try a door to another room, in case more walkers emerged.
Fuck…what was she going to do?
She felt herself beginning to panic now.
Her heart was pounding a drumbeat inside of her ribcage, her breaths now coming quick and ragged inside her chest.
She had been in some sticky situations before now…but nothing like this.
There had always been a way out. Always.
A female walker leered over at her, snapping its wide-jaws terrifyingly.
But Blake gave her a shove, suddenly sending her, and another walker, sprawling backwards like bowling pins.
But this was nowhere near over yet.
She felt frightened. More frightened than she had done in a long, long time…here in the dark. Alone.
Blake took a hurried step back, as another of the dead launched itself at her, its fingers trying to tear at her face….. but Blake sent her blade hurriedly flying through its skull.
Although that was just a small win, as the other three walkers snarled and groaned at her, their rotten hands snatching at her wildly, as she quickly tried to retract the blade.
One of the dead figures bit at her, missing her hand by mere inches…
She felt scared. Really scared. Trapped like a rabbit in the headlights.
She could barely see the walkers to fight them off, here in the darkness. So her only chance of survival was escape.
Blake's eye darted this way and that, trying as hard as she could to figure out a way of getting out…but it was impossible….
"Help!" she cried loudly, hoping the Saviours would hear her cries. "HELP, PLEASE!"
But her shouts only caused to provoke the walkers more….as they moaned ever-louder, advancing on her with snapping teeth….
But there was nowhere for Blake to go….
Apart from the door that led back out to the warehouse. She was trapped….right?
But Blake breathed hard.
The red door.
She spun around, running as fast as she could towards the opposite end of the corridor…to where the red door stood….
Just beneath it, she could see a small crack of pale light streaming through.
The door led to the outside. It had to.
This was it….this was her chance to escape!
She moved over to it quickly….turning the handle …hearing the dead shifting ever closer….
But the door, to Blake's utter dismay, was shut fast.
"No, no, no, no.." she cried, with desperate crying breaths, as tears began to slip from her eyes before she could stop them. She knew that this now might be the end. "Please, please…..no."
She pushed as hard as she could, shoving her shoulder against the door, a sob inside her chest…but it wouldn't budge.
She turned to see the walkers just a couple of feet away.
This was it.
She could try and attack one of them, but in the low light and small-spaced corridor, there was little chance of her survival.
This was the end for her.
Blake let out an uncontrollable sob, clutching at her mouth with one shaking hand, raising her knife with the other….
So, so frightened….leaning back against the door…with no way out….
But as she winced, taking in a sharp breath, waiting for death….she, all of a sudden, found herself toppling backwards into the pale bright light….as rain and gunshots fell suddenly all around her.
She hit the asphalt beneath her hard, landing on her ass.
Blake, shaking from top to bottom, looked up, bracing herself, to see Negan and his eight Saviours standing there, three of them shooting at the dead….who each collapsed to the ground before they could make a grab for her.
She had never felt anything like this in her life….she was shaking like a leaf…her face wet through a combination of tears and the constant falling rain, which was currently soaking through her blue shirt and indigo jeans.
She looked back at the walkers…lying there, no longer a threat to her anymore.
But the terrifying fear was still there.
The panic.
The shellshock.
But as she breathed hard, she felt a sudden figure come up beside her…
….and Blake glanced up, to see the tall and rain-soaked Negan standing there, a smirk lingering across his smug features.
He reached out a hand towards her.
"I'm impressed," he uttered. "Although I thought you might have taken out a couple more of those sorry fucks, before we rescued you.."
Blake sat there or a moment on the cold wet ground, her chest rising and falling rapidly just staring up at him.
She didn't understand.
"Sorry we had to shut you in like that, Doll-face," murmured the Saviour easily. "But you did good."
But at this…at his comment, Blake's heart seemed to stop.
What had he just said?
Blake tensed her fist around the knife in her hand.
"What?" she managed to mutter in a deadly tone.
But Negan just arched his back lazily, his hand still held out towards her.
"Doll," he muttered with a sorry sort of smile, shaking his head. "I just needed to prove to you, that you are a queen that don't need help from any fucking son-of-a-bitch here. An' I mean, I was sorta right. Apart from right at the end, of course."
But Blake's eyes blackened, as she scrambled to her feet, not bothering to take his hand.
She was seething, her chest heaving with every breath she took.
She glared back at Negan, pointing at him with her free hand, and throwing her knife to the ground.
"You almost just got me killed just to prove a fucking point?!" she said in a high-pitched, incredulous voice. "You're an asshole! A fucking asshole!"
She could feel her blood boiling, tears still spilling their way down her cheeks, masked by the falling rain.
How could he do this to her? Shut her in like that? Almost get her killed, torn to shreds by walkers.
But Negan took a step towards her, his face suddenly becoming dark and unreadable.
He now looked like the dangerous man she had heard about so often.
Negan bared his teeth, pointing back at her intimidatingly.
"An asshole rying to prove a fuckin' point that you don' fuckin' need a man that treats you like utter fuckin' shit, sweetheart!" he yelled back at her, his face grim.
Blake suddenly paled, stepping back slightly.
Did Negan know about David?
Blake's heart pounded within her ribcage…..as rain continued to fall all around them, deafeningly loudly.
"I have told you from the fuckin' beginning, Doll, that you are worth more than that, an' hell, you have survived out there, better than half these sorry sons-of-bitches would have," Negan uttered in a low growl pointing at his men, but keeping his dark eyes locked on Blake's green ones. "So don't you start givin' me your piece-of-shit excuses now, Doll-face. You're a fuckin' Queen, and you gotta remember that, when you're defending that spineless fuckin' asshole back there-"
But Blake was angry.
What the hell did Negan know about anything?
She wasn't taking this from him, standing here in the middle of nowhere surrounded by his men.
David wasn't spineless.
He loved her.
And Blake knew what she felt in return. What she had to feel.
"I love him," she uttered in a firm and steady voice through the rain, shaking her head and staring back at Negan angrily.
But Negan looked equally as angry as Blake felt, dragging a hand down his face irritably at her words for a brief moment, before pointing Lucille at her face.
"You fuckin' love that prick, Peaches, when all he does is treat you like shit. I mean, hell, the first time I saw you he was beatin' you upside the pretty face in front of all my men," Negan began, sounding furious. "And don't you dare fuckin' even begin to lie to me about where you got those fuckin' bruises."
Negan suddenly grabbed Blake's forearm tightly….with his free hand…but unlike David's grip there a few days ago…..his hold on her was strong but not painful…his fingers not digging into her skin like her fiancé's had.
"I ain't dumb, darlin'. I can fuckin see you've been grinded down by that stupid piece of utter shit, and made to feel like you ain't worth nothin'. But in your eyes that goddamn douchebag can do no fuckin' wrong."
Blake felt herself trembling within Negan's grasp, her chest rising and falling hard, as the rain fell around both of them.
She looked up in Negan's chocolate eyes that were full of anger and frustration.
"That's why I fuckin' went ahead and separated you from your asshole boyfriend who sold you the fuck out, for his own room and his chance to get a rub-down by Frankie each night," Negan finished, the corners of his mouth turned downwards. "And that's why I brought you out here and pushed you to your fuckin limits, Doll-face. 'Cause I know you are more than that."
But Blake tore her eyes from Negan's, looking down at his hand holding her arm tightly…
"He's my fiancé…" was all she could manage to utter in reply, her shoulders slumped dejectedly.
All Negan had said was true...she knew that…as tears slipped from her eyes, falling onto the rain sodden asphalt below.
But the tall, dark-haired man in front of her, tensed his jaw, his chocolate eyes roving across her features.
"Yeah, so you keep fuckin' sayin', sweetheart," said Negan with a sigh, finally letting go of her arm and placing his hand over his tired eyes for a brief moment. "But, hell, darlin'. I aint feelin' much fucking love in this goddamn relationship."
Blake peered up at him…this man she barely knew…breathing hard…but could not bring herself to say another word…..
For she knew that he could read her like a book.
But did he really know the true extent of David's actions?….His threats...his cruel words….
Or was this only guesswork? Negan joining up the pieces…
He didn't know about the months of mental and physical abuse back at Alexandria….or even the fact that David had come and seen her the other night….
But despite this, Blake felt something she had not felt in a long time…..and that was safe.
Standing here with the tall dark-haired leader of the Saviours…
This dangerous man.
Negan stared back at Blake….his eyes full of something words just weren't enough to say right now….but Blake needed him to say it….
But before she had any more time to dwell, the moment was gone….and Negan shouted back to his men through the pouring rain.
"Alright," he said arching his lean figure as he spoke. "Take the stuff and get back to base in the loaded up truck."
But he ran his tongue over his teeth, his eyes returning to hers, surveying Blake solidly, as rain fell onto his leather-clad shoulders.
"Me and Peaches here are goin' for a drive."
Blake blinked up at him through wet eyelashes, letting out an unsteady breath and giving a gulp.
Where was he intending to take her?
But she knew her questions would likely soon be answered, as Negan nodded over toward the truck they had come here in, as the other Saviours all loped off towards the other bigger vehicle.
For moment she didn't move, rooted to the spot in the ever-falling downpour, her green eyes flickering over to the truck she had arrived here in just an hour or two ago.
But Negan merely leaned in towards her, his lips brushing her caramel hair as he spoke, his hand gripping her upper arm lightly.
"Get in, Doll," he muttered commandingly.
And Blake, for once, did as she was told.
Hope that chapter was ok?
Thanks to FriendsWithTheMonster, Dollfacex94, Guest, Xmidniteangel15X, Keward2592, whereshadowplays and JudithMosalii for reviewing.
Hopefully will update on Monday if I can- if you are interested in reading more on Blake and Negan that is? If you are, let me know! Have a good weekend.
Please review! :)