The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 68

"Can you do it?," Tony asked again, putting strong emphasis on the word can.

Eugene glanced around the small dirty factory before staring back down at his feet. He wasn't sure what had been previously produced in the building but whatever it was it had stopped being made long before the turn. Since whenever that was, the space appeared to have been used mainly for storage. But the outdated machinery had never been moved out. Maybe it was too heavy or maybe whoever owned it had considered it worthless. Eugene didn't have to look up to know what equipment remained in the space. He had been coming out several times a week to stare at it for several months now. Sometimes Olivia joined him. Sometimes he came on his own. He usually stayed for about an hour, standing quietly and staring at the dusty room full of cobwebs and possibility.

Eugene ticked his eyes upward without moving his head, making brief eye contact with Tony. The man stood as still as a statue, his back ramrod straight and his arms folded loosely across his broad chest. Like Abraham before him, Eugene considered Tony to be his personal bodyguard. But other than being strong and skilled fighters, the two men couldn't have been more different. Where Abraham had been loud and often overbearing when it came to Eugene, Tony was quiet and serious. He always seemed to have endless patience with Eugene. Once or twice he had even quieted Rosie and Olivia down, whispering to the girls to wait and give Eugene a moment to think so he could solve whatever problem was plaguing them.

Finally Eugene looked up and nodded. He could do it. He was capable of making bullets. His willingness to complete the task was a separate issue.

"They killed two of our people. They kidnapped three more. They threatened to kill Olivia over a gun," Tony said. His baritone voice was neutral. He was not begging or demanding yet. Just stating his position.

Eugene felt the fear wrap around his gut like barbed wire. He had been afraid before. Most of his life had been spent in fear of one thing or another. But when he had seen the saviors point a gun at his pregnant girlfriend and threaten to kill her it had unlocked a new level of terror inside him. Eugene knew he loved her. But he had not realized just how deeply until that moment. He would have taken that bullet for her and their child if given the chance. And he had slowly realized that along with the new pit of terror in his stomach, another new emotion was welling up inside him. Anger. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the unfamiliar feeling yet. But when he thought about the finger sized bruises on Olivia's arm, he felt like a pot of water about to boil over.

"I can make a bullet. I can make lots of bullets. But with our limited guns and numbers, it would still be statistically impossible to beat the saviors in combat," Eugene announced. He swallowed down the lump of anger in his throat before he added, "The smartest course of action would be to produce bullets for the saviors in the hopes that such a worthy payment would inspire them to leave us in peace."

"I will give nothing to those Wendigo," Tony responded, spitting on the ground when he said the last word. Eugene nodded. He was aware of the other man's feelings on the subject. Tony had been uncharacteristically vocal at the town meeting. He had even argued with Deanna in front of everyone and Tony usually offered her the same unquestioning loyalty and respect that he gave to Grey Wolf.

"We can't beat them," Eugene said. They didn't have much of a chance before and they sure as hell had none now that the saviors had taken all their bullets and most of their guns.

"We don't need to beat them. We only need to kill Negan. Without their leader the wendigo will turn on each other. When they are done fighting amongst themselves we will kill whoever is left alive then take back what is ours."

Eugene didn't answer right away. He fiddled with a loose string on the edge of his pants and quietly thought over the other man's words. It wasn't a good plan. But it wasn't the worst one he had ever heard either. The way Eugene saw things there were three choices. They could fight the saviors and lose. They could admit defeat now and just resign themselves to a life of abuse and slavery. Or they could run. None seemed like desirable options. Though to Eugene, running was the most appealing choice. It was an option he had already strongly considered. But he and Olivia didn't have the survival skills to go it alone. And Tony wouldn't leave without Rosie. And Rosie wouldn't leave without Spencer. And there was no way Spencer would leave his parents. Which meant there were really only two options. Slavery or Death.

"He will kill you if you miss," Eugene said. Tony's eyes widened slightly. To even suggest that one of the wolves might be overestimating their skills at shooting or fighting was practically sacrilege. If they hadn't been discussing something so serious the man's attitude might have given Eugene some much needed amusement.

"I never miss," Tony quickly spit back. "But if I do I'm prepared to pay the price."

The thought of Tony being killed was almost enough to make Eugene immediately abandon the entire plan. Like Rowan was fond of saying, Tony was the ying to his yang. Their friendship had been slow to grow. But like most things that took time to build it was strong and sturdy. Eugene came up with the ideas and Tony dealt with the practical applications. Tony always listened to his opinion and never put himself above Eugene just because he was physically stronger. Quite the opposite. Since Tony had barely scraped through the 8th grade before dropping out of school to get a job, he often deferred to Eugene as he believed him to be the smarter and more knowledgeable of the two. They made a good team. Eugene didn't want to lose him. But not only that. The events of the saviors' attack were still fresh in Eugene's mind. When Grey Wolf attacked Negan, Negan didn't kill him. He had killed Eric instead. This sent a clear message. Mess with Negan and you could watch someone you care about die. Self sacrifice was easy. Sacrificing someone you love was a different animal entirely.

"You might not be the one to pay," Eugene said, looking down at his shoes again. He shuffled his feet for a moment, then looked back up. Tony had not moved from his position. He met Eugene's gaze and held it before he made the same request he had made the moment they arrived at the factory together.

"Make me a bullet."