Of course Beta was alive. A man like him did not die easily.
He sat at a table on the large porch that had once housed camp counselors, and later, survivors of this world that now was. Beta had killed all of them the first night he arrived.
He heard one of them at the bottom of the stairs, growling. That one had been in a wheelchair when he was alive. Beta had put him out of his misery by way of a machete to the face, and then watched as the man rolled backwards off the porch and down the stairs. Beta could almost hear the now undead man thanking him.
Yes, Beta could hear that man and others. But Alpha's voice was even stronger. She was here, somewhere, calling to him. Telling him what to do.
Beta stood up and looked towards the entrance of the camp. There was a sign there that read 'Packanack Lodge: Training Camp For Counselors'. He could almost feel them coming. The group that had destroyed Alpha and their people.
Negan. He could tell he was close by. He could feel it.
Beta slowly walked down the side stairs of the porch and past the wheelchair bound person he had slain the other night. He was growling in an almost urgent way, as if he were trying to communicate his displeasure at having been killed. Beta looked around. He could hear all of his victims growling, some intensely, some in an almost feral manner. The noise was like music to his ears.
He coughed, then began to make the rounds, as he always did since the moment Beta had come here to stay. Beta had to make sure that no one discovered this place and decided they could steal from him, or worse yet, make it a home. His home. His new home.
Beta moved through a thicket of trees and found the man that had become ensnared in a trap Beta had set. The walker was hanging upside down, snarling with rope around one ankle. Beta walked over to him and bent down slightly. The walker snarled into his ear but did not try and bite it. Beta stood up to full height and forged on, until he ran across a yellow beetle volkswagen, that still had gas in it. Beta had not seen a car like that since he was a kid and planned to venture out in it soon.
The 6'4" monstrosity lumbered back towards the house. One of his kills appeared in the doorway of one of the cabins. She had been blonde and had given Beta a lot of trouble before he finally killed in her in a surprise attack. She had thought she had killed him with an axe to the back of his neck, before running off, screaming for help.
It was her screaming that had been her undoing.
Beta pulled the axe out of his neck, hearing Alpha's soft, tone of voice, urging him to pull the axe out and put it into the back of the woman's head. Beta had indeed pulled the axe out, but forgot about the weapon as he stumbled after the woman, who was also the last person alive. He waited until she returned to her own cabin to cry and catch her breath, before flinging himself through the large, picture window in her cabin, landing on the woman and strangling her to death.
Beta nodded cordially to her undead form, before returning back towards the main house. He had to get ready for the new intruders that he sensed were coming.
No, he had not sensed them.
Alpha had told him they would be arriving soon.
Negan did not get his wish to ride on the same horse as Michonne. But he figured he'd have to take his victories when he could get them. He rode on one side of the road atop a horse, while Michonne rode on the other. Two other horses pulled an old car with the top down, that Carol and Aaron sat in.
Darryl rode up ahead on his motorcycle. Negan smiled at the sight of Darryl being so far away before he began making conversation…
"So…Michonne…where did you go looking for Rick?" Negan asked.
Aaron and Carol looked at one another.
"Shut up, Negan." Aaron said casually.
"I'm just asking a question," Negan replied just as casually, as he stared over at Michonne, "I mean it's getting cold at night. If Rick is out there he might not have proper cold weather clothing…"
"Oh my God, really?" Carol asked, already at the end of her patience. "Can you not talk? We don't want to attract 'company'."
But Michonne was used to Negan's juvenile ways and looked over at him.
"It's okay, both of you. I know everyone has questions. I found some of Rick's things and followed a trail that lead to a dead end. Darryl told me what was going on here by walkie talkie, and I decided that finding Rick would have to wait for another time. End of story." Michonne replied.
But Negan was not about to let that be the end of the story.
"What do you mean you found some shit of his? Like what?" he asked.
"Like shit." was Michonne's response.
"Can you be more specific?" Negan asked.
Michonne actually began to pay him careful attention now.
"It was enough to convince me that he's not dead."
"Well hell, Michonne, you should have spoke up! I would've been happy to go with you and find Rick! Shit, if you had taken me along, he'd be here now, FOUND! I'm hurt that you didn't ask." Negan sniffed.
Michonne looked away. Aaron glared up at Negan and Carol's eyes glittered with suspicion. Negan was up to something but Carol couldn't quite fathom what.
Meanwhile, Darryl glanced behind him, sensing something but when he looked at the foursome, they appeared to be riding quietly along. He turned as he saw an old street sign hidden behind brush. He stopped his motorcycle, laid it down and walked over to it. He moved the brush aside and saw that it read 'Cunningham Road'.
Michonne rode up ahead to see what Darryl was looking at. Aaron stopped the horses and got out to join them. That left Carol and Negan alone.
"What was that?" Carol asked.
"What was what?" Negan asked in response.
"Your giving Michonne crap about Rick!"
Negan kept his eyes on Michonne, Darryl and Aaron before looking down from his horse at her.
"That wasn't me giving Michonne shit. That was me ascertaining that Mr. Grimes was truly gone and would not be coming back. I don't want him coming between Michonne and myself later on."
Carol gave him a blank look.
Then her expression dissolved into a big grin!
"That's a joke, right? You just told a joke?" she asked.
Negan, who had been grinning himself, stopped grinning.
"No, Miss Carol. I'm not joking. And if you ever want to seal the deal with Dixon over there, you'd better start seeing what is in front of your eyes."
"What does that mean?" Carol asked.
"When you have time on your hands, you learn things. And when you have an open window in your cell and listen to people talk, you hear things. I know damned well that there is something between Dixon and you that has not happened yet. Or has it?" Negan asked.
Carol now got out of the car and walked up to him.
"You should have stayed in that cabin I found for you. And if you don't stop whatever this is, I will go to the council and they will vote to banish you."
Negan grinned again!
"I thought you said they already had?"
"Negan, Maggie is barely able to tolerate you…"
"Then she should find another place to live. I've lived in Alexandria longer than she has. And you're just upset because I called you out on your non-fucking of Dixon. I overheard your boyfriend and Maggie talking. He wants Michonne and plans to make that very clear, very soon. When he does, your chance to be with him will be gone forever."
Carol struggled not to react.
"I know Darryl cares about her."
"So you knew about his plans?" Negan countered.
Meanwhile, Darryl looked over at Carol and Negan, before then looking at Aaron and Michonne.
"What's going on with those two?" he asked.
"Negan was being his usual asshole self. Carol is probably giving him a piece of her mind." Aaron said, before returning his attention to the road sign.
"What is it?" Michonne asked.
"Gabriel and I came through the woods, not the road. But I lived in Alexandria before everything fell apart. I don't remember this road." Aaron admitted. Michonne looked to the right. Cunningham Road went down into a wooded area.
"The camp you came from must be down there." Michonne said.
Aaron shook his head slightly.
"I don't know. Something about this doesn't feel right. I don't think this was the place."
Meanwhile, Carol was aware that Darryl was now watching her and Negan.
"Michonne is not interested in anyone but Rick, okay? She never has been. So whatever little plan you're dreaming up to get her, by using me, isn't going to work. And I don't believe you're really even interested in her."
Negan grinned again!
"Why is that?" he asked.
"Because you're an opportunist, among many other things." Carol told him.
Negan got off of his horse and faced her.
"If you're thinking of telling Michonne any of this, I'll have a story to tell as well. One that you won't look too good in."
Carol turned away with contempt and walked towards Darryl, Michonne and Aaron. Negan was planning to take over Alexandria and he wanted Michonne under his control. And she suspected he had waited for her to NOT return with Rick, to begin making his moves.
"What was that?" Darryl asked.
"For Maggie's sake and our own, we need to re-home him someplace else." Carol said.
"What's going on?" Aaron asked, just as Negan walked up to them.
"So what's the plan?" Negan asked when he reached the group, knowing damned well they were talking about him.
Michonne took over. It was clear that Negan had upset Carol in someway. Maggie and Carol. Negan could not stay and she would make him see that.
"The plan is that we're going to see where that road ends. Chances are it's the camp Aaron and Gabriel were attacked at. We get there and split up looking for Beta. Aaron, I want you to go with Darryl and Carol. I'll go with Negan." Michonne said.
Darryl reached for her arm and pulled her away from the others.
"What are you doing? Let's just all stay together."
"Carol is pissed off about something. I am going to get Negan to leave once we take care of this Whisperer." Michonne said.
"How?"
"I'll figure something out." she told him, smiling.
Negan stared at the two of them and Aaron could not help but notice that Carol was watching Negan as he did this. Suddenly, Darryl and Michonne ended their meeting and walked back over to them. Negan spoke.
"So what's the deal?" he asked.
"What I said it was. Let's get going." Michonne said.
Negan smiled at her.
"Lead the way, Warrior Princess." he said and Michonne sighed. The faster they got this task over with, the quicker they could all begin living 'Post Negan' lives. Finally.