Maggie cursed herself as she washed the stray breakfast dishes that had been left behind, when Negan and Michonne had arrived with supplies.
No. They had arrived with much more than supplies. They had returned with food. Food they could eat.
She felt guilty at having let others find food for her. She felt guilty that many of the things she had tried to grow in the gardens in Alexandria, were not enough for people here to survive on.
But that wasn't what was filling her mind, as she turned off the water. Maggie had not fooled Negan with that kiss. She could see it in his eyes. He was not turned on or desirous of anything more from her.
Negan was suspicious. And there had to be a way to save this plan of hers and Darryl's to get Negan the hell out of their stronghold! Maggie had tried to see Negan as Glenn, when she put her mouth on his, but that didn't work.
And there was no comparison between Negan and Brian, who was a gentle giant. More people would realize that the longer Brian was here. But how did she summon up the will to act as if she wanted Negan? How? Maggie had been sure she could accomplish this when she and Darryl had hatched this plan but now, the reality of it was…
Maggie hated Negan more than ever.
Suddenly, Sherry came to mind! Sherry, who had had to pretend to like him for the sake of her own life and Dwight's! And she had had to sleep with that man, knowing that her husband knew she was with him, intimately. The same man that had burnt Dwight's face with an iron. Maggie couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if that terrible night had went differently? What if Negan had just taken them all back to the Sanctuary and made slaves of them? What if she had been forced to be a 'Negan Wife' right in front of Glenn? What if Negan had disfigured Glenn?
Glenn would have been disfigured, but still alive.
Maggie sighed and walked out of her kitchen and into the foyer. She pulled a gun out of a drawer, opened the door and stepped out on to the porch. Herschel was off with some of the kids, eating the twinkies Negan and Michonne had brought back for the community. Maggie looked over at the basement prison that Dwight, Sherry and Morgan were in. She would pull Sherry out, alone, then ask her some questions about how to deal with Negan, in the way she had agreed to with Darryl.
Maggie smiled at Father Gabriel, who was standing on the bridge with Rosita, as she hurried over to the basement stairs and into the prison. She hurried down the stairs and…
Carol was there and she had just let Morgan, Dwight and Sherry out! And they all had weapons. Maggie didn't even bother brandishing her gun.
"Carol? What are you doing?" Maggie asked. It was clear she had given Morgan, Dwight and Sherry the ammunition.
"I'm leaving with Morgan. I'm going back to Georgia. There's someone I want to reconnect with there." Carol said calmly.
"You're leaving?" Maggie asked, as if she had not heard her.
"Yeah. She is." Morgan answered. "And we're taking Negan with us."
Maggie's eyes widened and she finished walking down the steps so she could face the three of them.
"How do you plan to get him out of here?" Maggie asked.
"He can come with us peacefully or die." Dwight told her. Maggie shook her head!
"Why not just kill him now?" she asked.
"If he really is RJ's father, then we'd have killed him while his son was here." Morgan said in a low voice. "We're going to take him back to the prison and put him in once of the cells there until we feel he's a changed man. Like Rick wanted. Clearly, he's not much better than he was before he went in these cells, years ago."
Maggie just stared at the three of them, unable to believe such a large weight was being lifted off of her! She looked at Carol again.
"Let me help you."
"You can." Carol said and she pulled Maggie into a corner.
"What?" Maggie asked.
"I need you to drug Beta. We're taking him as well."
Maggie gaped at her! Had she heard Carol right?
"No!" she snapped.
"There is no reason for him to stay with Negan gone. He's a crazed killer, Maggie. You have to think of the people here and their safety. I don't think you can…"
"You agreed to let him in here, Carol!" Maggie yelled.
"I know. And I was wrong." she said, handing Maggie a bottle of phenobarbital. "Give him a large plate of the corned beef hash Negan and Michonne brought in here. Ground this in there and he'll be out before you know it."
"What do you plan to do with him?" Maggie asked in a hollow voice. Morgan walked over.
"I'm sorry, Maggie. I am. But we can't tell you that. Just make sure he's knocked out when we take him, okay?" he asked gently. Tears slipped down Maggie's face and she clutched the pill bottle. She then nodded and turned to hurry up the stairs. Once she was gone, Carol looked at Morgan, Dwight and Sherry.
"Negan is with Beta. I saw him heading to his cell with his special 'bat'. Let's do this before Darryl and Michonne return from their supply run." Carol told them.
Beta's eyes glittered with rage as he watched Negan slowly come down the stairs and stand outside of his cell. He held a bat with barbed wire coiled around it. Negan said nothing and slammed the bat against the bars!
Beta did not even flinch.
"I want to know, what you told Michonne when she was down here. And I want you to tell me right now." Negan said in a calm, commanding tone of voice.
Beta, who had been sitting on his cot, got up and walked to the bars.
"I sent her to find knowledge." was Beta's answer.
Negan raised a brow!
"You sent her…to find…knowledge? What the fuck does that mean?"
"Nothing you would understand." was Beta's reply.
"Listen to me, you piece of oversized shit, if you don't tell me what you've done to Michonne…" Negan began just as the door to the building opened. He glanced behind him and saw Carol only, then turned back to face Beta.
"I'm glad you're here!" he called out to Carol, while staring at Beta. "Jolly Giant here sent Michonne and Darryl off looking for bullshit! Now I want you to tell me…"
Negan stopped suddenly and turned back around.
Morgan had come in as well. With his stick. Now, Negan knew this visit was about something else entirely.
"What is this shit?" Negan asked, backing away from the bars and facing Carol and Morgan.
Morgan spoke.
"We're leaving here. With you. We're taking you with us to Georgia, to the prison, where you'll stay until you can be the man Rick and Carl wanted you to be." Morgan said in a low tone of voice.
Negan looked from Morgan to Carol.
"Really? You're stabbing me in the back? I killed Alpha, like you asked me to and now I have to go back in a cell?"
Beta eyed Carol.
"You were responsible for Alpha's murder?" Beta asked. Carol didn't even blink as she turned her attention briefly to him.
"Did you really think we were going to let you get away with killing all of our people? Did you really think I was going to let you kill my boy like that?" she asked, her voice trembling with rage. Morgan put a hand on her arm.
"Henry was a fine boy. So was his older brother, Benjamin." Morgan said, now looking from Beta to Negan. Negan clenched his jaw.
"Look, Morgan," Negan said, "I heard about what happened on that run. It was fucked up. If I could have changed anything about that day, I would have. I'm sorry, okay?"
"Are you sorry about Grace?" Morgan asked him.
"Nothing's happened to Grace! I didn't lay a hand on your woman, Morgan! She tried to murder Michonne and myself and then steal our supplies! She's out in the wild someplace! Look, I'll help you look for her if it would make you feel any better." Negan said, his tone brimmed with a sort of impatient sincerity.
"You're coming with us. We'll find Grace first, then head down to Georgia. If we find Grace is dead, we will deliver you back here, just as dead as Grace is." Morgan told him.
"Nice!" Negan snapped. "Nice betrayal, Carol! So what about Jolly Green here? He gets a pass for his murdering ass ways?"
"No." Carol said, looking from Negan to Beta. "You're coming with us. We can't leave you here, even if that's what Maggie wants."
Beta said something then, that surprised everyone.
"I will come with you. I need to be where my wife and daughter died. It will bring me peace." he replied. Negan rolled his eyes!
"Well I'm not going! So you're going to have to kill me." he told them.
Beta suddenly gripped the door bars hard, before lifting them off of their hinges and shoving it out and at Morgan and Carol! It fell on them, causing them to fall to the ground! Beta then stood on top of the bars, and on top of them!
"I can't breathe!" Carol gasped. Negan took the opportunity to run past the three of them and up the stairs! He burst open the door and hauled ass past the van that Dwight and Sherry were waiting in, before hurrying to Michonne's house! He slammed inside, and Judith and RJ hurried out of the kitchen! They had been drinking a mixed berry koolaid concoction.
"What is it?!" Judith asked and grabbed her gun off of a table.
"Maggie's monster husband is loose! He's killing Carol and Morgan now! Let's get out of here and find your mother!" Negan told them. The three of them ran from the house and to the last spare truck that was around! They got in and Negan sped to the gate!
"Open up the fucking gate!" Negan snapped to the guard on duty.
"Why? What's going on?" the guard asked, before screams were heard! Negan looked back towards the building that had housed Beta and saw him throw Dwight across a car! Sherry was firing at Beta from the front, while Morgan, who apparently survived, began beating him with his stick on his back! Carol stumbled out, clawing at her throat, while Maggie ran right up to him!
Negan turned back to the guard!
"Open up the gate so that he'll chase me out of here! I'm the one he wants!" Negan yelled. The guard did as he was told and opened the gate! Negan sped down the road, checking in his rearview mirror for any signs of Beta. There were none.
"Where is Mama?" RJ asked, sounding fearful.
"She's with Darryl looking for more food. We'll find her, don't worry." Negan told both kids and Judith nodded to him, smiling gratefully. Negan smiled back and tried not to think about what he had left behind. Hopefully, Maggie could control her beast husband. And if she couldn't, then there would be nothing left at Alexandria for them to go back to.
Michonne found a pack of Oreo Cookies and a six pack of Budweiser beer, when she felt…something. Something flow through her body. Something terrible.
They needed to get back to Alexandria and come back for more supplies later! Michonne put her things in the back of the truck and saw that Darryl had already set a large amount of blankets, along with two lanterns, in the truck bed already. She looked around and saw that Darryl himself, was sitting down by the lake on a log. He was reading the graphic novel they had found, 'Days Gone Bye'.
Michonne sat down beside him.
"What do you think?" she asked him.
"I'm not in here." was his response.
"What do you mean?" Michonne asked.
"I mean Shane is killed early in this book. He was really killed at Herschel's farm. This book doesn't even cover that. And I was with everyone at this camp. With Glenn. I mean there's no sign of me here." Darryl said, turning pages quickly.
"That doesn't mean anything. You probably show up later." Michonne said, eyeing him. "This really bothers you, doesn't it?"
"I am not in this." he said again. Michonne reached out and slowly took the book from him.
"There was a lot here that I never knew anything about." she told him. "I'll look for the other books later. Let's get back. I can feel something is wrong."
"What do you mean?" Darryl asked.
"I don't know but I can just feel it." she said.
"You can feel it because of Beta? He's done something?"
"I think so. Let's just get back." Michonne said, just as Negan came roaring into the area with the truck! Michonne and Darryl looked at one another, then back at the truck. Michonne hurried over to them, while carrying the book.
Darryl reached under the log he was been sitting on. He reached under it and pulled out the fifth volume of this eerily familiar series they had found. It was titled 'The Best Defense'. He had found it in a cabin with two walkers, that were each lying in bunk beds. Darryl killed them and just happened to see this particular book, sticking out from under the bottom bunk.
What happened in it made him sick.
What happens to Michonne would make her sick or anyone else that read it.
He could not let her see this one. Ever.
If he had been in these books, that would have never happened to Michonne.
Darryl threw it in the water and hurried back over to where the others were…
Grace jumped out of the back of the truck! Darryl eyed her.
"Grace? Where did you come from?" he asked.
Negan answered.
"We picked her up in the road. I don't know how the hell I found this place but I did! Beta just took the bars off the hinges and threw them on Morgan and Carol! Then he fucking stood on the bars while they were under them! I don't know how they got him off of them, but they did! Dwight tried to help but he's an asshole, so he got thrown. Sherry…I hope she made it. I hope everyone made it, especially Lydia."
"So you just drove off and didn't try and help anyone?" Darryl asked.
"Hey! I tried to lure him after us! I tried to be the bait but he didn't go for it! And I had my family to fucking protect, Darryl! Maybe you can't see that, since no one gives two shits about you!"
"Okay!" Michonne yelled. "That's enough. I have to go back. I have to find Beta. Between myself and Maggie…"
Negan touched her shoulders.
"Honey, he took the hinges off of the jail door. He could have gotten out that whole time. He's too dangerous to just lock up. You can kill him. You just have to be creative. There's no way he can survive fire or toxic waste or something! Maybe you can talk him into swallowing his own tongue? But we can't rehab someone like that. I need to know that you understand that?"
Michonne nodded.
"Of course I know it, Negan. We all know it! But nothing works! I don't know if any of those ideas you mentioned will actually work!" she huffed. Michonne did not realize that Judith and RJ had managed to take the graphic novel from her hands, and were now sitting in the back of the truck Darryl and Michonne had put supplies in. They had begun to read it.
"Does anyone care that Morgan, Carol and Dwight might need medical attention? We need to get back." Grace said. Darryl nodded.
"Let's get going. Negan, you need to stay here with the kids. Michonne, Grace and I will go back to Alexandria and find out what's going on."
Negan was about to protest, but Michonne pulled him away from the others.
"I am not taking Judith and RJ back there. Just keep them safe here and I'll be back. There's supplies here but we didn't get far in finding them before I felt something was wrong. It was like I could feel Beta almost exploding." Michonne said.
"If you're not back here in two hours, I'm headed back with the kids. Oh and by the way, Carol has thrown in with Morgan, Dwight and Sherry. They tried to kidnap me!"
"What?"
"I was talking to Beta and they came into the cell block. They said they were taking me to Georgia to lock me up and they were taking Beta too. Carol has to go, Michonne."
"Okay. I'll talk to Carol."
"Uh, no. Carol leaves. Or dies. She can't stay after what she pulled today. It's either her or me." Negan told her, his eyes boring into hers.
"Let's get going!" Darryl called over to them. Michonne turned to walk away from Negan but he pulled her back to him for a brief kiss, before letting her go again. Negan smiled at Darryl and Grace, both of whom visibly reacted to the kiss. Darryl scowled and Grace looked away.
Negan watched Michonne, Darryl and Grace leave in the truck he had brought the kids in, before walking over to the other truck, where Judith and RJ were reading a book.
"What is that? An old comic book?" Negan asked, as he looked over the supplies that were in the truck bed.
Judith frowned.
"It's a book about the 'Brave Man', Carl and a woman he was married to named Lorie. The Brave Man has a partner named Shane and I think he likes Lorie. I think she was my mother." Judith said.
Negan stopped looking at the supplies and stared at her.
"What are you talking about? Let me see that." he said and Judith handed the book to him, just as RJ jumped off the back of the truck and hurried down to the water!
"Hey! RJ, don't go in there!" Negan yelled. He could see a row boat in the middle of the water.
"I'm just going to get the other book Uncle Darryl threw in the water!" RJ said and he saw the fifth book very easily in the shallow water. He picked it up and returned to his sister—and father.