Chapter 76: Shattered


KPOV

~A few days earlier~

A knock on my door, I had been looking after Judith and keeping to myself most days. Not wanting to be dealing with the looks people gave me since they heard news of what happened during my capture.

During our capture. Turning with Judith in my arms, I had been looking out my window, watching Daryl fixing his bike and keeping to himself most days too. "Kat?" I heard Glenn's soft voice call to me. "Michonne said you'd be in here," he told me as I smiled at him.

This was always our secret way of welcoming each other in, ever since the days back at the camp, that was how it worked for us. "Hey," I greeted him back. "How's Maggie?" I wondered how she was coping.

I had been meaning to talk to her for the longest time but I couldn't bring myself to. Not after what felt like I had failed her back during our kidnapping. "She's fine..." Glenn assured me, stopping beside me to look down at Judith in my arms.

"Or at least, she's trying to be," the sounds of these words felt very familiar when it came to me too. "She told me what happened...all of it. Thank you, for looking after her, protecting her the way you did," he was thankful for pulling my weight on it.

"It was a team effort, we kept each other safe," I argued out my point.

Putting Judith slowly on the ground, I handed her a few of her toys and got down with her. Glenn was leaning against the wall, his eyes on me. "But you are your father's daughter, you had what it took to kill those people," Glenn said with high held respect towards me.

For a second, his gaze fell to his feet before glancing back at me. "Which is something I've been meaning to talk to you about..." he drifted his sentence off.

Curiously, my brows furrowed at his words. "What is it?" I asked him, curious to hear what he was going to say.

"You were right," he told me out of the blue. His eyes were glued on me, firm and steady.

His eyes fell once more but from thought. "It was hard killing those people," Glenn admitted to me. "The second time I did, it was easier. I stopped Heath from having to do that," Glenn told me all that happened.

When his eyes met mine, they were softened after a brief glance to Judith next to me. "But what I saw, it was something I hoped never happened to any of us," Glenn's voice shook a little, possibly from the fear.

Again, my brows furrowed with genuine curiosity. "What did you see?" I questioned him.

"They had pictures, of their victims, of all the people they had bashed their skulls in," Glenn took no time to explain to me what he saw. "Kept it on a board, like it was something they were proud of to have it hanging up," I saw his lips twitch with anger from the memory.

The scarring vision must of had Glenn a little on edge lately. "Sick assholes possibly were proud of their work," I mumbled, remembering how sick the ones we had killed were too.

Glenn had let out a soft sigh as he leaned off the wall and crouched beside me. "I'm not saying I'm sleeping any easier now that I've taken lives that way," there was a soft, scared tone in his voice as he admitted this to himself more then he had to me.

"I'm just hoping that everything we did, what we all went through, stopped those assholes from coming back to us," Glenn told me as he was gesturing to the floor, to our homes. "Stops them from taking pictures of one of our caved in heads."

A few seconds of silence had enveloped us, had Judith not babbled a few sounds at us. "You were right," Glenn's eyes were meeting mine, at my level. "People like that don't deserve to live," he agreed with me.

Nodding, I could completely understand him. Having killed those Saviors, didn't feel like a mistake to me, a crime, it always did. But it was something that had to be done in order to keep us alive.

I didn't regret killing them. Not at all.


PRESENT DAY...KPOV

The soul we were going to lost, was Abraham. As he took the first swing, blood poured down his face, long lines of red covered his face. "Oh! Look at that! Taking it like a champ!" Negan yelled proudly at his work.

Abraham though, as always, was resisting it and did his best to kneel back up, straightening his back as he glared up at Negan. "Suck...my...nuts," how his brain still functioned with the hit he just took, was a shock to me. A shock to us all.

Raising his bat, Negan swung again. Thunk after heavy thunk, he left Abraham's poor head a memory. No longer, did he have a head, as it was so caved in, no one would of recognised him if they saw.

Negan took pleasure in it, grunting and groaning with each heavy blow he gave Abraham's obliterated head. My nails dug into the dirt, as my tears took over, my teeth gritting with each slam the bat hit to the floor.

Abraham's body laid out in front of us, showing us the evil and power this asshole had over us. How he could take people away easily, because he had people. If these people weren't here for him, I would rip his tongue right out of his own ass.

With every hit he gave Abraham, my nails dug deeper into the dirt, my body shook and the cries around me, influenced my own tears to fall. I want to kill him. I need to kill him. But there was nothing we could do but sit and watch Abraham die in front of us.

"Did you hear that?" Negan was amused as he panted and laughed, moving away from Abraham's corpse a little. "He said, 'Suck my nuts,'" he was imitating our lost friend.

Out of breath from the blows he just gave Abraham, his brains were splattered. My breathing heavy, my body shook and I could feel Sasha crumbling beside me. She just lost her boyfriend.

All thoughts were put aside as I glared at Negan. "Phew," he exhaled and let out a laugh before he continued his blows to land on whatever was left of Abraham.

Unable to look away, I hated Negan for killing a good soldier like Abraham, a good man, who respected us. Who followed our lead, who followed my dad's lead. He had so much faith in me. And now he's gone. Daryl was panting, my dad was breaking at the sight of what Negan was doing and I could hardly look to Carl.

His laughter as he stepped away from Abraham, to put his back to us slightly, he looked directly to my father, who could hardly either look away from Negan or look at him. "Oh, my goodness!" Negan chuckled.

"Look at this!" Negan yelled as he swung his bat, the blood splattered across my dad's face, a few spots fell onto mine too. "You guys, look at my dirty girl!" he proudly told everyone as he would show them his bat. He was showing it more to Michonne and her side of the line up.

I hate him. I hate him with everything I have in me. He took Abraham from us and he enjoyed doing it. What a sick and twisted asshole.


DPOV

Watching Abraham getting smashed to pieces with Negan's bat, I could hardly breathe, my tears were pouring from my eyes until I felt numb. I was angry, I wanted to rip this guy to shreds for taking a guy as strong and capable of taking him down as Abraham.

Who the hell does this guy think he is? By the looks of his attitude towards us, to killing one of us, he was proud. His ego was far too big for him to carry, so he was sharing it out with his stupid bat.

Announcing for us to take a look at his dirty bat, stained with the blood of the one we lost, I shivered and forced myself to look. I can't risk losing someone else. But Rosita, she was far more traumatised than any of us at witnessing Abraham's death.

"Sweetheart...lay your eyes on this," he encouraged Rosita to look, his bloody bat laid out in front of her but her eyes were glued to the floor, her tears silent as she was breaking down from the loss we had all suffered.

Sighing heavily, it was like Negan just realised what happened. "Oh, damn. Were you-" he stopped himself. "Were you together?" he gestured to Abraham with his bat.

Feeling my body quiver, I hated he was gloating Abraham's death to someone who loved him. It's like if he killed Kat and shoved it in my face. I would snap. I would kill him. "That sucks. But if you were, you should know there was a reason for all this," Negan tried to sympathise with her.

"Red-and hell, he was, is, and will ever be red," he joked about Abraham. "He just took one or six or seven for the team!" he yelled proudly. "So take...a damn look," he forced her again to look at it, keeping the bat far too close to her face.

Rosita was trembling, afraid, broken from the loss she just had to sit through. Glaring up at him, I couldn't take it anymore. I was starting to tremble. "Take a damn look!" he shouted down at her and without thinking, I got up.

Throwing a punch at him, I had grabbed at his jacket and used the strength I had through my anger to get to my feet and lunge at him. I went to take him, but one of the guys grabbed me and forced me back. "Daryl!" I heard Rick yell.

As I fought against him to get to Negan, another guy raced to me and would fight me to bring me down. Smugly, Negan wiped his face and turned to face me. The other two forcing me to the ground and onto my back.

"Daryl!" I heard Kat's little voice yell for me as she cried, seeing her from the way I awkwardly laid down on the ground, I saw her shifting on her knees, like she wanted to get up and save me.

Stay on the ground, please, I beg of you. Don't get up and get yourself killed for me. "No!" Negan shouted above them all.


KPOV

"Daryl!" I cried, seeing him being forced to the floor in front of me, had my heart pounding like crazy. I wanted to get up too, shifting up and down, side to side, like I was trying to find a way up but fought myself to stay down too.

I knew if I got up, it would only make things worse. Oh no. Oh no. Please don't kill him. I was trembling, tears flooding my eyes but I was finding it hard to blink as I just wanted to stare at him. Fear of never seeing him again, was breaking my heart to pieces.

"No!" Negan shouted, pointing his bat directly down at my dad.

"Oh, no," Negan said with a small chuckle. From the corner of my eye, it was like my dad was going to get up too and help him but stopped himself before making it worse. "That? Oh, my!" Negan gestured to Daryl.

Watching him crouch down beside Daryl, his eyes were darting between me and Negan. He was panting, trapped under the two that held him down. Feeling my body shake, my palms were pressed to the ground.

Please. Let him live. I was praying, hoping that if there was a God out there, that he would watch over Daryl. "That...is a no-no," Negan declared again. "The whole thing. Not one bit of that shit flies here," he made it clear to us.

My eyes were pouring with tears, as I feared for the one I loved. Trapped under them, with no way out and possibly, no way to save him from his wrath. Instantly, Dwight came over with Daryl's crossbow, one of Negan's men disappeared while Dwight had the crossbow aimed at Daryl.

Dwight was ready, ready to kill Daryl on the spot and I knew it. Their shared history proved as much. "Do you want me to do it?" Dwight asked Negan. "Right here," Dwight proved he was ready to kill Daryl right here and right now.

Grunting, Daryl tried to pull himself out of the one guy's hold. "No...p-p-please," I begged, stuttering as I felt like my heart was about to break through my chest.

Negan's eyes went to me, a sly smirk grew on his face as he licked his teeth and then glanced down at Daryl. Pulling him from his hair, tilting his head back to force Daryl to look at him. Daryl didn't. He kept his eyes on me.

I don't want him to die. Please, God. "No," Negan denied Dwight the privilege. Possibly so he could do it himself. "No, you don't kill that...not until you try a little," Negan grinned up at Dwight.

Daryl was grunting, trying to push out of his hold and panting as he kept his eyes on me. Just focus on me. It's okay. I had hope he could tell what I was thinking by looking at him. My heart breaking more and more as I saw them toy with him, play with his life.

Dwight glanced between Daryl and Negan before the three of them dragged him back to his spot. Once Daryl was where he should be, I let out a small breath of relieve. But we're not out of the woods yet.

Getting back to his feet, Negan straightened up and glanced to Daryl who now looked back at Negan. "And anyway...that's not how it works," Negan told us the facts, his voice projected loudly for all of us to hear him.

"Now, I already told you people..." Negan drifted a little in his lecture. "First one's free, then, what'd I say?" he asked but none of us spoke up. "I said I would shut that shit down! No exceptions," he repeated the same words he'd said when Glenn had stepped out of the line to go to Maggie.

How Negan held himself, was like he was a King without a crown. And I hated it with everything in me. "Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with...but I'm a man of my word," Negan assured us he was as honest as they came.

He had got so close to Daryl, I was trembling, feeling like he was going to end him, just to prove his point of those who broke the rules the second time. I could feel a vile coming up, like I was going to throw up everything I ever ate.

Staring at the sky for a moment, I prayed for it to not be Daryl. I prayed that he wasn't going to hurt any of us but I knew it was too late now. Abraham is already dead. Now that Daryl did what he did, Negan is going to kill another one of us.

I didn't want it, or need it. Stop this madness. "First impressions are important," Negan would smirk and smile at his words. "I need you to know me," at least he was being sincere on this forefront. "So..." Negan's hands went back to his bat.

Ready to hit someone, I felt my breath stuck in my throat at the thought of it being Daryl, Glenn, Rosita or Michonne. "Back to it," he said just before he rose his bat, turned around and slammed it into Glenn's skull.

Gasping, I watched as Glenn landed hard against the ground, his head bobbing from the impact before he fell. The second hit, stopped him from getting back up straight away. "No!" Maggie yelled before her sob was the loudest out of all of us.

Glenn's head was split in two as he slowly rose his head, his eyeball out of his socket as blood ran down his face. Sobbing, I stared at him, feeling my throat clench at the sight and guilt. I was supposed to protect him, for Maggie. I promised her.

There is no way he can survive that now... At this point, I was begging for it to be over. He's in pain. Put him out of his misery already. "Buddy, you still there?" Negan continued to joke as he saw Glenn's state, he was spluttering, spilling blood out of his mouth as he could hardly stay upright on his knees.

"I just don't know. It seems like you're trying to speak, but you just took a hell of a hit," Negan talked to Glenn like he was still there but we all knew he wasn't. Just put him out of his misery. Please.

Feeling my nails dig into the dirt again, I was crying the angriest tears I had ever let fall in my life. My teeth gritting together, my lips curled back and my heart pounding at the sad sight. "I just popped your skull so hard, your eyeball just popped out, and it is gross as shit!" Negan continued with his jokes.

My heart was breaking at losing such a close friend that I had since the very start of this mess. Glenn, you were always a good man. I want to remember you just like that. Always. Shaking, my breath was quivering from the sight of this, my heart shattering for Maggie, for Glenn and their unborn child.

"Maggie, I'll find you," Glenn's final words were for the woman he loved.

Sobbing harder, I could hear Maggie's wails as I was panting from the sight. "Oh. Oh, hell," Negan then looked to the rest of us.

"I can see this is hard on you guys," Negan acted like he cared. Glenn could hardly breathe, he was struggling to function, to look or to even keep himself upright. "I am sorry. I truly am," Negan apologised to us, to me briefly as he looked directly at me and then my dad.

Everyone was sobbing, my nails were digging into the ground under me, the chalk like ground was gritty underneath my nails but I didn't care. "But I did say it," Negan gave a reason for his stupid actions. "No exceptions!" he yelled before he took another swing at Glenn.

Each blow, each hard hit he gave Glenn's poor corpse, had me trembling with rage. A rage that was building inside me. First chance I get...he's dead. I hated him, for everything he was putting us through. The torture, the bloody murders and the way he got off on it. It was sickening and my tears were proof that I raged with sadness.

Poor Glenn. Poor Abraham. Poor Maggie. Sasha. Rosita. All of us. Glenn's unborn child. All of us were feeling the rage, the sadness but I knew a few of us felt it deeper than others. My teeth grinding together as my breath shook, if the floor wasn't as powered under my feet, my fingers would have bled from how tight my nails dug until they would touch my palm.

He is as good as dead. All of them.


DPOV

Watching Glenn take the hit, to hear his last words being directed to his wife, to see how his eye popped out of his skull from the impact of the two swings he had. I felt the guilt. It was crippling. That was supposed to be me. Not him.

This is my fault. I did this. I felt it, every hit that was supposed to be for me, it landed on him instead. My heart sank to my gut, my breaths shook from the tears that took over. I was breaking and I didn't care if I was.

The loss I felt, the memories that came flooding back to me, were ripping my heart to shreds. From the camp, to the farm, the prison, to Alexandria and everything in between, I felt more guilt than ever before.

I was the one that lead them to follow me. I was the one who went looking for Dwight. I should have stayed in Alexandria. I should have gone back. Maybe...Glenn would still be alive. I hated myself for what happened. But I hated Negan and Dwight even more.


RPOV

The same man that saved me all that time ago, saved me from being stuck in the tank, was now gone. Broken to pieces as his brain was scrambled on the floor. My tears, my heart, it was breaking from the loss I had suffered.

As a leader, I failed him. He died and I couldn't save him. What was I supposed to do? I knew anything could get worse if I tried to stop him. I don't want to lose anyone else. The second his head had popped out of his skull, I wanted his death to be quick.

I wanted to stop seeing him suffer but Negan was prolonging it, he would only make it worse and keep Glenn as alive as possible so we could feel him slowly slip from us. His death, wasn't slow. It was long, painful and the repetitive blows, echoed in my ears.

Each whack, I felt it and every crunch under it, was a noise I'd hear in my nightmares. Glenn...I am so sorry. For a man who didn't have to save me and who did, I failed him. I failed you. I am so sorry.

My breaths, my body shivers, my clenching heart, all of it, was the only thing reminding me I was alive. Everything in me, knew I should have died instead of him but part of me was thankful I hadn't.

I'm going to avenge them. I have to. Everyone is counting on me to do so.


CPOV

First, it had been Abraham. Then, when I thought it was going to be Daryl, it turned out to be Glenn. Having Glenn's eye popped out of his skull, was a sight I'd remember in my dreams. The thought of Glenn dead, the whacks he continued to take from Negan.

Eventually, he was nothing but a pile of brains and broken skull parts. Glaring at him, I gritted my teeth, shaking and quivering as I glared at him through my one eye. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to make him pay for this.

Glancing to Kat, eventually, she had bowed her head, focused on her breathing as she quivered, her fingers hiding in the dirt, her teeth gritting like mine. I knew what she was thinking. She's going to kill him too...


KPOV

Each thud against Glenn's shattering head, was denting and wearing away from the man we once knew. "You bunch of pussies," Negan slowed his blows as he panted. "I'm just getting started," he declared before he continued to smash Glenn's brains everywhere.

"Lucille is thirsty," he joked with a laugh. Maggie's whimpers tore into my soul. "She is a vampire bat," he said, waving his bat around. Glenn's body laid out on the ground, his hand would twitch and come to a slow stop.

All life in him, completely gone. I could hardly look anymore, from time to time, my head would bow, hearing the bat connect with Glenn's head on the ground. Eventually, my body went numb.

My focus now, was how I was going to avenge them, how I was going to kill Negan. When he was finally done, I had slowed my breathing, I had felt small jitters run up my spine at then tense emotion I had in me.

Everything in me, was deciding on ways I would kill him, on how and none of them were turning out right for me in this minute. One day. I'll kill him. "What? Was the joke that bad?" Negan asked us playfully, he wandered over and stopped in front of my dad.

My dad, had the same plan as me. His head rising slowly to look up at Negan. "I'm gonna kill you," he spoke lowly, trying to gain his voice from the sobs we'd all poured out of us.

Looking over to the bodies, dad then returned his gaze to Negan who took a few more steps towards him. "What?" Negan asked my father to repeat himself once Negan crouched down in front of him.

"I didn't quite catch that. You're gonna have to speak up," Negan encouraged my dad to raise his voice a little.

Sniffling, I tried to listen carefully, my eyes glued to them and my worry rose for my father. Think it dad. Don't say it. "Not today...not tomorrow...but I'm gonna kill you," my dad told him with stone cold confidence, looking him directly in the eyes.

Inhaling sharply, Negan was amused by my dad's threat. Kissing his teeth, Negan studied my father carefully. "Jesus," Negan whispered before chuckling softly. "Simon...what did he have, a knife?" Negan then turned his attention to one of the Saviors.

Simon stood tall, behind us, or so I could sense. "Uh, he had a hatchet," Simon told Negan what my father carried.

"A hatchet?" Negan's gaze didn't leave my father's until he heard what it was my dad carried. This asshole carries a bat, why can't my father carry a hatchet?

"He had an axe," Simon simplified it.

Amused, Negan definitely was. I could tell by his chuckle. Licking his teeth, Negan stared down at my father again. "Simon's my right-hand man. Having one of those is important," Negan began a small speech.

"I mean, what do you have left without them? A whole lot of work," Negan asked and answered his own question. "Do you have one? Maybe one of these fine people still breathing?" Negan questioned my father.

Dad's eyes averted his gaze as he briefly glanced to me, to Carl. He's worried about us. "Oh," Negan was amused whilst he spoke. "Or did I..." he then clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Gesturing with the bloody bat the same action he'd done moments ago.

Having no response from my father, Negan saw the rage in my father's eyes and sighed. "Sure. Yeah. Give me his axe," Negan ordered of his men but didn't look away from my father.

Once Negan took the hatchet off Simon, he waved it in front of my father's face. Dad didn't flinch, instead, he kept his eyes locked on Negan. Getting to his feet, Negan then put my dad's hatchet in through his belt before holding my dad's shoulder.

Picking him up from his coat, Negan pulled my father to his feet. "I'll be right back," Negan told everyone. "Maybe Rick will be with me. And if not, well, we can just turn these people inside out, won't we?" Negan declared to the others as I watched him drag my father across the floor.

Like a dog, my dad was pulled by his collar, like a lead. My dad was rolling, fighting against him, trying to get up but Negan was too fast for him. "I mean...the ones that are left," Negan stopped, turning to look at us while dad went to get to his feet.

The last thing I'd see of my dad for a while, was his body dragged across the floor, his body rolling inside his jacket before being thrown into the RV. The door shutting behind them, we had no idea where they were going. Dad...


RPOV

Panting since being thrown into the RV, Negan climbed in after me and dragged me from my collar, tossing me to the back as I panted and tried to regain my control. After a long sigh, I heard Negan slam something into some wood. Looking to it, I noticed it was my hatchet slammed into the table.

"Let's go for a ride," Negan suggested after taking a few steps towards the wheel and taking his seat. The engine began sputtering with a turn of the keys. "Wow. What a piece of shit," he grumbled about it.

The faintest sounds of him kissing his teeth could be heard as he looked at me through the rear-view mirror. "'I'm gonna kill you,'" he mocked my words with an amused chuckle. "Are you kiddin' me?" he asked me.

"Did you see what just happened, what I just did?" he was wondering if I was present there. "You just..." Negan drifted off his sentence with a heavy sigh.

Glancing between him and the hatchet that was buried in the table behind him, it was taunting me, calling me to take it and slam it into the back of his head. Scoffing, it was like Negan read my mind.

"Your best chance...is to stand up, grab that axe, and drive it through the back of my head," he predicted what I thought. "See how you do. Keep actin' tough. Go ahead," he encouraged me through a far too relaxed tone of voice.

"Grab the damn axe," he ordered me more firmly.

Getting to my feet, as quick as a flash, I yanked the axe from the table and went to aim it for his head. My arm raised above my head, when I went to swing down, Negan was already on his feet, gun in hand and aiming it right at me. Chuckling, he was smug that he got me.

I should have known he would of hid a gun there. "Drop it," he whispered. Doing as he said, the metal clanged against the ground and my eyes were glued to him.

When he approached me, he hit me in the gut with the side of the gun, hard. Dropping with a grunt, I grasped onto my gut and felt the stinging pain wash over me for a few seconds. "Ohh," Negan sighed as he took the axe back.

Slamming it down onto the wooden surface again, he then glanced down at me. "Don't make me get up again," he warned me. Next thing Negan did, was glance out the window. "Well, look at that. Dawn is breakin'," he informed me that the sky was getting clearer outside.

"It's a brand-new day, Rick," he chuckled. "I want you to think about what could have happened..." he encouraged of me while he took back the seat at the wheel. "Think about what happened, and think about what can still happen," he threatened me.

Once the engine started, I sat back onto my knees and thought over everything. Over all the death, of the things we caused for it to happen, of what could go wrong if I didn't survive this game of Negan's.

Driving us to God knew where, walkers were growling all around us, some of them splattered against the windshield. Negan would laugh hysterically. "Oh! Boom!" Negan laughed maniacally.

His amusement was getting to be irritating. "That remind you of anybody you know?" he teased, reminding me of the horrors we just witnessed. Negan continued to laugh. Faces of people I cared about, of the memories we shared, came flooding into my mind as I sat there and contemplated everything.

"Oh, yeah," Negan would chuckle but I wasn't paying attention to him anymore. Coming to a halt, walkers were surrounding us. Daylight had come upon us and Negan slowly approached me.

Taking a seat beside me, I bowed my head, deep in thought. "You are mine. The people back there, they are mine," he declared us to be owned by him. "This..." Negan lifted up the axe to my face. "This is mine," he claimed it.

Not looking to him, he eventually got to his feet and went over to the door. Opening it, the growls of walkers got louder. Before one could get too close, he kicked it in the head. Taking the axe, he tossed it up onto the roof. The clatter of the metal on the roof could be heard clearly.

"Hey, Rick..." Negan called to me. "Go get my axe," he ordered. "Let's be friends," he encouraged like this was an option. Another walker approached us. "Oh ho," he chuckled before using his bat in a new fashion to knock it back.

With a sigh, he crouched down, glaring at me, as he rose the bat to my face. The same bat that he'd used to kill two of my friends. "Get my axe," he ordered more firmly. Sighing, my face would scrunch with anger.

Everything in me wanted to go against his orders, to tell him to screw himself, to kill him. But I was unarmed and he was clearly, stronger than I was. Then, the thought of those back at the line up, were counting on me.

Forcing myself onto my feet, I went to the door and was shoved by Negan, once he took hold of my collar out, of the RV. Falling out of the RV, Negan then slammed the door shut behind me. Scrambling to my feet, I shoved every walker away from me. The fog far too thick as I rushed to get the axe, so I could defend myself.

Running towards the back of the RV, there was too many of them and they were coming straight for me. Behind the fog, there could have been thousands, millions and I couldn't tell. One walker approached me from my right, grabbing him, I pushed him back and away from me.

Each walker that went to get me as I tried to make my way to the back of the RV, I would fight against them, shoving them, kicking them, tossing them, hitting them. Getting to the back of the RV, I finally found the ladder and went to climb but one grabbed me.

Forcing it back, I tackled one to be pushed away from me next, climbing up as quickly as I could and when I got grabbed, I yelled and shouted with each walker that came to me. But this one was different, as it tugged, I flung my leg, to kick it off. When my foot was free, I knocked it back and off me.

Climbing. Climbing, higher and higher. Once I reached the top, I got to my feet and saw the fog, wasn't really a fog. It was a fire. One that was started because of the logs that had been used to block us earlier.

Realising where I was, that it was used to not only set us up, but to set this whole scene for us, I then remembered another piece of what happened before. Turning, I had heard the growls of the once man, the same man Aaron wanted to save.

He was now a walker, danging off the chain, trying to reach for me. His chains clanging as he swung. The life, gone from his eyes, just the same as it did before. Approaching him slowly, I stood beside the axe. Suddenly, little by little, I was breaking.

The thought of those we lost, of the ones I could still lose one day, I fell to my knees. My heart breaking as the tears pooled up in my eyes.

"Bet you thought you were all gonna grow old together, sittin' around the table at Sunday dinner and the happily ever after," Negan spoke to me from inside the RV. "No. Doesn't work like that, Rick," he informed me.

The more he spoke, the more my soul was breaking at the thought of the ones I failed, of the ones I could still fail. "Not anymore," he told me. "Think about what happened," he encouraged from me as I lowered my head to rest against the roof of the RV.

My sobs were louder the more I thought about it. The more I thought about everyone counting on me, of the ones we lost. Falling onto my back, I couldn't control myself. My sobs overtook me, as my hands shook, raising to my face, my eyes glancing to the sky, or anywhere that wasn't here.

I failed them. All of them. Then, flashbacks of everyone came to my mind. Of all of those counting on me to get back. Of everyone that could have or had died. The memories, were burning into my mind and giving me a raging headache.

Then again, it could have easily been the tears too.

Rosita, the one who helped us, even if she didn't want to. Glenn, the one who saved me, even if he didn't have to. Sasha, the one who helped us, even after turning her and her family away. Eugene, the one who was willing to sacrifice himself, to help us get Maggie to a doctor. Aaron, the one who accepted us, welcomed us before everyone else did back in Alexandria.

Abraham, the one who stood by us, because he knew together, we were stronger, no matter how big the fight was. Maggie, the girl who was like a sister to me. Daryl, my brother and now, he was my son in law of sorts. Michonne, the woman who saved my daughter, who saved us thousands of times and now, I was falling for her. Carl, my son, my brave and sometimes reckless son. Kat, my first born child, my daughter.

All of these people, they were in danger because of me.

The sounds of walkers growling slowly pulled me back into reality. Along with Negan's voice, "People died, Rick," he acted like it wasn't his fault. "It's what happened," he brushed it off.

"Doesn't mean the rest of them have to," he warned me. "Get me my axe," he ordered the first time, fairly calmly. "Get me...my...axe!" he ordered more slowly, with more anger in his voice.

Forcing myself to roll over, I grabbed the axe and slowly tried to get to my feet. "I thought you were the guy, Rick. Maybe you're not," Negan said while I did what he asked. "We'll give it one more go. Now, I really want you to try this time," he kept toying with my life.

"Last chance!" I heard Negan yell under me. "Bring me my axe!" he shouted and suddenly, gunshots were being fired to the roof as I got to my feet and ran to the walker. Latching onto him, I held on for dear life.

Suddenly, the hatchet fell onto the ground and all I could do, was hold on. The drop was too high and I would land into a herd of walkers. "Aah! Aah! Aah!" I yelled as I hung on. The walker I grabbed onto, was trying to get me but with him being hung up, he couldn't do anything but hold me to him.

Yelling, I saw as his head was slowly disconnecting from the rest of his body. Walkers were grabbing onto my legs, trying to bring me down from it. Suddenly, shots were being fired at my feet, the walkers underneath were cleared. With a snap of its neck from his body, the walker I held onto, fell.

Our bodies colliding to the floor as I did my best to use his to cushion my fall. Shots were still being fired as I fell. "Clock is ticking, Rick!" he warned me as I laid among the pile of walkers.

"Think about what can still happen," he warned me. Suddenly, my head was flooded with images of the others getting killed too, the same way Glenn and Abraham died. Rosita, whack.

Forcing myself onto my feet, I hit walkers off me as I scrambled to get Negan's axe back. Sasha, whack. Scrambling off the pile of walkers and crawling onto the grass, I searched for where I dropped the axe.

When I found it, a walker had been approaching me closely from behind. Before I could get a hold of the axe, a growl under me shocked and stopped me. It had been the head from the detached body.

Taking the axe, I avoided the teeth of the walker head and slung myself up to spin and slice across the walker's face. Watching it fall, I landed on my back and tried to regain my breath. Eugene, whack. Getting to my feet, I heard the sound of a horn honk, Negan must of known I didn't know where left or right was from all the smoke.

Moving my way towards the RV, my mind went blank as I thought of all those I could lose as I began fighting. Cutting a path between the walkers, myself and the RV. The images of those I cared about, waiting for me flooded my mind as I fought on.

Aaron, whack. Maggie, whack. Reaching the RV, I kept fighting. Letting out my anger on them. Tossing one into the RV, I had strength to keep fighting but I couldn't get in until Negan let me in.

Daryl, whack. Michonne, whack. Trying to open the door, it was locked and walkers kept trying to get me. Raising my arm, to break the glass in the RV, one came up beside me. Tossing one that came up beside me into the RV, I kept fighting. I had to. I need to get back to them. I need to save them.

Carl, whack. Another few approached me, tossing them, I ended up dropping the axe by accident. Grabbing one walker by its gross, melted neck, it began ripping from the bones it had left. The gross liquid that fell out of its blister coated my hand.

Waving it, I tried to clean it quickly and kept fighting at the same time. Kat, whack. My children were the last push I needed, as I could see their innocent faces get caved in by the bat in my mind. Grabbing the axe, I kept fighting and did so, until Negan opened the door and began firing at the walkers that were fast approaching.

Climbing in, I slammed the door shut and tried to regain my breath as I fell to the floor. Negan, gun in hand, looked at me calmly, as I got to my feet once more, I approached him slowly. His hand reached out for the axe, for me to hand it over to him.

Giving it him back, I took my seat at the table and glared at him. What the hell was that about? Having me risk my life for an axe? The point he's trying to prove is only pissing me off more. "Attaboy!" he was pleased with my job.

Slamming the axe back into the table, I wanted nothing more than to grab it and try again. Except, I knew I couldn't. Not when he still had the gun near him. The drive back, had me thinking, about the ones I lost, how I was going to fight back.

I needed to gain control of the situation again. Coming to a halt, the RV slowly stopped and Negan clapped his hands near me. "We're here, prick," he told me once he finally caught my attention. Scoffing, he stared down at me.

"This must be hard for you, right?" he began inspecting the cupboards, looking for something. "I mean, you have been King shit for so long," he was taunting me in his tone. "Losin' two of your own like..." he said before snapping his fingers twice.

"Gettin' 'em clipped like that, one nut, then the other, and in front of your kids?" his tone was not one I enjoyed hearing when it came to me or my children. "That is some screwed-up shit!" he didn't stop looking for something in here.

Finally, he was behind me. For a moment, I thought this could be my chance but I knew if I screwed up, it was only going to be worse from there. It could be Carl or Kat next. "Ah. Oh. Goody," Negan said from behind me.

Taking out a bottle of disinfectant, he unscrewed the tap and tossed it to one side side. A cloth in his grasp and the bottle was held with it. Sighing as he got to me. he stared me down once more. But I wouldn't look at him. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"You were in charge," he rephrased what he'd said before. "Hell..." he grunted as he took the axe from the table.

Proceeding to wipe the guts from the walkers along my shoulder coat, I couldn't do anything but stay still. "You were probably...addicted to it," he grumbled. "And now, well, clip, clip-" he gestured to all my ties with being the leader.

"That's over," he declared while pouring some of the disinfectant onto the axe. "But..." he was wiping the guts and blood off it, cleaning it. "You can still lead...a nice, productive life producing for me," this was his offer while he took a seat in front of me.

Next thing he did, he offered me my axe back with a small smile on his face. "I think you're gonna need it," he was hinting I should take my axe back. Is he going to make me kill one of my own? "I just got a feelin'," he was too giddy about something.

Sighing, I wasn't willing to take it. I feared if I did, I'd try and jam it into his skull. "So take it," he ordered, his eyes were once light with amusement but suddenly grew dark with assertion. Doing as I was told, after a few scrunches of my face and deep, shaky breaths.

I want to kill him. First chance I get after this one.


KPOV

Seeing the RV pull up, I half expected to see my father climb out, with Negan's bloody bat broken to pieces but instead, when the door opened, Negan had tossed my dad out again. Dragging him across the floor by his collar, my dad would struggle to get to his feet, or to at least get to us with dignity.

It was a sight I hated to see. My dad, my hero, so strong and being forced to act like a dog. "Here we are," Negan declared to everyone, including us as he shoved my dad in front of us onto the ground.

"Let me ask you something, Rick," Negan paused. "Do you even know what that little trip was about?" Negan asked but my dad didn't answer as his head rose to look at each of us. It was like he was frantically checking to make sure we were all alive.

Making sure we were all still breathing. "Speak when you're spoken to," Negan ordered as softly as I could predict he could be soft.

Dad's head was bowed, his eyes glued to the floor as he got to his hands and knees. "Okay. Okay," he answered him.

Negan glanced to me, then back down to my father. "That trip was about the way that you looked at me," Negan answered the question for my father. "I wanted to change that. I wanted you to understand."

"But you're still looking at me the same damn way...like I shit in your scrambled eggs, and that's not gonna work," Negan said when he noticed my dad's eyes glance up at him. Firm. Un-phased and still very, very angry with him.

Crouching down beside my father, Negan still held that bat of his in his grasp and wore the same smug look on his face. "So...do I give you another chance?" Negan asked him.

Dad was breathing heavily, the bat raised a little near his line of vision as Negan spun it. "Yeah," dad answered him. "Yes. Yes," he muttered through shaky breaths.

Negan clapped my dad's shoulder before he got back to his feet. "Okay," Negan chuckled. "Alright," he rubbed at his nose with a pleased look on his face. "And here it is, the grand-prize game," Negan announced like this was all a joke to him.

God I could bash his brains in with that stupid bat of his. "What you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone's last crap day or just another crap day," Negan must have been joking as he threatened us again.

"Get some guns to the back of their heads," Negan ordered, a set of guns cocking could be heard. I could feel someone aim one directly at me from behind. It took everything in me to not attack him. More so, when I looked over to the others, to Carl, to Daryl, to Michonne, all who had glanced to me too.

"Good," Negan broke the silence.

"Now...level with their noses, so if you have to fire..." he instructed and gave an imitation of an explosion that would fly out of our faces. "It'll be a real mess," he was amused by the thought.

Negan's eyes then briefly went to me but then flickered over to my brother quickly. "Kid..." he gestured with two fingers for my brother to come to him. "Right here," he pointed to the spot Negan was standing.

Carl glanced to me, his body shook and his breathing was heavy. "Don't look at your sister, look at me," Negan was indicating he should pay attention to him. "Kid...now," he ordered more firmly.

Shutting my eyes, I was hoping my brother was going to be safe. I can't take anything else happening to him. Please. Carl got to his feet and approached Negan slowly. Negan quickly removed his belt. What does he plan to do? "You a southpaw?" Negan asked him.

"Am I a what?" Carl was confused by the question, his back to me.

Negan's eyes drifted to me, like he was making this a huge game and was far too amused by it all. "You a lefty?" Negan asked Carl appropriately as he glanced to my brother once more.

"No," Carl was quick to answer.

Negan licked his teeth, his eyes on my brother as he stopped in front of Carl. "Good," Negan seemed pleased by the response as he began tying the belt around Carl's arm. "That hurt?" Negan was interrogating my brother.

Carl stayed calm, stayed stood tall and strong. That's my boy. "No," Carl answered him quickly, again. He's tough, like both of us.

Negan seemed impressed. "Should," he he continued to wrap it around Carl's arm. "It's supposed to," he rose his brows playfully at my brother. "Alright. Get down on the ground, kid, next to Daddy," Negan was finally done tying my brother's arm with the belt.

"Spread them wings," Negan was acting playful as he took Carl's hand and tossed it behind himself. Guiding Carl to sit down beside my dad, he then pushed my brother to lay on his front. "Simon... you got a pen?" Negan asked his right hand man.

"Yeah," Simon answered as he began to pat his pockets.

As Simon tossed the pen to him, Negan caught it, glancing over at me and slowly, he licked his teeth. For the briefest second, I swore I saw him wink at me. Gross.

Removing the cap with his mouth, Negan then crouched down and grunted like an old man. "Sorry, kid," Negan apologised while rolling Carl's sleeve up. "This is gonna be as cold as a warlock's ballsack, just like he was hanging his ballsack above you and dragging it right across the forearm."

Negan then began to draw a line across my brother's arm. My heart began to speed up, my mind quickly catching on to what Negan was planning to do. "There you go," Negan was confidently telling Carl that the torture was over.

The torture has only just begun, I can feel it. "Gives you a little leverage," he mumbled with the cap still in his mouth.

Removing the cap, I realised my father too knew what was going to happen. The hatchet was in my dad's hand. Oh no. "Please. Please. Please don't. Please don't," dad stuttered, pleading with Negan to not have this happen.

"Me?" Negan asked with a chuckle escaping him. "I ain't doing shit," Negan told him as a smirk was plastered to his face.

Getting back to his feet, he screwed the cap back on and tossed it back to Simon. "Ahh. Rick, I want you to take your axe...cut your son's left arm off, right on that line," Negan told him.

Already, my eyes were glued to the floor, my nails digging into the floor, curling into the dirt. My body shivered, my body warm and heart pounding. Not him. Not Carl. "Now, I know, I know. You're gonna have to process that for a second," Negan was faking his empathy.

"That makes sense," Negan falsely understood us. I could sense his eyes on me. "Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it, or all these people are gonna die," he gestured to those around us.

I felt Negan's eyes on me again. "Then Kat dies," Negan pointed to me but I didn't see him. "Then Carl, then the people back home die...and then you, eventually. I'm gonna keep you breathing for a few years, just so you can stew on it," Negan listed all of us who would die.

His plans were madness. The second I heard Carl dying, my head raised to look at Negan, tears had been falling and I hadn't even realised it until I spoke. "No," I croaked. "Negan, please," I begged him, trying to reach out to him.

I hoped if I was direct, he would listen. "Let it be me, not my brother," I pleaded with him. "He-he's been through enough, please," from the gunshot, to killing our mother, all the death he saw and his eye, enough had been done to my brother.

I felt, that I deserved some of that punishment. More so than my brother. "Sorry darlin', it has to be the baby boy of the family," Negan's eyes falsely softened on me. "Can't have a wife without an arm either...that kind of shit, doesn't tickle my balls," Negan joked.

"Not one bit," he declared as he glanced over to my father, who's jaw clenched at the thought of me becoming this asshole's wife. Never. Not in a million years.

Dad then trembled, as he realised it would have to be him who sliced Carl's arm off here and now. "You-You don't have to do this," Michonne begged for the madness to stop too. "We understand. We understand," she nodded.

"You understand," Negan gestured to Michonne. "Yeah," he agreed with her.

"I'm not sure that Rick does," he announced to us. "I'm gonna need a clean cut right there on that line. Now, I know this is a screwed-up thing to ask, but it's gonna have to be like a salami slice, nothing messy, clean, 45 degrees, give us something to fold over," he instructed my father.

The more he talked, the more my heart hammered in my chest. Let it be me. Not him. Please. Jesus. "We got a great doctor. The kid'll be fine. Probably," Negan reassured him but not very comfortingly.

"Rick...this needs to happen now, chop, chop. Or I will crush the little fella's skull myself," Negan warned my dad. But I felt my teeth clenching tightly together. The rage building inside me again.


CPOV

Mention of my skull being crushed by Negan, only frightened my sister to the point I knew she'd break. Kat's everything to me. Just like I'm everything to her. "No!" I heard Kat yell as I shivered on the ground at the thought of an early death.

"Please, no," she begged, her voice thick from her cries. "Not Carl...let it be me," she pleaded. "Not him, not him," she whispered, wallowing in the fear she had for me.

Even if I wanted to protect her too, dad wasn't going to let that happen either. "No, no, no no, no," dad shook his head at her. I saw his eyes slowly breaking in front of me. "Please," dad begged at Negan.

"It can-It can-It can be me," dad stuttered. "It can be me," he repeated. "W-W-" he was hardly making any words, any sense.

Sniffling, he was breaking down and I was watching it all happen. "Y-You can do it to me. I c-I can go with-with you," my dad was stuttering, fighting to protect us in his own way. He doesn't want me or Kat getting hurt.

Negan had crouched down to listen to his suggestion. "No. This is the only way," Negan denied it as he got back up. "Rick...pick up the axe," Negan ordered. "Not making a decision is a big decision," he emphasised how big this decision was through his words.

I could hardly see Negan, as I could only see my dad and the soldiers off to the side. "You really want to see all these people die?" Negan asked him. "You will. You will see every ugly thing," Negan was trying to convince my father to do this.

Hearing Kat's little whimpers, I worried for her. I wanted to hold her, to tell her it was all going to be alright. "Oh, my God," Negan spoke with amusement. "Are you gonna make me count?" Negan asked him. "Okay, Rick. You win. I am counting. 3!" Negan began.

Dad was panting, looking around, hoping this was possibly all a joke as he was going to be forced to cut my arm off. "Please," dad began crying. "Please," he was gasping for air as he glanced down at me.

He's breaking and I'm seeing this happen right in front of me. "It can be me. Please!" dad was crying uncontrollable.

"2!" Negan ignored him, continuing his counting. Crouching down, Negan slapped my dad across the face, trying to knock some sense into him.

"Please, don't do-" dad continued to cry as he was fully sobbing at this point in time.

Negan took hold of my dad's face, making him look up at him. "This is it," Negan warned him before turning his gaze to look down at me.

Dad had to do it, or people were going to die. "Aaah!" dad yelled, hating this moment and what it was becoming.

Kat's sobs were getting louder too, as I imagined she was watching this whole thing unravel. "1," Negan yelled.

Sobbing, dad took the axe and held my hand. "Dad..." I needed him to calm down, to listen to me. "Just do it. Just do it," I gave him the okay to do it. If he doesn't, we'll lose everyone. He'll lose me and Kat too.


RPOV

The thought of losing everyone or having to hurt my son to prevent it, killed me. Breaking down, I couldn't stop crying, sobbing as my heart was racing a hundred thousand beats a minute. Carl encouraging me to do it, only made it worse.

Glancing to over to Kat, she was shaking from her tears, watching this happen and unable to do anything, just like me. I knew we could only do what we were told, otherwise, others would die. More of us, would die. Her eyes were sad but they were giving me the go ahead.

Raising the axe over my head, I went to bring it down, yelling as I stared down at my son, who shut his eye, to prepare himself for the blow. I can't. I can't do it. I can't do this to my son. Or my daughter.


KPOV

Dad's sobbing got louder and louder, the axe shaking in his usually firm hand. He kept it risen and I expected the blow to land on Carl but instead, Negan crouched down beside my dad again.

"Rick," Negan called to my father. "You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me," Negan spoke coolly, like my father finally got the point to all of this. "Right?" Negan wanted an answer.

My father though, was still in shock from everything, his eyes blank but fear deep in them. He's broken. Negan broke him. Negan's expression became dark, as Negan took hold of my father's face and forced my dad to look into Negan's eyes.

"Speak when you're spoken to!" Negan yelled, not happy with my father's nods and panting for a response. "You answer to me. You provide for me," Negan repeated a little louder than before.

"Provide for you," dad mumbled as his lips were being squeezed.

Dad's breathing was heavy, while mine was shakey from the fear of having my brother almost lose an arm. "You belong to me, right?!" Negan interrogated my father.

"Right," dad answered him.

When they met gazes, dad was broken, weak in front of him now. No...

And Negan, was pleased to have finally broken him. "Right," Negan agreed with himself. "That..." Negan pointed to my father. "Is the look I wanted to see," Negan said as he slowly got up to his feet again. Negan then took the hatchet back from my father.

"We did it...all of us, together..." Negan celebrated. "Even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award, for sure," he joked and I gritted my teeth tightly together. Asshole.

Sighing, Negan stood behind my father who bowed his head. "Today was a productive damn day!" Negan was content with the outcome, that much was obvious.

Negan had glanced to me but I didn't look at him. I couldn't. He broke the only man, I never imagined would break. "Now, I hope, for all your sake...that you get it now...that you understand how things work," Negan had spoken to each and every one of us there.

"Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you...that is..." Negan said, chuckling to himself. "Over now," Negan declared. "Ah. Dwight..." Negan spoke to one of his men. "Load him up," Negan pointed to Daryl.

The second I heard him to load someone up, my head rose and I saw Daryl get dragged into the back of the van. "No..." I cried, seeing as he fought against them but they still got him anyhow.


DPOV

As soon as I felt Dwight pull my from my shirt to my fet, he dragged me into the back of the van. Another guy had to help him drag me in as I was resisting them the best I could. Fighting against them, as I struggled, one of them tossed me into the back of the van. The other one threw me the blanket I previously wore.

"No..." I could hear Kat cry softly among the silence and my shuffling feet.

Trying to climb out, Dwight had my crossbow pointed right at me and if I did anything, I knew I would die. Fear in my heart, I didn't want to leave the others but I had been forced to. Where are they taking me?

I knew, even if I could hot-wire the car, I'd die before I'd escape. And if I escaped, they'd kill me, or find me. Stay alive, for the others. For Kat.


KPOV

Seeing Daryl stuck in the van, trapped like a caged animal, I felt my heart shatter at the last sight I saw of him as they shut the doors behind him. No...

Whispering a soft 'no' to myself, I bowed my head and shut my eyes. Not wanting to forget what he looked like before they took him and tried to change him. "He's got guts," Negan spoke about Daryl.

"Not a little bitch like someone I know," he insinuated my father was the little bitch he knew. "I like him. He's mine now," Negan claimed Daryl was his. That's not true. He's mine.

Negan had crouched down beside my father again when I raised my head to look at him. "But you still want to try something? 'Not today, not tomorrow.' 'Not today, not tomorrow'? I will cut pieces off of..." he had mocked my father's words.

Pausing, Negan didn't know the name of the man he'd captured. "Hell's his name?" Negan asked the others around him.

It took everything in me not to say anything, but I couldn't prevent it. I had to. "Daryl, his name is Daryl," I answered him sternly, glaring coldly over at him.

"Wow," Negan was amused as he looked over to me. "Careful with the way you look at me, just because I want you to be my future wife, doesn't mean I can't crack your skull open right here," Negan kept talking, threatening me.

"Or maybe, I'll break your brother's little head right open. Make you change your look at me, the same way your daddy did," Negan was humoured by all of this.

Dad, he wasn't. "K-K-Kat," he stuttered, trying to stop me from saying anything else, from acting anyway else.

"I didn't say you could speak," Negan grumbled to my father. His eyes then went to me, his tongue rolling along his top teeth. Chuckling, with a wide smirk on his face, he looked back to the van. "Daryl," he repeated the name I had told him.

"That actually sounds right," Negan commented that the face fit the name given to him. "I will cut pieces off of Daryl and put them on your doorstep. Or, better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me."

With a soft snicker, Negan clapped my dad's back, glanced over to me and got back to his feet. "Ahh!" Negan exaggerated the type of groan after a stretch. "Welcome to a brand-new beginning, you sorry shits!" he declared. "I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me," he gave us this awful donation.

"We'll be back for our first offering in one week," Negan announced to us. "Until then...ta-ta," he left us, dumping the hatchet close by my brother's legs.


RPOV

Everything that just happened, from trying to get Maggie to the Hilltop, to the line up, to Abraham, Glenn, my stupid errand for Negan, his attempt to make my cut Carl's arm off. Then, he took Daryl from us.

All of it, I was having trouble catching up with it in my mind. Everyone, all of us, sat in silence as we watched the Saviors get their things and leave. They had taken pictures of Glenn and Abraham's bodies before they left.

None of us moved, possibly out of fear of them hurting us, or because they were just the same as me, trying to process everything that happened. Everything in me wanted to fight but I couldn't risk us losing.

I couldn't risk losing more people I cared about. Not Rosita. Not Sasha. Not Aaron. Not Eugene. Not Maggie. Not Michonne. Not Daryl. Not Carl. And not Kat, either. I can't risk it anymore.


KPOV

We had sat there, for what felt like forever, waiting until the Saviors had left us alone to grieve, to pick up the pieces they had left us behind. Awfully, this was quite a literal sense. Sitting there, my head was bowed, my focus on my breathing, on my thoughts.

I wondered how I was going to get Daryl back. I wondered how I would kill Negan. I wondered if my dad faked being broken, or if he actually was left in shatters. We need to fight them. But not yet. We needed more information.

Once the Saviors were gone, Maggie slowly began getting to her feet, shuffling over to Glenn with all the pain she carried. "Maggie. Maggie," dad called to her, trying to stop her.

Maggie sobbed, ignoring my father as she went to her husband's body. "Maggie..." dad tried to call to her. "You need to sit down," he suggested but Maggie wasn't listening still. "Maggie," dad got to his feet.

Following his lead, I too got up and saw how Maggie was focused on getting to Glenn's body. "No," she was firm in argument to not listen to him.

Taking a few steps to her, I wanted to finish what we started. "We need to get you to the Hilltop," I said to her, slowly approaching her, feeling my knees ache from being planted on the floor all this time.

"You need to go get ready," Maggie countered.

Dad glanced to me, just as confused as I was. "For what?" dad asked her, curious to know her answer.

Maggie continued to shuffle closer to Glenn's body. "To fight them," she cried.

Feeling a few tears build in my eyes, I sniffled and took a few steps closer to her. "Maggie..." I whispered over to her. "They have Daryl," I reminded her. I can't risk them hurting him.

Dad looked to me, sad, disappointed, possibly in himself. "They have an army," dad listed another thing that kept us from fighting them. "We would die, all of us," dad wanted Maggie to see the importance of this.

Maggie was panting, still sick looking as she fought to carry on but could hardly contain her cries. "Go home," she said forcefully to us. "Take everybody with you. I can get there by myself," her voice was breaking as the sobs were becoming increasingly louder.

"You can barely stand up," dad argued with her, his hand reached out to touch her arm.

She's upset. She's angry but we need to be smart. "I need to go. You need to go to Alexandria," Maggie was breathing heavily through her tears. "You were out-out here for me," she stuttered, possibly feeling guilty for this too.

Taking a few slow steps, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder and knew we had lost so much, it hurt all of us. I empathised with her, more than she knew. "We still are," I told her softly.

Maggie began sobbing harder the second I put my hand on her shoulder. "I can make it now. I need you to go back," she cried. "I can't have you out here. I can't have you all out here anymore. I need you to go back," she was practically begging us to leave her.

"Maggie...we're not letting you go. Okay?" Michonne spoke softly, as she got to her feet and approached her.

Slowly, Maggie was regaining control of her emotions. "You have to," Maggie spoke through a soft quiver in her breath.


RPOV

Sighing, I was tired of fighting and I knew Maggie wasn't going to give up. "It's not gonna happen," I argued with her sadly. I can't leave her out here. Not like this. I can't leave him either.

Breathing heavily, Maggie was staring down at her husband's corpse and I felt to blame here. I lead us into this fight. I didn't know how blind I was.

"I'm taking her," Sasha spoke up as she got to her feet and went to Maggie. "I'm gonna get her there. I'm gonna keep her safe," Sasha was ending Abraham's mission.

She assured me and Kat that Maggie would get to the Hilltop safely. "I'm not giving you a choice," Sasha whispered to Maggie.

"I'm taking him with me," Maggie whimpered out a response to this as she slowly sank to her knees beside her husband.

Crouching down beside Rosita, Sasha looked to her and carefully they met gazes. "I'm gonna take him," Sasha was referring to Abraham. "That's what I'm gonna do," Sasha's voice broke as both girls cried. Rosita slowly nodded her acceptance of this.


KPOV

Slowly, myself, Aaron, dad and Carl approached Maggie as she sobbed over her husband's corpse. "I need to do this," she told them, like she was trying to get them to back off. "Please," she begged them.

Aaron's hand slowly stroked her back. "We need to help you," he encouraged her to let them take him, to help her to take him.

Carl slowly crouched down, taking hold of Maggie's shoulders. "I got it. I got it," Carl encouraged Maggie to let him do this for her.

Wiping tears that rolled down my cheeks, I hated seeing so many people I cared about, taken from us this way. Abraham. Glenn. Daryl's held hostage. "No. No," Maggie cried.

I need to be strong. For all of them. "Pl-Pl-Please let us," dad stuttered as he went to take Glenn's body for her. "He-He's our family, t-He's our family, too," he stuttered out the words he wanted to say to her.

Getting up behind her, I took her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Crouching down beside her, I sucked in my emotions and forced myself to be strong for her. "They've got him..." I reassured her that Glenn was in safe hands.

"Come here," I encouraged her to stand up, to which she slowly did. As she got to her feet, she turned to me, stepping into my embrace as I held her. "I've got you," I held onto her.

Feeling her cries shake me, I held onto her tightly. "Shh," I shushed her as they took Glenn's body away. "I know, I know," I stroked her head, trying to soothe her. "I'm so sorry..." I whispered into her hair.

Feeling like my mother, I breathed in deeply and felt my body shake from my own anger too. "He will pay for this, I promise," I promised her. "Like dad said, not today, not tomorrow but one day..."

This much, I was sure. Holding Maggie, as the bodies were removed, I promised myself I wouldn't let her go until she pulled herself together and would leave with Sasha to get to the Hilltop.


RPOV

Thankfully, the had left only a few of our weapons in the bags we had been carrying, things like Michonne's sword and Kat's bow, all of the close range weapons, were in there. Taking the bodies into the RV, it would be our job to take it them to the Hilltop, to bury them there.

Taking my hatchet, once everything was loaded into the truck and the RV, I glanced behind me and saw a walker approaching from behind the trees. Climbing in, I started the engine and looked to the walker, it stumbled around a little.

As I rolled out, I glanced over to the window and watched as the walker ate what was left of my friends, of Glenn, of Abraham. My eyes sore from all the crying, my skin covered in sweat, blood and tears.

I don't care for me. I care for my life. For everyone's lives. I have to stay alive to keep them alive. I can't let what happened today, happen ever again. I'm owned by Negan. So that's what I have to be...


A/N: So, here you have it. You all expected this. Admit it. From now on, expect the unexpected. I have a lot planned for this season and most of it, includes evil ol' Negan. Now, don't get this twisted.

This is not a Negan x Kat fanfiction. Read the brackets in this description again. It's a Kat x Daryl fanfiction. Has been from the start. Now, I appreciate all the love. I can respect your secret ship of Negan and Kat but remember, it's not going to happen.

I'm not selling fruit, when I'm supposed to be selling cars. Okay? Just trying to make this clear.

Be prepared, this season is going to be a big one. Now, as our agreement states, 5 reviews, or no chapters. This still applies now, more so, now that we got the big boy here. You've been waiting for it, I've been waiting for it. We're all winners in this one.

So please, don't make this hard on all of us. GIFT ME WITH THE 5 REVIEWS AND I'LL GIFT YOU WITH A NEW CHAPTER AS SOON AS TOMORROW OR THE DAY AFTER.

(Because I'm a little busy tomorrow but Sunday, not so much. Although, next week, starting Monday, I'm flying out to New York, so I won't be able to post anything until possibly Saturday or Sunday next week.)

Questions to answer in the reviews:

1) What did you think about this chapter?

2) Least favourite scene in this chapter? (Considering the deaths and all, nothing should be a favourite here)

3) Would you want more flashbacks of Kat/Glenn, Kat/Abraham or Carl, Rick, or Michonne with those two?

4) What do you think about the whole Daryl/Kat/Negan situation?

5) What do you predict will be happening in this season?

Until those 5 reviews are posted...

Much love,

HeroJustInTime90