I woke up the next day bright and early, planning to head back to the traffic jam with Amy and Eric. Unfortunately, we had almost finished getting what we could from the cars and would have to move on to another place to scavenge. We had just started to get the car ready when Vivienne came running out of the school towards me.

"He's gone!" she exclaimed, coming up to me where I was fueling the gas tank.

"Vivienne! What's going on?" I set the gas can down as she approached.

"It's Danny. I can't find him!" She seemed exasperated as she stared at me with wide eyes. "He's gone, Elle."

Eric and Amy had just started coming out of the school with their gear ready when they saw Vivienne in distress. They both jogged over.

"What's wrong, Viv?" Amy asked, looking at her with concern.

"Danny isn't in the school. I've searched everywhere." She was looking around outside as if she thought she would see him. "Ryan said the gate was unlocked this morning. He swears he locked it last night. I think Danny left."

"Why would he do that?" Eric asked, crossing his arms. "If the Saviors find him, he's in trouble."

"If they find him, we're in trouble." Amy sighed, looking at me with brooding eyes.

The doors to the school opened and Philip came out in a hurry towards us.

"I looked too, Vivienne. He's not here," Philip said, confirming what Vivienne feared.

"Where would he go?" Amy asked, leaning on the car.

"I don't know, but we have to find him before Negan does," I answered. I didn't even know what to think. Vivienne had been looking after Danny and I had been so busy with the supply runs and keeping Negan happy, I hadn't really gotten to know the kid. From what I could tell, Vivienne seemed to really care about him. His sudden disappearance was clearly making her worry.

"We'll go look for him," Philip said, reassuring Vivienne. "Elle and I will take this car. Amy and Eric can take the new one."

I nodded in agreement and opened the car door to set the gas canister inside. Amy and Eric turned immediately and headed over to the other vehicle. Philip walked around to the driver's side door, but was still looking at Vivienne.

"We'll find him, Viv."

She nodded sadly, as if she didn't really believe that, and turned to go back inside the school. I got inside the passenger side and Ryan opened the gate for us to leave.

The car sped down the road and I felt like I couldn't even blink as I watched out the window. We passed numerous walkers trudging along, but there was no sign of Danny. We sat for hours in silence, both staring out the windows for him. I had this sick feeling in my gut that we weren't going to find him.

After some time, I spared a glance over at Philip who looked tired as he griped the steering wheel and continued driving. When I turned to look out the passenger side window, Philip cleared his throat and spoke.

"I think I should tell Negan the truth," he stated, and I turned to look at him. He continued watching the road.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Philip you can't!"

"They're going to find Danny. It's just a matter of time. You shouldn't have to deal with this, Ellie."

He finally looked over at me and I shook my head, confused at his sudden change of heart.

"I can handle it, Phil." I argued, turning to look out the window and really wishing Danny would turn up right then and there.

"I'm worried about how things are gonna turn out," he admitted, sighing. "I'm worried for you."

"We don't know what happened, and there's no sense in worrying about it yet," I explained. Philip didn't say anything, and we sat in silence again.

We drove another hour watching closely out the windows for Danny. The lack of noise started to bother me, so I made an attempt to have a conversation while we looked.

"Did you have a family?" I blurted. It was the first thing that came to mind. Philip had never talked about his former life and it was my sad attempt at making small talk.

His grip on the wheel tightened a bit, and he took a deep breath.

"Yeah. A wife and two kids. A little boy and girl."

It didn't surprise me that Philip had been a father, but I was shocked that he hadn't talked about them before.

"I'm sorry." My voice was soft as I turned to look at him. He shook his head.

"No, it's okay. It's just hard to talk about, that's all. I lost them pretty early on."

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. When the outbreak started, a lot of people became infected because they didn't understand what was happening. The more people got sick, the faster it spread. Many didn't handle losing their entire families very well; the trauma added with the will to try and survive was a confusing concoction. I hadn't been able to contact my parents and just assumed the worst. Sometimes it was nice to entertain the possibility they were out there somewhere, but I knew that wasn't the case. Perhaps the unknown was easier to handle than knowing or watching it happen. Life is easier to live when you think your loved ones might still be alive.

"I'll never forget them. They were my whole world," he continued in a quiet voice. "But Doveport has given me a reason to keep going. That's my family now."

"We owe you a lot, Phil," I confessed. "Amy, Eric, and I were struggling bad before we found you guys. I don't think we would have made it much longer if we hadn't found you."

Phil smiled thinly and turned to look away from the road and at me for a quick second.

"Doveport is a haven in this hell on earth. I am so glad to have met you, Ellie. You're a brave girl and I'm forever grateful for what you and your friends have done for us."

I smiled back at him and we continued looking for Danny.

We searched all day with no luck. When we got back, the sun had started to set; the horizon was a blend of orange and pink. I couldn't enjoy the beautiful sight because of the pit sinking in my stomach.

Eric and Amy had already returned home. Danny was not with them. Philip parked the car and they met us over by the front of the school.

"We'll have to continue looking tomorrow," Philip said, to all of us.

"What's the point?" Amy said with a yawn. "I hate to say it, but maybe Danny doesn't want to be found."

"I could go out at night and search a little more," Eric suggested, and he seemed to be asking Philip for permission.

"No, it's too dangerous to be going out at night," Philip said shaking his head.

The school door opened and Vivienne walked out and joined us. She looked around quickly to see if we had found Danny. When she saw we hadn't, she sighed.

"I made dinner," she revealed while smiling a bit at us. "I know it's been a long day, and I thought everyone could use a nice meal."

"Thanks, Viv," I said grinning at her. My stomach had been growling during the ride home. I hadn't brought much to eat on our search.

We followed Vivienne inside the school and made our way to the lunchroom. There were two long tables we used to eat at, and a few other community members were already seated and enjoying their dinner. A few plates were already served and waiting for us towards the end of one table. Amy sighed contently and sat down in front of a Vivienne's meal; she had prepared rice and some vegetables from her garden. There were little glass bowls with canned fruit too and bottled water. I sat down in between Philip and Vivienne.

"This looks great, Vivienne!" Eric remarked, picking up a fork and shoveling in a big bite of rice.

"I know this Danny business is causing a lot of stress and I'm a firm believer that people think better with full stomachs." She grinned at me, and then took a swig from her water bottle.

There were a few cucumber slices on my plate and I picked one up and bit down. It was crisp and juicy and I closed my eyes savouring the taste. Cucumbers had been one of my favorite vegetables before the outbreak, and I had told Vivienne. She had promised me she would try to grow some and now here they were. She was watching me try it intently, and I smiled big at her after swallowing the delicious bite.

"I think that's the best cucumber I've ever had," I declared, taking another slice and eating it whole.

"Your garden is really making a difference here," Philip said, turning to face Vivienne. She blushed a bit and set down her fork.

"Thank you, Phil. It's nice to have something to work on and help out," she replied, smiling widely at him. I watched as they both grinned at one another, and wondered if there was something going on between them. Phil and Vivienne had been spending a lot more time together recently. The idea of them finding happiness together was nice.

I turned to see Amy had almost finished her food already. She saw me looking at her, and then glanced down at her nearly empty plate and frowned.

"There's plenty more, sweetheart." Vivienne told her, standing up to head to the kitchen. "You eat to your heart's content for the sake of that little one."

Amy sighed and nodded.

"I feel like Miss Piggy," she grumbled and everyone chuckled.

"Well you don't look like her," Eric said, putting his arm around her and kissing her head.

I had just started to take another bite when some Doveporters came rushing into the lunchroom. We all looked up to see what the commotion was.

"Negan's here!" One of them announced loudly.

My heart sank in my chest.

"He was just here yesterday!" Amy said frantically, standing up from the table. "Why is he back so soon?"

I didn't have time to answer her. A loud boom rang out as the front doors slammed open and I could hear footsteps headed our way. I watched as the Saviors flooded into the school, and this time there were more of them than I had ever seen before. About fifty men filled the cafeteria and surrounded the table. Eric stood up next to Amy, and I watched the hallway as they continued to fill the room, guns in hand.

Negan rounded the corner like he owned the place and set his sights right on me. I stood up as he approached the table.

"Alright kids, there's gonna be an assembly in the gym today." He said leaning on his bat and turning to address everyone. "Meeting starts in five minutes so I would fucking HUSSLE!"

No one moved as I stared him down and stayed in place. I didn't want to go to the gym. I hadn't been there since Seth's death and had been avoiding the large room because of it. Now he was demanding we go back.

Negan leaned over the table and his jovial expression turned sour.

"Now." He growled.

I could hear Philip stand up from the table, and watched as my friends started walking towards the gym. Negan didn't even turn to look at them and continued to glare at me. I furrowed my brow, not knowing what was happening and why he was so upset. I wondered if they had found Danny. Negan had just been here the day before. This wasn't good.

Breaking his stare, I turned from him and started walking towards the hallway. Vivienne joined me, and I could hear she was breathing nervously fast. I reached over and took her hand and squeezed it, doing my best to reassure her. I had no idea what was about to happen, and maybe it was to reassure myself as well.

We turned the corner to go into the gym, and my eyes widened in surprise. The gym was also filled with more of Negan's men, and just like with what had happened with Seth, they were standing on the sides of the gym and wielding their weapons. They ushered all the Doveporters towards the middle of the gym, and we all stood together in a nervous, little cluster.

Negan walked into the gym and right up to us. His men all watched him closely as if waiting for orders.

He started to circle around us, like a shark eyeing its prey. I watched him nervously as he walked around our little group. He was trying to intimidate us and it was working; I could hear the whimpers from some of my community members. The fear was almost tangible. They had seen what he was capable of with Seth and were probably afraid they were next.

Negan stopped right in front of Philip and pointed the bat towards him.

"Who are you?" Negan asked, smiling wide at him. Philip met his gaze and was stone faced.

"My name is Philip," he answered.

Negan continued to smile at him, and then turned on his heel to look around. He seemed to be studying the walls and the basketball hoops that were on either side of the room. Then he turned back to Philip and brought a hand up to his beard.

"And what the fuck is it that you do around here, Phil?" Negan demanded, pointing the bat back at Philip's face.

Philip didn't answer him. He turned to look at me, and I could see the panic in his eyes.

"The fuck are you looking at her for? I asked you a fucking question! You respond to me." Negan moved right in front to block him from looking at me. Philip still didn't answer him.

My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I swallowed hard and waited to hear what Philip would tell him when Negan spun to face me.

"Do you know what I fuckin' think?" he asked, taking a few steps away from us to look around the room again. He paced a bit, and then turned back to me and marched right up into my face.

"I think you lied to me." His voice was like ice as he spoke, and I felt myself pale at his words. "I think this bald bastard over here really runs this shit show, and you're just playing the fucking part."

"That's not-" I started to respond to him, but he put a gloved finger against my mouth. He pursed his lips and made a shrill whistle. I watched as a few men entered the gym pushing someone forward. I looked around Negan to see who it was.

Danny.

He approached us slowly, and Negan turned to watch him. Once he was standing near, Negan put his arm around him and grinned at me.

"See Elle, Danny came home and told me how he was hiding out here. And how all this fucking time I thought I was working with the head honcho, when it turns out Baldy over here really owns the school." He gestured at Philip with the bat.

I just stared wide eyed at Danny who couldn't even look at us. He just stared at the ground, ashamed. He had deliberately gone back to Negan and told him everything. I wondered why he would betray us, but Negan's presence didn't allow me to dwell on it.

"You told me you were in charge because you thought I was going to hurt, Baldy," Negan said turning back to look at me. "That I would go easier on you because you're a girl."

I felt my eyes start to water at the realization we were caught and there was no getting out of this. He watched, expecting me to say something, but I couldn't find my voice.

"I had a fucking feeling something was up when I saw whiskey on your desk, Ms. 'I-don't-like-whiskey'. Well, I guess it's not your desk. It's Baldy's desk, huh?" Negan sneered. I gulped.

"I don't tolerate lying, Elle," Negan said in a low voice. "Now someone has to pay." He turned from me and put the baseball bat right by Philip's head.

"If you wanted to play leader so fucking bad, you should have killed him yourself. Now I'm going to have to do it."

I narrowed my eyes at him and what he was implying. I didn't want to play leader. I did it to protect Philip. It had been a stupid lie, but it was mine and he was going to threaten their lives because of it. Negan noticed my glare and matched mine with one of his own.

"All of you kneel! Now!" he shouted and all of the Doveporters slowly got down onto the gym floor. Some of them had started crying. Eric was huddled by Amy and Vivienne was holding Philip's hand.

As everyone from my community got down onto their knees, I continued to stand.

Negan scowled at me.

"Don't make me tell you again," he snarled.

I felt a few tears fall down my face when I realized what was about to happen—what he planned to do. He was no longer trying to intimidate us. He was dead serious, and the last time we were standing in this gym, I had lost a friend.

I wasn't about to lose another one.

"You can't kill him," I asserted, moving to stand in between Negan and a kneeling Philip. "I won't let you."

I continued to meet his hard gaze as I stood my ground. I was terrified, and could feel the tears building, but I refused to let this happen.

"You broke the rules!" Negan shouted, making me flinch. He moved to get up in my face.

"You fucking lied to me! It can't happen again, and I'm going to make sure as fuck it doesn't."

His rage was unconstrained as he blew up in my face. I knew I couldn't fight him on this. It would only enrage him even more. His anger, the threat of losing someone else had my emotions flooding over, and I didn't care how pathetic I looked. I fell onto my knees right in front of him, which made him take a step back in surprise.

"Please, don't hurt him. This was my idea!" I cried. "Philip wanted to tell you the truth and I wouldn't let him! I forced them to go along with it. I made them lie." I was starting to sob, my body trembling on the ground before him. I needed him to understand this was my fault, and only my fault.

Negan didn't respond, and I felt myself begin to shake in fear. I didn't know what I could possibly say to make him hear me out, but he wasn't yelling yet and I took that opportunity to continue to try and plead with him.

"Doveport is my family. I did it to protect them." I stared at the gym floor and Negan's boots that were directly in front of me. I was groveling at his feet and I hated how weak I felt in the moment, but needed him to listen.

"I have done everything you asked. We will continue to do what you ask. Just please don't hurt him. This place is nothing without Philip." I continued to cry, watching some of my tears fall onto the gym floor.

I looked up at him from where I was begging at his feet. I saw him staring down at me, and I swallowed hard.

"If someone has to die, kill me," I pleaded, meeting his eyes. "Please."

I couldn't read him. He was peering down at me silently with that stone cold look, but didn't even blink. I continued to hold my head up and watch him, feeling so incredibly vulnerable in the moment. The room grew eerily silent as we continued to look at one another when he finally spoke.

"Stand up," he ordered.

I slowly started getting onto my feet and felt my body shake.

He's going to kill Phil…

Negan continued to watch me as I stood before him trembling.

He didn't look away as he made a motion with his gloved hand, and two Saviors walked towards us.

"Take her," he commanded. I felt two arms grip mine roughly and start to pull me towards the doors. My eyes grew wide as I was being dragged out of the room, and I turned to look at everyone in the center. Amy was sobbing and reached out to me. Eric held her back as all of the Saviors pointed their guns at them preventing my friends from moving.

"Wait!" I cried, trying to pull myself away from the grip of Negan's men.

"Elle!" Vivienne called to me, tears streaming down her face.

Just before I rounded the corner into the hallway I could see Negan had moved to stand in front of Philip who was still kneeling. He brought the bat in front of him just as I lost sight of the gym.

"NO!" I shouted, as I was pulled through the school and outside towards their trucks. The moon was full and bright above our heads as I tried to pull my arms from their grasps, but they were stronger than me. I was dragged over to a supply truck and heard the trailer door get pulled open. The two men shoved me inside and stepped in with me. I flailed frantically as a black bag was pulled over my head and my vision went black.

I heard the door slide shut and the engine start.

As the truck drove away from Doveport, I wondered if that would be the last time I would ever see my friends.