My knees were pulled up to my chest and I was staring wide eyed at the blank hallway wall in front of me when the office door opened and Negan stepped out. Blood splatter covered him from head to toe and dark red chunks clung to the barbs tied around the bat in his grasp. He didn't bother to look down at me as he started making his way towards the cafeteria. Scrambling to my feet, I rushed over to him.
"Negan!" I cried out in a hoarse voice. He didn't stop walking and seemed unfazed that I was calling out tohim. I clenched my fists at my side, and repeated myself in a louder, broken sob. "NEGAN!"
He finally stopped and faced me with a hardened expression. He didn't appear angry—as if beating Derek to death had someone subdued him a bit, but he was still solemn as he waited for me to speak.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, hearing the fear in my own voice.
"I'm gonna take care of the Mallrats," he said with no emotion. Trembling and trying to ignore the blood stained bat that was hoisted up on his shoulder, I closed the distance between us and grabbed his arm.
"Please don't kill them," I pleaded. We stared one another down and I didn't dare blink.
Negan's poker face cracked for a single instant as he studied me and swallowed hard. I probably looked traumatized—I certainly felt that way. I could feel my bottom lip quivering as I silently begged him no to hurt anyone else. I held onto his arm like I was an anchor to keep him grounded in the hallway, but my shaken appearance wasn't enough to stop him.
Without another word, Negan pulled his arm from my grasp and headed towards the cafeteria. I quickly followed behind as my stomach filled with dread.
Chaos had erupted inside the big, open room. The Saviors and Greenbriers were still physically fighting one another. I watched as two Greenbriers threw a Savior onto a cafeteria table. Another group of Saviors had pinned down one of the Greenbriers and was taking turns kicking him in the side. All the Doveporters were cowering back by the far wall, near the kitchen.
Charlotte was still alive and conscious. She had been moved across the room with the Doveporters and was leaning up against the wall watching the mayhem unfold. Vivienne and Amy were both kneeling down next to her, and Eric and Ryan were standing in front of them, making sure none of our people got injured from the ongoing fight.
Rushing across the room and avoiding the brawling men, I made my way over to where Charlotte was on the floor. Vivienne was pushing a white cloth hard against Charlotte's arm, and I could see a thick line of blood was coming from underneath were Vivienne was pressing.
"Bullet went clean through her bicep," Vivienne explained, looking up at me grimly. "But we need to close the wound."
I glanced over at Amy who had a grave expression on her face. We locked eyes and then a booming voice made all of us look across the room.
"Attention, assholes!" Negan announced loudly. In a second, everyone froze and turned to look at the blood covered man who was now standing up on top of a cafeteria table and grinning from ear to ear.
"Simon!" he said, glancing around the room until he spotted his right-hand man in the crowd. "Take some men and go get my fucking guns."
A group of Saviors led by Simon moved down the hall and everyone else remained frozen. The Greenbriers all seemed focused on Lucille—the bat that was drenched in red.
"Elle… where's Derek?" Charlotte asked in a scared voice, tilting her head to look up at me. I closed my eyes, unable to look at her.
A minute later, Simon and his men returned carrying the guns, and they handed them out to the rest of the Saviors. I watched as Negan jumped down from the table and ordered his men to line up the Greenbriers on the cafeteria floor. Weaponless, they had no choice but to obey; each of Derek's men had scowls on their faces as they sank down onto their knees and glared up at Negan. He watched in amusement as they were forced to submit.
"Now, we all need to have a little fucking chat," Negan spoke, addressing the Greenbriers that were lined up in front of him. Your stupid fucking leader, and he was pretty fucking stupid, just fucked up BIG TIME. But just because he was fucking stupid, doesn't mean you have to be." He walked up and down, eyeing each person as he passed. "I don't think I need to explain that this is over—that you Mallrats have officially lost. But you can still walk away winners!"
Leaning back and gazing down at them he smirked.
"Join me."
A deafening silence lingered and no one moved. At first, every single person on their knees remained frozen in place. Then, after a long while, a few of Derek's men slowly rose to their feet. Their heads were hung down as if they were ashamed, but they stood up, accepting Negan's offer. It was three men and one women. Their fellow community members stared up at them with betrayal written all over their faces. A few Saviors stepped forward to grab the standing men and pulled them out of the line up.
"Anybody else?" Negan asked; his attention focused on the men and women still kneeling. When the others didn't respond to him, he brought his barbed wire bat out and presented in right in front of their faces.
"Get a load of King Mallrat!" he declared, waving the blood-soaked bat in front of their faces.
"Derek…" Charlotte whispered, staring at Negan with a look of horror. At the revelation her brother was gone, tears formed in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. My chest felt tight as I stared down at her.
No words felt right.
When the other Greenbriers refused to stand and continued to glare up at Negan, he shrugged.
"Fine by me. Simon?" He gestured with his bat for his men to begin executing the Greenbriers when my voice tore out of my throat.
"WAIT!"
The sound was so shrill that everyone looked over to where I was standing. Negan's head slowly tilted to take me in, and I used that opportunity to hurry over to where he was, putting myself in between Negan's men and all of the kneeling Greenbriers.
"They made their fucking choice." Negan's eyes narrowed on me, but I shook my head.
"No. No one else has to die."
"That's not how it fucking works!" He raised his voice, taking a step towards me. I stood my ground and kept my chin up, eyes locked on his. My nerves had me trembling, but even though I was scared, I knew I couldn't back down.
"These men are under my protection. If you want to kill them, you'll have to kill us all." I squinted at him in a glare. He knew I was serious—I could see his eyebrow twitch in irritation as I declared refuge for the Greenbriers. I wasn't able to save Derek, but I could at least stop the bloodshed. This was my house, after all.
Taking another step towards me into my personal space, Negan leaned his head next to my ear.
"You're not gonna fucking do this. Take your people outside. Now." His voice was low and menacing, but I didn't even blink. He waited for my answer, so I slowly tilted my head to make him look at me, ignoring the harsh look he was giving me.
"If you care about me, you won't kill anyone else. It's gone too far, Negan." I spoke in a whisper. He huffed and his jaw clenched.
"What the fuck do you want me to do?" He asked in a loud whisper. "They're a fucking threat. These fuckers will stop at nothing until I'm dead!"
I shook my head vehemently.
"They can join you. They just need time." I spoke a little louder and gestured down to the people in question. "The ones who won't can be put to work at the Sanctuary. The ones who show loyalty can become Saviors." I glanced back at their faces and was met with a mixed response. Some of them were glaring at me, but some just looked terrified for their lives.
"Look at them. They can learn. You just have to try a little." Reaching up to cup Negan's face and ignoring the blood splatter on his lower jaw, I gazed deep into his eyes. "Try. For me."
He stared back, unresponsive for a long time. And then I saw it—another brief crack in his facade. His eyes softened for a few seconds, and then it was gone. But I had seen it.
Sympathy.
He broke eye contact to look past me at the kneeling men and studied them for a few moments. Then, he glanced back at me as I dropped my hand from his face and waited for his answer.
"Simon, bring the Mallrats outside and load them up."
The tension that was building released and I let out a sigh of relief. The Saviors all pointed their guns at the kneeling Greenbriers and forced them to their feet. I watched as the men were lead out of the cafeteria and towards the exit.
"Thank you," I whispered, as tears filled my eyes. This wasn't the outcome I had wanted, but I had saved all of Derek's men. Part of me was angry that Derek had to die, but I couldn't blame Negan. He had saved me from getting shot, but both men had broken my rules and brought guns to Doveport. I knew we'd need to talk about what happened, but right then there were more important matters to handle.
Negan's face was grim as he spoke in a soft voice so only I could hear, "I'm sorry."
Hanging my head down, I just nodded. Then, his eyes went to the Doveporters across the room and to where Charlotte was slumped over on the floor. He suddenly whistled shrilly, making a few men look over at him, and he gestured with his head towards her.
"Take the Mallrat," he ordered.
Looking up startled, I watched as two Saviors headed over to where Charlotte was slumped over against the wall and grabbed both her arms. Her face scrunched up in pain, but she didn't make a sound as they pulled her to her feet.
"Negan! Please, no!" Amy cried, as she got up from the floor with help from Eric and then rushed over to where Negan was standing in the center of the room with a grim expression.
"Sorry, Momma Bear. This is non-negotiable."
Charlotte was led out of the cafeteria and down the hall, same as the others. Negan didn't even look back at me as he followed the last of his men out of the school.
"Elle!" Amy cried out in desperation. I knew how important Charlotte was to her—the two had become really close in the last weeks, and we had no idea what Negan had in store for her. Amy was looking to me to protect her, but I didn't know what we could possibly do.
Making a split-second decision, I grabbed Amy's hand and looked across the room to where Eric was.
"Come on!" I called, pulling Amy towards the hallway.
With Eric on our heels, we rushed outside where the Saviors were pointing their guns at the Greenbriers and forcing them to get into the pickup truck beds. Charlotte was with them, and I could see one of the Greenbriers was trying to look at her gunshot wound. Hoping she would be okay on the ride to the Sanctuary, I headed over to where Negan was standing next to a truck and opened the passenger side door. He had been talking with Simon and then turned to watch me help Amy up into the vehicle.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Negan asked, sounding more confused than angry. Once Amy was in the backseat, I allowed Eric to get in too and faced Negan.
"We're going with," I announced confidently, meeting his gaze. I was prepared for him to reject the idea and was ready to argue, but Negan simply leaned into the truck and opened the glove compartment.
"Suit yourself," he muttered, retrieving three black bags. I pulled myself up inside the truck before he could change his mind, and then he threw the bags at me. I frowned, looking down at the dark material.
"Really?" I asked incredulously. Even after everything we'd been through, he still didn't trust me enough to know where the Sanctuary was.
Negan's response was to shut the truck door in my face and continue talking with Simon. Sighing, I handed the bags to Amy and Eric. They didn't even seem surprised and both pulled the bags over their heads. I realized they didn't even question it, and then remembered Amy and Eric had both gone to the Sanctuary before, back when Negan killed Caleb. I had been unconscious, but they hadn't, and Negan would have made them cover their heads back then to.
A few minutes later, we heard someone get into the driver's seat and start the truck engine. Unable to see through the thick black bag, I relaxed back into the seat and waited.
Negan actually stayed true to his word. The Greenbriers were taken to the Sanctuary and Negan split them up into groups. Derek's die-hard friends were sent to the cells, whereas the other Greenbriers were sent outside to work in Negan's fence filled with walkers.
Charlotte was taken to Dr. Carson's office to have her wound patched up. Amy, Eric and I waited outside the infirmary while Negan went in to talk to her. He was only in for a few minutes when the door flew open and he stormed out looking pissed.
"She won't join the Saviors," Negan grumbled. "She won't talk, so she can rot in a fucking cell for all I fucking care."
"Negan, please! Charlotte's a good person!" Amy approached him with tears running down her cheeks. The events of the last hour had her really shaken up and my heart broke seeing her groveling for Charlotte's life. Negan glanced down at her and then looked over at me. I could tell seeing Amy in such a fragile state had an effect on him, even though he was trying really hard not to show it. Approaching me, he gave me a very serious look.
"Talk to Charlotte. She's smarter than her dumb-as-fuck brother, and I can use someone like her. But I need her to join willingly. If she won't, then I'm all out of options."
I knew what that meant—Charlotte would die if she didn't say yes.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded in understanding and then went into the medical room.
Charlotte was laying in a bed—the same bed I had occupied when Negan had saved me from Caleb and I had woke up screaming in pain. Mentally shaking the bad memory away, I approached her. She was facing away from me, sitting on her side and staring at the wall.
"Charlotte?" I asked in a meek voice.
"Go away, Elle," she replied coldly.
I carefully approached the medical bed and reached out to touch the metal bars on the side.
"I'm so sorry about Derek, but you don't need to die. If you just agree to work for Negan, you can keep surviving." I hadn't had time to think of what I could say, so I was fumbling with my words.
"I'll never join him." Charlotte's response reminded me of Derek, and I flinched when I remembered he had said something similar during the meeting. Then, she turned to look up at my face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but there weren't any tears as she regarded me.
"My brother was armed. He had the upper-hand. You went after him, and now he's dead." Her voice was accusing, and she stared daggers at me.
I looked away, unable to maintain eye contact and remembered the sight of Derek falling to the floor from when I had shot him in the leg. He was going to kill Negan, and I had to stop him. But now he was dead, and I would never be able to explain to Charlotte what happened in that principal's office. It wouldn't matter anyways, his death would be on my hands whether she knew it or not, and my inability to look her in the eye was all the answer she needed.
"Please, Charlotte." I pleaded. "If you don't join them, they'll kill you."
She faced away from me and looked back to the wall. I waited for her to say something, but she sat there silently. Knowing I needed to get through to her, I used the only information I had been given about her past.
"Derek told me about your family—about your girls. Chelsea, Harley and your husband, Sam. They wouldn't want you to give up. They'd want you to keep going."
"Don't!" Charlotte snarled, whipping her head back to glare at me. "Don't say their names. Just. Don't." Her eyes narrowed at me as she continued. "My brother is dead. The last person I had in this fucked up world is gone. So just stop." Her eyes were watering again and she looked so angry, so hopeless, so fragile that I felt my own eyes begin to tear up.
"Charlotte…" I said softly, reaching out to her, but she winced and turned away, putting her back to me. I was trying to think of something else to say when the door opened and Negan entered.
"So, what the fuck is it gonna be?" Negan asked, looking past me to where Charlotte still wasn't facing us. I frowned at him and headed for the door.
I didn't know what else I could do.
Charlotte was taken out of the infirmary and brought to the cells. Negan said she had the night to think things over, but if she still refused in the morning, she would be killed. He said he could work with the other Greenbriers, but she was becoming a liability.
It was getting late, so we decided to spend the night at the Sanctuary. Negan offered for Amy and Eric to stay in one of his furnished bedrooms. They agreed, and then he asked me to join him in his room. I could tell he was exhausted, and he was still covered in Derek's blood when he made the proposition to me. We were standing outside of Amy and Eric's room when he asked.
Part of me blamed Negan for what had happened as much as I blamed Derek. I had made it clear he wasn't allowed to bring any weapons, and yet Simon brought a pistol. If Derek hadn't tried to shoot Negan, would Simon have tried the same thing?
I would never know, but I knew one thing—Negan hadn't trusted me.
And if he wasn't going to follow my rules, then I didn't need to follow his.
"I think I'll stay with Amy and Eric tonight," I muttered, unable to look at him. I really wished he would go clean up. The blood stains on his clothes were a constant reminder of what had happened earlier. "It's been a really long day."
I was prepared for him to fight me on it, but instead Negan pressed a kiss to the side of my head. He lingered, rubbing his face against my hair, as if he was hoping I would change my mind. When I didn't say anything, Negan let out a sigh and took a step back to regard me. I stared up at him solemnly, and he nodded.
"Okay, Elle. See you tomorrow," he said. With that, he left me and disappeared down the hall.
Going into the bedroom where Eric and Amy were waiting, I closed the door and then started going through the room we'd been given. There were items everywhere, ranging from food supplies to a microwave on top of a shelf across from the large bed in the center of the room. An oak dresser with clothes was pushed up against the wall and there was even a CD player on a desk.
"What are we gonna do, Elle?! We can't let him kill her!" Amy spoke in a loud whisper, watching me as I went over to where a black backpack was hanging up on the wall. Taking it down, I unzipped it and threw it onto the bed. Then I started going around the room and collecting items to put inside the bag.
"I have a plan, but I'm gonna need your help." Looking up at both of them, they nodded immediately. If we were going to help Charlotte, we needed to move fast.
Ten minutes later, we had the backpack completely filled with clean clothes, food and water. I had gone over my plan with Amy and Eric, making sure we all knew what we had to do. The sun had set, and it was getting dark out, which made things easier for us.
Opening the door to the bedroom and wearing the bag on my back, I peeked my head out into the empty hall. Once I could see the coast was clear, the three of us hurried down the hallway to the stairwell, and went to the floor with the cells.
We moved carefully and luckily didn't run into any Saviors on our way. Coming up to the hall with the cells, I glanced around the corner to see a familiar face sitting in a chair facing the cell doors. I couldn't help but smile. It was Naomi.
"You're up, Eric," I whispered, gesturing to where Naomi was sitting. He nodded and Amy and I backed into another dark hallway and waited.
Eric's voice flooded the hallways as he suddenly sprinted into the area where Naomi was sitting.
"Please! You have to help me! My wife! She's in labor!" I held my breath as I waited to hear Naomi's response.
"You need to go get Carson," she said, sounding startled.
"I don't know where he is! Please! I'm desperate. I don't want anything bad to happen to the baby!" He was really selling it, and I couldn't help but smile.
It was quiet for a few seconds and then Naomi audibly sighed.
"Okay, follow me." The two of them headed back into the hallway, and Amy and I remained hidden as they disappeared into the stairwell. Once they headed up the steps, I rushed towards the cell doors.
Opening a few of them, we saw some of the Greenbriers slouched over and laying on their sides. Finally, we opened a door and found Charlotte laying in a similar position, curled up on the ground.
"Charlotte, come on. Get up!" I whispered, glancing back down the hall. "We don't have much time."
"Leave me alone," she growled, not moving.
Turning to look at Amy's worried expression, I gestured with my head and she went into the cell.
"Charlotte, please!" Amy's soft voice filled the small cell and Charlotte finally looked up.
"Amy?" Charlotte asked concerned, staring up at the redhead in surprise. Amy offered her hand and nodded.
"We have to go," Amy said in a whisper.
I felt slightly relieved as Charlotte took Amy's hand and got up from the floor. Knowing the next part was a long shot, I led them back down the hallway and to the stairwell. Listening to make sure Naomi wasn't on her way back, we all moved swiftly down the steps until we were on the main floor.
Rushing out a side door, we headed over to where the Savior trucks were parked. Going over to a green pickup, I opened the door quietly and motioned for Charlotte to get into the backseat and lay on the floor. Once she was inside, Amy got into the passenger side and I got into the driver's seat. I set the backpack on the floor by Amy's feet, hoping to keep it out of sight, same as Charlotte.
"I don't think this is going to work," Amy whispered, glancing over to the main gate where a few guards were patrolling.
"We have to try," I answered, reaching into the cup holder where the keys were. Starting the engine, I glanced over to see the guards had all turned their heads to look at where we were. "Keep your head down, Charlotte."
A man approached the truck shining a flashlight at my face. Rolling down the window, I smiled at him and realized I knew this Savior.
"Hello, Brandon," I said, greeting him warmly. It was the Savior that I had met earlier that day. He had tried to flirt with me and Negan had threatened him for it.
"H-hey Elle," he stuttered in surprise when he realized it was me. "Where are you going?" He inspected me and Amy as he shined the flashlight at us.
"Home," Amy answered him with a grin. "We're headed back to Doveport."
My presence had visibly thrown him off, and I almost felt sorry for the poor guy. I could tell he wanted to stay as far away from me as possible, and knew we could use that to our advantage.
"I don't know anything about that." He scrunched his face and shined the light at us, already skeptical.
"We just wanna sleep in our own beds," I said, not letting my smile falter. "Negan's in a pretty bad mood, but you're welcome to go ask him. I wouldn't join him tonight, so he's probably with one of his wives right now." The man's face dropped at the mention of Negan being grouchy.
"No, uh.. That's okay," he said, fidgeting. I could see he was still unsure, so I decided a little charm couldn't hurt.
"I promise we're not trying to get you in trouble," I added, reaching out to touch his hand that was braced over the closed truck window. "We just wanna go home."
Brandon nodded and then shined the flashlight back at Amy. I was glad we both looked exhausted because our disheveled appearance seemed to be convincing him.
"Okay. Just so long as you go straight to the school." He gave me a wary look and I nodded, hoping he wouldn't shine his flashlight into the backseat where Charlotte was hiding. I felt relief as he walked away from the truck to head back over to the gate, but then he returned to the truck and I smiled again at him.
"I'm sorry about earlier at the school. I acted like a jerk, and I want to apologize." He didn't meet my gaze as he spoke.
"It's okay," I assured him, knowing he was trying to butter me up for Negan's sake. I appreciated that he was remorseful, but I didn't have time for it. "I forgive ya."
Brandon turned to leave and then approached the truck a third time, making my stomach drop.
"Wait.. didn't your husband come here with you?" he asked curiously, glancing to the backseat and shining the light that way.
"Yes!" Amy said, loud enough to bring Brandon's attention and flashlight back to her face. "He did. He's still inside. Negan's gonna bring him back tomorrow. He wanted to talk to him about something." Amy spoke fast, and I could hear the nervousness in her voice.
"We think Negan wants to ask Eric to become a Savior," I added quickly, hoping to take his attention off Amy.
I watched Brandon's face as he took in our lie. He didn't appear suspicious, and nodded after I finished speaking. Seemingly content with our answer, Brandon smiled at both of us.
"Well good for him."
Convinced, Brandon headed over to the gate and pulled it open for us. Driving out of the Sanctuary yard, I gave him a sincere smile. I was grateful he was willing to let us out so easily, though I knew Negan would probably go ballistic once he learned we were gone. I didn't have time to worry about his reaction, and decided I would handle that once Charlotte was safe.
We drove slowly down the road before picking up the speed when we were a good distance from the factory. Amy exhaled loud and then looked into the backseat.
"You can get up, Charlotte," she said with a thin smile.
Charlotte climbed up from the floor and sat down onto the truck seat. She looked out the window as we drove and didn't say anything. Amy opened the glove compartment to find a walkie talkie and a map. She unfolded the map and used it to give me directions on where to drive. We all sat in silence for a long time and then Amy let out a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" Amy asked, glancing back at Charlotte. When she didn't respond, Amy looked at me with worry. I simply frowned at her and kept my eyes on the road.
Some time later, Amy pointed at some trees and told me to pull over. Once the truck stopped, she hopped out, taking the backpack with her. I opened the door for Charlotte who got out slowly.
"Here," Amy held the bag out to Charlotte who took it from her. "We can't bring you back to the school, but we won't let Negan kill you."
Charlotte didn't move at first. She simply stared down at the backpack and then pulled it on. Then to my surprise, she wrapped her arms around Amy in a tight hug. Standing there awkwardly, I watched as they embraced for a long time.
Once they finished hugging, Charlotte let Amy go and I could see in the dim moonlight that both of them were crying. Charlotte finally looked at me and I realized we had given her everything she would need except for a weapon.
Reaching down to where my knife was sheathed at my side, I pulled it out and held it out to her. She wouldn't make it long without a weapon, but with it, she would at least stand a chance. That knife had helped me through a lot and had also been my worst nightmare. Through A.J. and Caleb, I was more than willing to part with it.
Charlotte took my knife and continued to stare into my eyes.
"I wish things could have been different," she said in a quiet voice. "But maybe I was always meant to end up alone."
"I'm sorry," I whispered. I didn't want any of this to happen either, and I hoped she knew that. I wanted to invite her to live at Doveport, but Negan would find her. This was the best we could do for her. She probably wished she had never left that treehouse.
Charlotte reached out and placed a hand on my arm and squeezed. A stern look came over her face.
"Don't get lost in him," she whispered.
I paled at her words and just stared back. Did she know that there was something happening between Negan and me? And what did that mean 'don't get lost in him'?
I didn't have a chance to ask. Charlotte turned away from both of us and headed into the trees. Amy and I stood on the road and watched as she disappeared into the darkness. Even a few minutes after she was gone we lingered. Glancing over at Amy, I noticed how worn out she was.
"Let's go back," I mumbled, turning away from the trees. Amy followed and we both got into the truck. Starting the engine, I flipped on the headlights and noticed a few walkers were headed our way. Driving around them on the road, I knew we would have a lot of explaining to do once we reached the Sanctuary.
"Negan is going to be so pissed," I said with a nervous chuckle, watching the road as I pressed down on the gas to speed up. When Amy didn't answer me, I glanced over to see she was staring down at her lap.
"Amy?" I asked, slowing the truck down to a stop.
That's when I noticed she wasn't staring at her lap—she was staring at the truck floor.
Amy looked up at me.
"I think my water just broke."
Flipping on the truck's interior lights, my eyes grew wide in panic. There was fluid everywhere, dripping from the seat and onto the floor.
"She's here," Amy uttered fearfully. "The baby's here."