This was hard to write! But worth it in the long run! I hope you think so too but I have a feeling I'm going to get chewed out over this one. A lot of things still have to happen! Keep that in mind! Thank you all for the love! I wasn't expecting anyone to bother with this anymore so I am beyond thrilled that some of you did stick around! You guys are the best!

Spilling Blood

The only time Carol ever remembered being this scared was when Sophia had gone missing in the woods the day the walkers had went after her. There was no describing that feeling. This was no different than that day except she was watching the monster now. She would witness this herself. She had no idea what had happened to Daryl and Merle. She just had to have faith that they would be able to save them all. If anyone could it would be them.

She pulled at the binds that held her arms behind her back and she tried yelling through the dirty bandana that the creep had shoved in her mouth, securing it with tape. They were thorough, that was for sure. She felt like she wasn't getting enough oxygen in her lungs. She watched in horror as the man took a few steps closer to her daughter. Sophia looked at him with not a trace of fear in her eyes. Carl seemed to be debating on whether to get between them or let Sophia handle this. She didn't fault the boy for hesitating. He was child. Sophia was a child. They should never had brought the girl to begin with. They should have taken Carl right back to the farm when they had discovered him there in the truck bed.

They had been fools to think that they could hide from the heartbreak. It seemed like no matter what they tried, things were going to fall a part in the long run. What she didn't understand was how Sophia hadn't seen this coming.

"You know what, little girl? I think I may keep you around for a while. You may be stupid but at least you're entertaining." He laughed. Carol couldn't see his face but the sound had her going still.

Sophia scowled. "You know what. It doesn't matter which reality you're in, you're always a complete asshole."

Carol broke down then. Tears blinded her as a sob tried to break through the gag in her mouth. Why was Sophia doing this? What in the world could be going through the girl's mind to make her feel the need to talk to the man that way? She knew how dangerous he was. She was smarter than this.

Sophia held up a hand. "Wait for it," she said, her eyes sparkling slightly. "Five... Four..."

"What the hell is wrong with this kid?" Negan laughed, looking at his friend.

"Three... Two..." Sophia looked up, her eyes locking on Negan's before she grinned. A shot rang out then and the man standing next to him dropped dead. "One," She finished, not bothering to look at the dead man at her feet.

The man that had been in the back of the truck with Carol, Andrea and Sasha jumped down and ran to where Negan was standing. "What the hell just happened?" He bellowed.

Negan looked down at Sophia, who was just now looking at the corpse. Carol squinted in the sun, trying to rid the tears in her eyes so she could see better. She noticed then that there was blood sprayed all over her daughters arm. As much as it bothered Carol, Sophia didn't even seem to notice.

Negan was looking around but there was no one in site that could have shot the man. Carol knew who had done it and she sagged in relief. Merle and Daryl had finally made it. Negan grabbed Sophia and ran towards the truck, either to take cover or to throw her inside and flee. Carl pulled out his gun but there was another man right there, snatching it out of the boys hand before he could shoot Negan. Carol had a feeling that wasn't going to be that easy. When Negan realized that Carl was armed he spun Sophia around and lifted the back of her shirt up. He saw the butt of the gun and pulled it out, shoving Sophia onto the gravel so hard that she nearly landed on he face. Carol scrambled to stand up, to help her daughter, but she was shoved down by another man that had hopped into the back with them.

Sophia looked up and over her shoulder, sill lying on her stomach in the gravel. She was no longer smiling. She was looking right down the barrel of the very gun that Daryl had given her.

~H~

Daryl wasn't sure if Merle's plan was going to work but they didn't have a choice. If they walked out of the woods then the only thing that would happen was, there would be two new prisoners for the maniac to toy with. If they did nothing at all, everyone was going to end up dead. So Merle had taken the shot and Daryl could only watch as the man dropped. He held his breath for a few heartbeats, waiting to see what would happen next. The truck was blocking his view from most of the action but he did see when Carl had tried to make a move and then he saw what the man did to Sophia. He felt his muscles nearly vibrate with rage.

Before Merle had a chance to stop him he tore out of the woods, the only thing on his mind was to get to Sophia as fast as he could before that psycho could hurt her. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. She had been through enough. They all had been through enough. He was halfway between the woods and the truck before one of the men, the one that was in the back of the truck with the women, spotted him. He could hear Merle cursing but he was right on his heels. Merle wouldn't have let him do something this stupid without doing it with him. That was the beauty of having a brother like Merle. If nothing else, you could count on him to join in on dumb as shit stunts like this.

He heard a familiar voice yelling for someone to calm down and drop the gun. It sounded like Shane but he couldn't see. A gunshot rang out and he saw the gravel fly up next to his feet. When he looked up he saw Andrea lash out with her foot, hitting the man that was firing at them square in the knee. He dropped like a stone onto the bed of the truck but he was up quick. Daryl heard Merle curse as the man's fist lashed out, hitting Andrea in the side of the face. She slumped over, out of view. The guy had knocked her out cold.

"That one's mine," Merle huffed as he sidled up next to Daryl.

~H~

Sophia raised up on her arms, ignoring the pain of the gravel biting into the palms of her hands. She knew that she should have been more afraid than she was but she was riding on adrenalin. She didn't see Carl anywhere but she knew that her mom and Andrea were in the back of the truck. Negan was on her as soon as she rolled over onto her back, looming there. He slapped her across the face hard. It hurt but at least he hadn't shot her. It wasn't because he didn't want to kill a little girl either. He could have done that easy, without batting an eye. No, he wanted to take his time with her. He was a little afraid, afraid of her because of the things she had said, and that was making him furious. He wasn't the type of man that dealt with fear very well, not unless he was dishing it out.

"How did you know that was gonna happen?" He spat, holding her up by her shirt.

He was using both hands to grip the front of her tee-shirt, leaving the rest of himself exposed. She remembered everything that Merle and Daryl had taught her and she acted quickly. She jabbed her finger into his eye and then drew back, kicking him between the legs so hard that it jarred her. She ignored the wet feel on her finger and scrambled away as fast as she could. Negan howled in pain.

Sophia knew what the outcome was going to be but she didn't know an specifics. She didn't know who was going to kill who. All she knew was that her mom and Daryl would be safe. That was all that she could hope for for now. She knew, deep down in her bones, that Negan was it. If he could be defeated today then all of those people at the farm would have a chance. The Jenners would have a chance to save the world and things wouldn't have to be the way she had seen them in that vision. The one where Daryl had been beaten so badly and all of them other than her and Merle were dead. As long as that didn't happen, Sophia had done her job.

She ran around the side of the truck, not knowing exactly where the bullets were coming from, and not caring. The only thing she could think about at the moment was getting to Merle. She knew they were coming. She had seen them there. Once she rounded the truck she nearly ran into Daryl. The man that had been in the truck with her mom and the other two women was now gone.

Daryl grabbed her and moved her until she was on the ground, sitting next to the rear tire. "Don't move," he said and then he was gone, rushing around the tail end of the truck. When she heard a sound to her right she looked over sharply but it was only Carl, crawling around the other side of the truck to join her out of the line of fire.

"Do you know how this is gonna end?" He asked once he was settled down next to her.

She nodded. "I know that Negan isn't coming out of this alive."

She felt his hand on the side of her face, forcing her to look at him. His eyes zeroed in on the scrape on her chin but then his eyes finally met hers. "Do we?"

She looked away quickly, grabbed his hand and held it in her own.

~H~

Carol rubbed her wrists once Daryl had her freed. He yanked the tape from her mouth quickly and she was able to spit out the dirty cloth that had kept her silent since this whole thing started. Daryl gestured towards Andrea, who was still unconscious, lying on her side. "Get her up so we can end this shit," he said hurriedly. He wasted a few seconds, placing his hand on the side of her face and kissing her quickly before he was gone.

She looked down at the gun he had placed in her hand. She hurried over to Sasha, not letting on like she knew who the woman was at all, while she struggled with the rough rope that was binding her hands. Sasha was watching her, a strange look in her eyes. When she was finally free she ripped off the tape, wincing slightly.

"Thank you," she said quickly and then hurried to the other end of the truck to wait.

With grim determination Carol worked the bonds from Andrea's hands and quickly rolled her over onto her back. The side of her face was already bruising and it was going to look nasty by morning but she didn't dwell on it. She shook her friend's shoulders hard. It didn't take long for Andrea to blink up at her, a small groan escaping her lips before she realized what was happening and sat up.

There was still gunfire raging in the parking lot and Carol could have sworn she heard the distant wail of a young child, but her ears were ringing and it very well could have been her imagination.

She grabbed Andrea's hand and the two of them slid to the end of the truck while Sasha opened the tailgate. The three of them stuck together as they slipped out. They stayed low as Carol peered around the side, taking in the scene before her. Shane and Tyreese were both useless, their hands bound behind their backs as they struggled to stay out of the line of fire. Their backs pressed against the bricks of the building. Carol wanted to help them but there was nothing she could do.

Her eyes sought out the biggest threat here and she was shocked when she saw him. He was about to fire at Merle, who was racing towards Shane and Tyreese but that wasn't what had her gaping. Coming up behind him, blade at the ready, was one of the most beautiful sites she could have hoped for in this mess. She heard Andrea gasp.

Michonne.

She was almost to the man when one of the others noticed her, Carol had the man in her sites but before she could shoot Andrea rushed out from the safety of the truck's shadow and right towards the man. She screamed Michonne's name, distracting the man that was about to kill her friend, but also alerting Negan of the threat that loomed behind him.

He spun around, aiming the gun at her. Carol flinched when he pulled the trigger but nothing happened. He was out of bullets. Talk about good timing. Michonne swung the blade but he dodged it, barely dancing away from her with more grace than Carol would have guessed he possessed. He was also fast. So fast that before she could swing again he lunged at her, hitting her like a linebacker.

Andrea had stopped, putting her hands up as the man with the gun glared at her. Carol couldn't just stay there hiding while her friend was gunned down before her eyes. She moved out from behind the truck, gun aimed at the man's head. He saw her and smiled.

"You wanna be the first to go?" He asked but the gun stayed on Andrea.

Carol stopped but her grip on the gun didn't waver. She squeezed the trigger as she let out a breath, just like Daryl had shown her. Her aim was off and he took the hit in the shoulder. He stumbled back a few feet and raised his gun again. That was when Merle came out of nowhere. Carol heard the shot ring out and watched in horror as Merle hit the ground hard. Andrea dropped to her knees, her face going ghostly white.

"No!"

Carol turned at the sound of her daughter's voice. She tried to grab her but Sophia was fast. All the girl seemed to see was Merle's lifeless form. Before Carol could react she was grabbed from behind, a hand over her mouth. She struggled to break the hold but there was no use. Whoever had a hold on her wasn't letting go. She felt herself being dragged backwards and then Sophia was out of her line of vision. She would gladly die right now than anything happen to Sophia. She couldn't lose her again. It was bad enough not knowing where Daryl was. In the middle all the chaos she had lost sight of him.

She was thrown to the ground, her head bouncing painfully off of the sharp rocks that filled the parking lot. When she opened her eyes her vision swam. When she was finally able to focus she saw exactly what she expected to see. Negan loomed over her, one eye swollen and squeezed shut, a small amount of blood around the rim.

"You have no idea how bad you've messed up, lady," he snarled.

She tried to move back but he slammed his boot down onto her midsection, causing her to cry out in pain and stop her pathetic attempt at escape. "Have you always been this dramatic?" She wheezed, refusing to give him the satisfaction of watching her squirm in fear under his boot. She looked at what he held in his hands then and her blood froze in her veins. It was a wooden bat, which would have terrifying enough on it's own, but wrapped around it was bands of barbed wire.

"I'm gonna make this hurt for as long as I can."

He raised the bat and she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to watch as the sadistic thing tore into her flesh, ripping it away piece by piece. She tensed, readying herself for the pain, but it never came. She heard a grunt as Negan's boot left her stomach and then a thump. She opened her eyes, rolling on instinct. She sat up, crab walking backwards.

Negan had been slammed into the side of the truck but he was getting up quickly. Daryl was a few feet away from him, obviously the one that had come to her rescue. For the first time she noticed that there was no more gunfire. The air was still and heavy with a silence that pounded against her ear drums.

Negan was the first to make a move, trying to retrieve the bat that he had dropped when Daryl had hit him. Daryl was faster, kicking the evil thing out of his reach. He waited until Negan was upright before he lunged at him, hitting him hard in the face. Carol hadn't been aware of how much bigger Negan was than Daryl until they were squaring off. She couldn't help but wonder where the hell everyone else was. Someone should have been helping him take this guy down. She tried to get up but a wave of dizziness kept her where she was. Nausea rolled through her and she knew that hitting her head had given her a mild concussion. She hoped it was mild anyway.

"Damn, boy! You really think you could stop me?" Negan roared as he hit Daryl in the jaw, knocking him backwards a few feet.

"You're such an asshole," Daryl growled, throwing a punch to Negan's midsection that had him doubling over.

Carol saw Negan's next move right before Daryl did. There, nestled at the small of his back, was he gun he must have taken from Carol. She saw him reaching back, apparently finished with the physical abuse he was taking. She wanted to scream but it died on her lips as, instead of going for Negan, Daryl went for the bat. After that the world seemed to move in slow motion. Negan was bringing the gun around but Daryl already had the bat aimed. He swung, hitting Negan in the jaw. The crack of the bat and the strange sound of breaking bones seemed to echo through the still air. Blood flew, skin tore away, and Negan fell onto his back, the gun landing just out of reach.

Just like in the room back at the farm when Ed had threatened them, Daryl wasn't Daryl. He was someone else. His eyes were glazed with fury, his muscles straining. Negan made a move to get up but Daryl wasn't going to let that happen. Not again. He drew back, the bat raised above his head. Carol closed her eyes and turned her head. She heard something in that moment that chilled her all the way to the marrow in her bones. Negan's laughter. The laugh quickly died on his lips and he grew silent right before Daryl ruined him with his own homemade weapon. Carol would never forget the sound the bat made every time it hit the man.

She didn't open her eyes until she felt a hand grip her upper arm, pulling her off the ground. Daryl was there, blood spatter covering a good portion of his body. He put a strong arm around her waist, sensing that she needed it. The world felt like it tilted but she moved with him until they made it around the side of the truck.

In one sweeping glance she saw Sasha untying Shane and Tyreese. Two men that she had never seen were standing nearby, one of them holding a toddler. She felt the grip that Daryl had on her tighten as her gaze moved to the last place she had seen Merle and Sophia. A sob escaped her then and she was sure she would pass out. If not from the concussion itself then from the grief that was about to swallow her whole. Andrea was on her knees, Michonne was kneeling next to her with an arm around her shoulders as she sobbed. Carl stood next to them, his head hung and even from where she stood Carol saw the tears dripping from his cheeks.

On the ground, face down, was Merle. The man that had caused her so much grief in so many ways. A man that she had grown to love. And next to him, crumpled on her side, her knees pulled up to her chest, a small pool of blood spreading under her head, was Sophia.

The world turned to black and Carol embraced the abyss gladly, turning away from the pain that wracked her body.

Please, remember that I do everything for a reason. Don't boycott me yet. I am far from a sadist and this was the only way for me to get to the bottom of the mystery that is Black Moon Blues. And at the end of the day, I'm a freak for glitter and unicorns and rainbows and shit. Just stick with me till the end. You'll love me again soon. I promise!