Chapter 18 - Road To Nowhere

Kate woke up to the sound of screaming and gunfire. She sat up in the bed, the one in her room. She had hoped for an good night's sleep but it was clear now that it was not going to happen. The door to her room flew open and Negan came in, pumped up on adreniline. He threw her clothes to her and pointed to the window with Lucille.

"Baby, get dressed. Things are getting good! I am finally gonna grab that Rick Grimes fucker by the balls and I am NOT letting go." Negan swung Lucille around, hitting the air.

Kate dressed quickly and followed Negan out of the room and into the courtyard. He took her hand and pulled her along with him, to the main factory building that served as his place to address The Saviors. When they were on the landing, Kate could see every single Savior standing below, fired up and ready for a fight. Negan put his arm around Kate, kissed her, and stepped forward.

"Tonight, we start. Tonight, we fight! Tonight, we bring our enemies to their knees and remind them who is in charge!" Negan bellowed, his voice echoing over the crowd.

He proceeded to give them details, such as who to report to and where, and what jobs they would have in his master plan. Negan was so excited that Kate was able to slowly inch her way into the darkness, away from the spotlight. She knew that this was her chance to run, to leave. Kate had packed her bag and had it stashed in the hospital supply closet. She had the map to Mount Vernon in her boot. She also had a 9mm hand gun and an extra clip with ammo that Simon had smuggled in for her.

Kate started to leave when Negan turned and blocked her path.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, his eyes wild with excitement.

"The hospital. If anyone gets hurt, I'll need to be ready." She lied.

"Aw, come on. You're going with me! I don't want you to miss all the fun!" Negan started to take her hand but she pulled it away.

"I know. But someone has to stay behind. If there is a serious injury and I'm with you, that person could die. I'm still here to do my job, right?"

Negan looked from the crowd, to Kate, and back towards the mob moving out the doors of the building. He kissed her forehead, pointed Lucille at the crowd, and left with them. Kate waited at least five minutes before she ran as fast as she could to the hospital. When she arrived, no one was there. She half expected Simon to be waiting, to know that she was going to leave, and to see her off. But she knew that it was probably better this way.

It took all that she had to wait the hour that it took for the Saviors to get organized and leave the compound. She wanted to flee as soon as she could, but Kate knew that she couldn't risk getting caught. She paced the floor, listening, waiting. Finally, when she was sure that the last car had left, she grabbed her pack and headed towards the small side gate that was behind the Walker pit.

Fat Joey was standing against the fence, eating a candy bar. When he saw Kate, he tried to shove the whole thing in his mouth, in an attempt to hide it. Kate had her hand on the knife that she wore on her hip, ready to attack Joey if he got in her way.

"Hey, Kate! I didn't see you there. Everyone else left."

"I know. I told Negan that I would wait, so that I didn't get in the way. I'm staying close to camp, in care anyone gets hurt."

"Okay. Hey! You're not going out on foot, are you? It's like, dark out there. There's one motorcycle left. You should take that."

Kate smiled and nodded. She coldn't believe that he actually believed her. Then again, Joey always went along with whatever Negan wanted, so if Kate told him that she had a plan, he wasn't about to question it. They walked together to the back gate, and Joey handed Kate the keys to a beat up Harley Sportster. She waived to him, reved the engine, and took off into the night.

Kate had marked the map, for places to stop and general landmarks. She was almost thankful now that she was able to cover more ground while Negan and his men were out starting a war. She had listened to the directions that Negan gave his men, and paid attention to any road names, numbers, and anything involving the landscape. She had planned on walking through the woods, but now would have to make a course correction.

She pulled off to the side of the road and removed the map from her pocket. If what Negan said was true, then there was only one road that she would be able to take, and it would be out of the way. But she had to take the risk. There was no going back now.

Kate rode for at least thirty minutes without seeing a Walker. The headlight on the bike wasn't very bright and she knew that she could easily crash and injure herself if she wasn't careful. There was no GPS, no great mobile guide to get her onto an alternate route any faster. So she slowed her speed and navigated the best that she could.

About an hour in, she decided to abandon the bike all together. Her instinct was telling to get on foot, and go where a vehicle couldn't follow. She parked the bike down an old hiking path and covered it with debris. Pulling out her flashlight, she looked back over her shoulder before heading into the dark woods.