Rosita froze, just before slamming the blade down right on top of the sleeping baby. Nearly dropping the knife, she stiffened a low moan in her throat before remembering the look on that bastard's face before he swung that bat of his. No, he deserved worse. He deserved to watch his child die. Let him know exactly what it was life to lose somebody he loved right before his very eyes. Standing back holding the knife, she silently slipped it into her pocket and knew she had to be patient. If all else went as planned, she would be able to have quite the show for Negan when he arrived. In fact, she couldn't wait. Turning, she quickly hurried out of the nursery, before making sure she could creep down the stairs, and slip out without being noticed.'
Just a few more days.
She would wait.
She knew she could.
Later...
Rosita had been patient. Days had passed and she stuck around, listening to Rick's plan, and today Jadus and the rest of her people had arrived in large garbage trucks. Nearly everyone was either helping, or hiding in one of the storm cellars next to the back escape exit. She watched as two women, Mary, and Victoria carried Judith, and the baby boy. Instantly her eyes narrowed. She had been waiting, and knew if Negan did indeed show up, she had a show for him. Hurrying over, she put on her best dazzling smile.
"Rick wanted me to watch the boy, he said to take Judith."
Mary and Victoria exchanged a look, before Victoria shifted the baby's weight against her hip. He was wearing a gray one-piece wth little elephants on it. His thick hair swept to the side, and his big hazel eyes staring out as he laid against Victoria's shoulder.
"Really? He told us to head to the cellar in case..."
"He wants to keep him somewhere else, I don't know. Listen we don't have much time, do you wanna go find him and ask?"
Instantly Victoria shook her head before carefully handing the baby over to her.
"All right, he's just been fed, he shouldn't be fussy..."
Rosita had to fight the urge to scream as she held Negan's only son against her own hip, before smiling.
"He'll be safe, I'll see you later."
She quickly glanced at Judith for a moment, before turning and hurrying down the road before the others came to gather. There was a lot to do, and she just prayed that this stupid baby wouldn't blow her over. Heading to the main gate where they were about to put the bombs, she made sure nobody was looking before she went to the blue car sitting right at the beginning of the entrance. Sighing, she opened the back door, before carefully laying the baby down on the floor. The baby's tiny little legs kicked as he stared up. He gurgled, staring up at her before Rosita shut her eyes, reminding herself that this wasn't some innocent baby. That if she wanted to hurt Negan as badly as she had been hurt, this was the only way. Even if it meant that she was a monster. Sighing, she slammed the door, before hurrying away.
Later...
"Baby, let's get rolling."
Lucy, who was currently sitting in the wheelchair, facing one of the windows was staring out at the yard below where Negan had gotten several of his "workers" to mind the area, where walkers were placed, even so much as being fused to the fences as a form of security. Looking down at it made Lucy's head ache even worse than it all ready did. Just yesterday Negan had informed Harlan that he wanted to ease up on Lucy's pain medication seeing that she was pregnant and all. Today her head had throbbed to the point she thought she could vomit. Earlier, Harlan had come in, and helped her bathe, all the while having Negan stone set and watching from the doorway as Harlan stayed professional, and silent, using a sponge to gently soak her skin, before checking on her bandages. He said everything appeared to be healing nicely, and reminded her to take it easy and try not to move around that much since the area was still very tender. At this point, Lucy no longer cared being naked in front of these two men. One was a doctor, the other her rapist...no, she reminded herself, her husband. She simply zoned out, giving one word answers, before Harlan helped her dress in jeans and a black T-shirt. Here Negan handed over the same red scarf she had been wearing the last several days, in which Harlan loosely wrapped it around her shaved head, and helped her into the wheelchair.
He finally was able to give her the dosage she was allowed in pain medication, and was currently enjoying the stoned out numb feeling that had taken over her body. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, but she spent it staring out the window, listening to Negan come and go, hearing whoever was currently assigned to watch her chew gum, and tap their foot against the floor, before finally the sound of the door opening came again, and Negan's voice filled the air. Lucy slowly turned, looking up at him, the bruising now gone from her face besides dark circles underneath each eye. Harlan had explained he didn't know how long her eye would remain bloodshot, and wasn't exactly sure if all of her vision would completely return. So instead, she stared up, stoned, and confused before Negan smiled. He was dressed exactly as he had been the first night she met him. Squatting down, she could smell his cologne, and noticed his scarf matched the one she was currently wearing around her head.
"What?"
She responded, hoping her speech wouldn't slur. If Negan thought even for a second she was too strung out he would demand she was taken off any medication. The very thought of her head aching as badly as it had been was too much to even think of at the moment. Instead she sat calmly, looking at him as her dark eyebrows lifted in confusion. Negan smiled, his hand reaching out patting her stomach.
"We're taking a little trip."
"Where?"
"To Alexandra, seems as if my pal Rick has a surprise waiting for me and I got an even bigger one planned right back for him."
"What are you talking about?"
Negan's hand continued to rub her stomach as he smiled.
"I know the doc doesn't want you to move, but I hate to admit it but the only place I think you'll be safe is with me. All you gotta do is wait in the truck and rest that pretty little head of yours. As of lately I've gotten pretty paranoid and I know I won't be at my best if I'm thinking the whole time if you and our boy are safe. Besides, you are my good luck charm."
He smiled, leaning over and kissing her cheek. Instantly Lucy stared, thinking of the baby.
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing much. That woman we got, damn Lucy you two would get along just fine. We both agreed on a little plan, and only one of Rick's people need to die for crossing me. Just another reminder on who's in charge."
"You're going to kill someone?"
"Better than three, that's what I originally wanted. No, I'm dealing with things in a whole new light, but I would rather have you come along just in case."
"But you said..."
"Listen, I promised I wouldn't hurt them, but they are planning on attacking us. I'm not going to massacre the whole damn town, just one sorry sack that deserves it. There needs to be an example made, after that Rick and his people will remember who's in charge and we can go back to living our happy little life's."
He gently patted her stomach before smiling.
"I'm going to have Dwight take you down the elevator, and load you into the truck. I'll be right behind you."
Kissing her cheek and standing, Lucy watched as he reached for the bookshelf where Lucille sat. The same bat that had killed how many people? She thought of Chris, then of her own skull splitting open. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths as another horrible headache began to thud loudly in her ears. Thinking of the baby, she had absolutely no idea how to stop this.
Later...
"How about Kyle?"
"Hum?"
Negan looked down at Lucy as she sat beside him in the front cab of the truck. They had just spent the last hour getting through a roadblock that they suspected Rick's people had put up to slow them down. Lucy had spent the entire time in the truck, feeling her pain medication slowly begin to fade away as she closed her eyes, listening to the dull roar of the engine, and ignoring the pounding in her temples. Negan sat beside her, arm wrapped around her shoulders, allowing her to carefully rest her head against the shoulder of his leather jacket. He had gotten out of the cab once at the roadblock, and had since returned. Now his thick rich voice broke her out of whatever thin broken sleep she had slipped into.
"Kyle. Do you like that as a name?"
Lucy seemed to keep forgetting that she was pregnant. That yet again she was carrying yet another one of Negan's children. Another baby conceived most likely by rape. She tried to believe that they had made this baby back when she was blissfuly unaware, in a thick fog of who he really was. Back when she was believing his lies, thinking they were a happily married couple who despite the odds had found each other. Not made by rape, him forcing himself on her to make another unwanted child. Faint memories continued to haunt her remembering her last pregnancy. How day after day she was kept hostage in that dirty little trailer. How heavy she became with the twins, scared out of her mind. She barley remembered the day she threw herself into the quarry, but remembered stumbling in the woods soaking wet and freezing before collapsing. She remembered the first boy who died beside her in the cabin, and how he had returned. His eyes glazed over, his skin a terrible grayish blue.
Then the other boy. She knew deep in her heart it was him back at Alexandra. How beautiful he looked sleeping in the nursery. His freckled face, his thick hair, his long lashes. At first glance you wouldn't even believe this was a result of something terrible. No, what she saw that day was the best parts of her, and whatever good parts that were in him. She tried to convince herself that she was better off dead, that he deserved never to know how he came to be, or who his parents were. She knew that would be a death sentence for him if Negan ever knew he existed. This baby deserved to be raised by good people like Rick. A man who was a good father, a good man, and somebody who was the complete opposite of Negan. Now they were riding towards him, and Lucy couldn't help but nervously pull at the thread of her slacks as a nervous habit. Looking down at her stomach, she knew it would be a while until she started showing. She was gaining a little bit of weight, and when she was naked you could tell she was pregnant, but sitting right here, looking down, she pretended she wasn't. That another ticking time bomb wasn't inside of her. She knew it was too late to try and get rid of it even if she had the chance. That she had tried killing herself along with this unborn child, and had yet again failed. Negan owned her, and would own this child. She wondered why he was so obsessed with having a child with her? She thought of this wife he had spoken about to her in private.
Did they have children? Did they want any? She had so many questions her head ached. Instead she wondered what they were about to drive themselves into, and if the baby would be safe? Negan had promised if she obeyed him that nobody else would be hurt, yet here they were about to ride on over and take another life. She sat there thinking of what she saw before she was helped into the truck by Dwight. She saw on the back of the truck a coffin. At first she thought she wasn't seeing right. She squinted against the sun before looking up and seeing a woman carefully crawling into it while Negan grinning down at her. Figuring this was the woman Negan had talked about, she dropped her eyes and got in. Minutes later Negan joined her, slamming the door shut before the engine roared to life. Lucy asked why that woman got into the coffin?
Negan smiled saying that they had a little surprise for Rick, and pressed her temple wrapping an arm around her telling her out to worry about a thing. Now they were almost there, traveling up the road. The rich strong scent of Negan's jacket filled her nose as she rested her head against his shoulder. Sighing, she stared down at her stomach and shrugged.
"Kyle is nice..."
Negan smirked before instantly his eyes lifted to the main gate. Raising his hand, he signaled, showing that they were about to slow down. Lucy saw the main gates ahead, and instantly her head started to thud worse than ever. Looking up, her badly damaged eye stared upward before Negan's grip squeezed her wrist.
"Be still."
Negan harshly said just barley above a whisper. His grip tightened, but didn't hurt. Instead a huge smile appeared on his face as he looked out the windshield. There were other trucks, all lining the main road. She saw the man named Eugene standing on the flatbed of one just as the main gate slowly got pushed back. There were tons of people, all holding guns. The truck stopped before Negan gently pulled her by the arm.
"You stand next to Dwight, shit goes down you stick with him okay?"
Lucy stared at him feeling drugged and slow with her thought process. Instead Negan gently touched her chin, before pulling her by the arm, and helping her climb out. Dwight circled around, standing next to her as Negan grabbed onto his bat and began walking forward. Clapping Eugene on shoulder, he began walking towards the main gate as Lucy stood next to Dwight, looking forward.
"Did you ever hear the one about the stupid little prick named Rick that thought he knew shit but didn't, and got everyone he gave a shit about killed? It's about you."
Negan pointed up at Rick who stared down almost in a trance, a woman behind him pointing a gun right at him. Lucy looked around, and suddenly knew this was an ambush.
"Ya'll gonna wanna put your guns down now."
Rick's eyes caught Lucy's for just a second before returning to Negan.
"Nobody drops anything..." He whispered to the woman what appeared to sound like
"We had a deal..."
before the woman responded. Lucy stood next to Dwight, her head aching so badly she thought she might faint. Swaying on her feet, her one good eye scanned everyone through the fence, and saw Rosita, the same woman who had helped her glaring back.
"You pushed me and you pushed me, and YOU PUSHED ME RICK! Just tried to blow us up right? Now I get me and my people...but Eugene? He's one of yours and after what he did? He stepped up! You people are animals! Universe gives you a sign and you shove your finger right up it's ass!"
Negan chuckled lightly.
"Dwight! Simon! Chop! Chop!"
Instantly Dwight and Simon began to climb the truck before Negan glanced over at Lucy and smiled, beckoning her with his gloved hand.
"Lucille my dear! Get that pretty little ass if yours over here!"
Lucy glanced up, meeting Rick's gaze before slowly joining Negan who smiled up. Together they watched as Simon and Dwight uncovered the coffin, and wheeled it upright on the back of the truck. Negan rubbed the back of Lucy's back before softly whispering for her to stay put. Leaving her standing beside the truck, facing everyone, he slowly climbed up and raised his voice to Rick as he stood beside the coffin that held the woman.
"So you don't like Eugene anymore? You guys gotta like Sasha! I do too."
Gently he tapped on the steel of the coffin using the bat. As he continued talking, Lucy began to zone out of his words. Her head was killing her, and everything seemed so bright. She held onto the end of the truck for support as Negan continued shouting up at Rick, saying something about how he brought Sasha so he didn't have to kill everyone. She glanced up as Negan told Rick that he wanted all of the guns, as well as someone of Rick's own choosing for Lucille. That's when he yelled about wanting Daryl back. Smiling, he motioned to him.
"Yep, that's right...I see you. Thought that was a pretty funny trick with Lucy huh?"
Lucy stared at him, feeling that she might faint at any moment. Negan was saying something about a pool table that made totally no sense. His shouting was giving her a worse headache than she all ready had. She swayed, shifting from one foot to another. She glanced up just as Negan started to open the coffin. Suddenly the door flew open, and a horrible hissing filled the air. Lucy snapped her head up towards that direction hard enough to make her vision blur for a moment. She saw the woman they called Sasha come barreling out, but now as a walker. For a split second Lucy thought...
"Negan killed her..."
The woman came barreling out, clawing and hissing before heading straight towards Negan who was completely taken by surprise.
"HOLY GODDAMN!"
The woman grabbed into Negan and both fell backwards, right out of Lucy's sight. For another split second Lucy thought.
"She got him, he's dead. Negan's dead..."
She hated how badly this excited and terrified her. That's when the hail of gunfire began, echoing loudly around her as everyone spun around firing at each other. Lucy stood frozen, before the woman named Rosita ran to the blue car parked beside her. Opening the door, she took something out before turning around. Men and woman all around were shooting guns, screams of pain filling the air. Lucy stood watching her, before Negan came stumbling over, face flushed, and out of breath. Quickly her eyes scanned him, and she saw he wasn't bitten. He nearly lost his footing, before grabbing hold of her. Simon was right beside her as well, and she heard Negan yell in frustration about a plan B. He went to yank her arm when suddenly Rosita turned around, holding in the crook of one arm, the baby. Lucy froze completely unable to move even if she wanted to. Rosita grinned a mad woman's grin, before raising a handgun to the baby's head.
"NEGAN!"
From above she heard Rick scream her name. Instead she ignored, staring right at Negan who stood beside Lucy, looking confused.
"HERE'S YOUR SON! NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO WATCH!"
Lucy saw Rosita click back the safety, before she stared at the baby's round chubby little freckled face. A savage emotion erupted in her before her lips drew back and she screamed. Rosita then pulled the trigger, blood splattering against her face. Lucy moved a step forward, before stopping completely. Whatever was left of the baby tumbled down to the ground, as Rosita suddenly seemed to be aware of what she just did. Lucy stood in shock, staring at the child's blown apart body, before her face crumpled, and without so much as another word, she spun around, grabbing Negan's gun he kept in his belt, and yanked it with all of her strength away from him. Turning, she aimed the gun and screamed at the top of her lungs.
A scream filled with annoy, and outrage. She fired three times. The first missed completely, the second got Rosita right in the shoulder, before the other hit one of the parked car's windows. The gun jammed, as she threw it in frustration before Rosita took off running. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she went to run forward again when Negan's heavy arm went down around her. Struggling, ignoring the pain she kicked and screamed over the gunfire, wanting to rip this woman apart. Instead, Negan wrapped his arm around her, and yanked her between the trucks as she screamed.
Later...
The gunfire for the moment had died down. Negan had brought Lucy to what she believed was a park in-betweens several houses, and sat her on a bench. Lucy had stumbled towards the blown apart corpse of the baby, before her kneels gave out as Negan's men marched forward, holding guns to the others. The sight of the baby caused her to vomit. Hot bubbling acid filled her throat before she bent her head and gagged. Negan walked behind her, boots thudding before he paused and stared down.
"Get up."
He responded in a dead tone voice. Lucy closed her eyes, wishing for death at that exact moment. All she had wanted was for this poor innocent child to be safe. Now, she knelt here, surrounded by it's blood. Negan reached down, grabbing Lucy's arm hard enough to break it, before he dragged her forward. They walked together, as Lucy swayed, unable to truly focus. Instead flashes of the first night when her group had stumbled into Negan's group flashed before her. She kept thinking of Chris for some strange reason, and couldn't seem to think any further. She figured she was in shock. When he sat her down, he did so like a child would toss a used toy down, before she watched as Rick and his son were brought over, keeling side by side. Her eyes franticly searched for that little bitch. She didn't care if it was the last thing she did...she wanted to destroy her. Negan raised his bat as he walked over.
"Hello again."
He paced back and forth.
"Well shit Rick you just couldn't stick with us. You had to go with these filthy garbage people...no offense."
The woman with the gun stared up at him.
"The deal is for 12 yes?"
"Ten."
Lucy slowly rocked back and forth, she felt she was on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown. Looking down at her blood splattered hands, she knew this was the baby's. She shook all over, as Negan glanced in her direction before sighing.
"Rick...this is just going to make you sad. Broken, wishing you were dead. I like having fun...I do..."
He continued talking as Lucy felt blood begin to dribble from her nose, running down her face, and dropping on her slacks. Negan continued talking to Rick before he stood before him.
"I gotta make it right. I guess I gotta start al over again. I gotta tell you Rick...if I had a kid...which I believe I did...right?"
He motioned with his bat backwards.
"The poor little innocent baby that little cock sucker just shot in cold blood? That was me and Lucy's other kid wasn't it? Judging from how my wife reacted as did you...that was wasn't it? The one I had written off believing to be dead. Now I'll deal with Lucy later about that...but I'm pretty certain that one of your people just shot a baby in the head. You people are fucking monsters, and even though I got another kid cooking...I sure do wish that he'll end up just like your kid. Which makes this so much harder..."
Rick's boy muttered something as Negan continued to talk. She heard him say that it was tit for tat. They killed his boy, he'll kill Rick's. Lucy sat frozen before a distant scream was heard. Negan laughed, squatting down saying something about them losing somebody important to them. He shook his head. "Feels pretty awful doesn't it?" He whispered to Rick, and from the distance Lucy sat she couldn't hear them besides a few words. She knew Negan was going to kill Rick's son, and then use the bat to take Rick's hands.
Sitting, Lucy stared at these people and couldn't believe she had trusted them. She never loved that baby, but he didn't deserve this. Lifting herself, ignoring he pain, she limped over, one good eye glaring before standing closer to Negan and the others. Negan glanced in her direction before she glared back at him, curling fists at her sides. Negan turned around, raising the baseball bat.
"All right Rick, you said I could do it..." Just then a tiger lunged out of nowhere. Lucy stared in disbelief as the giant animal lunged at one of the men, ripping him to pieces, screams raised over the horrible sounds of it ripping him apart before Negan grabbed onto Lucy, nearly stumbling back.
"Goddamn tiger!"
He shouted, before taking a gun from Simon as they hid behind a car.
"That widow is alive and guns are blazing! That's the taste of shit Simon!"
Grabbing onto Lucy, she tried to struggle back.
"NO! LET ME KILL THEM!"
She screamed, her entire face looking insane. Instead Negan shook his head.
"There will be another day! Let's go!"
Pulling her, the two ran for the truck as fast as they could as the loud echo of guns continued to sound. Hurrying with him, Simon helped them into the cab of the truck, before Negan pushed her head down against his arm for cover, before the truck began speeding down the road. Flipping off everyone, Negan shouted, as bullets bounced against the truck as they continued speeding away down the road. The sound of the guns became fainter and fainter, before finally Negan checked the rearview mirror as Simon continued to drive. Shaking his head with disgust, he looked over at Lucy.
"You still on their side? You want to team up with a group of people who kill babies?!"
Lucy stared forward with overwhelmed with shock, as well as rage. Slowly her good eye drifted over to him. Negan reached over, grabbing her by the chin and squeezing hard enough to make her jaw creak. Turning her towards him, he stared at her, looking as if he wanted to kill her.
"Was that our son?"
Lucy stared back.
"Wasn't sure..."
"Bullshit, I saw the way you reacted...are you happy now? You killed another one of our children."
"Fuck you."
Simon glanced over looking uncomfortable before Negan smirked, looking half insane.
"You still trust them Lucy? You wanna stay on their side...I'll drop you off right now, tell Simon to pull over right now. I've had it with your shit so make up your mind. Who's side are you on? Mine, or the people who blow fucking baby's heads off?"
Lucy continued to glare.
"Yours."
"Come again?"
"You heard me you bastard...yours."
Negan smirked before looking down at her stomach.
"If it wasn't for that baby in your belly...I would fucking snap your neck."
"Keep talking...really..."
Negan smirked, looking highly amused before letting go. Tomorrow thumb bruised would form on Lucy's neck and jaw. Sitting back, she glared at him before Negan slipped his arm around her. Together they rode in silence, now unspoken partners, both wanting the same thing. To see Alexandra fall.
Later...
"We're going to war!"
Negan shouted as everyone cheered. Afterwards as everyone broke up, Negan went back inside, ignoring Eugene, Dwight, and Simon. Instead he stopped at Lucy who was using a handkerchief to wipe her recent blood nose. She was still in her jeans and blouse, and her hair re-wrapped. She stood in the shadows, her free hand holding Negan's bat. Negan stared at her with uncertain eyes, before she stared up at him, tucking the handkerchief into the back of her pocket.
"So...what's next?"
Smiling, Negan stepped forward, before gently lifting her chin, all ready bruising, and deeply kissing her.
To be continued...