Chapter 2

The sun was breaking out over the tree tops thirty minutes later. The birds sang cheerily, the night sounds slowly ebbing away. The sight and smell of blood hung in the air, ever choking and stifling despite the breeze. I wanted nothing more than to get to my feet and run, never stopping, but I knew it would be a death sentence, and not just mine, if I did. Instead, I clutched my hands into fists and looked to the sky, watching the clouds starting to light up, and thinking of anything else while we waited for what came next.

"You know," Simon started to make his way in front of us, "this could have all been avoided if you didn't have such a giant dumbass of leader." He took time to look at all of us, frightened and sick. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how you guys organize your patriarchy back home, but here, I'm Negan's right-hand man. And you guys know what that means, right? That means that whenever Negan is not here, I'm the one in charge. It also means that he looks to me whenever he isn't feeling too sure about something. Is there anyone like that in your group?"

Simon spread out his arms and looked at us in turn.

"He's not here? Oh… Maybe he doesn't exist or maybe he's a giant dumbass, too. That might've been your first mistake. You know what I would've said if I had been Rick's right-hand man before any of this shit happened? I would've said, hey, Rick, maybe you shouldn't be such a fucking puffed up Larry on an ego trip and give Negan what he wants. Might save us some heartache," Simon made a scrunched up face and shrugged again, his hands thrown out, "Might actually be a good deal for us in the end."

Simon stopped his walk, and put his hands in his pockets, eyeing us all. No one said anything because part of us knew he was right. Why didn't we just comply? We should have known something like this would happen eventually the more we resisted and demanded our independence. Sure, Alexandria was fortified and we had a lot of men, but we had underestimated just how powerful and psychotic Negan truly was much to our despair.

"That's okay," Simon continued, nodding. He sniffed and sighed. "Maybe one of you dumb assholes can get started on that shit once Rick gets back. You know, to avoid turning your heads into hamburger meat in the future."

Simon chuckled and shook his head as walked back behind us. It wasn't too much later when the RV rolled up. We all held our breath waiting to see who would or wouldn't emerge. The door opened to show Negan holding a very humbled Rick by the collar of his jacket. He threw him to the ground, an axe slipped out of Rick's hand as he fell. Negan stomped out of the RV and grabbed a hold of him again, dragging him through the dirt as he walked toward us. He threw Rick on the ground and straighten himself, Lucille still clutched in his hand.

"Here we are. Let me ask you something, Rick. You even know what that little trip was about?" He gave Rick a moment to reply. When none came, he continued, "Speak when you're spoken to."

"Okay. Okay," Rick breathed raggedly.

"That trip was about the way you looked at me. I wanted to change that. I wanted you to understand," Negan smiled down at him, Lucille lightly swinging in his right hand. "But you're still looking at me that same damn way. Like I shit in your scrambled eggs and that's not gonna work! So," Negan sighed and bent down next to Rick, spinning Lucille in his hands, "Do I give you another chance?"

"Yeah," Rick breathed. "Yes."

Negan patted him on the back and stood back up.

"Okay," he sighed, "Alright! And here it is; the grand prize game. What you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone's last crap day or just another crap day. Get some guns to the back of their heads."

Negan's Saviors came up behind each of us, the click of metal on metal loud in my ears. I could feel the barrel pushing the air against my head, felt the ghost of the cool metal on my skull.

"Good. Yeah. Level with their noses so if you have to fire"-Negan made an explosion noise-"it'll be a real mess."

Negan knowingly smiled down at Rick, strutting in front of him to show him he was in charge. The roles had changed permanently. He looked at Carl.

"Hey, kid," Negan gestured to Carl with his hand to come forward and pointed a finger at the ground in front of him. "Right here."

When Carl only glared at him, Negan raised his eyebrows and gave him a stern smile, "Kid, now."

Carl slowly got to his feet, his sullen stare not leaving Negan's as he made his way in front of him.

"You a southpaw?" Negan asked as he started to take off his belt.

"Am I a what?" Carl smartly replied.

"Are you a lefty?" Negan smiled.

"No."

"Good," Negan grabbed Carl's left arm and wrapped his belt around his bicep. "That hurt?"

"No."

"It should. It's supposed to," Negan tightened the belt and turned back to Rick. "Alright, get down on the ground, kid, and get next to daddy. Spread them wings!" He grabbed Carl's hat off of his head and flung it over his shoulder. Carl got on the ground and laid out his arms.

Negan looked up, "Simon, you got a pen?"

"Yeah," Simon said and tossed a sharpie to him.

"Sorry, kid," Negan said as he bent next to Carl, his speech impeded by the sharpie cap in his mouth. "It's gonna be as cold as a warlock's balls, like he's just hanging his ball sack right above ya' and draaaagged it right across your forearm."

Negan drew a black line across the middle of Carl's left forearm.

"Please," Rick whispered to him, "Please, don't."

"Me?" Negan laughed. "I ain't doing shit."

Negan stood back up, leaving Rick on his knees beside his son.

"Rick, I want you to take your axe and cut your son's left arm off right on that line. Now, I know, you gotta process that for a second. Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it or aaaall these people are gonna die. Then Carl dies, then the people back home die, and then you, eventually. We'll keep you breathing for a few years just so you can stew on it."

"You-you don't have to do this," Michonne piped up, her eyes pleading. "We understand, we understand. We-"

Negan cut her off, "You understand! Yeah! I'm not sure that Rick does." He looked back to Rick, "I'm gonna need a clean cut, right there on that line. I know this is a screwed up thing to ask, but I'm gonna need a salami slice; nothing messy, clean 45 degrees. Give us somethin' to fold over. We got a great doctor, the kid will be fine… Probably."

Rick didn't say anything nor did he move. His eyes wandered around the clearing, not really taking anything in.

"Rick," Negan bent next to him again, putting his hand on his shoulder like a friend would, "this needs to happen now. Chop, chop or I'll crush the little fella's skull in myself."

"It can-It can be me," Rick managed to sputter. "It can be me. It can be me. You can do it to me. I-I can go-go with you."

"No, this is the only way," Negan stood back up. "Rick, pick up the axe."

Rick continued to kneel, not moving.

"Not making a decision is a big decision! You really want to see all these people die? You will! You will see every ugly thing."

I blinked slowly, looking at Rick and silently urging him to do something, anything. The gun pressed closer to the back of my head, brushing my hair. I involuntarily shifted forwards away from it. Rick didn't move one bit.

"Oh, my God!" Negan expressed. "Are you gonna make me count? Okay, Rick. You win! I am counting. Three!"

"Please," Rick pleaded, anxiety choking him as he sobbed. "Please. It can be me. Please!"

"Two!" Negan yelled at him. He knelt back down beside him and smacked him hard across the face.

"Please!" Rick wailed.

Negan grabbed his face with his gloved hand and looked into his eyes, "This is it."

Rick looked down as Negan let him go. His hand moved toward the axe in front of him. He let out a long wail and placed his hand on the axe as Negan finished counting. He took a hold of Carl's hand and looked at him.

"Dad, just do it. Just do it," Carl said bravely.

Rick gripped the axe and brought his hand up behind his shoulder. Hot tears stung my eyes as I clutched my stomach, not wanting to watch but unable to look away from the sunlight gleaming across the sharpened edge of the axe. I sobbed out and Rick wailed again, ready to bring down the axe on his son's arm.

"Wait, wait," Negan said as he knelt once more next to Rick, an easy smile fitted on his face. Rick looked at him unbelievingly. "You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me."

Rick was hyperventilating now, his hand with the axe still halfway in the air.

"Speak when you're spoken to!" Negan grabbed Rick by the jaw again and screamed in his face. "You answer to me! You provide for me!"

"Provide for you," Rick nodded and stammered out.

"You belong to me! Right?!"

Rick nodded again and looked at Negan, eyes wide and terrified.

"Right!" Negan said. He pointed at Rick's face, "That is the look I wanted to see."

He stood and grabbed the axe from Rick.

"You're a fucking bastard," I said softly, shaking my head. My hands were clutching my thighs and I kept my eyes on the ground. I wasn't sure if he had heard me, and maybe it was good if he hadn't, but I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth. Negan didn't move for a minute, but eventually he spoke.

"We did it. All of us, together; even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award for sure!" Negan swung Lucille around to point to the crumpled bodies of Abraham and Glenn. "Today was a productive damn day! Now, I hope for all your sake that you get it now, that you understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you," his eyes fell on me, "that is over now."

Negan shifted his sights to Daryl who was bent over with a murderous look in his eyes. "Ah, Dwight, load him up."

Dwight grabbed Daryl from behind and began to drag him to the back of a van. Daryl struggled, but he was soon overpowered and shoved inside. Negan looked at me again.

"You know what; I think I want to take the girl, too. Think of her as extra insurance for me…or for you, depending on how you look at it. Simon!" Negan swung Lucille from me toward the van with a mocking smile on his face.

"Wha-," I started, incredulous, when Simon's hands gripped my arms and pulled me to my feet.

"No! Get off of me!" I screamed and started to kick at the ground. Simon's hands crushed my arms as he struggled with me, pushing me toward the back of the open van where Daryl knelt. Gravel and dirt went flying as I tried to dig my feet in the ground to no avail. He was simply too strong and the ground too weak, the rocks not providing the best purchase for my struggle. I was losing strength the harder I fought against him.

"Look at that!" Negan laughed behind me. I could hear sobs from the rest of the group as Simon brought me up to the van and roughly shoved me inside. My knees slammed onto the bottom of the van as Daryl caught me in his arms and pulled me against him.

"It's okay," He whispered in my hair. "I've got you."

"Fire, that one!" Negan laughed out. His smile was the last thing I saw as Dwight slammed the van doors shut.

Hey guys! I've been really excited about this story. I've already written ten chapters and I'm so eager to publish them all, but I'm going to try not to get ahead of myself. I've already reread, edited, rewritten, etc. each chapter about four times (and I'm sure those won't be my last).

I decided to go ahead and post this chapter because it is already something you guys have seen before (possibly) but with a slight twist. I have leaned heavily on the show to write the first two chapters, but you guys already knew that! So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to publish early so you guys would have something NEWER to look forward to next time.

I will post a chapter each week, probably on a Friday or Saturday. Look for them! Thank you for your awesome reviews so far, and I'm excited for you guys to read what happens next! Enjoy! :)