Chapter 61

"God…DAMMIT!"

Negan advanced on the four Saviors by the edge of the cliff. They looked dumbfounded and scared as their leader stomped toward them, nearly foaming at the mouth.

"You!" Negan pointed Lucille at a particular man who was closest to the cliff side. "You let them jump off."

"What?" The young Savior gulped, astonished. "No!"

"Yes!" Negan bellowed and pointed Lucille at his face. The younger man jerked back, nearly losing his balance. His pleading eyes swept to then men around him, the ones who he had worked so closely with, but they had backed off with relief and terror evident on their faces.

"You were right shitting there and you didn't fucking grab them!"

"No, no. Sir, I swear-," the man begged but Lucille had already made up her mind, and she rose in the air.

"You let them get away again!"

"No! No, no, n-"

Thwack!

The Savior choked on his pleas as Lucille crushed the side of his head. It only took one hit to send him falling but not to the ground. Instead, he tumbled off the edge of the cliff as he fought for consciousness. He couldn't see, and the only sounds he was aware of were a sharp ringing in his right ear and the growing, angry hum of the river.

Negan spun on his heel to face the rest of his men and demanded angrily, "Anyone else want to fuck up tonight?"

A sheepish round of 'No, sir' answered him, and he pointed Lucille at the other side of the water.

"Then stop playing with your dicks and go find my fucking wife!"

His men turned and scrambled to their trucks, the higher-ups shouting out orders, as some others began tracking the border of the cliff to find a way down. Simon stood by his truck, arms crossed in disappointment as his friend stomped around in furious circles.

"Fuck!" Negan screamed as loudly as he could; a beastly roar in the night. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Simon knew better than to approach Negan in this state. He was like a raging bull whose sight was pulsing crimson. Any poor, unfortunate soul that might try to intercept him at this moment might not have anything left on top of their shoulders. Simon sighed in frustration, easing back against the grill of his truck as he watched his leader - the only man he had trusted since the end - work off the fury he couldn't control any longer.

"I'm gonna break every single one of his bones."

Simon's ear perked at Negan's semi-coherent words. He straightened up, placing his hands in his front pockets as he took a few steps forward to hear his friend more easily.

"I'm going to break every single good damn fucking bone in his entire slimy, ugly body. And once I'm done doing that, I'll flay his fucking skin off like the goddamn fucking pig that he is! I'll wear his fucking face as a mask!"

"Sure you wanna take on the appearance of an invalid hillbilly?" Simon jested, hoping it would ease some of Negan's tension.

"I'm not talking about that stupid piece of shit, but I do have something special planned for that one," Negan huffed. He stopped pacing and faced his friend, looking marginally calmer. "I'm taking about that half-burned, greasy haired, fucking twig Dwight."

"Ah," Simon nodded and smiled.

"Did they catch the son of a bitch?" Negan asked.

Simon shook his head. "They're still lookin'."

The man in leather closed his eyes, both of his hands tightening into fists around Lucille's base. He inhaled deeply, calming himself before he spoke again, but his words tremored with rage.

"Where would they go?"

"The real question is where will they end up?" Simon boldly corrected. "They won't stay in that water. They'll be in those woods, and if they continue south, they'll end up in the city full of biters. If they go east or west, they'll hit the main roads which we occupy. They won't turn back…"

"We've just gotta catch them where they can go no farther." Negan turned and eyed the woods on the opposite side of the river. "Radio in and send a truck to the Kingdom. Have them station just outside of its entrance. I want two others circling the roads where the woods run into the city."

"On it," Simon said, and did what was requested.

"I'm fucking finding you, shitheads." Negan whispered to himself as humiliation and spite flooded his system. "Ready or fucking not."

I wasn't entirely prepared for the shock of the water as I hit the curling rapid feet first. It covered me whole, blanketing me in an icy cold wetness that short-circuited my ability to move. It only lasted a few seconds, but when I finally got them moving, my limbs were heavy and delayed, and the backpack on my shoulders only seemed to weigh me down. But I wasn't going to die; not like this. Not after I just won another fucking shot at freedom.

I burst forth from the surface in a gasp, drawing in a deep breath of air as my stiff arms flailed and my frozen legs kicked, trying to keep my head above the current. It was confusing; the swell carrying me down a rapid, torpedoing path with no indication of where I was at or where I was going. And the darkness didn't help. With cold water splashing constantly in my face, it only left me sightless.

Without caution, I slammed into something hard and the breath escaped me instantly. Whatever I'd hit was large and slippery, but I held onto it as water swelled up around my head, creating a watery halo that splashed and trickled over me with fervor. I coughed, inhaling deeply as my lung loosened from their contraction, and I coughed again when water converged with air. I searched with unfeeling fingers as I choked, desperate to find a notch or cranny so I could climb out of the water and catch my breath, but I was so cold and disoriented. I felt as if I was beginning to drown.

Something strong hit me from behind, but the impact wasn't as great as the one I'd experienced initially. Whatever it was prevented the water from cascading over me so violently which gave me the minute I needed to find steady breathing and blink the water out of my eyes. I saw his hands on the boulder in front of me, bracketing me against it. That was when I realized it was his body pressed up against mine and not random flotsam.

His hand grabbed mine, pulling it up and placing it on a nook high on the boulder. I grabbed onto it as he hoisted me up, fighting with the current at the same time. I dragged myself up the best that I could and made it halfway before my energy depleted and I collapsed on the edge of the large rock. Splashing from behind indicated that Daryl was climbing up the rock after me, and his form rose over mine as he made it atop and then pulled me the rest of the way on.

He gathered me against his chest, rocking me back and forth as we shivered together. I closed my eyes, both thankful and terrified of our altered situation. I was happy that we'd gotten away from Negan and that I didn't have to witness what he'd planned to do to Daryl. And while we were better off on this rock than with him, we weren't exactly walking away smug. Negan could still find us if we didn't freeze to death first.

"Y-you're f-f-fucking…cr-crazy." My teeth chattered as I spoke.

"Yeah." Daryl took in a deep breath and squeezed his arms around me. "I'm r-really glad it turns out y-ya can swim."

If I felt capable, I would've smacked him, but I settled for a hidden smile and violent shivering instead.

"I can't feel m-my body."

"I feel you," Daryl sighed and hugged me tighter.

And I had to admit that I felt him, too.

"Are we-we in danger of…hyp-hypothermia?" I asked, wanting to be sure.

Daryl didn't answer for a second. "We might be okay…for a while. Hittin' that water d-d-definitely dropped our body temps, but we'll," he shivered, "we'll be okay."

"What d-do we do?"

"Warm up," was his simple reply, and I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. I didn't have to speak for him to understand my doubt. "I know I said we shouldn't m-move too much if we went in, and we shouldn't, but we gotta keep moving. They'll find us if we stay here."

Fuck. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. I wasn't sure how much longer I could go on. I was nearly spent and swimming against the freezing ass water expended even more energy than I thought I'd had left.

Reluctantly, Daryl moved to his feet and lifted me up with him. I was still a trembling mess, but Daryl seemed to have composed himself significantly with only slight tremors jerking his body. With what seemed to be the short amount of luck we'd been blessed with tonight, the boulder we'd managed to float into was right by the river's edge. Daryl told me he'd leap first and catch me when I did. I wasn't fond of that idea, but it would have to do.

Once he was on the bank, I flung the backpack to him. It barely made it over, hitting the water as Daryl reached out and caught it.

"I can't do it."

If I could barely throw a bag across the small space between myself and land, I certainly couldn't jump across it without getting wet or plunging into the freezing water once more. And that was the last thing that needed to happen.

"Yes, you can." Daryl held out his arms. "I've got you."

I hesitated, trying to build up the courage to just do it already, but I was afraid, and my muscles had a mind of their own as they contracted uncontrollably.

"Everly, I'd like for ya to take your time, but…don't. We ain't got it."

"Okay," I breathed out in a shiver. "You're right."

I took a step back, preparing to vault the tiny amount of distance into Daryl's arms. I leapt, closing my eyes as my feet left the rock. My arms were outstretched, reaching for the man I loved as he reached for me. It seemed as though I started to fall before I barely hit the air, and my eyes snapped open in fright right as I landed against Daryl. I would've fallen flat on my face had he not been there to catch me.

"I told you, you could do it," he murmured in my wet hair, and I let out a single, breathy laugh. "I wish you hadn't lost your beanie. It woulda kept your ears covered, kept you warmer."

"I'll count myself lucky if that's the only thing I lost," I countered and undid my loosened braid. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail at the base of my neck, letting my hair cover my ears as I did. "Does this work?"

"Better than nothin'." Daryl grinned and took my hand. "Let's keeping movin' before we become statues."

"Before we do." I tugged on his hand and perched on my toes, pressing my lips to his. I kissed him deeply, his tongue matching movements with my own. It was enough to set a small fire in me, and I hoped the embers would grow strong as we pushed through the night.

I broke away from him, a light smile on my face. "T-to help keep me warm."

Daryl stayed silent, a corresponding smile on his face as he lead us into the woods. If nothing else went right, at least I was able to make him smile one last time. We were both giddy after our last escape; giddy and worried. Negan had found us twice. The first time had been just bad timing, but the last was pure rotten luck. Who was to say which way the tide would turn for us after this?

I noticed the crossbow still strapped to Daryl shoulder. It was fortunate that he'd managed to keep it when he fell into the river, but it seemed some of the arrows had become detached during our impromptu swim. He only had one left. I pointed out the fact, but Daryl seemed only concerned for a second before moving forward again.

"I'll make the last one count if I have'ta use it," he responded to the discovery and trekked forward. "Ya still cold?"

"Fucking freezing alive, you ass," I replied with sarcastic humor, but I lightly squeezed his fingers to let him know I was kidding.

"We should only have 'bout an hour of walkin' before we'll be at the city line. Once there, we'll need to move swiftly and quietly. Gotta circle around it to get to the Kingdom."

"Sounds about r-right."

It would make sense that nothing would be easy for us tonight.

An hour must've past, but it seemed like several more. I was cold as hell, my teeth chipping away at each other as my chin wobbled autonomously. I had no control of my limbs as they shook, trembling with each cruel breath that blew down from the dark sky. But I felt as if I could go on, like I would make it. I had made it this far.

Up head the trees became less dense and they gave way to broken houses, neighborhoods, and businesses that flourished in decay. The solemn streets were pocketed with debris; the most notable one being a crashed car with its grill imbedded in a street pole, the metal bending outward like crooked teeth. A quick look inside rewarded us with dry but old, mildewed shirts forgone in a closed suitcase. The houses might have revealed more attractive apparel, but time was of the essence and what we found didn't smell too bad. Plus, I felt ten times more comfortable and warm having a dry shirt on, grungy or not.

We stalked through the blighted city, circling the deeper parts and scanning the deserted roads for any signs of the living and the living dead. We ran into a few stumbling, rotten bodies, but they were easy to dispose of. I didn't know what Dwight was talking about when he mentioned the city was crawling with walkers until we rounded a corner of a brick building and saw a significant crowd of them a few blocks down to our left. I was nervous. It had been a while since I had to tiptoe everywhere I went, sidestepping the dead lest I become their next meal. But Daryl assured me that with minimal sounds and stealthy movements, it would be an easy feat to evade the group entirely; something I already knew but dreaded doing anyway.

"We'll run to the alleyway straight across on three," Daryl whispered.

"You mean the dark one that monsters might be lurking in, waiting for a snack?" I quietly quipped backed.

"Yep… That's the one." Daryl kept his eyes around the corner on the group. "One… Two… Three."

We crept out onto the street, jogging at a crouch through the crosswalk. While the dead always snarled and moaned, they seemed to grow louder once we were out from cover, but it must have been my imagination because we made it across just fine and none of them tailed after us.

"How will we know when we've found the Kingdom?" I asked Daryl, hopping over a gooey corpse and its pet flies.

"Dwight said they'll be wearin' ballistics armor and they'll speak like they just came out of the 16th century."

"So, it's sort of like a futuristic renaissance festival where they have guns instead of swords, bulletproof vests instead of chainmail, and the living dead in place of ogres. Interesting twist." I smiled, still tense but more at ease the closer we got to home base.

"Oh, there's still ogres alright." Daryl flashed me a sideways grin. "We call 'em Saviors now. All politically correct and shit. Makes 'em feel like they're important… They're still self-entitled cocksuckers, though."

"Oh, right." I feigned recognition, and we huddled briefly in the shadow of a tall building. Daryl hugged me to his chest, taking a short break before we relieved ourselves of this horror by finding the Kingdom.

"I love you."

The words were a small murmur in my ear, soft and sincere. I couldn't stop the smile that rose on my lips, and his stubble grated rousingly against my cheek as I turned my face into his, kissing him. I knew this wasn't the time nor the place to engage him so romantically, but I'd felt so empty without him, so terrorized from within since the moment I stepped a foot inside of my wifely room, that this tiny bit of comfort was all I needed to keep me sane.

A clopping chorus reverberating down the city street rudely halted our heated PDA. Daryl slunk back into the shadows, pushing me behind him as he peered down the road, slinging his bow from over his shoulder and loading his only arrow. He aimed it, waiting for the source of the noise to show itself. It certainly didn't sound like the dead. It almost sounded like a horse.

Then it appeared, a majestic, ebony beast that shimmered silver in the moonlight and astride it's back sat a woman who was clad in all black herself; in ballistic armor. Daryl lowered his crossbow, stepping out from the shadows to make himself known. I didn't follow him, giving him the chance to test the friendliness of this stranger first.

"Halt!" The woman's voice wasn't loud but clear enough for Daryl to stop in his tracks. "Come no further and state your name."

He raised his hands, showing goodwill. "I'm Daryl. I escaped from the Sanctuary. Dwight sent me."

If the woman understood what that meant, she didn't show any signs of recognition. She remained stoic, a stern look on her face which was accentuated by her tightly pulled back hair.

"I know of no such thing. Leave these roads at once. They are dangerous and filled with foe, and you are trespassing on his Majesty's land."

"Listen, I ain't got time for petty games-"

"I have naught games nor tricks," the woman replied hastily. "Only warnings."

I was beginning to feel unsure about this conversation. She was warning us to leave, but I didn't think it was because she didn't want us there. Her mentioning of foes was leading me to believe there might be more than just the dead lurking around these dark corners.

"Daryl," I whispered, and both heads turned in my direction.

"You must go!" The woman ordered, but before any more words could be shared, a sharp beam illuminated the road from the east.

Daryl jumped back immediately, shoving me deeper into the darkness behind a half-full dumpster. The light had barely hit him, but that didn't mean that whoever was behind it hadn't seen him.

The woman shielded her eyes as the horse beneath her snorted in agitation. It stomped its foot as the rumbling of an engine got louder and the lights brightened the street, reflecting off of jagged windows. The vehicle came to a stop out of our sight and the slam of several doors was heard along with multiple set of approaching footsteps.

"Evenin', miss. Whatach doin' out here all by your lonesome in the dark?" A deep, twanging voice without a face asked.

"Patrolling his Majesty's streets which all of you are trespassing on," the woman retorted.

"Seems you found your intruders," the man's tone dripped with teasing sarcasm. "But if I recall correctly, these aren't your Majesty's streets. They belong to Negan… Like you."

The patroller didn't make a comeback, sitting silently atop her magnificent stallion in a tense standoff. She stared unblinkingly at the men before her; the ones we couldn't see.

"Seein' as you've been patrollin' these here streets, I was wonderin' if maybe you came across a couple; one male, one female. Guy's pretty big and the girl is a redhead; long, wavy hair."

"Neither beast, man, nor woman of those descriptions has come across my path, but if they had, I would hardly venture to share their whereabouts with you." She sneered rudely.

A string of laughter praised her response.

"That's all honey, sugar. I was just askin'. No need for the sass."

I thought that might be the end of it, but then I heard the chirp of a walkie and the Savior's twanging accent alerted Negan of his findings.

"You'll be on your way, then?" The woman asked after he finished his correspondence.

"That I will," the Savior responded as footsteps began to recede. "You keep them eyes open for that couple, and if ya happen to see 'em, let us know. There might be a nice reward in it for ya if ya do."

"That hardly elicits my interest. You're on your own."

"Whatever you say, sugar. But you might just regret sayin' that later down the line. Have a good night."

Vehicle doors slammed again and the engine rumbled as it reversed, headlights flashing like a beacon as it spun around and left the same direction it arrived. I sighed in desperate relief, my chest burning with the lack of air I neglected to take in during the conversation. The woman kept her pose, watching the end of the street as Daryl and I moved out from hiding.

"They've invaded the city. I saw them before you approached," she said, finally turning shrewd eyes on us. "That's why I tried to warn you away… They've also camped at our door. It will take patience to get you inside, but my King awaits your arrival."

Shit. How long would they go on searching for us?

"Come along." The Kingdom woman spurred her horse and trotted down the double lined road. "Follow close and do as I say. They may appear from thin air once more."

It didn't take telling us twice to do exactly as she said. We'd gambled too highly to risk getting caught again, and I had a feeling that if it happened, we wouldn't get away so smoothly. Good fortune tended to be stingy.

"I admire your bow." The woman looked over her shoulder at Daryl. "Did you find it?"

"It was mine before," Daryl answered shortly.

"I'm rather talented with one myself. I have my own back at the Kingdom, but it isn't as modern as yours," she continued. "I am named Dianne."

Daryl and I locked eyes for an instant. I thumped his shoulder with the back of my hand.

"Nice to meet you," Daryl responded. "I'm Daryl and this is-"

"I know who you two are," Dianne cut in sharply. "I only just risked my well-being for the both of you."

We continued in silence, weaving through the city to avoid the dead and Negan's Saviors alike. Soon, but not soon enough, we came upon a citadel much like Alexandria's. It was evident that the town inside was smaller, but I could tell it must be full. Dianne led us to a four-way intersection just outside of the walls.

"This is where I shall leave you. The rest of your adventure is your own, but I will direct you to the way inside. King Ezekiel has been expecting you."

Dianne pointed to a manhole in the middle of the intersection, and Daryl and I exchanged a incredulous glance.

"Well, shit," he said.

"Literally," I agreed. It was as if he'd read my mind.

"Quickly. Before the heathens present themselves," Dianne urged.

Daryl trod to the metal cover and slipped it off. He looked at me. "Still got that flashlight?"

I patted my pocket, feeling the small tool. "If it'll still work."

Removing it from my pocket, I passed it to him and he clicked the button twice quickly, testing its durability. It had flickered on.

"Well," I sighed, at least grateful the flashlight hadn't drowned, "who goes first?"

Edited by Nightperidot.

Welp, they made it, guys. Now they just gotta battle mutant alligators (maybe with the help of some mutant turtles) in the sewers. Hopefully there won't be any poop zombies waiting to jump out at 'em. Eh. Probably not. That seems lame.

Do you think Negan will force his way inside the Kingdom finally? Do you think he'll give up (ha!)? I wonder how this will all play out... :) See ya next Monday!