Naomi

Fear is loud in a quiet place. I'd felt okay until I'd been faced with everyone else. Even when I'd been surrounded by strangers, stripped of my weapons, and forced to move, I'd felt fine. Alone. But fine. Being alone and in danger is better than having people you care about in danger with you. Before they'd dragged me in here, I'd sat bound and alone in the back of a van and listened to them talk around me. I'd been driven from one place to another, tried to work out where I might be from the sounds around us. Now, I knelt down with them, facing a parked and dormant RV, and all I could hear was the ragged breathing of twelve frightened people. Twelve hearts beating the same terrified rhythm.

Beside me, Glenn stared desperately at an increasingly weakening Maggie. She was pale and sick and shaking. I worried for her and for the baby. Was she miscarrying? Had it been brought on by the stress of what was happening to us now? I stopped being scared, and I started getting angry. Who the hell did they think they were, putting her through something like this?

Across from me, I could see Carl, and I wanted to scream at these bastards to let him go, even if they killed the rest of us. He was a strong kid. But he was still just a kid. Whatever they were about to put us through, there was no need for him to witness it.

And then there was Daryl.

Every time I caught a glimpse of him, my stomach turned over. He'd been shot. Fresh blood on his arm. His uneven breathing as he tried to deal with the pain. I saw him shake every time he tried to move. It was hard to get a good look at him from where I was, but his injury had been obvious from the moment I'd laid eyes on him. The urge to run over there, to fix him up, had been so strong. I think he'd know it too, that little shake of his head. Like he was trying to tell me he was okay, that it wasn't as bad as it looked. But I knew he just wanted to stop me from trying anything that would get me higher up the radar of these assholes. He knew I'd let them shoot me as long as I got to fix him up first.

With Glenn and Rosita between us, all I could do was pray this would be over fast. That I'd be able to get him home soon.

"Alright," the man who'd captured me stepped forward. While he'd had me tied up, I'd done my best to listen in and get an idea of what they were planning. I hadn't been able to learn much, other than his men had called him Simon and, although he'd seemed in charge of them, he was working for someone else. I'd guessed it might be Dwight, but Dwight was here too now and had less authority than this guy. Simon knocked on the RV and said, "Let's meet the man."

Here goes nothing.

After hours of sitting around waiting for them to do whatever they planned to do to me, everything felt like it was moving way too fast. Simon stepped back, and the door swung open.

I heard his boots hit the top step, loud in the tense silence around us. They were sturdy and leather, beaten and worn in. He was taller than I was expecting, broad shoulders clad in a black leather jacket with a silver zipper and belt.

Classic asshole getup.

Jet black hair and eyes so dark that at this time of night, they appeared almost black. I'd never seen eyes so cold. There was a baseball bat in one of his hands, leaning casually over one shoulder. The top of it was wrapped in barbed wire. There was a moment when he didn't say anything. He just stared around at us all with this huge smile that felt sickeningly out of place against his cold eyes.

"Pissing our pants yet?" he asked. "Boy, do I have a feeling we're getting close. Yep. It's gonna be pee-pee pants city here real soon. Which one of you pricks is the leader?"

None of us said anything. I kept my eyes on him, didn't want to look at Rick, or do anything that would give him away as the leader of this group. If this guy was going to kill us, it was impossible to know if he'd start with our leader or just make him watch.

Simon pointed to Rick, "He's the guy."

The man with the bat strode forward, eyes fixed on Rick. Rick looked back at him, but he was still in full-blown panic mode. That calm, collected Rick that we had all gotten used to seeing in a crisis wasn't here yet. Couldn't blame him, either. None of us were prepared for this shit.

"Hi. You're Rick, right? I'm Negan."

Negan?

There was a collective intake of breath in the clearing as we all shared the same thought. We killed Negan.

But here he was. Alive and well. Taller and far more self-satisfied than the guy we'd killed at that base had been.

"I do not appreciate you killing my men," he said, clearly able to guess the reason for our shock. "Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people. Not cool. You have no idea how not cool that shit is. But I think you're gonna be up to speed shortly. Yeah. You are so gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes."

Shit.

So, this was revenge? We'd killed so many of his people if he was an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy we were fucked. He'd have to kill each of us twice to get the numbers close to even.

Negan paced in front of us and came to a stop in front of Rick again.

"You see, Rick, no matter what, you don't mess with the new world order. And the new world order is this, and it's really very simple, so, even if you're stupid, which you very may well be, you can understand it. Here goes. Pay attention," Negan pointed the barbed wire clad end of his baseball bat right at Rick's nose. I saw Michonne kneel up a little straighter, looked like she was ready to strike out if Negan got too close to Rick. "Give me your shit… or I will kill you. Today was career day. We invested a lot so you would know who I am and what I can do. You work for me now. That's your job. Now, I know that is a mighty big, nasty pill to swallow, but swallow it you most certainly will."

Rick still hadn't said anything. Through the dread that was filling up his eyes, I could see the fighter in Rick trying to pull through. Trying to find a way to get us all out of here safe and well. But we were trapped and unarmed, there was no changing that. Being out in the open made safety seemed tantalizingly close. I could smell it through the gaps in the trees. But their car lights flooded every inch of this place. There was no sneaking out without being seen. Negan's men formed a wall behind us, armed to the teeth. There was no way of outside help getting in. And besides, who could we rely on? Everyone I would have depended on was already here. Except for Carol, but she was tucked away someplace safe with no idea what was happening. No idea that we needed her.

"You ruled the roost," Negan said. "You built something. You thought you were safe. I get it. But the word is out. You are not safe. Not even close. In fact, you are pegged, more pegged if you don't do what I want. And what I want is half your shit. And if that's too much, you can make, find, or steal more, and it'll even out sooner or later. This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be. So, if someone knocks on your door… you let us in. We own that door. You try and stop us, and we will knock it down. You understand?"

I felt sick. The takeover at Terminus had been quiet, underhand, and in the dead of night. This one was different. Bolder. But the result was the same. My world was no longer safe. The people I loved were no longer safe. I would not make the same mistakes I'd made when I'd lost Mia.

"What, no answer?" Negan asked Rick. "You don't really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished, did you? I don't want to kill you people. I want you to work for me. You can't do that if you're dead now, can you? I'm not growing a garden. But you killed my people, a whole damn lot of them. More than I'm comfortable with. And for that, you're gonna pay. So, now… I'm gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you."

No.

There had to be a way around this. A way to negotiate with him. I would fight tooth and nail before I let someone I loved be taken from me again. Negan held his bat out so that we could all get a good look.

"This -This is Lucille," he said. The barbed wire glinted in the light from the cars as I wondered what kind of psycho you had to be to give your weapon and damn nickname. "And she is awesome. All this, all this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor."

He walked up and down the line of us, slowly taking us all in like a predator weighing up his next meal.

"Huh," he looked down at Abraham, who sat up a little straighter. Like he was challenging him to do it there and then. Negan took in Abraham's bushy goatee, touched his own beard, "Urgh, I gotta shave this shit."

He walked further down the line, stopped at Carl. We all got a damn sight more tense. We knew they'd killed a kid at Hilltop. Would he really do the same now? My heart started beating so hard I thought it might break through my ribcage.

"Shit, kid, lighten up," he said, as Carl started back at him without even flinching. Tough kid. "At least cry a little."

Carl, ever like his dad, held Negan's gaze. Something about it made Negan laugh. He stood up, moved back down the line.

"Jesus," he winced when he looked at Maggie. "You look shitty. I should just put you out of your misery right now."

"No! No!" Glenn was out of line before any of us realized what was happening. He lunged at Negan, managed to grab hold of him for a split second before Dwight had him on the ground. I saw his elbow raise, heard the punches land on Glenn's face.

"Stop it!" Maggie begged them. She leaned forward like she was trying to reach for Glenn. Beads of sweat pooled on her forehead.

"Nope," Negan looked pissed. "Nope, get him back in line."

Dwight dragged Glenn back to the other side of me than where he'd sprung from.

"No. No," Glenn moaned. "Don't…"

I looked over at him, tried to whisper that things would be okay. I didn't know if Negan was the kind of dick who'd beat a pregnant woman, but I knew that Glenn putting himself in the firing line like that was dangerous. My whisper did not go unnoticed. Before I could finish saying Glenn's name, Dwight's hand came out of nowhere and slapped me across the jaw.

"Hey!" Daryl's yelp made it sound like he was the one who'd been struck. His arm pulled back automatically like he was about to swing for Dwight. In his anger, he forgot about his gunshot wound, and I saw the pain slow him down. Thank God. I locked eyes with him, silently begging him not to move. My jaw stung, but I didn't touch it in case it provoked Daryl into doing something stupid. I couldn't lose him in all of this. I wouldn't. Negan would have to pry him out of my cold, dead hands.

"Alright, listen," Negan said, loudly. "Don't any of you do that again. I will shut that shit down, no exceptions. First one's free. It's an emotional moment, I get it."

There was a tiny moment of quiet relief that Glenn wasn't going to be punished for what he'd done. Negan looked back at Rick.

"Sucks, don't it? The moment you realize you don't know shit. This is your kid, right?" he walked back over to Carl. Carl glared at him, and Negan chuckled. "This is definitely your kid."

"Just stop this!" Rick said. The shock was wearing off, and he'd finally found his voice. Having Negan and his stupid bat so close to his kid clearly rattled him out of the frightened trance we were all slipping into.

"Hey!" Negan snapped. "Do not make me kill the little future serial killer. Don't make it easy on me. I gotta pick somebody. Everybody's at the table waiting for me to order."

He whistled. The same tone I'd heard right before they caught me. His group all whistled back to him, filling the forest with a sinister kind of birdcall.

"I simply cannot decide. I got an idea. Eenie… meanie… money… mo..." he started pointing the bat at each one of us in turn, in no particular order. It was impossible to tell which way he was going to swing next. My fingertips frantically searched the ground by my knees for something - anything - that I could turn into a weapon. His sing-song voice carried out through the clearing. A rock. A stick. Anything sharp I could use to gouge out his eye. That was all I needed to get something done before one of his men shot me.

"My mother… told me... To pick… the very... Best one…" he was nearing the end of his sick little rhyme.

Just do it.

His eyes skimmed over me.

"And you…"

Just pick me.

"Are…"

Volunteer. Tell him you'll do it.

"It." He stopped right by Abraham.

No.

There was a defiance in Abraham's eyes when he looked back up at Negan. Maybe it wasn't too late for me to step up and stop this from happening. Negan moved his shoulders like an athlete warming up for something big.

"Anybody moves, anybody says anything, cut the boy's other eye out, and feed it to his father," Negan ordered his followers. My words froze in my throat. My hands, down by my feet, and ready to push myself up, stuck to the ground like cement. Fear froze me where I was. Negan picked up the bat with both hands and told us, "You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry. Hell, you're all gonna be doing that."

The crack of Abraham's skull split the quiet of the clearing like a gunshot. I wasn't even aware that Negan had swung, but I felt the impact of that blow. The sickening sound of splitting bone overpowered everything else, tore through our whole group: shared and bloody grief.

Abraham hit the ground face first. I thought that would be it. Thought he'd be dead with that one blow, but he wasn't. He sprang back up again, staring at Negan with the same defiance he'd had before. Blood poured from a wound at the top of his head, ran down into his eye.

Although the pain was almost too much for him to keep talking, he managed one final taunt, "Suck… my… nuts."

"Ho, ho!" Negan laughed, bringing Lucille down again. "Look at that. Taking it like a champ! Damn."

Another sickening crack filled the woods. The third time, Abraham did not get back up. He hit him so many times that soon, there wasn't enough of his skull left in one piece for it to make much of a sound. Negan didn't stop; let the forest fill up with the sound of eleven people in mourning. Proving that while fear is loud in a quiet place, grief is far louder.

Daryl

No way Abraham deserved to go out like that.

When he was finally done, Negan looked around at all of us. Didn't say a word, just watched as our group crumbled. Drinking in our reactions like they gave him strength.

"Oh my goodness, look at this!" He shook the damn bat at us, with Abraham's blood and brains all tangled up in the barbed wire. Rick flinched as some of it hit his face. Negan laughed, brought it over to where Rosita was sobbing beside me. "Sweetheart… lay your eyes on this. Oh, damn. Were you together? That sucks. But if you were, you should know there was a reason for all this. Red - and hell, he was, is, and forever will be red. He just took one or six or seven for the team! So take… a damn look. Take a damn look!"

She tried to look away, but he kept shaking it at her. The shock of what we'd just seen was wearing off me. Negan's smug, sick grin lit a fire in me that burned it up. Boiled my blood. He had to pay for what he'd just done. And for what he was still doing. My arm was already sore from when I'd tried to swing for Dwight, it slowed me down for a moment.

Negan stood up and started to back off, but I saw the way his attention turned to Sasha, and he clocked the look on her face too. I could not stand to see him do it again. I got to my feet, the pain and the bloodloss made the world around me feel like it was spinning too fast. I focused on Negan. Didn't matter if I passed out as long as I got to him first.

I swung forward, one of his men grabbed me, trying to hold me back. They must've moved damn fast. I lashed out at them. Felt my elbow connect with something soft. A yelp and they let go, dropped to the ground. Negan's attention was drawn back to me. I swung for him, but he saw me coming and ducked out of the way. I was coming at him with such a force that I stumbled forward, almost falling back down into the dirt. I was still losing blood. The effort of it made me dizzy.

"Hey, now," he said. This disapproving look on his face. "You ain't a wife beater, are you?"

What the hell was he-

I spun around to try and hit him again. And then I saw her. Naomi. Sprawled on the ground. She sat up and touched a quickly pooling crimson spot on her lip from where my elbow had smacked against it. All my fight left me in an instant, her dazed and wide eyes met mine, and there was nothing in me but cold, raw fear.

"Naomi…" It just slipped out. Don't think I even realized it said it until Negan looked away from me and down at her. I tried to reach for her, but there were hands on me now. Not hers. Negan's guys. For real this time.

"Hey! Lemme go!" I warned them, trying to rip my arms free. "Fucking let me go."

Side of my face smashed into the dirt. I struggled, heard their feet scuff on the soil as I almost slipped out. Then I was pinned there. I could just see Naomi's feet from where she was still lying near me. And the Dwight, leaning over me with my own damn crossbow.

"Do you want me to do it?" he asked Negan. "Right here?"

"No!" Naomi said before he could answer. Doubt she even meant to, but it made them both look over at her. I strained against the people holding me down, tried to see her face.

"No?" Negan was still looking at her.

"Please," I heard her cracked and broken whisper. "Please, no."

Negan shrugged, looked back at Dwight. "Lady says, no. Get him on his knees."

They pulled me up. I didn't resist too hard because at least now I could see her. Our eyes met, and for a split second, she looked calmer. I saw her take a deep breath, pulled her feet in so that she could pull herself to her knees too. Negan took a step toward her.

"Naomi," he said. She looked up at him. Like she'd forgotten for a moment that he was there. "That your name?"

She nodded, and the realization of what she'd just done, the danger she'd just put herself in, started to sink in. She was scared. I don't think I'd ever seen her that scared.

"Well, Naomi…" his voice was honey-sweet. Sickly.

"Hey!" I yelled at his back. "Get away from her!"

He swung that damn bat up into the air, and my heart jumped up too, right into the back of my throat. But he let the bat rest on his shoulder.

"Hey, shut up," Negan said over his other shoulder, continuing his slow and deliberate walk toward my girl. "Naomi, why-"

"I'm warning you," I told him. I pulled against the people holding me, trying to get to him before he could get to her. He stopped, walked back toward me. "If you-"

"Hey, shut up," Negan said again, waved that damned and bloodied bat in my direction. "I'm trying to get to know your lady friend here. Have some damn respect."

"Daryl, it's okay," Naomi said from behind him. She was trying to sound calm for my sake, but there was a shake to her voice. Her eyes pleaded with me. Negan looked between us and smiled like a kid at Christmas.

"You should listen to her, Daryl," he said. "Unless you wanna make a liar outta her. Unless you want things not to be okay."

"Stay the hell away from her," I told him. I managed to pull one of my arms free and tried swinging for him again. Someone kicked me in the back of the legs, and I hit the ground again. Knees in the dirt.

"Hey!" he walked over to me, bent down, so he could look me right in the eye. "You and I best start getting along. Because if you don't start playing nice, I'm going to introduce my girl Lucille to your girl over there. See if our ladies get along better than we do. You want that?"

It took everything in me not to hold myself back from lashing out or spitting in his face. Worried that if I so much as breathed wrong, he'd hurt her. When he saw the anger shake every muscle, he got this look of real smug satisfaction. He stared me down until he was sure I wasn't going to try anything.

He straightened up, walked over to her.

Naomi's eyes didn't move from my face even when he got closer, "It's gonna be okay. I'm okay."

She kept her eyes on me while he circled her. Like she was worried that if she looked away or blinked, I'd do something reckless and dumb. Get myself hurt trying to get to her. It was a fair worry. There was so much anger pumping through me, I felt I had it in me to take down Negan and every Savior in this goddamn clearing. Negan had this grin on his face like a hungry wolf. That damn bat still swinging in his hands. Her hands balled into fists in her lap, she sat up tall and didn't so much as blink when he came near her. I would've been proud if I weren't so damn scared for her.

"Okay, get up," he told her. She hesitated. "C'mon now, you got my permission to stand."

She looked up at him then. I watched her take a deep breath while he gave her a smile. I think it was meant to be encouraging. With no real choice, she got to her feet. Stood in front of him.

"Now, that…" he said, gesturing at me. "The whole thing - not one bit of that shit flies here. It seems like you're the only one who got the memo, Naomi. How is that, huh? The rest of you deaf? I gotta speak up?"

He stopped and looked around at where our group was kneeling, helplessly watching him toy with the two of us. Rick looked at me, his eyes were bright and red. Shocked. But also like he was trying to apologize to me, her, and everyone else, for getting us into this.

"Now, I already told you people - first one's free, then - what'd I say? I said I would shut that shit down! No exceptions. Now, he didn't listen," Negan pointed at me, "but she… she stepped up. Did the right thing. Tried to shut that shit down for me. Seems like the only one who gets there's a new chain of command around here. The only one showing me some damn respect."

"I didn't do it for you," she muttered, and my heart sank to my feet. He turned and gave her this look like she'd said exactly what he wanted her to.

"What was that?" Negan asked. "You're gonna have to speak up, little lady. This is a big place."

She lifted her chin to look up at him. The light from the cars in front of her lit them up with some kind of fire.

"I didn't do it for you," she said. Her quiet and defiant voice filled the clearing.

"You didn't?" he said. "You mean to tell me you and I ain't becoming friends through all this?"

"No," she said. "We ain't."

"Yeah, I figured as much," he nodded. "So, why'd you do it?"

I saw her bottom lip tremble, her gaze slid over to me. He followed it.

"For him."

"For him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I won't let you hurt him," she said. "Not so long as I'm breathing."

"Not so long as I'm breathing," he repeated. "Well, shit, Naomi, that is a bold ass claim. You think you can keep a promise like that?"

She shrugged, tried to look defiant, "I can try."

"You can. You can try, Naomi. I like a trier," he said. "But you have left me with quite a puzzle. See, you got between me and a punch. Normally, that's the kind of shit I would reward. Hell, that's the kind of shit I should encourage among my people."

"I told you, I didn't-"

"You didn't do it for me," he said. "Yeah, I heard. Don't really matter why you did it, the outcome is the same. But your boyfriend here, he stepped out of line, and I gotta punish that."

"No," she said, her gaze flickering to where I was still on my knees.

"No?" he repeated with a cold laugh. "You got a lotta demands for someone with very little say in what is going down here tonight. You can see how you've left me in quite a pickle. What to do with the two of you?"

Negan let the silence drag on, watching her squirm in it. I could see her starting to break. He looked back at her, "You stepped outta line, got yourself tied up in all this shit, put yourself in my firing line, for him, right?"

"Right."

"Sweet girl you got here, Daryl," he said. Looking at her like she was a piece of meat and he was a starving coyote. "Sweet piece of ass too, huh?"

He smiled again when I struggled to break free like it was exactly what he wanted me to do.

"Oh, he didn't like that one, did he?" Negan said, his eyes lingering on me, and he gave me this wide-ass smile. "No, sir, he did not."

She shivered, and I knew it wasn't because she was cold.

"Leave her alone," I warned him again. I knew I looked powerless now, but if I got out of this, he'd live to regret every word coming out of his mouth. Ever wrong look he was giving her. He ignored me, gaze still fixed on her.

"You love him, Naomi?"

The silence crushed down around us. The sounds of the forest, the whimpers of our friends, were drowned out by my heartbeat in my ears. She closed her mouth, swallowed hard like there was something in there she couldn't get out.

"Oh…" Negan's eyebrows raised. "You ain't said that to each other, yet? Alright, I can ask something a little easier… Would you die for him?"

I had to look away from both of them for a moment. Didn't want to hear Naomi's answer. Because the truth was, I already knew what was coming. I didn't need to hear it confirmed. Not like this.

"Yes," she said without hesitation, without flinching, without so much as a tremor in her voice.

"No," I said at the same time, didn't know if I was begging her or him. Could've been both, I just wanted to put a stop to all of this. I couldn't breathe right. "No. No."

Negan laughed again, walked back over to me, stuck the end of his damn bat down into the dirt in front of me. He crouched down, leaning on the handle as he stared down at me. "Your girl just offered to die for you, and you can't even muster up a thank you?"

"Fuck you," I snarled.

His eyes widened, and he looked back at her. "You sure he's worth it? Seriously. Is he worth it?"

"Yes," she said. Negan nodded, a look of fake disappointment on his face.

"Alright," he said. "Your choice, I guess. Get on your knees, Naomi."

"No!" I yelled it more at her than him. She was on her feet now, she could just run. Make a break for it. If I fought hard enough to distract everyone, maybe she could get away. "No!"

Naomi held Negan's gaze for a moment, and then, slowly, she knelt back down again. I fought hard, trying to twist myself away from the hands that were holding me down. More of Negan's men came forward. More hands on me. "No! No! Get off me! NO!"

"Am I gonna have to put a muzzle on you?" Negan asked me. He stood behind Naomi, bat raised and ready to strike.

"Don't watch," she said, eyes fixed on me, begging me. Her voice was surprisingly calm. "Daryl, please don't watch."

But how could I look away from her? How could I let her leave this earth without knowing that I was using every last breath in my body to keep her here?

"Don't hurt her," the words ripped right out of my throat with so much force it must've left me torn and bleeding.

"Daryl," she tried again, I knew she was hoping to get my attention away from Negan and stop me from saying anything that would get me hurt.

"Naomi…" I choked on her name. Could feel my whole heart breaking. And it wasn't a clean break either. Lots of little pieces. Crumbling to dust in a way that couldn't be fixed. "No… no…"

"Daryl, you're gonna be fine," she told me. "Please look away. Don't watch this. Please, please, please don't put yourself through this."

I choked on everything I wanted to say to her. Thought I would have a lifetime to figure this shit out. Negan brought the bat down. In that instant, as it whistled through the air toward her skull, I tried to tell her I loved her. That I would always love her. But the words got tangled in my throat with the horror of what was happening. So much pain inside me I couldn't speak. She didn't blink. Didn't flinch. Just waited for it to hit her. Then, it stopped, hovering an inch above her head. I didn't dare move. Didn't dare say anything in case Negan was changing his mind.

"Shit, I like you two," Negan said. He pulled the bat back, slung it over his shoulder again. He looked at Rick, "How much for the pair?"

The relief was so intense I almost collapsed. There was nothing but disbelief on Naomi's face when she looked up at Negan. She hadn't expected to live to take another breath.

"What?" Rick asked.

"Now, Daryl, he's mine," Negan said. "He's coming with me, and if you step outta line, I'll cut pieces off him, leave them on your doorstep. But I got room for one more, especially if it'll keep him in line."

Rick looked at me. I shook my head, "No."

I wanted Naomi as far away from this psycho as humanly possible.

"Shhh," Negan glared at me. "I ain't asking you. I'm asking Rick."

Rick looked back at him, "No. They all stay with me. All of 'em. Naomi and Daryl included."

"Rick," Negan tutted like he'd been sorely let down. "Did you learn nothing from what happened to poor old Red? You ain't calling the shots no more. You ain't in charge of shit."

Rick looked down at the ground for a moment. Thought he wasn't going to say anything, but then he looked back up, right into Negan's eyes. "I'm gonna kill you."

"What?" Negan leaned forward. He looked amused. "I didn't quite catch that, you're gonna have to speak up."

"Not today, not tomorrow," Rick said, "…but I'm going to kill you."

"Jesus…" Negan shook his head, "Simon, what did he have, a knife?"

"Uh, he had a hatchet," Simon replied.

"A hatchet?"

"He had an ax."

"Bring me his ax," Negan said. Someone stepped forward, handed it over. Negan took it and tucked it into his belt. He pulled Rick to his feet. "I'll be right back, maybe with Rick, and If not, we'll turn the rest of these folks inside out. Dwight… load him up."

Negan pointed at me. Dwight rushed forward again, crossbow trained on me. The guys behind me hauled me to my feet.

"No!" Naomi's voice rang out, loud and clear. When Negan turned his attention back to her, she didn't flinch.

"What was that?" he asked. "Did you just say 'no' to me? Again?"

I watched as her jaw clenched. I thought she'd be more afraid, but her fear had turned to something else. "Don't take him."

Negan let go of Rick, walked back over to where Naomi was still kneeling in the dirt.

"Tell you what, Naomi," he said slowly. "Since Rick doesn't get what's going on here, I'm gonna let this be ladies' choice. I think I know the answer to this, but do you want to take your chances and go home with your friends, or are you coming to my place with him?"

"Naomi', don't!" I called to her. I wanted her back safe in Alexandria. But I knew it was hopeless. I'd already seen the look in her eyes. And that little, confident, nod. There was no hope in hell of changing her mind.

"Alright," Negan motioned to another group of his guys. "Simon, load her up too."

He stood up and turned his attention back to Rick. Guys already had their hands on her. I saw her fear, her struggle as they pulled in the opposite direction from me. I struggled forward and managed to get one of my hands free. I swung wildly, trying to reach for Naomi. I grabbed the earth where she'd been kneeling before they gained control of me again. Cold, hard metal of the van floor slammed into my side when they threw me in. I scrambled to my feet, tried to look out at her. So many guns in my face. Dwight, with my damn crossbow.

"Daryl!" I heard her yell and managed to lock eyes with her one last time. "Daryl, I-"

The doors banged shut in my face. There was nothing but darkness. I moved forward.

"Naomi!" I slammed my fists against the metal doors. Didn't even feel the pain. Raw and bleeding knuckles didn't mean shit compared to how I felt inside. They banged back, told me to shut up but couldn't. If she didn't know I was there, if she couldn't hear that I was still fighting, she might assume they'd done something to me. And then there was no telling what she'd do. No guarantee she wouldn't get herself killed over it. I punched until my knuckles were shredded and bleeding. And I kept going until they got sick of it and drove the van a little further out of the clearing. I stopped then. Sat in the dark and silence, my hands throbbing. I whispered her name over and over like that could conjure her out of nothing. With no idea what had happened to Naomi, or anyone in that clearing, or where Negan had taken Rick, all I could do was wait for the doors to open.