Chapter 19 CH: 18 Best Self
The Bandit Hunter gracefully glided into the sheltered bay of The Kingdom as the sun began its descent below the horizon, painting the sky in a vibrant golden hue. The air was filled with the salty scent of the sea and the gentle lapping of waves against the wooden docks. King Ezekiel and Queen Carol stood at the edge of the dock, their silhouettes standing tall and proud against the fiery backdrop.
As Rick and his companions disembarked from the ship, Ezekiel stepped forward to greet them. "Welcome, dear friends! We received word from Glenn Rhee and have eagerly awaited your arrival."
Rick clasped Ezekiel's arm in gratitude. "Thank you for granting us safe harbor."
"Please, come inside," Carol urged, leading them towards the grand hall.
Inside, Rick spread out a map on a large wooden table while Carol poured cups of steaming tea for everyone.
"As you can see," Rick began, pointing to various locations on the map, "the Saviors have Alexandria surrounded. Attacking head-on would be suicide." His voice held a grim determination as he laid out their plan for taking down their enemies.
"Agreed," Daryl said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His eyes glinted with that keen intelligence Rick had come to rely on. "Minimize casualties on our side, maximize damage to theirs."
"I may have an idea," Ezekiel rumbled. He pointed to a spot on the map, just outside Alexandria's walls. "There's an old sewer tunnel here. If we could get a small team inside..."
"They could wreak havoc from within," Carol finished, a sly smile playing about her lips. "Set some fires, sabotage their weapons. Sow chaos."
Rick nodded slowly. It was risky, but it could work. "Okay. I'll lead the infiltration team myself. Michonne, Daryl, you're with me."
Daryl grunted his assent, already checking his crossbow. Always ready for a fight, that one.
"I'll come too," Carl said eagerly, his eyes ablaze with determination.
Rick hesitated, his fatherly instincts kicking in as he thought about the danger that lay ahead. But he also knew that his son possessed the unique ability of a wolf, and he couldn't deny him the chance to prove himself. "Yes, Carl, you come too." Rick finally relented, placing a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder."
"But what about the rest of us?" Jesus asks, "You can't possibly be sending me back to Glenn's ship. The man is…" he paused, struggling to find the right description, "carnal" Jesus whispers the last word with a shudder. The thought of facing such depravity again fills him with dread, "He takes pleasure in killing and indulging in vices that I cannot condone."
Both Rick and Daryl erupt into laughter. "Come on, Jesus, don't be such a prude," Daryl chuckles. "Your rules and vices don't exactly align with Glenn. Remember, he's a pirate, and a damn good one at that."
"And you're not going back to Glenn's ship. I need you to deal with Negan's ship," Rick said. "Keep it docked. Buy us time to-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, Abe burst into the hall, his face ghostly white and twisted in fear. "There's been a development," he stammered, out of breath. "The Saviors...The bat is on the move at The Hilltop. Glenn says we need to get there now."
Rick cursed under his breath. Looked like their time had just run out. He turned to the others, his expression hardening into the uncompromising mask of a leader.
"Change of plans. Jesus, Ezekiel, Carol - take your people and go sabotage that ship, keep it o the ground. The rest of you are with me. Looks like we're headed into the fight sooner than expected."
As everyone leapt into action, Rick took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. This was it. The calm before the storm. He knew in his bones - whatever happened next would change everything. For better or worse, there was no turning back now.
They finally caught up with Glenn, Maggie, and the rest of The Celluloid Dream crew a few miles outside the Hilltop. The air was thick with tension, everyone on edge and ready for what was to come - a brutal battle full of bloodshed.
"Did you find anything?" Rick asked'.
"Yeah, wet dog." Glenn answered, quickly glancing at Carl. "Not you though, you smell like cedar, jasmine, and blood." Glenn smirked. "Was it raw? It's always best raw."
Carl looked at his uncle, wondering 'how could I have not known that he was a vampire. How oblivious I've been.'
Let's stay focused on what's over there," Rick reminds them
Everyone made sure to supply an additional case of silver nitrate for protection. He caught sight of Michonne, who flashed him a comforting smile.
Michonne silently mouths "stay alive", and he smiles and nods in response. "You too," he mouths back to her.
Without warning, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the air. A member of Glenn's group stumbled into view, clutching his chest as blood gushed from a deep wound. "It's a trap!" he gasped out before collapsing to the ground.
Chaos erupted as Saviors emerged from the shadows, brandishing weapons and mercilessly attacking. Rick cursed under his breath, finally realizing they had been cunningly lured into a trap.
"Defensive positions!" Rick roared, lifting his gun and firing off a shot.
With a swift motion, Michonne unsheathed her sword, the steel glinting in the blinding sunlight. Her movements were calculated and precise, each strike deadly and graceful as she took down one Savior after another.
"Maggie, to your right!" Michonne yells.
Maggie swiftly eliminates the man, cleanly removing his head. "Thanks," she replies.
Maggie fought with equal ferocity, her blade flashing like lightning as she defended her people with all her might. Working together they slice through the Saviors.
In a flash of movement, the blond man darts across Daryl's line of sight. Daryl's blood boils as he shouts, "You fucking coward! Always running, get back here!" But the man only sneers at him, a clear "fuck you" expression on his face before taking off in a sprint. Daryl's fists clench with rage as he chases after the man, determined to get him this time.
Daryl sprinted after the man, catching up to him he tackled the man to the ground, their weapons flying out of reach. Adrenaline surged through him as he landed a punch to the side before the man retaliated by throwing dirt in his face. The gritty particles stung Daryl's eyes and obscured his vision, but he refused to let go of his opponent as he threw a punch to his face, getting him just below the chin.
They roll on the ground in a vicious fight for dominance the man resorts to dirty tactics - sinking his teeth into Daryl's finger as they struggle. But fueled by age, Daryl retaliates with a bite of his own, tearing off a piece of the man's ear. The sound of pain echoes through the air as the man writhes and breaks free from Daryl's grip, he spots the crossbow nearby and Daryl seizes his leg and yanks him back, causing him to crash to the ground with a sickening snap. The man cradles his left hand in his right arm and takes off in a run.
Daryl quickly grabs the crossbow, loads a bolt, and takes aim. He fires, hitting the man in the leg. The man screams in pain, but continues to run off.
In the midst of the chaos, Rick frantically scanned the area for Carl, his emotions overwhelming him. He let out a sigh of relief when he spotted Carl just a few feet away from Glenn, but then they both ran off and disappeared again.
It's Negan, watching them with malicious intent in his eyes but as soon as Glenn and Carl saw him, he ran and they took off in pursuit.
Glenn, being the fastest of the three, caught up to Negan first, "You must be Negan, why did you run off, I wanted to formally introduce myself." Glenn said confidently.
Negan rests his wired bat over his shoulder, A cruel smile twisted on his lips. "Well, well, if it isn't Rick's little pup and whoever you are he keeps as a pet. How's it going, boys?"
Glenn tilted his head, an amused smirk playing on his face. "Oh, you know, just enjoying the night air. It's a bit rank though. Might have something to do with the garbage spewing from your mouth."
Fury flashed across Negan's face, his jaw clenching. "You want to die laughing, that's fine by me. I'll be sure to put that on your tombstone. Any last words?"
"Just four," Glenn retorted. "Go. To. Hell. Asshole."
A guttural snarl ripped from Negan's throat, his eyes flashing amber. Carl moved to intercept him, his own eyes flashing amber yellow as well.
They lunged at each other, as they tore at each other with ruthless savagery. Blood splattered the ground, flesh parting beneath rending claws and gnashing teeth. Negan outweighed Carl, using his bulk to his advantage. But Carl was fast and smart, utilizing his speed and agility to dance out of reach and retaliate with devastating strikes. Beside him, Glenn blurred into motion, a shadowy flicker of preternatural speed and strength.
They worked in tandem, the wolf and the vampire, harrying Negan from both sides. A slash of Glenn's nails across Negan's face swiftly followed by Carl taking a slice from his back. Negan howled in pain and rage, thrashing violently to break free.
The metallic scent of blood saturated the air, all three of them wounded and dripping with it. But they didn't stop, couldn't stop. It was vicious and primal until Carl yelped in pain as Negan's claws raked across his belly, scoring deep furrows into his flesh. In intense pain Carl staggered sideways. His vision wavered, going gray at the edges as hot blood gushed from the wounds and he dropped to the ground.
Negan lunged for Carl's throat but Glenn slammed into Negan's side and knocked him away.
Carl struggled to stand, but couldn't. The pain's excruciating, his stomach feeling like it had been shredded to ribbons. He could feel his supernatural healing kicking in but it's too slow, this wound is no small cut.
Through dimming vision, he saw Glenn gain the upper hand. The vampire had Negan pinned, one hand around his throat, claws digging in deep. Negan thrashed and snarled, but couldn't break free.
"What is your problem with Rick?" Glenn demanded, his voice a low growl. "Why all this needless bloodshed and death?"
Negan barked a laugh, the sound wet and gurgling. His face was a ruin of blood and bruises, features distorted by swelling. "Rick? I don't give a shit about Rick."
Glenn's brow furrowed in confusion. "Then why? Why all of this?"
"Lori," Negan spat, as if the name were poison on his tongue. "She was mine first, did you know that? My high school sweetheart. We were in flight school together, had our whole lives mapped out."
He coughed, speckling his chest with crimson. "Then Rick waltzed in with his pretty boy charm and stole her away. She fell for him, left me behind like I was nothing. Like what we had meant nothing."
Carl listened stunned in disbelief, his pain momentarily forgotten. His mom and Negan? He felt sick at the thought.
"So this was, what, some twisted form of revenge?" Glenn shook his head in disgust. "Destroying lives and tormenting her son, all because of your wounded pride?"
"Something like that," Negan wheezed, his grin macabre through the blood staining his teeth. "Killing her wasn't enough. I wanted Rick to suffer like I suffered. Wanted to take away everything he loved, everything that mattered to him."
"You killed my mother?" Carl snarls out in anger.
Negan laughs, spitting up blood, "Yeah, and I turned you."
Glenn's lips curled back in a snarl, fangs glinting in the dim light. "You're pathetic," he spat, raising his gun. The barrel pressed against Negan's chest, right over his heart. "But don't worry. I'll put you out of your misery."
His finger tightened on the trigger, ready to end this once and for all. But then a flicker of movement caught his eye - Gregory, slinking up behind him with a blade in hand. The weaselly man thought he could blindside him.
In a flash of supernatural agility, Glenn spins around and lunges, pinning the man to the ground with inhuman strength. He drains every drop of blood from his body, leaving Gregory crumpled and lifeless, a mere husk of his former self.
The distraction had given Negan the opening he needed. When Glenn turned back, Negan's gone, leaving only a trail of blood.
"Dammit!" Carl punched the ground, ignoring the fresh surge of pain from his wounds. "We almost had him!"
Glenn picks up his gun from the ground and holstered it with a growl of frustration. "He won't get far, remember, not in his condition. or his ship's condition either. We'll find him." His gaze softened as it landed on Carl. "But first, we need to take care of that wound."
Carl glances over at what used to be Gregory and quips, "Vampires, am I right?"
Glenn shrugs nonchalantly. "Yep."
And that was as good enough of a confession for Carl as Glenn reached out and pulled Carl up from the ground.
Code note - how'd you like that plot twist at the end of this chapter, eh? Good, bad, wtf? tell me all about it.
BLKGURLMUSE ask if I'd ever return to tumblr and the answer is 'Meh, no. Idk but when this story conclude I'll ask Siancore to edit because I want the conclusion to be great :).
Next chapter will be a slight repeat of Never Surrender but the flow should be decent to get everything going. Also apologies for the tenses hoping you can still follow.