luna mortimer-smith had long learned not to trust anyone, staying in the middle of the woods as to avoid any contact with the dead or any other humans.
one evening, she'd gone out to check her hunting traps like usual. little did she realize, thoug...
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Luna wished that Sherry had given her more of a heads up about what was going on then she had. It might make Luna feel less uneasy, less worried that something would also be happening to Carl. Luna's arms were wrapped tightly around Carl's right arm, both of her hands wrapped around one of his. Negan walked in front of them, swinging his bat around lazily as he walked. She could feel Carl flinch slightly every time the bat swung, but she didn't. She just glared at her father's back, unable to help her mind from racing at the possibility of what they were walking into.
They turned down a hallway and ended up on a metal catwalk, that then stretched over the room in front of them. A large amount of the Saviors, the non-workers at least, were crowded into the room, a furnace burning at the other end. Negan chuckled, looking back at Luna and Carl before moving his bat to his left hand and hitting the railing next to them. As he did so, everyone quickly got on their knees. Negan stopped, turning and looking down at the crowd before holding the bat out towards Carl.
"Hold her for me." Carl reached over, taking the bat with his free hand. "You know the deal." Negan started, leaning against the railing. "What's about to happen is gonna be hard to watch. I don't wanna do it. I wish I could just ignore the rules and let it slide, but I can't. Why?" Negan moved away from the railing and started down the stairs slowly.
"The rules keep us alive." The crowd said together.
"That...is...right." Negan said, stopping on the stair landing. "We survive. We provide security to others. We bring civilization back to this world. We are the Saviors. But we can't do that without rules. Rules are what make it all work. I know it's not easy, but there's always work. There is always a cost. Here, if you try and skirt it, if you try to cut that corner..." Negan's voice raised before he paused, chuckling. "...then it is the iron for you." He watched the crowd for a moment. "On your feet." He turned, continuing down the stairs. Luna and Carl followed, walking down and into the crowd. They stopped in front, and Luna looked to her right, meeting eyes with Sherry.
"D..." Negan chuckled, walking over towards the furnace. He picked up a waiting glove as Dwight walked over to the furnace. Dwight turned around, holding a red-hot iron hanging off the end of a fire poker, and he held it out to Negan. Negan took it, turning around and finally looking at Mark-who was tied up in a chair in front of the furnace. "Mark...I'm sorry. But it is what it is." Mark began to breathe heavier and heavier as Negan moved closer to him. Something clicked in Luna's mind and she looked over at Dwight, seeing him staring at the floor. Negan had done the same to him. Luna swallowed, looking back at Negan just in time to see him press the iron into the side of Mark's face. Mark began to scream, and Luna felt sick. She could hear the skin searing under the hot iron, almost like meat on grill.
She turned her head into Carl's shoulder, feeling him pull his arm from hers before wrapping it arm around her. Mark's screaming stopped as Negan pulled the iron away and Luna looked back up, seei Mark had passed out. Negan laughed, holding the iron up and displaying the blood and skin stuck to it.
"Ah, that wasn't so bad, now, was it?" Negan taunted. He turned around, giving the iron back to Dwight to put in the fire. "Jesus." Negan sighed as he turned around. "He pissed himself." Negan turned, walking over to Daryl. "Clean that up." He told him. Daryl hesitated, looking over at Luna and Carl before moving forward with a mop in his hands. "Doc, I'm all done. Do your thing." Dr. Carson stepped forward in the crowd, walking over to Mark. "Well, the pussy passed out." Negan said, slowly walking the line of the crowd. "But it's settled, we're square. Everything is cool. Let Mark's face be a daily reminder to him and to everyone else that the rules matter. I hope that we all learned something today, because I don't ever want to have to do that again." He stopped, looking over at Luna and Carl before walking towards them. Luna couldn't help but flinch into Carl's side.
"Some crazy shit, huh?" Negan said in a low voice to Carl. "You probably think I'm a lunatic. Come on. Let's go figure out what to do with you."
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The walk back upstairs was agonizing. Luna couldn't stop blaming herself, thinking that if she had just had the guts to kill Negan when she had the chance that things would be very different right now. Maybe she and Daryl would've already gotten back to Alexandria, maybe everyone trapped here would've escaped. Maybe things would be better. Luna was so in her thoughts that she hadn't realized they'd stopped outside her apartment.
"Lu, why don't you head inside?" Negan said, turning around to look at the pair. "Carl and I need to have a little...man-to-man."
"What are you gonna do to him?" Luna couldn't help her voice shaking. Negan chuckled in disbelief, shaking his head.
"Come on, baby." Negan sighed. "You should know me better by now." Negan sighed again when Luna just stared back at him. "I promise, I'm not gonna touch a hair on one-eyed-wonders head, alright? But we do have something's to discuss. Besides, you've got something you need to do anyway."
"What?" Luna raised her eyebrows. Negan held up a hand, motioning for her to come closer. She looked up at Carl before pulling free of his arm, letting Negan wrap an arm around her shoulders.
"I am considering takin' the kid home." Negan whispered to her, turning their backs to Carl. "If not, he stays here, but I'm thinkin' Rick would really appreciate it if I delivered the future serial killer safe and sound myself." Negan chuckled. "And I can see how happy he makes you, so here's the deal. You go into your apartment with no more fuss and you pack your shit, you get to go with. If you argue or talk back one more single time, well...it'll be a long before you and Carl see each other again. Understand?"
"Yes." She nodded, looking up at Negan. "Just...please don't hurt him."
"Don't you worry, darlin'." Negan chuckled, looking back at Carl before back down at Luna. "Now go do what I told you to do."
"Can I just-" Luna started.
"What did I say?" Negan's firm voice cut her off. They stared at each other for a moment before Luna relented, nodding and looking down. "Good. Now go." Luna glanced back at Carl before ducking into her apartment, Negan pulling the door shut behind her.
