Where Your Loyalties Lie: Book One

Where, oh, Where is the Big Bad Wolf?

Author's Note: Okey Dokey! This is the longest chapter yet; it's mainly about describing the events that happen. There is dialogue, also, so fear not!

Overview: Following Negan's attack on Alexandria and the Saviour's attack on the Hilltop, Negan's disappearance urges you to scout for him.

"Rick, I'm going," you tried to convince him, as you continued to pack a small bag of essentials.

Ever since the Saviours made their next attack on the Hilltop, Rick was like a time bomb waiting to go off. When he got back to Alexandria after his scrap with Negan, he had told you everything; the fact that he cornered Negan in a building and almost died because of it. The second he mentioned that Negan had disappeared, you immediately knew what you had to do.

"No, you're not," Rick commanded. He was weakly leaning up against the door in your new room in his house. "If Negan's alive, I'm going to go after him, not you."

Zipping up your bag, you turned to him sympathetically. "Rick, Alexandria and Hilltop need you. Not to mention the Kingdom." You walked over to him and put your hand on his battered shoulder. "Please. If I find him, he'll listen to me."

Rick's tired blue eyes told you that he didn't want to argue but that he was also not going to give in easily.

"What makes you think he'll listen to you? The guy's an asshole," he responded, and you let out a sarcastic laugh.

"That's an understatement," you said. "But even still, I want to try and make Carl's vision real. For all our sakes."

The look in Rick's eyes was overcome with absence and sadness. Carl was really the only thing that had kept Rick going. Now that he was gone, there was an emptiness that could never be filled again.

"Rick," you pleaded trying to contain your tears. "You've taught me so much since we first met. Please. Let me do this."

After a moment, his nod was the only response you needed to know that he trusted you. You could tell you surprised him as you pulled him in for a tight hug. However, he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around your back.

"Keep the son of a bitch alive for me," he whispered coarsely.

You didn't say anything to that, knowing that Rick wanted to personally kill Negan and you understood why he wanted to. But to be honest, you could tell that Rick's mind was clouded by thoughts of revenge. He had almost let it take him over completely and it was actually starting to scare you; he was hardly the man you knew at the start of everything.

Finally pulling away, you smiled gently at Rick before picking your bag off the bed and heading out into the hallway.

———————

The gates of Alexandria closed and you were on one of the most important missions of your life. You weren't even sure what you would do if you did find Negan. You sure as hell knew you weren't going to be nice to him, that was for certain; not with all the shit he pulled.

It had been a few days since the attack on Alexandria. The buildings that were burned down had been extinguished but could not be saved; their once erect walls lay burned to a crisp on the ground and the siding paint charred with black and brown. Everyone there was trying to clean up Negan's mess with the hope that this war would soon be over.

The ground crunched beneath your rhythmic footsteps as you continued to brush through the forest, aiming to make your way back to the Sanctuary. You had always liked being in the forest, even as a child. The trees and shrubs created a tranquility that led your mind astray from the nightmares of the modern world and it felt like time had stopped momentarily.