Home Sweet Home | Negan Smith

Chapter 8

Summary - After The Reapers attack, Negan and you finally get a moment with each other and you get a chance to understand more and more that you want him close to you.

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It all happened so fast.

At first, you couldn't even move, shocked and pale, your ears completely shut off and only being able to hear loud echoes going all around you.

That was until a big knife came into your flesh, right over your elbow; waking you up to realize you were part of the nightmare you had been staring into. You looked around but all you saw were masks and shadows, knives flying around and you desperately looked for the faces of your people, but your eyes got all blurry with pain, already bleeding enough to make you feel weak.

You struggled to keep on running weakly, your hands holding tightly onto your nunchaku. It had been a while since you had felt this way; the only thing burning in your chest being the drive to stay alive. The air was cold and dry, it felt like breathing inside a refrigerator. The only thing you could hear were the desperate screams of your people and the dry leaves crunching under your feet.

You kept reminding you that it was either to run or die; and being already hurt, you needed to get out of there. You wished you weren't scared, that you would fight; but it wasn't the case. You felt the fear grasping your bones, keeping you from turning around.

You kept on running for what felt like forever, not turning around until you found a big rock you could use to rest and hide. The moon was still over your head, and your chest went up and down with rapid breaths.

No one was following you, or at least it didn't look like it. The relieve you felt was soon gone as you realized it also meant you were alone; and then regret came by; because you knew that not even for a second did you attempt to turn around and help the others.

You wrapped a piece of cloth retrieved from your sleeve right around your wound, in hopes that you'd stop bleeding. You used some of the water you had left on your backpack and cleaned the area, mostly to keep your mind off the fact that maybe Maggie was dead and... and maybe Negan was dead.

Maybe their bodies were already turning, rotting and being used as trophies for the lunatics that ambushed you. Maybe they weren't dead but The Reapers were cutting them open, or in little pieces; or maybe they'd eat them just like The Terminus people.

All those thoughts kept turning in your head, making you cringe in emotional pain more than physical.

You forced yourself to drink some of the water and take some of the food; being reminded with every bite that you were the one carrying the cans and if they were even alive, they didn't have any food or water.

You didn't know for how long you kept on walking, but the sun was already up when you finally found what looked like it had been a mall. Not the best option for a place to rest; but the only one you had. Clenching your teeth and looking around with an agonizing gaze of worry, checking again that no one was following you; you opened the creaking door and slipped into the building, careful not to use your swollen arm. Thankfully it had stopped bleeding, the cloth putting enough pressure on it.

The first thing you did was look around and try to remember exactly where the exit was, in case the place was filled with walkers. You held your breath as you walked around quietly, almost tip-toeing your steps and inspecting the rooms, most of them filled with naked mannequins and trashed clothes scattered around the dusty floor. Some of the sun leaked through horizontal, large windows that were placed on the upper part of the walls, and you thanked that you didn't have to use your flashlight and draw more attention towards you.