In a world ruled by fear, survival comes with a price.
When her brother's attempt to overthrow the Saviors fails, Tessa finds herself under Negan's watchful eye-protected, controlled, and dangerously close to the man she should hate. As violence, po...
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"Anyway, that's not how it works," Negan said, pacing slowly, Lucille hanging loose at his side. "I told you—first one's free. After that? I shut that shit down. No exceptions."
Each word landed like a nail being driven into the dirt. Negan's boots crunched softly as he walked, unhurried, deliberate, as if he had all the time in the world. Lucille swung with him, lazy, casual—like she wasn't soaked in blood, like it wasn't an extension of death itself.
Tessa's stomach dropped as his boots carried him toward Glenn.
Her breath caught somewhere in her chest, sharp and shallow. She wanted to scream, to lunge forward, to do something—but fear glued her to the ground. Her hands trembled in her lap, fingernails biting into her palms as if pain could anchor her to reality.
"Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with," Negan went on, grinning wide, "but I am a man of my word. First impressions are important. I need you to know me. So—back to it!"
The world seemed to tilt.
The bat came down before anyone could move.
The crack of bone echoed like gunfire, sharp and explosive, ripping through the trees and straight through her skull. Glenn collapsed instantly, his body folding as if all strength had been ripped from it at once. Blood spilled fast, dark against the dirt, spreading in a way that felt obscene.
Maggie's scream ripped through the night—raw, broken, unbearable. It tore straight through Tessa's chest, shattering what little she had left to give. The sound wasn't just grief; it was devastation made audible, a scream that would never leave her ears.
Glenn had always been a light. Steady. Kind. The one who cracked jokes when fear pressed in too close, who noticed when she grew quiet, who gently pulled her back when anxiety threatened to swallow her whole. He was the one who promised they'd always check in on each other—no matter how bad things got.
And now—
Hell had won.
Negan crouched low, tilting his head as if admiring a piece of art. "Buddy, you still there? I just don't know—it seems like you're trying to speak! But I just popped your skull so hard your eyeball popped out, and that is gross as shit!"
He laughed like he'd just told the greatest joke, the sound light and careless, completely disconnected from the horror at his feet.
Glenn's one good eye flicked weakly toward Maggie. His breathing rattled, wet and uneven. His voice was barely there, broken and trembling. "Ma—Maggie... I'll find you."
Tessa felt something inside her collapse entirely. That promise—spoken through shattered bone and blood—was stronger than anything Negan could ever understand.
Negan straightened, wiping blood from his cheek. "Aw, hell. I can see this is hard on you guys. I'm sorry. I really am. But hey—I did say no exceptions."
The bat came down again.
Dirt and blood splattered as the sound echoed—sickening, final. There was no mistaking it this time. No denial left to cling to. Tessa couldn't look anymore. The noise alone was too much, vibrating through her bones, through her soul. She folded in on herself, burying her face against her knees, her body shaking violently as silent sobs wracked her chest.
She wished it had been her.
Glenn had a baby on the way. Abraham had Sasha. They had futures waiting for them—something to fight for, something to return to. But Tessa? With Glenn gone and Abraham's steady presence ripped away, the world felt empty. Hollow. Like every connection she'd relied on had been severed at once.
She had never felt so utterly alone.
Everything blurred after that.
Voices faded into static. The trees swayed, the sky shifted, but none of it felt real. She barely registered Negan dragging Rick toward the RV, barely noticed Rick's broken screams or the way his body sagged with helpless rage. Darkness gave way to dawn without her noticing. Time slipped through her fingers until the horizon bled pale light and the sun rose, cold and indifferent.
Hours later, the growl of the RV's engine shattered the silence.
It stopped.
The door creaked open.
Negan stepped out, smiling as casually as ever, and shoved Rick to the ground.
