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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Carl's voice ripped through the air like another gunshot.
"Put some back," he said, loud and clear, the words cutting through the tension like broken glass. "Or the next one goes in you."
The world seemed to tilt.
Tessa's heart lurched so violently she felt it in her throat. Her eyes snapped to her nephew—too fast, too sharp—as if her body had moved before her mind could catch up. Carl stood rigid, shoulders squared, feet planted like he'd rooted himself into the floor. His hands didn't shake. The gun was leveled straight ahead, unwavering, deadly sure.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Horrified— but God help her, proud.
There it was. That Grimes blood. That fire that refused to be stamped out.
"Carl, put it down," Rick pleaded, his voice frayed and breaking, fear bleeding through every syllable. He took a half-step forward, hands raised, as if one wrong movement might shatter everything beyond repair.
"No." Carl didn't even glance at him. His eyes stayed locked forward, jaw set tight. "He's takin' all our stuff. You said half."
Silence fell—thick and suffocating—until it cracked with a low, delighted chuckle.
"Well, holy shit..." Negan drawled.
He sauntered forward, boots slow and deliberate, Lucille swinging lazily at his side like she wasn't soaked in death. "Would you look at this?" he continued, grinning wide. "The kid's got himself a pair."
Carl didn't flinch.
Tessa's stomach twisted violently, bile creeping up her throat. Every instinct screamed at her to move—to step between them, to shield him, to drag him back—but Negan was already there. His shadow swallowed Carl whole, stretching over him like a storm cloud that promised nothing but destruction.
"Careful, sweetheart," Negan murmured, finally acknowledging Tessa without even looking at her. He felt her shift, sensed her intention. "Don't you get in the way of a teachable moment."
He turned fully toward Carl, eyes sparking with sick amusement.
"So lemme get this straight..." Negan leaned down until his face hovered inches from Carl's. His grin was sharp, predatory. "You just threatened me? Not Davey here. Not one of my guys. Me."
The smile vanished.
His voice hardened into a razor.
"And that..." he said quietly, "I can't have."
Tessa stepped forward anyway, heart slamming against her ribs. "Carl... please. Just put it down."
Negan's hand flicked up without even looking at her—an effortless command.
