The End of the World - A Negan Love Story (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 2 - Home Sweet Home

The truck rumbled on, it's tires hissing down the rain-washed road as they drove towards the Sanctuary. The sky was the full dark of an early fall evening by now, the car headlights the only source of light.

Lily sat perched on the worn leather seat, vibrations buzzing through her body as she listened to the metal cranking of the gearstick and the repetitive tapping of Simon drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove.

She shuffled in her seat, her wrists rubbing together uncomfortably, the rope around them unforgiving. She glanced towards the reason for her sore wrists as he sat a few inches away, humming a low tune as though he had not a care in the world.

How has she gotten here? This was supposed to be a straight-forward supply run with Daryl.

She closed her eyes, steeling herself for whatever was ahead and focussed her attention back on the road.

She wondered if Daryl had returned to Alexandria by now, if Rick and the others were planning a rescue. She knew Daryl would be back out at first light, regardless of what plan Rick would come up with. Rosita too.
She was her usual nightly on-watch buddy, they'd normally gossip for hours and torment each other as they sat at one of the lookout posts together. She had a firecracker temper. There was no way Rosita wouldn't want blood when she found out.

Not fifteen minutes into the journey and Negan's voice rumbled in the cabin, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Woah." He sat forward slightly, leather creaking, and peered out the front window.

She squinted through the dark and noticed the way ahead was completely blocked, a thin tree uprooted and tipped over, it's branches splayed out across the road.

"Wasn't us." Simon retorted, pulling the truck to a stop, cranking the parking brake up to stop them from rolling.

Lily's eyes darted to Negan as he scrubbed at his beard, face unreadable, then turned to face Simon. "Let's check it out."

He swung out of the truck as the other two vehicles approached and stopped behind them, headlights filling the area with an unnatural brightness. The fallen tree looked almost threatening, a hulking lump laid across the horizon, nothing but darkness beyond.

She could hear the voices of the others as they poked around carefully, but didn't have time to think before Negan's hand gripped her arm and tugged her from the cabin. "You're sticking with me."

As soon as her feet hit the ground, he tugged her closer, adjusting his grip on her arm while holding his hand out to take back his bat from Derek.

The slick wood slid into his gloved palm like it belonged.

"We bein' set up?" Derek voiced, his finger already covering the trigger of his rifle. Her rifle, the one he stole from her.

"Take a look around but stay close! We don't know what we're dealing with here. Eyes sharp!" Negan bellowed, before lowering his voice to a gruff whisper. "If this is your lot fucking with me, I am going to formally introduce you to Lucille over and over again until I can no longer tell where she ends and you begin."

She scowled at his threat, watching as the others spread out to search for signs of danger. "We don't do shit like this." She shuffled forwards as Negan pulled her along, his eyes focussed on the woods around them.

"Oh that's right, I damn near forgot." His chest rumbled as he spoke. "You're all middle-of-the-night, throat-slitting pussies."

Before she could react, one of the Saviours, a dark-haired female, shouted from ahead. "WALKERS!"