Unexpected Events

-wrath 8.16-

Here it was. The moment we all fought so hard for.

Negan was dying, bleeding out at the neck. Maggie was getting her peace; everyone was getting some kind of relief from it.

But not necessarily me. I wanted Negan dead after I left the Sanctuary, but then everything happened with Carl.

I still had yet to read my letter, anytime I picked it up I felt nauseous. Rick read his though, Carl never wanted this. He wanted peace, he didn't want Negan to die despite everything he did.

I could see the confliction in Rick's eyes when he turned around, the blood of his own and Negan's on his prints. He was what you would expect someone to look like when you metaphorically say they are drowning.

Maggie saw it too, I could see it in her eyes when Rick turned to us, some awful doubt that what she wanted was going to happen.

"Save him." Rick threw his hand up briefly in defeat, shakily sighing as he walked forward.

"No!" Maggie wailed painfully, trying to run at him but was taken into Michonne's arms.

A couple guys ran to where the guy was bleeding out, taking Rick's orders without a word.

"No, he can't! He killed Glenn!" She cried, Rick couldn't look at her, his head held low as he shamefully came closer.

I was frozen, unsure if this was a good decision or not. A part of me was proud, glad we were honoring Carl with this, but another part of me sank, knowing the guy who killed Glenn and Abraham was being saved.

A breeze blew, sending shivers down my spine, was this the end of it?

"We have to end it!" She continued shouting, "we have to make it right!"

Rick stopped in between the scene and where we all stood, overwhelmed as he looked around, "we can't make it right," his thumb scratched the top of his brow, "but this makes it over."

I looked back to Maggie as she tried so hard to convince him this wasn't right, but there was no right choice. If he killed Negan, he would be betraying Carl, but by not killing Negan he's betraying Maggie and everyone who's died because of the saviors. He couldn't do something to 'make it right' if there was no difference.

I backed up a little bit, not wanting to see anymore so front and center, standing next to Daryl now instead of on my own.

I looked up to him, exchanging sorrowful looks. I don't know if he agreed with what Rick did or maybe thought like Maggie, but he didn't say anything as he looked back to the scene before us all.

I could feel the tenseness in the air, Maggie was utterly destroyed by Rick's choice, falling to her knees now as she sobbed.

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They had saved Negan, he was resting in a hospital bed, Rick and Michonne had gone to speak with him.

When we had come to the hilltop after everything happened with Carl, Enid had dropped to the ground before we even confirmed her suspicions.

I didn't know where we stood still. She was the one who convinced me to get back with Carl during one of our few breakups, but she also was a huge factor in one of them. She had kissed him knowing he wasn't single.

She was in the old historical house, or whatever Gregory said it used to be. I followed her in, I wanted to talk to her hopefully, maybe we could put anything we had before aside and sort shit out.

"Hey..." I said, making her turn around.

"What do you need Liam?" She questioned; she was still hurting badly. She sounded annoyed to see me. Maybe this was too early, or not the best idea.

"Nothing, never mind. Sorry." I said quickly, awkwardness rising. I quickly turned to leave.

"No, no, wait." She said from behind me, I stopped, turning to face her once again.

I felt overly emotional, probably because of something revolving around her reminding me of him.

She walked up to me, putting down whatever she was previously holding, "sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"It's fine." I dismissed, still regretting starting a conversation with her, I lost my train of thought, I had nothing to say to her anymore.

"Are you okay?" She asked after a minute, most likely realizing I was at a loss for words.

I shifted my weight onto my other foot, hands going into my pockets, looking down with my answer, "no." I chewed at my cheek, looking back up, "are you?"

"No." She said, going to sit on the cushioned bench, leaving a spot obviously for me. "How'd it happen?"

My breath hitched, reminding me it was because of me. "I-" I stuttered, my shoulders dropping in defeat of my emotions, I felt the tears welling up in the bottom of my dark eyes.

She looked at me waiting for an answer.

What would she say? Would she hate me? Tell me how if she was with him, it wouldn't have happened?

"It's my fault." I said with a broken sob, "I'm sorry." My breathing started to get heavy as I sat on the dirty ground, putting the back of my head against a small table.

"What?" She questioned with confusion.

"I convinced him to help clear out some walkers that weren't even in our way, he got bit during it and didn't tell anyone until that night." I said, my eyes squeezing shut to stop any more tears from spilling out.

"Oh..." I could her the quiver in her voice.

I bit my lip as hard as I could to stop another sob, tasting the blood from it. I opened my eyes, getting up, I did enough damage. "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't change anything but..." I shook my head not having words to finish my sentence.

She nodded with wet eyes.

I left after that, not knowing what else to do with myself other than to finally go read the last thing he gave me.

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next chapter there will be the time jump I was talking about. also im going to start writing longer chapters again, these last two were just fillers and to give y'all some context on where relationships stand.