VILLAINESS [TWD]

➴50

"Ah," Glenn remembers something. "I forgot to mention. Tara said she will see you when she and Heath return from their run."

I nod and roll my head back into my pillow. "When can I get out of here?"

"Probably tomorrow. Your stitches need to settle," mom says.

I look up at the infirmary ceiling.

The others found us not long after we set fire to the rest of Saviors that came. We got home yesterday before dark.

"You don't have to sit in here with me," I remind. "You still haven't got cleaned up."

"I'm fine," mom assures.

"Denise is on a run with Daryl and Rosita so I won't get my stitches out anytime soon. I'm gonna take a nap. Go rest up, mama."

Mom shakes her head but Glenn rubs her thigh. "Babe. You need to let her rest, too."

"Green Bean needs rest, too. He's had it rough," I add.

Mom instinctively rubs her belly.

"He?" Glenn asks.

"Yeah.. I was gonna ask you about that before.." mom recalls.

"Carl has a baby sister. I figured it'd be cool if I had a baby brother. We could match, you know?"

"Then, we can name him 'Glenn Junior'," Glenn agrees.

"Absolutely not," I state.

"Why not?" Glenn frowns.

"He needs a pretty name."

"You saying my name isn't pretty?" Glenn teases.

"Not for my baby brother," I defend. "He's gonna have the best name possible."

"I think I might already have an idea or two.." mom mumbles.

"Huh?" Glenn asks.

"Well, you talk about it back home. You need a shower, mom. You reek."

"Thanks, Ellie," she scoffs.

"One of or both of us will be by to check on you later," Glenn says, rubbing my arm. "Rest up, Ellie. We're fighting once you're healed."

"Bring it on, tough guy," I provoke.

Glenn holds his fists up in a boxing position. It makes me giggle and mom rolls her eyes before pulling him out of the room.

--

I didn't have a dream when I took my nap.

I'm awoken by someone hitting my foot. I stretch a little and freeze when I see Anna.

"You got stabbed," she bluntly says.

"Yeah.. I was there."

She crosses her arms. I felt like a cornered, wounded animal.

"You can't move. So, you're going to sit there and I'm going to talk. And you.. you're gonna listen."

"You're not giving me a choice?" I clarify.

"I out my ass on the line for you. Because I trusted you. Because I.."

My breath hitches.

"Then, you kiss me. And then you disappear?"

I felt more nervous now than when I was alone with Paula and Molly in that room. Anna's eyes were more intense than Paula's. They made my stomach churn and palm sweat.

"You said you were doing it for me.. Who are you to say what's best for me?"

"Anna-"

"No," she shuts me down. "I'm talking. You're listening."

I nod. I'm listening. Not talking.

"Maybe I should decide what's best for me. And, God, Ellie! It took you getting stabbed for me to finally get you alone! You've been dodging me ever since you were the one to kiss me!"

She begins pacing at the foot of my bed.

"And maybe, just maybe, you're what's best for me! Maybe I want to know what it's like to care for you and lose you or me rather than never know! Maybe.. Maybe I want you, too!"

I fiddle my fingers, trying to ignore how fast and hard my heart was pounding.

"You said you can't lose me, but that's the point of all this shit! You're not even giving me a chance! You're not giving yourself a chance! You're not giving us a chance!"

I felt like crying. I was too worn out from yesterday to cry, but I felt those annoying tears burning the back of my eyes.

Anna wanted.. us? She actually felt that way back to me?

"Have you ever heard of karma?" she suddenly questions.

"Karma?" I repeat.

Anna stomps to the head of my bed. Before I could react, she kisses me.

Sirens go off in my head. I lean closer to her and she pulls away.

"I'm afraid of losing you, too," she whispers. "But, at least I'm not a coward."

I open my mouth to say something, but Anna leaves. I couldn't move for a minute or so. Shock and confusion flowed through me. 

Did she just do to me what I did to her?

--

Daryl, Rosita, Abraham, and Eugene returned later that day. They didn't all leave together, but they came back together. But, they were still missing one.

Denise was dead.

She got killed by Saviors that were still out there. The Saviors were still a threat. They were coming back. They always come back.

I got to see and hear everything because they carried Eugene into the infirmary and put him in the bed next to mine. He'd been shot, but he survived. He was going to survive.

I couldn't stop thinking about Paula and her group.

She swore that it wasn't the end. That Negan would take everything.

I tried to not imagine the worst cases while I watched Rosita stitch Eugene up since Denise.. Denise was dead.