Up The Wolves | Negan

Chapter Thirty: Time For War

War was a strange thing to think about. War. The kind that killed so many people, the stuff I used to read about in history books. War was here, and I was joining it.

Everyone in Alexandria caught me up completely on everything that had happened while I was away, from Tara and the Oceanside people to that bitch Jadis and the garbage people. They introduced me further to the kingdom (and the beautiful King Ezekiel), and we all prepared together for the war that was to come. War.

"You don't have to be there tomorrow, you know that right?" said Rick, who stood beside me as I worked on the finishing touches on the truck shields for the fight that would be going down tomorrow.

"I do, Rick. I have to," I looked up at the bearded man. He looked so different from when I'd first arrived here, and even more different than a few months ago. He looked... Determined, "If he dies, I have to be there; I have to see it. I don't..." I paused, gathering my thoughts, "I don't know that I would be able to be the one... To do it. But I'm not going to be the one to stop it either. This has to happen and we all know it. And if tomorrow is the day that it happens, I have to be there," I attempted to explain. I hoped, and a piece of me knew Rick understood. Knowing how young I was when this all began--how young I still was, I knew he understood.

Negan had to die. And tomorrow was the funeral date.

Rick, Ezekiel, and Maggie all gave everyone their big inspirational speech, and I listened, though my mind wandered. I thought about everything that was going to go down tomorrow--all the people who were supposed to die, and all the people who might just go down in the crossfire. It was a... Frightening thought. Then I thought about Oliver. It'd crossed my mind to ask Dwight, who was helping us from the inside, to warn him, but Oliver seemed too much like a follower to heed the warning. Sure, he helped me out before, and it had almost cost him his life. Hell, he'd lost a finger in his time there, and I still didn't think he'd rebel against Negan, not that I knew him all that well.

That night, I watched Echo eating his spaghetti-os and watched as he began to count them in the bowl, his hands and face a mess. This could very possibly be the last night I got to see him, but I couldn't think like that. I couldn't let that fear get the better of me.

When I put him down to sleep, I gave him an extra kiss on the forehead, ruffling his hair a tiny bit. Tomorrow I'd give him to Michonne and Carl, who weren't planning on going to the fight. Carl had to watch Judith and Michonne was still recovering, and someone needed to be here to protect Alexandria if anything were to happen.

Sleep abandoned me that night.

-

"You ready?" Daryl asked as he had joined me to drop off Echo at Michonne's, where he happily met up with his new best friend, Judith.

"Being completely honest, I have no idea," I answered as honestly as I could.

"Look, I know it's hard, and this might not be what you wanna hear, but he has a sweet spot for you, even if it's just his shitty manipulation, he might let you get closer than any of us. If you get an opening-"

"I know. I know what I have to do if that happens," I nodded, even though looking down at my hands, I wasn't quite sure I would be able to. He stared at me for a moment before wrapping an arm around my shoulders as if in a protective stance, noticing my visible discomfort.

"We'll get through it. We always do," he added, and I looked up at the rugged man holding onto me with a small smile.

"Thank you, Daryl," I said, leaning up and placing a small kiss on his cheek. We weren't necessarily a thing, nor did I really think we ever would be, but I sure did know I cared for him a lot.

Then the plan was a go. While the communities practiced the parking for the cars, myself included, Rick and the others wiped out the lookouts, and Daryl and his group of Tara, Carol, and Morgan made a herd distraction for most of the other saviors with the help of Dwight and his dispatches. Needless to say, it was a trip they'd most likely not be returning from. When Rick was done taking care of the lookouts and we were completely positive about our positioning, we made our way down the road of horror.

To the Sanctuary.

Out of the cars piled Rick, Aaron, Eric, Gabriel, Maggie, Jesus, Ezekiel, his man Jerry, and plenty of other Alexandrians, Hill Top-ians, and Kingdom-ians. Everyone, including me, raised guns to the air, and at the wave of Maggie's hand, we all shot into the air at the same time. Once, then twice, then a third and final time.

This was it. There was no returning from this, no possibility of saying 'nevermind'. The shots were fired and the big man would be a complete idiot not to respond, and I knew he wasn't that.

And just as I knew it would, the Sanctuary door opened, and out stepped the leather-clad man, holding his terrible barb-wired baseball bat.

"Well, shit," he said, walking out on the platform as others followed out of the doors. First to follow was Simon, then Dwight, then another man I barely recognized, only from the few times I'd seen him around the Sanctuary, as Negan continued, "Sorry. I was in a meeting," then came out a woman I didn't recognize, and finally... Eugene, "I see you got your little mudflaps with you. So I'm not exactly feelin' a reason for us to try throwin' lead at each other. I care about my people. I don't want to just march them into the line of fire because I want to play 'My dick is bigger than yours'. It is. We both know it," I had to roll my eyes at that line, "But I'm also comfortable enough to accept the fact if it wasn't. I'm certainly not gonna let my people die over that shit," he raised the bat, pointing directly at Rick, who I was standing nearby. I was somewhere in between him and Ezekiel, "Like you're about to," he added, "So, Rick, what the hell can I do for you?"

Rick simply pointed, "Dwight," he said, pointing straight at the man with a scarred face. I still hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done, but if we pulled today off, there may be a chance I would in the future, "Your names Simon," he pointed at Simon, the man who had herded us like cattle just a few months ago, directly into Negan's stupid bat, "You're Gavin," he pointed at the semi-familiar man. I vaguely recalled Morgan saying something about them making deliveries to him, "And you..." he pointed at the woman.

"Regina," she introduced, almost seeming offended that he didn't know her name.

"Rick, I'd feel remiss if-"

"No," Rick completely cut Eugene's sentence off, "I know who you are. Listen, you five. The Saviors inside. All of you have a chance to survive here. To survive this. You all can live if you surrender. Can't guarantee it any time but now. Right now," Eugene pressed a hand to his forehead as if in thought, and though everyone else's faces became stoic, I could tell a couple of them were thinking it over in their heads. I could also tell they all still underestimated us, especially Negan who began smiling the second I glanced at him. And I noticed finally, that his eyes were peering directly at me.

"So, they surrender... And you and your little piss patrol doesn't kill them. That sounds like a good deal!" his gaze tore away from my own, "What about me, Rick?"

"I told you. Twice. You know what's going to happen."

"I do. I do know what's gonna happen. You don't. You have no idea the shit that's about to go down. Let me ask you something, Rick. Do you think you have the numbers for this fight?" Everyone began to look around. Knowing how many people were inside, if all of the workers along with the saviors were going to fight, we may not--at least not with us at this moment. But at this moment, there was only one-to-six people against at least a group of thirty, "You don't," Negan grinned, "Simon?"

Simon backed up, stepping back into the area that the group had just emerged from, and gestured for someone inside to reveal themselves outside. My eyes widened as the head popped up, peeking out at the group we had gathered.

And we all stared as Gregory stepped out of the doors.