ELEANOR . NEGAN

043.

In front of Elle was a large map of surrounding areas that they used sometimes to hunt. But now? It was used for a strategy, something Elle already thought of as soon as that Whisperer came sneaking from behind a tree.

"Get your thinking caps on, please." Elle groaned, clicking the knuckles in her hands. "There's two main groups we need to focus on - north and south. Sherlock," Eugene, "says the south is more dispersed so simple solution."

Michonne cocked a brow, egging her to continue.

"Aaron leads a couple of groups which will rotate around to handle the south. Higher chance to break it up before it reaches the fucking walls." Daryl laughed at her curses, Michonne not so much. "Any rogues will be finished off if we have a couple of good snipers up in the watch tower."

"Now, north?" Carol asked.

She smiled, "Glad you asked. We get Killer Priest to guard the gate with another group of close-combat perfected people and continue doing what we did last night." She stopped and hummed, "And the night before."

Michonne sounded happy with the plan and leant away from the table. "What about us?"

"Like that skin said, we need to go unarmed." There was a silence in the air where Carol, Daryl and Michonne shared looks. She knew that look. Oh, you are kidding me! "Oh, come on!" Elle groaned.

"You need to stay here, Ellie." Carol confirmed. "Look after Maya-"

Elle was now angry. "Hold your fucking horses, mate. That girl is looking after the kids in a safe house. She doesn't need protection."

"You need to keep an eye on Negan."

She clenched her eyes shut and a guttural grunt escaped her lips. It was like a migraine just... hit her and it only got her angrier. "Six years he's been greying away in a fucking cell. Six years and he escaped once and came fucking back! He's not going anywhere."

Michonne sighed, "That's not what I meant."

Elle looked down at the map and clenched her jaw, the whites of her knuckles now prominent when she clutched them. "He's not going on a fucking murder spree."

"You need to stay here, get some sleep too." Michonne cleared her throat and gave Elle a pointed look. "That's final."

And Elle couldn't say anything against it because it was Michonne. She ran her tongue across her lips with a vicious sneer before she stood up and perfect a sweet smile. Except it was full of sarcasm and annoyance and they knew she wasn't happy about it.

"Fucking fine."

-

"They think I'm a fucking child!" Elle hissed. Right now, she was standing in front of Negan helping move walkers from the back of a carriage to a dead heap on the ground. "It's like they don't trust me or some shit."

Negan wasn't saying anything to her but did amuse her with shocked faces or angry scowls to go with her emotions. He thought if he spoke, she'd lash out on him. Negan couldn't be assed with that right now. "I was the one who planned how to finish these hordes. Me. And, what? They think I'm not good enough to help them?"

"Doll, maybe it's a good fucking thing."

Elle snapped her head up at him and frowned. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She puffed out her cheeks and dropped another walker onto the pile. "I just want to help, why are they so against me helping? I wasn't there when they first attacked, I wasn't there when Oceanside turned into flames, I wasn't there for any of it! It's like I'm on fucking house arrest!"