Ties In The Torn World

Strings Exposed.

Carl's pov: 

June stayed at Negan's side, analyzing all of us like we were puppets and she was the puppeteer. maybe she was after all. 

"where are all the saviors?" my dad asked.

"they're not here right now" June shrugged.

"at all?" I ask in disbelief

"oh no they're here, but they would've just gotten in the way" she replied without even looking at me. 

"in the way of what?" Michonne furrowed her brows and June cracked her neck.

"the plan" Negan replied.

"so you were tricking us!" Aaron exclaimed.

"oh no not me" Negan shook his head "her" he put an arm on June's shoulder and she looked up at him with a dirty look which immediately made him laugh and put is arm down.

"what?" Carol asked, just as confused as I was. 

"it took some time, to orchestrate it all but thankfully we had a couple dozen walkers in the pit" Negan said.

"the walkers on the road, that was you?" Rosita sputtered in shock.

"the trees?" Daryl asked slowly and Negan nodded. June pulled something out of her pocket, it was a radio. or maybe not, it sure as hell looked like a radio.

"does this sound familiar?" she asked as she clicked a button.

the savior whistle, sounded like the one we heard in the woods.

everyone's eyes widened in recognition, the whistle was pre-recorded to draw us away.

sh*t

"there was no savior in the woods was there..." I say slowly in disbelief and she shakes her head.

"footsteps are really great to lead you away from a spot" June continued, looking at Michonne.

"glad you heard those footsteps on the second floor and lead everyone to the third or you may have discovered the thing you came here for" 

"the circuit board was on the second floor?" Glenn asked and she shrugged.

"what circuit board?" she furrowed her brows.

"that's what we came here for" he explained.

"oh I know" she nodded.

"so it was on the second floor?" he asked again and she furrowed her brows again.

"what was on the second floor?" she tilted her head and Negan scoffed as we finally understood she was playing dumb. 

"what about Samuel?" Rick asked and her eyes lit up.

"oh!" she exclaimed and pressed another button on the recording device and two voices started to talk.

"where's Negan?" a voice asked 

"he's with the tech guy, what's his face..." 

"Samuel?" the voice asked. she turned the recorder off and realization swept over us like a wave.

"it was all pre recorded?" I ask, trying to stop my voice from shaking. 

"your all so smart" she said sarcastically as the left side of her lips tugged upwards and she tried to hold back a smile. she reached into the holster at her hip and pulled out a Colt Python.

my dad's gun. 

"how..." he trailed off.

"you were busy looking in the wrong places" she explained. she talked very vaguely, although she knew exactly what she was talking about. 

"it still doesn't explain how you managed to pull this off" my dad shook his head. everyone was silent, nothing more to say.

we'd been tricked, all eight of us were tricked by one single person. 

one single very skilled person. 

"don't be discouraged" she said jokingly, looking at all our faces.

"I had homefield advantage, I'm sure you guys are smarter then this" she teased. 

it made my blood boil, I grind my molars together, my jaw flexing as my fists ball up. I could tell everyone was shaking with anger.

"you guys thought you could pull this off?" Negan said, he looked just as pissed as us now, that grin was wiped off his face.

"a lesson should be learnt from this" he said, walking to the corner and grabbing Lucille, his bat. June's eyes followed him and they flashed with an unreadable emotion as he walked back to us with the bat resting on his shoulder. 

"do you guys prefer eenie meenie miney moe or is one of you guys going to take one for the team?" he asked, with every step he took closer to us the tension rose, and the expression on June's face became readable. 

even if only for a second, I could tell what she was feeling, and I was confused. 

it was fear. why? she had nothing to be afraid of, and wasn't she going to be glad? she gulped, tucked a loose hair behind her ear and she looked even more uneasy as her dad made sure to stretch the process of scaring us even more. 

"alright" Negan shrugged "I guess I'll choose" he said, taking a step before-

"dad!" June exclaimed, with a hand out to stop him. he twisted his head around, looking just as  confused as everyone else was.

"don't" she said, dropping her tone down a couple pitches. Negan furrowed his brows as his grip on Lucille relaxed.

"what?" he blinked a couple times. everyone gave each other confused looks, but my eyes were kept pasted on June's, even though she didn't look at me back. 

"I don't let actions like this go unexcused" he threatened.

"bargaining chip" June whispered, her voice quieter because of the starting rain outside. 

"and the shortage" she said. Negan's eyes softened in understanding, before they darkened as he turned back to us.

"Rick, I know your a reasonable man" he started, a smile spread across his face but his eyes showed another emotion.

he was hoping to bash one of our skulls in.

so why didn't he? scratch that, why didn't June let him? she's Negan's daughter, she has to be just as sick and twisted as him.

or does she?

"my offer is this, you guys give me half of the food you grow, now" he says 

"we already gave you half" Michonne stressed.

"yes, you did, and now I want more" he shrugged "is that so bad?" 

June kept quiet, I owe her one. I'd rather we give him our food and ration then get my face bashed in.

"but--" Michonne stuttered.

"alright" my dad said and Michonne looked at him.

"Rick, are you crazy?" Rosita whisper shouted but my dad didn't flinch. Negan gave a sly look, there was more.

"and?" I ask, he turns to look at me.

"We keep Eugene" he crooned. 

"no!" Rosita shouted and June's nostrils flared, in anger or fear?

"June?" Negan called and she turned to face him.

"take em' to the cell" June hesitated, but agreed.