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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: BONNIE & CLYDE
( tw! mentions of assault & self-harm )
🥀🖤
MELANIE DIDN'T KNOW what the hell she had gotten herself into. The longer she hid in the truck, the more she thought about what exactly could happen, especially when the truck had stopped on a random road and the Saviors driving had sat in the back to talk and listen to a radio that seemed to be run by the Saviors. She went through every possible scenario in her head and all of them seemed to end with her and Carl dead. Melanie was starting to feel extremely anxious but due to Jesus having snuck onto the truck as well as it left the Hilltop, Melanie felt a tiny bit better about what was happening. But still, Melanie couldn't help but pace around the truck while Jesus screwed around with the items and Carl searched for weapons. Melanie took a seat on one of the boxes, taking deep breaths and rubbing her wrists. She had a feeling that everything was going to be fine but then she also remembered how Negan killed a boy from the Hilltop who was only a year older than her. Melanie just hoped she and Carl didn't get killed.
Melanie watched as Jesus took syrup from one of the boxes and started to squeeze it out the back of the truck as it moved. Melanie furrowed her brows along with Carl as they watched him. Melanie looked up at him and asked, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Making a trail. I think we're close," Jesus replied. Melanie took a deep breath once Jesus said they were close. Melanie continued to rub her wrists and attempted to calm her breathing. "We should bail out, follow the rest of the way, see what we can see."
Melanie looked at Carl, knowing their plan was different from Jesus's plan. Carl looked back at Jesus, trying to come up with a response that didn't blow their cover, "I — uh — how?"
"It isn't usually the fall that gets us. It's trying to fight it," Jesus explained, referring to jumping out of a moving truck. "Run with it or roll with it, the truck's going slow enough. We'll be in the blind spot. We can race behind one of the other cars."
"I — If — If Mel and I screw up and we get caught —"
"It'll be fine. We just gotta go now," Jesus assured them.
Melanie stood up, looking at Carl once more for what to do. Carl nodded at her, signaling to follow his lead before looking back at Jesus, "Okay, show us first."
Jesus obliged and jumped out of the truck, rolling as he did so just like he had said. After he did, Carl smirked and waved at Jesus as they drove off. Melanie couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Jesus shake his head at them, probably feeling stupid for trusting Carl's word. Carl gently touched Melanie's arm and gestured with his head to the back of the truck, "Come here. I found some guns."
