ELEANOR . NEGAN

076.

Thwack!

Negan groaned again, blood spilling from his lips and nose as Maggie smacked him with the side of her gun. "I slipped!" She yelled. "He saw, and left me to die."

"Negan," Elle sounded exasperated at this point.

"One second, Doll." He leered his head to Maggie. "Okay, so what?"

Gabriel's jaw grew slack, "You're just admitting it?!"

"You tried to kill her!"

Negan threw his head back and groaned, annoyed clearly. "No, she was in trouble and I didn't help. There is a big difference-"

Duncan launched himself forward and body slammed Negan into the walls of the train, his jacket bunched in his hands. "Okay, so who's gonna help you now? Who in here's got your back?"

"Yeah," Frost snapped. "You don't need fingers to count that number."

Negan scoffed and dragged his eyes to Eleanor. It wasn't a pleading look, it was an explanation. For her. Since nobody else would care even if he was the good guy. "She wants to murder me, sooner rather than later, and yet, somehow; I'm the big, old asshole 'cause I didn't risk my nuts for her?" Elle sighed and looked down at her feet, he was getting to her, he knew he was. "I have been a golden Goddamn asset for every single one of you-"

"Yeah, burning Hilltop, that helped, huh?"

Negan threw his head back against the wall with a clothed thud. "I didn't do shit! Why would I help Alpha do that when Maya was there, hm?" Oh. "And what about Alpha? I did what had to be done. I killed her. So yeah, I was helpful. 'cause if I hadn't done that, every person you know, their skull would be on a spike."

"What about Margo?" Gabriel fired back, unusual for him to bring back the past as a source of pain.

Eleanor however froze at the name. "Margo was close to killing Elle-"

"Negan," Elle hummed, shaking her head slightly. "I did i-"

"No, doll. Stop. I killed Margo, me, and only fucking me. And I don't regret it, alright? I did what needed to be done — I am trying."

Frost scoffed and shuffled in his spot but Eleanor felt stuck in her stance. Her blood rushing to her head, memories rising to the lifeless corpse of Margo as her knife plunged through her jaw and to her brain. Something she was used to, but never in the closed walls of Alexandria.

"Yeah, okay, I'm not buying a word of it."

Duncan pushed him harder against the wall, "Same."

Agatha then threateningly lifted her bow and pointed it at Negan's head. "Nod and we'll do it. We can get through the city without him-"

"Put your fucking shit down, Katniss!" And there she was, no longer stuck by the tormenting worries of Margo. "He is not dying, not here, not now — it is not your fucking call."

"And who are you, hm?" Frost bit back. "What's so special about him?"

Eleanor let out a laugh, but it wasn't anything funny. It was sour, and daunting, and sent chills along their skin. Even Negan forced a gulp. "You guys are new."

"And what about Maggie?" Agatha shot.

It hurt to say but it needed to be said. "She wasn't around." Elle could see how the woman deflated at her words. "So... your shitty process of thinking you have the right to kill him goes out the window right fucking now." She then turned and looked at Alden and Gabriel, "Deny it all you fucking want, but we need Negan... and you two know we do."