ELEANOR . NEGAN

077.

Stars lit the sky above like salt to a black marble counter-top, skating across in different constellations while hugging the large galaxies you can see above. Fading of light pollution meant the word could finally heal, and so Eleanor smiled when she looked up at the moon and the twinkling stars like there was nothing else demeaning going on right now.

Except there was, from where Roy hopped along with injuries lacing his whole bodies as the crickets laid loud in the wispy grass blades. Maggie was far away from Eleanor, or maybe you could say Elle was far away from her.

"Ya alri'?" Daryl turned his head to catch Elle's gaze, but her eyes were up and heavy on the sky above.

"I'm fine." She wasn't. "Gotta be."

Daryl just huffed in acknowledgement before he turned back around and followed Maggie and her people along the rocky road. Negan stayed close to Eleanor's side however, shielding her almost as they walked along. He had an arm around her waist so she could look up at the beauty above without any constrictions.

She knew something was wrong however when the skating of shoes against concrete slowed and Dog was growling unhappily. Elle dragged her green eyes down and Negan watched as her lips fell agape.

Elle held her knife tighter.

"Well, this place sure has gone to shit since the last time I was here."

On the edges of the roads, were pillars after pillars of tall wooden structures with a dangling rope. And hooked to the rope, were people. They weren't walkers and so they didn't die that way meaning this whole design was for decoration. But their hands were close to the swaying grass and their face was dull, dark and bruised.

"Let's double back... we can cut through." Negan grasped onto the edges of Elle's hand, but she was already pushing through to the front of the crowd. "Elle-"

"Watch out!"

Her words were too late and a slick, black arrow went imbedding Roy's eye. "Shit."

They were found.

But you couldn't see them.

It wasn't long until Cole started to scream, deep and low as it shook the area. A curved throwing knife deep into the side of his leg while Frost and Elijah pulled him back behind a car. As more arrows shot through the air, slicing through like it was nothing, everyone found themselves shielding behind concrete road blocks and trees.

Elle breathed heavily against the road block and clutched onto her cross. She was begging, praying — hoping. Then she twisted her head over the side and took in these people.

She saw them now.

Dark black clothes clinging to their body with shields after shields wrapped around their most important body parts. Weighted vests clad against their chest as they sauntered downwards with only one thing on their mind: destruction. Hefty weapons were tight in their holds, three with bows and the rest with close-combat weapons. But the creepiest thing of all, was the uneasy white masks that hid away their faces.

Elle tore her eyes away and looked at Maggie. Her chest was heaving in fear and revenge, eyes wide as she stayed stuck against the concrete. "Maggie, tell me what they're like."

"I-"

Elle grabbed onto her shoulders and shook her back to existence. "What are they fucking like?"

Maggie looked back at Elle, her mouth agape and eyes widened. "Fast."

"Be more specific."

"They're fast, and silent. They hunt and stay hidden."

There we fucking go.