ELEANOR . NEGAN

080.

Everywhere Eleanor went was hateful gazes directed straight at her. Most of them from Carver and Leah, the rest from the other soldiers. Elle knew why; she killed their brothers. But she didn't care. They snuck up when they all least expected it with a broken Roy and tired and hungry people—of course Elle wasn't going to let that fly.

The only one who didn't treat her like she was shit at the bottom of her shoe was Pope... and that scared her. He was a Commander; he knew his shit, he knew how it all went and how he couldn't favourite his people but then he's telling Eleanor stories no one has heard before.

Frost was a captive in this place, his body brutally mutilated yet he was still alive. Daryl recalled to him to act like they don't know each other through harsh words and so far, Frost hasn't spilled.

The first time Eleanor saw his body was through the fogged up glass of a closed door, Pope next to her as Daryl "interrogated" him with fists and knives. The same routine they put on her, never-ending pushes and the gliding of sharpness against her skin. One of her eyes were swollen from quite a nasty catch of Leah's knuckle, but both of his looked ready to burst.

"Just say the location, so we can all walk away happy."

Frost breathed heavily through his nose, mouth clamped shut to conceal his laboured breaths. "Go to hell, asshole-" His scream was loud and morbid, rattling against the walls as it imbedded inside Elle's hearing. Daryl cut Frost's finger off, she could see the dismembered piece drop to the floor like it was nothing.

"Location! Or I take another!"

Frost groaned aloud and bit down on his tongue. "No, I can't-"

"Location!"

As Frost bit down on his lip harder, blood spilled from the already bust lip and fell down onto his lap—trickled almost. "Yellow house!" He swung his head down in defeat. "Town off- off the 283. Antenna. Antenna. Antenna. Antenna."

Daryl guiltily pulled back the knife and twisted his head over to Pope. "That good enough?"

Elle didn't miss how his blue eyes dragged to her in sorrow.

Pope poked his tongue through his cheek as he turned and sent a pointed look at Leah. "I can scout it out." She said almost immediately. The man kissed his teeth and looked down at Elle.

"If they're in this yellow house then you're gonna need a group." Elle then looked at Pope, to see if she got it right. He nodded gracefully.

"Take a squad. Four of you. See if our friend speaks the truth."

Carver's jaw grew slack and he lifted his hand, pointing at Eleanor. "You want us to take her? She killed our people!"

Eleanor twisted her head and looked at Carver unnervingly, it was funny because Pope was giving the same look. Except, the only one who spoke was Eleanor. "I was God's choice." Elle knew for a fact she was going to rinse that.

Carver looked stuck though, angry and pissed off. "You heard the woman." Pope barked. "Move it."

-

"They hate us." Eleanor murmured beside Daryl, the two friends hid behind a rusted car. "They actually hate us."

The squad like Pope demanded for was waltzing down a concrete road in a suburb, hiding behind objects as they stared at the yellow house. Carver every once in a while would turn around and look at them, sending daggers like there was no tomorrow. Elle would blow a kiss so then Daryl would hit her in the arm.

"Ya killed their people."

Elle looked at him cautiously. "Maybe. But you heard Pope, I'm God's choice or... whatever."