CONQUEST • Negan

Back To It

At last, Negan's attention shifted from me, the pressure of his scrutiny lifting away. The tension bunching my shoulders eased, but my apprehension persisted. With stiff knuckles, I unclenched my hands, flexing my fingers.

"Jesus, you look shitty." Negan stopped by a swaying, heavy-eyed Maggie.

Whatever was wrong with her, it battled to tug her back into unconsciousness. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping her upright. Her fear for Glenn, the baby in her belly, the future she was so desperately trying to build. Maggie was valuable to this world; both her and Glenn. They were contributing to the next generation. They had to live through this. They just had to.

Negan eyed her up with a slick grin. My muscles bunched, coiling into springs, any good sense I still owner, seeping out my ears.

A silence stilled over the clearing.

Negan took a quick breath. His fingers clenched around the bat. "Let's just put you out of your misery right now!"

He raised Lucille.

I saw red.

Simultaneously, Glenn and I jumped into automatic defence of the pregnant woman. Glenn roared. But panic caused him to become sloppy, and a saviour tackled him back to the floor before he even got close.

Panic being an emotion I abandoned long ago; I suffered no such weakness.

As I lurched to my feet, I steadied myself and swiftly side-stepped the first man who tried to shove me back down.

By yanking the next arm that reached for me, I dragged the weight of the man into my body, slid a foot behind his ankle, and shoved him back, decking him. He thudded onto his back with a groan.

I rushed forward. Another saviour made a swipe at me. I ducked beneath the arching sweep of the butt of his gun.

My fist crashed into Negan's face, blood spraying from his mouth. He staggered. I followed with a second punch. He stumbled from the force, almost crashing to the floor but finding his feet.

The satisfaction of landing some hits into the bastard blinded me, and I made the mistake of focusing solely on Negan as he wiped the blood from his lips with a smirk. I lost my balance and was forcefully shoved into the ground as I attempted to land a third strike. The impact sucked the air from my lungs. I wheezed, chest spasming as I struggled for breath. My ears rang.

And then the oxygen gushed back in, everything becoming clearer again: the lights, the pressure digging into my back, the dust kicked up into my mouth, tongue chalky.

Before I could choke on the dirt, I spat it out and growled, struggling against the knee pressing down on my spine. "Get the fuck off me, you stupid prick!" I gritted. "Fuck! Don't you fucking touch her!. Don't touch her." My voice cracked.

"Nope. Nope! Get them back in line." Yanked up by the scruff of my shirt, the asshole who had me pinned dragged me up and shoved me down to my knees beside Rick. Negan sighed, winding his jaw. I bit down on a smirk.

The fucker was definitely gunning for me now. I was sure of it.

Negan smiled at Glenn, begging for Maggie's life. Sick fuck.

"Alright, listen. Don't any of ya' do that again. I will shut that shit down, no exceptions. First ones free, it's an emotional moment, I get it."

Rick trembled out stuttering breaths.

Negan glanced at him. "Sucks, don't it," he said. "Moment you realise you don't know shit."