Too Far Gone // D. Dixon

chapter forty-six

Daryl's expression was a mix of concern and disapproval as Maren spoke with unwavering determination.

"Maren..." he started to move closer to her, but she quickly cut him off.

"I need to do this, Daryl...I have to do this." Maren said, her voice firm. She stood up with the help of her father and Daryl, shakily moving to fix her clothes. She then turned back to Daryl.

"Give me your knife." 

Daryl hesitated, the weight of what Maren was about to do clearly weighing on him. But he knew this was ultimately her decision to make. Reluctantly, he handed her the knife. 

Negan, who had been silent up until this point, watched the exchange with a somber expression. He understood the gravity of the situation and the trauma Maren had endured. He would be there to support her, no matter what path she chose. If this was what she thought was best, who was he to stop her from doing it. 

"Sit him up," Maren ordered and Negan complied, helping the battered Dean into a seated position. The man groaned, his face obviously causing him severe discomfort, not that any of them in the room particularly gave a shit.

"So, I guess the secret's out, huh?" Dean spoke, his voice strained from the beating he had received. Maren watched as he smiled through the wheezes as he struggled to breathe. Maren's gaze was unwavering as she slowly inched closer to him, a dark smile playing on her lips.

"Looks like that hurts, Dean," she said, her voice dripping with a mix of anger and satisfaction. 

"Looks worse than it is," Dean replied, a hint of defiance in his tone.

"You know how it feels now...to be beaten," Maren said, her eyes narrowing, "Lucky for you, this is just one day. You know how many days I had?" She moved closer, the knife now gripped tightly in her hand. She had bent down to his level, her knife closer to his face now. 

Dean remained silent, his eyes betraying a flicker of unease. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared, Maren had always been a fighter, he knew that. And now here he is, left to the mercy of the girl he'd abused. Dean was scared.

"It seems you must've lost count, so let me fucking remind you," Maren continued, her voice steadfast. With that, she aggressively plunged the knife deep into Dean's thigh, eliciting a loud scream of pain.

Daryl and Negan watched the scene unfold, tense and ready to intervene if necessary. They understood the need for Maren to reclaim her power, but they were also concerned for her well-being. Torturing someone was never easy, but this was more than that. This was revenge.

"82, Dean." Maren spat at him, her voice unwavering, "You and the rest of those douchebags kept me in that fucking warehouse for 82 days." Dean squirmed in agony, his bravado crumbling in the face of Maren's relentless onslaught.

"And what? You're gonna kill me now?" he managed, trying to sound like tough shit but his words were so clearly laced with pain, "Is that gonna make you feel better, Maren? 'Cause you and I both know that you're never gonna forget any of it...I sure as hell won't-"

Daryl cut him off at that, hands balled into fists as he stepped forward out of pure anger, "You motherf-" 

But as Daryl started to step forward, Negan abruptly stopped him, "Let her handle this asshole, Daryl. She needs to have control again."

Maren paused, her expression contemplative. "No, you're right..." she said, suddenly standing upright, "I can kill you for what you did to me, but it won't change any of it..." Dean smirked at that, gathering that she wouldn't be able to do it. Maren noticed his sudden confidence and watched as he started to talk again.

"Then what the hell are you gonna do, sweetheart?" Dean spat, his use of the pet name only fueling Maren's rage. 

It was as if she was overcome with a wave of fury, washing over her like a tidal wave. With a swift motion, Maren plunged the knife into Dean's stomach, again and again, her words punctuated by each strike.

"We should've killed you..." Dean spoke, using his last few moments of breath to fight back, however futile it may have been.

"Look at us, learning from our mistakes..." She twisted the knife, her eyes burning with a fury that had been long suppressed, "I'm afraid it's too late, Dean. You're just too far gone."

She watched Dean, watching his chest slowly rise and fall once last time. She stayed there, in front of him, until she knew he was gone. Pulling the knife from his body, Maren stepped back from his body. She turned around finally, handing the bloodied weapon to Daryl. The man before them was now lifeless, but his transformation had not yet begun.

Daryl looked at Maren with concern, unsure of her next move. Dean was dead, but his brain was unharmed. Daryl began moving forward to put him down, but Maren stops Daryl.

"No," she said, her voice firm, "Let him turn."

                                                                                     - TOO FAR GONE -

To say that Maren had been through a lot, was an understatement.

After what had happened in that conference room, Negan had made sure that Dean was taken care of, the way he should have always been. And by taken care of, Negan had put him on fence duty. Now a full-blown walker, his rotting corpse would forever be used to protect the Sanctuary.

In a way, it was poetic. Once an insider, now an outsider; he was nothing more than a burning memory now. He was used as an example to the Saviors, a way to say that is what happens to anyone who hurts his daughter. Safe to say it was quite effective.

And so, the next day had rolled around quickly and she found herself on the balcony overlooking the Sanctuary. 

The morning light had fallen upon the charcoal colored concrete, slowly warming up the Virginian air. Inside of the Sanctuary seemed so dark, so dimly lit on the inside, that seeing some sunlight really helped to keep her spirits up. The walls were made of firm and confining concrete, a dark charcoal gray, and the lights were few and far between. It felt like a bunker, a deep interwoven labyrinth of a cave. She felt, despite Negan's best efforts to make her feel welcome, trapped.

Yesterday's events were still fresh in Maren's mind. She had never been so brutal, so ruthless in all her life. She had scared herself, and she hardly recognized herself for what she had become. She hated that, she hated that she had become the very thing she had fought so hard against becoming. Remembering that she had once spared Dean, simply leaving him alive in that warehouse, in fear of becoming like them. But now that she had killed him, she knew that she was no better than they were. She might have told him that he was too far gone, but she knew that she was too. 

Maren stopped herself there, drawing in a deep breath. She was stressing herself out far more than she needed to. She was pregnant, she knew it wasn't good for the baby. 

When she felt the warmth of the Virginian sun on her skin, she closed her eyes and welcomed the feeling. She opened her eyes, only seeing the fence full of walkers, specifically eyeing Dean. She felt her heart beat faster just looking at his face. Before she could dwell on that, she heard the sound of a truck's engine roaring.

A voice pulled her from her thoughts, gathering her attention to the courtyard. She saw it was Negan and a group of his men that had pulled up in a large truck. She gulped, knowing that it must have come from Alexandria or Hilltop. Her face turned sour rather fast.

She moved to the stairs, wanting to speak with her father. But the sudden onslaught of gunshots brought her to a screeching halt. She quickly ducked behind a piece of cardboard, staying out of sight of the obviously unwanted visitor.

"Stay back! Drop your weapons," A familiar voice shouted, making Maren stand up again, "I only want Negan. He killed my friends. No one else needs to die."

Maren ran now, rushing to find Carl holding a gun to Negan's head, "Carl? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Damn!" Negan laughed at that, watching them, "You are adorable. Did you pick that gun 'cause it looks cool? You totally did, right?"

"Dad-" Maren looked at the man in leather with a stern look, making him laugh. So serious.

"Kid, I ain't gonna lie...you scare the shit outta me." Negan spoke, watching Carl's emotionless face. Carl began to fire again, avoiding Maren in the process. However, Dwight was quick to tackle Carl to the ground.

"Dwight, stop!" Maren pleaded, watching Carl struggle against the blonde man, "He's just a kid!" Maren moved to Dwight then, roughly shoving his shoulder back and knocked him away. The same way she had a few days prior.

Maren looked at Carl, her hands around his shoulders and face, checking for damage. Carl only watched her, occasionally glancing between her and Negan. She wondered what he was thinking, but she knew she needed to get him away from all of this.

"Dwight, back off..." Negan spoke, moving closer to them, "Is that any way to treat our new guest?"