Safe haven | Rick Grimes

100. THEIR MOMS NOT COMING BACK

Chapter one hundred

"Their moms not coming back."

Having headed to one of the Whisperers' borders, Negan placed Alpha's severed head onto a wooden spike.

"So, what do we do now?" Judith asked, her voice cutting through the heavy silence.

Negan turned to look at the children. He could see the lingering shock in their eyes. They were still deeply shaken by the devastating news that their mother wasn't coming back. Remembering what had happened to Carl when he was left to fend for himself, Negan knew he couldn't leave these kids alone.

"We're gonna get moving," Negan said, stepping toward them. "Before the big guy comes looking."

The children turned, falling into step beside him as they all began walking away together.

They soon made it to an abandoned building, where Negan turned to the group. "Wait here," he ordered.

The four children stopped in their tracks as Negan stepped onto the porch and pushed the front door open. "Hey, kiddo. Sorry about..." he began, stepping inside. "Shit!"

A low growl cut him off as Dog lunged forward, tackling Negan to the floor. Uncle Daryl stepped out from the shadows, his crossbow aimed directly at Negan's chest. "Where's Alpha?" Daryl demanded.

"Look, whatever Lydia told you..." Negan started, raising his hands.

"Where is she? Where'd she take my kids?" Uncle Daryl snapped, stepping closer.

"She is dead. She is dead—I killed her," Negan insisted.

"You liar," Daryl growled.

"I am not lying! If you look outside, those four kids are standing right there unharmed," Negan urged. "The whole reason I threw in with the Whisperers was to get close enough to Alpha to slit her throat. You all talk about silencing the Whisperers? Well, I silenced the Alpha. Why the hell else do you think their mother let me out of my cell?"

Uncle Daryl stared down at him for a tense second. "Go," Uncle Daryl told Dog.

The hound relented and trotted out the front door. Seeing the Grimes children standing safely in the yard, Dog barked.

"Told ya," Negan panted from the floor.

Uncle Daryl turned back inside without a word. He grabbed a coil of rope resting on a nearby chair and walked back over to Negan.

Uncle Daryl finished tying Negan's hands securely behind his back, and the group set off. The four children and Dog took the lead up ahead, while Negan and Daryl walked a few paces behind them in a tense silence.

"Well, this whole follow-the-leader routine is giving me kind of a deja vu vibe," Negan remarked, breaking the quiet. "It's pretty much exactly how it went down with Alpha."

Uncle Daryl kept his eyes fixed on the kids ahead, ignoring the comment.

"Look, I get it," Negan continued. "You're pissed that Scarlett didn't let you in on the plan."

"Nobody asked you," Daryl snapped.

"Yeah, except I'm the only other person—other than those kids—who knows she's not coming back," Negan countered.

Daryl stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing as he glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Where she went, she found something that belonged to Rick," Negan explained quietly. "It made her believe he was alive. So, she's going after him. Even if it kills her."