Negan's Daughter

| Chapter 35 | What's Left

Trigger Warning: Abuse/Assault

Willow's eyes began to close as she slowly leaned towards the ground and fell asleep. I stared down at her before pulling myself to my feet. Hearing her story reminded me of my own group but, unlike Willow, they weren't torn from me by the unforgiving claws of immortality. They left by choice. I forced the memory to the back of my mind; I would be dead tomorrow. Nothing I went through mattered anymore. Soon I wouldn't feel anything anymore. No more pain, no more sorrow. The thought brought a small smile to my face. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath and walking over towards the wall. My fight was over. It was time to give in. Just as I sat down I heard the familiar sound of the door's lock click. The door opened slower than usual. I squinted, brow furrowed as Mike entered the room. The man who had tortured and killed Casey. The man who was now torturing Willow every day now. He walked over to Willow slowly and picked her up roughly. Eyes flinging open, Willow immediately began to struggle as Mike covered her mouth and began to pull her hair back so she was facing him.

"Casey," he greeted. Willow shook her head rapidly; however, he just forced her to the ground and crawled on top of her. I turned my gaze. This isn't happening. Just block it out, block it out again. Why can't I get away? Why can't I drift? My fingers seemed to pull at the fabric of the wall until I felt the rusty metal shards underneath my skin. Hopefully one of the shots I got in Woodbury was a tetanus shot. My head turned slowly, focusing my eyes on Mike as he flicked out a small knife. He pushed the small object forward to meet Willow's birthmark. Screaming in shock, Willow tried to fight him off of her. Just as a small piece of Willow's mark peeled off of her skin, I felt myself walk forward with red clouding my vision. Before I knew what had happened, I found myself shoving the rusted piece of metal into Mike's neck. He stopped, eyes freezing. A sound almost like a sigh left his mouth as he slumped to the ground next to Willow. Blood poured from his neck like a balloon releasing air. Willow gazed up at me with tears eyes. I dropped the metal, glancing down to see my hands as a large gash formed in my palm from the amount of force I used to grip it. Willow jumped up, her mouth wide. Her eyes were focused behind me, wide and in disbelief. I turned to follow her gaze and felt my heart stop. The door was open. Everyone in the room seemed to share the same petrified silence. Finally, after a minute of shock, I found the courage to speak.

"R-run." My whisper brought the room to life. Everyone began to dart out the door two at a time until the only people left was Willow and I. I bent down awkwardly and stripped Mike of his gun, and pocket knife. Handing the gun to Willow, I barely wasted a second before turning and sprinting out of the door. My feet came to a stop once I exited the room. Without thinking I spun around and ripped the picture of my family off of the door and clenched it in my free hand.

We ran in what seemed like slow motion. Heaved sighs escaped my mouth as I came closer and closer to the light I was pulled away from. Each girl disappeared into the light until I was the last one left. I stopped, heart pounding in my chest. Something was wrong. This couldn't be happening. Willow stopped, turning towards me with bulging eyes.
"Come on!" She screeched. Suddenly, her eyes focused past me and widened. I didn't look. We ran and ran as far as our emancipated bodies could take us. Bullets rang free around us like raindrops. The early morning light blinding me. Walkers roamed around us like distant friends. They clawed and grabbed and tore apart whatever flesh they could find until finally, it was silent. I flew forward behind a tree and slammed myself against it. Clenching my eyes shut, I forced my loud gasps for air to be silent. My protesting heart felt weak.

"Breanna," Willow whispered. I couldn't move. "Breanna we're safe." I shook my head. I heard her kneel in front of me. She placed a soft hand on my shoulder causing me to wince. She pulled her hand back. "They're gone." After a moment, I opened my eyes. Willow stared down at me with soft, tired eyes. My eyes searched around, ready to spot one of them creeping towards us like they had in the dark.

"The others?" I asked. Willow's gazed down, shaking her head after a moment. It took me a minute to process this. The irony seemed to prevent me from speaking. They had spent years hoping to make it out and once they did they were torn down in the very place they prayed for each night. I nodded.

"What do we do now?" Willow asked in a cracked voice. She helped me to my feet. Once I was up my eyes scanned around and took in my surroundings. Leaves waved at us from atop, winking at us with glints of sunlight. The air was crisp, a soft dew covered the grass underneath our feet. I sucked in a deep breath of fresh air. Once I had released it back into the air I turned my eyes to Willow with a softer gaze.

"We go home."