forgotten roses (negan)

part 07 - the ocean

It was something out of a nightmare; in front of me lined up on their knees were about two dozen men and boys awaiting death. Beads of sweat dribbled down my neck and stopped at the neckline of my top. I had no intention of hurting anyone, but Negan decided it was best for me to kill.

The man that I was bound to kill was old, gray hair receded down almost past his ears. On his face a soft calamity, one of serene peace, as if he was ready to die. He gently let his head rest so that he was staring at the ground, as if to give me the go-ahead.

The cue sounded; Negan began to crush the skull of a man, the powerful blows of Lucille ensured he would never see the light of day again.

My bottom lip trembled as Negan's men began to kill, "please," the man said to me, "now."

I took a deep breath, pointed Simon's revolver at the man's head and shot him square in the forehead. He fell at my feet, blood staining my white skirt. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Simon walking towards me, gun still smoking, "nice one, Blondie."

I turned to him and handed him his gun, "here, I thought you'd want it back."

He raised an eyebrow and stuck the gun in his back pocket, "good thinking, Luce. C'mon, let's head back to the truck."

I nodded my head slowly and walked behind him, not daring to look over my shoulder and see the bodies lying on the forest floor.

As we walked, far enough away from the bodies up on a hill, the sound of crashing waves intrigued me.

"Wait," I called to Simon, who stopped dead in his tracks, "the ocean, I've never seen it." I cocked my head to the side, staring out into the distance at the blue waves powerfully forcing themselves onto the sand before being pulled back.

-

"Never?" Simon asks me quietly.

"Never."

He takes his hand radio from his jacket, "Negan, you there?"

He waits until he gets a reply, "yeah, I'm here, dumbass. Where are you?"

"Still on the hill. Do you mind if we catch up?"

"Why? Where's my girl?"

"She's never seen the ocean," Simon responds, "thought I'd take her down."

"You'd take her down? No, no, I'm coming with you, fucker. Give me five minutes, stay right where you fucking are." Negan barks over the radio and Simon takes a seat down onto the soft grass, patting a spot next to him.

"Sorry he made you do that," Simon fiddles with his radio, staring out over the horizon, "I know you're not too keen on that shit."

"I'm alright now," I sigh, "but thanks. Didn't know you had a soft spot, tough guy."

Simon throws his head back with a grin on his face, "fuck you."

The crunching of dead leaves indicates Negan is arriving, so I quickly get to my feet and brush off my skirt.

"Hullo, Simon," Negan says, "Lucy. Let's go."

Negan takes to my side between myself and Simon as we walk, taking my wrist and leading me until our shoes touch the warm sand.

The beach is covered in debris, but in spite of it, we all strip down; myself to my bra and panties and Negan and Simon to their boxers.

I slip my knife safely into my backpack before running, arms wide open, into the water.

Sea birds squawk and the smell of salt delights me as Negan dives into the water, breaching from the waves only to wipe his eyes and go under again.

Giggling, I submerge myself into the water completely, which turns my bright blonde hair darker and the scent of the water imprints upon my body as a whole. The soft sand beneath my feet clouds as I drift away from it, swimming further into the ocean out to where Negan is.

"Careful," Negan calls out to me, "don't let a fucking shark get you!"

I roll my eyes and throw my head back, the bright sun warming my face.

I finally reach Negan, who picks me up immediately, throwing me further away from him. As I rise up to the surface, I am met with Simon, who grabs my waist, "hurry, we've got to go. They've found them."

Before I have time to react, Simon helps me up onto the shore and tosses me my clothes, which I graciously get into. Negan, who is already dressed, takes my bag and begins to jog up the hill, Simon and I following closely at his heel.

"Damn, Luce," Negan pants as we hop into his truck, "we've got some live ones. Fuck yeah!"

Negan starts the car before running a hand through his hair, fixing it to the best of his ability.

Salt water drips from my hair and onto my body. Simon hands me an extra t-shirt from his bag, which I use in attempt to dry it.

"Thank you," I tell him, pulling my knife from my bag and placing my bat, which is now covered in sand, by my side.

"Let's go catch those fuckers," Negan chuckles, "what a shame, we killed the wrong men!"

"Where are they?" Simon growls, reloading his revolver, "damn fuckers."

Negan smiles, listening intently to his radio, "looks like we've found them. Buckle your seat belts, kids, it's going to be a really fucking bumpy ride."

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