The Honey House

Kissing Ass

As Rae cornered the house she watched Mary toppling from her place on the wall, a line of blood chasing her like the jetstream of a plane. For a heartbeat it was like time ticked a little slower, the din faded and everything but Mary took pause, held breath, until her body hit the dirt and the clamour of bullets started again.

Rae gasped, her vision tunneling as she ran over, falling to her knees besides Mary. She remembered the first time she'd ever seen Mary. She'd been driving home from a supply run and there she was, alone, walking by the side of the road. One side of her face covered in dried blood, the other nothing but a vacant expression. Rae had stopped the truck and without a single word Mary had climbed in, wrapped her arms around her centre and sobbed the whole way home.

"I've got you," Rae pressed her hand against Mary's neck to try stem the blood that was pouring but it pooled relentlessly, flooding through her fingers, a viscous mess as Mary's terrified eyes locked with hers, accepting her fate.

Rae's other hand held Mary's, "I won't let go."

Mary gurgled, blood spluttering from her lips, her eyes staring blankly as her grip on Rae's hand fell away. It was quick, a matter of seconds and she was gone. This morning Rae had asked her to stand watch on the gate and now she was dead.

Rae turned her hand over, staring at her bloody palm before frantically rubbing it across the dirt and picking up Mary's fallen rifle.

Negan squeezing her shoulder gave her heart a start before she turned to look at him, he held his hand to pull her up and she accepted, letting him heave her from the floor like her limbs were leaden.

"She was..." Rae tried to think of something profound, Mary had been a wife and mother, a waitress in a some nameless diner, a friend, a woman. They didn't talk very often but "she was family."

"I'm sorry Red."

Rae turned, walked to the wall and the instant her foot touched the bottom rung of the ladder the shooting stopped. Someone shouted, "it's the Raiders," and her body tensed, taking pause before she forced herself up the ladder with Negan close behind.

A familiar truck was pulled up on the drive. Just as at the Orchard yesterday Raider's climbed out, 6 in total and none of them Jacob.

"He's not here," she muttered before Negan had chance to ask.

"Not this time," he said and she looked at him briefly before she focused back on the men who were here.

"You fucked with our people Rachy." The man that spoke she'd only met a couple of times in the months she had known Jacob, his name was Danny. "They were here yesterday and they never came home last night. That can't be a coincidence. Jacob is very unhappy with you. What you gonna do to make him happy?"

Rae held tight to Mary's rifle, her eyes filled with tears, "I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me Rachel, where are they?" He raised his weapon, "Jacob might want you alive but I'm not so generous. I don't give a shit about you or your people, I would shoot every last one of you and tear this house down brick by brick."

"She's not lying," Negan countered, she could hear the smile in his voice. "I can guaran-fucking-tee it." Negan laughed. " I fucked with your people. Cracked their skulls into the dirt. Gotta tell you it was a dirty fucking mess but you are most... welcome ."

Rae's heart fell to her feet.

Danny stepped forward, his face twisted, "who the hell do you think you are?"

"Judge... Jury... hell... I'm the fucking executioner too," Negan baited as the front gate groaned open.

Rae glanced over the wall to see Mark strolling out followed by the rest of Negan's men and some of her own people too. Part of her wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and like Zuzu pretend that if she couldn't see it then it wasn't real. There was no way this was going to end without bloodshed, the only question was who's.