The Day Will Come When You Won't Be

Things Have Changed

We sat there for what felt like hours. The sun had already started coming up. My knees had gone numb from sitting in the same position for so long. I was too dazed and emotionally drained to care. My two friends lay dead on the ground and we were forced to sit there, silently, next to their corpses. It was the most fucked up thing I've ever been through.

I heard the roaring engine of the RV down the road and finally it was in the clearing. My heart rate picked up, worried Rick may not have survived that trip. Negan stepped out of the RV with Rick in toe. Clapping his hands Negan said, "We're here, prick." Negan threw Rick to the ground and scoffed, "This must be hard for you, right? I mean, you have been King shit for so long. Losin' two of you own like..." Negan snapped his fingers, "Gettin' 'em clipped like that, one nut, then the other, and in front of your boy? That is some screwed up shit! You were in charge. Hell...you were probably...And now, well, clip, clip -- that's over. But...you can still lead...a nice, productive life producing for me." Negan threw Rick's ax to the ground next to him. "I think you're gonna need it. I just got a feelin'. So take it." Negan sighed.

"Here we are. Let me ask you something, Rick -- do you even know what that little trip was about?" Negan asked Rick. Rick was visibly traumatized, so much so that he didn't want to even speak. Or so scared that he literally couldn't make his vocal chords work. "Speak when you're spoken to." Negan said, getting more agitated by the second. "Okay. Okay." Rick finally said.

"That trip was about the way you looked at me. I wanted to change that. I wanted you to understand. But you're still looking at me the same damn way...like I shit in your scrambled eggs, and that's not gonna work. So...do I give you another chance?" Rick's breath became ragged at the fear of losing another member of our group. "Yeah. Yes. Yes." Rick begged. "Okay," Negan chuckled, "All right. And here it is -- the grand-prize game. What you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone's last crap day or just another crap day." Negan paused to signal to his men with his hand,"Get guns to the back of their heads." I heard the Savior's behind me gun cock and could feel the cool barrel on the back of my head.

"Good. Now...level with their noses, so if you have to fire..." at that statement Negan imitated an explosion. Clearly one for the theatrics, I rolled my eyes. Negan saw my action and smirked at me while chuckling, then continued, "it'll be a real mess." Negan whistled towards Carl, indicating he wanted his attention. "Kid...right here." Carl didn't budge. "Kid...now." Carl knowing he shouldn't test this man right now, did as he was told and started walking towards Negan and Rick. "You a southpaw?" Negan asked. "Am I a what?" Carl asked, confused. "You a lefty?" Negan asked. "No." Said Carl. "Good." At that Negan tied some kind of makeshift tourniquet around Carl's left arm. "That hurt?" Asked Negan. "No." Carl said. "Should. It's supposed to. All right. Get down on the ground, kid, next to daddy. Spread them wings." Negan put both of his arms out to indicate to Carl that he wanted both of his arms out to his sides. "Simon...you got a pen?" Negan said turning towards Simon. "Yeah." I heard Simon say and then throw the pen towards Negan, who caught it in the air.

Negan bent down to draw a line on Carl's left arm under the tourniquet. "Sorry, kid. This is gonna be as cold as a warlock's ballsack, just like he was hanging his ballsack above you and dragging it right across the forearm. Here you go. Gives you a little leverage." Negan said once he was finished. Rick now realizing what was happening spoke up, "Please. Please. Please don't. Please don't." He begged. "Me?" Negan chuckled, "I ain't doing shit. Ahh. Rick, I want you to take your ax...cut your son's left arm off, right on that line." Rick was crying and hyperventilating. "Now I know -- I know. You're gonna have to process that for a second. That makes sense. Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it, or all these people are gonna die. Then Carl dies, then the people back home die...and then you, eventually. I'm gonna keep you breathing for a few years, just so you can stew on it." At that Michonne spoke up, "You -- You don't have to do this. We understand. We understand." I'd never seen Michonne this broken down. It was heartbreaking.

"You understand," Negan said, continuing to look at Rick, "Yeah. I'm not sure that Rick does. I'm gonna need a clean cut right there on that line. Now, I know this is a screwed up thing to ask, but it's gonna have to be like a salami slice -- nothing messy, clean, 45 degrees -- give us something to fold over. We got a great doctor. The kid'll be fine. Probably." Negan smirked. "Rick...this needs to happen now -- chop, chop -- or I will crush the little fella's skull myself." Rick said, "It can -- It can -- It can be me. It can be me. W-W --," Rick sniffled, "Y-You can do it to me. I c -- I can go with -- with you." He begged. "No." Negan said in a stern voice. "This is the only way. Rick...pick up the ax. Not making a decision is a big decision. You really want to see all these people die?" Negan gestured towards us, Rick looking back at each and every person in line, realizing he had to do this. "You will. You will see every ugly thing." He paused, letting Rick absorb this information. "Oh, my God." Negan said frustrated. "Are you gonna make me count? Okay, Rick. You win. I am counting. 3!" Negan started. "Please." Rick cried, "Please. It can be me. Please!" He continued crying. "2!" Negan continued. "Please, don't do --" Rick sobbed. "This is it." Stated Negan. "Aaah!" Rick screamed. "1." Negan said. At that moment Carl spoke up, "Dad...just do it. Just do it." Carl was without a doubt the bravest person I had ever met. No crying, no begging. He was willing to give up a body part to save all of us. I loved that boy.

Right as Rick went to swing his ax down on Carl's arm, Negan stopped him. "Rick. You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?" Rick stayed silent. "Speak when you're spoken to!" Negan yelled at Rick. "You answer to me. You provide for me." Rick finally spoke, "Provide for you." Negan asked, "You belong to me, right?!" Rick was breathing heavily and replied, "Right." Negan stared Rick in the face for a moment and said, "That...is the look I wanted to see. We did it...all of us, together...even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award, for sure." Negan stood, sighing, "Today was a productive damn day! Now, I hope, for all your sake...that you get it now...that you understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you...that is," he paused to chuckle. "...over now. Ah. Dwight...load him up." Negan said gesturing to Daryl. My body instantly tensed up. "He's got guts -- not a little bitch like someone I know. I like him. He's mine now. But you still wanna try something? 'Not today, not tomorrow' 'Not today, not tomorrow'? I will cut pieces off of...Hell's his name?" Negan asked. Simon paused for a moment thinking, "Daryl." He said. "Wow." Negan chuckled. "That actually sounds right. I will cut pieces off of Daryl and put them on your doorstep -- or, better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me." He chuckled once more.

I shot up off of the ground not caring about the fact that a Savior still had a cocked gun to my head. "No! Take me instead." With that Negan flipped his head around at me, eyes wide, clearly not expecting any more outbursts after what had happened in the last few hours. "Excuse me?" Negan asked, a smirk spreading across his face. "Take me instead of Daryl." I said, a stern look on my face. "Please." Negan strode up to me and placed his gloved forefinger on my cheek, trailing down it to my jaw and the top of my neck. I slapped his hand away and he laughed. Throwing his hand back up like he was going to slap me. His hand stopped inches from my face and I didn't even flinch. "Wow. You don't scare easy, do you? I like that." Negan roughly grabbed my chin so I was forced to look at him. "How about this. How's about...I take Daryl, and you." His eyes bore into mine with so much intensity it shocked me. "You're feisty. I love that." Negan released my face and snapped his fingers. "Get her in the other van. Don't want anything frisky going on on the way back home!" Negan winked at me and I was grabbed from behind by two of the Saviors, one holding on to each arm and dragging me towards the back of a van.

"Fuck you!" I managed to spat at Negan just before the doors were slammed in my face and I was locked inside. I could still hear Negan talking to my group outside. "Welcome to a brand-new beginning, you sorry shits! I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then...ta-ta."

And with that the truck started moving and we were headed back to the Sanctuary.