The smell of blood filled the air and for once in his life it made Carl feel sick. He had pratically grown up surrounded by rotten blood but this was different. It was fresh and soaking into their clothes. Drops of blood danced across their skin and sank into their clothes.
Silence was the next thing Carl noticed. He had to push down the bile in his throat to be able to focus again, but when he did it was quiet. No moans from walkers. No sobbing or screaming. No gunshots. Just heavy pants. They were all in shock, their bodies going numb and their mind shutting down. Each of them had lost people, but never this sadistic.
Negan was right, though. Killing Glenn put them all in their place. No one was begging or even debating fighting back. They just sat and waited. Negan made comments here and there, but it all sounded like buzzing.
Carl felt weak, but he didn't stop looking at Negan. He needed to be ready to kill him, to not hesitiate. Carl had to be brave. Rick and Michonne had too much to lose. Maggie did, too. Rosita was just too stubborn to die. Rosita would keep Eugene around. Sasha was a survivor and she was smart. She wouldn't do something about Negan, not alone. Aaron had a husband, he wasn't going to risk losing him. That left Carl. He had to beat this. There would be no world to live in if Negan kept doing this.
"You guys got shy real damn quick, haven't you?" Negan chuckled, walking in front of them, his bat resting on his shoulder. "Why did you guys stop talking? This silence its-" He made a gesture. "Unnerving to say the least." He looked at all of them before sighing. "No one? Really? Christ, its like I'm teaching gym again."
"You're going to hell." Rosita rasped out. "You're gonna fucking get what you deserve. It might not come from me but you're-" She dug her nails into the rocks. "You're fucking sick!"
"Keep going!" Negan shouted over him, his voice carrying. "I love when you talk to me like that. Reminds me why I bashed the first two sorry fucks skulls in." Within two steps he was in front of her, his blood and skin covered bat inches from her face. "Give me one good reason, darling, and I'll gladly take another one of you out."
Rosita stared up at him and Negan pulled away, turning around. Silence filled the air once more before Rosita lunged towards Negan. He whipped around and slammed the bat into her back, ripping it off, taking some of her clothes with it, too. He turned the bat around and slammed her into the back with the handle before walking away.
"You guys never learn, do you?" Negan looked at Rick, shaking his head. "I got respect for you if you deal with these assholes all the damn time. Tell me, Rick." He crouched down, glancing at Carl. "How hard is it to lead these people when all they wanna do is fight?"
Rick glared at him, his body shaking. Carl couldn't tell if he was filled with anger, fear, or sadness. Maybe a mix. He tilted his head to the side and silently stared up at Negan, falling back against his heels.
"Oh." Negan smirked. "You just aren't gonna reply now?" He tilted his head to the side, mocking Rick. "Bad choice, buddy." He stood up, his boots scraping against the rocks. "Didn't your mama teach you that when someone asks you something, you reply?" Silence. "God, you guys can't listen for shit." He shook his head to himself. "Might as well beg me to kill another one of you. Just say it. You're too hard headed to just listen and save your friends." He pounted at Abraham. "Redhead and husband over here died because you guys are dumb fucks! Because you can't listen."
"Glenn." Carl muttered. He couldn't take it. He couldn't sit there and do nothing. "The redhead was Abarham. The other was Glenn. Say their names or don't talk about them." Carl tilted his head up and looked at him. "They're twice the men you'll ever be."
"Kinda hard to be a man when your skulks smashed in, wouldn't you agree?" Negan stepped towards Carl, putting his bat in front of Rick when he tried to crawl between them. "No, no, no. Its your boys turn now. I didn't wanna kill the kid but hes pratically begging for it. Insulting me after all of my attempts to make peace." He looked at Carl. "Whats your name, kid?"
"Carl." Carl replied, calmly. "Carl Grimes." He sat up on his knees, leaning towards Negan. "And you're Negan."
"I'd hope you know that." He held the bat in front of Carls face. "Lucille and I... we make quite the impression." He reached out and pressed the edges of the barbed wire to Carls face, his friends blood smearing across it. "Don't! Pull... away."
Carl gasped and pressed his cheek ever so slightly against the bat. If Negan was going to kill him, he wanted it to be fast. "If you're gonna kill me, just do it." He snarled, ignoring the gasps and sobs surrounding him.
"No." Negan smirked. He rubbed the bat against his cheek before sliding it through Carls hair. "I'm gonna take my time with you... after all, I think Lucille likes you a bit." He pressed the bat to Carls chin, keeping his head up. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"So, you only kill adults?" Carl stared at him. "Too afraid to kill a kid?"
"No." His reply was cold. He dropped the bat, gripping it tight. "I would happily bash your skull in, but unlike you I have self control." He turned his back to Carl and smiled into the darkness. "Besides, I wanna see how this plays out." He faced the group once more. "Be good while I'm gone. I'm hoping for a serious attitude change when I come back-" He smiled at Rick. "And Rick... keep your boy safe. I like him."
