The Ruins

Chapter 59

Negan's mind went wild, frantically searched on what the fuck just happened. He leaves to his room just whistling of having quality time with Mal for the fun, being both kids again, especially Mal having the time of her life for so many years. He deposits until the desperate scream made him jump out of his bones, gripping Ellie to be ready for who ever the fuck he's going to kill.

He just about managed to shove himself into the concrete wall before he leapt out, running around it to witness Alec dragging the heavy figure as the other man punches his nose, and a small figure crouching. He pulls Floyd off and immediately slams full thrust on Morgan, blow after blow until he's nothing but shit brains scattered on the floor, and barks to Alec to take Floyd to the black pit until he is ready to be punished. Shock slowed his movements, his body freezing on him as he took in the shaking figure in front of him. Too many questions stirred in his head, each one seemed just as important as the other. Where did those scars come from? What happened? They all swam in his head as he took more and more of his body in. All his first aid training jumbled in his head as he tried to figure out if he needed to get her to the infirmary.

His stomach turned as Mal finally raised her face from the comfort of her knees to look at him, it was covered in blood. The most shocking part was the vacant stare on her face, concealed behind tears, Mal's eyes seemed to look right through him. It chilled him to see her so void of emotion, even in her darkest times he'd always been able to see that spark that made Mal who she was, he couldn't see any of it now.

"Mal..." he didn't know what to say, where the fuck do you start? He knelt down in front of her, now that he was closer he could see the bumps along her shivering flesh. God she must be freezing. Negan quickly shucked his jacket off the ground, leaning forward to wrap it around her. He was startled by the harsh flinch that erupted out of Mal's body, confused by how she quickly shuffled her body backwards. Was that fear on her face? Negan tried to ignore the sting of hurt that flicked through him at the thought that Mal would ever be afraid of him.

He held his hands up, hoping she'd believe that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"I just wanna give you my jacket Mal. You're gonna be cold if you stay like that."

Mal slowly relaxed back again, eyes still wide, watching her carefully as he swung the coat over her shoulders. Negan's eyes were immediately drawn to the white stripes around her ankles as the teen moved her hands to wrap the leather tighter around herself, covering the whole upper body.

"Can you move?"

A sharp nod was her reply.

"OK, that's good. Are you alright to get into my room?"

Another nod.

"Good, even better. Let's go."

Negan rose up and stepped back giving Mal some space to stand. They stood close for a moment; Negan finally getting a chance to have a better look at her, his eyebrows furrowed as he saw the blood dripping from her face. Anger curled up in him at the thought of those two men doing this to Mal. A hand scrambled in his pocket grabbing a wad of tissues that he always kept on him.

"They're clean I promise. It'll help stop the bleeding." He offered them to Mal, hating the anxious look that covered her face as she took the tissues from his hand. Negan took the time to wait for Mal to more, collect everything that happened on this night. He needed to clear his head, he had to be there for Mal. Whatever had gone on had clearly shaken her. For the first time in his life he was genuinely lost for words.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" Negan asked.

"Not right now." Was all Mal said in reply.

Negan sighed, his hands tightened up, knuckles turning white under the pressure. He needed to know what had happened to her. Needed to know why the fuck this happened and why she is just so fragile to the core now. He never expected Mal to show any kind of weakness she even said she hates to be weak.