Just Keep Walking

Seventy six

Mary's screams sliced the air, inhuman, filled with pain. She was sobbing, her howls wild. He was her best friend. Her pretend older brother. Her second father. Her Glenny.
He was going to die.
After the first two hits, Glenn pulled himself up, Mary holding him, clinging onto him as he held himself upright. Rick was thankful for that, even if it did break his heart, thankful that she was focused on trying to help him, because it meant that she wasn't seeing the horrific sight that he was seeing; Glenn's skull caved in, blood pouring down on his face, one of his eyes popping out.
"Buddy are you still there?" Negan laughed, looking down at Glenn as Mary climbed onto him. "I just don't know, it seems like you're trying to speak, but you just took a hell of a hit. I just popped your skull so hard, your eyeball just popped out, and it is gross as shit!"
"LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE'S BEAUTIFUL!" Mary roared, tears and snot dribbling down her tiny face, her whole body in as much pain as Glenn's. Glenn's body tensed in Mary's arms, and she squeezed him tighter. He knew she was there. He knew she was holding him, just like he used to hold her. It was her turn to protect him now, to comfort him.
"Maggie, I'll find you." Glenn slurred, droll pouring out of his mouth and onto Mary's shoulders.
"Oh. Oh hell. I can see this is hard on you guys. I am sorry. I truly am. But I did say it. No exceptions!" Negan shouted, hitting Glenn to the side, away from everyone else, Mary flying to the side with him. She wailed in pain, both emotional and physical, as Negan hit Glenn again and again. He hit her too in the impact, her arm once, making Mary let out a blood-curdling scream, the barbed wire cutting her every time he hit Glenn. Everyone was sobbing, especially Mary, as she clung onto his chest.
After a few hits, Negan paused, but Glenn wasn't fully dead - his arms were twitching, despite his crushed skull.
"Move. Get off him. Let me finish it." Negan ordered Mary, and she simply sobbed, not moving. "Move! I won't ask again!"
"I want Glenn!" She wailed, clinging on even tighter, but there was a gun at the base of her skull.
"Now, now. No need for guns," Negan chortled, "she's only a baby. She knows if she's naughty I'll do this to her... Her brother. Rick. Wow. Two kids in this world. A weak but fiery little girl and a rebellious tennager. Shit! You've got your work cut out!"
Rick didn't say anything as Negan taunted him, then whispered, "Just let me hold her hand at least. She... She's only five. She's a baby. Let me..."
"You're lucky I like kids. And I don't plan on messing this one up. I like her. Go to your daddy, sweetie," he said in his angry voice, "it might be the last time you get to. Go! Or your daddy will be next!"
Mary sobbed hysterically while she was forced over to Rick, then she collapsed into his arm, screaming and crying. And Negan carried on hitting Glenn.
"You bunch of pussies," he laughed, "I'm just getting started! Lucille is thirsty. She is a vampire bat!"
Negan walked back to the centre, Mary still wailing. She was distraught, unable to comprehend that Glenn was gone. Glenn didn't die - Glenn, Carl, Rick, Daryl, and Michonne didn't die. They could go through hell, but they didn't die. That was Mary's one constant in life.
"What? Was the joke that bad?" Negan laughed, walking to Rick's shaken face, stunned and pained, half buried in Mary's hair.
"I'm gonna kill you." He hissed.
Negan bent down to Rick's eye level, and pointed the blood covered bat to Rick's face, some blood dripping into Mary's hair.
"What? I didn't quite catch that. You're gonna have to speak up."
Rick sniffled, holding in tears. "Not today, not tomorrow, but I'm gonna kill you."
Negan inhaled sharply, then sighed. "Jesus. Simon. What did he have, a knife?"
"He had a hatchet." Simon answered.
"A hatchet?" Negan scoffed.
"It's fucking badass!" Mary sobbed, "Because he's a badass, and he's gonna kill you! He's gonna kill you and I'm gonna kill you! Because that's my Glenn!"
"He's not gonna kill me." Negan answered simply, unbothered by Mars outburst.
"He had an ax." Simon corrected.
"Simon's my right hand man," Negan explained to Rick, "having one of those is important, I mean, what do you have left without them? A whole lot of work. You have one? Maybe one of these five people still breathing? Oh. Or did I..." Negan asked, motioning a bat swishing through the air. Mary wailed and screamed, pushing Negan away, and Negan sighed, then stood up.
"Sure, yeah. Give me his ax." Negan nodded. Simon walked over, and passed the weapon to Negan, who slid it into his belt.
"Get off him." Negan ordered to Mary.
"Fuck of! You murdered Glenn! Go away!" Mary screamed, and Negan grabbed her arm.
"Don't." Rick hissed, and Negan grabbed Mary, tossing her over to Michonne.
"Stay there." He growled, and Mary began to sob into Michonne's chest.
"I'll be right back," Negan chirped, grabbing Rick by the collar and dragging him into the RV, "maybe Rick will be with me. And if not, well, we can just turn these people inside out, won't we? I mean the ones that are left."
Then they were in the RV, and everyone was sobbing in silence. Mary could hear her father and Negan talking, then Rick groaning in pain, and the RV driving away.
"Mishy." Mary wailed, nuzzling into her shirt.
"I know. Let it out. I know." Michonne choked out, and Mary carried on sobbing until the sun rose.