Just Keep Walking

Eighty one

"I want daddy. I know he's a bad man, but I want daddy." Mary cried softly that night to Negan.
"He is a bad man. He hurts people. And if he'd never killed my men, Glenn wouldn't have had to die." Negan said softly.
"I know. He killed Glenny. I hate him." Mary mumbled sadly.
"I know."
"But he is still good at snuggles." Mary pointed out, and Negan sighed.
"Maybe. Go to sleep now, kid." Negan ordered. Mary nodded, and slid off his lap, crawling into her bed.
"Night night."
"Night, kiddo." Negan chuckled, ruffling her hair, then he left, locking the door behind himself. Then Mary was left to a restless night of nightmares.

"Who's that man?" Mary whispered to Glenn, clinging to his arm like a monkey, her heart pounding in fear.
"Mary. That man... He's bad. You have to stay away from that man."
"Why? What did he do?" Mary questioned, peering at the man sat in the corner, the wooden handle of his weapon glistening with blood.
"Did you forget? Mary, how did you forget?" Glenn sighed, kneeling down to her eye level, holding her shoulders.
"Forget what? Glenny, forget what?" Mary whimpered, crying softly.
"Oh Mary. It's okay. Don't cry. I don't want you to cry over me. Don't cry." Glenn soothed, holding her tightly.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't say sorry."
"Glenny, who is that man? What... What did he do?" Mary asked quietly. Glenn moved away from her, and held her shoulders again.
"Mary. Oh, Mary, you have to stay away. You have to listen to Negan, and stay away."
"From who? Who is he?" Mary whined, panic rising in her throat.
"The man who killed me." Glenn whispered deeply, then his face was carved in again, like the day he was killed. And the man in the corner was walking over.
"Stay away! Stay away!" She screamed, trying to run away, but she stumbled. "Who are you?!"
"I'm your father." He replied softly, his machete in one hand, Lucille in the other, both covered in Glenn's blood. And it was Rick.

Mary woke up screaming, and screaming, and screaming, panting and filled with fear.
She'd seen her father in her dreams. Her father, the killer. Her father, the bad man. Her father, who killed her Glenn.
Once she'd calmed herself down, Mary decided to get dressed, and do some jigsaws to chill out, her breathing still shaky. She jumped when she heard a knock on the door, but froze when a different man walked in.
"Got yer breakfast." He mumbled, before dumping it and leaving.
"Hey! Hey, where's Al? Where's Alden? Al? Al!" Mary shouted, but the door was already closed and locked. She sank down onto the floor, and ate her slice of toast and drank her milk, confusion on her face.
Not long later, Negan came into the room. "Hey kid. I'm going out today. You gonna be good? Because you will be."
"Where are you going?" Mary asked quietly.
"Doesn't matter."
"Where? Alexandria?" Mary quizzed, suddenly realising.
"Yeah."
"Please can I come?" Mary whispered, clinging to the fabric on Glenn's jacket.
"It'll disrupt you." Negan pointed or.
"Please. Please. It won't. I won't get sad or angry. I'll come away after. I don't want to see daddy. He's the bad man, I know. But I really really really want to see Carl and Mishy and Judith and everyone else. There not definitely bad people. Please?"
"You wanna come?" Negan sighed, pondering the thought.
"Yeah."
Negan nodded slowly, then sighed yet again. "It'll keep him in line. Sure."
"Thank you." Mary whispered.
"Yeah, yeah. Come on. We're going now. Have you got your shit?"
"I keep it in my pockets." Mary nodded,  patting them gently.
"Well you don't need it all. Just take that stupid bunny thing you like."
"Not stupid. And I'm takin' it all. It's mine." Mary insisted, and Negan just sighed.
"Okay. Whatever. Let's go." Negan snapped. Mary took his hand, and followed him until they got outside, the heat and sun hitting Mary for the first time in nearly a week. She squinted her eyes in shock and pain, then a grin grew across her tiny face, for the first time since Glenn was killed; she was alive, and she was seeing the sun again, and hearing the birds sing. She was alive.
"Come on. You're going in my car. I don't trust you with anyone else. You're trouble."
"I don't like any other people. I'd not talk to them. I don't really like you, to be honest."
"You know, I'm not your biggest fan either. Hop in."
Mary climbed into the car, and sat on the seat. "I need a car seat. I'm only five. I'm small. I'll die if we get in a crash. Mishy always makes me have a car seat."
"Shut up. Do I give a shit? No. Do your seatbelt." Negan ordered. Mary sighed, and did up her seatbelt, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard. "Get your feet off my car."
Mary pouted, but moved her feet. Negan started the car, and they drove, a dozen vans following them.
"Can we put a song on? I like The Little Mermaid and ACDD." Mary asked in a whine, half an hour into the drive.
"It's AC/DC. We can have this." Negan sighed, sliding a disk into the radio. Rock music blared out, and it reminded Mary of car rides with her father and her Uncle Daryl. That old memory was just enough to allow her to have peaceful sleep until they arrived at Alexandria.
She woke up when Negan began to bang on the gate, his voice loud and firm. "Little pig, little pig, let me in!" He shouted, cockiness in his voice. Mary watched intently as someone - Spencer - opened the main gate, leaving the bars there so Negan couldn't get in. Mary let out a shaky smile when she saw him. She knew Spencer - she loved Spencer. He got her clothes on runs, he found her books, he looked for toys.
He didn't kill people.
He was a good person.
"Well?" Negan prompted, and Spencer looked at him in disbelief.
"Um, who are you?"
"Oh, you better be jokin'. Negan. Lucille. I know I had to make a pretty strong first impression."
Mary let out a little choke in her throat as she saw Rick walk over, Rosita by his side. He was a bad man. He was a monster. He killed Glenn. But even still, she looked at him and saw her daddy.
"Well hello there. Do not make me have to ask." Negan warned.
"Where the hell is my daughter?!" Rick growled, his fist curling around the fence.
"Oh, Rick. You don't have a daughter." Negan chuckled, and Rick's heart sped up.
"Please. Please, where is she?"
"Are you... Are you begging?" Negan smiled craftily.
Rick knew that was what it would take. He knew that was what he had to do. "Yes. Yes, I am begging you. Where is my baby?"
"Right here. Mary! Hop out of the car!"
Mary climbed out of the car, and walked over to Negan, clinging to his arm, holding it close.
"Daddy." She whispered, looking up at him emotionally.
"Mary. Mary. My baby. Mary. Are you okay? Are you okay? You're skinnier. Paler. Why the hell does she have bruises?!" Rick cried softly, and Mary began to whimper, the situation scaring her. Rick looked wild, desperate, and he was skinnier, dirtier, angrier. On his wrist, Mary saw her bandana, wrapped around like a proud symbol.
"Hey. This isn't what we're here for. So be thankful that I let her come."
Rick took a shaky breath in, and composed himself, opening the gate. "You said a week. You're early."
Negan smiled at Rick. "I missed you. Oh Rick come on out here, watch this. Calling it!" He chuckled, walking over and killing a Walker, leaving Mary stood by herself, not knowing where to go. "Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Alright everybody, let's get started!"
Mary turned around, and saw everyone getting out of their vehicles, Daryl stood in the middle, broken, lost.
"Big day. Hey Rick, you see that what I just did? That is some service! I mean we almost got turned away at the gate! Who is that guy, anyway? Do I get mad, do I throw a fit? Do I bash some ginger's dome in? Nope. I just take care of one of these dead pricks that could have killed one of y'all. Hold this."
Then Negan was inside Alexandria, and Rick was holding Lucille.
"Negan? I know he's a bad man, but please can I give him one hug? Then no more." Mary whispered up at Negan, as she watched Rick cry softly, staring at her in pain. She began to cry softly, and Rick's chest twisted.
"Hey. Hey, it's okay. Moo, it's okay. It's okay. Negan. Please. I'm begging you. Let her stay. Please let her stay here. Give her back to me. Give her back. I need her. She needs me."
"Begging?" Negan scoffed with raised eyebrows. He sighed, then looked at Mary. "Go. Go on."
Mary ran straight into Rick's arms, beginning to cry quietly. "I miss you. So so much." Rick sobbed into her hair, holding her tighter than ever. But Mary couldn't relax into his chest as she cried.
"Rick?" Negan interrupted after half a minute, "That girl doesn't need you. She doesn't need anyone. You're gonna be the death of her."
"Please just let me hold my daughter."
"No. Let her go now. I've given you that. Now let her go. Mary. Here." Negan ordered. Mary let Rick kissed her face a million times, then she ran to Negan, holding his hand.
"Hot diggity dog! This place is magnificent! An embarrassment of riches as they say. Yes sir, I do believe you are gonna have plenty to offer up!" Negan grinned suddenly.
"Daryl, hey..." Rick whispered, looking at his best friend.
"No," Negan interrupted, "nope. He's the help. You don't look at him, you don't talk to him, and I don't make you chop anything off of him. Same for Mary. She's not yours anymore. Same goes for everyone. Right?" Negan hissed, turning to a defiant, angry Rosita.
The woman breathed in sharply, and was silent for a few seconds too long. Mary looked up at her, but Rosita couldn't catch the child's gaze, and she walked away.
"A lot of suspense there. I don't think she even knew how much. Alright, let's get this show on the road! See what kind of goodies you got in the cupboard."
"We put aside half the supplies." Rick explained, but Negan cut him off.
"No, Rick. No. You don't decide what we take. I do. Arat!"
"You hear the man. Move out!" A woman shouted firmly, and her firm tone reminded Mary of Abraham. Her stomach twisted yet again. Rick's weeping eyes were still on her, as if he was memorising every little detail of her face, and it made tears come to Mary's eyes. All she wanted to do was go into her father's arms and never leave, but at the same time, she couldn't. The phrases just repeated themselves in her head, over and over. He's a bad man. He's a monster. He's a murderer. He killed Glenn.
He killed Glenn.
Mary looked away and blinked her tears away. He killed Glenn.
"They're just gonna search the houses a bit, keep the process movin'. Alright you gonna show me around or not? Well?" Negan asked Rick tauntingly, and Mary clung to his fingers. They began to walk around, but Mary's chest clenched yet again as the Saviours swarmed Alexandria.
They were bad people too.