The Ruins Part 2 (Sequel to The Ruins)

Chapter 55

Mal let Negan sleep until the whole forest was infused with a pink light. She studied the woods, looking for any signs of Infected. Or of the RK's. or Tom. No sign of the Greenman, either. For the moment it appeared as if they had the forest all to themselves.

"Hey," he said. Mal shyly smiled up at him.

"Hey."

"You didn't sleep."

"Couldn't."

"Should of kept me awake, baby girl."

"It's okay. I'm fine."

Negan stretched behind her and then sat up and yawned so hard his jaws creaked.

Their backpacks and gear were back at the way station. Or in the ashes of it. All they had was what they'd carried in their pockets. Matches, first aid kit, seeing kit, knives, ammunition, cadaverine. Nothing to eat.

Mal handed him her canteen. He took a huge gulp. "Take your flannel off."

Mal was shy about it- not from modesty but because she didn't really want to know how bad the burn was. It hurt less this morning, but her mind conjured images of charred ends of gangrenous flesh. Another scar added to her body.

The actual wound was almost disappointing. Three lines of blistered skin, each no wider than a pencil and each less than an inch long. The skin around the burns was puffy, but there was no sign of infection.

"Not too bad. Fuck, you made me scared shitless that you burned yourself badly on your pretty skin." Negan declared as he finagled cleaning the burns with a piece of bandage.

"Doesn't even hurt," she said, she was sure he didn't believe her.

Her stomach suddenly growled as loud as a hungry Infected. "We need to find food."

They removed their weapons from Mal's carpet coat and climbed carefully down from the tree. It was slow and painful process; they were both stuff and sore. As they dropped to the grass they both froze.

There was something at the base of the tree. Someone had placed several fist-size stones in a tight circle to act as a base on which was placed a large hand-carved wooden tray. Large, clean leaves covered the tray, and a wonderful aroma drifted out from beneath them. Negan lifted the leaves and gasped.

"Hot diggity dog!"

Mal's mouth fell open. The wooden plate was piled high with fat yellow mounds of scrambled eggs, thick fried potatoes, and a mound of fresh strawberries.

"What?" Mal asked, looking around. "Who-?"

"Greenman, dumnuts." He bent down and scooped a handful of eggs off the plate.

She eventually chewed. It was cold but delicious. It took two mouthfuls of eggs and three potatoes before she caught up with him. "Don't choke yourself."

Negan smirked. "I can put so much in my mouth I won't choke." His eyebrows then wiggled, and it made Mal laugh at his dirty humor.

"Why did he gave us this?"

"I seen him before, mostly a friend of Tom. Does give the creeps as to where the shit he comes out of." He rubbed his hands briskly over his prickly face. "So what's the plan, Negan?"

"Maybe we should go back and took a look at the field and the way station. From a distance to see anything. Doubt out packs are crisp and pure as a virgin."

"Sure, could warn Tom and the RK's about where we're going. Even a few Bounty Hunters." she said, brightening. "Sounds like a plan."

They shared the last of the eggs and potatoes and stuffed their pockets with the strawberries. They wiped the plate clean with leaves and left it at the bad of the tree. Mal wrote "Thanks!" in big letters in the dirt.