The Ruins Part 2 (Sequel to The Ruins)

Chapter 68

Mal and Negan fell into darkness. Neither of them screamed. Mal was too furious, and Negan was beyond furious as ever. Mal waited for the crushing impact at the bottom of a long fall, but her feet struck something soft and yielded. She hit and bounced and spun, and only then did she crash to the dirt. Behind her she heard Negan rebound and then this down.

There was enough light to see, and as Mal sat up painfully she saw that below the hole was a sloppy stack of old mattresses, positioned to catch their fall and keep them from shattering their legs.

"Very considerate of them," Negan cursed.

"I don't think they care much about us."

"No, fucking really," replied Negan sarcastically.

"I mean," said Mal, "that it's probably not as much fun to watch cripples fighting Infected."

"Again... really?"

They got to their feet and looked around. No Infected and not much light. The pit wasn't circular, and they could make out tunnels leading off in six separate directions.

White Bear squatted on the edge of the pit, grinning in a way the made his burned face look like a monster out of a nightmare. "Here are the rules," he growled. "If you're paying attention, you might already have guessed that this ain't a straight pit-fight. There are tunnels and side passages and a few surprises cut every which way. Some of them are dead ends and I do mean 'dead'."

"Ha, fucking titty, ha," said Negan.

"You might also have guessed that you ain't alone down there."

Mal supplied a sarcasm. "Well, we figured that... these being Infected pits and all."

"Watch your mouth, whore," snapped White Bear.

"Don't you dare fucking say that, you piece of shit!" Negan growled at White Bear, and he laughed how the man is below his feet and can't reach him.

"Really," she said, and liked how it sounded. "What are you going to do? Beat us up and throw us in a pit full of the living dead?"

White Bear seemed to chewed on that and apparently decided that Mal had a point.

"You were starting to tell us about rules."

"Yes indeed, little cutie. My dad placed a church bell down there. It ain't easy to find, but it's there. Find it and ring it and you get a free ticket out of there."

"Until when?" Demanded Negan. "Until tomorrow's game? And then the next day and the next until we're dead?"

"Nope. This is a real deal, straight up and hand to God. You ring that bell and we pull you out of there and put you on the road. No weapons or rations or none of that stuff, but you walk free."

"I don't believe this shit." He murmured to Mal.

"I don't either, but we have to," Mal said quietly. "What's he got to lose? If we die, then Preacher Jack proves to the crowd that we're sinners. If we make it out, Preacher Jack and White Bear prove that their word is good. Either way they win."

Negan stepped closer and touched her cheek.

Then Mal gave him a fierce huge and he hugged as well, and in a tiny but strong whisper filled with enormous emotion and gratitude said, "we stick together and fight, Mal. I love you."

"Hey!" Yelled White Bear. "When you two lovebirds are done making out, can we get a move on? Lots of people paid good money for this."

Before Mal released Negan she whispered, "we can go this. Find the bell, get out."