Home Is Your Heartbeat ('Home Is' Book Two - Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 65 - Just (Radiohead)

DARYL

"We pissin our pants yet? Yep, it's gonna be pee-pee city here real soon."

"Hi. You're Rick, right? I'm Negan...."

"And I do not appreciate you killing my men!"

So, it appears we didn't end up disposing of him after all. Or is this guy yet another 'Pretend'  Negan?

He's about my age. Taller and dressed up like some kind of fifties biker wannabe. At any other time or place? I would've just laughed to myself. Thinkin we can take him down easy.

But it's the way he was standin. So casual, as if we were all meetin up at a church picnic or something. Except....I ain't never seen anyone carrying a baseball bat swaddled in barbed wire to a bible BBQ before.

He began sermonising to Rick about us killin his  people. And then killin even  more  of his people.

"You are so gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes, yes you are."

The baseball bat slid through his hands and pointed itself at Rick's face. He tilted his head slightly to avoid it. When I glanced down the line-up once more, I could tell that everyone was holdin their breath....even Nate.

No more little puffs of steam were coming out of terrified mouths and into the chill, pre-dawn air.

Reckon it was his smile that did it for me? When I saw it, I knew exactly who he reminded me of. Even his calm and almost joking way of speakin couldn't hide it. This guy ain't the boogeyman. Oh no....

He's Will Dixon reincarnated. My ol' man.

"Give me your shit, Rick. Or I will kill you."

"Now, today was Career Day and we invested a lot in it. So you could get to know who I am and what I can do. You work for me  now! This is your way of life, and the more you fight back? The harder it'll be."

Feel the blackness nudging at my head again, and I start to sway. Dwight's bullet has cost me a lotta blood.

NO, DIXON!

Yer can't give in to it, not now. Yer gotta do whatever it takes to stay conscious.

"So now? I'm gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you."

I gazed down at Nate again, to see that she was staring back at me. Still scared shitless but not at what he was saying. More terrified out of her mind that I'm gonna keel over. Could literally feel her desperately willing me not to do it.

Cos if I do? I'll probably be the one he'll pay out on.

Just like he must've done to the others she'd told me about. The ones in the photos that she, Glenn and Jorge found back at the Saviors outpost.

Straighten my back and take in a deep breath. Forcing myself to keep sittin upright....just like Mags was doing.

He twirled that fuckin bat in his hand as if it were a baton and he was a leather-clad cheerleader with a moustache.

"This is my Lucille, and she is AWESOME!  All this? It's just so we could pick out which one of you gets the honour. Jeeeezus, you look shitty. So, let's just put you outta your misery right now."

Glenn screamed and then broke. Scrabbled towards Maggie as Negan readied his bat.

Dwight was on him in an instant, pointing my bow at his head while Mags screamed out for him to stop. Glenn sobbed and begged for her life, their baby's life. While Negan laughed.