I think I liked you better when you didn't have a knife in your hand, Peaches

An ever-nearing storm

A crash of thunder rumbled overhead, as the first few spot of rain fell down beneath the canopy of trees, just as Blake stomped her way through the undergrowth, her gun raised aloft and her eyes trained on the gloom ahead.

Blake was no tracker, that was for sure, but she knew the areas outside of Alexandria pretty well, and knew that if there was anywhere Mia was bound to have gone it was in this direction, following the least shrouded route out of the small village.

Her blood was boiling in her veins and her heart going at a hundred miles a second, hammering away inside her ribcage...with every fibre of her, desperately hoping that Mia was in fact still holed up in one of those houses back there...never having left the safe quiet of Alexandria.

But this world was never like that, and Blake could only think the worst now, making to head as deep into the undergrowth as she could.

If Mia had gone this way, this was the way she would have gone, out through this small grassy clearing and now down the mucky dirt path that led out of the village. People always tended to veer off this way. The route looking far more inviting than any other, reminding Blake somewhat of a small woodland glade...

...for the first forty foot or so at least! But after that, the path grew treacherous and many an Alexandrian had been caught out here, by walker or just an upturned root here and there. It was perilous and more than one person had taken this route, never to return home again.

But this would not be Mia's fate, not today....

For it would truly kill Blake to be this close to her now and lose her, yet again.

For good this time.

It truly scared her to think that around one of these trees her eyes might fall upon the sight that terrified her to think about. Or even the idea of never finding anything. Of never really knowing what fate had befallen Mia.....the constant doubt and false hope that somewhere she might still be out there, sticking with Blake for the rest of her days.

Her hands were shaking now, but even so, her eyes were narrowed and the gun in her hand clutched tightly between her fingers, poised and ready.

But she had barely even gone more than ten feet into the shrouded trees, when all of a sudden a rustle was heard behind her, a little louder than the pitter-patter of rainfall...

...causing Blake to swing around, her gun held aloft and her eyes blown wide...

....but she breathed a sigh of utter relief to see that it was only Negan there now, her utter annoyance at his presence obvious on her face as she lowered her gun, watching as he approached her now, Lucille hanging limply from his hand, his chin lowered darkly.

"What are you doing here?" Blake bit defensively at him before she could stop herself, angry tears pricking at her eyes.

Why she was snapping at Negan, she wasn't sure. But something about his presence seemed to raise her hackles just a little bit.

But Negan merely stared at her now, his gaze roving across her tearful face, as the rain fell ever harder and louder all around them.

"What am I fuckin' doin' here?" he replied in an incredulous voice, his eyebrows disappearing up into his hairline as he spoke. "I'm trying to stop you from waltzin' off into the goddamn forest an' getting yourself fuckin' killed, Sweetheart. That's what I'm doin' here!"

His voice was ever so slightly heated now, staring at her with an expression resembling utter disbelief.

But this tone with her, only served to cause an anger to bubble up inside Blake.