revenant|c.g.|

i

"You're up early."

The girl that stood upon the watch tower let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head softly at the familiar voice. Her gaze fell upon the ladder that lead to where she stood, her dark brown eyes meeting that of the steel blue of a girl around her age.

"When am I not?" the girl questioned, watching as her friend approached. It was silent as she stood besides her, her face kind as she looked worriedly to her. "How much sleep did you get, Reese?" The girl could only shrug. "Mills—" a finger raised above her gaze forced her to fall silent. "How much, Clarissa."

If there was one person Clarissa Dean could never say no to, it was Millie Graves.

"Two hours." Immediately, Millie gave her a look that would put her older sisters to shame. "Reese—" the girl shook her head. "I don't have time to sleep. Someone has to be ready, watching." The girl nodded her head, as if trying to reassure her friend that she was okay hearing the weight of the world. "I'm Commander, so that's my job. I have to protect my people."

Clary's eyes fell upon the people below, watching as they walked the streets of Solaris. Her community, once holding an air of safety had long since lost suck peace. "But who protects you?" Clary clenched her jaw, staying silent even as Millie placed her head upon her shoulder. It was a question she didn't— she couldn't— answer.

The two teenagers looked over their home. They looked at the multiple soldiers in the streets, their hands on their weapons at all times. It killed Clary, seeing her people living in fear. "This place used to have hope. I used to have hope... and now?" Clary scoffed. "Now, we've become a war zone. All because of—" Clary couldn't say his name, but Millie understood.

It was silent for a few more moments before Millie sighed. "Have you thought about his offer?" Millie didn't need to specify who he was, his name like a curse on anyone's lips. "The people decided. They would rather die than give in to him and join him." Clary looked to Millie, surprised at the unsureness in her gaze. "You heard what he promised to do if we declined his offer, Reese—" she was cut off by the young Commander's sharp tone. "The people decided. I decided. Liberty or death."

It was interesting, many would say, such harsh words coming from a young girl. But she was the product of war and death— the product of the end of days. A product of the so called new world order.

"But are we prepared for what that liberty will cost us? What it will cost you?" Millie questioned, trying to find reason. She had always tried to be the voice of reasoning to the Commander, her greatest friend and someone she loved deeply, but even she couldn't stop her when her mind was set. "I'm not afraid to die. I'll die for Solaris. I'll die for my family." Clary looked to Millie. "I'll die for you."

Immediately, her friend shook her head. "I don't want you to. I want to live. I want life as it was before. I want a life that we had before, not as soldiers." A sad smile made its way to her face. "A life where it was just the two of us, free from war and death. Where we would sneak out in the middle of the night and swim in the lake without a care in the world. A life where we get to be kids." Clary shook her head. "That life is gone, Mills. We're not kids anymore and no one can prevent death. You'll have to be prepared to lose this— to lose me—" Millie shook her head. "I've already lost my father. Don't— Don't make me lose you, too."

Clary felt emotion in her throat, remembering the late Arthur Graves. Perhaps one of the greatest men in Solaris, and an amazing leader, who had been taken from Solaris at his hands. And for that very reason, Clary couldn't let him get away. "It's been a month since he came by. He'll be coming soon and we'll be ready. We are ready. We have to be."

Before Millie could try to change her mind, Clary made her way to the ladder. "You don't have to be afraid to lose me. It's like you say... I'm the one that doesn't die." Meeting Millie's gaze, she nodded reassuringly. "I've made it this far, and I'll only go farther. I have to."

Climbing down the ladder, Clary started to walk down the dirt paths. She stopped only for a moment to look back to the watch tower, surprised to see Millie gazing down upon her, sadness etched into her ethereal like features. Such a look would have stopped Clary from wanting to fight, wanting to save the one of the last pure things it seemed she had left.

However, seeing her also made her realize she had to fight to save it. She had to be ready to fight fire with fire because that was the language that he spoke with. He spoke with violence, so she would speak with the same tongue.

As Clary made a move to tear her gaze away, she furrowed her brows as she looked at Millie where she stood. Her gaze was no longer of worry but of fear. Yet her gaze no longer rested upon her friend down below, rather somewhere behind her.

Clary didn't even get to turn to see what scared her as a two note whistle filled her ears, forcing her to turn her head to see a man strolling down the dirt paths, straight towards her. He swung his barbed-wire bat lazily as he smirked, her eyes moving from his smile to the men behind him, Leon in tow. Her mentor was beaten and bloody and bruised, the only brightness being the white bandage at the joint of his elbow, right where his forearm had been amputated. The injury had been made by the very same men holding him a month ago, and they were back, not with a note of demands but rather with the leader himself and an army of his people.

"Well, howdy! Talk around here is that you're the new Commander, huh?"

Even his voice sounded like a smirk. It was filled with cockiness and cunning, like his vocal chords were bathed in venom. A venom he was ready to pierce her with.

"How did you—" the man laughed. "Your guards are absolute dog shit! Couple of shots and they were down and then your gates were down and... well, you get the picture."

Turning to the men that followed, he widened his arms. However, his theatrics dwindled slightly as he smiled and turned back to her. "We haven't properly met." Straightening his back, as if proud of the fear he instilled in the community, his smile never fell.

"Hi, I'm Negan."