Outcast (A TWD Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Beef

"We shall heal our wounds, collect our dead and continue fighting." Mao Tse-Tung

(PAST)

"Ugh, do we have to?" Ellen grumbled, rolling her eyes. Dark circles had formed beneath them and Ellen rubbed them, clearly exhausted.

"You're just mad cause you know you're gonna lose," Laura said with a smirk.

For some reason, since Negan's departure earlier that morning, Laura gave her a free day to do as she pleased. Or rather, whatever Laura wanted to do.

They'd spent the day goofing off and were heading to the Rec Hall to play ping pong.

Ellen sighed as she pushed Donald, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

Over the past few days, the three of them had grown closer, or as close as you could in a world with shared traumas and fears. Ellen had apologized for being a bitch to Donald and after that, they seemed to hit it off. He was just grateful to be alive and have people to talk to.

The young man came to the Sanctuary with his older brother a few months before Ellen, and they'd liked the safety and stability its walls provided. He hadn't looked back since.

Ellen and Laura went back and forth, the tiny white ball bouncing furiously, while Donald cheered them on.

The women laughed, and Ellen momentarily slipped, letting the fun she was having cloud her attention.

She froze when a voice spoke up beside her.

"I want to play winner."

Ellen blinked when Laura hit the ball in her direction and she let it bounce right past her, rolling across the polished floor.

"I'll get it!" Donald volunteered, excited to be able to use his wheelchair.

He let out a yelp when Randall grabbed and tipped the chair as he rolled past, knocking the kid to the floor with a loud thud.

Ellen met the man's glittering eyes with a scowl.

Laura yelled at him. "Hey, what's your problem?"

Ellen watched in horror as the man turned on the other woman, swinging a fist at her, connecting with her jaw and sending her to the ground.

Before Laura could reach for a weapon, the man subdued her with a powerful, blunt blow to the back of the head with the pipe he held in his hands.

"Well that was too fucking easy. Now it's just you and me," Randall said, stalking towards her threateningly.

Ellen noticed a small crowd form around them, other men and women also holding blunt objects and melee weapons. She recognized one of the men, the one she'd threatened in the dining hall the other morning.

"So Negan spoke to me... Right after Allen here told me you had a little chat with him... I wonder why that would be..."

Out the corner of her eye, Ellen saw a pool of blood spread around Laura's head.

Ellen felt an insatiable, vengeful anger brewing in her belly as she slowly circled in time with Randall, keeping pace with the man.

"You know, I really fucking hate snitches."

Ellen's lip curled. Fucking Negan.

Below, Donald tried to crawl away, using his forearms to support the rest of his weight.

Ellen yelled as she watched one of the onlooking men bury their weapon, a crude hatchet, into the boy's back.

With a snarl, Ellen lunged towards the large man in front of her, ducking under his arms and using her speed and smaller size to her advantage, digging her knife into the man's leg as she passed him.