Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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"Anybody moves or does anything, cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father, and then we'll start. You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry. Hell, you're all gonna be doing that," I refrained from screaming and crying as I watched the bat swing down. Abraham was on his knees but held himself strong as the bat connected with his skull, the sickening crack echoing around us. Blood trickled from his head, and he wavered but kept upright, his eyes still glaring at the man holding the bat. I held myself strong like Abraham, but everything inside me wanted to sink and sob my heart out.

"Look at that!" Negan beamed, impressed, "Taking it like a champ." Abraham continued to glare and managed a few words.

"Suck... my... nuts," The bat crashed down on his head again—this time repeatedly, and I had to look away. I closed my eyes, but the bat hitting my friend over the head violated my ears.

"Did you hear that?" Negan laughed, "He said, 'suck my nuts.'" He laughed again. I didn't need to open my eyes to know he was continuing his assault. The sound of the bat and Negan's grunts made it all too clear. He started to laugh again, enjoying himself.

"You guys," Negan laughed, "Look at my dirty girl!" I turned towards him and held in my emotions, refusing to cry in front of this man as he showed off his bat like a trophy. Negan took a few breaths and tried to recompose himself, his eyes on the woman beside me.

"Sweetheart," Negan walked towards her, "Lay your eyes on this," His bat was in Rosita's face, dripping with blood and brain matter. "Oh damn," Negan's smile dropped as he moved his bat to motion between her and Abraham's mangled body. "Were you together? That sucks." He doesn't care. Why is he trying to make it sound like he's genuinely sorry? He's not.

"But if you were, you should know there was a reason for all this," He pointed his bat at Abraham's body again, "Red—and hell, he was, is, and will ever be red—he just took one or six or seven for the team!" He pointed the dripping red bat in front of Rosita again and dropped his voice a few dangerous octaves, "So take a damn look," I turned my attention from Rosita to Daryl, watching as his body shook in obvious rage, "Take a damn look!"

Daryl leaped up and punched Negan in the face, reaching for him to continue his assault, but some of Negan's goons restrained him. My voice caught my throat, unable to bring myself to say anything as Negan rubbed his jaw. The men who restrained Daryl wrestled him to the ground and landed a few punches to the gut, but Daryl continued to fight.

"No!" Negan shouted, "Oh, no." Fear struck me like a semi-truck going a hundred miles per hour as Negan smiled and turned around again, a chuckle escaping him. "That? Oh, my!" He leaned back and laughed again, "That is a no-no. The whole thing—not one bit of that shit flies here!" Negan leaned down and pointed the bloody bat in Daryl's face. Dwight raced over with Daryl's crossbow, pointing it at his head as the men held him down.

"Do you want me to do it?" Dwight asked his leader. Negan reached forward and gripped Daryl by the hair, forcing Daryl's head up. I couldn't move. I couldn't say anything. I was frozen in place as I watched the scene unravel before me.

"No," Negan breathed, "No, you don't kill them. Not until you try a little." I felt my chest shake as scared breaths entered my lungs and exited them, "Anyway, that's not how it works. Now, I already told you people—first one's free, then what did I say? I said I would shut that shit down," Negan walked over to Glenn and me and paused, his eyes scanning us as a smile spread across his lips, "No exceptions."

"Now," Negan started and turned towards his men behind us, "I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with, but I'm a man of my word. First impressions are important." Negan turned around and faced the group behind him, "I need you to know me. So," I watched Negan grip his bat with both hands, "Back to it."