For my sister | Negan |

54 - Run

'How much longer?' Ella asks.

'Oh, we're not nearly there yet', Cal answers.

'Do you need a break?' B asks her.

'I'm fine', Ella says cautiously. 'But Chris looks like she could use one.'

I've been lagging behind. Which isn't so surprising. Only yesterday, I almost died when Negan had me dragged onto that platform with him and today I spent the whole day working my ass off. I only got about an hour to lay my head down before Cal and B came to our room.

We made it out of the Sanctuary. As B predicted, Negan took most of his people with him. Cal was supposed to go too, but he managed to hide himself and in the chaos nobody noticed that he stayed behind. With most hallways deserted, we got out far easier than I had ever expected.

Unfortunately we do have to travel on foot. Because Negan took most vehicles with him and the ones that stayed behind were heavily guarded. It will take the entire night and then some to get to the Hilltop. But I can manage it. We just have to make sure we don't run into any guards in the area. Fortunately, Cal knows where they're posted.

'I'm fine', I say, taking a short moment to catch my breath. I'm not exactly fine, but honestly a short break isn't going to make much of a difference.

'Let's just keep going.'

'So what are things like at the Hilltop?' B asks curiously as we walk. 'Have you guys been there?'

'I have', Ella says excitedly. When a group went there to check the place out and talk to Gregory, she begged me to let her go with them. I wasn't happy about it, because I was already taking care of Ron at that point and I didn't want to leave him alone, so I couldn't with her. But she was so excited to see something new, I just couldn't say no to her.

'It was pretty cool', she goes on. 'The big house is really nice. The rest of it isn't as great as Alexandria, though. They live in trailers mostly. And Gregory is a bit of a douche.'

'Yah, I've heard that before', Cal says.

'But they do have these really nice gardens', Ella continues excitedly. 'Lots of fresh veggies and fruits and all that. It's really-'

'Stop', Cal hisses suddenly, putting his arm up fiercely. We all freeze in our movements and I look up sharply. I don't see anything, but Cal must have noticed something.

'What is it?' B asks in a whisper.

'Over there', Cal points. When I follow his finger, I can see the faintest flicker of light through the trees. And when I strain my ears, the muffled sound of voices as well.

'Are they ours?' B asks, sounding nervous.

'Our patrols aren't supposed to be here', he whispers back. 'But who knows. They could be from one of the communities as well. Or no-one we know at all.'

'Probably best to steer clear, right?' I ask. They might be able to help us out. But to find out, we'd have to get far too close for my liking.

Cal nods and indicates another direction for us to take.

'Keep your guards up', he tells us. 'And stay quiet. We can't be sure if there aren't more people wandering about.'

I glance over at Ella to see how she's doing. The fear is clear in her eyes, so I walk over and take her hand in mine. We both stay quiet, but she seems a little relieved when I take her hand and squeeze it.

My heart is in my throat as we make our way through the forest and leave the flickering lights behind us. After some time, I feel a little better, because we must have put some space between us and those mystery people. But just as I dare to breathe a little easier again, it happens.