Future Ghosts • TWD

158. Keep Pushing.

"Put your damn hood up!" Daryl shouted over the loud thunder and rainfall as he tugged Rosie's hood over her head. She always loved the rain, so she didn't mind when raindrops started pelting down from the sky. But if she didn't keep herself warm, she'd get pneumonia or something, and they couldn't handle another problem.

"Ok! Ok!" Rosie shouted back at him, swatting his hand away and pulling her hood up herself. She liked rainstorms, but the loudness of it was starting to get on her nerves. Everyone had to yell as loud as they could to be heard over the storm.

"Negan, how much longer 'til we're through the city?!" Maggie asked, turning to look at him. It was hard, though, considering the fact that it was already super dark out.

"Well, we got about six hours!" Negan yelled in response.

"Oh, Jesus," Ian groaned, wiping his hand across his face to get some of the rain off of him.

"We should hunker down, wait for this to pass," Negan suggested. Usually, Rosie would say nah, let's just keep going. A little rain didn't stop her. But this was more than just a little rain. It was practically a hurricane.

"You don't get a vote, asshole!" one of Maggie's people spat.

All of Maggie's people made it very clear that they hated Negan's guts. It was obvious that Maggie had told them what he did. It was sort of annoying. Maggie had every right to tell them what he did, but at the same time, their hatred for him only added to the already tense atmosphere whenever Maggie and Negan were within fifty feet of each other.

"Nah, he's right," Daryl agreed. He and Negan were most definitely not friends, but they were trying to get along for Rosie's sake. And, in this situation, Negan was just right. Nobody wanted to admit it, though, because how could a man so evil and stupid suggest the right thing? But Negan was only stupid in some ways. He often had the right idea. That was what made him such a powerful leader back in the day. "We need to find some shelter," Daryl went on.

"No, we don't have time!" Maggie argued.

"We can't stay out in this," Daryl insisted.

"Yeah, we'll get pneumonia," Rosie said, glaring at Daryl out of the corner of her eye. That's what he always said. Come inside or you're gonna get pneumonia! Rosie never got pneumonia, though.

But with a reluctant sigh, Maggie gave in. Whether or not she wanted to agree with Negan, or waste any time, they could not just stay out in the pouring rain for the next six hours. Even if they didn't get pneumonia in particular, they'd still get sick if they didn't find shelter quickly. So Maggie pointed out the Metro and they all made their way down into the tunnels below the city.

It was still cold down in the tunnels, but it was better than outside. At least, inside, they were protected from the wind and rain, even if it wasn't particularly warm at all. Flashlights shone all around, revealing old propaganda posters and ads all over the walls. God, it was crazy to think about all that had changed. Rosie wondered if the world would ever go back to the way it was before, and if it did, would it be a good thing?

Probably not. Everything was fucked, even before the dead began walking.

"Alright, which way?" Daryl asked, shining his flashlight in Negan's direction. His only point in being there was to be their human GPS, but that would probably be a pretty hard job considering they were now underground.

"Not to sound like a broken record," Negan began. Dale used to do that. He used to say not to do this, but... and then he'd do the thing he said he didn't want to do.

There were some things- some events, some words, some people- that Rosie could remember like the back of her hand. The CDC was one of them.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing-" Dale had said that morning.