𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | TWD [Book 1]

LXIII. The Ending of a Beginning

"Anybody moves, anybody says 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."

The man raises his arms, holding the bat up and in a swift motion, he brings it down, the sickening impact landing on Abraham. Madeleine maintains her unwavering gaze on the man, registering the blow with a haunting silence as the rest of the group engulfs in a chorus of screams and cries.

Abraham stands tall, refusing to show fear as blood drips down his face. He locks eyes with Negan, a defiant strength in his gaze. "Oh! Look at that!" Negan kneels down to Abraham's eye level, a perverse glee in his tone. "Taking it like a champ!"

"Suck... my... nuts."

Sasha's sobs pierce the air, but Madeleine remains fixated on Abraham, her gaze devoid of emotion. Negan, amused by Abraham's defiance, brings the bat down again and again, the blows mercilessly directed at the man. Abraham's body falls to the side, crumpling to the ground, yet Negan doesn't relent as he delivers one final, brutal blow.

"Did you hear that?" Negan chuckles, glancing back at Sergio. "He said, 'Suck my nuts.'" The two share a sinister laugh, Sergio placing his hands behind his back as Negan lands a few more blows on Abraham's body.

Keisha stands beside a visibly distressed Freya, concern etched across her face as the horrific scene unfolds. Sasha and Rosita flinch with every merciless blow, Eugene's tears carving trails down his dirt-streaked face. Glenn, Daryl, and Madeleine stand as helpless spectators, their gazes transfixed on the horrifying spectacle unfolding before them, while Maggie's cries join the collective anguish of the group.

Negan pauses and bursts into laughter as Madeleine keeps a steely gaze on him, her eyes unwavering. "Oh, my goodness! Look at this!" he exclaims, raising his blood-soaked bat for everyone to see. "You guys, look at my dirty girl! Sweetheart..." he trails off, strolling toward a sobbing Rosita. "Lay your eyes on this." With a swing of the bat, blood splatters on Rick's face as Negan addresses the group sadistically, "Oh, damn. Were you-" he points towards Abraham's lifeless body, "Were you together? That sucks. But if you were, you should know there was a reason for all this. Red- and hell," he slightly raises his voice, "he was, is, and will ever be red. He just took one or six or seven for the team!" A smirk crosses his face as he holds his bat for Rosita to look at it. "So take... a damn look."

Rosita refuses to comply, averting her eyes from Negan's grotesque display as she sobs. Unfazed, Negan laughs again, holding his blood-drenched bat out, whilst Madeleine locks eyes with Daryl, who shakes his head in silent disapproval.

Anger simmers within her as she struggles to contain the surge of fury directed at Negan. In the tense silence, Daryl's gaze shifts to Michonne, exchanging a worried look. They both recognize the volatile emotions swirling within Madeleine, sensing that she teeters on the edge of explosion, and they fear they won't be able to restrain her.