I need you here with me // Carl Grimes [EDITING]

Seventy Seven - Lie To Me.

My new home was different from any other place that I could really, everyone was so kind to me, they gave me my own room and my own weapons, they even let me have first dibs on whatever I wanted. It was heaven in the zombie apocalypse.

One of Negan's men, Dwight, gave me lessons everyday on how to kill walkers, how to fire a gun and how to swing an axe, which I was surprisingly good at.

"So how are you lessons with Dwight going?" Negan asked as we sat in his small apartment, we were eating dinner infront of the fire, canned spaghetti with chunks of hotdog had never tasted so good.

"Really good!" I spoke with a mouth full of food, "Today dwight taught me how to fire an automatic and how to hit with an axe so it would kill the walkers."

"How to kill with an axe, huh?" He spoke thoughtfully, "Are you... any good at it?"

"Dwight's exact words were I'm exceptional." I smiled, "I mean, I do have to admit, I am pretty awesome."

Negan only laughed before briskly walking across the room, he reached behind the back of the couch, his hands retrieved something that was wrapped with bright purple wrapping paper, which he clearly hadn't wrapped himself.

"I thought this time might come... So I got you something."

Excitedly, I tore away the wrapping paper, to reveal a long white box, cautiously, I slipped the lid off to reveal an axe, it seemes familiar, I knew I'd seen it somewhere before but I just couldn't put my finger on where.

"You like it?"

"I love it, but why do I recognise it?"

"Oh... It was your old axe before the accident, though I did clean it up a little, you know, wipe off the blood and guts."

"Oh, well thank you, I love it."

The man smiled fondly at me, and I did the same back. But it was just in that moment that another question occurred to me, one that I'd been desperately wanting to ask since I'd first noticed it.

"I have more questions."

"Go ahead, kid."

"What happened to my leg?"

"Your leg?"

"Yeah, my leg."

"Did you cut it or something?"

"No! My other leg."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

I rolled up the bottom of jeans to reveal my prosthetic, Negan's eyes widened, almost as if he'd never seen it before, but then he settled back into his normal stupor and shot me an innocent smile.

"Oh, you've had it for so long now I almost forgot about it." He chuckled

"So?"

"So?"

"What happened to it?"

"You, uh... You cut it. On some barbed wire."

"How the hell did I cut it on barbed wire?"

"You were trying to get away from some walkers and you snagged it on a fence."

"Did it get infected?"

"Yes, it did. That's why you had to lose it, I am sorry about that kid, if only I'd have taken better watch over you..." His head fell to rest in his hands.

"It's okay, it's not your fault that it happened, remember, you're the reason that I'm still alive."

"Thanks kid." He patted my hand, "Anyway it's getting late, you should head to bed."

"Okay then." I sighed, "Goodnight"

"Goodnight sweetheart."

I shut the door to Negan's apartment behind me, my new-old axe was clutched in my left hand as I walked, every now and again it knocked against my prosthetic leg, making a clanking noise. That noise too seemed familiar to me, everything was starting to feel familiar.

As I turned the corner of the hall, in the direction of my room, I could hear the faint sound of crying coming from behind one of the doors, I followed the sounds to a door right at the end of the hall, it had no small window like any of the others and from what I could tell, it was locked.

"Hello?" I called out, "Is someone in there?"

The person sniffled in return.

"Are you okay in there? Are you locked in?"

There was still no reply.

"My name's Lydia! Can you tell me your name?"

"Lydia?" A gruff voice questioned

"Yeah, Lydia."

"Lydia! It's me! Dad! You gotta get outta here, whatever you did to get her- you need to leave! This place, it isn't safe!"

"Excuse me? But I have no idea what youre talking about... My parents are dead."

"Lydia please!" The man beat his hands against the door, I jumped back, "I'm your dad! Daryl! Daryl Dixon!"

"I'm sorry but I don't know you! I should probably go..."

"No! Just wait... please?"

"Okay."

"Are the others here with you? Your brother? Rick? Michonne?"

"I told you, my family are dead, and I don't know who any of those other people are."

"You have to remember Lydia, did they do something to you? Did they make you forget about us?"

"Well, I..."

"You cant remember anything, can you?"

"No! But that's only because I had an accident, I hit my head, but Negan's helping me to fill in the gaps and-"

"Lydia you need to trust me okay? You cannot listen to him. Anything he tells you is a lie, that man is evil and you are my daughter. You have a brother, Luke. And a cousin, Dani. And you had a best friend, Sophie, and two other friends, Connor and Blake. You have to remember them, they- we were all a part of your life."

"I'm sorry, I don't know any of those names."

"What about Carl? You must remember him right?"

I paused. I did know that name. It was the first thing thing that I had remembered after I woke up, but Negan told me I didn't know anyone called Carl, that it was my mind playing tricks on me.

He lied.

Why would he lie?

"You recognise the name, don't you?"

"What do you know about Carl?"

Suddenly the sound of footsteps hammering against the floor erupted through the hall, and my eyes immediately widened in fear of being caught.

"Listen to me. You come back here tomorrow, and I will tell you everything I know."

"You promise?" I asked hesitantly

"I swear to you. But you have to make me a promise too."

"What is it?"

"You do not trust Negan. You got that?"

"I..."

"You promise me?" Daryl repeated

"Okay! Okay... I promise."

After I spoke those final words to the mysteriously terrifying man, I sprinted down the hallway and into my bedroom where I slammed the door and fell into a deep sleep, one that only contained dreams of the dead and memories, of Carl.