Mistakes I Made | The Walking Dead

Part 22

An initial burst of adrenaline and fear coursed through my veins, my heartbeat speeding at the sound of a signal Jadis's people let out-- a signal that could only mean the beginning of the end.

"Rosita," Rick called from the walk, causing us to all look up at him, "Get into position-- I'll signal you."

I let out a quiet breath, every fear, emotion, and hope seeming like it was hitting me all at once.

"Hey," Daryl murmured lowly, getting my attention, "We're gon' be ok."

I nodded lightly, his blue eyes causing my heart to melt in a way that made me wish I could just disappear, wishing these moments wouldn't be some of our last together, "I know." I breathed, the only words I could get out.

"And the wall's gonna hold?" Rick asked, looking back again.

Rosita nodded confidently, "It'll hold."

I took another breath, trying to calm my nerves as my eyes focused on the ground beneath us.

This is what we've all been waiting for-- what we knew would have to happen at some point, maybe not in this exact way, but ending Negan and the Saviors was something that had been brewing in Rick's mind the second we first heard of them.
Everything was planned out, the explosives were in place, and we finally had the numbers on our side, all we needed now was the cause of all of this.

And as if on cue, any hope of calm vanished as the eerie sound of truck engines filled the air, causing the road beneath us to slightly rumble.

"All points are covered." A familiar voice sounded from off in the distance, "Every contingency is already met."

"Eugene?" I breathed, stepping forward as my eyes squinted, desperate to get a better look before Daryl pulled me back.

"I come armed with two barrels of the truth," Eugene continued as the trucks rolled closer, "A test is upon you and I'm giving out the cheat sheet."

The air went silent again as the engines shut off, so quiet out of pure confusion and disbelief, that you could hear a pin drop, "H-hello." Eugene spoke again into the megaphone, "I come salved with the hope that it is my dropped knowledge that you heed." He began with his monologue, "Options are zero to none; compliance and fealty are your only escape. Bottom lining it-- you may thrive, or you may die.. and I sincerely wish for the former, for everyone's sake. The jig is up and in full effect.. will you comply, Rick?"

The world felt at a standstill as our two opposing sides stood nearly face to face, only a gate between us and one of our own now fighting for the other side.

"Where's Negan?" Rick finally asked, breaking the tension.

Eugene lowered the megaphone to his side, a cold stare on his face, "I'm Negan."

I swallowed harshly, feeling powerless as I watched the subtle, hesitant looks that Rick and Rosita shared, knowing that at any moment, the life of another who had such an impact on me.. was about to be taken as collateral damage.

We all stood in wait, hours seeming to pass before the signal was finally given as we all quickly ducked, attempting to protect ourselves from the shrapnel of the explosion.. that never came.

My head quickly whipped over in Daryl's direction as we both shared the same horrified look, before we quickly sprung up, guns ready, only to realize that neither side of the gate was safe.

We quickly swung around, aiming at guns that were already locked on all of us-- guns that were wielded by the new faces we had trusted to help us.

One of Jadis's people promptly opened the gate that stood between us and Saviors as we lowered our weapons, quickly coming to the realization that we were outnumbered-- more than we were to begin with.
I thought I'd had planned for every possible outcome.. but this is something we hadn't planned for-- this is much worse.

As truck door after truck door slammed, all I could think about was how familiar this all felt.
Negan was always one step ahead of us-- he's ahead of us here and he was ahead of us in the woods.. and that's exactly what this felt like all over again.

My breathing hitched in my throat as I finally saw him, quickly looking away in hopes that he would just disappear.. or maybe in fear that if we locked eyes, this would all be real.
I had a new fear of him-- different than anything he used to make me feel. Looking at him felt like coming face to face with the monster under your bed or staring into the unknown; he was unpredictable and seemed impossible to win against.. like he wasn't real.

"You ever hear the one about the stupid little prick named Rick who though he knew shit, but didn't know shit and got everyone that he gave a shit about killed?" Negan spoke, his voice sending a chill up my spine as he slowly pointed up at Rick, "It's about you." He smirked, "You're all gonna want to put your guns down now-"

"No one drops anything." Rick spoke up, cutting Negan off as my sweaty palms tightly gripped the metal in my hands.

"You push me, and you push me." Negan groaned after Rick and Jadis shared quiet, tense words, "And you push me, Rick." He continued, "You just tried to blow us up, right? I mean, I get me, my people.. but Eugene? He's one of yours.." He shook his head, his voice taunting, "You people are animals! The universe gives you a sign and you just shove your finger right up its ass!" He laughed, looking back at his men, "Dwight, Simon-- chop chop."

My breathing picked up as we all anxiously watched the two men on the truck bed, before they wheeled over something unimaginable; a coffin. Possibility after possibility ran through my mind, but all I knew was that if someone was going to be leaving here in that thing.. it wasn't going to be one of us.

_____
Been going through a lot mentally and in my personal life, some of it involving this show, so writing for it has been a bit of a struggle but I just want to apologize for the lack of consistency in posts. I'm not sure if it'll get better, but I do have storylines that I'd like to play out in this fanfic, so there is hope.

In other news, I am currently writing a Riverdale fanfic called Legacy.
If that's what you're into, feel free to check it out.