Negan || En || The Walking Dead

Chapter 42 - Strong Emotions

Once out of the room, Rick and Simon ran out to see who had shot.

Kat, hidden in the closet between Rick's clothes, she was getting out slowly after had been seeing the scene, still holding her knife.
After assured that was clear, she went to the window to see what was happening. Rick and Simon were just arrived in the place from where came the shot and found one of the Saviors holding a steaming gun and one of the inhabitants of Alexandria on the ground in a pool of blood.

<Shit!> shouted Simon

<What the fuck is going on here?> shouted him waiting for an explanation.

<Boss, that guy there has refused to load the boxes on the truck and continued to insist... so I got tired and I shot> he replied proud with the gun in his hand, thinking he should have earned Simon's approval.

<You're an idiot! People are a resource, remember?> shouted Simon opening his arms.

<What did you do?> Rick shouted furious. Simon turned towards him and tried to justify:

<Sorry Rick for your man... maybe he is still alive... even if it with a bullet in  the head I doubt it> said looking <and seen that my men are idiots, to apologize for the episode, next week we won't pass to collect things> joining hands doing a lightweight bow like to ask forgiveness <and saw that you are not satisfied, because I can read it in your face, we'll shoot him too> and after having said that he waved to Arat to shoot him.

He sighed and continued:

<Well. I think it is better if we go now> and after the shot they went to the cars. The procession came out between the silence of the inhabitants of Alexandria that they were still staring at the lifeless body on the ground of their companion. Rick gave the order of bury him and sent some of the men to clean up.

Then, remembering of Kat, ran to the house. Once inside he screamed her name and racing upstairs, he found her sitting in his bed. Not just saw him, Kat jumped standing and threw herself between his arms hugging him tightly.

<I was afraid he would have found you> confessed Rick.

<Me too> replied Kat.

After loose slightly the hug to watch him in the eyes, Kat had brought her hand on his cheek and passing her fingers through his cured beard, had attracted gently him kissing him. The same shock that she had tried in  her dream was crossing her body now. They looked each other back in the eyes and after smiling gently, Kat asked Rick where they were Carl and Judith. Children had been safe by Carol for all the time and had luckily avoided assisting the scene with  the Saviors.

After going to take them, Rick and Kat returned home along with them.

<You wanna stop eating with us tonight?> asked Carl to Kat.

<Eh... Yes, why not> she replied smiling, then looking at Rick, who smiled in turn. Kat was getting used to spend the time with Rick and Carl, and their company does not sorry her at all, indeed she got very close to them quickly. They made her forget that the world was went to rolls and that everything should only be focused on pure survival. Kat was rediscovering her "human" side: the part of her that the apocalypse had brutally ripped off to replace it with anger, loneliness, pain and remorse. But things were changing in better for once, and Kat was leaving run over by this turbines of new positive feelings. Dinner passed nicely between laughter and the various stories and when it was late enough, Rick and Kat were alone.

<Are you fine?> asked Rick alluding to the episode of a few hours ago.

<Yes, don't worry, I have seen worse> replied Kat smiling in order to reassure hum, although a veil of sadness had just obscured her face. Rick didn't search deeper, then he remained thoughtful for a little while he was setting the kitchen, until he dropped a plate in the sink breaking it. Then remained still with his head tilted and punches tightened placed at the edge of the sink, without say anything. Hearing the noise Kat had turned and after approached him, she had hugged him from behind leaving that he was the first to speak. Rick passed a few seconds in silence, then picked up a hand and leaned over that one of Kat on his chest and, sighed, tried to retain the tears as better as he could.

<I was unable to protect them... I have made promises and I failed. The community is no longer safe, my friends are no longer safe... my family is no longer safe. And all this because I let Negan take all that we had. He took our weapons, our inventory and took also our hope. Our people fear him and the Saviors: no one wants to continue to live like this but no one is willing to risk to change something. Living all in the terror that one day or the other Negan will walk that gate killing us all. This is not that I wanted for my children and I hate myself for letting that happen> Rick's confession had left Kat totally helpless and unable to say something to comfort him.

Even if she couldn't see him in the face, she knew he had the face striped by a tear. She would have never expected to see him so blue and did not even know why he was saying just to her all those things: they were friends since little and the fact that he had opened so much with her had made her uncomfortable. She wanted to lift that weight by her stomach and confess everything too, at least to make him feel better, but didn't know what to do. Not yet.

So in silence, she turned gently as if she was afraid to break him, gave him a lightweight kiss on the forehead and then, after taken his hand, she accompanied him in his room.

Once there, she had made in lay on the bed and she was lying close to him, hugging him and caressing his soft curls until fatigue had devoured him, making him fall into a deep sleep.