Poker Face

Chapter 68 - Not Your Friend

"This looks like a good place," Negan said through labored breaths as they stopped in a green, grassy clearing high in the mountains. He wrapped an arm around Aven's waist and pulled her close to his side, grinning down at her proudly with his teeth bared. She couldn't help but give a huge smile in return; his grin was infectious. They turned away from each other and back to the clearing and a house now stood before them. Outside it looked a lot like the Colonial mansion at the Hilltop, which Aven had admired since the first time she'd seen it.

They made their way inside and the interior was different, reminiscent of a scene Aven had seen in an old movie, but she couldn't quite put her finger on which one. Night suddenly fell and they found the fireplace was lit, and they settled down in front of it, Negan on his back with Aven rested against his chest. He stroked her hair lazily and she melted into him, hugging him tightly.

"I told you everything would be okay, doll," he hummed. "No one will ever bother us up here. It's just you and me now." The side of her face pressed to his chest felt warmer than the side facing the fire, and there was a similar warmth at every point of contact between them no matter how they moved. It began to feel almost too hot, like the energy between them was melding them together, but neither of them minded.

"I love you, Negan," Aven whispered, smiling blissfully. She finally believed that he was right, that everything would be okay. Without a care in the world, she couldn't even remember the faces and names of their once-enemies, let alone whatever made them enemies in the first place. That is until she heard whispers carried through the wind outside.

"Wait for my word," she just barely heard, as though it were just a thought in the back of her mind. She thought she was being paranoid but then she heard more words she couldn't make out, and judging by the way Negan tensed, he heard it too.

"What was that?" Aven whispered, staring towards the closed front door.

"I don't know but let's move," Negan grumbled suspiciously. They stood and he threw a blanket over the flames in the fire place and stomped them down to try to hide any hint of habitation. Holding hands almost too tightly, they carefully and quietly made their way upstairs and down a long, dark hallway. They locked themselves in the bedroom and pulled the curtains, and just then, they heard the front door being kicked in and a small stampede of people filing into the foyer. They stayed quiet and moved to the corner of the room away from the doors, sinking down to the floor in each other's arms. They heard footsteps moving through the house and the voices became clearer.

"They were just here," a familiar voice with a southern drawl said. Through the darkness, Aven and Negan caught each other's eyes and were both thinking the same thing: Rick found them. The shuffle of feet moved up the stairs and started progressing down the hall.

"We have to get out of here," Aven breathed, her eyes darting around the room for an escape and her heart pounding in terror.

"The window," Negan replied, rising suddenly and pulling her with him. Just as they reached the window, someone began pulling at the doorknob from outside.