Slowly, the RV door opened. Stood there was the silhouette of a man carrying a bat. "Pissing our pants yet?" The voice was familiar, I couldn't put my finger on it until the man walked away from the shadows of the RV. He walked until he was about five feet away from Eugene, the light from the headlights illuminating him. "Boy, do I have a feeling we're getting close." He begin to walk to entire length of our kneeling line up, looking at us all. When he passed me, his steal gaze lingered on me, I didn't break it. There was a spark of familiarity behind his eyes, but he didn't recognise me straight away as he kept walking.

Mr Smith, my P.E teacher, was the leader of a murderous, bloodthirsty group of dickheads. Black jeans, a black leather jacket and a baseball bat covered in barbed wire. Now, this was in the list of top ten things I never thought I'd see. I decided not to say anything, I didn't want him to recognise me. "Oh, shit." Very quietly slipped past my lips, nobody could hear me though.

"Yep. It's gonna be pee-pee pants city in here real soon." Mr Smith - Negan - continued. "Which one of you pricks is the leader?"

"It's this one." Guy's voice said as I assumed he pointed at Rick, but I didn't turn around. I couldn't take my eyes away from the guy who used to teach me dodge ball. "He's the guy."

Negan stood a couple feet in front of Rick. He sighed, his breath showing up in the air due to the low temperature. "Hi. You're Rick, right? I'm Negan. And, I do not appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people. Not cool. Not cool. You have no idea how not cool that shit is. But, I think you're going to be up to speed shortly. Yea... You are so going to regret crossing me in a few minutes." A twisted grin took over his face. "Yes, you are... You see, Rick, whatever you do? No matter what, you don't mess with the new world order. And the new world order is this, and it's really very simple. So, even if you're stupid, which you very well may be, you can understand it. You ready? Here goes. Pay attention." Negan swung his back down, not in an intention to hurt Rick, just so it was a few inches next to his head, so he'd pay attention to it. Negan then held it up to Rick's neck which made him flinch back and away from it. "Give me your shit... Or I will kill you."

"Creative." I muttered under my breath.

Another grin took over my ex P.E teacher's face. "Today was career day." Negan started walking down the line to make sure he saw everyone. "We invested a lot so you would know who I am and what I can do. You work for me now. You have shit, you give it to me. That's your job. Now, I know that is a mighty big, nasty pill to swallow, but swallow it you most certainly will. You ruled the roost. You built something. You thought you were safe. I get it. But, the word it out. You are not safe. Not even close. In fact, you are pegged, more pegged if you don't do what I want. And, what I want? Is half of your shit. And if that's too much you can make, find or steal more and it'll even out sooner or later. This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be. So, someone knocks on your door?" He let a chuckle past his lips. "You let us in. We own that door. You try to stop us? And we will knock it down. You understand? What? No answer? You don't really think you were going to get through this without being punished now did you? I don't wanna kill you people. Just want to make that clear from the get-go." Negan then turned to me. "Especially don't wanna kill you with your angry little serial killer eyes."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Like you're one to talk."

"I know you don't I?" He strolled over until he was standing in front of me. "Hang on a damn minute... Ellie... Ellie goddamn Dixon."

"Mr Smith." I nodded. "Surprised you recognised me. It's been a while."

A smile creeped onto his lips. "You're actually alive. I won't lie to you, kid, I thought you'd be one of the first to die."

"Ditto. Thought you would've killed yourself. You were a bit of a coward." I taunted him.

"Oh, you did not." He chuckled humourlessly. "Coming from you? That's real hypocritical of yourself, Ellie Belly."

"I told you to stop calling me that." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"But it's fun getting a reaction out of you." He traced the sharp edged of his bat around my neck. "Since Karen... Sorry, Mrs Dunton found you with slit wrists in the bathroom, I thought you would've killed yourself. Even before the end of the world hit." My cocky smirk fell as I looked over to my dad who was looking at me with wide and shocked eyes. "Oh... Didn't tell daddy did we?"

"It was a long time ago." I muttered.

"Right after that Emma girl died wasn't it?" He continued.

"Emily. Her name was Emily." I narrowed my eyes, anger lacing my tone.

He hummed. "That's right. You finally hanging out with daddy though I see? Where is your mum? Now, she, was one hot lady." When I didn't reply, he continued. "She's dead, aye?"

I stood up, looking him dead in the eyes. "If you're going to kill me just do it. But, I'm not gonna die on my knees and I certainly am not going to waste anymore of my time on your bullshit."

"Ellie, sit down!" Dad yelled.

Negan bit his bottom lip, nodding. "End of the world changed you, huh?" He said so quietly, I doubted anyone other than me could hear him.

"It changed all of us. Apparently." I responded, just as quietly.

"Ellie!" Rosita called out.

Negan brought back his bat and swung it at my head. I didn't flinch. He didn't hit me. It stopped about an inch away from my head. I heard a commotion from my right, I knew my dad, probably Rosita and what sounded like a few others tried to move to save me, but they all got pulled down and stopped fighting when they realised he wouldn't kill me. He chuckled, lowering the bat. "Alright, listen. Don't any of you do that again." Negan had clearly seen something that I hadn't. "I will shut that shit down, no exceptions. First one's free, it's an emotional moment, you thought I was going to kill your kid, I get it." 

"You're even more of a dick than you used to be. Taught me P.E for three years and I still can't do a push up." I got his attention away from the people who jumped up to save me.

He glared at me. "I got news that you killed one of my men today. Well, a little Spanish girl, and the other Spanish one wasn't even there. So, thank you for that." He said the last sentence sarcastically.

I grinned sarcastically. "Anytime. He took my murder toll up to seventy nine, I wonder if you'll be the big eight-O."

"We'll catch up later. Get on your knees so I can get back to business." He walked more into the middle again so I slowly got back on my knees, not wanting to cause anymore trouble. "I want you all to work for me. You can't do that if you're dead now can you. I'm not growing a garden. But... You killed my people, a whole damn lot of them. More than I'm comfortable with, and for that... For that you're gonna pay. So, now... I'm gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you." Negan raised his bat. "This is Lucille."

"Seriously?" I let out, he didn't hear me though. It was the name of his wife who was probably dead, and he named a murderous weapon after her. Romantic.

"And she is awesome." Negan continued, not hearing me. "All this... All of this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honour." Negan was pacing again, when he stopped in front of Abraham, the ginger rose higher on his knees. "Huh." Negan let out, running a hand down his beard. "Ugh, I gotta shave this shit." Negan walked further back down the line, stopping in front of Carl. "You got one of our guns." He pointed at the weapon in front of my brother. He squatted down, picking up the gun. "Woah. Yea. You got a lot of our guns. Shit, kid, lighten up. At least cry a little. You're just as bad as her." Negan indicated to me. The ex P.E teacher stood up, with a chuckle while putting the gun in the front of his waistband before pulling his leather jacket back over it. Negan went to stand back in front of Rick. "Sucks, don't it? The moment you realise you don't know shit." Negan looked back to Carl walking over to stand closer to my brother. "This is your kid, right?" He then laughed. "This is definitely your kid."

"Just stop this!" Rick shouted.

"Hey!" Negan retorted, just as loud. "Do not make me kill either one of the future serial killers. Don't make it easy on me. I gotta pick somebody."

"I'm not a future serial killer." I spoke up. "I've already killed seventy nine people. One of which being yours. Just kill me and be done with it."

Negan chuckled at me. "I might just do that. Everybody's at the table, waiting for me to order." He began to whistle that tune again. I knew that I had heard it before. He paced the group, making sure to look at everyone individually. His whistle broke off into a chuckle when he was down by Glenn. "I simply cannot decide." He turned away from everyone, before turning back to us with a smile on his face. "I got an idea." He pointed Lucille at Rick. "Eenie." Then at Maggie. "Meenie." Then at Abraham. "Miney." Then at Michonne. "Mo." One by one, he pointed at everyone singing that damn song. "Catch... A tiger... By... His toe... If... He hollers... Let him go." He paused, before continuing to speak. "My mother... Told me... To pick the very best one." He pointed his bat at everyone once again, twice, three times. Before he stopped. "And you are it. 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 going to be doing that." Then Negan swung the bat back and forced it forward into his head.

"No!" I screamed, I wanted to run forward but Carl grabbed my arm and forced me back into place.

"Woah, look at that. Taking it like a champ." Left Negan's mouth as Abraham stopped himself from falling over, he made himself look as tall as he could on his knees.

With blood running down his face, Abraham managed to get three words out. "Suck... My... Nuts." Sobs left my mouth as the bat came down again, and again, and again. Tears pooled my eyes and ran down my face aggressively. My breath came in short as my heart and lungs ached with fear, terror, grief and many other emotions I couldn't decipher in the moment... The moment that Negan killed Abraham. My ginger friend couldn't get up again as he lay face first on the cold ground. 

Negan laughed when he finished beating Abraham's head. "Did you hear that? He said: suck my nuts!" He laughed some more. Mocking the man who's life he just took. Abraham was dead, but he brought the bat down again. I covered my ears and screwed my eyes shit, angling my head at the ground. I didn't want it to be real. It couldn't possibly be real. I felt my chest constrict so the only thing I could focus on was my breathing, I couldn't have a panic attack, not here, not now.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it." I whispered to myself under my breath. 

I opened my eyes to see Negan standing in front of Rosita. I removed my hands from my ears to hear what he would say to her. "You should know. Red... And hell, he is, was and will ever be red. He just took one or six or seven for the team! So, take a damn look." Negan held the bloody bat in Rosita's face as her eyes were wide, she was pale, terrified, breathing heavily and staring at the floor. "Take a damn look!" Negan yelled when Rosita didn't. That's when dad got up and punched Negan across the face. My lips parted in shock, but nothing was processing correctly in my brain so I just watched, frozen in fear. It took three saviours to hold my dad down and keep him from attacking Negan any further.

"Dad!" I let out when they tackled him to the floor..

"No!" Negan yelled, pointing the bat in my father's face. "Oh... No." Negan sounded angry but the smirk on his face said otherwise. "That?" He chuckled, squatting down in front of my father. "That is a no-no! The whole thing not one bit of that shit flies here!"

Dwight held my dad's own crossbow to the back of his head. "Do you want me to do it?"

"No, stop it, please!" I screamed.

"Shut up!" Negan yelled at me before looking back to Dwight. Aaron had to hold a hand over my mouth because I'd get myself killed otherwise. Aaron had his right hand over my mouth and his left hand on my arm, giving it a comforting squeeze... But nothing could comfort any of us. Negan pulled my dad's hair a bit. "No. No, you don't kill them... Not until you try a little." Negan responded. I let out a scared breath, so Aaron removed his hand from my mouth, and put it on my back. Dwight and two other men dragged my father back into line. "And anyway... That's not how it works. Now, I already told you people, first one's free, then what did I say?" Negan said, strolling down the line, he looked at me as if he was going to stop in front of me. "I said I would shut that shit down! No exceptions." He did stop in front of me. He made eye contact with me as he spoke. "Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with... But, I'm a man of my word. First impressions are important. I need you to know me. So... Back to it." He raised his bat, he looked like he was going to swing at me before he changed direction and the bat hit Aaron on the head. 

"No!" I screamed as the blood splattered on me. 

I scooted back towards Carl but only a very small amount, I didn't want him to kill anyone else. Aaron's blood sprayed onto my face. Negan hit him in the head again, and I heard Maggie sob loudly. He was her best friend after all. A loud cry left my lips as Aaron did his best to sit up. When Aaron sat up, most of his face was covered in blood and his right eye... His right eye was basically bulging out of his head. He looked towards me. Noises were coming from Aaron's mouth but they weren't words. A sob left my mouth as I had to make eye contact with him. "Buddy, you still there?" Negan taunted, leaning down. "I just don't know, it seems like you're trying to speak, but you just took a hell of a hit. I just popped your skull so hard your eyeball just popped out! And it is gross as shit!"

"It... It's okay." Aaron somehow managed to assured me, turning his head to Maggie.

"Oh... Oh, I can see this is hard on you guys. I am sorry, I truly am. But, I did say it." The false sorry look left Negan's face as he smiled again. "No exceptions!" Then he took the bat to Aaron's head again, knocking Aaron to ground so he wouldn't be able to get back up. The way Negan was hitting Aaron's head, he wanted his blood to be sprayed onto me. Tears rolled down my face as I cried, staring at my friend being beaten to death right in front of my eyes. My second friend to die in such a brutal, taunting, slow manner in less than five minutes. "You bunch of pussies. I'm just getting started."

"Oh god." I managed out. Maggie's cries, Aaron's beating, my own breathing and crying... All of it filled my ears and overtook my senses before I let out what was more like a scream than a cry.

The beating was excessive, sadistic. Aaron was dead, but he kept going. "Lucille is thirsty. She is a vampire bat!" Nobody said anything for a couple minutes. Silence. Silence apart from the cries from me and Maggie, also the heavy, shocked breathing from the others. They cried too, but silently. I couldn't hold it in. I put my hand over my mouth as I stared at the mess. My entire body shook as everything inside me hurt. "What? Was the joke that bad?"

"I'm gonna kill you." Rick said, his voice broken yet strong.

Negan squatted in front of Rick. Lucille covered in blood caught my attention. I had to shut my eyes and angle my head at the floor. "What?" I heard Negan ask. "I didn't quite catch that. You're going to have to speak up."

Rick licked his lips, looking down before meeting Negan's eyes once more. "Not today... Not tomorrow... But I'm gonna kill you."

Negan made a noise with his lips. "Jesus... Simon, what did he have? A knife?"

"He had a hatchet." The guy who I thought was called Guy, who was apparently a Simon, replied.

Negan looked to Simon. "A hatchet?"

"He had an axe." Simon confirmed. I opened my eyes to watch the scene again.

Negan flickered his eyes back to Rick, a small laugh leaving Negan's mouth. "Simon's my right hand man. Having one of those is important. I mean, what do you have left without them? A whole lot of work. Do you have one? Maybe one of these fine people still breathing? Oh... Or did I..." Negan made a "gloc" sound with his mouth, doing a mini imitation of knocking in someone's head. Abraham's head... Aaron's head. "Sure. Yea. Give me his axe." Negan held out his hand and Simon passed him the axe. Negan stared at Rick, holding the silence for nearly a minute before he stood up, making a display of putting the axe in his belt, showing it was his now. Negan then grabbed the back of the collar on Rick's jacket. "I'll be right back." He said, dragging Rick towards the RV. "Maybe Rick will be with me, and if not, well, we can just turn these people inside out. I mean... The one's that are left." Negan then literally threw Rick into the RV before slamming the door. Not long later, the RV drove away with Negan and Rick inside.

I looked to Carl who was staring at where the RV used to be. Some of Aaron's blood had sprayed on him as well, he slowly turned to me. "We should've stayed in Alexandria." I whispered.

It was nearly three hours before Rick and Negan came back, but now it was the very early hours of the morning and the sun was lighting up the space. But, when the RV was parked in the same spot, Negan walked out, dragging Rick along with him by the hair. I hated the sight, but the fact that Rick was alive did bring a form of comfort. I'm not sure what happened, but now Rick was holding his axe. Negan threw Rick down onto the ground, about five feet in front of where Rick was kneeling earlier. None of us had moved, none of us had said anything, I mean... How could we? What could we do? We were too traumatised to do anything. I had managed to look over to Glenn, no matter how worried about Maggie he was, no matter how traumatised, no matter how scared... He still managed to smile at me.

"Here we are." Negan announced. "Let me ask you something, Rick. Do you even know what that little trip was about?... Speak when you're spoken too."

"Okay... Okay." Is all Rick had said, still on all fours; on the floor while Negan towered over him.

"That trip was about the way that you looked at me. I wanted to change that. I wanted you to understand. But you're still looking at me the same damn way. Like I shit in your scrambled eggs and that's not going to work. So, do I give you another chance?"

"Yea... Yes." Rick answered when Negan squatted down next to him.

Negan patted Rick on the back as the ex P.E teacher stood up. "Okay. Alright. And here it is, the grand prize game. What you do next will decide if your crap day... Becomes everyone's last crap day or just another crap day. Let's get some guns to the backs of their heads." Negan ordered. We all glanced behind us to see the barrel of the guns pointed at us, I slowly turned back to look at Rick. "Good. Now. Level it at their noses so if you have to fire it makes a real mess... Kid... Boy kid." Negan beckoned him over with his finger, before pointing at the floor in front of him. "Right here." Negan ordered, but Carl didn't move. "Kid, now."

Carl slowly stood up. "Carl, please don't go." I whispered, basically whimpered.

"I have too." Carl whispered back before walking over to Negan.

Negan took off his belt. "You a Southpaw?"

"Am I a what?" Carl questioned, a certain harshness to his tone. 

"You a lefty?" Negan clarified.

"No." Carl answered, just as angry.

Negan smiled. "Good." He then started tying his belt around Carl's upper arm. "That hurt?"

"No." Carl still sounded sour.

"It should. It's supposed too." Not much tone in this conversation changed as Negan grinned manically. "Alright, get down on the ground, kid, next to daddy. Spread them wings." Negan took the hat and chucked it behind him so it landed on the ground. Carl slowly kneeled before Negan forced him to lay on his stomach. "Simon... You got a pen?"

"Yea." Simon answered, a certain happiness in his tone as he chucked Negan a black sharpie. 

Negan squatted next to Carl, rolling up my brother's sleeve. "Sorry, kid, this is going to be as cold as a warlock's ball sack." Negan said as he started to draw a line horizontally across Carl's arm. "Just like he was hanging his ball sack above you and dragging it right across your forearm.... There you go. Gives you a little leverage."

"Please. Please." Rick let out, his voice broken. "Please don't. Please don't." He repeated.

"Me?" Negan chuckled. "I ain't doing shit." Then he stood up, a pleased grin on his face as he winked at me. "Rick, I want you to take your axe... Cut your son's left arm off, right across that line." There was a stunned silence between us all as my breath caught in my throat. "Now, I know, I know. You're gonna have to process that for a second. That makes sense. Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it or all these people are gonna die. Then Carl dies. Then the people back home die... And then you, eventually. I'm gonna keep you breathing for a few years just so you can stew on it."

I looked desperately around, for anyone to help. Michonne spoke. "You don't have to do this. We understand. We understand. We-"

"You understand." Negan interrupted, a smile taking over his features. "Yea. I'm not sure that Rick does. I'm gonna need a clean cut, right there on that line. Now, I know this is a pretty screwed up thing to ask but it's gonna have to be like a salami slice... Nothing messy, clean, 45 degrees, give us something to fold over. We got a great doctor. The kid will be fine. Probably... Rick." Negan squatted down again. "Rick, this needs to happen now. Chop, chop or I will crush the little fella's skull in right now."

"Leave him alone, please! Just let it be me! Leave him alone!" I yelled when I couldn't stop myself.

"You have been desperate to die since you were seven years old, haven't you?" He yelled at me. "Just shut up or I'll bash your daddy's skull in, you understand?" Negan kept his voice just as loud. A silent cry escaped my lips but I just nodded.

"It can... It can... It can be me." Rick manged out. Not because he was hesitating to offer up his life for his son's, but because he was simply so traumatised that he couldn't speak properly. "It could be me. W-we... You could do it to me. I c-can go wi-with you."

"No." Negan denied, standing up straight. "This is the only way. Rick... Pick up the axe." Negan ordered, but Rick didn't. "Not making a decision is a big decision! You really wanna see all these people die? You will. You will see every ugly thing... Oh, my god. Are you going to make me count?" Negan taunted, Rick's face... I hadn't seen it look so traumatised, so scared, so bereaved, not even after Lori and his unborn baby died... But, Negan continued. "Okay, Rick, you win. I am counting. Three!"

"Please!" Rick choked out. "Please! It can be me! Please!" Our leader sobbed.

"Two!" Negan yelled.

"Please, don't do-" Rick started but Negan bitch slapped him across the face.

Negan grabbed Rick's jaw, but the terrified sounds still left his mouth. "This is it." Negan forced Rick to look at Carl on the ground, Rick letting out a deep, terrified, scream. "One!" Negan stood.

"Dad... Just do it." Carl whispered out. "Just do it."

Rick put his left hand over Carl's and with the other, begrudgingly he raised the axe into the air. The noises that would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life still left his mouth. Fresh tears poured down the face as I watched the pain the man I considered a second father to be in.

Negan squatted again! Probably not the time but he needed to make a decision whether he was standing or squatting, this wasn't the time to be exercising. Negan tapped Rick's arm. "You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?" Negan spoke calmly as Rick panted like a dog, nodding, not being able to respond. Negan grabbed Rick's jaw and forced him to look at him. "Speak when you're spoken too! You answer to me! You provide for me!"

"Provide for you." Rick managed to copy.

"You belong to me, right!" Negan shouted.

"Right." Rick agreed.

"Right." Negan nodded, glad that they had finally come to an agreement. "That is the look I wanted to see." Then, you'll never guessat what happened, he stood up, taking the axe with him. "We did it. All of us, together. Even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award, for sure! Today, was a productive damn day!... Now, I hope for all your sake... That you get it now. That you understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you? That is over now. Ah... Dwight. Load him up." Negan pointed at me dad with his bat. My breath caught in my throat again, I wanted to argue, but the smell of what happened last time my dad went against the rules stopped me. Dwight started dragging my dad back towards the back of the van. "Oh, Ellie... Don't look so terrified, would you?" Negan's voice taunted me, so I looked to him. "I told you that we had some catching up to do. You're going with him. Now, before anyone throws a bitch fit, you can have her back in a week when we come by for our first offering." Negan walked towards me and grabbed my arm, he pulled me up and started dragging me to the van.

"No, please, don't take her!" Maggie tried through her exhausted tears.

"She's a child." Michonne argued.

"And a girl needs her father. I'm doing them a favour. For the next week at least." Negan answered. Rosita grabbed onto me as I passed her. "Excuse you!" Negan yelled at her, he threw me to the side so my hands landed in... Landed in Abraham's blood. I sat up and stared at the blood in my hands. 

"Big one?" My voice cracked as I stared at the red liquid that coated my shaking hands

Michonne quickly pulled me over and held me to her chest.

"I need her. Please. Please don't take her!" Rosita sobbed, leaning over and holding onto me tight. Michonne letting me go so that Rosita could hold onto me. "I need her!"

"Awh... Isn't that just adorable." Negan said sarcastically, before going back to being serious. "Let her go now, or I'll beat her brain in."

Rosita kissed my forehead. "Te amo, mi amor." Rosita cried desperately as Negan pulled me away and threw me in the back of the van.

"No, no, please." I heard Glenn cry before the van doors slammed.

Dad instantly pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I sobbed into his chest as I let his warm embrace comfort me. It didn't comfort me though. Because I knew, this was just the beginning.