We ran.

Clouds steamed from slightly parted lips. Branches whipped my skin as I navigated through the dense flora. Pictures of Glenn flickered through my head, and guilt constricted my chest. If it wasn't for Daryl's hot head, Glenn would be here. And I couldn't help but wear that blame.

Would it have been different if we left earlier?

To the left, I could hear incoming footsteps.

We veered right. The glint of a firearm caught my eye and I thrust my finger out in warning. "Rick!"

Abraham and Rick re-directed Maggie's stretcher once again, Maggie groaning at the harsh movement.

Then the whistling began. An ear-piercing, totally disorientating assault on the senses. I spun in a circle, trying to find the origin of the sound.

As the flood lights shone in our eyes, we stopped in our tracks. I shielded my eyes, the brightness physically painful.

It was all over.

I had failed her.

I closed my eyes. Opened them again. Taking in the shit hole we'd dug for ourselves.

They had to be at least one hundred men strong, all sneering. Hatred radiated off them. They'd taken the form of a live horde, slowly directing us towards an RV...

Our RV!

Where's Eugene? Is he okay?

The Saviors finally stopped after completely surrounding us. They were a crowd of gun-wielding, tear-inducing soldiers that were out for their pound of flesh. All we could do was make our own circle around Maggie.

A lanky man with a handlebar mustache took a few steps towards me. This is the guy from the road block!

I held my hands out, turning up my chin at him in warning. He smiled and whistled at Rick.

"Good!" He snickered at some joke I wasn't in on. "You made it! Welcome to where you're going."

I twisted my upper body towards Maggie, tears welling up in both our eyes. I looked away before we set each other off. The weight of the moment finally resting on everyone's shoulders.

The moustached ringmaster sauntered toward me, extending his arm for my firearm. "We'll take your weapons."

I defensively clutched on to my holster and turned to Rick, silently pleading for him to do something, anything to stop this. His bloodshot eyes locked onto our aggressor's, ice-blue irises crumpled under the ringmaster's menacing glare.

With a futile last-ditch effort, Rick pleaded, "we can talk about this-"

The aggressor snatched my pistol and grabbed my neck, everyone throwing their hands up. He laughed with a low rumble, showcasing his chompers. "We're done talking, time to listen."

His face was so close his whiskers scratched against my skin. He held constant pressure on my throat while taking my pistol and knife, making it a struggle to breathe.

The rest of my group was disarmed swiftly and methodically without any resistance. They'd taken advantage of the fact that our two strongest members were busy holding Maggie.

When they had finished their task, the leader finally released my throat and stepped back. I took in a large gasp of air, placing my hands on my knees for support, a dull ache sprouting from my neck. I looked up at him, searching for any remorse and came back empty.

He was the one to break eye contact, announcing his orders. "Okay, let's get her down, and get you all down on your knees. Lots to cover."

Three of his men stormed toward us and grabbed the canvas stretcher, fighting to tilt Maggie off it. I took a deep breath, running to her.

Abraham boomed, the whiskers on his signature handlebar whistling with the power of his baritone voice, stopping everyone in their tracks momentarily. "We got it!"

The savior's ringmaster held his hands up to his men in mock surrender; a disingenuous act of civility. "Alright, alright!"

He gestured for his men to cease and they did so immediately. Rick and Abraham lowered Maggie to the ground as I helped her off and placed her in a kneeling position, everyone else following suit... except for Rick. He crossed his arms in a final ditch act of defiance before the leader pointed my loaded pistol between his eyes.

"I'm gonna need you on your knees."

Rick looked over his group and swallowed in defeat, kneeling beside me, quivering in fear.

A sob escaped me as they pulled Eugene out of one of their vehicles, battered and bruised. Snot and blood oozed out of every facial orifice as he whimpered. I nodded at him, no idea what else to do.

I'm so sorry, Eugene!

Mr. Moustache yelled across the field at a man with a half-marred face wearing Daryl's vest. Before he even uttered his name I knew exactly who he was and bile rose in my stomach.

"Dwight?"

"Yeah Simon?" Dwight came out of the sea of saviors.

"Chop chop!"

Dwight strolled towards a van parked to my left and opened the double doors, revealing our missing members: Daryl, Rosita, Michonne and Glenn.

I held my hand over my mouth and cried, taking in the sight of my Daryl covered in blood and draped with a filthy blanket, three shades lighter than he should've been. He knelt across from me pale and panting, his eyes widening when landing on me. My throat swelled as I attempted to swallow, tears free-flowing.

Why couldn't Daryl listen to me for once? Why did he have to go hunting Dwight? Why did the man I love have to be such a stubborn bull?

I held Maggie's hand when Glenn emerged at last.

Glenn's face contorted when taking in the state of his wife. "Maggie?"

Dwight grabbed the Korean's collar and dragged him into a kneeling position, Glenn unable to help but fight against it. I draped my arm over Maggie's shoulder to calm both of them. Maggie's husband grunted, and finally knelt like the rest of us.

Simon paced up and down, taking the time to brow beat every single one of us before knocking on the RV door. "All right, we got a full boat. Let's meet the man!"

The door flung open and a tall figure stood in the shadows, waiting a beat before starting. "Pissing our pants yet?"

He stepped into the light, all smiles and slicked back hair, clad in black leather and denim. He had a barbed wire bat lazily slung over his shoulders as he marched to the middle of the semi-circle.

"Boy, do I think we're getting close!" The menace strutted slowly in front of us, taking us in, sizing us up. "It's gonna be pee-pee pants city here real soon!" He finally came to a stop and pointed at us questioningly. "Now which one of you pricks is the leader?"

Simon clarified, "This one, he's the guy!" pointing to Rick.

He stomped towards Rick, and I quickly looked away, wanting to avoid his attention. He started the conversation like any other introduction, adding to the queasy feeling I was battling.

"Hi, you're Rick right? I'm Negan. And I do not appreciate you killing my men."

I cringed at the distant memory of the savior outpost we'd ambushed, mere days ago. A group of our men killed thirty of theirs, whilst they were tucked up in their beds.

I had not agreed with the method but was willing to pay the cost for my family's safety. In hindsight, the cost would be higher than I could've ever imagined.

As Negan continued his tirade about how we had killed a ridiculous amount of his people, I slumped back on my knees.

You knew there was no going back when they left for that mission. Now it's time to pay the piper.

The leather-clad giant towered over my broken leader as he filled him in. "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 may well be, you can understand it. You ready? Here goes, pay attention." He pulled his bat off his shoulders and hung the end by the side of his face. "Give me your shit, or I will kill you."

He backed away from Rick and lightly swung his bat. "You work for me now. You have shit; you give it to me. That's your job!" The gravel ground under his heel as he pivoted toward me. Out of morbid curiosity I couldn't help but look up at as his amber eyes, glinting at me with absolute dominance. "Now I know that is a mighty big..." he held my gaze then looked down at his crotch. "Pill to swallow. But swallow it, you most certainly will!" He knew he had us pegged, and judging by the shit-eating grin he sported, he very well knew that.

I gulped as I willed the tears to stop.

Negan pouted and addressed everyone with a mocking tone. "You didn't really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished, now did you?"

My body wracked with audible sobs, Maggie's entwining with mine. He chuckled before swinging his barbed weapon around, regarding the entire group. "I don't wanna kill you people, just wanna make that clear from the get-go. I want you to work for me! You can't do that if you're dead, now can you?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The guy just talked like my Nonna would over supper, chastising my brother for breaking another girl's heart. His looming presence told a completely different story. "But you killed my people, a whole damn lot of them. More than I'm comfortable with." He held his hand over his heart feigning sincerity. "And for that, for that you're gonna pay. So now..." He looked across the group, his voice dropping an octave. "I'm going to beat the holy hell outta one of you!"

The monster displayed his barbed bat in front of Rick, like a child with a new toy for show and tell. "This is Lucille, and she is AWESOME!" He stood up and motioned towards all of us. "All this, all this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor!" He stroked his salt and pepper whiskers, stopping in front of Maggie, whistling. "Je-sus! You look shitty! I should just put you out of your misery right now!" He performed a mock swing above Maggie's head.

Glenn leaped from his position, towards Negan. But he didn't even get two steps in before he was knocked to the ground by Dwight. He rammed the butt of the crossbow into Glenn's jaw before being pulled back in line. To his credit, the ex-pizza delivery boy still struggled against him. "NO!"

Negan cocked his head and grunted in disapproval, stamping his foot as his sling of words metered with each accent. "All right listen, I don't want any of YOU TO DO THAT AGAIN!"

He tilted his head as he reprimanded us. "I will shut that shit down, no exceptions!" He flowered his hands out and fluttered them. "The first ones free, it's an emotional moment, I get it." He pointed at Glenn as he tried to conceal a grin crossing his face, the fact he was relishing in our pain only adding insult to injury.

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "I gotta pick somebody. Everybody's at the table waiting for me to order!" He rubbed his thumb against his forehead. "I simply cannot decide." He paused and turned around, enthusiastically. "I've got an idea!"

"Eenie, meanie, miney, moe."

Is he serious? The fate of one of my family members was down to an old pre-school game?

Each one of us took turns flinching as he leisurely bobbed Lucille in front of each of us, corresponding with each word of the rhyme.

There must be something I can do! Surely this can't be it!

"And you, are..."

Lucille landed on Abraham.

"IT."