Reflections - TWD

89. Nothing at all.

Boring, boring talk whilst Laura was driving. Isabella had ended up zoning out until they arrived to where they were going, which just looked like a big field. Gabriel had tried escaping at one point, but Eugene and Negan were having none of it and practically dragged his ass back to the car.

Daryl was at the bottom of the hill, she could see him. But she wasn't with him, no, she was with Negan. She was stood on Negan's side. Truth was, she didn't know where she wanted to be. Maybe everywhere, maybe nowhere.

Negan had a microphone set up, and he started to whistle. Of course, that meant all the other Saviors had to whistle. Negan nudged Isabella with his elbow, wanting her to join in. She couldn't, she physically couldn't.

Everyone at the bottom of the hill started to look and spin around with their guns.

It kind of broke Isabella's heart a little bit. Usually, if someone was missing, they'd postpone a fight to find them first. But Isabella was missing...and they were still here.

"Well, damn, Rick, look at that," Negan's voice said, Isabella could hear him both next to her and on the loud speaker. "Pegged again. Pegged so very hard. I ambushed your ambush with an even bigger ambush."

Rick's voice came out smaller than ever before since he was so far away. "How about you step out and face us?!"

"Oh, I am everywhere, Rick. Some more bullhorns, more walkies. Pick a direction to run. See how you do. Make it fun for all of us,"
Negan paused with a grin on his face. "Guess what else I did. I brought you some of your old- or not so old- friends! You remember your old buddy Eugene? Well, he is the person that made today possible. Same goes for Dwighty boy here. In case you were wondering, he didn't really you on purpose. No, he is just a...gutless nothing that sucks at life, and now he gets to stand up here and watch you all die, and he's gonna live with that."

Isabella felt so stuck. Negan wasn't going to change, nothing about him was changing. They were all going to die, either with or without Isabella. She felt bad for Dwight, too. He just wanted to help, like her.

"Gabriel, well..." Isabella gasped as Negan held up a gun to the back of Gabriel's head. "He's gotta go, too. We are cleaning the house today, Rick. Oh, but I haven't forgotten my favourite little sweetheart, you lost her or something?" Negan chuckled.

"See, Isabella here," Negan began. And Daryl's face fell. His daughter was with Negan. "She came to the Sanctuary yesterday. She thought that this could all end, ain't that adorable? She thought that if she showed up with those big, blue eyes..."

Those big, blue eyes that Daryl loved so much.

"...and her little sad story, I could change. The thing is, you're all out here. You see, I had my doubts, thought you might not show up today, thought you might've been looking for her. But...nope! You're all here!" Negan was sort of scowling. Isabella wanted to cry again, because he was spot on. Nobody was looking for her.

"And then, there's you," Negan continued speaking to Rick. "It never had to be a fight. You just had to accept how things are. So...here we go. Congratulations, Rick," he turned to Eugene, who nodded his head with a serious look. "Three! Two!" All of the Saviors put their guns over the edge of the hill, ready to fire. "One!"

They started to shoot, but it blew back in their faces, and they fell down like dominoes. Negan clicked his gun that he held to Gabriel's head, but it fell out of his hand. There was only one sound over Negan cursing and the Saviors screaming; Isabella cheering for Eugene.

"Yes! Yes!" She screamed because Eugene hadn't betrayed Abraham, she could tell he'd set this up. Rick, Daryl and everyone else was still standing. Eugene gave her a small smile back.

"Now!" Isabella heard Rick shout, and then the pounding of feet running up the hill.

"Eugene!" Negan snarled, but Gabriel punched him across the face. Then Dwight was tackling him, but he pushed him to the ground and took off in the other direction.

Isabella's family was starting to come into sight, all of them with guns blazing. None of them spared a glance at her. They hated her. She had ran off from them and gone to Negan.

Oh, and how she hated herself, too.

Everyone was gathered on the other side of the hill. Rick and Negan were talking, just talking. Maybe changing. Negan seemed to have tears in his eyes, then, in a flash, Rick had slit the man's throat and blood poured out.

She'd done all that for Carl. All of that, for nothing at all. Carl died for nothing at all. He couldn't, Isabella wouldn't let him.

"No!" She yelled, stepping towards the scene. "No, Rick! You- you can't!"

Rick was shaking his head, he turned around, glancing at Isabella. Everyone was staring. Maggie especially.

"Save him," Rick waved his arm.

"No!" Maggie stepped forward and Michonne wrapped her arms around her. "No, he can't! No! No, he killed Glenn!"

And Abraham. But I'm still doing this. Abraham would want me to be good, he'd want me to forgive, right?

"We have to," Rick mumbled.

"We have to end it!" Maggie sobbed. "Rick!" She cried. "We have to make it right! No! It's not over! It's not over until he's dead! It's not over till he's dead! No! No! No."

Isabella was just staring up at Daryl, tears steaming down her face. He wasn't looking back at her. He never did.

"You didn't even look," she squeaked and shrugged. "You didn't even care," she walked back up the hill, sniffling and crying to herself. Rosita tried to grab her arm on the way past, but she shrugged her off.

—

A couple of days had passed. Isabella hadn't spoken, she'd been at Hilltop and just avoided everyone. When Daryl was in the room, she'd leave. She was pretty sure everyone hated her.

One of the days, she was sat outside on the picnic bench when Daryl sat down next to her. She decided not to walk away this time.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into her arm.

"Nah. I should'a kept a better eye on you, I ain't good at this dad thing," Daryl replied, looking at the sky.

"You are. I'm not good at this daughter thing," Isabella grumbled and looked to the ground.

"Best one I could'a wanted," Daryl turned his focus towards Isabella. "Why'd you go, baby?"

"I had to. Carl wrote him a letter, it was what Carl wanted," Isabella squeezed her eyes shut as she tried not to cry again. "I don't know if I like what happened. I just wanted to honor Carl, someone had to."

Daryl nodded. "I'm gonna be there for you more, promise."

"You say that every time," normally, Isabella wouldn't have been so brutally honest with Daryl, but he kept on saying it. Then, he'd leave again.

Daryl nodded. "I know. I've been real shitty to ya. I'm gonna try more, I promise, Bells."

Isabella nodded and Daryl nudged her arm. "Hm?" She turned her head up to him.

"There ain't good in everyone. Negan, there ain't nothin' good left in him."

Isabella shrugged and leaned against his shoulder. "There has to be."

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END OF S8 SO CLOSE TO THE TIMESKIP

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the introduction to my book 'Devil Within' is out now- its a Daryl father figure book that starts in s9 :)