damnation → the walking dead ⁴

[ 026 ] saviors.

DAMNATION.

chapter twenty-six, saviors.
[ season eight, episode five ]

kathleen cooper, twenty minutes before the attack against the sanctuary.

KATHLEEN KNOWS IF SHE could feel any type of emotion, it would be disgust she feels the most. But she doesn't know what disgust feels like. She never has and she never will.

She would feel disgust in herself, in Negan, in Theo, in Rick, in Maggie, in Odessa. But mostly herself.

Kathleen put a bullet into the chest of the only person that wasn't her brothers that ever truly loved her. She pulled the trigger. She watched as blood seeped from Cole's chest.

Then she watched from a hidden spot as Odessa Grimes begged for him to stay alive. She cried for her friend. Then when Cole took his finale breath, Kathleen watched as Odessa stabbed her knife into his brain.

That's when she forced Odessa up. And hit her across the face with her pistol.

Kathleen should have known better.

She realizes that now as she stares at the cut that reaches from above her eyebrow to her jawline. Her face that was once so beautiful is now ruined. Mutilated by an eighteen year old girl who wants revenge for her fallen family.

Not even God will be able to stop the Grimes Daughter.

The cut is a symbol of the girl's rage. It's a symbol of Kathleen's betrayal. Kathleen's lip curls upwards in anger. She slams her hands down on the desk. "Fuck!" She seethes.

A knock comes from her open door. She turns in her chair. She's met by the sight of Simon looking at her. She watches him, waiting for his eyes to flicker over the cut and eyepatch. But they ever do. "There's a meeting in ten minutes," he informs her.

"Because Gregory's here?" She raises an eyebrow. Simon nods. Kathleen sighs and stands. "Shall we?" She asks Simon.

"We shall," he smirks.

When Kathleen reaches the meeting room, everyone is already settled in their seats. She moves and sits by the chair at the end of the table, closest to Negan. Their leader sits at the head of the table.

Simon peeled off from Kathleen to retrieve Gregory from his room. Negan's dark eyes slide over to Kathleen. "How's the eye?"

"You mean what was my eye?" Kathleen's voice is sharp and defensive. Negan's brows shoot skywards. Kathleen closes her eye and takes a deep breath. "It's healing."

Negan nods. Before they can continue their conversation Simon and the leader of the Hilltop enter. Gregory takes the seat directly across from Negan, at the other end of the table.

Negan stares at him. "Well?"

Gregory begins to stutter. "Well, I, uh... I'd just like to start by saying thank you for having me here today."

Everyone person in the room stares at the old man. They're all completely unamused.

"Negan, let me lay this down straight for you. I know how it is... negotiating the slippery, steep terrain of managing resources and the population and the big, scary U. But you might know, it's called the unknown." Gregory says. No one says a word so he continues. "Listen, I— I mean it when I say it— Negan, I don't like killing people more than you do."

"I like killing people," Negan smiles.

Kathleen's lips tug at his words.

"Oh, well," Gregory nods.