Deadland

Chapter 99- The Final Battle

"How further?" Daryl asks Ezekiel. 

Ezekiel says, "We grow closer. Yonder, over the ridge." 

A few minutes later, we're walking uphill again and that familiar whistle echoes throughout the summer air. 

We all immediately hold our guns up, Alyssa's breath catches in her throat as she no doubt has flashbacks to the Lineup.

They sound like they're from all over, none of us know which way to turn. We can't see anything, especially over the curve of the hill above us. 

Negan's voice comes out on a megaphone. "Well, damn, Rick, look at that. Pegged again. Pegged so very hard." 

My jaw immediately tightens and my knuckles turn white from gripping my machine gun so tightly. 

Alyssa breathes heavily through her nose, not from fear, but from determination. Anger. In her mind, Carl's death is the Saviors' fault. If we hadn't had to fight them, Carl wouldn't be looking for gas and he never would've found Siddiq. 

"Awesome." Damien whispers almost soundlessly. 

"I ambushed your ambush with an even bigger ambush." Negan boasts. 

Rick yells, "How 'bout 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. Guess what else I did." Negan says. "I brought you some of your old friends." 

Inejra immediately loosens her grip on her gun ever so slightly and her eyes go wide. 

"You remember your old buddy Eugene? Well, he is the person that made today possible. Same goes for Dwighty boy here. In case you're wonderin', he didn't ream you on purpose. No, he is just a-a gutless nothin' that sucks at life, and now he gets to stand up here and watch you all die, and he's gonna live with that. Gabriel, well," 

Inejra perks up and narrows her eyes, spinning around to try and see wherever Gabriel is. 

"He's got to go to," Negan says. 

"No!" Inejra yells, her mouth immediately being covered by Alyssa's hand. 

"We won't let that happen, we won't let that happen!" Alyssa whispers, desperately trying to comfort Inejra who is now beginning to breathe heavier. 

"We are cleaning house today, Rick. And then...there's you. It never had to be a fight. You just had to accept how things are. So...here we go. Congratulations, Rick." 

Inejra begins sobbing, grasping her gun with so much force her hands are shaking as she spins around, trying so hard to find where Gabriel is. 

"Three!" Negan announces. 

Damien and I exchange glances at each other, then Inejra, then Alyssa, then back at each other. I tilt my head and sigh through pursed lips and he turns back around, aiming his gun into the air of the top of the hill. 

"Two!" As Negan counts down slowly, I can feel my heart beating so fast it feels warm and cold at the same time. 

At the tops of the hills, an uncountable amount of Saviors reveal themselves, looking like little specks on the hills from the distance between us.

Inejra's eyes scan for Gabriel, though, no luck. 

"One!" As soon as Negan says one, the Saviors fire their weapons though, to our surprise, every single one of them backfires, causing them all to either drop dead or scream out in pain.