When the RV came back, it was light out. Glenn and Abraham's blood had soaked into the dirt, glistening in the light from the morning sun. This felt like a nightmare, a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. My heart was pounding as we waited for them to come out, praying that Rick was alive and in one piece. When he finally came out, he dragged Rick across the ground and Rick had his ax in his hand. He threw Rick and he struggled to get up on his knees. His whole body was shaking. "Here we are. Let me ask you something, Rick. Do you even know what that little trip was about?" Rick didn't answer. "Speak when you're spoken to."
Rick nodded. "Okay. Okay."
Negan smiled. "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 gonna work. So..." He crouched next to him. "Do I give you another chance?"
"Yeah." He nodded. We could barely hear his answer. "Yes."
Negan pat his back and stood up. "Okay. All right. And here it is, the grand-prize game. What you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone's last crap day or just another crap day. Get some guns to the back of their heads." I flinched when I heard a gun cock directly behind me and I looked around, staring down the barrel, then slowly turning to look at Daryl. "Good. Now...level with their noses, so if you have to fire..." he put his fist in front of his face, imitating an explosion. "it'll be a real mess."
Negan looked at Carl. "Kid..." He motioned for him to come forward. "Right here." Carl didn't move. "Kid...now." He stood up and walked over. Negan took his belt off. "You a southpaw?"
"Am I a what?" Carl asked.
"You a lefty?"
"No."
"Good." Negan tightened his belt around Carl's left arm and I gasped, realizing what was going to happen. "That hurt?"
"No."
"Should. It's supposed to. All right. Get down on the ground, kid, next to daddy. Spread them wings." He took Carls hat, tossing it over his shoulder. Carl got down and Negan pushed him all the way down. "Simon...you got a pen?"
"Yeah." Simon nodded. He pulled a marker out of his pocket, tossing it to Negan.
He pulled the cap off with his teeth and crouched down, pulling Carl's sleeve up. "Sorry kid. This is gonna be as cold as a warlocks ballsack, just like he was hanging his ballsack above you and dragging it right across your forearm." He drew a line on Carl's arm. "There you go. Gives you a little leverage."
Rick started shaking his head. "Please, please. Please, don't."
Negan smiled. "Me? I ain't doing shit." He stood up, walking around Rick. "Rick, I want you to take your ax...cut your sons left arm off, right on that line. Now, I know, I know. Your 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."
"You-you don't have to do this." Michonne spoke up. "We understand. We understand."
"You understand. Yeah. 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 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'll be fine. Probably." When Rick didn't move, he crouched beside him. "Rick...this needs to happen now, chop-chop, or I will crush the little fella's skull myself."
"It can-it can-it can be me." Rick stuttered. "W-w...you can do it to me. I c-I can go with-with you."
"No." Negan stood. "This is the only way. Rick...pick up the ax. Not making a decision is a big decision. You really want to see all these people die?! You will. You will see every ugly thing. Oh, my god. Are you gonna make me count? Ok, Rick, you win. I am counting. 3!"
Rick started sobbing. "Please! Please! It can be me! Please!"
Negan crouched in front of him. "2!"
"Please, don't do-"
Negan slapped him and grabbed his face. "This is it." He stood up. "1!"
Rick was wailing, he grabbed the axe and held onto Carl's arm. All we could do was watch while Rick was forced to cut his sons arm off. Rick looked at Carl, then raised the axe above his head. Negan crouched next to him again. "Rick..." He lowered his axe. "You answer to me. You provide for me." Rick nodded. "You belong to me, right?" Rick kept nodding frantically.
Negan grabbed his face. Rick looked terrified. "Speak when you're spoken to! You answer to me! Provide for me!"
"Provide for you."
"You belong to me, right?!"
"Right..."
"Right." Negan repeated. He let go of his face, pointing at him. "That...is the look I wanted to see." He stood up, taking Rick's axe. "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." He chuckled. "Ah, Dwight, load him up." He pointed at Daryl.
I sat there, watching with tearful eyes as they loaded a struggling Daryl back into the van. "Daryl..." I whimpered, struggling not to get up and go after him.
"He's got guts...not a little bitch like someone I know. I like him. He's mine now. But you still wanna try something? 'Not today, not tomorrow. Not today, not tomorrow.' I will cut pieces off of..." he trailed off, looking away. "Hell's his name?"
"Daryl." Simon reminded him.
"Wow. That actually sounds right. I will cut pieces off of Daryl and put them on your doorstep, or, better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me." I put my head in my hands and sobbed, resting my forehead on the ground. When I heard footsteps getting closer, I didn't want to look up, but I did. Negan was smiling down at me. "You're Daryl's, ain't ya?" He crouched in front of me, smile disappearing. "Speak when you are spoken to."
"Yes." I breathed. "Yes, I am."
He nodded and turned to look at Rick. "Or maybe I'll make her do it." He stood up again, walking away. "Welcome to a brand new beginning, you sorry shits! I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then, ta-ta." He walked away, tossing Ricks ax over his shoulder.
We didn't move until they were all gone. One of the men took a picture of Glenn. Maggie was the first to stand after they left. "Maggie. Maggie." Rick called. "Maggie...you need to sit down. Maggie." He stood up.
"No." She was walking towards Glenn's body, hunched over in pain.
"We need to get you to the Hilltop."
"You need to go get ready."
"For what?"
"To fight them."
"They have Daryl. They have an army. We would die, all of us."
Maggie was breathing heavily, struggling to look at Glenn's body, or stand. Probably both. "Go home. Take everybody with you." Her voice broke. "I can get there by myself."
Ricks eyes filled with tears. "You can barely stand up."
He touches her arm and she flinched away. "I need to go. You need to go to Alexandria. You were out-out here for me."
"We still are."
She let out a strangled sob. "I can make it now. I need you to go back. I can't have you out here. I can't have you all out here anymore. I need you to go back."
"Maggie..." Michonne walked forward. "we're not letting you go. Okay?"
"You have to."
"It's not gonna happen." Rick shook his head.
Sasha stood up, walking over to Maggie. "I'm taking her. I'm gonna get her there. I'm gonna keep her safe. I'm not giving you a choice."
Maggie leaned towards Sasha. "I'm taking him with me." Maggie crouched next to Glenn's body and I finally stood up, walking over with everyone else to help her. "I need to do this. Please."
"We need to help you." Aaron whispered.
Carl rest a hand on her shoulder. "I got it. I got it."
She didn't move. "No."
"Pl-pl-Please let us. He's our family t- He's our family, too." Rick stuttered out.
Maggie let out a sob and slowly stood, hugging Carl. We picked up his body, bringing it to the RV. I could barely see through the tears clouding my vision. I could barely walk, the weight of what happened almost too much to bare.