700 reads! Thank you all so much I can't even tell you how happy I am!!! Also I really don't know if I should do the sad one. Still holding on to the idea, but I haven't been able to write it yet lol
Word Count (including bold text): 1497
My breathing is extremely heavy as Negan grabs my shoulder and holds a knife up to my neck with Lucille leaning against the camper behind us. Carl shuffles a bit in anger, but then quickly stops himself knowing I could be dead if he does anything.
Negan smiles at Carl. "Good choice, kid. Wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt, would we?"
Carl glares at Negan but doesn't say anything. He's gripping the ground as hard as he can so he doesn't take his anger out on Negan.
"Now," Negan begins. "Because of you, Rick, this lovely girl has to die today."
I freeze at what he just told the group and I see Carl's eyes go wide as he sinks even lower on his knees.
"No, no... No, please..." Rick trails off. "I'll- I'll do..."
"What?" Negan asks. "You'll do anything?" The tip of the knife now dances across my neck and I can feel myself shaking, but I try to act brave.
Rick nods in shock. "Yeah," he breathes.
"Anything doesn't cut it you killed a group of my men and I was generous enough to only kill two of yours!" Negan yells, pushing the side of the blade to my neck again. He smiles and calmly says, "And now it'll be three."
I look at Carl in fear and see him in tears mouthing 'no' over and over again. He has to use his hands to support himself so he doesn't fall on the ground.
"You can't... You can't do this..." Rick says in defeat.
Negan lowers his knife and I breathe out heavily. "Me? I ain't doing shit," Negan says. "Kid come up here," he gestures to Carl.
Carl looks shocked and doesn't stand up.
"Come on," Negan beckons.
Carl finally stands up slowly and takes small steps towards me. When he gets within an arm's length distance Negan sticks out the knife for Carl to grab. He just stares at me in my eyes and doesn't reach for the knife.
"Kid, take it. You don't want to know what happens if you don't."
Carl gingerly takes the knife out of Negan's hand and holds it in midair. I feel tears trying to escape me but I hold them back.
"Slit her throat," Negan demands.
Carl finally tears his eyes away from me to look at Negan in shock and anger. "What?"
"Slice her throat. If you make it quick enough she won't suffer."
Carl shakes his head and drops his hand with the hand down to his side. "No. No, I'm not. I can't."
"Kid, there are over fifty guns pointed at you and your people right now if you don't kill your girlfriend your entire group is dead. Gone. And I'll make sure to kill you last... eventually."
"I can't..." he says. "Kill me instead. Not Y/N."
"No. This is the only way. Carl, this is all on you. You are responsible for either one death or many. Choose wisely."
"Carl," I whisper and he looks at me. "Just do it. Just do it." Tears are finally pouring out and there's nothing I can do to stop them. "I love you. You have to do it."
"I love you, Y/N," Carl whispers back, tears falling down his face, too.
Negan pretends to look at a watch on his wrist. "Oh my God. Are you gonna make me count? Kid, you have fifteen seconds to make your decision."
"Carl," I say louder and sternly this time. He hesitantly places the knife up to my neck and I gulp.
What does death feel like? Will I know I'm dead?
Carl's hand shakes making the blade wiggle against my neck.
Is it scary?
Negan starts counting down. "Ten... Nine... Eight..."
Does it hurt?
Carl starts yelling, "I can't, Y/N, I can't!"
Will I know I'm dead?
"Carl, just do it!" I say.
Carl starts sobbing and the knife falls from his grip as he wraps his arms around my waist and places his head on my shoulder. I grip him back and he whispers, "I'm sorry, Y/N." I rub his back to let him know it's okay.
"Listen to me, kid," Negan yells, but he's addressing the whole group. Carl, the rest of the group, and I look up at him. "You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?" He looks at Carl now.
Carl nods quickly still with shock in his expression.
"Speak when you're spoken to!" Negan screams in his face. "Right?!"
"Right," Carl whispers, shaken up.
Negan backs away from us and shouts to our group again. "Two weeks. I'll be at your door in two weeks." And with that everyone starts moving and driving away.
As soon as all of the saviors were gone Carl clings to me as tight as he can and I do the same.
"I'm sorry," Carl whispers. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't want to. I couldn't. I'm sorry I even thought of it."
"No, don't apologize," I whisper back. "It's not you. It's not your fault. I told you to do it. I told you so no one else would get hurt."
Carl pulls away with tears streaming down his face. He gently touches my neck and drags his fingers across where he put the blade. He shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry."
I grab Carl's face in my hands and kiss him. "Don't be sorry. Don't. I'm not mad, I'm not sad, I'm not angry at you in any way. Please..."
He nods and pulls me into a hug again.
When we finally get back to Alexandria the gates open immediately and our unsuspecting group members smile and wave to us. None of us respond and their faces drop as the gates close.
"Where's Glenn?" someone says.
"Abraham?"
"Daryl?"
Carl and I quickly exit the scene so we don't have to relive what just happened. He grabs my hand and leads me into his house. We both sit down at the kitchen table, defeated, and I rest my face in my hands. The memories of what happened flood my mind and I slam my hands on the table and storm upstairs to Carl's room. A few moments later he rushes in.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
I sit up on his bed and as I soon as I open my mouth I start sobbing, placing my face back in my hands so Carl wouldn't have to see. He rushes over to me and wraps his arms around me tightly. I place my head in his chest as he plays with my hair.
"Shhh," Carl whispers into my hair. "You're okay. I'm here. I'm here to protect you."
When my sobbing turns to sniffles I look at him with heavy, red eyes.
"I'm going to get you some water, okay?" Carl says, standing up.
"No!" I say quickly. "Can you stay? Please?"
Carl hesitates. "Okay," he whispers, sitting on the bed and laying me down. "Are you sure you don't want any water right now?"
"I just want you," I whisper, cuddling into him. "I just want to be with you right now."
He strokes my hair and I soon fall asleep peacefully for once.
Negan arrives sooner than expected to take half of our hard-earned 'shit'. We watch him strut around Alexandria taking anything and everything he wanted, which was clearly more than half. I hid in my room with Carl, too afraid to see Negan again.
"Everyone's out there," Carl tells me. "We have to go see what they're talking about. If they're doing anything. We have to stay in the loop."
I shake my head. "Carl I can't do it. I can't."
He grabs my shoulders. "We have to," he whispers. "You have to make him think you're not scared."
"But I am scared."
"You have to make him think you aren't," Carl insists.
I hesitantly nod and he gives me a quick kiss. We enter the outside world and my stomach flips when I see the back of Negan. Carl notices and rubs my back.
Negan turns around and smiles when he sees us. "Damn. You look like shit," he says to me. I don't say anything. "But for real, how are you holding up?"
"Don't talk to her," Carl says through gritted teeth.
Negan laughs. "I like you, Carl. I do. But that... has got to go." He strolls off down the street with Lucille in his hand.
Carl shakes his head. "I'm going to kill him. I promise you I will."
I should have written this one first before the "Negan's Talk" part. Imagine those two going together. Pretend this is a prequel lol.