"'Tomorrow afternoon, Negan and ten men at the X, other eleven person teams at each of the circles." I read out. "And then over here, 'End Negan, end the rest. End this'."

"And we're trusting him?" Maggie asked, we followed Gregory to a makeshift containment cell. "After he shot Tara?"

"To save her life." I pointed out. "If she was shot by someone else she would be dead. So, I think we should."

"We need to talk to Rick." Maggie said.

I turned to see Rick walking towards us, Michonne behind him who gave me a small smile. "Perfect timing Uncle Rick."

"What's going on?" He asked.

"We received mail." I handed him the map.

"Dwight sent us a message." Maggie said. "What are we gonna do?"

"Well, clearly we're gonna fight. Right?" I asked. "This can be our chance."

"Yeah, we're gonna fight." Rick nodded. "Let's let everybody know. Jesus, Maggie, Michonne, can you round everybody up? I need to talk to Lilia."

"Am I in trouble?" I ask as everyone walks away. "If I am then I've got plans-"

"No." He replied with a chuckle. "I just wanted to ask you.. I need you to promise not to tell anyone about."

"What is it about.."

"It's about Negan."

"Oh good old pal Negan."

"I read Carl's letter, and he said he wants me to try and find a way to live in peace." Rick explained.

"By killing Negan." I stated but he shook his head.

"We can't if we kill Negan." He responded. "That gives the Saviours the advantage to just use him as a martyr."

"Right.." I thought hardly. "Is this what Carl would want?"

He nodded. "We keep him alive. We lock him up. We show everybody that there are better ways of handling these situations that just killing anyone who stands in our way."

"And everyone will just magically agree and be best friends?" I asked sarcastically. "Don't hear this the wrong way, but, I may not be the first or last person to want to see Negan breathing, but this will make lots of people unhappy."

"I know." He sighed. "What do you think?"

"You're asking me of all people here Rick."

"I have a feeling your dad or Maggie ain't gonna agree."

"To put it nicely, I think Negan should rot in a place worse than hell." I honestly said. "But maybe people will come around in time. If we play it right then it might turn out right."

"That's what I was thinking." He nodded. "I just needed to hear it from you."

"Why me?" I asked.

"You're like a second daughter to me, Lilia." He replied. "Needed some words of wisdom from my right-hand girl. Carl also said to listen to you more."

I smiled and chuckled. "Carl said that huh?"

"Carl said that."

"Now that is something I can rub in your face!" I cheered. "I won't tell, don't get annoyed if my dad finds out though." I point at him.

He nodded his head, with a look of determination on his face. "We're ending this."

•

We walked up the hill, I held a rifle in my arms. I had been avoiding my dad for a bit, without realising it too. There was a few things I couldn't tell him.

For starters, I was pregnant, and now Rick isn't really going to kill Negan. So that's great.

We all walked silently, we were suppose to ambush the Saviours but Negan wasn't here yet. I had a very bad feeling.

It was proved correct when I heard a chorus of whistles reverberating over the ridge of the hill in front of us. One high and one low. They were crystal clear and coming from unseen sources as our entire group was immediately put on edge and raised their guns. I stood between my dad and Rick.

"Well, damn, Rick, look at that." Negan's voice spoke over the radio, amplified so that it carried across the entire field. "Pegged again. Pegged so very hard."

I pulled a face it confusion as I aimed my gun towards the ridge, finger twitching over the trigger.

"I ambushed your ambush, with an even bigger ambush!"

"How about you step out and face us?" Rick yelled.

"Oh, I am everywhere, Rick." Negan replied. "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? I brought you some of your old friends. You remember your old buddy Eugene? Well, he is the person that made today possible. Some goes for Dwighty boy here. In case you're wondering, he didn't cross you on purpose. No, he is just a gutless nothing that sucks at life and now he gets to stand up and watch you all die, and he's gonna live with that. Gabriel, well, he's got to go, too. We are cleaning the 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."

My muscles tensed, a shiver convulsed through them as it felt like a stab of pain has shot through my lungs. I thought Gabriel was dead?

"He's a chatterbox." I muttered.

"Three!"

Everyone looked around at the empty hills, I looked around in a slight panic. Something was going to happen.

I tried to swallow, but my throat was tight and skin felt hot.

"Two!"

The Saviours appeared over the top of the hill, all spread out in a line and immediately boomed out that they are clearly more overpowering than rest of us. We were surrounded, on all sides.

"One!" Negan roared.

The guns went off, but each single one only fired once and I watched the guns fly out of the Saviour's hands as their bullets back fired. Those who died fell to the ground instantly, those who survived were in so much pain they couldn't continue. Shrapnel stabbing through their faces, hands, necks and disabling their weapons.

"Now!" Rick shouted.

I pulled the trigger, feeling the shock leave and the adrenaline pump through as everyone else fired their weapons. Saviours fell to the ground left, right and centre. Leaving them defenseless.

"HE'S RUNNING!" Maggie yelled.

Rick chased after him. I shot some more Saviours before running after to him too.

I headed off towards the cars, following Rick's previous path. I noticed him down by the hill, by the lonely tree with a stained glass frame hanging from the branch. Seeing Negan standing over Rick made me feel an angry rage through my veins and I heard down the hill with my gun raised...

Neither of them saw me, as I drew closer I heard Negan talking. "-I just didn't want to kill a kid's dad in front of him. Turns out that would've been the best thing I could've done. Had I don't it, that kid might still be alive safe and sound with his girl."

I grunted and kicked Negan's legs, he stumbled and dropped, allowing me to stand in front of him, my gun raised. "Mention him again and I'll blow your fucking brains out!"

"Well damn little dixon." Negan chuckled. "You ain't so little no more, channeling your future serial killer just like he did."

I whacked him round the face with my gun. "I said shut up."

"You're beat." Rick groaned.

"You good?" I asked him.

"I'm fine." Rick said. "You're beat. Your people are down. Kneeling in surrender."

"I'll get out of it." Negan replied. "I always do. It's just you, me and Lilia, Rick. And you.. you are torn open. I am bigger, I am badder and I got a bat." He stood up and held Lucille.

"And I've got a gun." My finger trailed over the trigger. "Do you really wanna find out what happens next?"

"We can have a future." Rick shuddered out.

"I know I will." Negan said.

"Just give me..give me ten seconds so I can..I can tell you how." Rick requested, as he shuffled back and stood up with my help.

"No." He stood up.

"Just give me ten seconds for Carl." Rick responsed as he gained his ground again.

Negan's expression changed, almost into a smile. "Ten."

"Nine."

"Carl said it doesn't have to be...it doesn't have to be a fight anymore." Rick said.

"He was wrong." Negan argued. "Eight."

"No, no, he was right." Rick replied, I held my gun up to stop Negan from coming closer.

He stopped moving, I could see the tears in his eyes. The emotion shocked and stunned me for a second, I never imagined Negan to cry. Rick's movements beside me snapped me out of my thoughts just in time to see Negan drop to his knees, blood pouring between his fingers as he held his throat.

"Look what you did." He choked out. "Carl didn't know a damn thing." That angered me. I kicked him down and his body fell to the side.

Rick was clutching shard of broken glass in his palm, I knocked it out of his hand as blood spilled out that wasn't Negan's.

"I thought you were keeping him alive." I whispered.

"He's still breathing." Rick replied.

I looped my arm around his waist and we headed away. Rick gestured Siddiq at  Negan. "Save him."

"NO!" Maggie shouted, forcing Michonne to rush forward and hold her back. "NO! He can't! No, he killed Glenn!"

"We have to." Rick said.

"We have to end it!" Maggie screamed, as Siddiq passed us to get to Negan's body. "Rick! We have to make it right. No! It's not over until he's dead. It's not over until he's dead! No! No, No!"

I watched Rick walk away and talk to the Saviours, I went over to my dad who was looking down. When he noticed me he didn't say anything, until he spoke up first. "You knew, didn't ya'?"

"How'd you tell?" I asked.

"You weren't surprised." He pointed out. "Shoulda' told me Lils."

"I wanted to.." I sighed. "But I didn't want you stoppin' me. Carl wanted this.. I couldn't break that."

"It's alright." He replied but not so confidently.

"What do you think happens now?" I ask and step beside him.

"Hopefully..we live."

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

rip