𝑨 𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒅𝒚. (𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏)

{62} 'I Wants' Don't Get

"I'm not sure if we'll keep you alive... Jus' sayin'..."

•••

The entirety of The Murderer's camp had been swallowed by a thick fog of smoke, a chain of loud gunfire following through. Shouting and yelling could be faintly heard, but not at all seen. Despite the illuminate glow of the moon as it shone through the canopy of trees, it was impossible to see who, or what, was coming.

Crow, with a contorted expression of both confusion and worry, gestured for his men to get ready to defend. He began to mutter to himself, pacing up and down in large strides. "Bones!" He sent an icy glare to his associate and pointed towards Negan's barely conscious body in the dirt, "kill him and toss his body in to the swamp. He's no use to us now- he's too damaged..." Then, rounding up everyone else, the leader ordered, "the rest of you need to get in to your usual positions and fight these- these imposters! Now!"

Everyone frantically began bustling and hustling amongst one another in a mass panic, and even Crow found himself lost. Whoever the attackers were, they'd yet to attack. All they'd done was hide and waste bullets in a hope to scare the camp, and Crow was convinced that their ideology was yet to have worked.

Instead, the deranged man approached a seething Austin, who had actually snuck over to Brooklyn during the surprise gunfire. Although his body was still freshly numbed with pain due to the loss of his only brother, the boy believed that Hunter would want nothing more than to be able to help Brooklyn get to safety. He knew there'd be time for grieving later, but that time wasn't now.

"Forget about me!" She screamed at the young boy, her puffy brown eyes flushed with stinging tears, "go help Negan! Bones is killing- Bones will kill him if you don't help him!"

At a loss for words, Austin nodded. There wasn't much point in arguing with her, that much he did know. So he swung his whole body round, only to collide straight into Crow's chest, which must have knocked him back a few feet anyway.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" The leader sneered, smile appearing at his enemy's discontent.

Austin attempted to speak, but like Crow previously, he had been interrupted. Though, it wasn't because of bullets. It was a voice. A very familiar, heavy southern voice.

"Y'all have the chance to surrender! Just give us what we want and we'll let you live!"

Everyone immediately froze, a deafening silence consuming them all. Brooklyn shuffled forwards, her broken gaze meeting the piercing blue eyes of Rick Grimes. She didn't think it was possible, but there he was- with a whole army of people surrounding him.

Completely stunned by the Alexandrian's appearance, Brooklyn didn't say a word, neither did Austin. "And you are?" Crow questioned, one brow raised.

"It doesn't matter who I am," the man shot back, "it matters about what I want. And what I want is Brooklyn, Hunter, Austin and-" Rick averted his eyes to the floor in shame before quickly glancing back up again, "- and Negan..."

Brooklyn smiled at this.

Rick cared. After everything she'd done, he still cared.

On the other hand, Crow only shook his head, a complacent smirk carved in to his crooked lips. "Well I'm sorry but 'I want's don't get! My pet is staying here... Hunter? Well I'm terribly sorry but he's no longer breathing, the younger boy- I haven't decided his fate yet, and as for old Negan?" Crow gestured to Bones who now had the former saviour at gun point, "he's practically dead already! In fact, why don't we give the man the public death he deserves!"