Negan took a break from slamming Lucille into Carlâs head to look over at Lori and Rick, both of whom were covered with both sweat and tears. âOooooh my fooookinâ GodâŚyou pair are a messâŚ.â He said, glancing between Lori and Rick as Carl gagged and coughed, still slumped against the dirt. Then, Negan stopped, noticing the wedding ring still on Loriâs finger, then looking over at Rick. It didnât take long for him to put two and two together. ââŚNo fuckinâ way, dude. God dammit, looks like we have a whole family here tonight!â He said, laughing as he excitedly twirled Lucille around. âGuess this ainât your average family evening, huh?â
The others were in complete and utter shock, too. Daryl was in complete and utter tears, shaking in fear. Michonne was looking about as terrified as a threatened Rat. Maggie, Sasha, Rosita, Aaron, Eugene, all crying. Even Rick looked completely terrified. They all flinched one more time when Lucille came crashing down on Carlâs head again, and again, and again, until he wasnât even moving. Even then, Negan didnât stop. Rather than swinging overhead, heâd resorted to slamming Lucille into Carlâs temples. Left, then right, then left again, then right again.
When Negan finally did bring it to an end, he immediately aimed Lucille at Lori, who had chunks of skin, flesh and hair caught between the folds of her barbed wire surface. âOoohohohoh, noâŚyou stay thereâ.
âBoss, this assholeâs getting heavy!â One of the Saviors yelled. âEh, fuck it, let him goâ.
When the hands were removed from Rickâs body, he immediately scrambled over to Carl, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him onto his back, looking at whatever remained of his face as he began sobbing hysterically. âC-CarlâŚCarl, p-please. Carl wake up. Wake up! C-Carl! S-SonâŚ.so-âŚNoâŚNO! CA-ARL! C-CAAAAARL!â
âShut the FUCK up!â Negan roared, slamming his boot into the back of Rickâs neck as a warning. But he didnât stop there. âP-PleaseâŚkill meâŚ.let me be withâŚP-PLEASE!â
âI said SHUT UP!â Negan said, aiming Lucille at Rick. âIâve already bashed three fuckerâs domes inâŚdonât make it a fourthâŚ.wouldnât wanna leave your proud lilâ lady all on her own now, would you?â
Lori couldnât b r e a t h or see. Her eyes were glazed with tears, her throat had closed up with a scream, with vomit, with t e r r o r. Her baby boy was gone, dead. He wasnât moving. There was no life. He just wasnât. She threw her face into the dirt, wailing. Her fingers just barely grazed Carlâs lifeless hand, willing everything to give her life to him. She couldnât believe he was gone. She couldnât believe the man could senselessly beat a child to death.Â
Carl didnât get to live his life, it was s n a t c h e d from him.Â
She found that she was more furious at Rick for leading him into the death trap that their family was now locked in. She just wanted to snatch the bat from Negan and beat her ex-husband into nothingness. She wanted to repay him for taking her son away from her.Â
Slowly, she lifted her head, tears and dirt caked on her pale and sweaty face. Straightening her body, k n e e l i n g before the man.âP...Please...Donât hurt anyone else. Iâll do anythinâ. I...â She didnât know what else to say, what to do. A part of her had just been ripped from her, plucked from her breast.Â
âI...Iâll go with you, please, just leave them alone. T...They learned their lesson. Please.â She whimpered hoarsely, nodding her head. âPlease, they wonât cross ya again, I...Iâll go quietly, please.â Lori had never begged as hard as she did that moment, and she would beg even harder if it meant she could hold Carl one more time.Â
But that would never happen.
