" Let's meet the man. "

100. last day on earth

MILO

     HURRIED FOOTSTEPS MADE THEIR WAY INTO the house. With a frown he stood up from the couch he'd been seated on, reading his book. He walked into the hallway and came face to face with Rick. 'What's going on?' He questioned upon seeing the worried gleam in the man's eyes.

'It's Maggie, something's wrong with the baby,' he said.

Panic flared up inside of him. 'What do you mean?'

'Denise said that losing Beth might have caused some sort of shock,' Rick said and Milo saw his own panic mirrored in the man's eyes. 'She needs to see the doctor at Hilltop.'

Milo nodded, already reaching for his jacket. 'Can't Denise help her?'

The two men made their way out of the house and down the street. 'We asked,' Rick replied. 'But she can't, not without a sonogram, which-'

'Which is at the Hilltop,' Milo finished, understanding. 'Are you okay with going out there right now?' His sister and the others still weren't back and it was worrying him. Who knew how many groups were still out there. They couldn't afford to leave this place undefended.

'No,' Rick admitted. 'But I'm not okay with Maggie losing the baby either.'

'That's something we can all agree on,' Milo nodded. He hadn't forgotten the promise he'd made to Glenn. He swore he would protect Maggie and the baby and since Glenn wasn't here right now, he was going to have to join them on the trip to Hilltop to protect her.

The two of them reached the RV, which was parked just outside of Maggie and Glenn's house. Sasha, Abraham and Eugene were waiting for them there. 'Any change?' Rick questioned when they approached.

Sasha shook her head. 'She's getting worse.'

Abraham nodded towards the RV. 'Good call for transport.'

'Well, I figured she'd be more comfortable,' Rick explained.

'It also means you've got room for more,' Abraham said. 'They're out there, so I'm gonna be out there with you.' He turned his eyes to Sasha, a fondness appeared on his face that Milo hadn't ever seen before. 'We are,' the soldier finished.

'Package deal,' Sasha said, smiling.

Milo shared a look with Rick, grinning despite the situation. There was a development he hadn't seen coming. And neither had Rick judging by the look on his face. Then again, the man had been surprised when Daryl and Quinn started dating and he was definitely the last one to see that coming.

'Uhm, what she said,' Eugene added, nodding awkwardly.

Milo shook his head, still smiling, before turning away and making his way into the RV. When his eyes fell on Maggie, he stopped in his tracks, the smile slowly fading from his features. Sasha hadn't been lying when she said it was bad. Her skin was pale and sweaty, her eyes red and filled with tears. She lay curled up on the couch, her hands on her stomach. She looked terrified.

'Hey,' Milo said softly as he approached, taking a seat beside her on the couch.

'Hey,' she muttered, trying to smile but failing miserably.

It was only when he was this close that he noticed her hair had been cut. 'I like what you did with your hair,' he smiled, trying to lighten the mood and divert her attention from the pain.

'Enid did it,' Maggie said, her voice so incredibly weak that it pained him.

He reached for her hand, squeezing it softly. 'You're gonna be okay,' he said, trying to put as much conviction into his voice as possible. 'The doctor is gonna look you over, we're gonna drive back home and when we come back Glenn will be here waiting.'

Maggie nodded, though she didn't seem convinced. Not that he could blame her. Women used to die in childbirth all the time, why would it be any different in this world. He felt his heart shatter at the mere thought of losing Maggie. That wasn't going to happen, he wouldn't let it. She and the baby were going to be just fine.

'You know,' Maggie began, 'it would help a lot if you believed your own words.'

He chuckled, nodding. 'I've never been a very good liar.'

A small smile appeared on her pale features. 'No, you aren't.'

The RV moved and Milo threw a look over his shoulder to see Abraham, Sasha and Eugene had entered. Quickly followed by Aaron. The latter walked towards the two of them in the back of the wagon.

'You're joining our band of merry men?' Milo said, drawing a small smile from Aaron.

He nodded. 'You need protection. We just don't know how many of them are out there.'

Milo got to his feet and gave Aaron a thankful pat on the shoulder. He smiled at Maggie one last time before making his way to the front of the RV, where Abraham had settled behind the wheel. Carl entered the RV as well, carrying a bag with guns over his shoulder. He started handing them out, giving Milo an M4.

Rosita was next to climb inside the vehicle, followed by Rick.

'Let's go,' he said, closing the door behind him.

Abraham hit the gas and drove them up to the gate, which was already opened. They left Alexandria behind. Milo took a seat, his eyes focused on the landscape passing them by as they drove. Aaron took a seat next to him, offering him a reassuring smile.

'I'm sure Quinn is alright,' he said. 'Maggie's gonna be too. We'll make sure of it.'

He nodded, though the weight in his stomach didn't become any lighter. 'You're right,' he said but his tone remained flat and hopeless. He had no idea where Quinn was, no idea if they were going to make it to the Hilltop on time. It seemed that no matter what they did, peace would never be an option in this world.

His gaze was drawn to the back of the RV where Rick was knelt besides Maggie, helping her to drink something. She seemed so small and breakable and his heart ached at the sight. Grief over her sister was still weighing her down, it was no wonder that her body had collapsed beneath the stress of it all. The constant tension of wondering whether they were going to have to fight again, while trying to give the loss of her sister a place. Milo wished he could've taken some of the burden from her shoulders. Hopefully getting her to Hilltop on time would do so. If she were to lose the baby too...

'What the bitch,' Abraham suddenly spoke from behind the wheel.

Milo turned his eyes to the front window, getting to his feet to see what had the man in such a fuss. The RV came to a stop and he tightened his grip on his weapon.

Several cars had blocked the road in front of them. About ten men were surrounding the vehicles, every single of them with a machine gun in their hands. Except for the guy who stood at the front. On the ground, at his feet, lay a wounded man, his face hidden behind his bruises and scrapes.

'What?' Rick questioned from the back of the RV.

'Enemy close,' Abraham replied as Rick walked to the front to take a look out the window himself.

For a moment the two groups just watched each other, waiting for the other one to make a move. Milo's eyes were drawn to the wounded man on the floor and he wondered what the hell these guys were planning.

'We doing this?' Abraham questioned.

'No,' Rick replied, reaching for his gun and making his way towards the door.

Milo followed without hesitating and so did the rest of them, all of them with their weapons at the ready.

Rick walked ahead of them, his hands held in the air, though it seemed more like he was mocking them than actually surrounding, which was only more clear because of the fact that he was still holding his weapon tightly. He came to a halt at a safe enough distance away from the men.

The air was loaded with tension, so thick he almost felt like he could reach out and touch it. He clenched his hand around his weapon, his eyes searching the side of the road for any signs of a possible ambush but the only people he could see were the Saviors standing in front of them.

The Savior who stood at the front of the group, his face covered by a pretty big mustache, turned his eyes to the wounded man at his feet. 'He's someone who's with a whole lot of someone's who didn't listen,' he spoke loudly to let his voice carry over the distance between the two groups.

'We can make a deal,' Rick said, though Milo knew he didn't actually believe it. 'Right here, right now.'

'That's right,' the man replied, turning his eyes to Rick. 'We can.' He smiled smugly. 'Give us all your stuff. We'll probably have to kill one of you. That's just the way it is. But then we can start moving forward on business. All you have to do is listen.'

'Yeah,' Rick scoffed, finally lowering his hands. He held the gun in a relaxed stance but Milo knew he could jump into action at any given second. 'That deal is not gonna work for us. Fact is, I was about to ask for all of your stuff. Only I'm thinking I don't have to kill any of you.' He let a short silence fall before adding. 'Any more of you.'

The man with the mustache made a gesture and another Savior stepped forward, holding a bottle of spray paint in his hands. He shook it, then leaned down to paint an orange X on the wounded man's chest.

Rick turned his eyes towards Milo, who stared back at him with an understanding look. These guys were trying to intimidate them, and they weren't gonna let it happen. One man, a man they didn't even know, wasn't going to make any difference. Maybe it should've but they were well passed that point by now.

'Sorry,' mustache guy spoke again, 'my deal is the only deal. We don't negotiate.'

Rick nodded, then lifted his hand and made a gesture for all of them to get back into the RV. 'Yeah, me and my people are leaving.'

They made their way back towards the vehicle and the mustache guy simply replied: 'Okay friend. Plenty of ways to get where you're going.'

The words made a shiver crawl down Milo's spine. He didn't like the sound of that one bit. He threw one last look over his shoulder to the man and saw then that Rick had turned back as well, clearly not able to let it go either.

'You wanna make today your last day on earth?' Rick called out.

The man pretended to be thinking real hard. 'No, but that is a good thing to bring up. Think about it. What if it's the last day on earth for you? For someone you love? What if that's true?' He took a step forward. 'Maybe you should be extra nice to those people in that RV, 'cause you never know.' He snapped his fingers. 'Just like that. Be kind to each other. Like you said...' He let a silence fall, purely for the dramatic effect. 'Like it was your last day on earth.'

Rick nodded. 'You do the same.'

The two of them made their way into the RV, closing the door behind them. Abraham started the engine and drove them backwards away from the blockade, then took a road to the right, leaving the Saviors behind them.

Milo sat back down, his heart racing in his chest. Nothing about this made any sense. Why would they block a road and try to make an example out of a man they didn't even know? Why did they think that any of this was logical? He couldn't wrap his head around their methods, but then again, he still couldn't quite wrap his head around their own methods either. They started this fault, it was their own fault. And while yes, they may have eventually run into the Saviors anyway, who was to say it would have ended in a fight.

He placed his head in his hands, rubbing his forehead. He knew it was useless to think about what ifs. He had to stay focused on getting Maggie to Hilltop, that was the only thing that mattered at this moment.

Abraham pulled up the RV at the side of the road, pulling Milo out of his thoughts. He watched as Eugene took a map from the area out of his backpack, opening it on the little table. 'Log Run Road's a straight shot,' he said.

Sasha looked at the map, a frown drawn on her features. 'We want visibility,' she said.

A sigh left Eugene's lips as he bent himself over the map once again. He pointed to one of the roads. 'There,' he said. 'You got it on Shelton. Golf course, country club, sloppy terrain. No bum-rush from the bogeyman, we'd see him from a good piece. It's a longer trip by a third but we get the scenic-safety of clear cut dingles and glens.'

Sasha tilted her head, her expression almost enough to make Milo laugh. 'You're being serious, right?'

'As coronary thrombosis,' Eugene replied.

'You got a route?' Rick asked, walking up to them from the back of the vehicle.

'Yeah,' Sasha said, pointing at the road of the map that Eugene had just shown them.

Rick nodded. 'Let's go.'

Abraham started the engine and they were off again.

Milo got to his feet and made his way to the back of the RV to check on Maggie. She was asleep, her breath uneven and her skin grower paler with every passing second. He could barely bear to look at her, his heart aching at the sight. Though, at the same time, he felt fire burning in his very soul. A determination to see this through, to keep his promise and make sure she and the baby were going to be okay.

'She's going to be fine,' Carl spoke up from behind him.

Started he turned around, managing to smile at the kid and the serious look in his eyes. He looked so much like his father whenever his eyes were filled with such a fire.

'I know,' Milo nodded at him. 'So are we.'

Carl nodded, his eyes focused on Maggie. There was a deep sadness beneath the pretence of his fight lust and Milo didn't have to guess at what the cause of it was. He could still remember that day in the courtyard of the prison like it only happened yesterday. Judith's cries echoing through the prison, Maggie's trembling body and bloody hands, Rick's agonizing screams and Carl's silent sobs. It was no wonder those memories would work their way back to the surface right now.

He hardly knew any of them back then and still he'd felt their pain in his very soul. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he'd feel when such a scenario would repeat itself. Slowly he lifted his hand and placed it on Carl's shoulder, trying to give him some sort of comfort. He was a part of this family now and he wasn't going to fail them.

'Bitch nuts,' Abraham cursed from behind the wheel.

With a racing heart he turned around and made his way to the front window. The RV was forced to another stop because, once again, the road in front of them was blocked by several cars and even more men. Just how many Saviors were there?

'We're making our stand?' Sasha asked.

'Yeah,' Carl said, anger on the edge of his voice, 'we end it.'

'No, there are too many of them. We have to be smart about this,' Milo said, turning his eyes to look at Rick, silently begging to listen to him this time.

Rick nodded. 'No,' he replied to Carl. 'Milo's right. Not now. They've been waiting. They're ready. With one of us behind the wheel that's six on sixteen. We're gonna play it our way. How we want it.' He turned to look at Carl. 'Right?'

'Right,' Carl replied.

'All right, go slow,' Rick said, looking at Abraham.

The soldier nodded and slowly started backing up the RV. As they drove away, one of the Saviors stepped forward and released a single gunshot into the air, leaving it to echo through the empty world surrounding them. And for a terrifying second Milo wondered if it was some sort of signal to more groups. But when he fired again, that fear disappeared and all he was left with was worry. Worry if they were going to make it on time to help Maggie and the baby.

'How are we on gas?' Rick asked as they drove away from the scene.

'Half a tank,' Abraham replied. 'We pulled some more cans before we left.'

'Those weren't the same men who blocked the road the first time,' Sasha said, a frown on her face.

'No, but they did have the same weapons,' Milo said, 'the same vehicles, even the same outfits. They are part of the same group. They got numbers.'

Rick nodded and Milo could tell he was trying his hardest to stay calm. 'We keep driving,' he said. 'We get her there.'

'We will,' Sasha said.

'Even if we have to shove each and every one of them up their own asses,' Abraham added.

Milo felt himself smile at that, though his smile quickly faded when they pulled up around the corner. There were no cars this time, no Saviors insight. Instead the road had been blocked by a row of walkers, chained up together, blocking the way.

A frustrated sigh left Rick's lips. 'We can't go through that,' he said 'We can't risk the RV. You stay behind the wheel just in case. We'll clear it.'

They stepped outside, holding their weapons at the ready as they approached the walkers. The road was surrounded on both sides by a hill covered with trees, the perfect place for an ambush. Milo felt like a rat in a trap and even though he knew that was what the Saviors wanted, he couldn't shake the feeling.

'Putting together a Red Rover like that takes people,' Eugene said. 'A lot of them.'

'Come on,' Rick said, shouldering his weapon and reaching for his hatchet instead. 'Let's do this.'

Aaron shifted nervously beside him, his eyes glued to one of the walkers. 'That's Michonne's,' he said, his voice tense.

Milo turned to look at the walker he was talking about, his heart beat speeding up when he noticed the very familiar jacket the corpse was wearing. But if that wasn't enough, there was also a dreadlock glued to its head.

'And that's Daryl's,' Sasha added, pointing at another walker. There were two arrows shot into the walker's chest, their green with white feathers painfully familiar.

A sudden panic held his heart in a tight grip. He walked closer to the line up of walkers, scanning each and every one of them, until finally his eyes landed on a very familiar black jacket. The very same one Quinn had been wearing when she left Alexandria that morning. He felt as though someone had punched him in the gut and suddenly the world was spinning around him, fading into meaningless colors and sounds.

'Milo?' Aaron's voice broke through the chaos, his hand holding Milo's arm steady, guiding him back to the present.

He watched as Rick reached for Michonne's dreadlocks, pulling it from the walker's head. Anger flashed across his features as sudden as a thunder clap. He raised his hatchet, ready to bring it down, only to be interrupted by gunshots being fired. Bullets landed at their feet, driving them away from the walker line up.

'Get back to the RV, go!' Rick shouted.

Milo didn't have to be told twice. He pushed Aaron ahead of him as they both ran back towards the vehicle. He watched as Abraham jumped outside, firing his gun at their attackers all the while. Milo didn't stand around to watch and climbed inside to escape the bullet shots.

'Start it up!' Abraham ordered, aiming his gun at the hills.

Milo climbed behind the wheel, starting the engine. He watched as Sasha shot a few of the walkers down, while Rick continued to slaughter the others. The road ahead was free and as soon as everyone was inside, Milo hit the gas, driving away from the scene.

His head was aching with unanswered questions, fear and exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him. But he kept his eyes focused on the road. Currently there was no other option than to keep going. He wasn't going to get any answers by sitting around and doing nothing. Besides, Quinn could take care of herself. She was surrounded by capable people, they were all going to be just fine.

A grinding sound came from beneath the RV, pulling him out of his thoughts. 'What was that?' He questioned.

'Undercarriage could've caught a bullet,' Eugene replied. 'Or it could be transmission, it could be nothing.'

'They were firing at our feet,' Rick spoke up suddenly. 'They blocked the road but they weren't trying to stop us. They want us in this direction.'

'Barton Road takes us north,' Sasha said from her position behind the map. 'But they gotta know we want to go north.'

'Meadows could take us east a piece,' Eugene weighed in. 'But we can get back on track on Mayhew.'

Sasha shook her head. 'We're down to a third of a tank, we could top up at the next stop, but no refills after that.'

'Right,' Rick sighed.

Milo let them handle the route, keeping his eyes focused on the road instead. But soon enough he was pressing on the brakes again. A fourth barricade had come into view, bigger than any of the others before. The cars had formed a wall and at least thirty men were surrounding it.

'Rick,' Milo called their leader. His heart was racing in his chest but beneath all the fear there was anger looming. Anger against these men and the way they were keeping them from helping Maggie by something as stupid as showing their power. Maybe they deserved it, they had after all killed their friends and family and God knew Milo would want revenge on the person who hurt his family, but whatever these men were planning he wanted to scream at them for choosing today to do so.

'Go back,' Rick said.

'Where?' Abraham questioned from his position in the passenger seat.

No answer came, because there was none to give. All the roads were blocked. They weren't going anywhere.

'Just...' Rick shook his head.

'Yeah,' Milo replied and started backing up the RV.

He turned the wheel and headed into a bumpy forest road they hadn't tried yet. Their only chance of getting through this while remaining in the RV. A curse left his lips though when, after only a few miles, a new obstacle was placed before them. The road was blocked with several trees, way too big to even think about going around or climbing over.

'How did they manage that?' Aaron questioned, looking out the front window.

Eugene pointed to the tire tacks on the road. 'Those tracks. They would indicate they not only have people, but some big-ass toys and capabilities.'

'What it indicates is we are neck-deep up in Shit Creek with our mouths wide open,' Abraham shared his piece of wisdom.

A sudden scream echoed over the road, making them all reach for their weapons as they turned to look at the bridge on their right. The wounded man from earlier was now dangling from it, a chain around his neck. He spluttered and gagged, his face slowly turning blue as his body kept thrashing around until he finally stilled.

It was a cruel joke. Played on them to scare them, to add to the burning flames of despair that were licking at their feet. He honestly couldn't believe someone would ever be willing to kill another human being for something as stupid as a dick meassuring contest. But the message was clear and so was the meaning. They were outnumbered, outgunned and most importantly unprepared for whatever was coming next.

Smoke rose up from the pile of trees in front of them and a familiar voice spoke from the other side of the pile, the man with the mustache from earlier. 'You're treating your people good right? Like it was your last day on earth? Or maybe one of theirs? Better go. It's gonna get hot. You go get where you're going.'

'Go,' Rick said. 'Go!'

Milo switched the gears and drove backwards away from the fast spreading fire. He drove until he could find a place to turn around. But there was nowhere left to go. Hilltop was a fantasy, far away and impossible to reach.

Rick placed his hand on Milo's shoulder. 'Pull over,' he said softly.

He did as he was told and stood up from behind the wheel, watching as the others bowed themselves over the map.

'What now?' Rosita questioned.

'She needs a doctor,' Rick said, his eyes going to Maggie in the back.

'There are two more routes north from here,' Sasha said, her fingers tracing the lines on the maps.

Milo shook his head. 'They're probably waiting for us at every road.'

'So, they're ahead of us,' Eugene said. 'Probably behind us but they're not waiting on us per se. They're waiting on this rust bucket. They don't know the moment-to-moment occupancy of said rust bucket. And the sun sets soon.'

'You're suggesting we try on foot?' Milo asked, raising his eyebrows. It was a bold move, especially coming from Eugene.

'You are,' Eugene said. 'And I'll be driving this rust bucket.'

'What? No!' Rosita protested.

'It's a smart play,' Abraham said, 'and a damn bold one.'

Rosita's protests didn't do much to change their minds. It was a smart plan and as they started making preparations, Rosita eventually shut up, realising it was the only play they had left. They fabricated a stretcher for Maggie and loaded everyone up on weapons. They waited until the cover of darkness, hoping that would be enough to get them unseen through the forest.

When the sun had finally settled behind the horizon, it was time to go. Milo threw one last look over his shoulder as he watched Eugene drive the RV away into the night. Then he turned his attention forward again. He and Sasha closed the rear, looking out for walkers while they made their way forward. Hilltop was still a long way off and on foot it would take even longer to get there. But if it was their only option left, he wouldn't complain.

A sharp whistle came from out of the dark. First it was in front of them but then it was repeated all throughout the forest, surrounding them completely. A fog of haunting sounds clinging to their clothes.

'Fuck,' Milo breathed, his eyes searching the tree lines. Shadows were moving around but he couldn't properly see in the dark, much less take aim.

'Go!' Rick ordered, his voice hoarse with fear and panic. 'Go!'

They started running, the never ending whistles haunting them as they made their way through the dark, Maggie in between them on the stretcher. Then he was blinded.

A bright light shone through the trees, illuminating the small clearing they'd entered. And as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light he felt as though ice was pouring through his veins. There were more than he could count, men and women surrounding them, taking every option of escape away. The whistling continued, haunting and growing louder until he felt like his ears would bleed from the sound.

Then his eyes caught sight of a man seated on the ground in front of an RV, their RV. Eugene was trembling all over, his voice ghostly pale. They'd gotten to him and now they found them as well. There was no more escaping it and Milo felt the fear echo through his bones, making him shiver.

'Good,' a voice spoke. 'You made it.'

Milo turned towards the source, watching as the mustache man came walking into the light of the RV headlights.

'Welcome to where you're going,' the man continued, that same smug smile on his face. 'We'll take your weapons.' He got out his own gun and pointed it at Carl. 'Now.'

'We can talk about it,' Rick breathed.

'We're done talking,' mustache man replied as several of his men came walking forwards to collect their weapons. 'Time to listen.'

Milo didn't bother to struggle as they took his gun and knife. He felt like a wounded animal, caught in a trap, unable to move without injuring himself only more. The only, slightly, clear thought going through his mind was gratefulness for the fact that Quinn wasn't here.

'Okay,' mustache man said, then gestured at Maggie. 'Let's get her down and get you all on your knees. Lots to cover.'

As the men moved towards Maggie, Abraham opened his mouth. 'Hold up,' he snarled. 'We got it.'

'Sure, sure,' mustache man said, making the men step down.

Carefully they lowered Maggie to the ground, removing the blanket they'd covered her with. Sasha offered Maggie her arm, helping her get to her feet. Rick and Abraham took her over then, both holding one arm as they carried her forwards.

'Gonna need you on your knees,' the mustache man said.

There wasn't a single bone in his body that thought to protest the command and he took a seat next to Maggie. If they were all going to make it out of this alive, they were going to have to do as they were told. Rick seemed to realise that very same thing, as he slowly lowered himself to the ground, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Only when Rick got down did Sasha, Rosita, Carl and Aaron follow. The cold was already beginning to settle in his bones and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from shaking. Though part of him knew it had nothing to do with the cold.

'Dwight!' Mustache man called out. 'Chop-chop!'

Milo watched as a man with a scarred face came walking out of the crowd. He headed towards a van parked to the side. He opened the doors. 'Come on,' he said. 'You got people to meet.'

His heart sank as he watched a wounded Daryl being pulled out of the back of the van, followed by a struggling Michonne and Glenn. Then came Quinn, her eyes spitting fire at Dwight but at the sight of his sister, Milo felt the little bit of fire he'd left, slowly die out. She wasn't supposed to be here, shouldn't be here, not here...

They were put on the ground besides them, all forced on their knees. Glenn didn't stop struggling, not until his eyes landed on Maggie. He spoke her name, his voice breaking.

A small sob left Maggie's lips at the sight of her husband but there was nothing any of them could do.

Milo locked eyes with Quinn and noticed the fire was still blazing there. She seemed rigid with electricity, crackling with burning sparks, ready to set the whole clearing aflame. Milo gave a slight shake of his head, knowing it wouldn't do much, not with Beth's death fresh in her mind and a wounded Daryl beside her, but he needed her to stay calm.

'All right,' mustache man spoke. 'We got a full boat. Let's meet the man.' He knocked on the door of the RV.

The door opened and a tall guy in a leather jacket stepped outside. He had a bat wrapped in barbed wire in his hand, casually slung over his shoulder. Negan.

A grin spread over his face at the sight before him. 'We pissing our pants yet?' He spoke in a deep voice. He walked forward, the headlights of the surrounding trucks suddenly seemed like they'd been put there purely to put him into the spotlights. 'Boy, do I have a feeling we're getting close.' Slowly he walked up and down the line, measuring each and every one of them. 'Yep. Gonna be Pee-Pee Pants City here real soon. Which one of you pricks is the leader?' He asked, though Milo had a feeling he already knew.

'It's this one,' mustache man said, pointing at Rick. 'He's the guy.'

Negan sighed as he looked him up and down. 'Hi, you're Rick, right? I'm Negan. And I do not appreciate you killing my men. Also when I sent out my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people.' He paused. 'Not cool. Not cool. You have no idea how not cool that shit is. But, I think you're gonna be up to speed shortly. You are so gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes.' He smiled. 'Yes you are. You see, Rick, whatever you do, no matter what, you don't mess with the new world order. New world order is this, and it's really very simple. So, even if you're stupid, which you very may well be, you can understand it. You ready? Here it goes. Pay attention.'

He took the bat away from his shoulder and pointed it at Rick. 'Give me your shit or I will kill you.' Again he smiled and for a split second Milo wanted nothing more than to scratch it from his face but then his eyes went to the rest of his friends and he remained seated, motionless.

'Today was Career day.' He started walking up and down the line again, swinging with his bat. 'We invested a lot so you would know who I am and what I can do. You work for me now. You have shit, you give it to me. That's your job. Now I know that's a mighty big, nasty, pill to swallow. But swallow it you most certainly will.' He turned back to Rick. 'You ruled the roost. You built something. You thought you were safe, I get it. But the word is out, you are not safe. Not even close. In fact, you are pegged. More pegged if you don't do what I want. And what I want is half your shit. And if that's too much, you can make, find or steal more and it'll even out sooner or later.'

He stepped away from Rick and raised his hand like he was presenting the next circus act. 'This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be. So if someone knocks on your door you let us in. We own that door. You try to stop us and we'll knock it down. You understand?'

When Rick didn't reply, Negan placed his hand at his ear and leaned in closer. 'What? No answer?' He stepped away, a sudden dangerous gleam in his eyes. 'You don't really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished now, did you? I don't wanna kill you people. Just wanna make that clear from the get-go. I want you to work for me. You can't do that if you're dead now, can you? I'm not growing a garden. But you killed my people. A whole damn lot of them. More than I'm comfortable with and for that you're gonna pay. So now...I'm gonna beat the holy hell out of one of you.'

Milo clenched his hands and forced himself to keep looking forward. He feared that if he were to look at any of his family, his resolve might break and the tears would come streaming down. He had to at least try and stay strong. He knew the tatic all too well. Measure a group, try to get a feeling of where the connections lay, who cares for who and then take the strongest ones out. Kill the heart and you kill the spirit. It was one of the basic things he learned on the street. And he refused to give the man any sort of indication about who he cared for most.

Negan pushed the bat into Rick's face again. 'This is Lucille and she is awesome, All this, all this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor.' He walked away from Rick, making his way towards Abraham. 'Huh.' He moved a hand over his face. 'I gotta shave this shit.' Then he turned around and made his way down the other end of the line, ending at Carl. 'You got one of our guns.' He knelt down in front of the kid. 'You got a lot of our guns. Shit kid. Lighten up. At least cry a little.' He chuckled before getting back to his feet again.

This time he stopped at Maggie. 'Jesus! You look shitty. I should just put you out of your misery right now.' He raised the bat but was stopped by Glenn crying out. He shouted out in rage as he jumped at Negan, only to be stopped in his tracks by Dwight, who kicked him in the stomach to get him down.

'Stop it!' Maggie cried.

Milo didn't blame him for breaking, he really didn't but it played right into Negan's hand, who had just figured out a new connection to use to his advantage.

'Nope,' Negan said. 'Nope, get him back in line.'

'Don't,' Glenn muttered weakly as Dwight put him back in the line. 'Don't. Don't!' He was sobbing and a scream of pure agony left his mouth. 'Don't.'

A grin spread on Negan's features. 'All right, listen. Don't any of you do that again. I will shut that shit down, no exceptions. First one's free, it's an emotional moment. I get it. Sucks, don't it? The moment you realise you don't know shit.' Negan's eyes flickered between Rick and Carl and Milo knew then he made another connection. 'This is your kid, right?' He grinned. 'This is definitely your kid.'

'Just stop this,' Rick shouted.

'Hey!' Negan barely lifted his voice and yet the intention of the word was louder than Rick's desperate scream. 'Do not make me kill the little future serial killer. Don't make it easy on me. I gotta pick somebody. Everybody's at the table waiting for me to order.'

Then he started whistling that tone again and Milo wanted to scream at him to stop messing around and just get it over with. But he knew part of fun for the man was watching them suffer. He'd known men like this, been surrounded with them for most his life. He knew the pleasure they got from hurting others and he also knew there was nothing any of them could do to make him stop or speed along. This was his show and it was going exactly the way he wanted it to.

He stopped whistling. 'I simply cannot decide,' he finally said but Milo didn't believe him. He knew that Negan had chosen who he was going to kill from the moment he stepped out of that RV. The man wasn't stupid and this wasn't a random lottery. He knew who he was going to kill to break them and Milo wished he would just get it over with.

'I got an idea,' Negan spoke. He grinned and pointed the bat at Rick. 'Eeny.' Then he moved to Maggie. 'Meeny.' Abraham. 'Miney.' Michonne. 'Mo.' Quinn. 'Catch.' Daryl. 'A tiger.' Rosita. 'By his toe. If he hollers. Let him go. My mother told me to pick. The very best one and you are it.'

His heart was beating like a war drum in his chest, ready to jump out of his ribcage. He clenched his fists as his body shivered with stone cold fear and pure and utter hatred.

'Anybody moves, anybody says anything, cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father, and then we'll start. You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell you're all gonna be doing that.'

Then Negan brought the bat down and his life was changed forever.