"Pissin' our pants yet?" Negan walked down the line, observing each trembling body, "Boy, do I have a feeling we're getting close. Yep. . . it's gonna be pee-pee pants city here real soon." He stopped walking, "Which one of you pricks is the leader?"

He turned to look at Lilith, curious. She nodded her head towards Rick in the line-up.

The man smirked, "Hi. You're Rick, right? I'm Negan. And you've met my daughter, Lilith" he turned towards her and stretched his arm signaling her to come over. She walked to his side, "My pride and joy," She smiled widely. Her whole life, she's only ever wanted to be her father's daughter.

Negan wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "And we do not appreciate you killing our men. Also, when I sent my people to kill your people for killing my people, you killed more of my people. Not cool. . . not cool," he repeated as he released his daughter, who stepped to the side, out of her father's way.

"You have no idea how not cool that shit is, but I think you're gonna be up to speed shortly. Yeah. You are so gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes," he threatened. Lilith found herself amused by the look of fear on the kneeling ones' faces. Satisfaction filled her and she rolled her shoulders back confidently.

"Yes, you are," Negan continued, "You see, Rick, whatever you do, no matter what, you don't mess with the new world order. And the 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 goes, pay attention."

Negan dropped Lucille from his shoulders, holding it in Rick's face, taunting him, "Give me your shit. . . or I will kill you," he explained, chuckling at the shaking man.

"Today was career day. 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 is a mighty big, nasty pill to swallow, but swallow it you most certainly will. 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. This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be," he finally finished his speech.

He turned to his daughter and nodded signaling it was her turn. She grinned and walked back up beside him.

"So," She began, "if someone knocks on your door you let us in. We own that door. You try to stop us and we will knock it down. You understand? What, no answer?" Lilith put a hand up to her ear, pretending to listen closely, "You didn't really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished, now, did you? We don't want to kill you, people. Just want to make that clear from the get-go. We want you to work for us. You can't do that if you're dead, now, can you? We're not growing a garden. But you killed our people, a whole damn lot of them. More than we're comfortable with. And for that, for that, you're gonna pay. So, now," She paused for dramatic effect, "My dad is gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you."

She heard her dad's wicked chuckle behind her. He walked forward once again, "That's right, I am."

After a beat, he lowered Lucille again, showing her off, "This? This is Lucille. And she is awesome."

Negan began to walk the line again, "All this. . . all this is just so we can pick out which one of you gets the honor."

He pauses in front of a large, ginger man with a mustache. The man raises up, looking Lilith's father straight in the eye.

"Huh," Negan chuckled amusingly. He reached his hand up to feel his graying stubble, "Ugh, I gotta shave this shit."

Continuing down the line, his attention was grabbed by the teen boy at the end, "You got one of our guns." He crouched down, picking up the pistol from the ground, "Yeah. . . you got a lot of our guns."

He stared at the kid, and the kid glared back, though his nervous breathing still gave him away. "Shit, kid lighten up. At least cry a little," he laughed at himself.

Clearing his throat, he stood back up. Tucking the gun into his belt. Negan studied the people in front of him, finally noticing the sickly woman among them.

"Jesus, you look shitty. I should just put you out of your misery right now-"

"No!" the asian man from earlier, whom Lilith had concluded was Maggie's husband, lunged forward.

Lilith jumped towards him, taking her knife out, but was beat by Dwight and his stolen crossbow.

Maggie's husband grunted as Dwight held him on the ground. Negan took a breath, scratching his face, "Nope. Nope, get him back in line."

He continued crying and yelling as some men dragged him back to his previous spot. "Don't," he begged. But her father only laughed.

"All right listen," Negan began, "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," He points to Maggie's husband.

There is a period of silence. Silence, except for the shaky breaths of the kneeling, and the cicadas in the trees. Looking at her surroundings, Lilith has a surge of confidence.

"Sucks, don't it?" the teen taunts them, still leaning against the RV, "the moment you realize you don't know shit".

Her dad laughs, giving her a proud smirk. His eyes land on the teen boy again, before going back to Rick. He looks back and forth between them a couple times, putting the pieces together.

"This is your kid, right?" he uses the bat in his hand to point at the one-eyed kid laughing, "This is definitely your kid!"

"Just stop this!" Rick shouted in loud desperation.

"Hey! Do not make me kill the little future serial killer. Don't make it easy on me! I gotta pick somebody! Evvverybody's at the table waitin' for me to order," Negan whistled that signature tune.

He threw his hands up in exasperation, "I simply cannot decide," He turned, making eye contact with his daughter. A bigger, more mischievous grin appeared on his face. Lilith's stomach flipped in anticipation, somehow reading her father's mind. "I got an idea," He stated.

Negan walked to Rick again, lifting Lucille to be level with the kneeling man's face.

"Eenie. . . Meenie. . ."

"Meeny. . ."

"Miney. . ."

"Moe. . .

~~~

Lilith's stomach had not settled. The nausea was still there. The anxiety was still there. Her head was so loud, she couldn't focus on any sounds other than her thoughts. Her father had killed two people, not one.

He promised her every time. Only one. But there laid two bodies, both with skulls reduced to red mush. Lilith wanted to throw up, cry, leave but she couldn't. She wouldn't allow herself to.

The sun had come up. Negan had taken Rick on a ride to "teach him a lesson." Lilith tried her hardest not to look at the corpses in front of her, but she couldn't help it. She had this evil urge to stare.

Near the middle, the ginger man who had so bravely stared him down. He went out the same way, his last words amusing Lilith. Suck my nuts.

On the far end of the line, Maggie's husband. He was the second. The extra. The unnecessary one. While her father bashed his brain over and over and over, Lilith remembered.

Maggie was pregnant.

That almost made her break character. She wanted so badly to look away, to run away, to throw up and cry. But she couldn't. It wasn't over. She still had to be her father's daughter.

The teenage girl was brought out of her trance by the sound of wheels on gravel. Negan and Rick had returned. The RV was dirtier than it was when they'd left. Not just dirt, blood. She knew it was biter blood from the dark brownish tint to it. And the smell.

Whatever lesson it was, Lilith hoped Rick had learned it. She could not watch another skull be smashed and pretend it didn't affect her.

It was becoming too much. But she wouldn't allow anyone to ever find out that's how she really felt.

Father's daughter, she repeated to herself, father's daughter.

Rick fell out of the RV, or more accurately, he was pushed out. Negan grabbed onto his jacket, dragging him forward and tossing hm in front of his people.

"Here we are," The girl's father announced. "Let me ask you something, Rick. Do you even know what that little trip was about?"

Rick didn't respond. In fact, Lilith was unsure if he even was able to. His terror and shock seemed to turn him mute.

"Speak when you're spoken to," Negan told him.

Such a teacher, Lilith thought to herself

Rick tried to steady his breathing as he wheezed out, "Okay. Okay"

Negan looked satisfied enough, "That trip was about the way you looked at me. I wanted to change that. I wanted you to understand."

Rick stared up at him from the ground.

"But you're still looking at me the same damn way. . ."

The terrified man dropped his head again.

". . . like I shit in your scrambled eggs, and that's not gonna work. So," Negan crouched down beside Rick, "do I give you another chance?"

Rick's voice shook as he answered, "Yeah. Yes."

With a nod, Negan stood up, patting Rick's back as he did so. "Okay then, here it is, the grand prize game. What you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone's last crap day, or just another crap day. Get some guns to the back of their heads," he ordered.

The saviors complied. "Good," the leader approved, "now, make sure you're level with their noses so if you have to fire, " he imitated the sound of an explosion, "it'll be a real mess."

He looked around, taking in each person on their knees in front of him again. "Kid, right here," he called out to Rick's son, who's name was Carl, as they had found out. Negan pointed to the ground in front of him. The boy only glared up at him with his one eye. "Kid. . . Now."

Carl finally obeyed, standing up and making his way over to Negan, who had taken off his belt.

"You a southpaw?" he asked.

"Am I what?" the kid questioned.

So, he's got sass, Lilith chuckled, somewhat entertained by his bravery.

"A lefty," her father clarified.

"No."

Negan raised his eyebrows at Carl's tone, clearly amused. "Good," he began to wrap his belt around the boy's upper arm, pulling it tight. "That hurt?" he checked.

"No."

"Should," Negan smirked, "It's supposed to. Alright kid, get down on the ground, next to daddy. Spread them wings!" He tossed the boy's hat off of his head before pushing him gently onto his stomach. "Simon. . . you got a pen?" He asked the tall man.

Simon tilted his head, a creepy smirk appearing. "Yeah," he threw it over.

Negan caught with ease, taking the cap off with his mouth. He crouched again, mumbling something Lilith couldn't understand while he drew a line across Carl's arm.

Rick's shaking form got worse as he watched his son on the ground, "Please don't. . . please, please don't."

"Me?" Negan laughed wickedly, "I ain't doin' shit." Standing up, Negan took a small step back to look at both figures on the ground, "Rick, I want you to take your ax. . . cut your son's left arm off right on that line.

Lilith knew her father had his tactics of getting people to listen. She knew he lied sometimes. She knew there are some lines he would never cross. But sometimes she had trouble reading him. Like now. Now, she could not, for the life of her, figure out if he would go through with this.

Rick froze in fear, and Negan noticed, "Now, I know. I know. You're gonna have to process that for a minute, and that makes sense. Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it, or all these people are gonna die. . . then Carl dies, then the people back home die, and then you. . . eventually. I'm gonna keep you breathing for a few year just so you can stew on it."

A young black woman, one of Rick's people interjected. She begged him stop, claiming that they understood.

Negan nodded with a grin, "You understand. Yeah. . . I'm not sure that Rick does." He looked down at the man who trembled beneath him, "I'm gonna need a clean cut right there on that line. Now, I know that this is a screwed-up thing to ask, but it's gonna have to be like a salami slice -- Nothing messy, clean, 45 degrees -- give us something we can fold over. We got a great doctor. The kid will be fine. . . probably." Rick couldn't move, "Rick. . . this needs to happen now -- chop, chop -- or I will crush the little fella's skull myself."

"It can. . ." Rick tried to speak, "It can be me. It can be me." He sniffed, "You can do it to me. I can- I can go. . . with you."

"No, this is the only way. . . Rick, pick up the ax."

He didn't.

"Not making a decision is a big decision. You really wanna see all these people die? You will. You will see every ugly thing."

Still nothing.

"Oh my god, are you gonna make me count? Okay, Rick, you win. I am counting."

Rick looked around in desperation.

"Three!"

He begged and cried and screamed for it to be him.

"Two!"

He gasped, panicked. Negan slapped him in the face before grabbing his chin.

"This is it."

Rick screamed. Negan stood up, continuing.

"One!"

Rick touched the ax with a trembling hand. He continued to sob and gasp. Carl looked at his father, telling him it was ok. To do it. Rick lifted the ax up in the air, his whole body a shaking mess. Just as he was about to bring it down, Negan squatted beside him.

"Rick. You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?" Rick nodded, breathing heavily. Negan grabbed his face, forcing him to meet his eyes, "Speak when you're spoken to! You answer to me! You provide for me!"

"p- provide for you," Rick responded.

"You belong to me! Right?!"

"Right," it was a low whisper, but, thank god, it was enough.

Lilith took a deep breath, trying to gather herself. She had almost let her guilt and anxiety get the best of her. She wanted to interfere.

"Right," Her father repeated. He let go of Rick's face, finally satisfied. "That. . ." he pointed into the man's face, "is the look I wanted to see!" He stood up, taking the ax with him. "We did it. . . all of us, together. . . even the dead guys on the ground! Hell, they get the spirit award for sure! Today was a productive damn day!"

Lilith watched the faces of Rick's people fill with grim relief as they realized it was finally over. . . somewhat. But she knew what was coming next.

"Now, I hope, for all your sakes, that you get it now. . . that you understand how things work. However, just in case you don't . . ." he turned towards his daughter, motioning her over to him. She complied and walked over to him, ". . . I am going to send my wonderful daughter with you to where ever it is you call home."

Lilith leaned into her father's side, somewhat exhausted from the graphic events that had just occurred over the last few hours.

"And don't worry, this isn't special punishment, this is standard routine. Sometimes people, in the early stages of our partnership, like to try things. She's just gonna stay with you until our first pick up, just to keep on eye on you all. And hey, she may be a kid, but boy is she capable of killing every single one of you. So, don't try anything. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you, that is over now." He sighed in satisfaction. "Dwight," he shouted, "load him up," he gestured to the man who had punched him earlier, resulting in the death of Maggie's husband.

Dwight obeyed, throwing the man into the van he had arrived in, and slamming the door's shut. Negan laughed.

"He's got guts," he told Rick, bending to his level again, "not a little bitch like someone I know. I like him. He's mine now. You still wanna try something? "Not today, not tomorrow" Not today, not tomorrow? I will cut pieces off of. . . hell's his name?"

Simon looked at the van for a moment, then turned back to Negan, "Daryl."

"Wow, that actually sounds right! I will cut pieces off of Daryl. . . and put 'em on your doorstep. Or, better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me." He stood with a groan, "Welcome to a brand new beginning, you sorry shits! I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. You're gonna need it to cart all the stuff you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week until then, get me some shit and don't mess with my daughter. Ta ta!" He tosses the ax over his shoulder, walking to his own vehicle.

Lilith goes with him, and they stop before he enters it. With a sigh, Negan pulled his daughter to his chest, resting his chin on her head. She reciprocated the hug.

"Be careful, Lil," her father told her.

"Always."

"I love you."

"I know."

Her dad pulled back and gave her a disapproving look and she chuckled, "I love you too."

He kissed the top of her hair, then climbed into the vehicle. Lilith watched as it pulled away, followed by the rest of the saviors.

With a deep breath she turned to Rick and his people. This was actually her favorite part of the job. No one else but her. She truly was in charge. She got to be herself. . . somewhat.

She still had to be her father's daughter but, in instances like this, she didn't mind us much.

"Alrighty, y'all are troopers! Ima give you sometime to yourselves, let you gather yourselves, and your dead, and then we'll be on our way!" She was met with silence. No one looked her in the eye. No one except for Carl, who sent her an icy glare. "Ok then, I'll wait in the RV. . . chop, chop."

She stepped into it, shutting the door with a huff. She rubbed her hands on her face and shook her head, trying to wake herself up.

She plopped herself into the passenger seat in the front, resting her feet on the dashboard. Images of her father bashing the skulls of those men replayed in her mind. She repeatedly shook her head, trying to think about something else.

The group climbed into the RV, and Rick began to drive off. Lilith noticed the truck her father had left them going in the opposite direction.

"You're not being stupid, are you?"

Rick looked at her with the same expression he had with her dad, "Maggie, uh, is sick. Sasha's taking her to Hilltop. They're gonna bury our friends there."

Lilith nodded. "Ok," her voice was gentle, which surprised Rick, but her face didn't show remorse. She couldn't be too kind just yet. She needed them to understand that she had her father's authority. And that didn't happen with hugs and condolences.

That happened with power and fear. Her father's way.

Father's daughter.

~~~

word count: 3652

a/n

ANOTHER ONE. told y'all I was finally getting motivated.

anywho, yes I skipped the gore, cry about it. It didn't feel necessary for the story. y'all know what happens, y'all know who dies.

I'm so excited for the story to progress.

also again, plz follow my tiktok for this book:

y'all r awesome. please don't be silent readers though <3

much love,
Chloe