forty

The air was thick with tension as Ariana, Michonne, and Carol made their way back through the woods, the distant sounds of birds and the rustling of leaves providing an eerie sense of calm.

Ariana's mind was still reeling from their confrontation, the harsh truths they had delivered ringing in her ears.

She walked slightly behind them, feeling the weight of their words on her shoulders. Negan didn't care about her. He had never cared. He was a monster, and she had been foolish to believe otherwise.

But as much as she wanted to distance herself from him, her heart still ached with the betrayal. She wasn't sure what hurt more... his manipulation or the fact that she had been so willing to believe it.

Michonne glanced back, her eyes scanning the surroundings with a sharpness that never faded, even during moments of relative calm.

"Keep your head up, Ariana." She said in a firm but quiet voice. "The Saviours don't just lurk at their outposts. They could be anywhere."

Ariana nodded, forcing herself to focus. The walk back to Hilltop wasn't far, but every step felt heavy. The silence between them grew, tension simmering beneath the surface. The forest seemed to close in on them, the branches overhead casting long shadows across the path.

Carol, always the more intuitive of the two, slowed her pace until she was walking alongside Ariana.

"You okay?" She asked, her tone less accusatory than it had been earlier but still filled with that sharp edge of pragmatism.

Ariana bit her lip, trying to ignore the knot of guilt in her stomach. "I'm fine. Just... processing."

Carol's eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing more. She didn't need to. Ariana knew Carol's patience only extended so far, and she wasn't in the mood for more lectures. Not yet, at least.

Suddenly, Michonne stopped dead in her tracks, raising a hand to signal silence. Ariana's heart raced as she strained her ears, trying to hear what had caught Michonne's attention.

Footsteps. They were faint but unmistakable. And they were coming from multiple directions.

Before Ariana could react, the bushes rustled violently to their left, and out of the foliage, three men in black leather jackets burst through, their faces hard and eyes gleaming with cruel intent. Saviours.

Michonne and Carol immediately drew their weapons, Michonne's katana flashing in the sunlight, while Carol gripped her gun, her stance steady and ready. But there was no time for a fight.

One of the men, taller and broader than the others, lunged forward and grabbed Ariana by the arm, yanking her away from Michonne and Carol before either of them could react. Ariana struggled, twisting and kicking, but the man's grip was like iron.

"We don't want a fight!" The man growled, holding Ariana tight as she fought against him. "Negan's looking for her. He wants her back."

The words made Ariana's blood run cold. Negan was looking for her? Why? After everything he'd said, after all the lies, why would he care where she went?

"Let her go!" Carol barked, raising her gun, her finger twitching dangerously close to the trigger.

The other two Saviour's quickly raised their own weapons, rifles aimed at Michonne and Carol.

"Don't be stupid." One of them sneered. "We've got orders. Negan wants her. And if you try anything, we'll take you down too."

Michonne's jaw tightened, but she didn't lower her sword.

"If you take her." She said in a low, deadly voice. "You won't make it out of these woods alive."

The man holding Ariana chuckled darkly, his grip tightening as she squirmed in his grasp. "Don't think you're in a position to make threats, lady. Negan's not gonna be happy if she's hurt. We're doing this clean."

Ariana's mind raced. If they took her back to Negan, she didn't know what he would do. She had seen the cruelty he was capable of, and the thought of being dragged back into his control filled her with dread. But there was something else beneath that fear... confusion. Why would he send people for her if he didn't care?

"Why does he want me?" Ariana spat, her voice trembling with both fear and anger. "He doesn't even care about me!"

The man's grip on her arm loosened slightly, just enough for him to look at her with a twisted grin.

"Negan doesn't like his property wandering off. You've still got a place in his little world, sweetheart. You're coming back, whether you like it or not."

"She's not going anywhere." Carol snapped, stepping forward, her gun still aimed squarely at the man's head. "I don't care what orders you think you've got. Negan isn't here to protect you."

Michonne moved in closer too, her eyes locked on the men, daring them to make the wrong move. But the Saviors didn't flinch. They were confident, too confident. Ariana could see it in their eyes. They didn't think Michonne and Carol would risk shooting. Not when the odds were even, not when Ariana was in the middle of it.

One of the men let out a low whistle. "You don't get it, do you?" He gestured toward Ariana with the barrel of his gun. "Negan wants her alive. And if you try to stop us, you're the ones who'll end up dead. So why don't you make it easy on yourselves and walk away?"

Michonne and Carol exchanged a glance, their faces hard, but Ariana could sense the conflict brewing beneath their calm exterior. They were outnumbered, and while Michonne and Carol were skilled fighters, the risk was high. If a shootout started, Ariana could be caught in the crossfire.

Ariana's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to think, tried to figure out a way to escape. She couldn't go back. She wouldn't. But with the man's hand clamped tightly on her arm, her options felt limited. Her gaze flicked between Michonne and Carol, desperate for some kind of sign, some kind of plan.

Then, in a flash, Carol's voice broke the tense silence.

"You think you're going to just walk out of here with her?" She asked, her tone suddenly calm, almost chilling in its precision. "We know where you're taking her. And Negan won't get the chance to lay a finger on her before we burn that place to the ground."

The Saviours' leader hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his eyes for just a split second. It was all Michonne needed.

With lightning speed, she lunged, her katana slicing through the air. The blade caught the man closest to her in the leg, sending him crashing to the ground with a howl of pain. At the same time, Carol fired a single shot, grazing the shoulder of the man holding Ariana, forcing him to release her.

Ariana stumbled back, her heart racing, but she didn't waste time. She ducked low, running toward Michonne and Carol, adrenaline surging through her veins. The Saviours were shouting now, scrambling to regroup, but Michonne was already moving again, her katana flashing in the sunlight as she cut down the second man before he could raise his gun.

"Run!" Carol barked, grabbing Ariana by the arm and pulling her forward.

Ariana didn't hesitate. She sprinted, her legs burning as she followed Carol through the trees, the sound of gunfire echoing behind them as Michonne kept the Saviors at bay.

Ariana's heart pounded in her chest as she tore through the trees, her breath coming in sharp, painful bites. But no matter how fast her legs carried her, the sound of heavy boots pounding the ground behind her grew louder.

Carol was at her side, her grip firm on Ariana's arm as they sprinted through the dense underbrush. The crack of gunfire still echoed in the distance where Michonne fought off the remaining Saviours, but it wasn't enough. They were too close.

Ariana felt the sharp tug of panic in her chest. She couldn't get caught.

She couldn't go back to Negan.

Suddenly, she stumbled, her foot catching on a root. She went down hard, hitting the forest floor with a painful thud. Carol skidded to a stop, immediately reaching down to pull her up, but it was too late.

A strong hand grabbed the back of Ariana's shirt, yanking her to her feet with brutal force. She cried out, trying to twist free, but the grip was unrelenting. Carol swung around, raising her gun, but before she could fire, another Saviour tackled her to the ground.

"Let go of me!" Ariana screamed, kicking wildly as she struggled against the man dragging her backward.

Carol fought viciously, but she was outnumbered. The Saviours had swarmed around them, and Ariana's heart sank as she saw one of them raise the butt of his rifle and slam it into Carol's side. Carol grunted in pain, her body crumpling under the blow.

"No!" Ariana shouted, her voice hoarse with desperation. She kicked out again, this time landing a solid hit to the man's shin. He cursed and jerked her arm painfully, pulling her closer.

"Enough!" He growled, spinning her around and slamming her back against a tree. The force knocked the breath from her lungs, and before she could catch it, he twisted her arms behind her and bound her wrists with thick, rough rope.

Ariana gasped for air, her vision blurring as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She could hear Carol groaning, still struggling on the ground, but the fight was slipping from her. They were outmatched.

The man shoved Ariana forward, pushing her through the trees toward the road. A black truck idled there, its engine rumbling ominously. The back was open, waiting.

"Negan's been looking for you, sweetheart."The man said, his voice thick with satisfaction. "Don't worry, you'll be back where you belong soon enough."

Ariana thrashed again, refusing to be compliant. "I'm not going back!" She spat, her voice thick with fear and defiance. "I don't belong to him!"

The man just laughed, tightening his grip on her arm as he dragged her toward the truck. "You think you get a choice in this? You're coming back, whether you like it or not."

With one final shove, he threw her into the back of the truck. Ariana hit the metal floor hard, pain radiating through her ribs as she rolled to the side. Before she could gather herself, the door slammed shut, plunging her into darkness.

She lay there, gasping, her wrists burning from the rope cutting into her skin. She kicked at the door, shouting for help, but her voice was swallowed by the roar of the engine as the truck lurched into motion.

Ariana's mind raced, her heart pounding in her chest. She had escaped Negan once, but now she was being dragged back to him. All the warnings, all the truths Michonne and Carol had hammered into her, came rushing back.

Negan didn't care about her. She was just another tool to him, something to be used and discarded.

And now she was heading right back into his clutches.

Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes, but she bit them back, refusing to let them fall. She wouldn't let him break her, not again. She had to find a way out. She had to.

The truck bounced over the rough road, and Ariana rolled with the motion, trying to get a sense of where they were going. But all she could hear was the low murmur of the engine and the distant voices of the men driving the truck.

As the minutes dragged on, Ariana's mind raced through every possible escape plan, but with her hands tied and the truck speeding away from Carol and Michonne, hope felt like it was slipping through her fingers.

And then, the truck began to slow.

Panic surged in Ariana's chest. If they were stopping, it could only mean one thing: she was about to be delivered back to Negan.