twd: the last silence

Chapter 51

Axel was done now.

No more rage.

No more fire.

No more war.

He just sat there.

Right in the middle of the ruined hive — blood, snow, ash around him — eyes blank, head tilted slightly to the side like he was listening to something only he could hear.

Simon stood a few feet away, still trembling. His hands clenched, his heart pounding, and yet…

He was confused.

Angry — yes. Terrified — absolutely.

But mostly… confused.

This boy.

This demon. This thing that turned the hive into hell.

He wasn't even breathing like a human anymore.

And now? He just sat.

No words.

No threat.

No fight.

Simon turned to his men — the five man who came with him.

"Grab him," he ordered.

No one moved.

They looked at him. At each other.

Then back at Axel.

And they remembered.

They remembered that scream.

The sound that came from somewhere deeper than lungs or soul — a scream from the abyss.

They nearly pissed themselves when they heard it.

And now?

Now he was quiet.

That was worse.

"No way," one of them muttered. "No way I'm touching that freak."

Another stepped back.

A third wouldn't even meet Simon's eyes.

Simon got it.

He was afraid too.

But he looked again at Axel.

He saw the truth.

The boy was done.

Whatever was burning in him… it was ashes now.

That fire — that rage that killed so many — it was gone.

And now he was just a broken statue in the middle of a graveyard.

So Simon took a breath.

Walked forward.

Knelt.

And grabbed Axel by the neck — not rough, not gentle — just firm enough to pull him up.

Axel didn't resist.

Didn't speak.

Didn't look at him.

Simon dragged him to the car like dead weight.

Threw him in the backseat and slammed the door.

He turned back to his men.

"Let's go."

This time, they obeyed.

Silently. Quickly.

They didn't look back at the hive.

Didn't look at the bodies.

Didn't speak.

One by one, they got in their vehicles and followed Simon.

And just like that — they left the ruins behind.

Headed for the Sanctuary.

Back to Negan.

Back to the real world.

But no one said it aloud…

They all felt it.

They weren't bringing Axel back to the Sanctuary.

They were bringing the storm.

---

The truck doors slammed shut.

Dust rose behind them as Simon and his men pulled into the Sanctuary. It had been a quiet ride, heavy with something none of them had words for. The air was thick with the aftermath of something monstrous. And even with Axel unconscious in the back, none of the men dared to speak.

Negan stood at the edge of the loading bay, bathed in sunlight like a man carved from shadow and steel. His leather jacket gleamed, Lucille resting gently on his shoulder.

"Well, well," he said with a grin. "I don't see any damn trucks loaded with food or ammo. No happy-ass Nomads skipping behind you with their tribute. What I do see…" He paused as Axel was hauled from the vehicle, bloody, quiet, and expressionless. "...is one creepy-lookin' son of a bitch with red all over him like he just walked through a meat grinder."

Simon didn't speak immediately. His face was pale beneath the beard, his eyes sunken. The others lingered near the truck, unsure if they should follow him or vanish into the background.

Negan raised a brow. "Simon. Tell me. Where the hell is Alice? Where are my goddamn supplies?"

Simon swallowed, eyes flicking to Axel—who sat down on the pavement, spine straight, face pointed at the ground.

"Gone," Simon said hoarsely. "All of it. Gone."

Negan stepped down, his boots hitting the concrete with purpose. He stood in front of Simon, smiling the way a man smiles before pulling teeth out with pliers.

"Gone?" Negan repeated. "You mean the hive is empty?"

"Empty is a soft word," Simon muttered. "There's nothing left. Just corpses. Burnt buildings. Pieces of people."

Negan's grin faded.

"Start talking, Simon. From the beginning."

Simon rubbed a hand down his face. "It was supposed to be a routine trip. Like always. You know me. I go to see her... I mean, to collect. We get in, we get out. Done deal."

Negan smirked. "Go to see her, huh? You mean Alice?"

Simon didn't answer. He looked down. Negan caught it but let him keep going.

"This time... this time it wasn't like that. We got to the hive, and it was… Jesus, boss. It was a graveyard. Blood in the sand, heads on pikes, smoke still in the air. Like hell had a party and forgot to clean up."

"And?"

"We heard screaming. From Alice's house."

Negan raised a brow. "So you ran in to save your little lovebird?"

Simon clenched his jaw. "Yeah. I ran in. I wish I didn't."

Negan tilted his head. "What did you see?"

Simon was quiet for too long. When he spoke, his voice cracked.

"I saw her... or what was left. No eyes. No lips. Her face was—" he stopped, breathing through his nose. "She had no skin. Nails hammered into her skull. Arms and legs gone. Just… just meat and breath. And him—" He pointed at Axel, who still hadn't moved. "—he was standing over her. Calm. Like he was painting a picture."

Negan blinked, slowly. The air around them went cold despite the sun.

"You're telling me," he said softly, "that this boy—this quiet, sorry-looking son of a bitch—did that? To Alice?"

Simon nodded. "I kicked him. Threw him across the room. Didn't stop him. He came back and stuck a nail in her head right in front of me. Then…" Simon shivered. "He put a finger in her socket, wiped the blood off, and put it to my lips. Told me—"

Negan narrowed his eyes. "Told you what?"

Simon's mouth felt dry. "Told me, 'Don't speak. She's trying to sleep.'"

A long silence fell.

Negan looked at Axel again. The boy wasn't shaking. Wasn't crying. Wasn't smiling.

He was nothing.

"Well, holy hell," Negan muttered. "That's some fucked up poetry."

He turned around and started pacing, Lucille swinging gently on his shoulder.

"I knew the Nomads were dirty. I knew Alice was a twisted bitch with ambition in her blood. But this?" He turned back to Simon. "What the hell pushed him to do that?"

Simon shook his head. "I don't know. But she did something to him. Something deep. He wasn't killing her for fun. This wasn't chaos for the sake of it. It was personal. Like revenge… no, not revenge. Like wrath wearing human skin."

Negan walked over to Axel and crouched down, resting Lucille between them.

"You killed her?" he asked softly.

Axel smiled. Softly. Not warm. Not cruel. Just... empty.

Then he said:

"She killed my family.

My father.

My mother.

And she killed my little brother—not just killed.

She cut off his arms.

His legs.

And put so many holes in his chest using a knife…"

Silence.

The kind of silence that swallows men whole.

Negan's face didn't move for several seconds. Then he slowly stood up, looking at Simon.

"Well shit," he said. "Guess it wasn't about supplies, was it?"

Simon shook his head. "No."

Negan looked back at Axel. His voice changed—low, almost admiring.

"You finished it, huh? Gave the devil what she gave your kin?"

Axel didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Negan smiled. A dark, dangerous kind of smile.

"And now?" Negan asked. "You get your payback?"

Axel nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Feel better?"

Axel looked up. "No."

Negan studied his face. That void. That nothingness.

"I've seen killers," he said. "Seen monsters. Hell, I've made monsters. But you?" He exhaled. "You're something else, kid."

He stood up and turned to Simon. "No supplies. No allies. Just this kid and a pile of corpses. That's what I'm getting today?"

Simon nodded. "That's all that's left."

Negan cracked a grin again—crooked and unnerving.

"Then congratulations," he said, clapping once. "We've just inherited a demon."

Simon frowned. "What do we do with him?"

Negan turned and walked into the Sanctuary, voice loud and amused. "We don't kill him, that's for damn sure. You think bullets scare someone like that? Hell no. We use him."

Simon hesitated. "Use him how?"

Negan stopped and looked back.

"However we fucking want."

And behind them, Axel sat in silence, eyes on the sun as if waiting for it to burn him away.

---

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