Chapter 1: Leaders and Ladders

Andy stomped onto the black pavement with her black combat boots. She never slowed down. Not even after a fight. She turned around to look at her massive group and slightly smiled. They had only lost one member of the group in a battle with about fifty biters. She knew that feeling relieved was sort of an asshole way of thinking, but coming out of a fight like that and still having about thirty people was sort of amazing to her. Andy's long, wavy black hair blew against her face in the fall wind. She looked to her left and saw Casey, her best friend. Casey was Andy's best friend even before the world went to shit. Casey was a blonde preppy girl who was the exact opposite of Andy. Andy was slender and pale while Casey was curvy and tan. But they somehow complemented each other. They always had.

"The crowd is getting tired. We have to find somewhere to crash." Casey warned Andy. Andy stopped and looked behind her. She tucked her long hair back behind her ear and sighed. Andy was not used to being leader, but she was damn good at it. Their camp had been over-run about a month back. It was a shame, they had a nice set up. Andy's father had been torn apart by biters which made Andy the assumed leader of the large group. Their community was double was it was a month ago, but shit happens in the apocalypse. Andy looked around and slid her machete into its holster on her hip.

"Alright. You, me and Jordan can go out looking for a place." Andy said as she turned her attention to the crowd behind her. Luckily, there weren't any kids in their group. Mostly just twenty somethings and a few middle aged guys. "As for everyone else, I want you to stay put. If any biters or aggressors come this way, you know what to do." Andy yelled. Andy motioned for Jordan and Casey to follow her. Jordan was a tall, handsome kid who was not the brightest but not the dumbest. He was only twenty years old which seemed so young to Andy even though she was only six years older than him. The trio walked through the woods for what seemed like hours before they finally came across an abandoned two story cabin. Andy motioned for Casey and Jordan to be at the ready when she swiftly flew the door open. Aside from a couple rogue biters, the cabin wasn't a bad hideout. For now. Casey and Jordan offered to go retrieve the rest of the group while Andy started searching for food. She found some canned beans and pineapple that luckily hadn't expired. After an hour of getting food and blankets together, Andy heard the rest of the group come in. Sadly because of Andy's temper, the group mostly avoided her as much as possible. She was not afraid to kill who she needed to. Her body count wasn't huge but it wasn't small. If she saw a threat, she handled it. When Andy's father died, something inside of her snapped and her humanity was mostly gone. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She sort of liked it this way.

Once her group had settled in, Andy decided to survey the perimeter of the cabin first. Just to make sure that there weren't any random biters walking around. Andy held her machete close and breathed in the autumn night. Suddenly, Andy heard a branch snap behind her. She whirled around but saw nothing. She heard nothing. No groans from a biter, no other twigs snapping. Andy walked cautiously to investigate but before she could approach the area, Jordan called out to her softly.

"Hey Andy, we need you in here." He said as quietly as he could. Andy nodded and stuck her weapon back in it's sleeve. Little did Andy know, she was being watched.

The next morning, Andy and her group had already started out on the road to search for permanent lodgings. The air was getting colder at a faster pace. Andy knew they had to find something quick. Casey and Jordan were beside Andy and kept her pace. The group behind them was mostly quiet. Then, Andy heard shuffling in the woods next to them. Andy paused and looked around. Casey and Jordan looked at her confused. Before Andy could explain what she heard, shots were being fired. Andy and the remaining group members that hadn't been shot, got down low to the ground. Andy felt a sharp pain in her arm and shortly yelped. A bullet had grazed her arm. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the shots stopped. Andy stood up as she saw a sea of men emerge from the woods. Andy was now eye to eye with a tall man who was half balding.

"Well look at you darlin'. Aren't you a pretty one?" the man said as he circled her.

"Prettier than you." Andy said sarcastically. The man bellowed with laughter and stopped as he faced her. "Who are you and what do you want?" Andy asked as she gritted her teeth. Her group was now cut in half because of this prick.

"Well in answer to the first question, my name is Simon. Let me guess, you are….sugar tits!" Simon cackled. The other members of his pack laughed along with him. Andy folded her arms.

"The name is Andy douche bag." Andy replied. Simon stopped laughing and his smile faded. He scratched his head and put a hand on his hip.

"I see. Well Andy, we are here to take all of your shit." Simon said sternly. Andy laughed.

"Uh huh. Too bad we don't have anything." Andy said as she smirked. She wasn't afraid of backwoods trash.

"Nothing huh? I guess we will see. Tony? Search her." Simon ordered as he turned around. A husky man approached Andy.

"You're not touching me." Andy growled. Tony laughed and reached out to grab Andy. Andy jerked her arm down and grabbed her machete. With one swift swing, Andy had sliced Tony's forearm off. Tony started screaming and flopping on the ground. The remaining group members pulled out their weapons and preyed the ammo had run out on the other side.

"Are you kidding me?! You are a stupid broad." Simon bellowed. Before Andy could think, someone had come up behind her and taken her machete. They held her arms back as she tried to fight. The rest of the group had been contained. They were fucked.

Andy and her group were led to a giant compound that was guarded with tall metal walls. There were wooden pikes surrounding the outer wall with biters stationed on each one. Andy was kicked onto her knees along with everyone else of hers. Andy jolted her head to move her hair out of her face, then she saw a shorter man with shoulder length blonde hair emerge from the compound gate. Andy couldn't help but notice a tall, handsome man walking in front of the shorter one. This guy had salt and pepper facial hair and slicked back black hair. His jeans held low on his sculpted body and his leather jacket complemented his eyes. Andy shook away her thoughts of how hot this dude was and focused. The man smiled a devilish grin and stared Andy down.

"What the hell do we have here fellas?" The man exclaimed. Simon approached him and gave him Andy's machete.

"Bitch cut off Tony's arm. He ended up bleedin' out before we could make it here." Simon whispered to the man.

"Oh did she? Well that wasn't very fuckin' nice!" The man said as he approached Andy. Casey shivered next to her and whimpered. "Why did you cut Tony's arm off, beautiful?" the man asked.

"No man touches me without my permission." Andy said smirking. The man roared a sarcastic laugh.

"I see. I like that. A strong woman is always sexy as hell. Where are my manners? I'm Negan. What's your name gorgeous?" Negan asked as he kneeled down to Andy's level.

"Andy." She spat out.

"Andy? I like it. It's a lot better than those dumb generic names women seem to have nowadays. Well the thing is Andy, you pretty much killed on of my guys. Not cool. Not fuckin' cool at all. So I would say we probably need to make it even, yeah? Lucille here? She will straighten everything out." Negan said as he showed off a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it. "Hmm, who is Lucille gonna play with today?! So many choices!" Negan cackled. He snaked his way down to a younger couple, Lindsey and Evan. Andy didn't know them well. Just that they were from Florida, just like her. Negan laughed and suddenly struck Evan on the head with his bat. Lindsey screamed a blood curdling scream as Negan landed each blow to Evan's skull. Andy gritted her teeth. Once Negan had bashed in Evan's brains to mush, he pulled Andy to her feet gently.

"Now, let's have a chat darlin'. Just you and me. What do ya say?" asked Negan. Andy nodded slowly. Negan wrapped an arm around Andy's neck and led her to the compound. Andy heard the other men ordering her group to get up and follow. "Okay now I have some questions Andy. Do you all have some sort of safe zone? Or are you drifters?" Negan asked.

"Drifters." Andy growled.

"Ah okay. Well how about you all come and live here with us? You can work for me! Well, your group can work for me. You on the other hand, I have a whole different proposition for you." Negan said suggestively.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Andy asked.

"Let's go somewhere where we can talk alone." Negan said as he led Andy to a large warehouse. Andy looked back and saw Casey looking desperately at her as they ushered her and the group into another warehouse. Negan led Andy to a nice room that had black leather couches and a four post bed. It was the nicest room Andy had seen in a long time. Negan motioned for Andy to sit on the couch and he sat closely next to her.

"So listen doll. I'm sorry I had to do that in front of ya. But eye for an eye right? You get that don't you?" Negan asked as he put a hand on Andy's leg.

"Yeah. I get it." Andy growled. "So can you just get to the point? What do you want me to do?" Andy asked. Negan smiled.

"Direct and to the point. No bullshit. I like that. Well darlin', here is the deal. The way things work in my house is, you earn your keep. Now, I pick and choose who does what job. But I am gonna give you a choice. You can either go out and find me shit or be my woman." Negan said light heartedly. Andy snapped her head up to look at him.

"Excuse me?" Andy asked.

"Well, one of my women at least. I have seven other so called wives. You'll get along fine with em'." Negan said as he smiled at Andy. Andy laughed which confused Negan.

"I would rather find and bring you shit." Andy said.

"Right. Well, let's give it a couple weeks and maybe i'll grow on ya. If not, you can be one of my little shoppers. How about that?" Negan replied.

"Why me? I have a feeling you aren't this nice to all of your prisoners. Plus out of all of the women in my group, I am by far the least good looking. You could have any of them out there." Andy asked. She wanted Casey to be have this title. Casey wouldn't make it out in the real world. Andy had saved her from countless biters.

"Well, let's just say there is somethin' about you I am havin' a hard fuckin' time resisting." Negan said smiling an evil grin. Just then, he gripped her chin and pulled it to him. "And don't let me ever hear you say you aren't somethin' pretty to look at. Got it?" Negan whispered. She could feel his hot breath mixing with hers. He smelled like cigars and whiskey but it shockingly made Andy's legs tingle. Andy nodded and Negan trailed his vision from Andy's mouth to her eyes.

"Good girl. Now, let's go show you where you'll be stayin' at." Negan said as he lifted Andy to her feet. Andy followed Negan and got lost in thought. She was beyond pissed that this is where they ended up, but it was the first time they had been relatively safe in so long. Negan opened two white double doors and women in black dresses were all sitting around. They straightened when Negan walked in. Negan approached one of them and kissed her deeply. She didn't seem to like it as much as he did. Andy had a disgusted look on her face.

"Ladies, this is Andy. She is the newest addition. Hopefully. Show her the fuck around? Make sure she dresses like she is fuckin' supposed to?" Negan asked the one he kissed. The woman nodded and Negan turned back to Andy.

"I will see you later darlin'." Negan said. Andy got a familiar feeling of lust in her bones but simply ignored it. She was supposed to hate this man. The taller woman that Negan kissed approached Andy.

"Hi Andy. I'm Sherry. This is Amber. That's Lacey. This is Charlotte, Katie, Stephanie and Ashlynn. Girls this is Andy." Sherry announced. The ladies smiled and said hello, except for Ashlynn. She eyed Andy like she was competition. "Charlotte, will you grab Andy a black dress out of the closet? Size 2 I believe?" Sherry asked. Andy nodded.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Andy asked. Sherry smiled.

"I worked at a department store before all of this happened. Come on, let's get you to your room." Sherry said as she led Andy to the ajoining hallway. Sherry opened the last white door at the end of the hall and Andy was taken back. The room was painted a dark purple and the bed was a silver accent. The room was gorgeous and had a vanity table.

"Wow." Andy said.

"Yeah. He takes care of us for sure. If there is anything you need, just let one of us know. I will leave you to it." Sherry said as she met Charlotte at the door. Charlotte had gotten Andy a faux leather dress that did not leave much to the imagination. "Oh thanks Charlotte. Here, this should do it. There are some heels in the closet. All different types of sizes, so whichever you prefer. We will be out here in the lounge if you want to come and hang out." Sherry said.

"Hey Sherry?" Andy asked. Sherry responded with a low hmm. "What if I don't fuck him. Then what?" Andy asked. Sherry sighed.

"Nothing major. But he will most likely kick you out of here, along with your group. But, can I make a suggestion? Maybe give it a chance? I know it's not ideal, but Negan, he does take care of us. And if you take care of him, he will make sure you and your group have everything you need. He's not all bad." Sherry forced herself to say.

"Are you into him?" Andy asked. Sherry looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"No. None of us are. Well except for Ashlynn. She definitely is. But the rest of us, our husbands or boyfriends are all still out in the compound. Working." Sherry said with a sad face.

"My God. I'm sorry." Andy said.

"Don't be. I would rather be his whore than Dwight getting hurt again. Anyway, you take your time and let me know if you need anything. Just keep in mind, Negan will never force himself on you. He doesn't do that. But he will want your attention. When he comes by, we all have to be in the lounge so he can pick. But at night, if he wants you, he will knock just once. I suggest you let him in. It will make life a lot easier for you." Sherry said smiling. Andy nodded as Sherry left and shut the door. Andy pulled on the skanky, skin tight dress and went to the closet for shoes. She placed her combat boots in the corner and noticed a pair of low top Chuck Taylors sitting in the other corner. She picked them up and saw they were size 7's. Exactly her size. She shoved them on and walked out into the lounge. The women looked at her sideways.

"Um, Andy, where are your heels?" Sherry asked.

"I don't do heels." Andy replied smiling. Sherry and the other girls laughed quietly. Except for Ashlynn.

"Oh I get it. Little miss newbie doesn't play by the rules. That should go over well." Ashlynn said with an sharp attitude. Andy looked over.

"No, little miss newbie just doesn't take anyone's shit. No one's." Andy implied. Ashlynn rolled her eyes and went to her bedroom, slamming the door shut.

"Ignore her. She is just threatened by you." Katie said.

"Why?" Andy scoffed.

"It's pretty obvious Negan is really into you. Like more so than anyone. We can tell just by how he looks at you." Amber responded.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean…." Andy started.

"No no! WE don't mind. To be honest, I can't stand him. But I have to keep Mark safe. So I tolerate him." Amber said. Andy nodded and sat down on the sofa. Just then, the scarred man came in. Sherry straightened and looked at him with intense eyes. That must be her husband, Dwight.

"Excuse me ladies, I have to steal Andy. Negan's orders." Dwight said. Andy got up and followed Dwight down the hall to Negan's quarters. Dwight made Andy sit down.

"Just sit here. He will be with you in a second." Dwight said as he left and shut the door behind him. Andy looked around and heard a shower turn off. Moments later, Negan had emerged from the steamy bathroom in nothing but a towel which was wrapped perfectly around his cut waist. His hair was wet and spiky and his chest was glistening from the water. Andy's heart skipped and for a moment, forgot why she hated this guy so much.

"Ah, well good evening doll face. Let me take a fuckin' look at ya." Negan said. Andy willingly stood up and and folded her tiny arms. Negan growled and bit his lip.

"Very nice. I like the shoes. Nice touch." Negan said as he went back into the bathroom. He didn't bother shutting the door but Andy couldn't see anything. He came back out in a pair ot jeans and no shirt. Andy's skin started to twitch.

"What are you going to do with my group?" Andy asked.

"Well, the one girl, uh what the fuck is her name?" Negan asked.

"Lindsey." Andy replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah that one, she is heavily sedated right now. She had a fuckin' break down so my medical team put her to sleep for now. The rest of em' are fine. All fine." Negan responded. "So have you given any thought to uh, my proposal so to speak?" Negan asked not breaking his smile.

"Why would I want to do anything you asked me to? I fucking hate you." Andy said. Negan laughed slightly and snaked his way to her.

"Do ya now? You've only known me for a few hours. Maybe I'll fuckin' grow on ya?" Negan said as he towered over Andy. He moved behind her and pressed himself up against her which made Andy involuntarily let out a small moan. "Or maybe, you already kinda like me. You just don't want to fuckin' admit it. Hmm?" Negan whispered into Andy's ear as he snaked his arms around her waist. Something took over Andy and before she knew it, she turned around and crashed her lips to his. This man she barely knew and didn't particularly like was making her feel things she hadn't felt in a long time. Negan wrapped his arms around Andy's small frame and lifted her around him. Andy's dress rode up her legs as she entangled her legs around his hard torso. Negan sat down on the sofa with Andy still attached to him as he ran his hands all over her. Negan fought her tongue with his and smiled into her. He had won and he knew it. Andy didn't care. She just couldn't stop. Maybe she didn't want to either. Negan broke away from her and looked up at her.

"Wow." Negan whispered.

"Yeah." Andy said in a surprised tone. It's like they both figured out that they found their fucked up other half in each other. And it was a miracle.