Chapter 3
Whack! Dwight swung his machete at a walker's left arm is the limb fell to the ground. Dwight took another blow at the walker's right arm as it followed suite to the forest floor. The walker snarled at him viciously as Dwight took a deep breath and stared cautiously at the undead being's face as it grinded and gnashed its teeth. I'm starting to think you had it lucky, Dwight thought to himself.
Dwight took a final and tenacious swing to the walker's legs as the soulless creature fell flat on its back while it howled the whole way down. Satisfied with his work, Dwight looked around the forest in a frenzy but sheathed his machete upon seeing no more walker's to fight. He reached behind his back to retrieve his crossbow that was firmly strapped across his shoulder. He watched as other Saviors searched around the area for more walkers and signaled for several of the men to collect his walker that he had finished for the Sanctuary's gate. As he ambled away to lean on a nearby tree, Dwight looked on as the men picked his walker up and headed to the truck filled with other walker parts. With the new addition to the fence encircling around the mill, Negan insisted that they need more camouflage for the expansion. Dwight didn't argue with the cleverness of Sanctuary's security system. It was the other methods of survival that the Saviors took a part in that he wasn't in favor of.
Negan's men weren't just on the lookout for more "fence parts." Negan also wanted more people for an army by any means necessary. Which could only mean that if the Saviors discovered a group, they would be forced to follow Negan or regretfully become a part of Sanctuary's fence.
One time when they were scouting, Dwight saw a small group of three before the other Saviors caught wind of them. Dwight motioned for them to run the other direction. They did so but a week later, he saw that same group of people at Hilltop. He couldn't decide whether he helped them or sealed their unfortunate fate. They were still under the heavy taxes of the Saviors.
Dwight sighed as he reached for a cigarette and lighter in his pocket. Dear Sherry, I started smoking when I realized I wasn't that scared of getting lung cancer, he thought to himself in response to Sherry's questioning in her letters. Also, when someone offered me a smoke, it was only ten degrees outside.
"Orlich!" Someone shouted. He turned to see it was Seth who was beckoning Dwight to come over. He saw several other Saviors circled around an object that he couldn't see clearly in the dim light as the sun started to set. "Get your ass over here!" Seth called again as Dwight sauntered over with little to no enthusiasm in his step.
As he got closer, Dwight saw the item of interest. He saw the Saviors circled around a dead deer. He observed it to see that it died fairly recent and didn't see any signs of bloating. Dwight still looked at it skeptically and wasn't the least bit appetized by it.
"What do you think?" Carson asked. With horn-rimmed glasses and a skinny build, Carson wasn't the most intimidating person. He didn't seem like the kind of person that wanted to be in Negan's band of miscreants. Dwight liked Carson because of their mutual distaste for what happened among the group of Saviors.
"Check for bites," Dwight stated the obvious and took another inhale of his nicotine. The men observed the deer closely as they turned the deer over and mutually gasped with disappointment. There was a walker bite near the rear of the corpse.
"Come on, guys," Dwight grumbled. "We aren't that desperate yet. We don't know how long that thing has been like this anyways."
"We were hoping the cold weather may have preserved it," Seth mumbled in defeat.
"What's this, gentlemen?" An obnoxious voice called from behind them. Dwight grunted with discontent as he knew the voice before he even saw the sorry excuse of a man. Negan approached them and threw his arm over Dwight's shoulder in a friendly manner as he looked to the deer with excitement. "Ah! You guys found Bambi's mom!" He exclaimed but saw the expression on everyone's face. "I'm guessing it's contaminated?"
Everyone nodded. "We want some meat!" Seth complained. "It's been weeks since we have caught decent game!"
"Calm the fuck down, Seth," Negan muttered under his breath. He looked at Dwight's cigarette in his mouth and nodded towards him. "Hey! Got another cigarette to share, my friend?"
Dwight gave him the side eye but pulled another cigarette out of his pocket with a lighter then handed them both to Negan. Negan took it greedily from Dwight's hands and lit the cigarette in a hasty manner. Dwight rolled his eyes in response and stepped away as he noticed his patience was always tried whenever Negan was in close proximity.
Without warning, they heard a loud explosion that resonated throughout the entire domain of the backwoods. It almost sounded like a bomb went off as Dwight crouched down low to cover himself as best of he could. The other Saviors did the same as they watched and waited for another sign of life.
Silence befell as the Saviors tried to stay as still as possible to hear any follow up noises that could have been connected to the blast. Dwight situated his crossbow on his back again as he nodded to Carson to throw a rifle his way. Carson stood up slowly and reached into the truck beside him and threw the gun while Dwight caught it effortlessly.
"Anyone have an idea where that came from?" Dwight heard Negan whisper behind him.
"It sounded like it came from the road up north," Carson said without hesitation. Dwight looked to Carson in question but realized immediately what he was doing. He was trying to steer Negan away from where the actual explosion took place. Carson was potentially saving a group from the Saviors.
"No. No, I think it came from the east over that hill," Seth said as he crawled to an open meadow area nearby to scope in the clear. He exclaimed a cheer as he pointed. "I was right! Look, boss! Smoke!" He barked. He stood up to point at the smoke rising above the tree line.
"Shut up, Seth!" Negan whispered angrily as loud as he could. "Do you want to tell the whole world we're here?"
Seth walked back to the rest of the group with a crestfallen face like a dog that was just reprimanded by his master. Dwight smirked at Seth's embarrassment. He didn't care that much for men like Seth.
"Alright, men! We will start marching in that direction," Negan ordered quietly. "When we get closer, we'll spread out and surround them. You know the drill."
Dwight stood up straight while throwing his cigarette to the ground and lightly stepped on it to extinguish the cooked bud. Dwight glanced up to see Negan approaching him as he tried to hide the annoyance as best as he could. "You ready?" Negan asked Dwight.
Dwight looked down to the snow and back up trying to hide the fury that he felt towards Negan. He feigned disinterest with a shrug. "As I will ever be," Dwight retorted under his breath.
"Someday you will see that what I do for Sanctuary and the Saviors is for the greater fucking good. Everyone is fed. Everyone has shelter. What more do you fuckers need, nowadays?" Negan asked with mild humor in his voice.
Freedom, Dwight thought. He knew expressing that statement out loud wouldn't make a world of difference.
…
The men started walking in the same direction that the smoke had come from. The fire that the smoke came from was still going strong as they continued their trek even after darkness crept over the land around them. Dwight decided to take up the rear of the group with a slower pace. Everyone else seemed to be blood thirsty. Negan's attitude seemed to spread like wildfire. All the men were as power hungry as he was with Negan's promises of ruling the new world. Most of the men wanted to take part in that supremacy. The other Saviors just kept their mouths shut so as not to trouble Negan. Everyone knew going against the Negan would only lead to their death.
Dwight looked down to watch his steps as they trekked through the forest. He hated being alone with his thoughts and memories to haunt him. His mind would seem to carry on past moments that were nagging him the most. He would sometimes let those moments replay in his head to let the emotion take control only so he could feel human again. Except the memory that played in his head as he walked behind the Saviors were the instances where he ceased to be untouched from the world. It was where he became the monster that he had become.
Dwight stood outside of where they kept Sherry in Sanctuary. They had only been there for a couple of days and Dwight hated it. He already had the conversation with Negan about what his intentions were for the group. Negan had planned to manipulate everyone to do as they were told as he pitted them against each other. If the group fell out of line, one of the members would meet their doom.
He had Dwight in his snares already. Negan knew Dwight's weakness before he even met him as he was spying on the conversation that Dwight and Sherry were having before Negan invaded their camp. Negan knew that Dwight cared for Sherry on a deeper level than friendship and that he would literally do anything to keep her safe.
He paced the hallway outside the room that she slept in. Several times, he opened the door to peek his head inside to see her still asleep. Each time that he checked on her, he couldn't help but linger his gaze before he left the room. She hadn't woken up since the night they were taken by the Saviors. As painful as it was to hope for something so somber, he almost hoped that she didn't wake up from her near lifeless state. She would finally be free from the torment that she felt in the world and wouldn't have to deal with the impending sorrow that Negan would bestow on her. As much as it pained Dwight to think about it, he knew it was in her best interest to just let go.
Dwight closed the door once more as he knelt to the ground and started to pray. He had only gone to church a handful of times when his mom dragged him and his brother along yet he decided to clasp his hands together and pray that Sherry would die on that bed. Even if it meant that he would never be with her and that he would be alone in an already lonely life.
Then he heard the sound of weeping on the other side of the door. Never had Dwight felt so torn in his life. He was thankful that she was alive but at the same, he had to go in her room and unwillingly take her soul away. He was the one that had to tell her about Negan's plan to use her as a pawn to keep everyone in check.
Suddenly, he didn't feel anything. Any emotion. He knew what had to be done. Even if it was the hardest thing he had to do. When he heard her sobbing stop, he stood up and put his hand on the doorknob and waited. He couldn't work up the nerve or heart to tell her. He rested his head on the doorway. You have to do this, Dwight, he said to himself. It's the only way your group can eventually get out of here. With that, he opened the door.
"Lost in your thoughts?" Negan said in front of him. Dwight stared at him with mild hostility as Negan only smiled and motioned Dwight to follow him. "Move on up to the front, Dwight. I need you there."
Dwight groaned with aggravation. He trailed behind Negan to the front of the line and walked beside the man with the barbed wire baseball bat. The sun was beginning to set and they were getting closer to where the smoke still billowed.
"Are you sure that you're ready for this, compadre?" Negan asked while glaring menacingly towards Dwight.
Dwight didn't respond as he knew what Negan was referring to. The last time they stumbled upon a group, the Saviors surrounded them with the cover of the night. Much like they did to Dwight's group from what seemed like ages ago. Negan gave orders for Dwight to shoot the man who was on night watch for his group. Dwight hesitated and tried to tell Negan that he couldn't do it. Negan wouldn't listen to his plea on behalf of the man's life. "You'll do what I ask. You know what the consequences are if you don't," Negan said to him that night. Dwight immediately thought of Sherry as he lifted his crossbow to aim at the innocent man as he pressed down on the trigger. The man slumped to the ground with a bolt protruding from his collar bone.
"Meh, I don't blame you. But you gotta learn that this is the way life is now. The strong survive while the weak are weeded out. Soon you have to figure out which one you are, Dwight," Negan explained. "Are you one of the strong ones that lives throughout all of us? Or are you fucking weak?"
Dwight shook his head as he didn't want to engage in a discussion with Negan. However, if Negan kept on rambling, he would eventually brag about spending time with Sherry. It was one of his favorite things to do only to try and get a rise out of Dwight.
"Think we are nearly finished with recruiting more Saviors? We have more than a hundred men. I would think that would be sufficient enough for an army," Dwight pointed out. "The more people we have, the more food we have to scavenge and grow from our crops."
"That's what Hilltop is for," Negan said assuredly. "They'll provide for us because they don't have any other choice."
"They haven't always been the best at their job," Dwight replied frankly. He didn't mean for it to sound like he was throwing Hilltop under the bus. He actually thought they did the best they could without guns to defend themselves. All they wanted to do was survive the wrath of Negan. However, some weeks they had fallen short of their duties. Dwight was always the one that had to make an example out of the people that Negan held responsible for the short comings. Without a doubt, it was his least favorite part of his job.
"Those fuckers will never learn, will they?" Negan muttered with disappointment. "You think they would get their act together."
Dwight thought about the man that he met in the court house when he was being tortured for trying to escape Sanctuary. The man named Paul Monroe. Dwight made a compromise with Negan that he would work for him on the condition that he would let Paul go free. Paul, who to Hilltop Colony referred to him as Jesus based on his similar looks, was now an integral part of Hilltop and was their security. He was almost their only security. Without him, Hilltop would have died out a long time ago. Every time Dwight saw him at their small community, they would exchange a look of recognition and mutual respect. But Dwight could see that high regard leave Paul's face whenever Negan had Dwight make an example of a member of Hilltop.
Negan shook his head as he looked at Dwight's demeanor with disappointment. "It's a tough business to live, nowadays. We have to make the fucking tough decisions. It's about time that you learn there is no other way around that harsh reality. Fuckin' man up and smell the coffee," Negan marched ahead as he left Dwight to walk several feet behind him. I guess the conversation is over, Dwight thought.
Dwight looked around at the other Saviors and spotted Takuya walking on the other side close to the front. He couldn't read any emotion on Takuya's face but already knew that was the look he made when he was drained. Dwight sauntered over towards Takuya who then glanced at him with a distant smile.
"How are you holding up, brother?" Dwight asked. Dwight's relationship with Takuya didn't gain traction until a couple of months ago when Takuya's best friend, Haruki, betrayed them. Since that day, the two men and Yolanda formed a bond that they otherwise wouldn't have had if they didn't end up living together in the same house.
"I am alright," Takuya answered unconvincingly. "You?"
Dwight shrugged. "What is there to say?" He replied dishearteningly.
Takuya looked both directions of him to see if anyone was within hearing distance then locked his gaze on Dwight. "We can't keep living like this," Takuya muttered only for Dwight to hear. "We need to find a way out again."
Dwight spoke often about escaping. For the last several months, nothing entertained his thoughts more than formulating plans to find the flawless breakout. Yet, every idea seemed thwarted by the amount of Saviors that they were up against. His optimism was waning as he chuckled coarsely at Takuya's notion. "Remember what happened last time when we tried to escape?" Dwight asked in disbelief. "Your nails are just barely starting to grow back regularly. And how's your arm, by the way?" Each group member was tortured by different methods when they were dragged back to Sanctuary. Takuya's special torture mode was having each of his fingernails removed one by one. Then when the survivors were all brought into the same room, Negan took the liberty of stomping on Takuya's arm with all the force he had as the bone protruded out of his skin. Luckily, Sanctuary had doctors with extensive backgrounds. Takuya still had to have a sling for the healing limb.
Takuya huffed in defeat. "It's always worth a shot. We can't lose hope. This can't be what our life will be like forever."
Dwight shook his head. "As much as I want to believe that we could get out of this shit hole, I have other things to worry about in the meantime," Dwight reminded. He could almost feel the physical weight of his group member's lives resting on his shoulders.
There was a pause as Dwight could see Takuya's mind thinking whether or not he should say what was on his mind. "Sherry will be safer outside those gates."
Dwight inhaled sharply as his nostrils flared. What Takuya said was the truth yet Dwight's inability to keep her protected hit a nerve. "Did you forget what happened to Dean? To Haruki? God only knows what happened to Jason & his family. There are only so people left for Negan to take a swing at now," Dwight said as he thought of Dean's demise with Lucille. "Literally."
"How many people have you killed since we tried to escape, Dwight?" Takuya countered back. Dwight could lose his temper with Takuya all he wanted, but Takuya wasn't to be intimidated by his friend.
Dwight looked around the forest to avoid Takuya's eyes that glared at him. "I don't know," he muttered under his breath.
Takuya scoffed at his answer and shook his head. "Liar."
Fifty-six, Dwight thought. He had remembered every single kill.
Takuya continued, "One of these days you are going to snap. You won't be able to take anymore. I hope it's sooner than later so your kill count doesn't get any higher."
"Oh, like your record is squeaky clean, Tak," Dwight fought back to point out Takuya had his own kill list. "Don't preach to me that I am in the wrong when everything that I have done since we ended up in this fucking pit was for our group. Maybe my soul is damned for life but I have never once thought of myself for months. It has always been for the group!"
Takuya heaved another sigh when Dwight was becoming more agitated. That was his signal to let Dwight know the battle was over. They could argue all they want, but both understood they were each doing the best they could. "I don't mean to preach," Takuya said calmly. "I just don't want you to sink into misery. It's like you have told yourself that there is zero chance of escape. You should always keep looking for something better. Don't give up on us. You may not be the leader of the Saviors but you have made the biggest decisions in our little group alongside Sherry. You are still my leader."
Dwight looked apologetically to Takuya and regretted raising his voice to one of his only allies. "I'm sorry. I have just been on edge lately. I get so irritated with everything lately. I didn't mean to act so offended. I knew you didn't mean it like how I interpreted," Dwight offered in apology.
Takuya smiled half-heartedly. "I understand. We cannot lose ourselves in the fight. The war isn't over yet."
"You're starting to sound like Dean," Dwight joked. Dean was always the person who would say philosophical words of wisdom. Takuya grinned more at the thought with admiration towards their group's late moral compass.
They saw that Negan put his hand up for his men to halt. Negan turned to the men. "I see the group's campfire in the distance. Let's wade out here for a little bit and make our attack in a few hours to scope how many men and weapons they have," Negan said in a harsh whisper.
Some of the men in the back were unable to hear Negan's whispers and proceeded to act rambunctious. Negan looked annoyed and glanced in Dwight's direction with a single nod.
Dwight turned around to view the five men that were causing a small riot. He rolled his eyes and started loading his crossbow. "Sixty-one," Dwight said once his first bolt was loaded and it aimed it at one of the men.
"I knew you didn't lose count," Takuya said sadly as the first bolt took off in the direction that the men were still conversing in. It hit one man's skull as he sank face first into the snow while the other Saviors in their group looked to Dwight with a sense of dread. They knew Dwight was Negan's most lethal assassin and were terrified that Negan set his sights on them.
…
They were protected under the cover of night as Negan's men descended on the group of twenty. They slowly surrounded the camp and waited. Negan and Dwight crouched down low as they observed from a distance. "These men are armed and heavily guarded. Looks like they have been through the grinder and aren't taking any chances," Negan seethed but smiled regardless. "This looks like it will be a challenge."
"What is your planned tactic then?" Dwight asked as he continued to stare at the camp as some men walked around and were conversing with each other. Little did these men know that their lives would change in a matter of minutes.
"We can't go in there guns a blazin' this time around. We need to play politics. Earn their trust. Then later we earn their fear," Negan said as he handed Lucille to Dwight. "Stash this somewhere. We don't need to look barbaric just yet." Negan looked to the other men around them as Dwight held the rusted Lucille with only his index finger and thumb, repulsed by the bloodshed it symbolized. "Send Takuya & Carson to the camp. They look the least threatening."
Dwight glanced over to Takuya and Carson who were both sitting a couple feet away conversing with each other. Dwight waved his hand to get their attention and motioned for them to come over.
"Care to step out in the open to greet our new friends?" Dwight asked the men when they crawled over to meet them. They looked to each other and shrugged a reply assuming that they didn't have the option to argue.
Dwight nodded as Negan kept his eyes on the camp. "Alright then. We are going to surround this area." He gestured to Negan and himself. "We'll be on that hillside. Signal us when you think they have let their guard down or if things go south. We'll take care of the rest," Dwight instructed.
Negan huffed in disagreement as he shook his head and gave doubtful looks towards Takuya and Carson. "I don't know if I trust these two with that ask on their own." He gave Dwight a once-over and grabbed Lucille from Dwight. "You're going with them."
Dwight groaned as he would rather be on the sidelines at least once during their ambushes. He looked at Takuya and Carson then towards the camp with regret. Negan only wanted him in the camp for one reason. Dwight sighed as he knew his kill count could possibly reach over seventy that night. "Fine," he grumbled.
…
Carson, Dwight, and Takuya walked the rest of the distance towards the camp and slowed their pace as they made their way into the open. The men who were on guard in the encampment spotted them and raised their guns to indicate that they didn't want them to move any further. The three men put their hands up in unison as the new group cautiously approached them.
"Drop your weapons!" A man ordered them in a harsh whisper. Immediately, Dwight could tell from the man's accent that he wasn't American. Takuya and Carson looked to Dwight to see what he wanted them to do. Dwight nodded his consent as they all started unloading what they had on the ground. They wanted to appear like they had defended themselves for a lengthy amount of time but didn't want to be armed to the teeth.
The man pointed to Dwight with his gun. "Are you in charge?" He inquired in a warning tone to let Dwight know that he was in a precarious situation if he didn't answer favorably.
Dwight nodded in reply. "I make a couple of decisions here and there. What about you? Are you in charge of your group?" He questioned as the man stared at Dwight to figure out whether his inquiry was innocent or riddled with other intentions.
A couple of the group's members started stirring in the camp as they saw their guard talking to strangers. They started to gather around with curiosity with weapons drawn at the ready.
"No!" A man yelled near the campfire. "I'm in charge." He had to be around Dwight's age but had a bulkier build to his body with jet black hair. He walked in front of the guard who still pointed a gun towards Dwight's heart. "Mati," He said to the non-American as he motioned for him walk towards Dwight's team.
The guard named Mati had dark skin and kept his brows furrowed as he just looked intimidating. The man who was supposedly in charge was beefy but Mati looked to match both his strength and Dwight's height. The shorter man with jet black hair knelt down in front of Dwight and started patting him down from the legs up. Mati finished inspecting Carson first and proceeded to pat down Takuya.
"What's your name?" The man in charge asked Dwight.
"Dwight. Yours?" He asked in return as the man finished his pat down.
"Richard," the man said in a somewhat friendly voice as Mati retrieved their weapons that were on the ground. "Now we have a couple of procedures. We don't trust you so we are going to bind your hands while we ask some questions. That's just how we do things. I'm sure that you understand." Richard didn't particularly wait for a response of protest as his men started to immediately hold Dwight's hands behind his back. Dwight could feel rope being tied around his wrists while he noticed Carson and Takuya were also being given the same treatment. When their bounds were secure, one of the men took Dwight's arm and escorted him to the center of the camp.
The mysterious group helped the three men sit down by the fire as Richard and Mati sat on the opposite side of the flames. "So Dwight, what brings you to the camp?" Richard asked.
"We were just passing through and saw your camp. It's just the three of us so we wanted to try our luck with a group," Dwight lied seamlessly.
"People tend to avoid other groups nowadays. For good reason. You never know if we could be cannibals or murderers," Richard commented but Dwight could already tell that Richard wasn't a murderer. He wasn't like Dwight at all.
Dwight shrugged. "We were desperate. In our position, we don't really have a lot to lose. At this point whatever happens, happens."
Richard looked to the other two that knelt on each side of Dwight. "What are your friend's name?" He questioned.
"This is Carson," Dwight introduced as he looked to the man sitting on his right then turned his attention to Takuya. "And this is Takuya."
"Takuya. You even sound like you're a long way from home. Where are you from?" Richard asked trying to gage their countenance.
Takuya eyed Richard skeptically but knew talking was what Negan wanted him to do to start gaining trust. "I am originally from Japan. Before the outbreak began, I was going to college with…in Georgia," he explained as he tried to shut out the fact he was once very good friends with Haruki.
Richard gestured to Mati who was sharpening a knife in his hand. "Old Mati here is from Ethiopia," Richard told them as Mati continued his work with the blade.
"When did you move to America?" Takuya asked sincerely. It didn't take a lot of effort for Takuya to make friends. Negan used him to draw other groups in often. Only because Takuya was genuinely a trustworthy person. He personally had no other ulterior motives when approaching others. Takuya hated playing bait to Negan's plans but was really good at being civil and human. Something that Dwight slowly was losing touch on.
Mati shook his head as he looked up to Takuya. "Let's just say I wasn't planning on staying here as I long as I have," he said in a sour tone.
"Whereabouts are you from, Carson?" Richard asked to steer the conversation towards their guests.
"I'm a local. I have lived in the D.C. area for all of my life," Carson said in a friendly voice.
Richard nodded his approval at the question then looked to Dwight. "That leaves you. Where are you from?" He quizzed.
"Georgia. Born and raised," Dwight disclosed.
Richard pointed to both Takuya and Dwight. "What brings you two from Georgia?" He asked.
"Well, we just kind of wandered up these parts. We didn't necessarily have a plan to come up north," Dwight explained.
"Just the two of you?" Richard asked.
Dwight gazed at the fire with sincere regret in his eyes. "No," Takuya answered gravely.
Richard read the pain behind Takuya's response. "I understand," he said with a dismal voice.
Dwight started realizing the time for formalities was coming to an end when Richard started to sympathize with them. He looked around the camp and the men that surrounded them. "Is this all of your group? You guys just wondering around in the woods?" He asked lightly.
Richard peered at Dwight cynically. "Why do you need to know?" He challenged.
Dwight shrugged. "I am not really in a position to do anything threatening, am I? Just making small talk." He looked around the camp once more. "Most people we come across have a base to barricade themselves in when need be. Only making some observations."
Richard and Mati made eye contact. Mati seized his gun that was holstered at the belt and pointed it at Dwight's chest once more. "We belong to a base that is heavily guarded and we currently train our men to fight to the death." He then pointed the gun to Dwight's head. "And our men never miss their target."
The men fell quiet as Dwight and Mati stared each other down. After several seconds of silence, Mati dropped his gun and started to chuckle the tension away. Richard and the other men joined in while Dwight laughed uneasily. Carson drew out a breath relieving all the stress that built up just moments before.
"Yeah, we have a base," Richard then said once the laughs died down. "Want to be a part of it?" He asked them all.
More than you know, Dwight thought. "If there is room to spare. We don't want to cause any trouble to your people. Or take supplies that you need to ration," Dwight conceded.
"Oh, we have plenty of supplies," someone piped in behind Mati & Richard. "You wouldn't be a bother to us." There a man stood with an over friendly smile as he happened to give Dwight all the information that he needed. Richard and Mati glared at the man who interrupted their little interrogation as he realized his mistake. His eyes widened with regret as he stepped backwards in shame. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.
Dwight pretended to crack his neck by craning his face to the left and right very slowly which was the signal for Negan and his men to close in. Richard looked to Dwight as the air of tension seemed to change drastically since their loud mouth group member spoke up about their supplies. "It wouldn't be any trouble if it were just the three of you. Now if you were a whole army that would be a different story." Richard gazed at Dwight for a long time to try and read him as Dwight looked the least bit intimidated. "You wouldn't happen to have one of those around, would you?"
Some of the group members raised their guns towards Carson, Takuya, and Dwight. Others started raising their guns towards the forest. Dwight pretend to scoff at them to convey that they were over reacting. "If I had an army, I wouldn't need to join your group then, would I?" Dwight said condescendingly. The frustration had little to do with Richard's intense gaze. Dwight loathed betraying a group before they were caught on Negan's snare.
"I don't know. You tell me," Richard countered back as he kept his glare on Dwight. Dwight's nostrils flared as he tried to keep an emotionless face.
Dwight looked to Takuya and nodded. "We can see that this group isn't really the best fit for us. You guys obviously have some trust issues. We wouldn't want to be any more trouble. So while take our weapons back and we'll be on our way," Dwight said lightly to break the strain.
Richard signaled to one of his men as he stepped forward and untied their bounds behind them. Once the ropes were cut, Mati carried their weapons as the three got up from their knees and threw them on the ground in front of them. As Dwight bent down to pick his crossbow up, Richard spoke up again. "Now we can have a fair fight."
One of the most shocking revelations about becoming a killer for Negan was when Dwight realized how easily his mentality could switch off all emotions and only focus on getting the job done. All humanity began to leave his mind as he aimed his crossbow at Richard. He could hear all of the men's guns point to him as he saw Carson and Takuya aim their guns towards Mati.
"You sure that was a wise choice?" Richard asked Dwight. He seemed mildly amused.
"Don't worry. I have back up," Dwight said and whistled a tune as he heard more guns cock in the distance followed by the same tune sounded from the Saviors closing in. Dwight kept his eye on Richard as he appeared shocked that his hunch was correct about their small group. "Looks like you're surrounded," Dwight pointed out.
Negan came out of the woods and into view as all the Saviors pushed the men to the ground and on their knees. "Alright!" He yelled. "Tell me, Dwight! Do these men have a fucking camp?" He asked as he approached the fire and looked to Richard with a satisfied expression.
"Yup. Full of supplies," Dwight replied as Negan nodded towards the poor soul who revealed too much. Dwight sighed and took his aim off Richard and onto the man. He fired his crossbow as it hit the man in the stomach. The man yelped in pain then took a sharp breath of disturbance and continued to fight for air as he fell to the floor. Mati looked appalled as the man writhed in the snow and then gawked at Dwight.
Dwight glanced at Mati as he loaded his crossbow. "I did you a favor. Relax," Dwight muttered as he could have smacked himself in the face for saying and doing something so cruel. Negan only laughed at the display as he looked at the man fighting for his life.
"What's this place of yours called?" Negan inquired as he took Lucille and pointed it in Richard's face.
Richard's face read defeat as he stared into the fire. He shook his head then scowled at Negan. "It's called the Kingdom."
Dwight watched the man on the ground as he stopped fighting for breath and his muscles relaxed. He furrowed his brows to keep the despair at bay. Sixty-two, he thought.
AUTHOR'S NOTE – I should mention who are original characters so far in my fanfiction. The ones who are in the comics are Negan, Dwight, Sherry, Seth, Richard and Carson.
The ones who I have created are a lot of Negan's wives as most of them are nameless in the comics. Mati is an original character. Kind of. If any of you guys are LOST fans, you know that Mr. Eko didn't have enough time on the show even though he was awesome. So Mati's character is inspired from Mr. Eko from LOST.
Doctor Kevin Mitchell is also inspired from a LOST character. Well, more so the actor who plays a character on LOST. But when I write things for Kevin, I picture Michael Emerson saying the things Kevin says. Michael Emerson plays Benjamin Linus on the show…. The man you LOVE to hate! Which is why I opted to seek inspiration from the actor and not his character. Can't trust Benjamin.
Thanks for reading! Expect a chapter on September 17th, 2015! 1st Anniversary of my first chapter of Many Hearts to Tread. Maybe I'll post something before then. You never know!
