Chapter 3
Dwight's team used the advantage of night while they drove towards the Alexandria Safe-Zone. Takuya was sitting in the front seat as Dwight drove the massive Gila truck that led several other vehicles behind him. None of the Saviors in the vehicle made a sound. Dwight hoped that walkers wouldn't be on their tail and didn't want another problem of a herd being en route. He was still unsure how many people resided in Alexandria. It was still possible that they would be outmatched.
Takuya just sat in silence as they drove. Dwight always knew that there was something on his mind but his old friend didn't voice it. "Nervous?" Dwight asked.
"We've killed people before," Takuya started and held his gun tightly, "but we've never gone to war before."
Dwight's hands tightened around the steering wheel while trying to stay focused on the upcoming task. Yet at the same time, he wanted to comfort his friend to ease his nerves. "Who knows… Maybe there won't be as many people," he offered. "We could have more manpower and there won't be any kind of conflict at all. We just make a big scene and be on our way."
He tried to reassure Takuya but had some reservations about the whole ordeal for a number of reasons. In truth, they didn't know what they were up against and could have been vastly outnumbered. These were people that knew how to survive at all costs. Dwight was used to dealing with the other communities that acquiesced to the Saviors without disorder. They were compliant because they had feared the worst. The Alexandrian's were different.
There was another reason that Dwight had reservations about attacking Alexandria. There was finally a community that was able to defy Negan. He loathed fighting them in the first place because of their perseverance and backbone. He didn't want to be personally responsible for killing a group that reflected his own people when they first met the Saviors. They were like him. They were like Sherry. From what he saw of Alexandria, he knew they had families to protect. Children. Yet, there he was. Driving towards Alexandria with men armed and ready to kill.
Dwight didn't know what the future held for him in regards to an afterlife. He told himself many times that he was going to hell for the things that he had done. Even if it were to protect people that he cared about, Dwight was sure God didn't care what the purpose was for. He thought about what a disappointment that he must have been to his parents and to his brother. If they were still alive, he could only imagine what they would say in regards to the person that he had become. No doubt his parents would have disowned him a long time ago.
His brother was supposed to be by his side throughout all of the new world. His brother brother had been his lifelong moral compass. It had been years since he passed but Dwight wondered every day what life would have been like if he was still around. As Dwight drove closer to towards Alexandria, he pondered all the different variables that their life would have taken. However, every thought came to one conclusion. If John were here, he would have died a martyr. He would have refused to play any of Negan's games, Dwight thought. It made Dwight feel more like a coward. He knew his brother would have put up with a lot less than Dwight could.
Dwight rued the day that they were taken to Sanctuary. So much could have been avoided. He constantly thought of where his life would have been if Negan didn't ambush their little makeshift camp. It would have been treacherous living among the walkers but they could have survived.
Takuya turned his attention to Dwight again. "What do you think Negan is going to do with the leader?" He questioned.
"I have absolutely no idea," Dwight replied. "Nothing good though. Make an example so others will follow. That's what he's best at."
Takuya peered out the window in thought. Dwight could sense the aggravation building under Takuya's skin. He was the sort of person that tried his best to do the right thing at all times. He killed several people himself due to Negan's request for it but his kill count was not nearly as much as Dwight. He often held back because the guilty conscience settled. Dwight wished he could be more like him. He wished that he had a choice.
"What are we doing?" Takuya asked in exasperation.
"Driving to Alexandria," he muttered knowing what he was getting to.
"No. What are we doing, Dwight?" Takuya asked again. "We've been fighting for Negan two years. And for what?"
"To keep the ones we love from getting hurt or killed," Dwight justified but with gritted teeth.
"But at what cost?" Takuya pressed.
Dwight thought about it as he twiddled his thumbs while holding onto the steering wheel. "You know I can do a lot of things and not think about it. I can kill a person and not lose any sleep over it anymore. There are a lot of things that I can set aside and go about living my life but I will never compromise Sherry's life. I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she died and it was my fault," he whispered what he said to Takuya so the other men in the back wouldn't be able to hear.
He couldn't remember the last time he uttered Sherry's name. He did his best to try not to think about her at all. He felt like he failed her too many times before. He couldn't slip up even more.
They were less than two minutes away from Alexandria. Dwight kept his speed going the same as he kept heading the same direction.
"You don't want to slow down?" Takuya inquired. He knew that Alexandria's gate was coming up fast.
"Nope," Dwight said as he maintained the speed.
They continued to drive as the men behind them started getting their guns prepared. This was a day that Dwight decided to keep his crossbow in Sanctuary. It was a gun kind of night. He could now see the cars that stood in front of the Alexandria gate.
"Ready for this?" Dwight yelled to the men in the back.
"Yes sir!" They all yelled back in unison.
"No," Takuya said while Dwight rammed into the car blocking Alexandria's gates. The car was easily pushed to the side as their Gila barreled into the gate. The force propelled all the men forward as the gate hardly budged. It took Dwight by surprise from the gate's durability but saw it was enough to let the men inside Alexandria's walls one by one. Dwight could see some lights instantly turn on in the houses as gunfire shot at the roof of his vehicle. Nevertheless they all climbed out of the car and started shooting at Alexandria instantaneously while the Saviors in the cars behind also found a way inside.
Takuya handed Dwight his gun as they both emerged from the vehicle and onto Alexandrian soil. Gunfire rained around him as he decided to take cover beneath the Gila. His men in the trucks behind him started to open fire as the men in the vehicle with him started finding places to take cover. Saviors emerged from the gate as Dwight could see people in Alexandria in their hiding places and opening fire constantly in his direction.
He never was in a war before but knew enough to think of creative ways to stay hidden and alive. Dwight stayed underneath the vehicle until an "enemy" came into view. He waited as he saw both Alexandrians and Saviors alike start falling to the ground. Finally an Alexandrian was in his sights while Dwight took the shot. The man fell down as Dwight logged the kill down in his mind and added it to his list that was regrettably growing.
Dwight waited to see if his hiding spot was compromised but noticed no gun fire rained upon him. He sat still and waited once more. Two more people came into view. One was a man and one was a woman. He fired at the man as he instantly fell lifeless. The woman quickly looked to the direction that the bullet came from and didn't waste time shooting in his direction as she took cover. Dwight rolled to the right hoping to dodge as many bullets as possible and luckily was unscathed.
He got up from the vehicle and quickly ran to find another place to take cover. Dwight saw that the gate was being held up by giant dirt mounds on the inside of the gates. He knew that was the reason why the gate didn't relent as much as it should have when he hit it.
He ran behind a house to take cover but he didn't go unnoticed as several Alexandrians were on his tail.
"Dwight!" Takuya said. Dwight jumped at the sound but saw Takuya was right behind him.
"They're coming this way. Get out of here!" Dwight whispered to him. A more prominent gunshot could be heard as Dwight stumbled a bit. He saw bits of flesh, blood, and denim leap into the air the same time he could feel a pain on the side of his right thigh. Instantly putting a hand on top of his thigh for pressure, he hissed at the sudden realization that he had been shot in the leg! "Motherfucker!" He growled.
He leaned against the house for support. His back was pressed to the house as Takuya did the same with worry on his face. "Dwight!" Takuya whispered. "Are you okay?"
Dwight shushed him as he waited for whomever to make their way closer to the house. They heard constant gunfire in the distance but now that Dwight was in Alexandria, he felt as if their forces were evenly matched instead of unfair. It made him feel a little better about attacking them. But only a little bit. He could only feel so great from being shot in the leg.
A shadow emerged to Dwight's left. He started to shoot immediately towards it as the shadow quickly took cover. Dwight kept on shooting every couple of seconds as he limped backwards pushing Takuya to do the same. "Let's get out of here," Dwight warned as he kept on firing.
They made it out of their cover spot behind the house and found a spot next to a porch that seemed unoccupied. Dwight knelt down forcing himself to hastily do so while his wound spilled blood out from the pressure. Takuya started walking further away from the gate as Dwight grabbed for his arm in caution then shook his head. "No! Not into the town," he whispered sharply to him.
Takuya knelt down next to him. "Your leg looks bad," he said.
Dwight didn't say anything only to help himself ignore the pain and just ride the adrenaline that he was on. He poked his head out of their cover and saw many Saviors still holding it out. He saw five that were dead in front of the gate next to the Gila.
"What's the plan?" Takuya asked.
"Well, we made ourselves known and that we mean business for when we encounter them in the future. I don't see why we can't head back now. We proved our point. There isn't anything else to do," Dwight reasoned. "This shouldn't escalate any more than it has."
Takuya nodded. "So how do we get back to the Gila without getting killed? Almost everyone has their gun pointed in that direction," he said. "And you might not be the fastest runner right now."
Dwight exhaled slowly. "Let's just push our way through." He stood up straight as more pain surged through his body. "Fall back and open fire! Give them everything you got!" Dwight yelled. All the Saviors heard him shout and the gun fire was rapid among Alexandria. Pieces of wood and glass from the houses started flying in the air.
Dwight and Takuya started walking as the Saviors covered them as much as they could while they all walked backwards towards the gate. One Savior tried to climb inside the Gila once more but was shot by someone inside a watch tower.
"Forget about it!" Dwight yelled. "Let's move!"
They continued to try and make their way to the gate but Dwight was getting slower and more exhausted. Takuya did his best to help but Dwight knew what he had to do. He pushed Takuya to the gate.
Takuya looked confused but Dwight pushed him again. "Go!" Dwight said.
"No! I'm not going to leave you here!" Takuya tried to say over the gunfire.
"Takuya! Just do it! I'll try and find another way out of here," he suggested but knew his chances were slim.
More Saviors started going beyond the gate as Dwight and Takuya were losing gunfire on their side. They only had so much more time. "Please do this for me, Tak," he practically begged.
Takuya hesitated one more time. "I'm sorry," he said. With that, he ran to the gate with the other Saviors.
Dwight started running towards the back of the house once more for cover. He told himself to worry about the pain later as he kept on running so he could simply survive. His leg wanted to buckle with every step but he forced himself to stay alert. He continued to run as he assumed the people in Alexandria stopped firing because they thought he stayed behind the house. He ran quickly and saw an opening as the Alexandrians closed in on the area where he previously was.
His leg buckled underneath him as he started running further into the town. He almost fell over on his face but kept himself upright as he put more weight on his stronger leg. He quickly looked around to see if there were any more vantage points and he could see nothing to help him get out of Alexandria. He could also hear the trucks from Sanctuary leaving the area in the distance. He knew he was now alone to take care of himself.
In the darkness, no one yet picked up on where he specifically was so he walked as fast as he could to find any shelter and wade it out until everyone fell cautiously asleep. He saw a building that looked to be brand new. It had a cross on it as Dwight found it odd that they made a church inside Alexandria. He found nothing wrong with religion but saw that it seemed out of place in a world like the one they lived in. But he was used to a community like Sanctuary. Where, in fact, Sanctuary wasn't what it preached.
Dwight quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. He turned around to see some candles were lit around the room. It looked like an actual church building. Pews were on each side and further in the room was a podium with a cross displayed on the front of it. Dwight felt wrong to be in there. He couldn't help but feel like he was defiling a sacred place. Church wasn't a place for a man like him. Not anymore.
Someone emerged from behind the podium and Dwight held his gun up towards the person. Dwight's heart instantly contorted as the man was a priest of some kind and also wore a collar like a religious figure would. Fuck, Dwight thought but held his gun up anyways.
"You shouldn't be here," the priest said quietly and calmly. He put his hands up to show he had nothing to hide. "This is a house of God."
Dwight didn't know that he was going to be hit with a wall of guilt and knew inside that he couldn't actually kill a priest inside a church. If he wasn't going to hell before, that action would have solidified it. He tried to push that concern out of his head and kept his gun aimed at the man merely for intimidation.
"Tell me how to get out of here," Dwight said. "I promise, I won't kill you if you just help me get out of Alexandria."
The priest shook his head firmly. "I don't believe I can help you with that," he revealed while sounding apologetic. "It's not in my control. My people will want to deal with you the way they deem appropriate."
Dwight started sweating as the adrenaline wore off and his wound on his leg became more distinct. The priest glanced down at his leg then peered at the floor behind Dwight. "They are going to find you here," he stated. Dwight turned around and saw a trail of blood from his gunshot wound. His pants were alredy soaked with blood.
"Fuck," Dwight exhaled as he started to feel lightheaded. He turned his direction back to the priest and kept holding his gun towards him. He then quickly pointed his gun at one of the pews and then back to the priest. "Sit down," he demanded trying to sound as authoritative as possible.
The man sat down as Dwight could hear some commotion outside as the noise steadily drew closer. He stood still and didn't know what to do in his situation. The one hostage that he had, he couldn't even shoot. He knew there wasn't any way out of his situation so he continued to pretend that he was more lethal than he really was and put the rifle on the side of the priest's head.
The priest shrunk in fear slightly as Dwight kept the intimidation up for as long as he could.
"Your leg. It's badly wounded. I don't speak for my group but I know they can fix that. They can help you," the priest reasoned in a soft voice.
Dwight shook his head. "They aren't going to help me. I just ruined your gate," he said.
"We have parts to make another one. We have a great team of construction workers." The priest was trying to make small talk. Dwight only wanted him to stay quiet so as not to draw attention to their location. But he already knew the Alexandrian's would find him. And soon.
"Shut up," Dwight said as the noise outside got closer. He was going to be found any second.
"You don't have to do this," the priest offered kindly as he made eye contact with Dwight. "You could turn your life around. There's still time."
Dwight's anger on his face wore away as he allowed what the man said to enter his mind. He continued to feel lightheaded as he started to visibly shake from the pain.
"No one in this world is too far gone," the man preached. Suddenly the doors burst open as guns pointed straight at Dwight's head or chest.
"Holy shit," he heard someone familiar say in amazement. It was a voice that he hadn't heard in a very long time. He wondered if he was hallucinating from his loss of blood but tried to look beyond the flashlights and vaguely saw the face that matched the voice.
"Dwight?" The man exclaimed whom Dwight recognized from the angry crowd. He still held his gun towards Dwight as Dwight still had his own gun pointed at the priest.
"Jason?" Dwight asked in complete shock. Jason had found a place to live. He was alive!
"Put your gun down!" A woman yelled at him.
Dwight knew there was no point in trying to act threatening anymore. He had been caught and now had to hope that he would live to see another day. They won that round fair and square. He placed his gun down slowly in the aisle between the pews. Someone inched forward with caution and grabbed it quickly then backed away.
"On your knees!" The woman yelled again.
"Sasha. His leg," Jason reasoned on behalf of his old friend. However, Dwight could hear the conflict in his voice.
"It's fine, Jason," Dwight surrendered in defeat as he bent down and did what was asked of him. The priest stayed still as he remained sitting on the pew next to him.
Dwight could hear Jason trying to talk to the woman named Sasha on his behalf.
"He killed Abraham," Sasha nearly seethed.
"I know," Jason said weakly already losing his side of the argument. "But I know him. We met each other a couple of weeks after everything went down. He's a good man."
"The hell he is!" Sasha said angrily. "A lot could have changed since the last time you saw him. How do you know he's still okay?"
"I don't!" Jason said. "But we shouldn't do anything until Rick gets back to decide anyways. He'll want to know that he's here!"
"What are you suggesting?" Sasha asked in annoyance. The idea of keeping him alive didn't sit well with her. That much was evident even from where Dwight knelt with his hands behind his head.
Another woman with short hair walked up to Dwight with no fear and a gun in hand. "We'll take him to the infirmary. Try to get some information out of him."
"Carol," Jason warned as the woman, supposedly named Carol, took her gun and hit Dwight hard on the forehead with it. Dwight stumbled to the ground as his vision became hazy. With an already exhausted body, the hit was the icing on the cake. He quickly passed out.
…
Sherry heard all of the commotion from the bar at almost four in the morning. She could hear Negan and his men arriving back in Sanctuary as they immediately headed over to the tavern to celebrate a small victory. Without hesitation, she walked in the darkness towards the bar to confront Negan.
Word seemed to travel fast when one of her group members was in peril. Dwight's group of men came back to Sanctuary with one person missing among the ranks. Takuya was quick to tell Yolanda about Dwight's disappearance who in turn told Sherry. The second that it was brought to her attention, her heart swelled with an insurmountable amount of pain. To think that he was dead, captured, or God knows what made her stomach twist into knots.
Negan had made a promise to her years ago that her group would be protected as long as they obeyed his every rule. She felt a responsibility to hold him to that commitment. Never did she try and mention Dwight to him for obvious reasons in the past several years. But that night she had a duty to make sure that he was safe.
She entered the bar where all the men were laughing uproariously. Negan was in the middle of the room playing billiards with a man who seemed too drunk to even stand, let alone play. The men started whistling in her direction the minute that she stepped inside. Negan's attention was quickly drawn towards the sounds of catcalls as a big smile formed on his face.
"Sherry!" Negan boomed as he gestured for her to join him at his side. "Check this game out! I'm winning!"
She quickly made her way beside him but rested both hands on top of his shoulders and tugged downwards while urgency read through in her eyes. He leaned down thinking that she wanted a kiss but instead she whispered in his ear. "I have to talk to you," she said quietly, "in private."
Negan grimaced slightly and stood up straight while bringing his attention back to the pool table. "Now?" He complained. "I'm in the middle of whooping this guy's ass!"
Sherry reached for his forearm gently. He glanced back at her as they locked eyes to see her silently begging him. "Negan, please," she urged.
With a sigh and a smirk, Negan turned to address all of his men. "Apparently she couldn't wait until later to get fucking boned!" He shouted. The men started laughing as Negan then guided Sherry out of the bar. He held her hand as they made their way to his house. The second that his front door closed behind them, he leaned her against it and started kissing her neck slowly.
"This isn't why I needed to talk to you," Sherry confessed with her hands resting on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat quicken at the sound of her voice.
It took awhile for what she said to compute as he continued to kiss her jawline passionately. "It never is," he finally said in her ear and stood up straight while softly holding her chin. "What do you need?"
"Dwight didn't make it back from Alexandria," Sherry said without hesitation. It would have been difficult to bring him up in conversation so she decided to just say it and deal with the consequences later.
Negan's coy smile instantly turned into a frown as he put his index finger up to her face to scold her. "He isn't your fucking concern anymore," he growled.
Her breathing felt strained all of a sudden as she tried to blink away the tears. However, she needed to maintain what she set out to do; to protect Dwight. "You need to check and see if he's still alive," Sherry asserted. She wasn't asking. She demanded that he would.
Negan folded his arms. It was his signal that he was listening but was going to put up a front. She knew him well and was glad that he was at least hearing her out. "Probably isn't," Negan said coldly. "Only judging from what Lucille just did to some of Alexandria's motherfucking members on the road. No doubt he's fucking dead already."
Sherry swallowed the lump in her throat that was evoked from Negan's words. She refused to believe him. "You are going to check and confirm then."
Negan rubbed his eyes with his hand in frustration then groaned angrily. He walked to the living room and sat on the couch with a huff while possibly contemplating what to say to his distressed wife. It had been a long time since he punished her. Over time they bonded in ways that perhaps was unnatural for either of their situations. Sherry didn't necessarily know where she stood in regards to Negan. However, she knew that Negan cared for her greatly. More than he sometimes let on.
"Negan," Sherry started as she stood by the front entrance still. "I have never asked you to do anything for me. Not once. I need you to do this for me. Dwight was a member of my old group. One of the members that I swore that I would keep alive. I need to know that he's alive."
"And you're sure that this has nothing to do with fucking him a couple years back?" Negan struck back.
Sherry shook her head while trying to stay afloat throughout the very trying conversation. Even when he said it, she pictured kissing Dwight but the picture quickly turned into a flashback of Dwight getting burned on his face. "This has everything to do with his life being my responsibility," she held and walked in the living room to sit beside Negan. With one hand, she held his wrist while the other gently played with the hair just above his ear. She wasn't beneath begging. For Dwight, she would.
"Please," she repeated. "It would mean the world to me if you at least checked. Please, Negan."
His hand slowly brought a hand towards her upper thigh as he massaged it gently. Still deep in thought, he studied her face to read the sincerity behind it. With his other hand, he pulled her towards him as his previous appetite could be read in his eyes. She knew what had to happen to convince him fully but already knew that was how he operated. Tenderly reaching for her hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it. "Fine," he relented. "I'll check to see if he's still alive. I needed to pick up some supplies there anyway. I'll leave tomorrow."
Sherry felt immediate relief but still was nervous about Dwight's actual well-being . She prayed that he was okay. "Thank you," she expressed and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"Any fucking time," Negan said and held her tightly. The tension finally collapsed as he laid her down on the couch and proceeded to kiss her on the lips. She felt ashamed to reciprocate his affections in any way even if it sometimes did make her life easier. As he continued to grab hold of her clothes to remove them, she forced herself to relax. Negan offered to find Dwight for her. For him, it was going above and beyond to make her happy. For that, she was grateful.
