Eugene sat with Negan in their getaway car. Eugene was lucky Negan found him or he would've been shot with all the crossfire going around. Negan had grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him along. We need to get the hell out of here he remembers Negan saying. It stood out so predominantly in his mind because he almost sounded scared. It's like it was a plea. But they were safe now. They had scrambled into the truck Negan came to Alexandria in and Negan quickly drove off: tires skidding and all.
"Wh-what about the others?" Eugene remembers asking. He remembers Negan breathing in heavily before he spoke.
"The ones that are alive will find their way back," Negan had said. Now they had sat in silence for about an hour. Both of them were a bit shaken by the events at Alexandria: one was certainly more shaken than the other. They needed time to think and calm down before they had any sort of interaction. Eugene, though, needed some form of distraction. He was thinking too much and was starting to get extremely upset. They were going to kill me Eugene kept repeating in his mind. He knew they would be upset with him, but he never expected them to completely abandon him and killhim. His own peopleā¦
"What's on your mind, Eugene?" Negan asked. Eugene was startled by Negan's sudden decision to talk. Eugene squirmed in his seat.
"N-nothing," Eugene said. Negan laughed, but it seemed to lack it's usual character, though.
"That's bullshit and you know it," Negan said. "You don't have to lie to me Eugene. Tell me what's on your mind." Eugene swallowed, but began to speak.
"Th-th-they," Eugene started shakily. "Th-they w-wanted to k-k-kill me." Negan looked over at Eugene and slowed down the car to a stop. Eugene looked over at Negan with his sad expression. Negan didn't like it, but it made him sad to see Eugene like this.
"You're still upset about that?" Negan asked. Eugene didn't say anything; he just stared at him blankly. Negan sighed and looked back towards the road. He kept the car still, however.
"Look, Eugene," Negan started. "I've had my fair share of my own people trying to kill me, trust me. I know it's not fun. You just have to move on and accept that they aren't your people anymore." Negan looked over at Eugene again. "The Saviors are your people now." Negan closed his eyes and took in a big breath. "And if it makes you feel any better, they want me dead much more than they want you dead." Negan opened his eyes and smiled. It was a big reassuring smile. It warmed Eugene from the inside out.
"Thank you," Eugene said. "I appreciate your efforts to make me feel better." Eugene shifted in his seat a little. Negan was still smiling at him.
"You're really something else Eugene," Negan said. He rubbed Eugene's shoulder and began to drive again.
They remained silent for some time again, giving Eugene time to think. Maybe Negan was right: maybe he needed to move on from Alexandria. Again, he thought of all the good that has happened to him since being with Negan and the Saviors. Soon, Eugene started to feel resentment rise in his throat. Resentment towards Alexandria: the ones that wanted to kill him. For a brief moment he thought of Rosita. Oh how he loved Rosita. She was beautiful and strong and he wanted nothing more than for her to appreciate him. He always got the opposite though. She would bully him and nag him about not being good enough. It was exhausting. Abraham would never had let this happen he thought.
"You're upset again aren't you?" Negan asked. Eugene swallowed and looked over at Negan.
"I am, " Eugene said simply. Negan sighed heavily and stopped the car again.
"This is the last time I'm stopping for you," Negan said. Eugene nodded and Negan continued. "We're going to war Eugene. We're going to have to fight them and trust me: we will run them into the ground. I want you to use your emotions to help you fight them. They hurt you, so we'll hurt them back. Now tell me, Eugene," Negan leaned towards Eugene, "who hurt you so bad?"
"I-I-I" Eugene stuttered. He knew it was Rosita, but did he want to tell Negan that? Eugene thought on this until he saw Negan's impatient expression. "Rosita, that's her name."
"Oh so it's a lady?" Negan said and smirked. "Tell me what she did Eugene." Eugene looked down at his hands that he had tightly clamped around each other. He relaxed them and spoke.
"Sh-she constantly reminded me of how much of a coward I am," Eugene said. "She didn't think I was useful in any way. I was just a piece of garbage to her." Eugene looked up at Negan. "But she is the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. If I could have any woman in the world, I'd want her." Eugene paused. "She would be better if-" Eugene suddenly stopped talking. He couldn't complete that sentence: not in front of Negan.
"Go on," Negan said. "She'd be better if what?" Eugene continued with caution.
"She'd be better i-if." Eugene swallowed. "She'd be better if Abraham were still here." Negan's face dropped. He didn't know who Abraham was, but he could only guess what happened to him.
"Shit," Negan said. He watched as Eugene began to cry. "Eugene I-" Negan didn't know what to say. Eugene began to sob quietly. "You know it had to happen." Eugene put his head in his hands and sobbed more. He shook his head.
"No," Eugene said in a broken voice. "It didn't." Negan looked sternly at him. Usually this would make him mad, but he couldn't get mad at Eugene. Not now. Negan sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt, putting the truck in park as he did so. He slid over closer to Eugene. Negan slowly took his hands and pulled them away from his face.
"I'm sorry Eugene," Negan said. Eugene looked back at him, lip quivering and tears still falling. "But what's done is done. I can't bring him back. Whether or not it needed to happen doesn't matter, it still happened and you have to move on." Eugene still just stared at Negan. He couldn't muster up a response to him. He began to calm down though. Negan was still holding his hands gently which comforted Eugene. He swallowed and opened his mouth be speak.
"You don't have to say anything," Negan interjected. Eugene closed his mouth and looked at is hands. "Are you okay? Can I drive?" Eugene nodded and sniffled.
"Okay," Negan said softly and slowly let go of Eugene's hands. He went back behind the wheel and continued to drive. They were silent the rest of the way to the Sanctuary.
