Chapter 7 The Cell
Michonne pushed the door open to a white brick room that housed a single set of bars and a high window. "You don't have to stay here Lucy," she said.
"I think it's better for all of us Michonne."
"There's not a toilet so someone will have to be on guard all the time. It's cold and drafty. You really will be miserable down here Lucy."
"Misery loves company," Lucy said with a smirk. "Maybe you'll come hang out with me?"
Michonne smirked back. "Or you could just choose to stay out of the cell… that makes more sense after all."
Lucy pushed the iron door open and stepped into the small cell. "It's homey."
"No the hell it is not Lucy! Why are you being stubborn about this?" Michonne yelled.
"Because we both know I'm dead!" Lucy yelled back at her.
Michonne looked startled. "Lucy," she said softly. "No one is going to hurt you. You are safe with us, with me and Maggie and even Carol. I know she acts tough but if she wanted you dead you wouldn't have made it through the gates."
Lucy chuckled harshly. "If no one in here kills me then he will when he finds me and let's face it Michonne he'll find me sooner than later. I'm just a dead woman walking no matter how you look at things."
"Michonne, you down here?" came a female voice from up the stairs above them.
"Yeah Enid, come on down. We have a guest for you to meet."
"What kind of guest do we put in the cell?" the voice asked as it descended down the stairs.
"The dangerous kind," Lucy answered. "The kind that you shoot on sight and have no regrets about."
Enid stopped at the bottom of the stairs and stared at them curiously. "Lady if you were that kind of dangerous you wouldn't be here."
Enid turned her attention to Michonne. "Did you guys find any corn meal? Tara and I were going to make corn cakes for dinner but we don't have enough corn meal."
"Yeah, Rick was taking it to the stock room," Michonne nodded at Lucy. "Enid this is Lucy. Lucy this is Enid."
"Nice to meet you Lucy," Enid said with a smirk. "Why are you down here?"
"Because she's a stubborn nut job who thinks she needs to be in the jail cell," Michonne answered for her.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Are you taking first watch Michonne?"
"No, I think I'll leave you by yourself for a little bit. I'm not locking the cell so when you're ready to come out all you have to do is walk upstairs."
Lucy moved over to the wall beneath the window and sunk down to the floor. "Whatever you say Michonne," she muttered.
She heard Michonne and Enid climb the steps and head out the door and she was left by herself with her thoughts. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cold brick wall. When had she become such an idiot? When had she forgotten her rules to survive?
"Home sweet home," Negan muttered glancing around at the dark surroundings.
"At least it's dry and there aren't creepers around. It's been shut up and that's a good thing for us because we should be safe if we can bar the door appropriately."
"Let's do it then because my ass is tired."
She glared at him. "Excuse me princess, my derriere is tired."
She opened her back pack and withdrew a length of rope that she used to secure the door in addition to the slit lock that was located on the top portion of the door. She pulled a box of baking soda out of her bag and sprinkled it around the base of the door frame. "What's that for?" Negan asked while making sure the two windows in the room were locked and that the curtains were pulled tight over them.
"Covers the scent. I probably don't have to use it because you smell like blood and I smell like garbage, but it helps me sleep better."
Negan grinned. "Pretty smart."
She snorted. "I try."
"Do you plan to build a fire or are we using body heat?" he said with a cheeky grin.
"We aren't building a fire Coach. The smell will draw creepers and I want to rest. We can sleep back to back and that should keep us warm enough with the blanket I have."
"And here I was hoping for a little skin to skin contact princess?"
"You must be hard up Coach."
"Why do you say that?" he asked with his back towards her.
"I smell like garbage and you've already made it clear I'm not much to look at under all this dirt."
"Oh sugar, don't get your feelings hurt over my previous statements. I was being a smart ass."
"Just shut up already. When was the last time you ate?" she asked pulling apples and pears from her bag.
"This morning," he said.
"Do you want an apple or a pear? I know it isn't much, but it's all I've got. The potatoes were too rotten to take and I've never really done well with them raw anyway."
"I'm good princess. Eat what you need to."
She nodded at him before taking a bite of an obviously rotten apple and digging around in her backpack again. "That's an impressive pack," he said.
"If you try to take it I'll kill you Coach."
Negan placed his hands in front of him in a show of defense. "Just making conversation."
She threw something at him and he caught the odd piece of material. "It's a sweatshirt. You can either put it on or ball it up and put it under your head for a pillow."
"That really is a magic fucking bag," he whispered. "Who are you? Mary Poppins?"
"If only," she muttered. "I'd be dancing in a chalk drawing instead of slumming it with you in this hole."
He grinned and she could see his teeth in the growing darkness. "You've got a nice smile," she commented.
"But?"
"You look like that cat that ate the canary and got away with the crime."
He chuckled. "Come on princess. Finish the apple so we can snuggle and go to sleep."
He could feel her glaring at him in the dark. "You really are an asshole," she muttered before settling down on the floor next to him and draping a thin blanket over them. "Don't try anything stupid Coach. I'm a light sleeper and I have no problem killing you."
"Yes ma'am princess. I wouldn't dare cause harm to my protector and… savior," he whispered in her ear making her shudder next to him.
She laughed bitterly at the memory. She had been so attracted to him it was insane. She had let her rules drop because she was lonely and he was a fantasy come true which didn't say much for her fantasy life.
"If you are trying to figure out how to keep me around you can just let it drop. We are going to separate before we get to close to that hell hole of yours and I'm not sticking with you."
"Damn princess you can read minds."
"I can read one track minds."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"You think I'm a prize and you want to impress that crazy leader of yours, Negan. I'm not a prize and I'm not out to impress. I'm out to survive."
"What if I was able to convince you to stay?"
"Fat chance."
"What if… what if I wanted you to stay with me? Not because of your skills or because you are indeed a prize. What if I wanted to get to know you better?"
She stopped turning the rabbit and stared at him. "Why… why would that… why would you want that?"
"I like you Lucy."
"You've only known me for 12 hours Coach. Hell I don't even know your real name."
"In this world you don't get the chance to take your time Lucy. You have to act when you see something you want. Hell you've been doing that on your own, but with food and supplies. I want to do it with you. I want to claim you, at least for the next several days."
"You're crazy."
"Maybe. But I see something I like and instead of just taking it, I'm asking for permission."
She eyed him before turning back to the rabbit. "I'm not special Coach. I'm not talented or pretty or… or sexy. I'm just a good girl scout."
"Sexy is in the eye of the beholder Lucy and from where I'm sitting you are damn sexy and I would love to fuck the shit out of you right now."
She snatched her head up to stare at him with her mouth wide open and he held his hands up in front of him. "But that's a little too fast, even for me, even in this fucked up world we live in now."
He moved closer to her and the fire. "All I'm asking for is the next three days. Three days to let me get to know you and you… get to know me. If when we get outside the Sanctuary gates you don't want to go in then I'll walk away and let you leave safely."
"But?" she paused, suddenly breathing fast.
"But," he stroked her cheek with one of his fingers, "if you want to stay… with me… then you can and we can build from there."
She didn't pull away from his touch. "What do you say Lucy?"
She should have walked away then, right then, without a glance back. But she had stayed and he had stayed and they had become more than just two strangers. She was done fighting the tears and she let them flow freely. She heard the door upstairs open and close and a set of feet run down the stairs. "Go away Michonne," she yelled.
"I'm not Michonne," came a decidedly male voice.
She glared through the bars at a bald black man. "Can I help you?" she muttered.
"Rick asked me to bring you up for the meeting. The entire town is going to be present and he wants you to be involved. I'm Father Gabriel, it is a pleasure to meet you Lucy."
"Father? As in a priest?"
"Yes I am a pastor."
"Well isn't that rich. You been tending your flock here Father?"
"Everyday sister. Won't you join me? I know the cell is not locked. Would you like some assistance to get up from the floor?"
Lucy snorted. "No thank you Father," she said with disdain. "I'm capable."
"Well, come on then Lucy. I have several people to introduce you too before the meeting begins."
"It's official."
"What?"
"It was the end of the world and now I have stepped into the twilight zone."
Father Gabriel laughed. "No, you've stepped into Alexandria Lucy."
