AUTHOR'S NOTES – WANTED! I have decided to not watch season 7 of Walking Dead until I am finished with book 4. Maybe I'll be finished with writing this book before October 23rd but I can't guarantee it. Sometimes watching the characters from the show distracts from the writing process. That sounds melodramatic but I would rather write what I feel versus what happens in the show. I can confidently say that some story arcs and character developments are drastically different than where the show is headed. Therefore, I can't have it take away what I have been planning for my FanFiction. Again, sounds dramatic but I have been writing about these books for two years now… As miniscule of a passion that it is in the scheme of things, it's still mine.

That being said, I am still interested in what happens in the show. If anyone wants to volunteer to be my middle man and email me what important stuff happens in the show (mainly new characters that aren't in the comics or are different than their comic-counterpart) so I can continue to incorporate some things from the show. I have always liked to mix key elements from the show & the comic alike. Can't really do any differences in how Sanctuary is or how the Saviors act around Negan because that is already set in stone. Definitely some things that I can't change but if there are any new characters or fun scenes or interactions that you would like to see in this FanFiction, let me know. I can't use all of them but I would love to keep this FanFic, the comic books, and the show pretty close in at least one shape or form.

On another note, I know I have said that the next book will be called Beauty…I have since changed it…The fifth installment will be called "Heal."

Chapter 10

"Dwight?" Ryan asked while they sat in the back of a truck packed with other Saviors. Dwight looked to him while the truck whizzed towards Sanctuary. Saviors drove around them as they sped away to head home and think of another attack. His eye twitched at the thought as he didn't want to engage in another showdown with the communities. Yet he knew it was what Negan was going to do.

Dwight doubted his ability to continue being on Negan's side for the sake of giving Rick's group intel. He spent years as Negan's executioner where he had to turn his mind off for fear that the guilt would eat him alive. As he made the turning point in his atonement, his eyes had become opened to how far he passed to an evil side. The feeling became more heartrending as his thoughts would try and properly place where all his previous actions lied. As he looked back on his long list of unspeakable conduct, he would think less of himself. How long do I have to pretend I'm on a side that I don't represent? Dwight thought.

"Dwight?" Ryan asked again while Dwight noticed Ryan looking up to him concerned. "You don't think we'll try and attack those people again, do you?" Ryan asked.

Ryan didn't fit the Sanctuary mold much like Dwight hadn't when he first joined up. Ryan had a wife and two young children who were both under the age of three. They had recently been discovered by the Saviors and were taken in for Ryan to be a soldier for Negan's army. Dwight was unsure of how many people were sold on Negan's new and perfect world order but knew it didn't sit well with Ryan.

"More than likely." Dwight answered distantly. Ryan peered at him as if he held a deep amount of regret but thought better than to say anything. Dwight could still see the hesitancy in his features but didn't respond back to it.

"You get any good throws back there, Ryan?" Another Savior pressed who sat beside the young father. Dwight gave him a quick glance but then stared down at his feet to avoid conversation altogether.

"Um, I'm not sure." Ryan confessed reticently.

"Damn, really?" The Savior went on. "I hit some woman with one, I think. I could only tell by the banshee scream afterwards. Bitch didn't even see it coming."

Dwight wasn't able to stay and see what the damage was on the other side of Alexandria but the statement from the Savior was making his body temperature rise with anger towards the man. He didn't know if it was Sherry that could have perished. If she had died, Dwight was going to blindly put blame on the man who was sitting across from him in the bed of the truck. Worry settled in as he thought about the last time he saw her. He remembered that she stood close to the gate alongside Rick and Daryl. It was a large possibility that he needed to prepare for; Sherry could have been dead.

"What the fuck is that?" A Savior, named Miguel, said next to him. Dwight saw him pointing upwards as they all looked towards the source of bewilderment. Smoke billowed in the sky in small portions as they heard various noises clinging and clacking in the not too far distance.

Dwight scanned the area as they closed in on the area that Dwight had killed Abraham at. Understanding that Eugene and Abraham were scouting that location for a reason, Dwight started shaking his head slowly in discontent. "Shit," he muttered to himself. The Saviors had befallen Alexandria's ammunition factory.

"Anyone know what that is?" Miguel asked.

"Probably some of the Alexandrian's scouts. Maybe they are going to ambush us?" Ryan questioned fearfully.

"No, they wouldn't have been able to catch up to us in time." Dwight pitched in. He watched as all the line of cars started turning towards the street where the factory sat. Dwight pursed his lips as he realized how bad it was that the Saviors found an important piece of Alexandria's war effort.

When the cars came to a stop, Dwight jumped out of the truck and grumbled in pain from landing on his cut off toe. He shook it out while trekking towards Negan's car at the front.

"Dwight!" Negan exclaimed as he got out of his passenger seat in the front truck. "Your fucking truck barreled into the semi. How the fuck did that happen?"

"My group was overrun by some shitheads that jumped the fence. The fucking redneck led them." Dwight answered immediately. He had already thought of a convincing answer only because he knew Negan would ask. "Think these guys are Alexandrian's?"

Negan shrugged at Dwight's answer then looked to the small factory where several walkers lurked around it. "One way to find out." He commented as he nodded towards some Saviors to take care of the walkers. As if on cue, the factory's back door burst open with a man walking out unaware of the danger. Dwight watched the man's look of sheer panic turn into misery as the walkers descended upon him with a hellish fury. Gunshots were heard from inside the factory as they shot at the undead who threatened to enter inside. Negan held his men at bay as he looked entertained at their efforts. The Alexandrian's were still unbeknownst that another threat stood by.

It took them several more minutes to take care of the threat. At that point, more and more Alexandrian's started to realize that they weren't entirely alone as they looked towards the Saviors with apprehension. When Eugene was the one to get rid of the last walker, it fell to the ground and was followed by silence on both sides. Negan glanced at the factory and tried to steal a peek inside as his face read intrigue.

"Exactly what the fuck are you guys doing out here?" Negan asked dangerously.

…

With the noise earlier in the day, walkers stalked the area with hunger. As if they didn't have enough on their hands, they had to do their best to dispose the undead who lurked at their front door.

The sun was setting as everyone started to settle down for the night. There was no more that they could do yet there was still so much that they had to repair. Everyone mutually decided that they had exhausted every part of their body trying to put out fires, carry people to the infirmary, donate blood, care for children who had lost a parent or both, and other small things that they did to help each other out.

Sherry took her first step out of the infirmary since she walked in eleven hours before. In that time, they had lost two important people in the Alexandrian community. Sherry was by Deanna's side along with Ashlyn, Rick, Michonne, and Maggie when she passed away. Rick was the one who offered to take care of her brain so she wouldn't animate as they all ushered out of the upstairs room to get to other places in Alexandria and get back to work. Several hours later, Denise died in Tara's arms of which Daryl had to keep from becoming a walker.

Sherry looked at the sunset as she breathed a sigh of discouragement. None of them had any idea when the next attack would be. Every raid on either side would have severe damages to their numbers and disposition. Terri had to leave hours before Sherry did as she almost passed out from mental and physical exhaustion. Sherry was close to that point as she headed towards Deanna's home with a despondent step.

Sherry watched some people heading towards her as they were making their way home from their assigned duties of the day. Sherry saw Aaron, Carol, and Tobin among them as they all looked to her with fatigue.

"Things alright in the infirmary?" Carol asked Sherry as they passed.

"Yes. Things have all been wrapped up or stitched." Sherry replied. "What about at the front gates? Any repairs that need to get done?"

Tobin shook his head. "Our gate stayed tried and true." He stated. "We had to take care of some walkers that were passing through from hearing the noises earlier today. Wasn't too much. We were lucky."

Aaron made a noise as Sherry looked to him in question. She then remembered that he was recently dealing with a passing of a loved one. She was amazed at the level that Terri and Aaron worked at. They both had deaths of someone who was stolen from them unexpectedly and yet continued to give the cause all the work that they had given previously. Sherry could only describe it as remarkably admirable and courageous. "How are you doing, Aaron?" She asked.

Aaron looked up to her with eyes that portrayed all the heartache that he had recently felt. "If the walkers could see how much we kill each other…they would be laughing at us. We're only making their job easier." Aaron said regretfully.

Sherry looked down but nodded in agreement. With a deep sigh, she stared off into the distance to try and mask the weariness she had felt. Too many people were dying. She had killed many in the last several days. "Let's hope it ends soon so we can continue living." Sherry encouraged as she knew Aaron needed some words to keep as a reminder.

"Amen to that." Tobin replied and looked to Carol as he reached for her hand. "I think we're clocking in for the night. Unless you can think of anything else that needs to be taken care of soon?"

Sherry was taken aback by Tobin's expectant look as she stared at Carol in query. Carol gazed back at her almost knowingly but didn't say anything on the subject. "Um, no." Sherry answered. "I was about to head home and sleep some. You guys should do the same."

"Sounds like a plan." Carol said and rubbed Tobin's back to guide him towards their shared home. "Sleep well, Sherry. Oh, and I forgot to ask you something a couple days ago."

Sherry tilted her head in curiosity. "Yeah?" She asked.

"That grenade that I put in your backpack while we were in Sanctuary?" Carol asked.

Sherry rolled her eyes and knew where Carol was going. "Thanks for giving to me. It did come in handy." Sherry confessed.

Carol beamed in satisfaction as the three of them walked further into the town. Sherry watched them leave as she started to get excited about sleeping even if only for a few hours. She was unsure of what the next day was going to bring them but decided that she was going to take advantage of the peace and quiet. She didn't know if she would ever have another moment like the present and started towards Deanna's house once more.

"Sherry?" She instantly closed her eyes at the sound of her name and just wanted to rest. Recognizing the voice, she knew she would have to be up for a few more hours if she answered back. Sherry considered even pretending that she didn't hear Rick's voice and to just keep stepping towards Deanna's house. "Sherry?" Rick repeated as he started stalking towards her.

Sherry turned around to face him. "Yeah?" She answered in voice that sounded all but spent.

"People want to leave Alexandria at first light." Rick stated evenly.

Sherry blinked several times to let what he said sink in. "What?" She asked so he could repeat what he said. Even though Alexandria was in disarray, she couldn't think of being anywhere else.

"Maggie offered that we move to Hilltop until things clear up between Sanctuary." Rick explained as he finally made it to her. "If the Saviors came back to Alexandria, I don't know if it would survive another confrontation." He looked around in the darkness to see the mess that was around the walls. "They could knock our gate over. Just like what we did to them. And it would all be over. We need to leave this place so it's still here when everything's over."

"We would just be causing the same issue at Hilltop, wouldn't we?" Sherry asked with uncertainty. If they kept on moving the fight, they would eventually lose their homes one by one every time Negan advanced his army towards them. "Does Maggie really want that for her people?"

"We got a report from the people that are still in Hilltop. Same with the elderly in the Kingdom. They are all being harassed while the fight stays here. We need all of us to stick together and finish this. Hilltop wants our protection with our numbers. We can't stay in Alexandria right now. Think about it." Rick reasoned.

Sherry tried to think of all the variables but then shook her head. "Why does my opinion matter so much, Rick?" Sherry inquired.

"Deanna told me before she passed on…" Rick started.

"I'm not running a community." Sherry said flatly.

Rick pursed his lips and gave her a knowing stare. "Yeah, we'll see about that." He said and dropped the matter.

Sherry rolled her eyes but smiled fondly. "Deanna was a better leader than I could have ever been. I don't understand what she saw in me to say something like that." Sherry confessed.

"She was very good at reading people." Rick pondered. "I didn't want to be in charge of Alexandria but she knew that was what I was good at."

"She put you in charge because you lived outside a cushioned life for this whole time." Sherry corrected. "Deanna knew you could make the tough decisions that the community needed to toughen up. I have lived in Sanctuary almost the whole time. I'm behind everyone else on survival skills."

"You know what I think?" Rick interjected. "I think that Deanna needed me to take care of the smaller picture while she focused on the big picture. She was thinking of what life would be like decades down the road. I could only think of actions day by day. You're more like Deanna than you think."

"Even in times like today, she could only think of a better future." Sherry reminisced as she thought fondly of the woman. She wiped at a tear that was starting to form and shook her head to clear her mind again. "I'm not like that. For years I could only tell myself that no matter how bad things got, they could always get worse. That's not the way Deanna saw the world."

"Do you think that way now?" Rick asked.

Sherry looked to the ground. "I'm at least giving people another chance. I guess that's a step in the right direction." She mused then smiled to herself. "But hey, if you want to leave Alexandria, that's your decision to make. You don't need to ask me because I'm not in charge of anything."

"Just thought I would ask. I already asked Maggie, Jesus, Michonne, and Ezekiel. All I needed was your stamp of approval." Rick joked.

"Stop." Sherry replied and rolled her eyes again.

"Sherry!" She heard Amber calling for her and looked around until she could see a small figure running towards her in the distance.

"What's wrong?" Sherry questioned as she walked the rest of the distance towards Amber who looked to have been crying. "What happened?" She then asked with alarm.

"It's Jada!" Amber said as she burst into tears. She put a hand to her face and continued to weep while Sherry just stared at her unsure of what she was trying to tell her.

"What about Jada?" Sherry asked. She wondered how Jada could have been a recent topic since they had to leave her in Sanctuary along with Brittany. She prayed multiple times in the day that they were still alright.

"She's dead!" Amber revealed through short breaths.

Sherry's hair on her arm rose up as more questions were begged to be answered. "I don't understand, Amber. How do you know this?" She quizzed delicately.

"Jada had a tattoo on her wrist." Amber stated and grabbed Sherry's arm to guide her. "I was helping with burying the dead and we stumbled upon her."

"But how did she get in here?" Sherry asked while Amber guided her. Rick followed behind with curiosity getting the better of both of them.

They finally arrived near the front of the gate while Sherry had to put her sleeve over her nose to avoid smelling the bloated bodies that still littered the area. Amber then pointed to a body that Sherry could have sworn belonged to Sasha. Then realization struck her as she understood what Negan had done the whole time. It never occurred to her before how similar Jada and Sasha looked. She took a closer look and knelt next to the dead body of the walker that she previously disposed of. Everything had happened so fast. When she bit down on Denise's arm, no one seemed to question whether it was Sasha or not. Sherry had shot her face so it was hard to tell with their facial features earlier in that day amongst the commotion.

Sherry inspected Sasha's arm and saw the tattoo that Amber spoke of. Even knowing Sasha only for a month, she knew from talking to her that she didn't have a tattoo where the body had one. She knew Jada and then knew that Negan had switched her to be Sasha's body double in a disgusting exchange that only appealed to their fragile emotions. Sherry looked to Jada's animated body and surmised that was no longer the person she cared about. She stood up straight and walked away to keep herself composed at another death that shook her to the core.

"If that's not Sasha, then where is she?" Rick inquired as he looked towards the wall in the direction that Sanctuary sat miles away.

…

Dwight escorted Eugene inside the court house and guided him up the stairs to be put in another place than his other cohorts that were in the ammunition factory. Dwight and Eugene watched as the Saviors took them to a separate place in the court house as Dwight could recall his first day in Sanctuary where his group were taken to the basement. It was mostly to provide the feeling of isolation for the ones that Negan took a high interest in speaking to. The ones he interrogated were taken upstairs.

"Where are you taking my friends?" Eugene asked angrily in Dwight's direction.

"Somewhere else." Dwight answered coldly as there were still other Saviors present. He couldn't slip up that he had known Eugene on any other level than him being a public enemy who worked under the hated Rick Grimes. "Shut the fuck up and keep walking." He felt bad that he had always wanted to say that to Eugene but never had an opportunity to until that moment where his bad behavior was going to be expected and accepted by the Saviors.

"You son of a bitch." Eugene muttered quietly while Dwight didn't say anything in reply. He only spurred him further towards his holding cell so he could seek out what the next plan was going to be.

When they made it up the stairs, Eugene would stare into each room as Dwight could see the look of fear settling even more. The Saviors that walked with Dwight and Eugene hastily fanned out as Dwight and Eugene were the only ones left in the "hallway of nightmares" as some Saviors have nicknamed it as. Many Saviors and non-Saviors alike were tortured in the very same rooms. The once white tiles were stained with blood while the hallway floors weren't any different. Some people were less fortunate and didn't leave that area of the court house alive. Fortunately, Dwight wasn't one of those poor souls. Yet, the haunting atmosphere hadn't changed in that wing of the court house for him. Dwight could easily say that the torture area was the most terrifying place inside Sanctuary.

They passed a large room while Dwight had revolting memories of that particular spot where Dean had met his end with Lucille and then Haruki being shot by Dwight himself. As if Eugene sensed the mood change, he turned around slightly to look at Dwight. Dwight didn't pretend to let Eugene think that everything was going to be alright. Negan wasn't going to rest until he sought vengeance that would make the communities regret their choice of defection.

"Eugene?" Someone uttered in a room that they passed.

Eugene looked into the room as his eyes widened. "Sasha!" He marveled as she stood handcuffed to a metal bar that was attached to the opposite side of the room. Takuya was in the room with her as Dwight could see some fresh blood stains at the doorway along with Sasha's ripped clothes.

"What the hell happened here?" Dwight inquired quietly and looked to Takuya.

"Someone tried to attack Sasha." Takuya explained. "It's been taken care of."

Dwight looked around and saw their group was alone of other Saviors in close vicinity. "Sasha?" He asked. She looked up to him with eyes heavy laden with remorse. "Are you alright?"

Sasha glanced towards all three men and nodded tearfully. "What is going on out there? What happened in Alexandria?" She questioned quickly. "Is anyone dead?"

Eugene turned to face Dwight as he was unable to answer the question. Dwight took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't know." He answered.

"You don't know?" Sasha challenged. "What do you mean that you don't know?"

"We attacked Alexandria, Sasha." Dwight stated. "I can't even begin to know all the damage but Negan brought every single grenade that was in our inventory and sent them flying inside Alexandria's walls. We were driven back but I can't even begin to understand how many people are injured or anything."

Sasha appeared alarmed at Dwight's information and peered down at the floor. "What is Rick going to do now?" She asked mostly to herself.

"He better think of something soon." Dwight muttered as he looked behind at the noise of other Saviors heading their way. He nudged Eugene forward again when they came into view to show the rough exterior once again. "We're almost to your room." He said to Eugene. Eugene turned away from Dwight but gave him a dirty look before walking forward. Dwight deserved it. He only hoped that he was walking Eugene to a place where there was a happy ending in sight.

…

Sherry had a small backpack filled with belongings that she would need for their duration at Hilltop. She was unsure of how long they would be there but packed light regardless. If it was the worst case scenario and everyone died except her, she wanted to travel light just in case she needed to start a life on her own. When she left Deanna's house, she turned to face Alexandria and wondered if it was the last time she would see it. Alexandria was truly a paradise in their new world; one that gave her much happiness in the month that she had lived amongst the people. They had given her a fresh outlook on life that she didn't take for granted. Sherry always had some reservations but knew she could trust in some people once more.

She walked towards the grapevines and saw some buds coming from the trailing plants. She doubted that they would grow anything since she trimmed the vines later in the season but was still impressed to see some form of life that sprouted from the dirt. She touched one of the buds as a tear fell down her face. Deanna's enthusiasm for the grapevines was like everything else she seemed excited about for their future. She believed in a better world. Sherry wanted to have that same faith but felt herself holding back just in case heartache came with the disappointment. She had experienced the gut wrenching grief when life had failed her time and time again. Standing in the middle of the grapevines made her realize how much rode on whether or not they succeeded. It was always thought of but she seldom let the emotions in that came with that mindset.

Sherry quickly wiped at the tears and walked away from the garden that she helped nurture. She strolled towards the infirmary where she saw her friends waiting for her with their things on their backs.

"You ready to go?" Megan asked her with a hand outstretched.

Sherry looked around Alexandria once more and saw all the people loading their things for the small trip. Everything was quiet. There wasn't a buzz in the air with people going about their business. Everyone had a weight that they carried along with their things. She saw dozens of people yet she could hear nothing.

"I'm ready." Sherry said. With that, they walked towards the front gate.

…

"Having a good fucking time?" Negan asked as Eugene's smeared blood all over his face dripped down to the floor. He looked downcast while Negan tried to beat information out of him while Dwight and Carson idly stood by. Negan paced back and forth in front of Eugene as he let him stew about his dire bearings within Sanctuary. Dwight leaned against the wall to appear casual but stared at Lucille with knowing. Negan was playing hard ball.

"Just got word that your people hightailed it the fuck out of your little town early this morning. I guess blowing it all to fuck made it a little less quaint." Negan taunted with his half smirk. "We've got your most recent batch of ammo, so we know you can make it. Now we know all the fucking equipment we need is more or less abandoned." Negan knelt to be at eye line with Eugene as he wanted his next statement to be perfectly clear. "So you're going to get back to work and make that shit for us. Got it?"

Eugene looked up from the floor to glare at Negan. "No. I won't." He said firmly. Even Dwight could admit that it was a ballsy move to speak up to Negan like that.

Negan stood up and smiled to Dwight and Carson. "You hearing this shit?" He asked joyfully. He looked back to Eugene. "How many people did we capture from the ammo factory? Take a gander."

Eugene stayed silent as Negan continued to pace the floor around him. "Because right now I can see all of your friends in my head. I can also see me killing them; one by one. Right in front of you until you submit. I see you self-righteously believing more of your people will die if you give in which allows you to justify those deaths. But I see a whole lot more options in front of me. Care to hear?" Negan inquired in a light voice while Eugene stared back at his blood on the floor in front of him.

"I see me burning your face with an iron. I've done that before, that makes sense." Negan said evenly. Eugene quickly glanced up at Dwight who fidgeted in his spot and fought the urge to itch the uneven skin on his cheek by default.

"If that still doesn't fucking do it, I'll start cutting pieces off of you. Starting with the piece of you that is most valued. And yet losing it wouldn't prevent you from doing your work." Negan stated while Eugene eyed him slightly then looked back down. Negan was happy to get some sort of reaction and continued. "That's right, you fat fuck. It's your shriveled up little dick."

Negan started swinging Lucille again as he spoke to Eugene. "That's the path that lies ahead for you. It's set in stone. The only thing you can do to stop it is cooperate. And I really fucking hope you do, because while Lucille is always thirsty… I don't want to get dirty, I don't want to have to deal with the mess, and I really don't want to have to cut your dick off." Negan leaned forward while Eugene grimaced. "But I do things I don't want to do all the fucking time."

Eugene gulped as a tear fell out of one eye. Dwight shook his head to himself and hoped that he wasn't going to cave. The Saviors receiving ammunition would have been a less optimal ending for the other communities. Dwight couldn't see a way that they would have won. But then Eugene spoke up and stood tall on his knees to peer at Negan with every bit of intimidation that he had. "Rick is working toward something. He's building a life for all of us, including you if you'd back the fuck off. That's big. That's special. And I won't do anything to jeopardize that no matter how many genitals you sever."

The room stood frozen in time while Dwight waited for Negan's response. After several moments Negan sighed and stood up to leave the room. "Dwight, Carson. Let's leave this poor bastard alone with his thoughts and his dick while he still has it." Negan lamented and walked through the doorway. "Dwight, look this room up and check on all the others. Make sure they're not doing anything stupid. I'll see you boys in the morning bright and early."

Carson and Dwight stared at each other while Negan walked away. "You've been watching prisoners all day, Carson." Dwight uttered. "Take a load off."

"You sure?" Carson asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right at the house in a couple of minutes. Sounds like we're going to get up pretty early tomorrow." Dwight responded and poked his head out the doorway to see if any other Saviors were around.

"Alright," Carson caved. "See you in the morning."

Dwight watched him leave and double checked to see if he was absolutely alone with Eugene. When he looked five times each way in the hallway, he turned his attention to Eugene who practically sneered at him in disgust.

"Come on, don't look at me like that." Dwight muttered and leaned against the wall again. "My hands are tied with what I can do inside Sanctuary."

"Yeah?" Eugene countered. "How do I know that you aren't double crossing Rick? I have no reason to believe anything that you say."

"In case you forgot, I want Negan dead more than any of you guys in Alexandria." Dwight contested while trying to control his anger but stared at Eugene with wide eyes. "I'm doing everything I can on the inside to help out. As long as you aren't being a stupid jackass, I can try to get you and the others out of here. If you remember, I'm the reason why Sasha is still alive."

"Are you the reason why Negan is still alive?" Eugene interrogated. "Ever thought of walking into Negan's house while he's sleeping and stab him in the ear? If you were really on our side, this would have been over. At best, you're playing both sides, waiting to pick a winner."

Dwight felt physically pained at Eugene's accusation but tried his best to not act on the way he felt. He would only lash out in a way that he couldn't go back on. It was his natural inclination to get rid of whatever was bothering him no matter how fatal the result. To Dwight's dismay, Eugene continued. "If I get free, I'm going to take you out from behind. You'll never see it coming; just like how you killed Abraham. Only I'm thinking there won't be as many people out there who give a damn."

Dwight just stood there and let Eugene say what he needed to say. Once his anger dissolved, he concluded to himself that he wasn't above being reprimanded. More importantly, he needed to be reminded of the wrongs that he had done in the past. Even if it wasn't his fault, he pulled the trigger three hundred and thirty eight times for Negan. Some guilt had to be on him at that point. Dwight let out a huff and then looked to Eugene with repentance. "I'm not trying to say that I'm a good man or that I regret anything that I've done or that I've changed. I'm saying that I want what you want. Right now. Trust me, if I get the chance to put a knife in Negan's eye, I'll fucking do it. I'd kill that asshole today if I didn't think the Saviors would take my head for it. I'd…" Dwight slowed his speech when he noticed that Eugene was no longer looking at him but instead beyond him.

Dwight slowly turned around to face the doorway and saw Ryan standing there with his jaw agape. Dwight could already feel his hand raise to his gun strapped to his side so that Ryan wouldn't babble to anyone else what he had just heard. Ryan was a good person but Dwight was unsure of where he stood.

"I'm in!" Ryan said as he looked to Dwight warily and put his hands up in immediate surrender. Dwight eyed Ryan with skepticism but lowered his hand from his pistol. "Whatever you are planning against Negan, I'm in. I'm pretty sure there are others that would be too."

Upon hearing that, he looked to Eugene in disbelief. Eugene eyed both of them as him and Dwight stepped into territory of being unfriendly allies who needed to trust each other at that moment despite their mutual hatred. Dwight's situation felt more optimal as he then peered at Ryan.

"Do I have your word that you won't run your mouth to any loyal Saviors?" Dwight asked.

"Yes." Ryan answered. "You have my word."

AUTHOR'S NOTES, TRIVIA, & FACTS

#1 – Some scenes and lines in this chapter are in the comic books. The scene where Negan interrogates Eugene in particular. Things have to be changed but other lines are just so iconically (I declare that a word now) Negan that they shouldn't be changed! It was too perfect.

#2 – Sasha is ALIVE! Those who are familiar with the comics know that Abraham's main squeeze was a girl named Holly. Holly was in the first episode…and died… So Sasha took her place in the show. Most would say that it's safe to conclude that Sasha would take place in Holly's death in the comic books (where she does ram the truck into Sanctuary and then sent back to Alexandria's gate as a walker). But if you're asking my opinion, I think it'll be Tara who gets that death on the show. The irony of an enemy being at the gate's and she has been on the other side BOTH times (living and dead)…what a crazy complex. So I totally think it'll be Tara. What do you think?

#3 – Again, I hope to write Chapter 11 by September 17th (Many Hearts to Tread's 2nd Anniversary). Might not be a big deal for anyone else but I'm so happy that writing has been a portion of my life that keeps me fulfilled.