A/N: I know I haven't updated in a while but here's a long chapter for you guys. Please drop a review and, as always, enjoy!
I chewed thoughtfully on the granola bar that Wade had dropped off a few minutes ago along with a water bottle. I turned the pages of my book slowly, taking in each line. This wasn't exactly the type of stuff I used to read and honestly I didn't understand much of it. Despite this, the book was a strange comfort to me. It reminded me of the poems my mom used to love. I didn't understand those either but somehow when she had read them to me, they'd made sense. The door to my cell opened and I looked up to see Wade standing in the doorway.
"I'm not done yet," I told him, waving the remains of the granola bar at him. He quickly stepped to me and snatched the snack out of my hand. I glared at him as he tossed it down the hall. He brought his heavy boot down on the water bottle and I flinched a bit as water sprayed out at me.
"Yes you are," he growled, looming over me. I closed the book calmly and placed it down on my bed. I stayed sitting, looking straight ahead, and willing myself to not get angry. "Let's go," Wade snapped, kicking the bottle childishly across the small room. I sighed and stood up slowly. Wade left the room without saying another word and I followed silently behind him. I knew where he was leading me almost immediately.
"What about Carson?" I asked as Wade rifled through a cramped closet in a huff. He ignored my question and wheeled the mop bucket towards me and shoved the mop into my hands.
"Clean," he hissed.
"What about Carson?" I asked again.
"Clean," he repeated, leaning in closer to me. I could feel his breath on my face. I glared back at him for a few moments before turning away and getting started with my work.
"Fine, don't tell me," I grumbled as I squatted by the faucet in the supply closet and started filling the mop bucket with water.
"I'll be back," Wade said, "don't do anything stupid and don't talk to anyone. Just mop."
"Yes sir," I mumbled with a half-hearted salute. My back was to him but I could feel the anger oozing out of Wade. To my surprise, he said nothing and simply stomped away. I turned the water off and sighed, getting to work. Mopping was monotonous. I looked around and noticed a few people staring at me. I looked back at them curiously. The folks around here were probably just as confused about my role in the Sanctuary as I was. It was only a few days ago that I'd gone on the trip to Hilltop with Negan. I hadn't really seen him since then besides in passing. But here I was, no longer in the prisoner uniform, seemingly moving up in the hierarchy. One thing that definitely hadn't changed was the people avoiding me. As soon as I looked at them, they quickly averted their eyes. Oh well.
"Psst,"
I paused suddenly and my head perked up.
"Mel, here,"
I spun around and saw Tina's head poking out from the end of the hall. I furrowed my brow at her and she motioned frantically for me to come. I looked around cautiously. Wade was nowhere to be seen and it didn't appear that anyone was paying attention to me at the moment. I propped my mop up against the bucket and started walking briskly towards the teenage girl. She disappeared around the corner and I broke into a quick jog. I turned the bend and found myself in another empty hallway. Where did she-
"Here," a man's voice hissed from behind me. I turned around and was greeted by a familiar face. It was that man I'd met at the marketplace so long ago. He reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me into the room he was in. He closed the door quickly behind me and someone turned on a lantern, allowing me to see who was in here with me. It was Tina, the blond man, and the woman I'd seen with Tina in the laundry area.
"This is my sister, Sherry, and her husband, Dwight," Tina introduced, "and you guys know Melissa."
"What's going on?" I asked
"What I told you about," Tina answered, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Dwight has a plan." She looked to the man as if cueing him to speak.
"We're leaving," he told me, "sooner than planned."
"Why?"
"Negan wants me," Tina began nervously, "he wants me to be one of his wives."
"What?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "but you're so, you're so-"
"Young," Sherry finished my sentence, fury in her voice.
"He asked me when you all got back from that trip," she told me, "I told him I'd think about it. But he's getting impatient, he wants an answer."
"Tell him no," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
"It's not that simple," Sherry said, "you should know that by now." I nodded to her in understanding. She was right of course.
"It won't come to that," Dwight interjected. "We'll all be gone before he comes knocking for an answer."
"How?" I asked eager to hear this plan of his.
"We're gonna disappear in the night," Dwight began. "Every night the guards at the exits shift three times. The second guard at the west wing exit falls asleep with a beer in his hands every night. As soon as he's out, we'll slip out. We keep moving and by the time they realize we left, we'll be long gone." I stared back at him, admittedly disappointed at this grand plan. There wasn't much to it and it left a large margin for error.
"I know it's not perfect," Tina admitted.
"Not even close," I sighed.
"But it's what we have," Dwight said, "and it could be our only opportunity." I ran my hand through my hair, mulling over everything.
"Where do I fit into this?" I asked, "Why'd you involve me?"
"We need your help," Sherry told me.
"What the hell can I do?" I asked incredulously. I had absolutely nothing to offer these people.
"I'm sick," Tina said suddenly, "I have diabetes. They have the insulin I need here. But, we can't afford it anymore. Even the three of us together can't get enough points for my medicine and everything else we need to survive."
"Negan's using that to force her into being a wife," Sherry said, her voice was laced with disgust. "He knows we won't be able to get her insulin much longer, but, if she's a wife she gets it for free."
"It's also free if I steal it," I said quietly, "that's what you want me to do isn't it? You want me to steal the insulin from Carson."
"You work with him," Dwight said, "you're in the medical wing all the time. Could you get it without him noticing?" I thought for a moment, picturing all the medicine. The insulin was in a small refrigerator in the corner of Carson's office.
"I can get the meds," I told them, "but you'd have to give me time to get it all. Wade is always watching me. I'd have to sneak them a few vials at a time. There's no other way."
The three of them exchanged looks and Dwight let out a frustrated sigh. I wished there was another way but there wasn't. There was no way I could stash it all on me without getting caught.
"Alright, alright," Dwight nodded slowly, "that can work. The doctor won't notice the supply getting low?"
"I take inventory," I answered, "I got it."
"How long do you think it'll take you to get it all?" Sherry asked.
"A few days maybe, I don't know," I told her honestly.
"Okay, the faster the better but don't get sloppy," Dwight told me, "if you get caught we're all finished."
"I know," I replied.
"When you have it all, find a way to let one of us know and we'll leave that night, on your signal. I'll come for you, get you out of your cell and we'll meet up with Sherry and Tina at the west wing."
"Okay," I said.
"You got it kid? I don't know if we'll get another opportunity to talk like this."
"I got it," I told him confidently, "I'll start getting the meds as soon as I can."
Tina suddenly threw her arms around me. I stood stiff for a moment, shocked. Finally, I relaxed in her embrace and put my arms around her too.
"Thank you," she said, releasing me.
"No thank you," I replied, "all of you. Thank you for trusting me."
"It's not about trust," Sherry said, "You hate Negan and this god forsaken place as much as we do."
"Either way, thank you," I said. With that I quickly exited the room and hustled back down the hall. I grabbed the mop and started up working again. I continued mopping as my heart thudded in my chest and my hands trembled anxiously. This was really happening. I was officially a part of an escape plan, as risky as it was.
"Fucking Christ kid," Wade exclaimed as he strode up to me, "this is all you got done?"
"I'm tired," I replied, not looking up at him as I continued to work, "I didn't get to finish my breakfast." Wade suddenly grabbed a hold of my chin, forcing me to look at him as he spoke.
"Keep giving me an attitude and I'll make you clean the floor with your goddamn tongue next time," he hissed close to my ear. He shoved my face away from him. "Now move your ass," he barked aggressively before marching away again. I huffed and started working again. As I cleaned I kept repeated the same thing in my head over and over again- you'll be home soon.