Chapter 25: "Insight"

It has been three uneventful months since living at the Sanctuary. Negan's men have brought in a couple other people and alot more supplies and Jasmine has fully settled in her new surroundings.

Renée have observed that Negan has been spending less time with his wives and more time with the group of teenagers that Jasmine hangs out with. In fact, he has been spending a lot of time with Jasmine, teaching her different things.

Jasmine asked her several times to go out on supply runs with Negan and the other teenagers which she flat out refused to allow every time. She remembers their argument two days ago.

'Mom...I need to help out more around here. Trent and the others are going out!'

'I don't care what the others are doing. You don't need to be out there anymore!'

'You keep treating me like a child! I'm 16yrs old! You are embarrassing me!'

'Well if me trying to protect you is embarrassing so be it! I will embarrass you till the day I die!'

'Mom...pleaseeee. Negan and his men will be there. They will protect me.'

'No!'

Renee was in the medical room just finishing up with a patient when Negan walked in. He waited till they left and closed the door. He sat on one of the new chairs in the room. He looked at her.

"What?"

"You know you're not doing her any favours right?"

She folded her arms across her chest.

"Telling me how to raise my child now?"

"I would be a fool to do that."

"Good. I've been doing it since she was born. I'd like to think I know what I am doing."

"I'm not questioning your abilities as a parent. I've seen what she can do and she have been training with the others. She is capable of taking care of herself….of handling her own."

"I know that!"

Negan got up and walked towards her.

"So what's the problem?"

Renée didn't answer him. He backed away and turned to leave.

"She needs to use her skills out there...out in the real world. Otherwise, she will become weak. That's not protecting her." He opened the door and left.*************************************

Four days later, Negan got word about a serious flu outbreak at one of his outpost. He, Renée, Sheldon, Zane and Marcus head out in two vehicles. When they arrive outside, they met some off the unaffected men in a temporary tent which they pitched in the yard of the compound.

One of the men Trevor, greeted them.

"This isn't just a cold man. A cold doesn't do that."

Renee gave everyone gloves and face masks but decided that only she and one other person should go in and assess the situation to minimise the risk of all of them getting infected. Still pissed at Negan, she chose Marcus to go in with her.

Once inside, Renée understood what Trevor meant. Three of the men were already dead and about a dozen others lay, groaning in pain on their beds. She began her examination. After about fifteen minutes. She and Marcus came outside but kept a few feet away from the others.

"Three are already dead! She shouted at them. "There are six others that are too far along to help. The rest may have a chance but I don't have the meds here or at home to help them."

They all stood around not knowing what to so when a thought hit her. She turned to Marcus.

"The clinic where you found me...did you guys ever go back there?"

"Since the herd passed there….no. We never went back."

Renee turned and began shouting to Negan and the rest.

"The clinic where you found me have the meds that I need to treat the rest. Sheldon...I need you to take Jasmine.. She'll know what I need."

Renée and Marcus went back inside. When Sheldon turned to go to the vehicle Negan stopped him.

"You stay. I'll go for Jasmine and pick up the meds." Negan got in the vehicle and drove off.************************

Jasmine didn't hesitate on hearing her mother's request. She got in the vehicle and they drove off. When they pulled up to the clinic, there were a few walkers lingering outside.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

They both jumped out and went in full killing mood. Within a minute..all the walkers were dead. They entered the clinic and there was two walkers inside.

"All yours." Negan said stepping aside. In one swift move Jasmine took them down. Negan was very impressed.

"That was good."

She smiled proudly. They then began looking through the boxes for the meds that Renée wanted.

"What did you mean when you said that your mom has been taking care of you by herself all your life? Where's your dad?"

"I don't know. Never met him."

They continued rummaging through the boxes.

"What do you mean?"

"It means….I don't know who he is."

"Your mom never told you who your father is?"

Jasmine shook her head.

"Everytime I ask about him, she'd get upset and clam up for days. I caught her crying a few times too. I just stop asking after awhile."

"So she never married or had a boyfriend?"

"I have never seen mom out on a date. Guys have asked her out but she would always back out at the last minute."

"It must have been tough growing up with just you and your mom alone."

Jasmine gave him a half hearted smile.

"You can't miss what you never had... right?"

Despite Jasmine's words..he could see her eyes glistening. She turned away from him. Soon after, they found what they were looking for.

"Yes!" Jasmine looked at all the other meds lying around. "I think we should take all of it. Some of these might really come in handy."

"Negan nodded. They quickly bagged everything up and drove off.***************************

After dropping Jasmine back at the Sanctuary, Negan quickly drove to the outpost. When he arrived, they were already burning the bodies of the dead men. Three more died since he left.

Negan slid the drugs in a bag over them and they went inside to administer it to the men that could be saved. Renee first gave herself and Marcus a strong dose of the antivirals and then gave it to the other men.

Ten minutes later they came back out, still keeping their distance.

"What are we going to do with the other three men? We can't just leave them here."

Negan nodded to Marcus.

"Wait here." He instructed Renée.

Negan walked to the back of the truck while Marcus went inside. Soon Marcus began dragging the bodies of the three remaining men out into the courtyard, halfway up between themselves and the others.

"What are you doing?" Renee asked.

"Taking precautions." Marcus replied as he dragged out the last remaining one.

She looked up and saw Negan approached the men wearing a face mask and gloves with a baseball bat, wrapped in barbed wire in hand.

"What is he doing?" Renee asked Marcus confused.

She turned in time to see Negan standing over one of the men on the ground, bat raised above his head. The dying man raised his hand feebly towards Negan.

"What is he doing?!" Renée screamed.

She watched in horror as Negan brought the bat down on the man's head.

"No!"

Renee ran towards Negan as he raised the bat again. Marcus tackles her to the ground.

"Stop!" She screamed.

Negan slammed the bat in the man's head again. She heard bone crushed with the second blow. As she and Marcus struggled on the ground Negan hit the man a third time. He was dead. He then walked and stood over the second man, bat raised in hand.

"Oh god no!"

Renee cried as Negan struck the first blow to his second victim. The man started to make gurgling noises..one of his eyes popped out. Seeing this, Marcus flipped Renée over on her back to face him.

He planned himself firmly between her legs and covered her mouth over the face mask to muffle her screams. She wiggled under him.

"Look at me!" He demanded. "It needed to be done!"

Renee stared up at him through wet, frightened eyes. All she heard was the sound of the bat crushing bone and her muffled cries.

Soon it was over. Marcus slowly released her mouth and lifted himself off of her. She turned herself around on hands and knees and looked in front of her.

Standing a few steps away directly in front of her was Negan staring down at her….bat in hand. It was covered in brains..dripping with blood at his feet. Her eyes drifted to the right and she saw the bodies of the men..their heads hollowed out and mushy on the now red stained concrete floor.

It was too much for her. She held her stomach and quickly removing her mask….empty the contents of her stomach on the ground infront of her. Marcus reached out to her but she batted his hands away in disgust.

After five minutes on all fours, she struggled to her feet on shaky legs and walked up to Negan. He saw the anger in her face. After wiping away her tears, she slapped him hard across his face. He didn't move….he didn't flinched...he just stood there...looking at her.

"Damn you!" She whispered as she stalked off to the vehicles**********************************