The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 95

Dwight could hear the growling masses of dead outside the building. Their groans intermingled with the sound of their bodies hitting and pressing against the cement facing. He knew from experience that the sound of the dead would eventually turn into background noise. It was the smell of them that he couldn't shake. An entire wall of windows was busted during the shootout. Leaving them no way to block the odor. The entire building positively reeked of death. They had to turn the generators off to conserve power. So now the fans weren't even running. The smell combined with the heat was making everyone tense and jumpy.

The small group of leaders was at a stalemate. Negan allowed them to give input. But they never had to actually make a decision before without him there. Regina and Simon wanted to force some of the workers out into the herd. While they fought the dead and likely died, it would leave an opening for another group to escape and go for help. The Saviors had enough fire power and man power to eliminate a herd of this size. Even just one outpost crew would be capable of dispersing the dead. The problem was, they had no way to get word to the outposts. Their long range walkie signals were being jammed somehow. Gavin was certain his crew would show up and save the day. They were due to make a drop. But they never showed up.

Eugene and Dwight did not want to send the workers out. Eugene said it was because the workers might revolt and kill them. And oddly enough, Katie agreed with them. While she didn't have a problem turning on Rick and his group, sending innocent people out to die in a herd of the dead was a line she wasn't willing to cross. Dwight backed them both up, agreeing that forcing the workers out might cause a revolt. But really he just wanted to keep everyone inside the place long enough for Rick and his group to take out as many outposts as they could. They clearly already took Gavin's. And that's where the big gun armory was kept. If they had that, the war was already won.

"We can send out a group of twenty," Regina said. "That would be enough to create an opening in the herd."

"You want to be part of that twenty?," Gavin asked her. She scoffed and shook her head. Before they could start up the same circular argument again, there was a knock on the door. Laura poked her head in.

"They're up here," she hissed.

"The dead?," Simon asked. Laura rolled her eyes.

"The workers."

Dwight rose from the table, along with everyone else. They pushed out into the hall. Dwight felt his anxiety start to rise. This was not good. This was not three or four workers. The hallway was teeming with them. There were so many that if they decided to press in and cause a problem, they would not be able to stop them even though they had guns and the workers didn't. Voices were rising and the standoff was becoming more and more tense. Regina pulled her gun out, firing it at a woman that was reaching into her pocket. The crowd started to push in. Dwight struggled for his gun as his back pressed against the wall. Then suddenly all the workers were kneeling down. It came like the wave at a football game, except once people knelt, they didn't get back up. Dwight looked down the hall, his eyes widening.

Rowan was standing at the opposite end of the hall. She was wearing a long black dress, her hair falling down loose around her face. The workers stayed down, but they shifted their bodies to make a narrow path for her. As she passed through, people reached up to touch her hands or press the fabric of her dress briefly to their faces. Some were bolder and even reached up to brush their fingers against the round swell of her stomach. While Dwight knew the baby belonged to her real husband, these people clearly were in full belief that it was Negan's child growing inside her. And they worshiped his progeny with the same blind devotion they gave to the man himself.

"What's going on here," Rowan asked. She placed her hand on Regina's shoulder and spoke in a calm quiet voice.

"Workers are not allowed off the factory floor," Regina said, looking at the woman she shot dead in the hall. Blood was pooling up under her body.

"The fans are off. We can't breathe down there," one brave worker said, calling out his complaints. Simon repeated Regina's stance, stating that the workers needed to return to the factory floor. Rowan turned to him, taking her hand off Regina's shoulder and placing it on his forearm.

"Surely when those rules were made, Negan never anticipated that we would be under siege and the generators wouldn't be running. He wouldn't want his workforce to sit down there and die of heat exhaustion."

Simon didn't agree. But he found himself nodding along anyway. His arm felt tingly and warm where Rowan was touching him. When she removed her hand from his arm, the feeling lingered. She moved towards the workers next, motioning for the man that spoke to rise to his feet.

"Ben," Rowan said, addressing the man by name. "I'm going to put you in charge of the workers for now. Gather the kids and the elderly or anyone else that you think is most in need. I'll take them up to my room and get them something to drink. The rest of you can take turns going up to the roof to get a break from the heat. But we can't have everyone rushing up there at once or the roof might collapse. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

The man was quick to nod his head. He knelt back down and grabbed at Rowan's hand, placing his forehead against the back of her palm.

"Thank god for you," he said, "thank god for Negan's queen." The phrase was repeated a few times by people in the crowd. Once Ben got back onto his feet, the rest of the crowd followed his example. The workers headed back towards the stairs, moving slowly and orderly. Once the last one turned the corner, Rowan turned to the small group of lieutenants.

"You better figure out how to get us out of here," she hissed, "...because when we run out of food and water I'm not going to be able to stop them." Rowan cast one more dirty look at Katie before she decided that another confrontation with the woman wasn't worth it and stormed off down the hall. The long skirt of her dress swished with the movements of her body.

"How did she know that worker's name?," Simon asked as he stared after Rowan's retreating figure. Dwight shrugged. He didn't answer the man's question even though he knew all too well how Rowan knew that man's name. She was down on the factory floor everyday, visiting with those people and checking on any small ailments or injuries they had. She snuck extra food to the children and pregnant women. And she sat with the elderly residents and listened quietly to their stories. It didn't seem like much. But for most of them, it was the only kindness anyone had bestowed upon them since they came to this place.

Simon watched the slender woman until she rounded the corner out of view. He never paid Rowan much attention before, counting her as just another member of Negan's harem. But the workers' reaction to her impressed him. The wheels in Simon's head were turning. Negan was most likely dead. Someone would have to step up and take the man's place. He thought of himself as the most likely candidate for the job. Taking and maintaining control over the place would be much easier with Negan's queen at his side. He might even be able to gain control without a fight.

"I'll be right back," Simon announced. He headed down the hall in the direction Rowan took. Dwight stared after the man, an unsettling feeling forming in his gut.

"Where the hell is he going?," Regina cursed. They still had to figure a way out of this mess. And Simon was the only one backing her up on her plan to have the workers fight their way out.

"With Negan missing and presumably dead," Eugene said, "a vacuum of power has been formed. After her impressive display of control over the workers, I'd wager he's after Rowan. One would deduce that if he had her as his partner, Simon could gain control over this place more easily than without her."

"Fuck," Dwight cursed. He heard Gavin utter a similar statement. Then both of them took off down the hall after Simon. The other lieutenants trailed behind them. Dwight rushed into Negan's sitting room. The man's other wives were clustered together, looking at the closed bedroom door with some concern. Eugene's wife was pounding on it, demanding that it be opened. Dwight was more concerned with what was going on behind the door. But it did not escape his attention that the women were not dressed in their usual slutty cocktail waitress attire. They all had pants and boots on, like they were ready for a fight or to leave the safety of the Sanctuary if necessary.

A loud scream rang out from inside the room. Dwight hollered for Olivia to move before he threw himself against the door. But Negan's door was reinforced. The man had it built and installed specifically so that if he barred it, no one would be able to get in. Gavin moved in, kicking at the door near the knob, trying to see if the lock might give when the door wouldn't. Dwight could hear a struggle going on inside. He felt the panic rising in him. And he knew this had nothing to do with Negan or the war or the struggle for power. Rowan was his friend. Maybe the only one he had in this place. He didn't want anything to happen to her.

"What the fuck!," David hollered. He dropped the plate of food that Rowan had sent him to fetch for her. He was only gone a few minutes. How did all hell break loose in that short a time? David was larger than the other two men. But even when he slammed against the door with all his weight, it didn't even budge one inch.

"Watch out," Eugene hollered. The man had a pair of pliers in his hand. He didn't slam his body against the door as the other men had done. Instead he knelt on the ground and began yanking at the door hinges with the pliers, trying to pull the pins out. Eugene had the right idea, but lacked the hand strength. The hinges were painted over at some point and it was making the pins stick. David grabbed the pliers and yanked at the hinge. His knuckles sliced open when they scraped against the metal but he got the pin out and dropped it to the floor. The next two came out easier. But the door was still stuck shut. The men were grabbing and kicking at it, trying in their panic to get it open somehow.

"FUCKING MOVE!"

Dwight turned towards the sound, his eyes flying wide open. He had no idea where the man came from or how he suddenly appeared behind them. But Negan was there, covered in walker blood and gore with a crowbar in his hands. And when Negan charged at the door, Dwight got the fuck out of his way. Negan jammed the crowbar into between the door and the frame and yanked hard. The wood splintered. And then the door was finally opening. Negan threw the full weight of his body into the wooden bar that was still holding the door shut from the inside. He went barrelling into the room, screaming at top volume.

Rowan hurried down the hall, already questioning if stopping the confrontation between the workers and Negan's lieutenants was the right thing to do. Having chaos break out inside the Sanctuary was probably the best thing for her. If these people tore each other apart, it would be that much easier for her people to pick off whoever was left and win this war. But Rowan didn't want to see the workers hurt or killed. They were innocent in this. And they didn't deserve to die.

She passed through the sitting room and headed into the bedroom. Grabbing the only pair of maternity pants she had, Rowan pulled them on under her dress. She yanked the dress off over her head and started rummaging through her dresser looking for a bra and something practical to wear on top of it. They were going to have to either fight the dead or run from them and she didn't want to be wearing a long dress when that happened.

"Looking good."

Rowan turned towards the voice. Her hair was loose and falling forward over her bare breasts but she lifted her arm to cover them anyway. She narrowed her eyes at Simon, who for some unknown reason was now inside the bedroom with her. She was just annoyed with him at first. He was an annoying man. And in addition to being more of a wendigo than the rest of his comrades, he was a sadist as well. But Rowan wasn't afraid of him. Not until he turned and barred the bedroom door, locking her inside with him.

"GET OUT!," she hollered, pointing towards the door. The words Dwight spoke to her in the infirmary after Negan was bitten drifted back through her mind. If he dies they'll tear you and this place apart. She took a step back, putting more space between her and the man that was staring at her with catlike eyes. His aura was swirling with greed and red streaks of desire. Rowan screamed for help, knowing that David would be back soon and wishing she didn't send him away when she went to deal with the workers' revolt.

"Relax," Simon told her. "I just want to talk." Rowan took another step back. If Simon only wanted to talk, he could leave the door open. "Negan's dead. We can run this place together. You and me. Someone has to do it. Might as well be us." He took a few steps, closing the distance between them. "Let me show you how it would be," he suggested.

Rowan darted back when he made a grab for her. She backed away and screamed for help again. Simon was advancing on her. She moved like she was going to let him back her into the corner. But when he was almost on her, she turned and darted towards the door. Rowan almost made it past him. But he caught her by the hair. Her scalp yanked painfully, causing little black dots to float in front of her eyes. She felt herself gripped hard by the arm. But it wasn't until she felt the man pushing her down onto the bed that she started screaming absolute bloody murder, scratching and clawing at the man on top of her.

"You better stop fighting," he hissed with a wicked grin, "I wouldn't want to accidentally hurt the baby." To make his point, Simon delivered a stinging slap to the side of her rounded stomach. Rowan screamed as she felt her baby shifting inside her, trying to get away from the man's rough treatment. She could hear voices outside the door, and the sound of people trying to enter the room. Rowan's vision flashed, terrible memories intermingling with the smell and the feel of the disgusting man on top of her. She saw Derek's face. His long silky hair brushed against the sides of her face as he pinned her hands above her head and forced himself inside her. She could feel Simon pulling at the waistline of her pants, trying to pull them down. Rowan could hear her own screams, stretching out and filling the space around her. And then suddenly the man's weight was gone. She didn't hesitate. Rowan flew up from the bed. She had no idea who had come to her rescue when she pressed herself into the corner of the room and curled up into a tight ball, her arms protectively circling her pregnant stomach.

Someone touched her shoulder and Rowan cringed away, curling up tighter and burying her face in her knees. I am peaceful. I am strong. Goddess protect me from all harm. She heard voices around her. And the sound of someone being beaten to death a few feet away. The noises mingled with growls and Tank's loud barks. I am peaceful. I am strong. Goddess protect me from all harm. It was the sound of the barking that caught Rowan's attention. Tank was outside this place. Eaten by the army of dead cannibals that her people brought in to fight the saviors. He couldn't be here. She stopped mumbling her protection chant and peeked up. Rowan shrieked and buried her head back down, her hair falling around her naked torso like a blanket. Now she was sure she was losing her mind.

"It's okay," a man's voice coaxed, "I'm not going to hurt you, I swear."

Rowan peeked up again, this time sure that what she was seeing was real. Negan was there. He was kneeling down in front of her with Tank by his side. Both of them were covered in blood and gore from head to paw. Rowan knew after what she did to the man, she was about to get a lot worse from Negan than she just got from Simon.

"I told my people to attack," Rowan whispered. Her voice was raw from all the screaming she did moments before. "I scratched up your face. And I pushed you over the railing." Her face was only partially visible. Her big hazel eyes peeked out, gauging Negan's reaction to her admission of guilt. She was partly hoping that he might just get a gun out and shoot her dead. Dying quickly would be better than dying slow and painful. Or whatever else he might have planned. Negan sat back on his heels. Even though his grin was soft and sad and not the evil one he gave people he was about to brutally murder, Rowan still shuddered in fear when Negan smiled at her.

"Nobody's perfect," he said. Rowan favored the man with a look of disbelief. There was no way Negan was going to let her get away with what she just did to him. Negan was sitting back, holding his arms out to her. But she still thought it might be a trick. "I killed your friend. I kidnapped you. I wanted you. So I took you as mine without giving you a choice. How about we call it even?"

Rowan didn't move from her spot in the corner. But she did relax her body slightly, considering Negan's proposal. Tank edged in, licking at her and making whiny puppy noises. Rowan finally released her arms from her stomach and wrapped them around the large black dog. She buried her face in his dirty coat. Then she looked up at Negan.

"You saved Tank, didn't you?," she asked. Negan nodded his head. Rowan released her grip on her dog. She hesitated for a moment. Then she scrambled across the small space and wrapped her arms around Negan. He pulled her up onto his lap, holding her close while she cried buckets of tears down the front of his shirt. He knew that soon enough, Rowan would put her walls back up. And they would be on opposite sides of the war once again. But in this moment, they were just two people comforting each other in the middle of a swirling storm of chaos. Negan was holding the real Rowan. The one he usually only got glimpses of. The wild girl that rode in on a horse and faced him down with only a stick in her hands. She was here now. In his arms. And he wasn't going to waste his opportunity. He rose from the floor, lifting her easily up into his arms. Then he turned and headed for the shower.