Gareth's POV

"It's the last cell on the left…" Theresa explained. "...same one we had Dwight in."

"Sure we didn't have anything shittier than that?" I scoffed, recalling the look that had been in Sadie's eyes when she saw him out there.

"Not without just letting Sadie have at him." She chuckled.

I half smiled back, mostly humorlessly. "Ohh, believe me, she'll get her chance.

I sighed to myself as I started the walk down the narrow corridor, thinking about one of the last things Negan had said before all shit hit the fan as it echoed back in my head...

"You're gonna wish you were dead, Sadie...even more so than you did back in that little room."

…..followed by the cold, unphased look on Albert's face as he opened his mouth to confirm that he wasn't just timidly trying to hide along the sidelines like he'd always been so damned good at….

He knew damn well what was going on, back at that so-called Sanctuary. He knew damn well that Sadie was in that casket for however long it took them to bring their asses over here and roll up to our gates…..and even if he did stutter when he uttered those words of betrayal…...it was merely out of fear of what Sadie would do to him when she got out of that damned box.

I could hear the soft moans of him gradually starting to wake up, as I finally approached close enough to that last cell.

He looked up at me as I stood before him, on the other side of the bars.

His back up against the wall where he sat, as he speechlessly began to process that it was me he was about to have to answer to.

"Gareth…" He finally uttered.

"In the flesh, traitor." I chuckled humorlessly, pulling up the fold out chair that had been left for visitors.

"Gareth….I…."

I glared back at him, as I assumed he was about to attempt some kind of half-assed apology or some shit.

"...Gareth, I…..I-I don't know what to say…" He continued instead.

"...Well, you can start by thanking me." I scoffed. "...it's only because I wanted to talk to you that Sadie didn't just get to have her way with you….yet, anyway."

He nodded weakly. "...What did you wanna- "

"I need to know when it was that you lost whatever was left of anything resembling a spine…...and then I wanna know how many times you heard her scream, back in that little room that your new, oh so courageous leader kept her in….was it louder when he tried to rape her? Or were you just so far gone by that point, you were able to turn your head away from that too?"

"...That wasn't Negan.." He tried to defend. "...in fact, Negan- "

"THEY ARE ALL FUCKING NEGAN!" I shouted back at him before he could finish. "..YOU SAID SO YOURSELF!"

Albert jumped back, startled by my raise in voice, and yelled out in pain as his back practically slammed against that back wall as a result.

"That looked like it hurt." My voice, considerably lower…..colder now.

"...I'll live…" He groaned softly, trying not to let it on too much.

I nodded. "...well, for now, anyway." I sighed as I stood back up from my chair and started to leave.

"Gareth, wait- "

"Sadie'll decide what to do with you." I interrupted, even more coldly as I started my walk back.

…...That didn't stop him from desperately shouting out my name, somehow thinking I might actually come back and humor him some more.

"Gareth! …..GARETH!"

"You want me to shut him up?" Theresa offered when I met back up with her, obviously hearing Alberts pathetic screams as they traveled faintly throughout the damned place.

"No, attention's attention." I scoffed, glancing back toward that direction before looking back at her. "...besides, I want him fully alert to just what's coming to him, whenever Sadie gets back here."

She nodded. "..Think that's a little bit nicer than he deserves."

"...Yeah, don't get me started…." I sighed. "...She tell you where she was getting off to?"

"Yeah, I think she said she was just gonna go back to the house."

I nodded. "I'll go check on her."

When I got there, I reached for the knob to find that it was locked…...something that was obviously understandable…..especially nowadays, but that was just a little out of character for her whenever she was expecting me back soon.

I patted around the inside of my pocket til I found the key and very carefully opened the door, only by a crack until she would know it was just me.

I heard a small whimper from Jett, coming from the couch where he was likely splayed across Sadie's lap.

"It's just me." I announced as I opened the door the rest of the way, locking it behind me.

Sadie wiped a hand across her eye, as if wiping away a tear that she hoped I wouldn't notice, as she turned her head to see me.

A little bit of a smile broke through. "...I know."

I half smiled back, making my way over to her after she'd patted down at the spot on the couch next to her.

"Alex is still over at Jessie's…" She said, once I'd sat down. "...I asked her to watch him a while longer, I uhh…." She chuckled humorlessly. "...just needed a little time for myself."

"I think that's well overdue." I agreed, my voice, softer as I tried to comfort her.

She nodded, reaching out to take my hand as it laid down beside me on the couch.

"...I don't wanna talk about what he did….I just want him dead.." She finally managed. "...all of them."

"You don't have to…" I reassured her, stroking my thumb lovingly across the top of her hand. "...and they will be…...we'll see to that together."

She nodded again. "...We first always, right?"

"Always." I agreed.

I took her into my arms, holding her as she wrapped her own tightly around me and tried not to completely break down.

"Every last one of them." She sniffled into my shoulder. "...starting with that spineless fucking coward behind those bars…."

I nodded back, although she probably wouldn't see. "Every last one of them."