The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 64

Rowan paced back and forth across the widest part of the room. Tank had long since given up pacing with her. Instead the large black beast was watching her from the giant dog bed that had been provided for him. He was comfortably settled down into the large plush pillow with no reservations, his head resting on his forearms. Only his dark eyes shifted, following the movements of his mistress as she stalked around their room.

The room Rowan was being confined in was a much more comfortable space than she had expected. There was a small kitchenette towards the back. A sitting area with a plush well worn loveseat and a television was off to the left. And on the right there was a full sized bed covered in a multicolored quilt and lots of fluffy pillows. Tank's dog bed had been placed at the foot of her bed. Behind the bed there was a free standing wardrobe that had been stuffed with women's clothing, most of which looked like it might fit her.

Being provided for so kindly by these killers only served to make Rowan more suspicious. She was convinced that putting her in this cozy room was surely some sort of sick trick. Tank had no such reservations. He had wolfed down the large bowl of canned food that he had been given. Now he was taking a break from watching Rowan pace to roll over on his back, wriggling his body to spread his scent over the fabric of his bed. Traitor. Rowan shook her head at the silly beast.

Rowan had searched the entire room more than three times already. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for. A weapon. Something that might aid in her escape. There was nothing. Not even a fork or knife that wasn't made of flimsy plastic. Rowan sighed and went to the door again. It wasn't locked but there had been a guard stationed outside every time she had checked, which was about every fifteen to twenty minutes for the last four hours.

Rowan edged the door open a crack. The same man was sitting in a chair outside her door. Angry Hawk. The man with the burn scars. Rowan had only opened the door a crack, but the small sound still caught his attention. Rowan stared at him through the crack of the door. He lifted his fingers and gave her a little wave. Rowan squeaked and quickly snapped the door shut again. She could almost feel him laughing at her expense.

Finally, Rowan gave up her relentless pacing and headed over into the small kitchenette. There was an electric water kettle and just about every type of bagged tea imaginable stacked up in the cupboards. Rowan also still had the bag that these people had given her a few moments to grab. It didn't hold her full herbal pharmacia but she always kept a small emergency kit on her in case something happened too far away from town. Rowan settled on a pre-made bag of vanilla chamomile tea from the cupboard for herself. Her anxiety was through the roof. But as she sifted through the contents of her bag, the man outside her room kept creeping into her thoughts. The burns on his face had to be extremely painful.

Pulling another mug down, Rowan filled her diffuser with a base of willow bark for the pain, adding a little ginger for the inflammation and yarrow to help speed the healing. She mumbled her healing chant as she poured the boiling water into the man's cup. Then she pulled out a tiny mason jar that was full of infused olive and coconut oil. She had made it to help with rashes from the stinging nettle that grew like wildfire around Alexandria. But she knew the herbal mixture would also help soothe a healing burn.

"It's for your face," Rowan whispered. She only had the door open wide enough to pass the mug through. The man looked hesitant at first. But after a moment he stood and took the mug from Rowan's hand, handling it awkwardly to keep from burning his fingers on the hot ceramic. Dwight opened his mouth to ask the strange woman how he could know that he wasn't about to be poisoned but she had already clicked the door shut in his face. It reopened a moment later. There was a tiny glass jar on the floor. The woman pushed it through the crack in the door with the tip of her big toe, quickly shutting the door again once the small container passed through.

Dwight felt his body shaking with laughter before he even knew what was happening. He hadn't laughed in so long the feeling had become unfamiliar to him. This woman was really quite a strange bird. Dwight had heard lots of rumors about her. Mostly that she was some sort of magical healer. The other rumor was that the original rumor about the healing was a lie and the woman was only here because the big man had a boner for her. Dwight had assumed the latter was true. But as he sniffed at the mug of hot tea he had been given, he wondered if maybe she did have some medical knowledge.

The burns on his face were healing. They had not become infected. But the pain was constant. It had not lessened when the itching had started. Dwight didn't have any medical knowledge. But he worried the burn had gone so deep it had damaged the nerves. He worried he might be in pain for the rest of his life. However long that would be was uncertain. Dwight set the mug down on the ground next to him to let the steaming liquid cool. He picked up the small jar and opened it. The salve inside had a yellow tinge. He lifted it to his face, sniffing at the strange mixture. It didn't have a recognizable odor.

Dwight shrugged. He figured his face couldn't get any worse. So he dipped his fingers into the jar. As he spread the greasy muck over his injuries, he was surprised by the result. The itching stopped immediately. Even the pain seemed to lessen. This shit was amazing. Emboldened by the immediate relief he had gotten from the salve, Dwight picked up the mug of tea. He blew at the rising steam, sipping carefully to keep from giving himself another burn. It had a bitter taste with just a hint of spice. Not exactly delicious, but not so foul that he couldn't tolerate it. The effects of the tea weren't immediate. It took about fifteen minutes before he felt the pain in his face slowly start to dissipate. What was even more amazing was that he still felt clear headed. The tea had none of the mind blurring effects that narcotics did. He felt just like his normal self, except he wasn't in severe pain. Dwight glanced towards the door again, this time with a new respect for the woman behind it.

Rowan jumped from her bed in a panic. Someone was knocking on her door. She felt like she had only just fallen asleep. The one amenity her room seemed to be lacking was a window. It was impossible to tell the time of day. But Tank was whining at the door. He needed to relieve himself. So she knew she must have slept for much longer than she thought.

"Hey freckles," the man with the burned face greeted her before adding, "Your dog 's been whining for half an hour. I didn't want him to take a shit in there."

Rowan rubbed her eyes as she followed the man down the maze of winding cement hallways. Tank stayed next to her until the outside door swung open and he could see the morning sunshine. Then he surged ahead. The big dog relieved himself on the cement outside. It took a moment for Rowan's eyes to adjust to the light. When they did she saw she was standing on a small platform. There were metal stairs down to her left. An open area below her. Then a fence. Inside the fenced area were dozens of walkers. They were all either tied up or restrained in some way.

The sea of undead made Rowan feel a little queasy. They were dead people. But they were still people. She wished they could be given some sort of mercy. Tank did not agree. The large dog charged up and down the fence, barking menacingly at the undead. He lifted his leg and peed on a few that were chained against the fence.

"Tank," Rowan hollered, slapping her thigh to call the dog back to her, "That's enough! Leave it!" The body of the man next to her was shaking with silent laughter at the dog's antics. Dwight had not been happy about being assigned as this woman's personal babysitter. But now he realized why David had been basically begging for the job. Between her and the dog they practically put on their own stand up comedy show. Dwight hadn't smiled this many times since before the beginning of the outbreak.

"Well freckles I was going to take you to get some breakfast," Dwight informed the woman. He looked down, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt before he added, "...but I was wondering if you could make me some more of that tea first?"

Rowan nodded. Making tea was something she didn't mind doing.

Rowan took another careful sip of the hot liquid before she set it down on the step by her feet. This was her 2nd cup of the day. And the second time she had made tea for the burned man. Rowan grabbed her large sandwich with both hands and took a bite. The bread was fresh. She had seen Angry Hawk take it from the woman that baked it. The egg was hot. He had taken those from someone else. Then he fried them up in a little pan full of butter. The tomato was ripe and perfectly salted. Also taken. The pickles were kosher dill and those had also been forcefully taken, to Rowan's disgust, from a pregnant woman. All morning Rowan and Tank had followed Angry Hawk around and watched as he bullied, threatened, and outright stole from the residents of his community. Rowan chewed another bite as she stared at the sandwich in her hands with a look of deep concentration.

"Whatcha think of it?," Dwight asked. He wasn't the best cook. But he could fry an egg. He hoped the woman liked it. He made her breakfast to thank her for making him the medicinal tea. It was the first time in a long time that someone in the Sanctuary had shown him any kindness. He sincerely appreciated her help. And the kind gesture.

Rowan paused, carefully considering her words before she answered.

"I don't think you were very nice to the people you took all this stuff from," she mumbled through the food in her mouth. She swallowed her bite and took another large one before adding with total honesty, "But this sandwich is so freaking good."

For what felt like at least the tenth time in the last 24 hours, Dwight burst out laughing before he could stop himself. He had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep little bits of egg and bread from flying out and covering the woman next to him.

"Can I ask you something," Rowan requested once the man had recovered from his laughing fit. Dwight nodded. He was actually curious to see what this woman was about to ask him. There was no telling what she might want to know.

"What's a vee eye pee?," Rowan asked. All morning long, Angry Hawk had informed everyone that Rowan was a Vee Eye Pee. And each person stared at her in a weird way that made her uncomfortable. She didn't like it. And she wanted to know what this man was telling people about her.

"Its V I P, like the letters V, I, and P," Dwight explained, trying his best not to start laughing again. He had to wonder what kind of backwoods hippy life this woman lived that she had never heard the phrase VIP before? "It stands for Very Important Person. It means you can take whatever you want, you don't have to pay with points."

Rowan hummed, thinking over what she had been told. It wasn't what she had expected the phrase to mean. And now she was more confused than she had been before. She didn't know what the points were. She also didn't know why other people would have to pay and she didn't. She thought she was a hostage here. Not a guest.

"Why am I a very important person?," she asked.

Dwight thought over her question as he chewed on the last bite of his sandwich. The truth was she was a VIP because Negan said she was a VIP. The man didn't explain his decisions. Some were obvious. Negan's lieutenants were all VIP. Most of the fighters lived at the outposts. But when they came in they were all VIP. Negan's wives were VIP. But there were some other people, like the woman next to him, that Dwight was unsure as to the reasoning behind their status. He didn't want to explain all this, so he offered up the simplest reason he could.

"You are going to work in the medical bay. Doctors are VIP," Dwight told her.

"I'm not a doctor," Rowan protested. Dwight shrugged. She was just as good as one in his opinion. She had done more for him than that worthless Carson.

"I'm supposed to show you where the medical bay is today," Dwight informed her, "But you won't start there until everything is set up for you." Rowan wasn't sure what exactly they were going to set up for her. But working as a doctor didn't sound like the worst idea. The idea gave her some relief. At least now she had some idea why these people had kidnapped her and brought her here. They expected her to work as their healer. She still intended to escape at the first opportunity. But she didn't mind helping the sick or injured people of this community until that opportunity presented itself. Even if she didn't get a chance to escape, she knew Daryl would come for her. She just had to keep herself afloat until that happened.

Rowan rose and brushed the crumbs off her dress. If she was going to look at the medical bay she might as well look now. A low whine from Tank stopped her from ascending the stairs. She looked out into the fenced area to see what had caught the big dog's attention. Her father was being marched into the sea of dead with two other men. He was wearing a dirty sweatshirt with a large A spray painted on the front. Panic gripped her. For a moment Rowan thought she was about to see her father turned into one of the dead. But he was only being forced to corral them. She watched as he grabbed a walker and fastened a makeshift leash to it's back to keep it in place. It wasn't honorable work. But she was glad he was still alive and being put to work.

Dwight urged her to follow him inside. Rowan kept her eyes on her father until the door shut and blocked the man from her view. She reminded herself that he was the toughest man she knew. Or the toughest summbitch as Daryl liked to say. Her father could handle a little forced labor. These people wouldn't break him that easily.

Rowan quietly followed along behind Dwight as they headed to medical. She kept trying to make a map of the place in her mind. So she knew where the door to the outside was. But it was useless. The whole place was like one giant maze. Everything looked the same. She was completely lost after the first few turns and doorways.

When they arrived at the medical bay, Rowan followed Dwight inside. Once inside, the man stopped so suddenly that Rowan ran right into him. She took a step back. His entire body posture had gone rigid. His hands clenched hard once into fists. Then he forced his body to relax.

Rowan looked past him into the room. There was a pretty girl in a sundress sitting on an exam table. Next to her was a tray that held a small plastic wand. Rowan knew she had seen a wand like that before. It took her a moment to place the device but then she remembered. Olivia had gotten a few of those wands for them to pee on. Symbols showed up on the little sticks that told you if you were pregnant or not. It seemed silly to Rowan. She had missed her period. So if she missed it again, she was pregnant. She didn't need a little piece of plastic to tell her that. But Olivia had been so excited. They had taken turns in the bathroom, peeing on the plastic wands. Then they had waited the required time and revealed both sticks at the same time. Rowan was positive. Olivia's test had been negative but she had gotten pregnant about a month later. They had made so many baby plans together. A ripple of sorrow and fear rippled up Rowan's spine. What if I never see her again? What if I have to raise my baby here? Rowan was not going to let those thoughts take root. She was going to have her daughter at home. Olivia was going to midwife for her. Then she was going to midwife for Olivia. Their girls were going to grow up together and be lifelong best friends. Just like they planned.

"It's negative," the girl said, gesturing to the test. Rowan quietly observed her. She was swirling in a grey cloud of sadness. At first Rowan thought it was because she wanted a baby and wasn't going to have one. But then Dwight spoke.

"Well, maybe next time," he offered with obvious fake sincerity. There was so much being left unsaid between the two. They were wrapped in identical clouds of heartbreak and anguish. Rowan could tell they wanted to go to each other. But they moved their bodies like two magnets with the wrong ends facing. There was so much around this new place to unravel. Rowan could tell there was an element of the situation that she wasn't aware of. Something that was keeping these two lovers from each other. And she had a pretty good guess as to what it was. Or rather who it was.