The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 72

Several of Negan's soldiers were lying dead on the ground. The Saviors had never been attacked inside the Sanctuary before. People were panicking. The compound thrived on compliance and organization. It only took one incident to dissolve that order into chaos. The moment they entered the building, Grey Wolf knew that if he was ever going to get a chance to escape, this was it. People were running around wild. Guards had abandoned their posts. No one was paying him any attention.

Dwight clearly had the same thoughts. Because when they passed by the trading area, he gestured for Carol to approach them. She was still wearing her long stained kitchen apron. The garment didn't fit her and she had to loop the strings around her waist several times to keep it on. A smear of tomato sauce had dried on her cheek.

Dwight spoke in a hushed whisper to the woman. But Grey Wolf was close enough that he could still hear what the man said. NOW. Get her and meet us at the west exit. Grey Wolf could already feel it. The anticipation was building inside him. It was finally happening. He could taste his impending freedom.

They weaved quickly through the maze of corridors. Dwight used as much sleath as possible but his efforts were unnecessary. There was no one left downstairs. Not even the guards that were supposed to be there. Everyone had surged upstairs. Dwight was sure that they would all insist that they believed the Sanctuary was under attack and they wanted to help. But he knew most of them just wanted to rubberneck and see what was going on.

"Here," Dwight said, tossing a pair of shoes in his general direction.

Grey Wolf caught them. There was a fresh pair of socks balled up in one shoe. He sat and quickly pulled them on. The shoes were just a little tight but nothing that would hinder him from walking or running. The next thing flung in his direction was a backpack. He caught it and slung it onto his back, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. His body had sustained so many minor injuries he wasn't even sure where they had come from anymore. Dwight strapped a pack onto his own back. The last thing he gave Grey Wolf was a belt with a gun and large knife already strapped to it. These came with a look that indicated the weapons better not be used against him. Then they continued on their way.

They hurried through a section of the building that was unfamiliar to him. Grey Wolf knew then that he made the right choice in not killing Dwight. The building was even more of a maze than he had previously realized. There was no way he would be able to find his way out without the other man's assistance.

When the last door pushed open there was finally a rush of sunlight behind it. They headed out into the small courtyard. Around the corner of the building there was a gate that opened to a narrow access road and a row of well maintained motorcycles. The fresh air smelled like heaven. The sun was shining down on them like even mother nature was happy he was leaving this place.

Grey Wolf quickly checked over the bikes, pulling one out of the row that had a full tank of gas and the keys in the ignition. Dwight already had another bike out, rolling the wheels until it was pointed in the direction of the gate. A noise caught the attention of both men. Grey Wolf pulled the knife on his belt out of its sheath. A portly man was standing in the courtyard with his hands up. His eyes were wide as he took in the scene in front of him.

"I won't t-t-t-tell anyone," he stuttered, "I swear. P-p-p-please don't kill me."

Grey Wolf hesitated, looking to Dwight to see what the other man planned to do. When he glanced back, a river of blood was running down the fat man's shirt. He had been stabbed through the neck from behind. His body fell to the ground with a soft thud. Gurgling noises could be heard as the puddle of blood rapidly spread out over the pavement. Carol was standing directly behind where the fat man had been only moments before. She had a large kitchen knife in her hands.

Upon seeing her, Grey Wolf felt a wave of relief wash over him. But this was quickly replaced with panic. He had expected the woman to arrive with his daughter. But instead of Rowan, an unfamiliar woman was standing with Carol. The pretty brunette looked vaguely familiar but he didn't remember her name.

"Where's Roe?," he asked, the panic in his voice rising.

Carol glanced at Dwight before looking back at him and shaking her head. She and Dwight had only spoken a few times. But she was aware that they would not be able to take Rowan with them and get out unnoticed. What she didn't realize was that no one had informed Rowan's father of this unfortunate fact.

"She's being guarded," Dwight explained, "We can't get her out without alerting the entire place."

"I am not leaving without my daughter!," Grey Wolf shouted.

Carol put her finger to her lips, signaling for him to keep his voice down. If he started making a bunch of noise none of them were going to be able to leave.

"We have to go now, we won't get another chance like this," she told him.

Carol kept her voice low and even as she approached the man. She hadn't had any contact with Grey Wolf since they slept together. Being in his presence again affected her more than she cared to admit. His clothes were nothing more than filthy rags. They were too baggy for her to see the damage that forced starvation had done to his body. But she could see the hollows in his cheeks. He had always been slim like his daughter and didn't have much body fat to spare to begin with. Her sympathy for him was a hard ball in the pit of her stomach. She closed the distance between them and took his hand in hers.

"You can't help Rowan if you're dead," she said, "You can't help her from here. The only way to help Rowan is to take down the Saviors. And you can't do that if you are locked in a cell."

Grey Wolf grabbed for Carol, pulling her close and pressing her body against his chest. Then he pulled back and looked down into her eyes. His face was a mask of sorrow and regret.

"I can't leave Rowan here alone," he declared, "...I can't."

"She won't be alone," Dwight announced.

Grey Wolf turned towards the man. Dwight had his backpack off and was handing it over to the girl with the brown hair. She was shaking her head, her eyes already filling with tears.

"No. You have to come with us," Sherry begged, "He'll kill you if you stay. Please D!"

Dwight shook his head. Sherry wiped haphazardly at her face as she pulled the straps of the backpack over her shoulders. Once it was secure she rushed into Dwight's arms. He spoke softly to her, telling her that he had too much unfinished business with Negan. That he had to stay and see this through to the end. Whatever that end might be.

Grey Wolf didn't say anything else. He didn't need to. He didn't feel good about it, but his choice was made. Carol was right. As she often was. He grabbed for the handlebars of the bike with Carol next to him. As they rolled the bikes towards the gate, a new problem emerged. Neither Carol nor Sherry knew how to drive a motorcycle.

"I can't drive it myself," Sherry said as she attempted to maneuver the large motorcycle, "I can barely hold it up."

Her face was wet with tears and the tone of her voice made it obvious that she was getting close to her breaking point. She hadn't had time to even change her clothes when Carol came for her. She had heeled sandals on her feet and was wearing a strappy sundress that only came to mid thigh. If she wiped out on the bike, she was going to lose all the skin on her legs and probably her arms as well. And that's if she lived through the crash.

"I'll just leave on foot. Let them go and take the bike," Sherry suggested. "There's no way I can ride this without crashing. I can't drive this bike by myself."

Grey Wolf felt for the girl. But he was not willing to put Carol in danger to secure the safety of a woman he had never met. He grabbed for Carol's arm, anchoring her by his side and keeping her from stepping forward and switching places with Sherry.

"I can drive it."

The voice came from outside the chain link fence. Both men grabbed for their weapons, startled by the unexpected appearance of the man. But Grey Wolf immediately released the grip he had on his gun. The man was not exactly a friend. But Jesus had earned the trust of their group during the attack on the satellite station. He smiled at the man. But it was Carol that spoke up.

"Alright! Let's get the hell out of here!"