You Can't Wake Up; This Is Not A Dream
tw: death; tw: guns; tw: blood; tw: swearing
If she were to go, she wouldn't go without a fight.
It had taken the men to carry the blonde into the large black SUV a good half an hour; with her throwing punches, running through the small house and pushing everything in their way to try and help herself. But Arielle stopped suddenly when she heard the click of a gun hammer being pulled back. Turning, she found herself staring down the barrel generously provided by one of the bodyguards. The girl surrendered, her hands raised as her way of illustrating a white flag. Roughly taking her wrist, the bodyguard without the gun dragged her along with him toward the front of the house to where Negan had stayed, his whistle echoing through the corridors.
"There you are darling," he greeted her again with a victorious smile. "Come now, don't be afraid." She wasn't. As a matter of fact, Arielle had no time to be afraid as anger pumped viciously through her veins.
Wincing away from his touch, Arielle took a step back to only be pulled forward by the bodyguard.
"Dwight, please. Don't manhandle the fucking girl; be gentle," Negan instructed, his voice amused but his dark stare threatening. Obeying his boss, the bodyguard offered a mumbled apology, his grip still tight against her arm.
"So we're clear right? My debt to you is settled?" Jensen asked shakily.
"Oh right," Negan nodded, his finger in the air. "About that."
Without warning, his bodyguard raised his gun, shooting the father in the head. Arielle jumped from the sound, all the air leaving her body as she watched her father's limp body fall to the floor, blood pouring out of the small .22 caliber bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. "Any man who sells his daughter for his own volition doesn't deserve to live." Snapping, Negan turned on his heel, making his way toward the large black SUVs waiting for him outside the house. His trusted right-hand man followed closely behind, concealing the weapon within his coat as the other stayed with Arielle.
She was in shock, her body trembling. Eyes wide open, mouth agape, the woman couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from her fallen father; a bastard in every sense of the word. Though he hadn't been a father to her but more of a monster, Arielle still felt a wave of sadness wash over her. It was the same sadness any daughter would feel realizing they would never have the opportunity for a father/daughter relationship depicted on the television screen; she'd never have her father walk her down the aisle, or teach her how to drive stick. She'd never experience the joy of telling her father he was going to be a grandfather; it was all at his own fault.
"Don't I get to pack?" Arielle finally mustered out, wiping away the silent tear sliding down her cheek.
"No," Dwight answered, pulling her with him outside the house - closing the red door behind them. Though he pulled her in the opposite direction, Arielle's attention stayed with the house. For years she envisioned herself finally walking away from the house, creating a new and proud life for herself - one her father had never helped her with. Instead, the woman suddenly felt a small grudge begin to form within her heart against her father. Her freedom was taken away and handed to another man.
Once inside the vehicle, Negan sitting comfortably next to her, the man offered a black bag. Arching a brow, Arielle silently inquired what she was to do with the bag. "I deem it highly disrespectful to put a bag over your head - so you're gonna do it for me." Rolling her eyes, the blonde took the bag from his hand, placing it over her head. "Good girl," Negan purred, lightly rubbing her arm. At the feel of his fingertips gliding against her skin, Arielle folded her arms across her chest, crossing her legs in the process.
"What you're father did was wrong." Closing her eyes, Arielle refused to allow the tears threatening to escape to pour down her cheeks. Holding her breath, she could hear the man shift in his seat, his hand staying where it was. "I hope you understand why I did what I had to do." His voice was sincere with a hint of softness; this didn't help her already bubbling emotions.
"It's fine. I'm used to it," she whispered, her foot slightly shaking.
"That's bullshit," he answered her, a little harsher than he anticipated. "A father isn't supposed to let down his little girl; nor should he put anything above his children."
"Sounds like you speak from experience." He said nothing but moved in his seat once again - his touch removed from her arm. It seemed she had pushed a button and the rest of the car ride was silent aside from the occasional one sided conversation from the men.
Finally the vehicle came to a stop and Arielle thanked the universe as she was beginning to get car sick. Still the black bag stayed on even as Dwight extracted the girl from the back of the car. Holding tightly onto her arm, the man directed her inside a building. Listening intently to her surroundings, the woman heard nothing but the sounds of their collective footsteps clicking against flooring. She guessed tile or linoleum flooring, hearing the vibrations echo through a large open room. Where the hell am I? She mentally asked herself, uselessly praying they'd stop soon and the bag would be removed.
It seemed her prayers were answered. A clicking noise surprised her and Negan's voice caused her to jump. "Welcome to your new home, sweetheart," he chimed. Through his words she could tell he was smiling, and she was right. As the black bag was finally removed from her head, her blonde hair disheveled, Arielle found herself standing at the doorway to a large room, big enough to seem as if it was a presidential suite at a four star hotel. The floors were white carpet, the California King mattress and bedroom set matching the floor with gold embroidery. Going from the small bedroom with a twin bed in her father's small rancher to a bedroom the size of her old home made Arielle speechless.
The three men waited patiently by the door while Arielle took a few steps into the room, her eyes scanning her new place of residence. Yes, it was an upgrade from what she had ever experienced but to what cost?
Suddenly her mind traveled back to her father, being reminded of what he did. Turning to face the men, Arielle's gaze fell on Negan who leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest. "You like it?" he asked with a smile.
"What are my chores here?" the woman asked, ignoring his question. This earned snickers from both Dwight and the other guard, their footsteps audible as they walked off. Negan, on the other hand, stayed where he was.
"I asked you a question."
"And I answered with one," Arielle spoke defiantly, her arms mimicking his. Negan didn't take kindly to this; no one disobeyed him. Moving swiftly into the room, he extended his arm, tightly gripping her face with his hand.
"You don't get to ask me a single fucking question." The woman whimpered, her hands finding his wrist in an attempt to rip his strong grip from her face. "I own you. You come when I say. You bark if I tell you to; you strip if I want you to. You belong to me." Arielle's eyes widened at his words realizing Negan was nothing like her father; he was worse.
The man let go of her face, watching as the blonde fell to the ground. With one arm on the floor, the other rose, her hand holding where his hand had previously had been. "Now, get cleaned up and dressed like a good little girl and meet me for dinner at seven. I'll have Dwight escort you down." Without another word, Negan turned on his boot heel and sauntered out of her room, slamming closed the door behind him. She didn't move but simply kept her gaze upon the door holding no lock on the inside. Truly Arielle was no longer a free woman – she belonged to a man she knew nothing about. She had a feeling things were going to get a lot worse very fast.
Quote: "You can't wake up this is not a dream, you're part of a machine, you are not a human being. Put your face all made up living on a screen; low on self-esteem so you run on gasoline."
Author's Note: Second chapter out! I'm trying my best to release the chapters much faster - fingers crossed it works. Let me know what you think about this one! All feedback is appreciated!