A/N This chapter has an uncomfortable sexual assault scene. It's the catalyst for Negan hating sexual violence. This chapter in general shapes Negan.
My eyes snap open. Did I dream last-
"Five more minutes, ok," Vin says groggy.
I throw my head back in relief. Thank you, God. "One," I reply playfully. Last night, she only let me close to her for a few minutes before she asked me to stay on my side of the bed. She said that things were moving faster than she wanted. I know it's because she doesn't trust me. But each day I'll show her why she should.
Vin is sluggish to get up. Her coloring is off, too.
"You don't have to get out of bed."
"I have responsibilities within the community."
"Yeah, but you're with me. You can pretty much do whatever the fuck you want-"
"Negan, I'm not with you. Look, I appreciate what you did for me last night, but we're not together."
I'm so goddamn pissed off, I walk right the fuck off. Fuck, I'm stupid! I take Lucille and kill several undead. My anger turns into concern when I see just how many I'm finding. What if my camp- I crouch down when I hear engines. It's several truckloads full of people herding the dead like cattle. I keep a safe distance so I can see exactly what the fuck is going on.
The group has their shit together, that's for sure. They use walkie-talkies to communicate with each other as they herd the dead farther away from the forest.
I decide to follow them and it leads me to their base camp, eerily close to ours. I'm not sure about these guys yet. They've fortified what looks to be like an electrical company. Using the fences as protection. All the tall towers have guard posts that gives them a greater vantage point. The undead they've brought back are actually let inside the compound.
"You need to know what it feels like to be overrun," a man shouts on a bullhorn from one of the towers. I assume it's their leader.
It's some kind of training exercise, which they lose three of their own.
"Fucking pathetic," he yells, coming down from the guard tower. "Guns are for the living! Not the dead. Do it again!"
Christ, I think I watch this group all fucking day. I don't even believe my eyes when I see all the supplies that are trucked in. Their numbers are incredible. And their organization is commending. I have my suspicions. You have to in this world. But if joining up with them means a better chance for survival, then it's worth it. No one looks like they're prisoners, but what worries me is I haven't seen a child or woman yet. You learn a lot about a group by the way they treat their women.
I go back to my men and explain what I've seen. They want to meet up with this other group, but before we decide for sure, we're interrupted by them.
"Who's in charge here?"
I step through the crowd. "I am."
"Our leader Alder wants a word. We're part of a group of communities, ours being the largest. If you're going to stay, you'll need to cooperate with us."
I don't like his tone, but I can't say that I disagree with what he's saying.
Most of my men agree to go with me. Once we pass through the new group's gates, my gut feeling is to get as far away from these motherfuckers as we can.
"I am Alder. I lead Salvation Sixty Six." He was the one on the guard tower.
"Negan." I don't like how their attention is turned towards Tex, Teddy, and Vin. I'm quick to move Vin to my side. In situations like this, I always hope my size deters people from acting out.
Their leader goes over a few things with me, but it's bullshit. There's no goddamn way they got all those supplies because they traded shit fair and square. I tell men to load up and deny their offer to work with them.
Vin, however, isn't ready to leave. She's suspicious like I am. "You never said how you have all these supplies?"
Whatever bullshit courtesy Alder was extending us is gone, and the mask comes right the fuck off. "It's tribute. Other communities give it to us. If you're going to live over by the creek, you'll need to pay tribute, too. We were here first. If you don't like it, get the fuck out."
"That's extortion," Vin yells.
"Vin," I grab her hand because these people have enough ammunition to take every one of us out a hundred times over.
"Negan, it's not right."
"I know it's not, but you will die if you don't come with me now." I tug her hand.
"You're a monster," Vin shouts at Alder.
He grabs her by the throat.
I get one good swing in before ten guns are in my face.
He pulls Vin to him as his hands move under her shirt.
"Stop," she begs.
"Take your shirt off."
"Get your fucking hands off her," I tell him. I'm hit in the mouth with one of the guns and then taken to gravel as a gun is put against my temple and a knife to my throat.
Alder forces Vin's shirt from her then grabs her by the scruff of her neck.
Vin cries as her hands cover her naked skin.
"Look at what we have here, boys. A woman with an opinion." His finger brushes her cheek before she's forced on the ground next to me.
"No," I scream.
"I will rape you in front of him," he snarls at her, "then let every one of my men have a turn like we do the others with an opinion. You think I'm a monster because I take a few cases of food?" He licks up her ear then spits on her. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, bitch. Say one more word and my dick will be so far down your throat. Then after I'm done, I'll make you thank me for it."
I'm so goddamn fearful that he's going to rape her until he stands up and starts for their front doors.
Vin is pulled upward by her hair by another man and is shoved into me once I'm allowed to stand back up.
I shake my jacket off and wrap it around her naked flesh.
"Get the fuck out. We'll be by in a week for our supplies. You try to stiff us or come up short, we'll start taking your women as compensation, stupid fuck. See you soon, bitch." He slaps Vin on the ass.
And that's one of the kinder things the men have to say to Vin as we walk back to the truck.
Vin is like a statue on the ride home, ignoring even Teddy as she asks what she can do.
Niko cleans her glasses for her and that still doesn't get a reaction.
I have fucking failed Vin as a man. I didn't protect her, and she was almost raped because of it.
Once we're home, Vin hurries to the community bathroom camper to shower.
"What are we going to do, Negan," Dwight panics.
"We can fit maybe four people inside the supply truck. The back will be loaded with supplies. We'll hook up one of the campers to the van we stashed. The rest of you will ride in the van or camper. We leave tomorrow night."
"We're just supposed to leave," someone asks.
"You stay. Play their fucking game of what's enough this week, but not good enough the following week. Salvation Sixty Six has threatened our women, and I won't stand for that. Neither should any of you. If you're not disgusted by what just happened to one of our own, you can stay the fuck here." I go to Vin's camper so I can get her a shirt, then collect her things. I know I was pissed this morning, but this changes everything. There is no way in hell that I will let her out of my sight now. Not when fucking degenerate filth threatens to force himself on our women. On any woman. "Here," I tell Vin handing her a shirt. "I got your things. I want you with me tonight."
More silence.
"Vin, talk to me. Please."
She stares back at me in the bathroom mirror. "I spent my entire life trying to help the homeless. Trying to raise money. Benefits. Volunteering. And for what? For it to all fall to fuck. Now we're looting things that don't belong to us. Taking things because someone has more guns? I used to think that I was lucky to be alive. To have survived and lived through all that chaos, but I'm not. I hate this world. What people have become. What people do now to each other."
Here she was almost raped, but she's more worried about how far people have fallen. Worried about others over herself.
This is the moment I decide that I want something more than to just survive. I want to be the one to put the world back together for her. To restore humanity. We'll be the new world order. The Saviors.