Chapter 80: Sunshine
CPOV
~Back at the Prison~
After having cleared the prison of all threats, I had glanced around the cells and took a cell I thought looked comfortable. "Long day?" I heard mom's voice before I turned around and saw her stood by my door.
Her soft doe eyes were warm and gently gazing upon me. "Yeah," I sighed before I took a seat on the bottom bunk.
"You know what?" mom asked me as she walked into my new room. "I think you're right," mom said as she sighed out. Carefully crouching to accommodate her huge stomach as she sat down beside me.
Glancing to her stomach, she was so big, it looked like she was going to burst with my sibling any second now. "Kat used to look at me the same way when she was around your age," mom said out of the blue as I tried to subtly not stare at her bump.
Mom though, had caught me staring. "What?" I looked up to her and saw she had been staring up at me.
"Kat," mom informed me it was Kat she had been talking about. "She used to look at me like I was a huge balloon ready to pop," mom took the words right out from my head.
A smile grew on her face as she ran her hands to cup her inflated stomach. "I remember when I was carrying you, she would say 'Mommy, you're so fat,' and 'Mom, you need to stop eating. You're getting chubby' and I'd sit back. I'd laugh and your dad would laugh..." mom had laughed.
The smile that was on her face, was so wide as she mused over the memory. But her smile soon fell at the fact my sister was no longer with us. Glancing between mom's bump and her sad face as she gazed to her stomach, I didn't want her feeling sad over something we couldn't have prevented.
"She would of loved to have met my baby brother or sister," I said what I thought, trying to lighten the atmosphere, even if it was only a little bit.
Scoffing a laugh, mom smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she would," she had wiped at tears that had flowed out from her eyes.
Sniffling, I held tightly to what kept my strong and knew that I needed to let Kat's memory keep me strong. She would want me to be hopeful, like she was. "Maybe one day, we'll all meet again in a place where we can all be together," I suggested.
"All of us," I wasn't just talking about me, or my unborn sibling, my parents. I meant all of us. Kat, our group and everyone else we ever loved.
Mom muttered a very quiet 'yeah' while nodding her head. Pulling me into a hug, she kissed the top of my head. "I love you, baby..." she whispered into my hair. "So much," I could feel her arms squeeze me a little as she held on.
PRESENT DAY...KPOV
Once I had been served my breakfast, I had been having a hard time holding it in and did my best to. Minutes before I would be sick, I had asked Davey to get me something. Spending that time to let my morning sickness pass, I was thankful that Davey came back just as I finished.
Not long after, Negan appeared and had guided me through halls, my dress was now a part of me, as I had to keep appearances during the day. But I stayed myself during the nights, when I would curl up and force myself to sleep.
As Negan lead me, his men followed me shortly, feeling like the hostage I had offered to be, I had to be smart. Even if every fiber in my body wanted to take all of them out.
Walking through a set of double doors, there was a huge lounge, big enough to be some kind of living room. With a range of couches, tables, a fireplace and chairs. There were drinks, books and all kinds of things to keep oneself busy.
"And here...is the lounge," Negan declared as he lead me to the room. "Where you can mingle and flirt with the rest of my wives," Negan had told me playfully with a huge shit eating grin on his face.
I realised he hadn't shown me this place before, because I hadn't accepted the dress or even slept with him. Had I done that earlier, I was sure I would of been invited to spend my time here instead of being sat alone in my room.
Whilst Negan was leaning in closer to me, I had glanced to the women that were already there, it was a range of them and most had gone quiet the moment they saw Negan arrive. They fear him, don't they?
Once my eyes were done examining the others, my eyes returned to his, which Negan eagerly had been awaiting for. "I'll be expecting you again tonight. You, are my new favourite way to end the day," Negan spoke of me like I was a kind of activity to him.
All I was, was something he could use and show off to his men. I'm the bigger prize, seeing as I'm the daughter of one of his previous enemies that now works for him. "You do know you sound like a pig, right?" I pointed out to him as I kept my eyes on him.
Letting out a small chuckle, Negan's eyes lit up with amusement. "Oh. I know and yet, you still love me," Negan joked with me like he was convinced these words were true. But his eyes knew he was being sarcastic.
Feeling him come closer, Negan's lips overlapped mine and I couldn't resist him. I had to kiss him back, for the sake of keeping appearances and because if I hadn't, he would more than likely got angry with me.
Hating every moment of it, when he pulled back, my eyes slowly opened and met his gaze. A grin so wide, I hoped it broke his face grew on his mouth.
"I'll see you later. Drink and be merry, you're married," Negan whispered the first part before reminding me of the stupid arrangement.
Watching Negan leave, I stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by beautiful women and with two guards at either sides of the opened doors. He's a mad man, living in a fantasy and living off of fear.
Seeing the women, they ranged from shapes, all sizes and of all backgrounds. The only thing that was the same, was the fact we wore dresses and of the same colour. Black. Feels like a funeral. Possibly to celebrate the death of our freedom.
Hearing footfalls behind me, as someone approached, a gentle hand went to touch my shoulder. "Katherine, right?" the female voice asked me.
Unable to look away from the doors, to where Negan disappeared from, it was like I was waiting for something. Or for someone to appear. A strange feeling in my stomach, I began wondering if perhaps it was just my child making me feel nauseous again.
Looking over my shoulder briefly, I thought it rude to not answer the girl at least. "My friends call me Kat, but Katherine will do...for now," I answered her back.
At the end of the day, it appeared me and this girl were in the same boat. As Molly once said, before Maggie ended her life before the cancer did. "Weary. That's smart," the woman's voice responded back to me.
"I'm Sherry..." she said and slowly, I turned around to face her.
Meeting her doe like brown eyes and slim face, I could finally put a face to the name. My eyes wide as I finally met the girl who stole from Daryl. This, was the same girl that was with Dwight.
MPOV
Returning back to the clearing, trying to stay close to the roads I assumed the Saviors took to go back home, I had strolled along it. Whistling the tune of 'The Farmer in the Dell', it was the only one I could think of, after singing it so many times to Judith.
This had been my way of trying to attract walkers to me. Having a plan, I needed to see it through. The talk with Carl, proved it as much and needing to see if there was some way to beat them, I had to have an insight.
Hearing two walkers approaching my slow walk, I had to stop my whistling in order to focus on ending them. Slicing one's head in half, the mess of his blood spilled all along the ground. Hoisting his legs first to prop them up a little, I then crouched down.
Taking hold of his legs, hooking them over my forearms, I dragged him and continued my merry tune. I need to see. I need to see if there are any other ways to end this. We need more information, the same way Kat and Glenn suggested.
RPOV
Waking up from a nightmare, the sight of the night lamp was the only thing to soothe me. That was until I remembered where I was and what I was doing, along with who for. I have to do this to keep others alive. And to keep Kat safe.
Rubbing at my eyes as I shifted to sit up only very slightly, I heard rustling coming from the side, where Aaron was sleeping. "What time is it?" Aaron asked me sleepily.
Checking my watch, I aimed it towards the light so I could see it more clearly. "Just past 5:30," I informed him. "Let's go," I ordered.
Seeing the walkie talkie, it was on but Michonne hadn't contacted us. I had hope she would but part of me felt like she wouldn't. Kat is gone because of me. She hates me because of that. I can tell.
As we got up onto our feet and began packing our sleeping bags, Aaron had opened the door to the truck we had been resting in. "Didn't see that last night," Aaron said as he stared off into the distance.
"Didn't see what?" I asked him and slowly approached him to see what he found. Aaron pointed towards what he saw. He's right. We didn't see that last night...
CPOV
Looking around the truck, seeing if there was anything we could use, myself and Jesus had talked about things. About Maggie and the baby, that she was alright. About Sasha, that she asked him to do this.
The truck came to a stop, as two guys talked about a herd that was coming that they needed to let pass. As noise from the truck would only alert the walkers to them and to their home. When they were gone, myself and Jesus came out of hiding.
I told Jesus about Enid, about Kat and Daryl. We were now scavenging in silence. But I sensed there was something else Jesus was up to.
More so when I saw him taking a bottle of syrup and squirting it out the back of the truck. What is he doing? "Making a trail," it was as though Jesus read my mind as he answered my silent question.
As he looked back at me, he quickly looked back, out to the distance, like he was trying to memorise the roads were were taking by just looking around outside and seeing what we passed. "I think we're close," Jesus had a sense that maybe we were.
Funny enough, so did I. "We should bail out, follow the rest of the way, see what we can see," Jesus suggested to me.
Not willing to leave, I knew if I told him my plan, he would of dragged me out of the truck by any means. "I, uh..." I searched for words to say. "How?" I decided to act clueless.
His back to me, I watched him as he would talk to me. "It isn't usually the fall that gets us. It's trying to fight it. Run with it or roll with it," Jesus advised me. "The truck's going slow enough. We'll be in the blind spot. We can race behind one of the other cars," this was his plan.
"I-I-If..." I stuttered. "If I screw up and we get caught-" I was acting like the scared little boy everyone possibly expected me to be.
Jesus looked over his shoulder at me. "It'll be fine," Jesus reassured me. "We just got to go now," he said as he looked back outside, like he wasn't willing to look away in case he missed on an important detail.
Nodding, I had a good plan that I knew wouldn't fail. "Okay. Show me first," I encouraged him to jump out first and that I would follow after.
As he leapt out from behind the truck, I lifted a flap up a little so I could watch him roll away and hide behind something, I waved him off. "Sorry Jesus..." I apologised to him, even if he didn't hear me. Shutting the flap, I went back to looking through their stuff.
KPOV
Watching a blonde walk into the room, clutching her face as she cried and took a seat on one of the couches, Sherry had gone to her. They had talked for a while but my mind was running wild with thoughts.
From how to escape, to how I could keep myself protected should Negan know about my pregnancy. Slowly but surely, Sherry approached me and took her spot beside me near a wall. My arms crossed over my chest protectively.
Sherry let out a soft sigh as she leaned against the wall. "What's wrong with her?" I asked Sherry as I glanced to the blonde who had arrived later than the others.
"Her name's Amber," Sherry said, glancing over to the girl I was indicating to with my gaze. "She's been caught with her ex boyfriend, a guy named Mark," Sherry informed me of what happened. "If Negan finds out, he'll hurt them," Sherry told me.
This left me a little concerned for the poor girl who looked a fair bit younger than myself. "He hits women?" I asked Sherry with stern concern in my eyes.
Sherry glanced to the floor. "No. Never," Sherry answered me. "Negan is evil but he wouldn't hurt one of us. Worst he could do, is make us earn points and strip us of being his wife and the privileges that come with it," Sherry explained how his punishments for women like us worked.
"Negan's only rule is to not cheat on him, even if one of his men gets rewarded with spending time with us," Sherry said as her eyes finally glanced up to meet my gaze. Silence had enveloped our tight little space.
Swallowing hard, Sherry took her time beside me before she finally spoke. "I needed to talk to you..." Sherry broke the silence.
Examining her face, I wondered what was on her mind. "What about?" I asked her gently.
As her eyes met mine, she had been teasing her nails with her fingertips. "About...Dwight," Sherry stated what the topic was. "The day he found you and Daryl. Is it true?" she asked me.
Sherry had been referring to the topic we'd discussed earlier today. "I was there," I sighed out to her. "He shot Daryl's own bolt straight into Denise's eye. He killed her and there was nothing we could do about it," I repeated what I had said to her earlier.
"The same crossbow you stole from Daryl, killed someone we cared about," I made sure she understood the harshness of that situation. Dwight killed and at first, Sherry didn't want to believe me.
Processing my words, Sherry blinked a few times and looked away from me. "It's just..." Sherry drifted. "That doesn't sound like him," Sherry summarised her thoughts on the situation I had painted out for her.
Like a flash, her eyes rose and met my gaze. "Dwight would never kill anyone," Sherry said confidently.
Edging closer to her, I made sure the space between us was small. "Well best believe that he did. Because we saw it happen," I told her the truth. "And that bullet wound Daryl has? That was Dwight too..." I revealed to her too.
Letting out a shaky breath, Sherry's eyes eventually fell from my gaze and to her fingers. "I-...I best go check up on Amber," Sherry was alerting me that she was ending the conversation.
"Excuse me," Sherry excused herself before she returned to Amber's side on the couch. Looking to the ceiling, I was praying for strength.
After a few moments passed, I went to take a seat beside Amber on her other side and joined in with their conversation.
CPOV
As we drove past a fence, with walkers surrounding the gates, held on spikes, chains, against cars and all kinds of things. I knew I was in Negan's home. I had to have been. This place is screwed up. Just like him.
Finding a case of guns, I took one out, one I was familiar with and one I knew would be cool to pop lots of little holes into Negan once I found him. Hiding behind the pile of boxes, I heard Negan's voice crystal clear as he possibly came to check in on what they got. My gun up, ready to shoot anyone who came in.
Men were laughing, joking and as I felt one climb in, I aimed the gun directly in the direction they appeared in. Watching as one picked up a box of alcohol, the whole collection fell to the ground through the open flap. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled as it clattered.
Reaching down to clean up the mess, he then noticed me. "What the hell?" was the last thing he said as I shot him down. Then the second that had just climbed in to help him. Aiming for anyone who got in my line of fire.
I moved out from behind the boxes and aimed my gun up at all of them. "Stay back!" I warned them through a shout as I aimed at all of them. "Drop your weapons," I ordered. "I only want Negan. He killed my friends. No one else needs to die," this was my proposal to them.
Negan began whistling and when I finally found him, I had climbed down a little, just enough to get a good height difference but close enough to see around me. "Damn," Negan smirked at me. "You are adorable," he mocked me.
I tried to get a good aim of him, but he was moving and he was moving between his men with a huge smile on his face. "Did you pick that gun 'cause it looks cool? You totally did, right?" Negan asked me with a playful tone in his voice.
When he called me adorable, he had grabbed one of his guys and shoved him right in front of him. "Kid, I ain't gonna lie...you scare the shit outta me," Negan said, as he used the guy to block my aim directly at him.
When another guy went to run at me, I shot him down and felt one tackle me, holding onto the gun as he forced me to the ground. Grunting as I fell, I had recognised Dwight instantly as he forced me to the ground and I threw a punch straight to his face.
Going for my gun, he took it and aimed it right at me. "Kid!" Dwight warned me, holding me down as I struggled against him. My back against the chalk like floor.
Looking up at him, I was ready for it and I knew that nothing would happen to me. I didn't care if it did. Kat made a deal. Negan best honour it. "Dwight," Negan called to the guy holding me down. "Back off," Negan ordered.
Moving away from holding me down, Dwight then took my knife from me and left me there on the ground. I could see Daryl staring over at me, his hands grasping onto the fence as he got as close to me as he could.
I hate this. "Is that any way to treat our new guest?" Negan asked Dwight as he looked down at me, offering me his hand. "Come on, kid. I will show you around," Negan encouraged me to take his hand.
Glaring at him through my one eye, I didn't plan on taking his hand. Not now, not ever. "You know, you do the same damn stink-eye as your dad, except it's only half as good 'cause...well, you know, you're...missing an eye," Negan told me.
Chuckling at his own amusement of me ignoring his gesture to help me to my feet, I continued to glare at him. "Really? You're really not gonna take my hand?" Negan asked me pointedly. "'Cause you're lucky you even still have a hand," Negan said, reminding me of the fact he almost made my father cut my arm off.
"Same as your boy Daryl over here, now that I think about it," Negan mused to himself as he looked over at Daryl who was staring at us. "How's the job going, Daryl? Hot enough for you? Yeah, it'd be tough with one arm," he joked with Daryl.
But no one found it funny. Only he did as he chuckled to himself. I need to be good for Kat and Daryl. But...I guess I already failed that by not killing Negan and killing his men instead. For a moment, I knew I should have just cut them all down if it meant I would have got Negan too.
That's what dad or Kat would have done. Instead, I wasn't them. I took Negan's hand after brief deliberation and felt him tug me onto my feet. "Ah, smart kid," Negan commented as he helped me to my feet.
"Now come with me," Negan encouraged me to join him. "Dwighty-boy, why don't you grab Daryl, take him to the kitchen, do a little grub prep," Negan ordered of Dwight. "New plan, boys. Let's burn the dead, unload the truck later," Negan instructed the others around him.
"Damn, I am not gonna have time to screw any of my wives today," Negan complained playfully as he looked at me. "I mean, maybe one," Negan rose a single finger as he smirked down at me, then glanced over to Dwight and Daryl.
I wondered who he had been talking about. But something told me it could have easily been my sister or someone Dwight knew. "Come on," Negan said as he turned his back on me and lead the way.
Turning, I knew something was going to have to be done to me for killing his guys. For coming all this way to try and kill him. "What are you gonna do to me?" I asked after a long sigh left me.
A door opened and closed to the side of me as Dwight and Daryl disappeared through it. When they were gone, Negan stopped and turned to face me. He had been rubbing at his face before he turned to meet my gaze.
"Number one, do not shatter my image of you," Negan began giving me rules to follow. "You're a badass. You're not scared of shit. Don't be scared of me. It's a disappointment," he gave me his opinion of me.
"Number two...you really want me to ruin the surprise?" Negan asked me but I wasn't going to answer him. "Screw you, kid. Seriously. Screw you," he told me before he took my shoulder into his hand and guided me up a flight of stairs.
Thoughts of Kat and if she saw me made me worry. It finally hit me like a truck I just rode in from. If Negan doesn't kill me. Kat will.
DPOV
What I hadn't expected, was while 'earning' my points, I had seen Carl mysteriously come out from the back of a van. Shooting up a couple of Negan's men and calling out that he wanted Negan as he aimed a gun up at all of them.
If Kat could see this, she'd tell him to stop being stupid. He was outnumbered and it was proven the second Dwight got the upper hand on him. Clutching onto the fence as I watched, I wanted nothing more than to run to him and help him.
I wanted to get Kat out of here too and I just wanted all of us to run. As far as we could from this place. Carl being here, it was putting himself at risk, especially with him now killing two of Negan's men after Kat made the arrangement to keep them safe.
What the hell is he doing? Then I realised when I finally saw Negan reach to give Carl a hand, to help him up. Panting, my heart was speeding at the thought of someone I saw as my little brother getting possibly hurt by Negan and his men.
Carl...I was worried for him and I hated myself for not being able to do anything to help him. There are too many of them. As I moved to get closer, one soldier blocked me off and then I heard a walker coming up from behind. Dodging it, I ran off and saw one guy drag it back by its chain.
As Negan talked directly at me, while I clutched onto the fence and kept my eyes on Negan, on Carl. I was going to make sure he kept his promise to Kat. Nothing can happen to him. I don't give a shit what happens to me. But Carl...I'll kill him if he does something to Carl.
When Negan had mentioned screwing one of his wives today, he had looked to Carl with a smirk first, then Dwight and then to me. Glaring at him, I knew what he was doing. He's messing with our heads. He wants me to think it's Kat and Dwight to think it's Sherry.
CPOV
Following Negan's gentle shoving up the steps, we eventually came through double doors. Opening it, Negan stepped in first and waited for me to follow before he closed the door behind us. "Check this out," Negan whispered to me.
What happened next, was he walked out onto what would appear to be a balcony that looked down on all the people he had. All of them instantly fell silent and got onto one knee in front of him. "The Saviors have gone out into the world and fought the dead and come back with some really good stuff," Negan lied to them.
If he can lie to them, he can easily lie to Kat. "Some of that stuff can be yours if you work hard and play by the rules," Negan gave them their terms and conditions. "Today, everybody gets fresh vegetables at dinner. No points needed," Negan announced, which made all of them applause.
I knew that the Saviors took it from the Hilltop but I didn't know if Negan had figured out that I knew he took it from the Hilltop. He might be lying because I'm here.
Negan then turned to face me, as I watched all of the people stay on their knees for him. "You see that? Respect," Negan gloated. "Cool, huh?" he thought I was impressed but I wasn't.
I've learned about dictators and this is what they do. They bend people to their own will. "They still on their knees?" Negan asked me but he already knew that answer. I glared at him from the corner of my eye and stayed quiet.
"As you were!" Negan announced over his shoulder without even needing to look at them. As they got up and continued with their boxed in lives, I had sympathy for them. They must fear him as much as the rest of us do.
And he enjoys it. He craves to have power over people. Seeing all of this, I wondered if Kat saw the same things, too.
KPOV
Sat beside Amber and with Sherry at the other side of her, suddenly, Negan came in and beside him was none other than my baby brother, Carl. "Ladies," Negan announced to us as they entered the room.
Some girls moved away from each other and others all fell silent. My eyes were glued to Carl as I held onto Amber's shoulders gently. "Don't mind the kid," Negan was trying to reassure us that my brother wasn't to be a bother.
Staring at him, Carl's eyes glanced around the room until they fell on me. "I know. Every woman where you're from dresses like they do the books at an auto shop. You're gonna want to look at their titties," Negan spoke to Carl in a way that made me want to throw up the rest of my breakfast.
This isn't something I want him learning. He's too young for it. "It's cool. I won't mind. They won't mind. Knock yourself out," Negan had told Carl he could stare at us. That he could objectify us.
Carl's eye was glued to me as my lips parted and eyes never left him. Following Carl's line of vision without a second thought, Negan knew Carl would be looking at me the moment he spotted me.
"Oh, but this must be awkward for you, seeing how hot your sister is right now," Negan mocked and objectified me in front of my brother. I'm sure Carl wants to break his jaw for talking about me like that.
Negan's attention was then drawn to me too, a huge smirk on his face as he knew what he was doing. "Can I talk to you for a minute, dear wife?" Negan asked me to come join him as he pointed in the direction he wanted me to go.
Getting up from my seat after giving Amber's hand a gentle squeeze, I went to join Negan and left Sherry with Amber. "Make yourself comfortable, kid," Negan encouraged of my brother who simply stayed put where he was.
As I approached Negan, I had glanced at Carl on my way over to where Negan would stop to talk to me. It was away from the others and still in the same space as everyone else. "What the hell is he doing here?" I asked Negan a little angered upon seeing my brother here.
"Watch your tone with me, wife," Negan warned me with a fairly calm tone. He was amused, I could see it in his eyes. "Is that any way to treat me after everything I've done for you?" Negan questioned me.
"He's here the same way you came here. And he killed two of my men after he snuck onto the back of one of my trucks," Negan informed me, making me glance to my brother with angry eyes.
When he noticed me glare over at him, he looked away, acting like he didn't notice. Carl Grimes...I swear. "Instead of killing your brother, I kept my word to you and I brought him straight up here to see you," Negan was trying to tell me he still honoured our arrangement.
"So, a thank you seems to be in order to me, doesn't it?" Negan questioned as he leaned in closer to me, holding my gaze as his grin grew wider.
Keeping very still, very calm and my eyes on him, I knew Carl had messed up. I knew Negan was just trying to honour my deal but part of me knew he could kill us all in a blink of an eye. "Thank you," I appreciated the fact he hadn't gone against our deal.
Regardless of my brother's dumb decision to come rescue us. "So why is he here?" I asked Negan, hoping he had an answer I was still trying to figure out.
"Can't you tell?" Negan mocked as he glanced over to my brother. "He came here for the both of us," he gestured between us.
Taking a glass, Negan took his glass container of brandy and poured himself a glass. The smell of it made me want to hurl but I kept it together the best I could. "Moving on from the topic of me babysittin' your brother for the day..." Negan spoke as he poured himself the glass.
"I ask the questions around here, not you," Negan said pointedly as he downed a few sips of the drink and sighed out with pleasure. "Tell me, dear wife...what happened with Amber and Mark?" Negan brought up another topic.
Keeping my eyes hard on him, I knew he was trying to get me to rat out on people. I'm not a rat. "What we talk about when you're not here is none of your business," I told him coldly.
Looking me up and down, he let out a breath of a chuckle as he smirked at my sass. Dwight did tell him the truth. It was his choice to believe it or not. "Fair play," Negan gave me credit on this one with a huge smile on his face. "You want to know what I heard?" Negan asked me before he took another sip of his drink.
His eyes were glued to me, waiting to see if my face would give anything away to what he was going to say next. "I heard that Mark skipped out on redirect duty to be with Amber. I need to know if it's true," Negan told me.
This was Negan's way of him pleading me to tell him the truth. Finishing his drink, he kept his eyes glued to me. "Ahh," Negan sighed out his pleasure to a refreshing drink.
Placing the glass onto the table, he took another step closer to me. "There are rules for a reason," Negan pointed out to me.
"Nothing matters if you and the ones you love are dead. You, my dear, are here because you get that," Negan hinted that I was smart, considering I offered myself instead of having my family getting hurt by him. So far it was working, if Carl hadn't screwed it up.
Then again, I knew Negan saw it all, heard it all and if he knew what happened. If he knew what I had found out today, he would of course do something to her. "She made a mistake. Go easy on her," I encouraged of him.
Negan moved away to grab a bottle of beer, opening it using just his fingers, he tossed the top onto the table beside his glass. "Calm the hell down," Negan warned me coolly. His eyebrows raising at my stern words.
Next, Negan's fingers went under my chin, lifting my gaze to stare up at him directly in the eyes. "Would I ever hit one of you?" Negan asked me with a small smirk on his face. His eyes looking at me from under a hooded gaze.
"No," I answered bluntly. "But I know you," from the little time I had spent with him, face to face, I knew how persistent and harsh he could be.
I knew what he was like with others and what he was like with me in bed. Or what he was like with others when he had to punish someone because of one of his wives.
I had heard of all it. As the girls gave me all the warnings, all the punishments and all the rules. "There's worse. There is always worse," I said to him, no hint of flinch, no trembles on my lips and no stutters through my words.
Negan held my gaze, his hand removing from my chin as he stared me down. He saw I wasn't afraid of him. Not for a second. "Well, look at you!" Negan whispered and let out an amused chuckle.
Licking along the bottom of his top teeth, Negan gestured to me with the bottle of beer he had in his hands. "To be continued," Negan told me he was going to put this tense conversation on pause.
CPOV
Watching Negan move away from my sister, she glared at him as he walked away. What is her plan? Seeing Negan make his way over to me, he was holding a bottle of beer in his grasp. One, that he then shifted into my hand as he rose my hand himself to make me take it.
Kat saw this, her eyes widening before she rushed over to me. Snatching the drink from my grasp, Negan got between us. "No. No way," Kat had said as she stormed across the room.
"My brother isn't going to be drinking that," Kat's chest was rising and falling angrily as she stared up at Negan. Negan's eyes were cold, stern and daring her to do something.
His eyes were warning her to be treading carefully with how she was acting around him. Kat though, she wasn't going to stand down. I could tell in her eyes that she didn't fear him for a second.
That's my sister. "He's just a kid," Kat reminded Negan but her voice had softened only slightly.
When he realised my sister wasn't going to back down, Negan sighed. "Fine. Fine," Negan was going to let Kat win this war.
Negan then came up behind me and ducked down so he was hovering over my shoulder. "Your sister is a bit of a killjoy sometimes, but she makes up for it in the bedroom, if you know what I mean," Negan commented and chuckled at the end.
His chuckle seemed like it meant something, like it was specific but I didn't understand why he laughed that way. Or why he talked about my sister like that. When he realised I didn't find the joke funny, he left to sit on the table, in front of one of his wives.
It was a pretty blonde, who looked around the age Beth was when she had died. A young girl, possibly not many years older than myself. "Amber, baby," Negan talked to her as he took her hands. "You know I don't want anyone here that doesn't want to be here, right?" Negan asked her.
"Mm-hmm," the girl hummed out her response.
Glancing to Kat, she had moved away to put the bottle of beer to one side and as far from me as she could put it. "So if you want to leave and go back to Mark...you can," Negan allowed this. "But what can't you do?" Negan quizzed her.
Her doe eyes rose up slowly to meet his antagonising gaze. "Cheat on you," Amber answered his question.
"That is exactly right," Negan agreed loud and enthusiastically. "You can't...cheat on me," he repeated her words slowly. But the way in which he said it, sounded like it weighed on him more than he lead on.
Was he cheated on before? "There's plenty of other gals who would love to take your place, and there's a few job openings that I can think of," Negan taunted her. "You want to go back to Mark and your mom? Hell, I'll put you all on the same job," he offered her a harder life, I assumed.
"No," Amber answered with fear in her eyes. "I...I'll stay. I'm...I'm sorry," the girl had trembled with each word as she cried.
Negan's hand went under her chin, to bring her to look back up into his eyes. "You know what that means, right?" Negan asked her softly. "You know what that means, right?" Negan asked again but this time a little firmly.
"Ye-Yes," Amber stuttered. "I love you, Negan," she told him falsely. You can see she doesn't mean it.
But Negan was living off of the fear people had towards him. "Oh, of course you do, darlin'," Negan accepted this. "I don't know why you're crying. It's all gonna work out aces for you," Negan wiped away a tear.
Chuckling, he glanced over at me with a wide smile. All before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Is this how he treats my sister too? I couldn't imagine it. I saw Kat as far too strong for the likes of him.
KPOV
When Negan had pressed a kiss to Amber's forehead, Carl's gaze drifted back to me. It was as though he was sorry and learnt his mistake. It was like he also was wondering if this was how Negan was around me.
It's worse brother. Worse. It's like Stockholm Syndrome on steroids. Unable to look at him any longer, I lowered my gaze and crossed my arms over my chest protectively.
Negan then approached me once more, sliding up in front of me as he stared me down. "Will you get Carson for me?" Negan asked of me with a small smile on his face.
Raising my eyes to keep them on him, I sometimes wondered if he saw any trace of my father in my veins. I need his strength. I need his wisdom if I'm going to survive this. "I can do that," I reassured him that I could be the wife for the job.
The doctor still owes me. And I still needed to check in on him to see if he'd told anyone. "Did you see that?" Negan asked me before I could leave.
"Wasn't hard on her, even though I am...very hard in general," he made a crude joke as he bit his bottom lip and looked at me in a way I now could instantly recognise. He really does get off on all of this.
Disgusted by him, I just kept my eyes levelled with him and never broke our gaze. "You're an asshole," I gave him my opinion on him.
This though, only seemed to fuel him more. "I know," Negan was happy to hear this rather than offended. "But the messed-up thing is, you like me anyway," he assumed.
A huge grin on his face, Negan took a few steps closer to me as his face was mere inches away from mine. "You know the truth, just like me," Negan whispered, all before his lips cascaded down on mine.
DPOV
As I was lead down halls, up stairs and through corners, I approached a huge room. Double doors wide open and Negan's men were stood at either side of the door. Guarding the entry as we approached. Dwight dragging me with a tray of food in my grasp.
Turning the corner and witnessing something that broke my heart, I knew what it meant. Even if it shattered my soul and made me pant from the pain. I had seen Kat locking lips with Negan, right in front of Carl.
Raising his finger at myself and Dwight, it was his way of telling them to wait a moment as he continued to suck faces with my girlfriend. Why?...
It was as though he knew this would hurt us more than he knew. He's using her and there's nothing either of us can do. Carl's eye drifted to me and was shocked to see me there beside him. Just as I was shocked to see him here too.
He needs to get away from here. Instantly, it was like my eyes were drawn to Kat's frame, her slim body snugly fit into a black dress and her hair up in an elegant style. Negan's lips moving against hers made my fingers tighten around the tray I held.
He has Kat. He has Carl and I can't do anything about all of this. I felt Dwight's eyes on me. Then, Negan slowed his kisses on Kat's gentle lips. As they pulled back, Kat's eyes opened and she realised I was here.
Meeting my gaze, my heart broke to see her own heart sink when she saw me. She doesn't want to do this. So why is she? I felt betrayed by her. After everything...she's willing to do this to me? To cheat on me and throw all we had down the drain?
Panting, it was like I was close to crying as my heart shattered at the sight. Why did she tell me she loved me if she's just gone and done this in front of me? There were so many questions running in my mind as I forced myself to look away from her.
CPOV
Having to stand there and watch as Negan's mouth caressed Kat's in a way I had only ever hoped to see her do with Daryl only, it angered me. It made me feel helpless. I want to save her but I can't.
Feeling like Negan was doing this, only to make me angry, to prove a point to me, I then felt someone appear in my peripheral vision. Glancing to who it was, I had to do a double take. Daryl? Oh no...
Realising that Negan had Daryl here, now, he would have to witness Kat and Negan kissing. Does he know they were together? As I saw Daryl look to me, his eyes were drawn to the spectacle of Kat and Negan.
Returning to see my sister at Negan's mercy, I tried to calm my breathing. I wanted to look away. But like Glenn and Abraham's deaths, I couldn't. It'll fuel my anger more. I need to see this.
Watching as Negan finally stopped, he pulled back and glanced over at Daryl and Dwight. As did Kat, she had met the gazes of her lover and a Savior. I could see the tension between the triangle this clearly had made.
This isn't good...
KPOV
The kiss had been slow, passionate, tense and lingering. Had I not known what kind of man he was, I would of enjoyed it. Overall, if he had been Daryl, I would of been far more content with this outcome.
Having to toughen up and let him do these things to me, I knew it was either this or death to all those I cared for. Not only that, but with me away from Daryl, I felt it my responsibility to help him get out of here.
I had to put up with his vile kisses, his revolting touches and his disgusting ways with me. Especially that I had more than just myself, Daryl, Carl and all the others I cared about to think of. I had a child I needed to think of. My child.
Pulling away from me, I had bowed my head and felt eyes on us. Turning my head to see who it was, I had seen Daryl with a tray in his hands. Dwight beside Daryl, looking like he didn't know where to look.
And Carl, looked as disgusted as I felt. Daryl and Carl are angry. I can feel it. Glancing to Daryl's knuckles, I saw how pale they suddenly became from how tense and tightly he held the tray.
Negan had chuckled at the audience that was reacting differently to the so called affection he shared with me. Glancing back and fourth between me and each individual present. He had been amused by all of them, that much we all knew.
As Negan approached Daryl, he took something from the tray and ate it off the toothpick. "Carl, will you grab this tray for me?" Negan requested of my brother as I wiped my mouth now that he'd finally turned his back on me.
Gross. "Why do you got him here?" Daryl shot at Negan, his tone as angry as he looked as he referred to my brother, who had taken the tray from Daryl.
"Whoa!" Negan reacted to Daryl's boldness. "What we talk about when you're not here...is none of your business," Negan used my own words against Daryl with a smirk. Turning his head back to look at me, trying to see if I was impressed or something. Asshole.
Negan then showed Daryl the toothpick between his fingers. "Do not make me put this toothpick through the only eye he has," Negan threatened Daryl. Before he can even try it, I'll have that toothpick jammed through his eye.
Hearing his threat, I had straightened up and felt my body tense up. Ready to defend my baby brother if I had to. "You go with Dwight. He'll get you a mop," Negan instructed of Daryl.
Before they could leave, Negan had more set out for them. "Dwighty boy..." Negan called to Dwight next. "Fire up that furnace. I'll be down in a few. Time for a little deja vu," Negan gave Dwight his task.
"Come on, kid," Negan leaned back to look at my brother before telling Dwight and Daryl to part ways.
As they did what was told, Dwight let go of Daryl, who then glanced at me. When Negan passed, Daryl glared at him. When Carl walked past him, Daryl whispered "Get away," to him.
When Daryl's eyes met mine, I could see the anger, the betrayal, the pain behind them. As Dwight grabbed him by the collar again, Daryl was forcing Dwight to let him go and struggled against him. Daryl's eyes were locked on mine.
Daryl must of hated me, wanted to get even with me for all I was doing. I didn't blame him. I hated myself too. I hope he can forgive me one day...
Once Daryl and Dwight disappeared, I turned around and rushed to sit on the table alone, trying hard to fight against the tears but instead, I let a few slip. Slowly, I felt Sherry come up beside me, her hands rubbing me, soothing me as I cried.
All the other girls rushed to Amber, understandably as they all knew what would happen next. Myself, I had an idea but I wondered just how far Negan would go this time.
RPOV
Heading out of the truck, we began approaching the gate that lead to the trail we were going to need to trespass to get to. The rules no longer apply. The only rules now were to die or die trying.
"We have today and only today to find somethin'," I told Aaron as we looked at where we were heading. My eyes darting from the sign to where we needed to be.
"They could be back by tomorrow. Could be back now," I tried to make it clear that there were so many things likely happening or could be happening earlier than anticipated. Taking the walkie out, in case Michonne spoke to us through it.
It hadn't been a week yet but Negan didn't stick to his word. He came earlier and this time, he didn't slap any time period. All he had left us with, was 'soon' and soon could easily be today. Hopping over the fence, Aaron followed close as we jogged down the tail and ignored the sign.
Keep going. Only thing here 4 you is trouble. The message said on the gate. But we already were dealing with bigger trouble than anything they could threaten us with. They might be trouble. But Negan is destruction.
CPOV
Following Negan everywhere, with the tray in my grasp, part of me wanted to throw it at him, to hit him with it until he bled. But another part of me knew if I did that and didn't succeed in killing him, I would be costing Kat everything she was planning.
As we entered a room, it had a huge bed with fancy sheets. A huge space, only for him, with a couch, two arm chairs, a table between them, fancy lamps, shelves and many windows. It was a room, fit for a King. In a sense, Negan sees himself as one.
Groaning as he tossed something onto the bed, he waited for me to enter after him before he closed the door behind us. "Are all of those women actually your-..." I went to ask Negan, trailing off as I wondered if it was all really real.
"Wives?" Negan finished the question off for me. "Yeah," Negan answered me. "Always wanted to screw a whole bunch of different women," Negan admitted to me.
Negan began walking around his room, stopping beside the set of couches he had facing a table. "I mean, why settle for just one? Why follow the same old rules? Why not make life better?" Negan threw all these unanswered questions at me.
Normally, Negan was quite content to answer those questions for himself. "Speaking of...sit. Let's get started," Negan encouraged as he gestured to the set of armchairs.
Watching Negan get comfortable on the couch, I put the tray down on the table before I took a seat on an arm chair opposite him. "Started on what?" I asked Negan what he meant by us getting started.
Chuckling to himself, Negan waited until I got comfortable to speak. "I want to get to know you a little better, Carl," Negan said as I sat myself down.
"Why?" I asked him bluntly.
To me, there was no need for him to get to know me. He's probably going to kill me anyway. It's not like Kat would know as long as no one told her. "Work it out. You're smart," Negan encouraged me to think.
"In fact, I'm gonna tell you just how smart you are, in case you don't already know. See, I'd expect a kid your age to be moping around, not doing a damn thing, except crying about missing the prom," Negan was stating that I wasn't what he expected at all.
"But you..." Negan pointed at me. "You go on a mission. You find me, you kill two of my men, you try to save your sister, and you're smart enough to know that I'm not gonna let this slide," he listed everything and the last part, was said with such a sinister sly tone, that I knew something bad was about to happen.
Another chuckle left Negan as he looked at me for a long and hard minute. "Ah, I can't...I can't do it. It's like talking to a birthday present," Negan commented to me. "You got to take that crap off your face. I want to see what Grandma got me," Negan instructed with excitement.
"No," I flat out refused.
"Two men!" Negan yelled. "Two... men," he snarled. "Punishment," Negan was clarifying that there was going to be a punishment if I didn't do as I was told. "Do you really want to piss me off?" Negan questioned me.
The fact I hadn't done as he was telling me to, I couldn't risk him dragging Kat or Daryl in here to kill in front of me. Sighing, I took off my hat, resting it on the table and began to remove my bandage as Negan chuckled with excitement. "Almost there," Negan announced as I kept unwrapping my bandage.
As soon as it was off, I bowed my head, hating myself for letting him get what he wanted. "Get that hair out of your face. Let me see," Negan ordered softly. Brushing my fringe away from my wound, I raised my head to glare at him through the only eye I had left.
My breath shaking, as I had to show the thing I hated most about myself to him. "Christ!" Negan yelled at the sight of it. "That is disgusting. No wonder you cover that up. Have you seen it? I mean, have you looked in the mirror? That is gross as hell. I can see your socket," Negan would joke about my appearance.
The more he joked, the more my self esteem was breaking. Each chuckle, each word, reminded me of the horror I now became because of Ron. I can't shoot the same way I used to. I don't see things the way I used to.
And I was sure Enid was a little grossed out by it too. "I want to touch it. Oh, come on. Can I touch it?" Negan continued to taunt me as I cried. Soon enough, a sigh left Negan. "Damn. Holy hell, kid," he grumbled with regret in his tone.
"Look...I just..." for the first time ever, Negan was fumbling for words. "It's easy to forget that you're...just a kid," he finally remembered that all these jokes and taunting, were only making me feel worse about myself.
Sniffling, I tried to get my strength back. You need to be strong. For Kat. "And I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything," Negan apologised. "I..." Negan sighed deeply once more. "I was just screwing around," he reassured me he didn't mean any harm by it.
The first time he was being sincere, I didn't care for it. "Just forget it," I whispered. Luckily, a knock on the door stopped Negan from talking further with me.
"Come in!" Negan yelled to whoever was knocking.
Soon enough, someone came in and approached us. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but, uh...you left Lucille out by the truck," the Savior was returning Negan's bat to him.
Negan's brows furrowed with a stunned expression on his face. "Seriously?" Negan questioned this. "I never do that," he told us. "I guess a kid firing a machine gun is a little bit of a distraction," Negan gave himself a valid excuse.
Letting out a faint sigh, his gaze then turned back to me. "All jokes aside, you look rad as hell," Negan gave me a twisted compliment. "I wouldn't cover that shit up. It may not be a hit with the ladies, but I swear to you, no one is gonna screw with you looking like that. No, sir."
Negan's attention then returned to the Savior still holding his bat for him. "Fat Joseph, did you carry her all the way up here for me?" Negan asked him.
"Yes, sir," Fat Joseph answered him instantly.
Taking his bat back from Joseph, Negan inspected it a little. "Were you gentle? Were you kind?" Negan asked him seriously. Joseph fumbled for words. "Did you treat her like a lady?" Negan side eyed me.
The smirk on his face made my skin crawl. I really hope he isn't thinking about Kat. "Mm, yes. Yes, sir," Joseph struggled to answer but did eventually.
Negan's eyes were glued to Joseph next. "Did you pet her little pussy like a lady?" Negan asked him as he stroked the handle of the bat. Chuckling, Negan broke the awkward silence that hung over us.
"I'm just screwing around, man. A baseball bat doesn't have a pussy!" Negan joked and chuckled, while Joseph laughed along with him. "Get the hell out," Negan ordered angrily.
Quick as a flash, Joseph left and shut the door behind him fairly loudly. "Now, you see?" Negan asked me, gesturing to the air with his arms up. "That's what I'm talking about. Men breaking each other's balls."
Negan was far too happy explaining all of this to me. "This is the shit your dad's supposed to be teaching you," Negan told me. Sighing once he realised I didn't find any of this funny, in truth, all I wanted was him dead and Daryl and Kat back home.
"What do you like to do for fun? You like music?" Negan bombarded me with questions I didn't care to answer. "I want you to sing me a song," Negan said after silence was the only thing between us.
Confused, I had to blink a few times to process just what had been said. "What?" I asked him, confused as to what he was asking of me.
"Yeah," Negan answered me through a laugh. "You mowed down two of my men with a machine gun. I want something in return for that," Negan said angrily. "Sing me a song," he ordered.
My mind instantly went blank. "I...I...I can't think of any," I stuttered as I shook my head.
"Bullshit!" Negan yelled. "What'd your mom used to sing you? What'd your dad play in the car? What did your sister listen to when she was in the shower?" Negan had referred to everyone from my family.
My mom would sing us lullabies, dad used to play all kinds of discs that I can't remember and Kat was the one who mostly sang in the family. "Start singing," Negan ordered of me again as he got up and pointed Lucille close to my face.
"Okay, okay. Okay," I tried to think of something, anything to sing. "Uh..." I stuttered, until I finally came up with something. "You are my sunshine," I began to sing.
The only song that came to mind, was mom's favourite lullaby. "Go on," Negan encourage.
Trembling, I could hardly sing as I feared what was going to happen next. "My only sunshine. You make me happy. When skies are gray..." I tried my best to sing but they only came out in nervous shakes.
Negan was at the side of the room, swinging his bat, dancing with Lucille as he swung her and would grunt. What the hell is he doing? "Do not let me distract you, young man," Negan encouraged me to carry on.
Gulping down my fear, I also felt the pain as my mom's face came to my mind each time I blinked. "You'll...never know..." I tried to sing but Negan continued to swing his bat and grunt with each false hit. "...dear. How much I love you. So...please don't take my...sunshine away," I finished.
Negan finally stopped the bizarre, intimidating dance he was doing in the back. All its making me think of is how I lost Abraham, Glenn and my mom. "That's pretty good," Negan complimented me.
"Lucille loves being sung to. It's about the only thing she loves more than bashing in brains," Negan joked which made me quiver with both anger and sadness. "Weird, huh?" he teased.
Letting out a sigh, he finally removed the bat away from my face and took a seat on the edge of the table. "Did your mother sing that to you?" Negan asked me. "Where is she now?" he bombarded me with questions.
All of these were questions I didn't want to answer as I sniffled at the painfully memories that flooded my mind. "Damn," for a second, I thought Negan actually sympathised with me. "Dead, huh? You see it happen?" Negan continued to interrogate me.
Sniffling, I carefully rose my eye to look up at him. "I shot her...before it could..." I couldn't finish the sentence.
Even after all this time, that wound still hurt. "Damn, no wonder you're a little serial killer in the making," Negan joked. "That was an example of breaking balls, by the way," Negan continued to try to give me examples of this term.
None of it was funny. It had been a traumatic experience, killing my mother before she could turn. Negan's smile faltered instantly when he saw I found no humour in this conversation. "Come on, kid. Get up," Negan ordered. "It should be ready," he said like I knew what was going on.
Looking up at him confused, Negan had got up from his perch and stood up beside me. "What should be ready?" I asked him.
"The iron," Negan answered me proudly.
KPOV
Everyone was gathered in the hall, all we needed to wait for, was Negan and my brother to show up. Glaring coldly at Dr Carson from time to time, he tried to dodge my gaze, to ignore me each time I looked at him. Good. He should fear me.
Daryl's eyes were glued to me as he held onto the mop in his hands. I wish I could tell you. I'd tell you all of it. My plans, my secrets. All of it.
But I couldn't. It meant risking our lives. And risking our child. All of which, was not going to happen. The sound of Lucille clanging against the rail above us made us all bow down onto one knee for him.
As uncomfortable as it was, it was something we had to do. "Hold that for me," Negan had said to my brother as he passed him the bat. Watching Carl, I saw him stare down at me, a sad look in his eye.
What did he do to him? "You know the deal. What's about to happen is gonna be hard to watch. I don't want to do it," Negan announced to us as he leaned over the rails. "I wish I could just ignore the rules and let it slide, but I can't," Negan was trying to convey that he was conflicted.
But I could see the lie before he even said it. He loves causing pain. "Why?" Negan asked loudly to everyone.
"The rules keep us alive," everyone said in unison, even the women who were his wives said this.
Looking around, the words had echoed through the space and left me feeling more uncomfortable than ever before. This is a dictatorship beyond imagination. "That...is...right," Negan agreed with everyone slowly.
Glancing over to Daryl, he too had been kneeling, even if he didn't want to. I knew him. He wouldn't bend easily. "We survive. We provide security to others. We bring civilization back to this world," Negan declared as he took a step further down the stairs.
When Daryl's eyes met mine, he too thought the same as me. "We are the Saviors," Negan spoke with pride. Save what? All you do is save yourselves. "But we can't do that without rules," Negan laid this down for everyone.
Briefly, I saw his eyes glance to me and a small smirk tugged on his lips. "Rules are what make it all work," Negan said as he looked at me. "I know it's not easy. But there's always work. There is always a cost," Negan explained the difficulties with rules.
The way he looked at me, made me think he knew something or he was too proud of himself. "Here, if you try to skirt it, if you try to cut that corner..." Negan began to yell. Negan bit his tongue and chuckled to himself as he watched the guy, Mark, in the chair whimper.
Mark had been tied to it, sweating from the stress and the heat of the furnace next to him. "Then it is the iron for you," Negan announced, making Daryl and Dwight glance to each other. "On your feet," he told us all to rise.
Getting up slowly, I tugged on my dress and stood tall. Passing Mark, Negan pat his face and chuckled. "D..." Negan called out to Dwight who began opening up the furnace.
Negan was sliding his hand into a glove, ready to pick something up that was going to be hot. I've heard about the iron. Sherry told me all about it. "Mark...I'm sorry," Negan apologised to the guy who was tied to the chair.
The same guy who was waiting for his punishment was trembling in his seat. "But it is what it is," this was the only excuse Negan thought of as Dwight had given Negan the hot iron, presented to him on a hook.
As Negan approached Mark, Sherry had gone to comfort Amber. Holding my gaze on whatever Negan was about to do next, I watched as he pressed the iron into the right hand side of Mark's face. Screaming and whaling at the scorching heat pressed into his skin.
My eyes were glued to the horror before me. Knowing that I'd need to remember this for when the time came. I'm going to kill him. Not today. Not tomorrow. But one day, I will. Removing the iron from Mark's face, Mark fell unconscious.
My trembling body still as I watched on, my jaw clenching but stomach churned at the sight of skin peeling off and onto Negan's iron. It had looked like melted cheese coming off of poor Mark's face.
Negan had chuckled then laughed a squeal of a laugh. "Ah, that wasn't so bad, now, was it?" Negan asked with a little stomp of his feet. "Jesus," Negan grumbled as he gave Dwight the iron back. "He pissed himself," he complained.
Stepping over to Daryl, I had glanced to him, who also glanced back at me. Darting my eyes to Dwight, I knew he heard us back when I went to see Daryl in the cell. I knew he heard me tell Daryl that I loved him. That I kissed him.
For the longest moment, I pictured Negan doing this to Daryl, for simply kissing me back. I hope Dwight didn't tell him. Because if this is a sign to say Daryl was next...I'll kill him. "Clean that up," Negan whispered his order to Daryl.
"Doc, I'm all done. Do your thing," Negan ordered of Dr Carson to fix Mark up. There is no fixing that. That's a huge scar to last him forever if he was lucky.
"Well, the pussy passed out. But it's settled...we're square. Everything is cool," Negan reassured everyone that it was now rainbows and sunshine for everyone now.
Negan's body turned slightly to look at me. "Let Mark's face be a daily reminder to him and to everyone else that the rules matter," Negan declared boldly to everyone what this was all about. Keeping a strong poker-face on, I wasn't going to break.
I haven't broken so far. I'm not going to be starting now. "I hope that we all learned something today, because I don't ever..." Negan yelled towards the end. "Want to have to do that again," he lied and made his way over to my brother.
CPOV
Leaning over me, Negan stood tall and kept the distance between our bodies to a minimum. "Some crazy shit, huh?" Negan asked me. "You probably think I'm a lunatic," he assumed correctly.
His feet would shuffle after every few words spoken. "Come on," Negan whispered. "Let's go figure out what to do with you," he tasked us with something to do.
Looking to Daryl, he looked stern, angry and with a hint of fear in his stance. Kat was just the same but she was staying stronger than I had ever seen her. They know something I don't.
DPOV
Once I had finished cleaning up the mess Negan had created from Mark, I had been forced back into my cell for a few minutes. Sat in darkness, all I could picture was Glenn, Abraham and now, Kat.
I wondered what she was doing. I wondered if Carl was fine. I had hoped that one day, we'd be free. Footsteps made me look over to the shadow under it. I didn't care who it was. I didn't care for anything.
"Daryl?" I heard Sherry's soft, sad voice. "Is it true?" she asked me. "That Dwight killed someone?" for a moment, I wondered what she was talking about but then came to realise what she meant.
Kat must have told her. "Yeah," I answered her after a few minutes of silence. "He did," I stated clearly to her. "Her name was Denise," I bowed my head as I remembered poor Denise.
Tara must be back now. She must hate Negan for what he did. She must hate Dwight. I should have protected her better. Should of killed him before he had the chance to kill Denise. "Straight through the eye, with my crossbow," I gave Sherry all the horrible details.
Considering she'd been living with these psychopaths, I thought she wouldn't be so censored to it all. "I am so sorry for everything we've ever done to you," Sherry whispered out a cry. "To your people too. None of you deserved that," Sherry apologised to all of us.
Kat must have really talked to her. "I really am sorry, Daryl," Sherry apologised sincerely to me this time. "I'm sorry," she cried before she walked off in a hurry.
Bowing my head, I thought over everything and wanted to believe her. Yeah, I'm sorry too...
CPOV
Once Negan guided us back to his room, he shut the door behind us again. Sat on his couch, he had took a folder out and began writing in it or doodling inside it. I couldn't tell nor did I care for it.
"Can I wrap up my face now?" I asked him, wanting to hide my disgusting eye from everyone like I had to. Michonne is going to kill me if it gets infected.
"No, you absolutely cannot," Negan denied me my request.
The fact he was stopping me, only angered me. "Why the hell not?!" I shouted at him.
Negan chuckled with an amused smile growing on his face. "Look at this badass," Negan said this like it defined me. "You can't because I'm not done with you. And I like looking at your disgusting, rad-ass, badass eye, so it's staying out," Negan answered me.
Glaring at him, I wanted to just kill him for all the horrible things he did to others and his own people. "What? You got something to say?" Negan questioned me.
"Why haven't you killed me?" I asked him. "Or my dad? Or Kat? Or Daryl?" I listed others he should have killed too. All of us are tougher than he knows.
Resting the folder on his lap, he paid all his attention to me. "Daryl...is gonna make a good soldier for me," Negan gave his reason for not killing Daryl to me straight. "You see, he thinks he's holding it together...but you saw it," Negan explained. You have no idea how much he can tolerate.
"Your dad? He's already getting me great stuff," Negan quickly ticked my father off the list for the next set of excuses. Weak excuse.
Negan gently pushed the folder onto the couch as he leaned in to look closer at me. "Kat, well...she's my wife and an interesting one at that too," Negan gave my sister a kind of compliment. "She'll more than likely gift me with a little badass, just like you," he explained his reason for keeping her alive.
Squinting his eyes at me, all that was left, was his excuse for me. "But you, on the other hand...well, we shall see," Negan left me on a cliffhanger. "It's more productive to break you. More fun, too," Negan gave me options.
"And I did make a deal with your sister," Negan did emphasise this one pretty clearly. Staying silent, I thought I finally had him figured out. "You thinking that's stupid?" Negan asked me.
Holding his gaze, I knew he couldn't kill us. All those reasons were far too weak. "I'm thinking we're different," I answered him bluntly.
"Mm," Negan hummed in amusement as he clasped his hands together. "You're a smart kid. What do you think I should do?" he suggested to me but he didn't let me answer him.
"You know I can't let you go. And you know, I can't kill you," Negan listed all the things he couldn't do with a dark look in his eyes. "So...do I iron your face? Chop off your arm? Carve out your other eye?" Negan gave me a list of things he could do.
But something in me told me, he couldn't do it. "Tell me. What do you think?" Negan encouraged me to speak up.
Getting up from my seat, I had enough of these games and just wanted him to die already. I want Kat back. I want Daryl back. I want revenge for what Negan did. "I think you should jump out the window to save me the trouble of killing you," I encouraged him as I pointed to the windows to my right.
Negan though, chuckled out of amusement. "Oh-hooo!" Negan clapped. "Now, there is the kid that impressed the hell out of me," Negan said up to me with praise in his tone of voice.
Letting out a scoff, he was truly pathetic. "I think you're not saying what you're gonna do to me because you're not going to do anything," I was calling his bluff. "If you knew us, if you knew anything, you would kill us. But you can't," I told him what I thought.
Kat alone, was capable of far too much, sometimes, I feared if I had to do a weight scale between dad and Kat, Kat's would weigh more. She killed a man with her own bare hands. I never saw anyone do that before. Only her.
"Hoo," Negan let out a swift breath from his lungs. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't," Negan agreed with me with a shrug and a smile.
Clapping his hands once, he got up onto his feet and took his bat with him. "Let's go for a ride, kid," Negan announced as he lead us straight to the door. If anything happens to me...Kat will know.
DPOV
Watching as they took Carl into an empty truck, I glared at Negan through a mirror. Holding onto one of the batting sticks to keep walkers away from me, I gripped it tighter. He best not do anything to Carl. "Daryl!" Negan called to me.
Approaching his side of the truck, I wanted to yank him out and beat him to death. The same way he beat Abraham and Glenn. "You seem worried, so I'm taking the kid home," Negan informed me of what he was going to do.
Glaring at him, I then glanced over to Carl, who was peering over Negan's shoulder at me. "If you do anything to him-" I shook my head and threatened Negan. I swear it. I'll kill him myself.
"Dwight!" Negan yelled, cutting me off before I could finish my threat. Negan slapped the side of his door to call Dwight over more promptly. "Daryl needs a time-out. Put him back in his box for a while," Negan instructed of Dwight as he went to drag me back inside by my collar.
As I walked backwards, Negan threw up his middle finger at me. Looking up at the top of the truck, swore I had seen Jesus on the top of it as Negan pulled out past the gates. Jesus, save him, please.
MPOV
After hours of setting up a walker blockade, a lone car drove up the road I assumed the Saviors took to block paths. It's time for them to taste their own medicine. Watching as a woman climbed out of her car to inspect what I had done, I sneaked up beside her.
My sword inches away from going straight through her temple. "Drop it," I ordered when she had her gun out and stayed still. Watching her drop her gun to the ground, I wasn't finished yet. "Your knife, too," I instructed. Her knife clattered as it joined her gun on the floor.
"What next? You want my shoes?" the woman asked me sarcastically.
"Take me to Negan," was the only thing I wanted more from her. Using her gun on her, I let her climb in through my side of the car, making her jump over the gear box and into her side.
Keeping the gun aimed at her, I got in after and shut the door behind me. "Start it up. Let's go," I said, not knowing why she was waiting.
Starting the car, she soon stomped on the brakes, forcing us to fall forward. Grabbing for my gun, I pulled her to get closer to my lap as the gun fell to the floor by my feet. Using my elbow, I forced her back, away from the gun. Shoving her forward with my elbow to her neck, I then grabbed hold of her hair.
Pinning her face against the wheel, I held her there and went to take the gun up off the floor. Aiming it at her head, this time, I slammed her head against the head rest by her hair. Digging the barrel of the gun into her cheek, I wasn't in the mood to be messed with anymore.
"Take me...to Negan," I ordered from her again.
CPOV
Using Lucille, Negan had knocked on our front door, wanting to get a good look at my home. When the door opened, it showed Olivia behind it. Whistling as he walked in, Negan didn't even wait for an invitation in.
"Carl, where's..." Olivia went to ask me softly.
"Enid's fine," I had stopped her from asking me the question fully.
She's at the Hilltop and far away from this asshole. "Great, great, great, great, great, great!" Negan was looking around my house. "Where's Rick?" Negan asked once the door was shut and we followed him into my house.
"Uh, I...I'm just..." Olivia was stuttering.
Negan though, we all knew he didn't care what Olivia was going to say. "Don't care," Negan said in a sing song voice. "Where's Rick?" he asked her again.
Negan wanted a straight answer. "Um, out scavenging for you," Olivia answered him straight forwardly, just how he wanted.
This news pleased him. "Cool. I'll wait," Negan tried to hint that he had patience.
"Um...he went out pretty far. They might not be back today," Olivia explained that my dad wasn't going to be home anytime soon. "We're running really low on everything. We're practically starving here," she explained.
For a moment, Negan fell silent, which was odd for him. "Starving? You?" Negan asked as he pointed at her. "By 'practically,' you mean 'not really,'" Negan made a fat joke to her while using air quotes.
While Olivia turned around and cried, Negan chuckled and turned to look at me with a smile on his face. "Really?" it was as though Negan couldn't believe people still had feelings.
"You people seriously don't have a sense of humour," Negan mumbled his thoughts at me. Letting out a long sigh, it was as though he was trying to be insensitive but tried to make it right when people got naturally offended.
This was the same thing that happened to me. "Excuse me. What's your name again?" Negan spoke out to Olivia.
Wiping her tears, Olivia kept her back to him. "Olivia," Olivia had answered his question a little angrily.
"Right. Olivia," Negan accepted it and forced himself to remember it now. Taking a few steps towards her, Negan lightly placed his hand on Olivia's arm.
This made her jump and slowly turn to face Negan with a confused look on his face. "I am sorry for having been so rude to you just now," Negan apologised to her. "And it looks like I'm gonna be here for a while, awaiting your fearless leader's return," it sounded like Negan was complaining about getting more stuff from my dad.
"And if you'd like...I think it would be enjoyable...to screw your brains out," Negan made a rude suggestion to Olivia. "I mean, if, you know, you're agreeable to it," he elaborated but soon enough, he was met with a slap across the face.
The moment Olivia realised what she did, she processed the anger, the fear and then the worry that she had just messed up. Negan did a cartoon-ish shake of his head before he looked down at Olivia again.
Taking a step closer to her, he leaned over her and whispered to her. "I am about 50% more into you now," Negan admitted to Olivia. "Just sayin'," Negan told her. Chuckling as he moved away from Olivia and shook his head.
"Alright, well, I'm just gonna put my feet up and wait for my stuff to get here," Negan announced loudly to the whole house. "Olivia...would you be a lamb and make us a little lemonade?" Negan asked her. "Now, I know I left you all some of that good powdered stuff," Negan wasn't going to play dumb with her.
Olivia still shook from the fear she had towards Negan. "Well, I'm supposed to be with-" Olivia went to argue.
Remembering Judith was still with her, I tensed up and was going to make it my goal to keep Judith as far away from Negan as possible. "Make it," Negan cut her off. "Make it," Negan told her as he took a few steps closer to her.
"Take your time. Make it good," Negan advised her. Instantly, Olivia rushed out the door and had glanced to me before she left. "Alright, kid!" Negan announced to me as he turned once we were alone.
A huge smile plastered to his face. "Take me on the grand tour," Negan declared that I should show him around my home. Proceeding from there, I showed him the kitchen, to which he began playing with the taps.
He had asked me about the water system, how it works, how we had running water. And Negan seemed pleased to just play with the tap. After, I had lead him upstairs to my room, where Negan felt the need to take his shoes off.
Enjoying the feel of carpet under his feet, Negan smiled over at me. Deciding it would be fun, he began throwing my darts at my dart board and got a decent aim. Pumping up a fist into the air, Negan looked to me proudly when he saw his score.
All of this, just wasn't amusing to me at all. Can I just throw him out of one of my windows? Finally leaving my room, I had shown him my dad's room and Kat's old room. Not willing to let him go anywhere near Judith, it didn't stop him from noticing the only room I didn't show him to.
"How about this one?" Negan asked me as he pointed to Judith's bedroom door.
Needing to protect my baby sister, seeing as Kat was already protecting herself somewhat, I tried to block Negan from going inside. "Oh, I-it's just a water heater-" I went to stop him from taking any interest in Judith's room.
"Are you serious, kid?" Negan could possibly see through my lie and hesitation. "Come on," Negan pushed past me and opened the door. When my eyes fell on Judith, she was on her feet and waiting for attention.
"Oh-ho, my," Negan was amused to find my baby sister in the room. Offering my his bat to take, I took it and thought twice about hitting him with it. "Look at this little angel," Negan commented on Judith as he took her from her crib and into his arms.
"Oh," Negan smiled at her and chuckled as she whimpered in his arms. This isn't good at all.
RPOV
Approaching from a short cut, we decided to stay close to the trail but hid between the trees, in case the group that might live here, or a single person themselves, was still lingering out here. If they were watching or hadn't seen us, we needed to be careful.
Approaching another sign, towards the end of the trail, there was a broken down truck, swallowed by all the greenery and a broken plough like vehicle stuck in the mud and under a tree.
Seeing the coast was clear, we walked to the sign and began reading the sign. "This guy...he's armed. Has food, supplies, ammo," I listed the things this man must of had to be so protective of it all.
Aaron had been beside me, reading the same sign I was as I skimmed over it. "The only way that you have possibly read this far without being shot is that I am dead," Aaron had spoke out what the sign said.
Walking close to the ground, as to avoid detection, I nodded and approached the water that was close. "Looks like he protected his supplies," Aaron noted when he saw that this guy's place was far off, in the middle of the river.
"Looks like they're still protected," I commented, as walkers now surrounded the area, floating around in the water.
Aaron nodded beside me as I tried to figure out a way to get to the supplies. "Today and only today, right?" Aaron asked me, using my words from before.
Hating myself, I knew that today was the only chance we had and if this was our best lead, we had to make it work. "Yeah," I agreed.
CPOV
Sat out on the porch, Negan had thought it was too beautiful of a day to stay inside. That with Judith, she needed sun vitamins. Negan had been humming as he cuddled my sister on his lap. "Oh, this little girl is precious," Negan complimented my sister strangely. His humming was persistent.
As one of my neighbours walked by, Negan waved to them. "Hey, neighbor. Why don't you come by later? We might grill out," Negan joked and chuckled to himself.
"Oh, I like it here," Negan gave his opinion on my home. "Mm-hmm," Negan hummed. "I might just have to stay here," Negan said with a bold tone.
Shifting to sit up, after having my baby sister's head on his chest, I could hardly drink the lemonade as I kept a watchful eye on Judith. I'm not going to let him hurt her. Over my dead body. "You know, I was thinking about what you said earlier, Carl," Negan told me.
"Maybe it is stupid keeping you and your dad alive," Negan finally agreed with me on something I hoped he wouldn't actually act on. "I mean, why am I trying so hard?" Negan asked Judith.
I wasn't liking this side of Negan, at all. "And all for a girl who won't have anywhere to go but with me if her family died?" Negan continued to question my baby sister. Watching him shift her to make her face him, so he could bounce her on his knee.
"Maybe I should just bury you both down in one of those flower beds," Negan gestured to the flowerbeds we had at the front of our porch. "Huh?" Negan asked but quickly chuckled straight after.
He kept getting closer and closer to Judith but Judith was staring back at him, with wide innocent eyes. "And then I could just settle into the suburbs with Katherine," I felt Negan mention my sister, purely to infuriate me.
"What do you think about that?" Negan asked her before kissing her nose, with a shocked, happy expression on his face. Bouncing her excitedly, I knew whatever was happening next was going to be incredibly wrong.
God, help us...
DPOV
Sat in my cell, it was the second time today. The first time was after I was done mopping the floor of Mark's piss. The second time, was after threatening Negan while I was out on the fence. Curled up with my back to the wall, I hated everything that was happening.
Reflecting on everything that had happened so far, from Abraham, Glenn, Kat and now Carl. I feared for all of us. I was sorry Abraham was the one who had to go in Negan's eyes. I was sorry for getting Glenn killed.
Even if Kat had told me not to blame myself, I still did. I seemed to have been getting everyone killed. From Denise, to Glenn and now, possibly even Carl. Kat had made her choice, she chose Negan over me in a strange sense.
Thinking of Kat, my heart broke to think she was letting him hold her, kiss her, do things with her that I couldn't anymore. Not because I didn't want to. But because I knew it would get us both killed now.
What the hell is she doing here? Why is she here? Are we going to get out of here together? Does she really love me? Or was it all a lie? Pondering too hard, then lead to me thinking of Carl, wondering what he was doing here too.
Especially after all Kat had done, the deal, the arrangements made for it, Kat had done what she thought she had to in order to keep them safe. A door had opened, footsteps were heavily approaching.
That was, until a piece of paper was resting under my door. Taking it, I read what it said and felt that it weighed a little more than I anticipated. Go now. I had read on the sheet. Turning it around, there was a bobby pin and a key stuck to the paper.
The footsteps echoed down the halls as they left. For a minute I deliberated if this was another test. But if it's real...I've got to try.
A/N: Believe it or not, I actually finished this chapter the same day I posted the season 6 finale. All in one day too.
YOU KNOW THE REAL. FIVE CHAPTERS AND YOU CAN GET ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT AS SOON AS TOMORROW.
Questions you can answer in the reviews:
1) What did you think about this chapter?
2) Favourite scene in this chapter?
3) Are there any scenes you miss the most?
4) What do you think of the Negan/Daryl/Kat tension?
5) Can you figure out what Kat's plan is?
Until the 5 reviews are gifted...
Much love,
HeroJustInTime90
