Chapter 7 - Negans Visit - Part 2
Melanie smiled slightly recognizing her as Sherry, an older woman but really good with children - she had 5 children of her own, two died during the first winter, but the others survived and lived back at the the compound with her dad - Sherry was one of Negan's other wives, one of the very few that got along great with Melanie - only two others got along with her - that was Nia and Elsa, twin sisters who came to the compound two years after it was opened and were looking for someway to survive without points. Sherry was the eldest of the harem. She became one about 4 months after the camp opened.
Melanie went to go run to her, but was stopped when Negan grabbed her arm. "Let her come. Don't look so desperate." He ordered, in a whisper.
Melanie stopped and stood back beside him. "Yes love." She answered, waiting.
Sherry walked over and moved the blanket. "Someone has missed you." she announced, and smiled. A little boy with curly brown hair sat up and smiled. "Mommy!"
Melanie smiled and took him, and kissed him all over his face. "Ford." She smiled and hugged him tightly, and kissed him again."I've missed you so much." she whispered to him, and forced herself to not start crying. Melanie looked up at Sherry. "Thank you." she smiled and hugged her tightly.
Sherry nodded and smiled, she glanced down and stood next to them. She tried not letting her eyes wonder to her disfigured husband, Dwight - an older man, with blond hair.
Melanie played with the fair toned boys hair and held onto him tightly. She watched her stitches and couldn't stop smiling, she turned to Negan and kissed him. "Thank you." She whispered. "Where you good for daddy?" The little boy nodded and cuddled with his mother - he was a lovely mixture of his father - fair toned skin from his mother, and chocolate brown eyes from his dad, along with curly brown hair.
Negan denodo. "I'm not a cruel man. I wouldn't keep him from you." he said and glanced at the kid. "Mommy needs to speak with daddy. Can you go see Sher?" He asked the little boy. Ford held on tighter burying his face into Melanie's neck.
"Ford. Mommy will be right back. Go with aunt sherry." She asked, kissing his dimpled cheeks. Ford looked like he was going to start crying, but stopped. He outstretched his arms to Sherry who took him back graciously. She looked at Rick, then at Melanie. Melanie smiled. "You can go into the trailer. Enid has cookies." She promised, and glanced at Enid. Enid forced a smile and took them into the trailer.
Once the door was shut, Negan looked at Melanie and smiled. "Close your eyes for surprise number two." Melanie obeyed his orders and did so.
The doors of the van could be heard as well as grunting and groaning, as someone was tossed to the ground. "Open babydoll."
Melanie opened her eyes and seen Darren and Arat before her, beaten slightly. She gasped slightly, and looked at Negan waiting for him to speak.
"I'm a very simple man…" Negan said as he adjusted his jacket, and looked at everyone as they watched the two on the ground. " I have some rules - Say please, and thank you - Do your part to serve me and I will protect you - Follow my point system… But the golden fucking rule is - Do not beat a woman or assault them - that goes for anyone - but I will not tolerate that shit -. You would be fucking dead right there if I ever see a fucking weak ass man hitting a woman or sexually assaulting her. That being said… Do you know what these two did - to a woman? Not just any woman, but my wife…. My..PREGNANT. Wife. That is soo fucking uncalled for. Not only did you hit my wife -but also my kid. That's just fucked up." He said kicking at both of them.
"They plotted killing her and almost succeeded, along with assaulting her. Do you know why? They did not like I had given her some authority to question Darren and this pathetic -person claiming to be a woman- Arat.." He said looking at them, and turned to the rest. "Does anyone know what that fucking means?" He asked glancing at them all. His eyes then fell on Melanie. "Baby.. Come here." He said holding out his hand.
Melanie bit her lip, and walked over to him and took his hand. She remained quite. She had been through this before - not her personally, but when one of the new younger wives was raped. The wife refused to exact her revenge with Lucielle... So Negan did the job.
Negan looked at them, then at Melanie. He handed Lu to Melanie. "Treat her good. Shes thirsty." He said taking a step back.
Melanie closed her eyes, then opened them. "That was horrible what you did." She said, then added. "Have any last words?"
"I wish i did it sooner. Stupid bitch." Arat said spitting at her.
Rick looked on in horror, as Harlan stood next to him keeping quiet. The rest gathered around, watching in terror and shock. The kids where hidden behind the adults.
Melanie didn't respond, she closed her eyes, breathed - then opened them and swung hard, she winced hearing a loud crack, and Arat scream, then she swung again, and hit Darren. She kept swinging, and heard screams of terror come from the group, watching in horror. She swong five times, and had to stop. She held the bat out to Negan, and he took it back.
"Good girl. Not enough tho. This shit isn't over." He said, walking over and continuing. Melanie stepped back and pushed the pair of sunglasses down on her eyes that Negan handed to her from his pocket. She remained silent, watching. Suddenly nauseau overcame her, she turned and walked over to the side of the trailer and vomited.
Negan continued whistling, and looking at Melanie. "You alright?"
Melanie didn't respond. She held her hand up to him flippin him off. "Fuck off." She hated getting sick.
Negan let out a belly laugh and continued beating them - "Love you too babydoll."
Melanie didn't realize a picture fell from her pocket, Rick walked over to rub her back and picked it up. Melanie shrugged him off and went inside to wash the blood off herself.
Rick looked at the back of the photo, 'summer vacation at merle beach - 1996 - Mommy, Melanie and Daddy." Rick turned the photo over, and there was a photo of 3 year old Melanie, with her mom - Emily, and Abraham. Rick looked closely at the photo, realizing that was a younger Abraham…"Oh god…" He said quickly shoving it in his pocket. He wasn't sure if he was going to vomit next or not - How could he not have known his sister in law was briefly married to Abraham? Emily never did say who it was she married, she never changed her last name to his and used her maiden name for Melanie's. Rick frowned, looking over at Negan, seeing him still swing. He felt his blood begin to boil again.
His mind began to trail back to a brief talk he had to Abe when they went to get supplies..
Rick kept pressure on Abraham's leg wound as he tied a tourniquet. Abraham was groaning and kept passing out. "I...was….a shitty...person…" He groaned more feeling the pressure.
"I dont think so." Rick said keeping pressure as Daryl drove.
"Yeah… I was… I left my first wife… and 3 year old daughter… to run off to be with someone else..Never seen them again.." Abraham groaned more. "Even that didn't work out I was a shitty dad to Becca and AJ..and husband to Ellen.." He grunted as he tried keeping pressure on his shoulder wound. " if shit where still the same… My eldest… Mel… would be about 18… Becca would of ….been around….8 and AJ around….11.."
Rick paused listening to him. "You've changed a lot since then." He sighed looking at Daryl.
"No… i haven't…" Abraham groaned and passed out from blood loss.
Rick snapped out of it hearing Negan call to him. "Get this shit cleaned up." as he grabbed his collar, and turning him to the mess on the ground. Negan opened the trailer door and went inside.
Rick turned to the shocked people, and looked at the two bodies laying on the ground. Harlan looked at the others. "Go...back to your homes.. "He said softly, and looked at Rick. He was terrified. Harlan walked over and started helping.
Rick whispered low to him. "This will end soon." He promised..
Next Chapter will be up one day this week. Still working things out.
