Chapter 11 - Heart Of Glass

Kate ran through the compound towards the sound of chaos. Near the front gate, she found two people writhing on the ground, blood covering their bodies. A car was on fire, and the smoke skewed her view of the situation. Someone was screaming, another was crying. People were rushing around and none of them was Simon. She wanted desperately to know where he was, and if he was okay. Kate took a deep breath and went into 'work mode'.

'Were they bitten? Was anyone bitten?" She demanded of a woman, crouched next to one of the wounded men.

"No. Not that I know of." The woman replied. She was holding a blood-soaked shirt to the man's arm.

"Good. Get these people to the hospital. Right. Now. I need to see what I can do to help them."

Kate ordered a few other people to help carry the wounded as she looked around for Simon. He was nowhere to be seen. She was thankful that he wasn't one of the people bleeding to death. She assured herself that he was probably with Negan and Dwight, trying to figure out strategy to find the people responsible for this violence. She waved someone over and together they lifted the second man. Holding his legs, she helped to usher him to safety.

In the hospital, there were already three people waiting for care, their injuries minimal. Kate was shocked to see Negan there, interrogating a woman who was clutching her arm in pain. Kate did her best to ignore him and assess her two severely wounded patients.

The first man had his left arm blown all the way off. Kate gathered bandaging supplies and something firm for him to bite on. She thrusted the small wooden dowel into his mouth and his screams were muffled. She cleaned the wound and grabbed the small iron that she kept for emergencies; she had no other way of cauterizing wounds.

"This is not going to be pleasant." She told the man, tears staining his cheeks.

She ordered two people to hold him down as she pressed the heat to his flesh. The pain caused him to pass out, but at least the bleeding was starting to stop. When she finished bandaging his wound, she ordered one of the others to stay and watch him. She quickly moved on to the next patient.

She removed some shrapnel from the second man and stitched up his wound; a much easier task than the first. When she was sure that she was finished, she moved on to the less serious cases. As she was walking to the supply cabinet, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her body relaxed as she was sure that it was Simon, but when she turned around, she was face to face with Negan.

"Nice job. You saved those men." He complimented, his voice calm and steady.

"Yeah. Well, there's still work to do. So if you'll excuse me," she moved to side but Negan blocked her.

"Simon isn't here. He's on a run to the Kingdom."

Kate's heart sank into her chest. Simon would be gone for at least a few days now. She wanted so badly to steal a car and run to him, to forget about all of the gore that she was facing in the early hours of the morning.

"So, who did this?" She pointed to the full infirmary.

"I have an idea. But I need your help." The look on Negan's face was serious.

"What can I do?" Kate reluctantly asked. She figured it was better to offer, then be assigned.

"There is a new group of people. And I'm going after them. I need you to ask my people what happened. I need names."

"Okay. I mean, yeah. I can do that." She assured Negan.

She turned to get supplies from the cabinet, and Negan remained still, staring at her. Her arms full of bandages and suture kits, she tried to move but her path was still blocked.

"You're not afraid of me, are you?" He whispered in her ear.

"Why? Should I be?" She pushed him out of the way and headed toward a woman who needed stitches in her forehead.

Negan stood, watching Kate's every move. He hadn't been able to get her off his mind, not since she showed up on his doorstep and gave him one of the most thrilling sexual encounters of his life. The sex was supposed to have been just that; nothing emotional and a way to assert his power over Simon. A reminder that he was still in charge, and that everything belonged to him. But the way she stood up to him, instead of cowering like most women in his sights, both intrigued and aroused him. He found himself thinking of her, even becoming distracted in his daily tasks.

Negan had sent Simon to the Kingdom on a 'fool's errand'. Negan knew that Ezekiel's people weren't responsible for this violence. And Simon didn't protest. His adrenaline had been running high from the night's attack, and he wanted to find answers. All Negan could think about was Kate, and with Simon gone for a few days, it would buy him some time.

Negan wanted her now more than ever.