Chapte 19 - Born To Run

When Negan returned to the Sanctuary, he was high as a kite on adrenaline. He had found Rick Grimes, cornered him, and made him understand just who was in charge. He had killed two of Rick's men, and this only seemed to delight Negan. He was excited and charged up, and all he could think about was finding Kate and getting off. He strode to his room, people cheering around him. He was on top of the world.

"Kate! Baby, it's your lucky day." Negan called into his room, but no one answered. Undeterred, he made his way to the hospital. The door was open, but the room was dark and no one was inside. Finally, he made his way to Kate's old room. When he still was at a loss for Kate, his blood started to boil. He had no idea where she could be. He then checked the mess hall, the woods outside the back gate, and the women's shower area. Still, there was no sign of Kate. No he was pissed off.

Negan found Simon smoking outside the mess hall with another guy, laughing and talking. Negan pushed him up against the wall, grabbing Simon's shirt.

"Where the fuck is she?" Negan demanded.

"Who? Kate? I haven't seen her." Simon was telling the truth, and Negan knew it.

Simon was concerned. If Negan couldn't find Kate, that could only mean one thing; she finally escaped. Part of Simon was cheering for her, but the other part was very, very worried. He had no idea where she would have gone, or when. But he did know that this wasn't going to end well for any of them.

Negan pushed Simon back into the wall and stormed off. There had to be someone who had seen Kate, and knew where she was. He scanned the yard, and set his sights on the Walker pit. Fat Joey was taunting one of the dead who had a bucket over it's head. It was like watching a small child poke a dead frog with a stick, or try to burn ants with a magnifying glass. Negan always felt that Fat Joey was an idiot. A sheep blindly following it's shepherd, only concerned with survival. But Negan quickly learned that he was loyal, and he had a knack for observation.

"Man, that fucker looks pretty ridiculous with a bucket on it's head." Negan commented, standing against the fence.

"Oh yeah? Yeah. I guess he does." Joey turned around slightly.

"Joe? Where's Kate?" Negan whispered, a certain maniacal tone in his voice.

"She's not back? She told me last night that you wanted her to stay close, but be ready to help. So I gave her the last bike. I mean, it's not safe to be out there at night on foot."

Negan clenched his teethh. His grip on Lucille tightened. He knew exactly where Kate was now, and he was angry. He couldn't believe that she actually had the balls to run away.

"Boss? We should go look for her. I mean, if she's not here, she might be hurt." Joey looked genuinely concerned.

"Oh, don't worry, fat man. I'll find her. She can't hide from me." Negan walked off, leaving Joey slightly confused.

Meanwhile …

Kate walked, and kept walking, for fear that when Negan did realize she was gone, he would come on her with a vengeance. She was weary; exhausted and scared, she wanted to rest but knew that was not an option. Not yet. She consulted her map, and finally had herself back on track, to one of the secondary roads that would lead to the Potomac River. She still had a few days travel ahead of her, and she knew she had to keep a fast pace.

There were Walkers here and there, but she had no trouble killing them. The dead were mostly scattered, emaciated, and easier to kill then they had been in the past. Whenever she came across a random house or cabin, she would carefully move to clear it of any threat before checking for supplies. She didn't find much; a better pair of boots were the one thing that she did stop and take advantage of.

By the time the sun had started to set, she knew that she had to find somewhere to sleep. The houses were getting closer together, and this meant that she was getting closer to the larger, once populated areas that surrounded Washington DC. She would need her wits about her, in the coming days. Instead of a house or building, she found an abandoned 18 wheeler, and climbed to the very top. She lay down, and let her eyes rest, slowly drifting off to sleep.