12.
Ana's tattered shoes crunched against the thin layer of snow the prior night had brought. Small flurries fell around her chilled face as the sun began to rise above the trees. Off in the distance, she spotted an awkward figure, hurtling towards her through the frozen fields. She sighed and turned her cheek, figuring that Connie could take care of it later.
Focusing on her task at hand, she bent down and lazily picked up a frozen squirrel. She inspected it carefully, looking for any bites or scratches. Luckily, the squirrel's coat wasn't perforated, and Ana shoved it into a small makeshift box for dinner. Then, she continued searching.
After an hour, Ana entered her cottage with a pink nose and three squirrels. Connie, who was tending to the dying fire in the main living space, glanced over her shoulder upon hearing Ana's footsteps.
"Wunderbar!" Connie stood up from the faulty fireplace, raising her arms above her head and cheering happily at the sight of food. Ana smiled sheepishly, handing her box of vermin to her friend.
"There's a zombie right beyond the fence line, you might have to get it," Ana told Connie, "I'm tired from all that searching." She travelled to the sad fire, sitting in front of it and warming first her hands, then her face.
"Don't say the z-word, A," Connie scolded her, placing the box on the ground. "We're in an actual apocalypse! We need to be more creative."
"I'm not saying biter," Ana mumbled after accepting the small reminder that Connie was only twenty-one by Connie's irrational excitement.
"Cheer up, grumps." Connie's hands found their way onto Ana's shoulders, massaging them lightly. Ana grunted in response. There seemed to be a million reasons for her bitterness. However, Connie had already heard all of them. And without living in Ana's shoes, Connie was unable to properly sympathize –or even empathize- with Ana.
They sat there for a few moments until Ana's body had warmed to the point of comfortability.
"Go get the zombie. I'll start preparing dinner."
"Do we have any, hm, plants?" Connie asked, "y'know something besides meat?"
"I found a couple of herbs a few days ago. They were pretty much dead-"
"Cool!" Connie interrupted, skipping towards the door without a jacket. Ana sighed, rationalizing that Connie's naivety would shrivel as the winter wore one. With a loud thump, the heavy door closed, rendering Ana alone. She easily stood, making her way towards the cool kitchen and reaching in the sink for a knife. Using a dirty towel, she did her best to wipe the knife clean before bringing it to the fire to sterilize it. Without knowledge of how the virus spread, Ana tried to make sure everything was as clean as could be.
She lazily cut into the first squirrel's skin, starting at the tail.
Connie returned home half an hour later while the second squirrel was cooking in a pot positioned on a rack above a fire that breathed new light. She smiled at the sight, inhaling deeply and charging towards Ana, who was setting a few plates down near the flames.
"We should sing songs, yknow, to cheer us up?"
"Connie…"
"No, Ana, listen to me! I know a couple of campfire songs."
Ana rolled her eyes while her head was faced down, concentrating on the task at hand. She grabbed a stick and poked at the meat on the rack, testing it. She refused to reply to Connie –why should she try to cheer herself up? They were in the middle of an apocalypse, singing wasn't going to bring a genuine smile to her face.
Connie continued badgering Ana for most of the night, even while they ate the delectable squirrel.
"Sing with me, Ana!" she continued whining.
"Shut up, Connie," Ana grumbled, shoveling the food into her mouth.
"There's a..web like a spider's web, made of silver light and shadow-"
"Cállate!" Ana slammed her plate on the ground in annoyance, almost shattering it. Connie quieted, filling the entire room with unbearable taciturn. "I'm sorry," Ana said lightly, reaching out towards Connie. The girl shrank away from Ana's touch and placed her plate on the ground, using her foot to nudge it towards Ana.
"I'm not hungry, I think I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me up when it's my turn to watch," Connie said mechanically. She stood, and traveled to the corner of the room. Her sleeping bag was already unrolled, and so Connie slid into it easily. For the next few hours, Ana listened to Connie's soft breathing until it became rhythmic.
Ana sat by the fire the entire night, choosing to let her friend sleep for a full 7 hours. Perhaps she did this because of the guilt she felt for lashing out, or maybe she wanted time to think alone. It didn't matter. The sun rose before Ana realized, and Connie was once again in good spirits.
"Why'd you let me sleep so long?"
The voice startled Ana, who's eyes were staring at the warm charcoals in the fire. Her arms were wrapped around her quickly chilling body, and she realized that the fire would soon need replenishing.
"I'm sorry about last night," Ana offered in a quiet voice.
Connie nodded, "it's fine. I understand you weren't in the best of moods." She paused before parting her lips once again. "Get some sleep," she practically demanded.
Ana forced a half-smile, "that's probably a good idea."
"I know, I'm pretty good with those."
With Connie's smart suggestion, Ana stood up, wiped her eyes and walked to the tattered green sleeping back adjacent to Connie's. Her feet stuck out of the ripped ends –it was meant for a young child. Nonetheless, Ana fell asleep within minutes.
The second she woke up, she wished she hadn't slept. Connie was screaming by the front door, bidding Ana from her dreams. She scrambled to her feet, hazily looking around the room with her eyes finally landing on the foyer. Connie's hand was being eaten by a zombie as she watched in horror, trying to hit it with a golden candlestick. Her efforts were in vain, and the large door began to open wider as more of the undead poured through, groaning loudly and hungry for flesh. Connie's wide eyes turned toward Ana helplessly.
With her last ounce of energy, she whispered, "run."
Ana had no time to properly assess the situation before flight response kicked in. She ran towards the back door, grabbing nothing but her grab bag she packed for this reason. Tears flying from her eyes, Ana exited the house into the cold. She ran and ran until the house was no longer in view and all she could see was a dense forest in any given direction. Only then did she pause and catch her breath, crying the entire time.
There were warm hands on her slim waist, rubbing from her breasts to her hips. At the feeling, her eyes opened wide in sudden confusion. Simon loomed above her, smiling with wide eyes. Her hands were tied above her head to two previously unnoticed bedposts.
"I can feel your ribs clearly, darling. Not the hottest thing in the world," he cooed
Ana squirmed underneath his firm hands, whimpering when his fingers squeezed together, pushing into the cartilage that connecting her ribs to her sternum.
"Stay still, you're ruining our little reunion."
"I'll tell Negan-" Ana tried to squeak out, but was quieted by Simon's hand tracing her jawline.
"You haven't told him anything yet, sweetheart. Besides," Simon smiled, "who is he really going to believe?" Instead of letting Ana answer, Simon leaned in and placed his alcohol-laced lips on Ana's chapped ones, reaching his way up her shirt to pull it off. Feeling Ana grimace above him, he paused, his eyes trailing down her stomach.
"Painkillers wear off?" he questioned, gently patting the bruises on her stomach. "Should've been more gentle, huh?" The bruises took Ana by surprise; she had no recollection of them. All she remembered were a few hazy days in a dark room with Negan's face occasionally flashing in front her's, demanding answers to very specific questions. She couldn't remember those questions either.
Ana quickly recollected herself, squirming underneath Simon and bringing her knee between his crotch. She wasn't about to be raped by the same man twice.
Simon grunted and fell onto the floor Ana, who helplessly curled her legs towards her stomach and pulled herself onto her side, her back against the wall. Her actions wouldn't go unpunished, but any amount of pain was worth not being raped.
Ana heard Simon moan as he inhaled deeply, laughing as he released his breath and raising himself above the bed. Fury burned in his eyes while he cracked his neck to the side and took in Ana's helpless body, debating what he wanted to do first. He couldn't hurt her face –hell, Negan would knock him into another dimension if he hurt her precious face. He debated pulling her pants down, sliding inside of her and knowing what it was like to have Negan's girl once again. Though, there were doctors here. Surely one of them knew evidence of rape, and if Negan found out-
His thoughts were quickly brushed away by a loud, severe knocking on the door of the small cabin. Simon angrily shot a look at Ana, whose face had washed over with relief. Simon put a finger to his lips to signify the importance of her silence, and left her alone in the room, her hands still tied to the bedposts. She watched him leave with wide eyes and quickly went to work trying to undue the simple knots around her wrists. The second the door to the room opened, she paused, lying on her back while Negan strolled into the room, whistling and lazily dragging his bat on the floor.
"You must've been bad, little sheep. Simon doesn't usually tie ladies up…unless they're in his own bed," he smiled, kneeling down besides Ana and placing his leathered hand against her chin. "Missed you, baby." He quickly untied her hands, and she brought them to her chest.
"Simon hurt me."
"Now now," Negan leaned forward and gently kissed Ana's cheek, not paying mind to the pain in her voice. He knew Simon had done what was necessary to get her to talk a few days ago, and figured that she had discovered this while he was away. "Leave that to me, sunshine." He focused his eyes downwards at her lower leg, which was pushed into an awkward position. "How's the old getaway stick doing?"
Ana, confused at his lack of emotional response regarding Simon, glanced down at her calf and realized it felt painless.
"Fine," she mumbled, rolling her foot in circles to test the sensation.
"And the noodle?" he pointed with a thumb to her head.
"Also fine."
"Why so quiet today?"
"Negan, Simon hurt me," Ana looked into his brown eyes, "a few moments ago."
Negan frowned, rubbing his hands on his beard as if he were in deep thought. "That shit's not funny, sweetheart."
"I'm not lying," Ana pleaded, reaching for his hand and taking it in her small, dainty fingers. She quickly debated whether to tell him about the other awful things Simon committed. After a moment or two, she decided it was better to let him know a little at a time. That way, hopefully, he wouldn't do anything rash.
The two stayed, staring at each other until a call from outside the house brought Negan to his feet. Quickly hoisting his trusty bat onto his shoulder, he reached down another hand for Ana. She took it and nimbly crawled off the bad, pausing as her head whooshed. Negan steadied her with a hand on her waist, and led her towards the rickety door. The house was small, and smelled of moist dry wood. There resided a small couch in a living room, and a kitchen torn to shambles. Ana found herself glad that she had never ventured from the room. It was much more horrible out here.
Simon stood outside, smiling at Ana's tired face. He followed suit, observing Negan's protective arm around her while Ana's head slowly pivoted to observe the surroundings.
They were in a forest, a heavily wooded forest that blocked most of the sunlight. A small creek ran past the house in front of Ana's feet. She stepped over it with Negan's help and made her way to a large black armored vehicle blasting fumes in her direction. The back of the truck was open, and the flap that covered it was held up by a few bungee cords. It was here that Negan tried to lead Ana. After coughing a few times, Negan hurried the pace, and once making it to the back, jumped in before helping Ana crawl in. Simon stood behind them expectantly, before Negan opened his mouth.
"Make sure the ride ain't too bumpy." He winked, and then reached for the bungee cords, subsequently closing the flap in Simon's displeased face. Turning around, Negan noticed Ana crawling towards the corner of the truck and quickly followed her, setting Lucille on the metallic floor, half under his leg with the barbed wire sticking out.
"Come here," he ordered, and Ana rolled her head in his direction. Moving was becoming a hassle as her head tried to keep up with the changing environment, but she managed to lean towards him. Negan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, inhaling her scent and then reminding himself to make her shower. Her greasy head leaned against his neck as he sighed deeply. The armored vehicle started rolling shortly after, gently overcoming small hills of dirty and gravel. There were a few minutes of sheer silence before Negan spoke.
"You kiss him?"
"Rick?"
Negan nodded against Ana's head.
"Yes," Ana said after pondering multiple responses.
"Did you like it?"
"Yes," the answer came faster this time, as it seemed honesty would be better than lying. She heard Negan swallow thickly against her head, although his grip around her never tightened.
"Did he touch you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Did he rub your pussy, Ana?"
The blunt question resonated with Ana. No, he had never touched her like that but when they kissed, it sure seemed like it would have happened. His legs had already been so close. Had Negan not captured her, it probably would've happened after they returned home. And would she have liked it? It was Ana's turn to swallow a thick pill as she realized her current predicament.
"No. Never," Ana blinked a few times before bringing an arm around Negan's leather jacket, listening to his heart rate as she wondered why he seemed so scary. From this angle, he was her Negan from all those years ago. The light-hearted coach that occasionally dabbled but always returned to her side was with her again, and it seemed as if nothing could ruin the moment, not even Negan's stubbornness and constant badgering.
Ana heard the road under her change from dirt to asphalt as the truck sped down a long road. The switch instantly reminded her that she would soon be back in her old home, though not to stay. Big eyes glanced up at Negan, noticing that his were closed and his face relaxed. Was he using Ana to control Rick? And if he was, was it working? The words exchanged between Rick and Ana were usually minimal, although their relationship had built over the past few months. However, it seemed unrealistic to think that Rick felt that strong towards her. Perhaps there was another reason Rick hadn't come for her, perhaps Negan took someone else. Perhaps he hurt someone else.
Ana threw the thought from her head the instant it rolled in, angry to even imagine Negan hurting someone from Alexandria. Regardless, one by one certain ideas and scenarios followed her thoughts, reminding Ana that Negan has hurt people before, and his people almost killed her. The warm arm around Ana's body shifted as Ana shied away from it. Negan's face instantly contorted as his eyes opened and peered down at her.
"What's wrong, baby?" Negan questioned.
Ana parted her lips, "did you hurt anyone from Alexandria?"
Negan laughed what seemed to be a whole hearted laugh, "they killed my men Ana, multiple times. Even blew the fuck out of some of them!"
Ana's mouth went dry, her throat tightened. Negan couldn't have hurt them –no. He probably captured them, and is holding them in a house similar to Ana's. "But you didn't hurt them, right?"
"I mean aside from the two fuckers whose brains I mashed into a chunky smoothie, nope."
The speechless girl could barely move, but soon found the strength to slide away from Negan to the opposite side of the truck. He watched in slight surprise, scoffing when Ana stopped moving.
"What the hell did you want me to do? Rules are rules, sweetie."
"I want to go."
"What did you say?"
Ana drew her arm up, wiping a strand of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. She easily repeated her words, "I want to leave, Negan."
"No can do. Promised Rick he'd see your pretty face again," Negan grabbed Lucille from under his leg and placed it in Ana's spot, pursing his lips in annoyance while contemplating how to apologize.
"Leave me in Alexandria," Ana demanded.
Negan chuckled deeply, "that is a ridiculous idea. You are never going near that prick again."
"You have no right-"
"It's a new fucking world, girl. You listen to me, no questions and no resistance. Now get over here."
Ana sunk further into her corner, averting her eyes and focusing on the rhythm of the tires on the road. She heard Negan's deep sigh a minute later.
"Get the fuck over here, I won't ask again."
Her eyes drifted to Negan's body. His hand was gently patting the dull floor beside his body, his eyes cold and demeaning. After debating the consequences of her subsequent actions, Ana slowly slid towards Negan, surrendering to his grasp on her. His arm instantly wrapped around her, pulling her close and forbidding her from leaving again. Keeping her face pointed towards the wall, she tried to slow her breathing. She felt disgusted curling up to the man who killed her friends –who was now demanding her free-will be handed to him on a pedestal. Her husband seemed unfazed by her attitude and began humming a familiar John Mellencamp tune against her hair, kissing it ever so slightly.
The tarp covering the back of the truck billowed as the truck hit a bump, and Ana was forced from the ground for a split second. Startled, she threw an arm around Negan to hold on. He laughed underneath her, and she removed her arm, trying to keep a cool veneer plastered on her face.
When the vehicle finally began to slow down, and a subsequent "Negan!" was yelled in front of the truck, Ana's husband raised slowly, groaning as he did so. He grabbed Lucille, dragging her along just above the ground. Before hopping out, he turned to Ana and raised a finger.
"Stay," he ordered, as if Ana was a dog. She nodded, watching as Negan disappeared in a split second. Following his departure, she curled her legs to her knees and examined her body. Her wrists still had dark bruises from what Negan said was the result of his men. A bandage was wrapped carefully around her calf, enclosing most of her wound in a sterile space. Without lifting up her shirt, she was able to feel the bruises on her stomach that Simon had pushed into earlier. Her head was better, much less painful than it had been a few days ago, and her short term memory lapses had stopped by now, leaving her with only a handful of blank spaces.
At least a few minutes had passed before a familiar, yet unnamed blonde face appeared under the tarp, reaching a hand towards Ana's small body.
"Come on, he wants you outside," he said, the sunlight shining on his half-burnt face. Ana winced slightly, wondering what had caused such a wound, before slowly inching her way towards his hand.
"I'm Dwight," he informed her as soon as his warm hand made contact with hers. He helped her slide out of the truck, then led her around the side where a conglomerate of saviors stood, listening to Negan, who had been talking to Rick just inside Alexandria's walls.
As soon as Ana's head became visible, Rick's eyes flashed towards her, a look of hurt upon seeing her dirty, sunken face resonated in his own face. Negan followed his gaze, chuckling at Ana's awkward stature. She, meanwhile, glanced at Daryl standing by the saviors wearing a large gown that had the letter A spray painted on, sighing in relief because he was alive.
"Oh, right," Negan smiled and patted Rick on the shoulder, "just like your buddy Daryl, no touching, no talking, no looking and…for her? No fucking thinking." He turned his attention towards Ana, beckoning her to him with his gloved hand. The saviors parted, allowing her passage to Negan's side. Against Negan's instructions, her eyes found Rick's before searching the town for who was missing. Some of the saviors blended in with the normal community, making it hard to weed out who was present and who wasn't.
Negan's arm coiled around her waist, squeezing it. She cried out as his fingers pushed into her bruises, warranting Rick to step forward angrily.
"What did I fucking say?" Negan's hands dug in further as Ana bit her lip, beginning to double over and furiously rip at his hands. He continued holding her like this until Rick stepped away and forced his eyes from the sight. The leader of the saviors smiled, releasing his grip on Ana.
As soon as his hands were off her body, Ana practically threw herself from his body in pain. How could he forcibly hurt her just to control Rick? Before tears started rolling from her eyes, she chewed on the inside of her cheek and took a few deep breaths, gently holding her waist with her delicate fingers. Staring at the back of Rick's head, she straightened her spine.
"Ana, sweetheart. You gotta tell me what you want. Christmas came early this year," Negan's voice had lightened, and a wide grin stared mockingly at Rick's hair.
Knowing that disobeying Negan meant more pain, Ana took a step forward and followed him on a wide road through the community, trailing two steps behind him the entire time.
A/N: Oh my God, guys, I'm so sorry for such the long wait! I've been sick, midterms happened, and I just haven't gotten around to uploading this. I made it a little longer than usual for the wait. The mid season finale was INSANE and it gave me so many ideas for the upcoming chapters so I hope you enjoy them ;). Quick question for those reading this: do you prefer shorter chapters that come out faster or longer chapters that are more scarce?
Replies:
Thanks to everyone who follows and reviews my story! I appreciate you all more than you know!
msgemgem: Yeah the whole premise of the prior chapter was to be extremely confusing and hazy. Ana kept falling asleep, and forgetting the previous day when she woke up. As for the wives- I'm so glad the show incorporated them in. I imagine Ana will be beyond angry and upset at Negan, but will have to be understanding. Don't be fooled, Ana could never be one of them! She's much more special to Negan in that sense.
Jamiemorgan113: Space Oddity was significant in only chapter 11 (as far as I can see). Ana wasn't completely on Earth in a sense, she felt as if she were dissociating from her body and had no awareness as to what was happening. Hopefully this story continues to follow the show but focuses on Ana's experiences rather than the one's showed in the TV show. Daryl isn't in the same house as Ana, but Negan still has him in his cell :) don't worry about all the questions, I love answering them!
WickedlyMinx: None of chapter 11 was a dream! It was a series of snapshots that Ana was experiencing over the course of a few days. A new snapshot started every time Negan said "ground control to major tom". The chapter was meant to be confusing, but I hope this helps :)
I'm a Nerd and Proud: He likes Sasha decently, but not as much as Rick or Abraham... the Sasha episode wasn't all that interesting I agree. Simon has always made me feel sick even in the TV show. He just has that awful look about him, yknow? Don't worry though, Negan will find out soon enough ;)
StTudnoBright: I think Negan will feel a little sentimental seeing all of Ana's pictures with him, and perhaps a little guilty. Or maybe he'll just brush it off and think of it as a pathetic waste of resources..