Chapter 6

The morning came quickly, the night cold and restless, despite being able to hardly sleep at all. I was awake before the Saviors came in and started rousing people, yelling for us to get up and get ready to work. The sun began to light the room, casting a pink and orange glow. The Saviors didn't turn on the lights, I guess to conserve whatever energy they had.

I pushed away the small blanket that had yielded no warmth all night and sat up, running a hand through my tangled hair. Most of the others had already gotten up to get food or use the bathrooms. I could see a line forming for both already and I stood up to join them.

I had already used two of my points last night for a small dinner; one for a mushy tomato sandwich and another for some water. I decided to use the bathrooms first. I passed by the end of my cot and noticed a small, black bag in the box of the previous owner. Curious, I knelt down to open it and saw the toiletries that I had been using since I got here. I donned a slight smile in surprise. I didn't think Dwight would follow through.

I made my way to the bathrooms and waited for my turn with the other women. Five of us could use it at a time and there were at least twenty bodies in line. There were a lot more people here than I had realized. After I had my chance to use the toilets and clean up a bit, I went to find some breakfast, hoping for enough time before Dwight showed up to put me to work.

With two more points I bought a small bowl of instant oatmeal and some more water. I ate it hungrily on my cot, watching and listening to those around me. I had just finished when I heard him come up behind me, and I turned my head around to meet his gaze.

"You ready?" Dwight asked.

I nodded, and collected my trash.

"Leave it here. The others will come by and clean it up."

I set the plastic bowl and cup on my cot and stood up, facing Dwight. He gave me a look to follow him and I did, not saying a word. I was nervous, unsure of what to expect. Would today be hard? I didn't know. I just hoped I didn't run into any trouble, and I reminded myself with a start to behave and do what was asked of me.

I wanted to ask about Daryl badly. I wanted to know if he was still locked up or was out somewhere in this old factory. I hadn't seen him in the common area, so I worried. Probably more than I had before. Where was he?

"Just so you know," Dwight started, leading me down a long hallway with brightly lit windows, "you could've been out of that cell a lot sooner. Unfortunately, we put your friend to a test and he didn't quite pass it. Your extended stay in that room was his consequence."

He stopped in front of an open door and turned to face me, his eyes now suddenly condescending. I furrowed my brow at him, confused.

"What exactly did he do to affect how I'm treated in here?" I asked.

"He's a hard one to crack. Negan noticed that. Whatever we did to him, he didn't seem to mind much. When your safety came into play, he changed his attitude."

"That's really fucked up," I said, a mean look spreading across my face.

"Yeah, well, if you hadn't noticed already, we aren't exactly the pillars of moral turpitude here. Besides,"-he shrugged his shoulders-"he wasn't thinking much of you anyway when he decided to try to escape. He was going to leave your ass here. It took us reminding him that we had you locked in that room to set him straight. I'd remember that if I were you."

A stab of betrayal went through me, but I tried to remain stoic. I don't think I did such a good job because Dwight was openly smirking at me. Daryl wouldn't have left me here. Not unless he planned on coming back. And would he have come back? Could he have?

"What is your deal?" I asked suddenly. Dwight gave me a look of confusion. "One minute you're cold, blatantly taunting me, and then the next you act like you're sorry for me. You brought me those toiletries even though you didn't have to," I took a step toward him, looking up into his eyes. "You left me alone when you had me by myself drugged and naked in that locker room."

The smirk on his face had vanished as I spoke and was replaced with a look of annoyance. I saw his throat bob up and down as he swallowed and he broke his gaze from mine. He took a step back and looked into the room behind him.

"This is where you'll work from now on. Report here every morning," he said nothing more, but waited for me to move.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, walking forward to discover what the rest of my time here would be like. Inside the room, I saw shelves full of food, clothes, soap, and other assorted items. In the far corner were large totes stacked up to six feet high. Some other workers were already inside, sorting through them and stacking what was inside on shelves, marking down what they sorted. A few Saviors were taking inventory, too.

"Just so you know," I heard Dwight say behind me. I didn't turn around. "You're not exactly my type."

Good one, I thought as his footsteps receded down the hallway.

"That girl is stubborn as shit," Negan leaned against the railing, watching Lucille as he lazily swung her in the air beside him.

"Yeah," Dwight replied, watching Negan's face for his reaction. "She's a typical redhead… and a fucking bitch."

Negan looked at Dwight and furrowed his eyebrows in amusement, smiling at him. He looked back down at his bat and grabbed it in both hands, swinging it as hard as he could through the air. Dwight took another sip of his beer, a rare commodity they were allowed to indulge in every once in a while when they had it.

"You know what they say about redheads," Negan said, still toying with Lucille. He looked over his shoulder at Dwight. "Crazy in the head, good in bed."

"I can believe that," Dwight smiled and Negan grinned back. He swung Lucille again, enjoying the sound she made as she cut through the air.

"Damn, it feels good to do that!" He yelled out, leaning back on his heels. He turned to face Dwight and let Lucille touch the floor. "How was she, earlier? Did the bullheaded bitch put up a fight?"

Dwight straightened up and shrugged his shoulder and nodded, "She was fine. I think being holed up in the cell helped. Plus, the pills."

"Yeeaaah, nothing like a good, ole date rape drug to get them all docile and complacent," Negan nodded sarcastically and stuck Lucille out, admiring her. He dropped her back down again and fixed Dwight with a scheming look. "However, she has openly defied me, the way she looks at me. And we aren't giving her anymore pills."

"I think she's just scared of you. I mean, half the time she's seen you she was high as shit, so I don't think we can put too much blame on her," Dwight tried to reason and swallowed uncomfortably. Despite how much she irritated him, he felt sorry for Everly. The position she was in reminded him of someone else he knew; someone he cared deeply about and had let down. Maybe that's where the annoyance came from, knowing she was as helpless as his ex-wife had been, and he was once again left unable to do much about it; that and her catty attitude.

Negan made a face and nodded, like he was really thinking about what Dwight had said.

"Yeah," he replied softly, "except she didn't always look scared and high to me. You gave her only half a pill each time, right?"

Dwight nodded.

"No, she might've been a tiny bit blitzed, but she was fully aware of herself. Shit, she bathed herself, right?! Unless…" Negan gave Dwight a knowing look and pointed Lucille at him. Dwight smiled and shook his head to signal he hadn't touched her inappropriately.

"Good man," Negan patted his back and settled back next to him on the railing. "Still," he continued, "I'm uncomfortable with how she looks at me. It's Prick all over again. What the fuck is with all the people in Alexandria? It's like they want an ass kicking of a lifetime… That's something you would know plenty about, am I right, Dwwwwight?"

Dwight looked up to find Negan staring at him with a slow smile spreading across his face. He knew what he was referring to and remembered how the white hot iron stuck to his skin, felt the sear and smelled the steam as he heard his own agonized screams echo in his head. He nodded to his leader and gave a small shrug, "Yeah, but the difference between me and them is I learn from my mistakes. She's been due for a more personalized wake up call."

"Seeing as you have the experience, ya got any ideas?" Negan inquired.

Dwight opened his mouth, but still had nothing to say, feeling slightly humiliated; he fought hard not to show it. He didn't want to suggest anything too harsh and at the same time didn't want to look weak. He shrugged again and shook his head, "I don't know, man. We could give her a way out, like Daryl."

"Nah, I want something new… You think Daryl and her are fucking?"

"Uuuh," Dwight started, unsure how to answer. "I don't know, maybe?"

"Hmmm," Negan mused. "Follow me."

Negan laughed to himself and flipped Lucille up into the air, catching her by the butt-end as she fell. He gave Dwight a wink before pushing off the railing and walking away. Dwight downed the rest of his beer and followed after him.

The next couple of days were hazy. It was the same thing every day with little sleep, hard work and no end in sight. The only silver linings to be found were the consistent, albeit small, meals I earned and the possibility of seeing Daryl again. I hadn't lost hope in that yet. I knew he was still alive, had to believe it. If he wasn't, if they had killed him, they would have let me know already and tortured me with it.

I tried to ask the others like me if they had seen him, giving his description, but hardly anyone would give me the time of day. If they did, my questioning was fruitless; no one had seen him. I didn't let that weigh me down, though. It was only a matter of time before he showed up.

In the meantime, I continued my silent search of potential ways to escape, observing the routines of everyone around and thinking out logistics. It would be somewhat easy to make it out of the factory, but it would be tricky to make it off of the Sanctuary property; even trickier to make it all the way back to Alexandria without being captured. I was sure our absence would be noticed quickly once we were gone. We would have to hole up in the woods somewhere for a while.

We would also need weapons or at least a way to defend ourselves. I didn't know what shape Daryl was in right now, but I was just starting to get my strength back and I had lost quite a bit of weight. I wasn't even sure I had enough stamina to run very far, let alone outrun Negan, his men and any walkers that lurked outside. It would take some time to get ready, too. Even if I saw Daryl, I would have to make sure he was healthy enough to escape with me. I knew that if I left him, it more than likely would mean not getting him back.

I felt a sharp pain of hurt in my chest, remembering what Dwight had told me about him. How he tried to escape without me, and I had suffered consequences for it. He wouldn't have been able to come back for me either, I had eventually realized. Daryl's escape only ensured his potential safety, but not mine. That's why we had to do it together, so that we both had a chance.

I pushed away any resentment I held against him for that. I know it wasn't fair of me to think that way. If I had had the chance to get out of here without him, I'm sure he would want me to take it. The only difference is that I hadn't; not so far. And I wouldn't do so until I tried to get him out of here, too.

The windows began to darken as I finished folding and sorting the clothes I had washed earlier. I stacked them all in large boxes, picking up one to take to the common area. As I walked, I kept my head down and my eyes sharp. A Savior patrolling the hallway looked in the box I was carrying as I passed by and told me I had fifteen minutes to finish up.

"Better pass out all those clothes soon or might be a lot of people without them tomorrow. I wouldn't mind seeing you without any!" He yelled as I rounded the corner.

I kicked open the door leading into the common area, annoyed, and stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes caught Daryl's. The clatter I made turned heads and I noticed that almost everyone was one their knees.

"Well, there she is, my little fireball!" Negan beamed at me. He had a chain in his hand which led to Daryl's bound wrists.

I took in the sight of him, chained and bruised. He looked like he hadn't showered at all since we had been here and he wore a similar outfit to what Dwight had given me the first time. Simon, Dwight and a few others stood around Negan, alert and watchful. Negan began to strut toward me, yanking Daryl along with him.

"Thought you might wanna catch up with your ole pal here. He sure has been missin' you," he stopped in front of me, "or so I think."

Negan turned to look at a submissive Daryl; the latter's hair stringy and unclean. He looked and smelled awful, and I instantly felt horrible for being angry with him. I could no longer blame him for being desperate enough to leave without me. I shouldn't have in the first place.

"What have you done with him?" I asked mortified.

"Oh, he's not that bad, sweetheart. I've seen and done a lot worse to which the both of you can attest," he winked at me, but then his face suddenly turned serious. He leaned over the box in my arms and spoke to me quietly. "I do think he's a little broken down, though. He doesn't seem"-Negan rolled his eyes up in mock effort to find the perfect word-"himself, if you will. I figured he could use a little fresh air and a familiar face."

My fingers were digging into the sides of the cardboard box and I tried to mask the fury I felt inside. I didn't hold his gaze, trying not to be defiant. Daryl was here and maybe that meant he would stay. I could nurse his wounds and let him use my points for food, wait a few weeks until we both got stronger. Then we could try to get the hell out of here.

"You're looking good, though," Negan straightened back up, looking me up and down. "You've gained some weight back. Tits are filling back in, right, Daryl?"

He yanked Daryl's chain, making him stumble forward. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Everyone had already been forced to stop their usual habits and bend a knee because Negan was here, and now they were all watching this shitshow unfold. Simon stood with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly enjoying every second. Dwight didn't look quite as amused, but looked on intently nonetheless.

"I asked you a question, Daryl. Look at her tits and tell me if you think they're getting bigger," Negan demanded.

Daryl's eyes had been on the ground up until now. He slowly raised them to my face and they stayed there for a second, bloodshot and swollen, before dropping back down. He nodded his head sullenly.

"That wasn't a good enough look," Negan sighed. His hand shot out and smacked the box out of my arms. It fell to the floor with a thump at my feet and Negan grabbed the back of my neck, roughly pulling me forward. I tripped over the box, causing Negan's grip on my neck to tighten, his nails digging into my flesh. I groaned in pain.

"I said look!"

He shoved me in front of Daryl. Daryl was breathing hard through his nose, his mouth a straight line of anger. His gaze stayed on the floor.

"Look," Negan softly commanded him in a tone that brooked no argument.

Reluctantly, Daryl's eyes drifted upwards and to my chest. They lingered there, his facial expression not changing; it was like he wasn't seeing anything at all. Negan smiled and shook me.

"Well?" Negan inquired.

"Yes," Daryl responded, his voice surprisingly strong.

"Are you sure? It's kind of hard to tell with this baggy t-shirt she's wearing," Negan grabbed the collar of my shirt and started to rip it down.

"Yes!" Daryl called out, distressed.

Negan stopped and grinned, a fake look of disappointment spreading across his face.

"Aaaw," he expressed and let me go.

I took in a several deep breaths, holding back tears that threatened to fall. Negan took a step back and raised his hands, pantomiming that he meant no harm. He turned around and scanned the room, seeing all the scared and wondering faces.

"The fuck are you all looking at!? Back as you were!" He yelled out. Instantly, the others scrambled back to what they were doing, low whispers drifting throughout the room. Negan laughed.

"See how they obey? They've got the right idea!" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder and then flung one arm around me, hugging me close to him.

I cringed inwardly, wanting to shove him away but didn't. I could feel his eyes on my face, but I refused to look up. I was too afraid of what he was going to do next. I could smell him, musky and sweet. It made my stomach churn.

"I have to say, Everly, I'm very impressed with you," he said, his breath fluttering against my hair. "You really have grown since you got here. It didn't take nearly quite as long to break you in as Daryl here, but he's coming along. Maybe next time we'll get more than a preview of what you got under there."

He pinched the collar of my shirt, pulling it out taut and letting it go to flap back to my chest. He squeezed me to his side in a tight hug. I closed my eyes in frustration, a hand involuntarily coming up to his chest to push him away. I caught myself before I pushed too hard.

"Wouldn't you say so, Dwight?"

"She's all right," Dwight answered, sounding bored. Negan nodded and painfully patted my bottom, jarring me.

"I know you're more of an ass man," he said to Dwight and he dropped Daryl's chains with a grizzly smile. He turned to walk out of the room, but spun quickly back around, a finger in the air and his mouth open, ready to speak. He narrowed his eyes at Daryl in a playful way, pointing a gloved finger at him.

"One more thing before I go," he said. "Who are you?"

Daryl tensed up and flitted a glare in Negan's direction before looking back down at the floor. He balled his hands into tight fists and mumbled something I couldn't quite hear.

"Sorry?" Negan asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Daryl," he said louder this time, and slowly brought his eyes up to meet Negan's.

I looked back and forth between the two of them, not sure what was going on but understanding that it was something important and possibly dangerous. Negan's facial expression didn't change with Daryl's response, however, and he let out a chuckle instead, nodding his head. He straightened up and then seemed to consider something.

"Dwight, get him set up somewhere in here," Negan finally said. "Not near the girl. I think they need to keep their distance for a while. At least until emotions aren't running so high," then he turned and walked out, Simon and the others following close behind.

"Sleep well, sugar tits," Simon jeered at me, winking as he passed by. I glared at the floor until they were gone and shifted my glaze to look at Daryl to see he had been looking at me, too.

"This way, Daryl," Dwight said softly. He took the chains and turned, starting to lead him away.

I'll get us out of here, I mouthed to him. He gave me a look of determination and mouthed back, Soon.

Okay, so I am posting this chapter early because I will have a VERY busy day tomorrow and I was afraid I might forget. So, happy early Christmas! Also, in the spirit of the holiday, I will be posting an additional chapter on Christmas Eve. YAY!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and stay safe. Thank you, as always, for reviewing, following and adding me as a favorite. :)