Chapter 44

We left when the storm cleared, the roads slick and misting as we drove over them. Negan was sending Rachel and me back to the Sanctuary with some others. Since he half blamed Laura for what happened earlier, she was coming back with us and she wasn't too thrilled about it. She kept throwing me cuffing looks over her shoulder as we flew down the road, but I tried not to pay her any mind. She was the least of my worries, and I was thankful she wasn't the one driving.

I was in pain all over, and my body shook from the effort to control it. I attempted to sleep or make my mind focus on other things, but the searing discomfort was overwhelming. I managed to let out small whimpers sparingly, only conceding to the suffering when we hit a bump or swerved haphazardly. At one point, I thought I might lose my mind when we came to an abrupt stop several yards away from a congested junction, the four-way stop bustling with the dead wandering in multiple directions. We were forced to back up and find another way around which lengthened our trip back by at least an hour, and by the time we were back on track to the Sanctuary, the nails on my good hand were leaving marks in the cushions.

Not much later, but long enough, I saw the towers of the factory rising to an apex in the sky. Today was a day for many first as I felt a force of sheer relief at the sight which I never thought I'd experience. Similar to how I didn't expect to become acquainted with half the things I'd lived through today, but life has many twist and turns and I manage to hit every damn corner.

The warmth from Rachel's hand cradled my broken one. She closed it with both of her own, keeping it trapped in a soft, fleshy cocoon. I glanced over at her, but she was focused intently on the appearance of her new home, and a soft smile lit her bruised face.

"This is the Sanctuary?" She whispered to me as her eyes stayed glued to the fortress before us.

"The one and only," the driving Savior, Jay, responded. I saw him giving her a glance in the review mirror and an odd feeling of protection came over me.

"It's so big," Rachel gasped in wonder. "How many people live here? Are all the floors active? Do people share rooms? Will I have to share a room with someone? Where does everyone sleep?"

"Whoa, slow down, newbie. Don't get too excited," Laura remarked and she turned in the passenger seat to watch her with a smirk. "You won't get a tour until we get you examined by our remaining doc. When he gives you the okay, then you can find out all the answers to your questions."

"Oh," Rachel replied, her face falling a bit, and I squeezed her hand with my bad one as best as I could while biting back a scream.

"We'll be going to the infirmary together," I assured her, giving her a small wink to signal that I would answer any questions she had. She returned it with a shy smile and a nod.

We rolled through the gates, Rachel rotating her head to gander at every passing thing. She was a curious one and very animated. It made my heart ache for her more since it showed how innocent she was. She was only a child, and those men had wanted to rob her of that. Watching her now, though, I could see she was tough. She didn't give in easily, and she was open. She didn't censor herself at all.

"Out," Laura demanded, and we all obliged.

Rachel kept hold of my swollen hand and I climbed out the small SUV. I wasn't particularly keen on going to the infirmary right away. I had my intentions set on something rather different and much more important, but I figured I could get myself cleaned up a bit before I saw Daryl. He was going to be a wreck when he saw me, so maybe looking less like road-kill and more like myself would be a good thing.

With a sigh, I walked hand-in-hand with Rachel despite wanting to withdraw my tender limb to myself. Negan told me I was responsible for her until she became acclimated, so I let her cup my hand like it was a bird with a broken wing. Laura shooed us through the corridors at a painful pace, wanting to be rid of her burden quickly. Once we hit the stairs, she branched off from us, saying someone else would be by to get the new girl to show her to her room.

"You won't come back?" Rachel asked her disappointedly. It made Laura smile a bit.

"I'll be around. Come find me when you're ready and I can kick your ass at some foosball," Laura replied. She gave me a fleeting glance. "Everly."

"She's mad at you," Rachel observed as I steered her up the stairs, taking each one carefully.

"Apparently," I groaned, placing a bracing hand on the concrete wall.

"She seems nice though," Rachel smiled almost trancelike. It gave me goose bumps. "Where would I find her to play foosball?"

I looked her face over, trying to decipher the odd expression she was making. "There are a few tables scattered around. I imagine you'll catch up to her at some point, so don't worry."

"Oh, I don't worry," she shrugged lightheartedly. "I think I'll be okay here."

"Are you?" I asked, furrowing my brows. "I mean, are you okay? You seem..."

"What?" Rachel asked, the smile dropping to form a serious line. "Not how a rape victim should act?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't form a word in my head, let only speak one. I snapped it shut, embarrassed.

"It's okay. People have always said I was weird. It's a quirk."

"I didn't mean to imply that you are weird," I began to backpedal.

"No, I am," Rachel nodded, "but that's alright. And besides…that wasn't the first time."

I whipped my head toward her, baffled. "Rachel-"

"Don't. Its'-" she stammered and let out a chuckle. "It's how we lived, so I'm used to it. I didn't always like it; maybe sometimes if the guy was nice to me and he was gentle. And I would fight back sometimes, when I really didn't want to, but most of the time I would just let it happen."

We'd made it to the infirmary floor and stopped by the stairwell entrance. I was agape and attempting to process what was Rachel was telling me.

"I'm sorry you had to experience part of it with me," Rachel lightly patted my purple hand. "But I'm also glad that you did. If you hadn't shown up, I'd still be with those assholes and they'd have hog-tied me and drug me all the way back to camp."

I scoffed, shaking my head. I didn't know what to say. "Well, I didn't enjoy the encounter, but it's fortunate I was able to save you."

"Well, you didn't really save me," Rachel countered sweetly. She tilted her head to the side with a small smile. "Negan did. We were both in deep shit until he showed up."

"Oh," I mumbled, my cheeks flushing. "I guess you're right."

I took my hand from hers and opened the stairwell door, holding it open for her to pass through. I led her down the hall to the infirmary, lumbering stiffly as we went.

"I supposed I could give you some credit," Rachel mused. "You being there did bring Negan, so I do have to thank you for that. Is he your boyfriend?"

"No," I answered flatly.

"Really? Seemed like he might be the way he talked about you to Leigh," Rachel continued to contemplate. "He was very collected that entire standoff, but I could tell he was sweating a little."

I shrugged one shoulder. I wasn't sure what to say to her.

"God, the way he bashed Leigh's head in," she kept talking. "Leigh was always such a cocky dick, and Negan gave him exactly what he deserved. Has he done that to a lot of people?"

"I wouldn't know," I responded, halting by the infirmary door. I turned to look at her. "Be careful around Negan. He did save our lives, but there is much more to him than that."

"Like what?" She shrugged. "I like him so far. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him."

"He's a murderer," I replied, perplexed once more. This girl was weird.

"And?" She smiled up at me, reaching past me to open the door. "I might be, too."

I grabbed her wrist, constricting her movements and a dangerous spark flared in her eyes. I immediately let her go.

"Have you killed someone before?" I asked.

She nodded, her lips lifting once more but the fire I ignited in her stayed bright. "Many."

"Is that normal for your group, too?"

"Yes."

"And Leigh was your leader?"

Rachel laughed then, a high pitched, tittering guffaw.

"Hell, no," she snorted. "He was one of Alpha's men. She let him have control of a few guys because she felt that was his worth."

"Alpha?" I questioned.

"She is my leader," Rachel clarified. "Well, was."

"And she let…men do this to you?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but Rachel seemed unfazed. It was nothing new to her.

"She said life is better when you can take what you want when you want it. Like animals. It's the only way to survive in this new world."

"That sounds like a load of shit."

I was getting angry and the wounds on my face throbbed with each surging pump of blood. Who the fuck were these psycho people?

"Yeah, it might be, but it's kept us all alive," Rachel said and stepped past me to push through the door.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts before following her in. There weren't many people in the medium sized room, and I saw that Dr. Avery was already attending to Rachel. He looked up when I came in, the charming smile he always had burying itself into a frown of disapproval.

"My God," he expressed, letting go of Rachel's shoulder and walking over to me. "What the hell happened?"

I gave Rachel a brief gaze as she settled onto a cot, looking unconcernedly around the room.

"We were attacked," I answered numbly. "Negan sent us back as soon as the storm cleared. I wasn't… I…"

"It's alright," Dr. Avery hushed me. He led me gently to a cot by Rachel's. "Just take a seat, and I'll get to you in a minute."

"Worry about her first," I pointed to the small brunette to my left. "She's dealt with more trauma than me."

"Yeah, but you look worse," Rachel teased. I would've smiled back at her if the remark didn't sound uncivil.

"Right," Dr. Avery said, giving me a sideways glance.

I shook my head and beckoned him to Rachel. As he examined her, Rachel recounted what happened, going into vibrant, gory details when she got to the part about Negan showing up. She was a good storyteller, articulating and depicting details I couldn't remember - not that I wanted to. The brown-haired teenager was so engrossed in her story that the other patients had sat up to listen to her, and they hung off every word she said. Even Dr. Avery became so distracted by her narration that she had to direct him back to his task.

After handing Rachel a cup of water and some pain medication, the doctor began his examination on me, asking if all of my injuries were from the same ordeal. I gave him my side of the events, not describing an account like the girl had, but informing him of how I came to achieve each and every bump. He nodded solemnly as he listened, never tearing his eyes from me. He wasn't happy when I told him how I hurt my hand, but he said that it might not be broken.

"Fractured at the least," he concluded. "I could take an x-ray if you want me to."

"Just wrap it," I replied.

He obliged, doing as much and setting an ice pack on it. He handed me two pills before moving to my face.

"This will hurt," he warned.

"I figured," I smiled weakly at him. "I'll try to be still."

And that was feat in and of itself. The pain pills were slow to work, but even when they kicked in, the jabbing pain of the needle didn't subside.

"Oh, don't be a baby," Rachel muttered. She had slumped on her side in the cot and watched us intently.

"Go to sleep already," I bit out, giving her an admonishing glance and she smiled in return.

"Both of you zip it," Dr. Avery cut in, but his tone was light. He was just finishing up when the door was pushed in and Daryl barged into the room.

"Daryl," I breathed, sitting upright and clutching the sheets underneath me in my left hand.

He stared at me, stunned and his hands limp at his sides.

"Can I help you?" Dr. Avery asked, confused.

"He's here for me," I replied for him.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Rachel whispered dramatically. I sighed and closed my eyes.

The doctor took in my expression and the growing anger on Daryl's. He gave me a wary look, silently questioning if it was okay that Daryl was present. I gave him a nod, and Dr. Avery cleaned up his tools, stepping back to let the fuming hunter by my side.

"I'm gonna fuckin' tear that bastard's throat out!" Daryl exclaimed. He went to storm out, but my voice stopped him.

"Don't leave yet," I told him pitifully. He strode up to my side, sitting on the cot and bringing a hand up to cradle the decent side of my face. I nuzzled into it and watched the rage ebb and flow in his blue eyes.

"Who's 'that bastard'?" Rachel blurted. "You mean Negan?"

Daryl looked between Rachel and me, a bewildered expression on his face.

"I found her," I said, formulating words in my head as I talked. "I was in the woods… We were on our way back when I needed to take a break and-"

"She found me being attacked in the woods, and when they saw her, they got her, too. They gave her most of what you're looking at right now," Rachel butted in again.

"They?" Daryl directed to me.

"Some dipshits from my old group. Negan killed them, though, so we don't have to worry about them anymore," the talkative teenager responded. She was watching Daryl closely. "Oh my god, you are her boyfriend. Look at how mad you are!"

"Rachel," I cut in.

"Dude, does Negan know about him?" Rachel inquired with a buzzing laugh. She flopped back on her cot and started to pick at her dirty nails.

"I'll tell you all about it later," I told Daryl softly. "For now, go get Dwight. He needs to escort Rachel to her new room."

Daryl shot the young girl a piercing gaze before looking back to me. "I don't give a fuck about her. I'm here for you, and I ain't leavin' here 'til you do."

"Go get Dwight," I repeated. I widened my eyes slightly, trying to tell him that Negan's scarred lieutenant was needed for more than babysitting.

Daryl heaved out a sigh, placing a tender kiss on my brow before standing up.

"I'll be right back," he whispered gruffly to me.

I gave him a wan smile as he turned to leave, and the doctor took up his spot once more.

"You'll be in pain for a while, but I can't prescribe you anything stronger than Motrin without Negan's permission, or someone higher up. However, Dwight might give you the all clear when he comes by. In the meantime, try not to submerge your stitches, pat them dry, and keep them uncovered. They'll heal faster."

"Thank you, Dr. Avery," I said.

He smiled. "Of course. Did I cover everything? You don't have pain anywhere else?"

"I think you got it," I said, rubbing my side where Ben had elbowed me. "I'm just going to be very sore for a while."

Dr. Avery nodded in agreement. "Just let me know if something doesn't feel right."

"Okay," I said, but I didn't let on to the fact that nothing felt right. Not my body, not my mind, and not the strange girl who lay staring in the bed next to me.

"Where the fuck did you find her?" Dwight asked me as he, Daryl, and I ventured down the hallway.

"That's a long story," I sighed. I didn't want to get into the topic of Rachel or her discovery. "I'm sure you'll know all about it soon enough. The girl can't keep her mouth shut."

"You're telling me," Dwight replied. "I assume I'll learn all about what the hell happened to you, too, huh?"

"Eventually," I replied, but said no more.

He led us into a smoky room with a table in the middle and a tv and fridge in the corner. Once we were all in, he looked both ways down the hall before shutting the door. He pointed to the table where three men sat, cards in their hands, poker chips on the table, and cigarettes smoldering at their lips.

"Take a seat," Dwight suggested, sitting in a chair himself and grabbing a hand of cards from the table.

Hesitantly, I looked at Daryl for confirmation and he nodded his head, pulling out a chair for me. I sat as he dragged another over, sitting closely by my side. He took my left hand in his, rubbing it softly as he watched me and waited for Dwight to start talking. Dwight took a pull from his beer and lit a cigarette; he pointed to each man as he introduced them.

"This is Trevor, Kyle, and Ashby. They've become good friends of mine over the past few months. They already know who you two are, so no need to introduce yourselves."

"Nice to meet you," I greeted them, and they greeted me back.

Dwight waited for Daryl to say anything but began speaking again when he realized he wasn't going to.

"I've asked them to help me out on a walker situation up north. They've agreed," Dwight took a long drag off of his cigarette. "They've also agreed to help me get you guys up there so you can get back to Alexandria."

I went wide eyed, suddenly nervous at this information. I turned to Daryl, expecting him to be upset and ready for a fight, but he looked calm if not worried.

"We've been planning this for a while now, Everly," Dwight answered my unasked question. "It seems like the right moment is upon us, and we'll have to move quickly."

I nodded my understanding, not wanting to interrupt him in case we were walked in on.

"The plan is to drop you off north of the city. I know Alexandria is down south, but that'll be the first place he goes to look for you two. Taking you up there will be dangerous with all the dead shits ambling about, I know, but there will be a cabin not too far from the drop-off point. My plan is to visit the Kingdom on the way back, and I'm going to use that time to speak to King Ezekiel about an alliance as well as buy you guys safe harbor there for a few nights."

"Are you sure this will work?" I speculated.

"Something can always go wrong, but it's the best we got so far. It'll have to," Dwight answered.

"Okay," I said, mulling things over. "But I have one thing to share."

"What's that?" Dwight asked curiously.

"Kai. I met him at Somerset," I said and swallowed nervously. "He caught me looking at the security cameras and sort of cornered me."

I glanced over at Daryl whose mouth was set in a firm line, the sides of his jaw bulging. I went on.

"He told me he wouldn't tell Negan what I was up to unless I agreed to work with him. When everything is over and Negan is dead, he wants his position," I finished.

Dwight scoffed. "I'm sure that's the reason you're all fucked up now, right?"

"No, actually," I said, "he stuck to his word, for the most part. He has to follow through on the second half to not be a liar."

"Second half?" Dwight asked and leveled me with a stern gaze. "You mean you actually made a fucking deal with him? What the fuck did you tell him?"

"Everything," I whispered.

Dwight threw his hands up in the air, shaking his head in disbelief. The three other men shot sideways glances at each other, and Daryl shifted uncomfortably in his chair. I didn't dare to look over at him. I'd just dropped a bomb on them all.

"Well, now that we know Kai's a two-faced backstabber," the man named Ashby broke the silence and not without meaning. "What was the second part of this condition?"

"To get Alexandrians guns and ammo," I revealed. I centered back on Dwight. "That's where you come in."

Dwight sighed in annoyance, smashing his cigarette into an ashtray.

"You could have really fucked us over. Kai is-" Dwight sneered and looked down at the table. I lowered my gaze, not blaming him one bit for being upset with me. "He's not fucking trustworthy, and the fact he wanted to make a bargain with you to usurp the man who gave him the title he has now, which is pretty damn good by the way, should have been the giant red fucking flag that snapped you the fuck awake."

"I wasn't left with much choice!" I argued. I wracked my brain desperately for a reasonable explanation, but I was failing to make sense to myself, so I grabbed onto whatever I could. "I was locked alone in a small, dark room with the man. I don't know when the last time you saw him was, but he's not a skinny asshole like you are. I'd been threaten and overworked from the moment I left this shithole, so excuse me if I wasn't thinking clearly while I was trying not to piss my pants!"

"Okay!" Dwight snapped in a harsh whisper, leaning over the table at me. "Keep your fucking voice down."

"He wants more than he has, that's all I know. He saw me as an opportunity, and he took the chance, and I did the same." I glared at the scarred man and worked to slow my breathing down. "We're depending on each other, though I'm sure Negan would have no trouble killing the both of us if he became privy to our scheme, and I think that's what will make this work and keep Kai quiet. He might pretend he has immunity from the truth, but he knows he'd be just a screwed if Negan ever found out. He gets what he wants out of the situation and so do we. It's a win-win for both sides and snitching now would be reckless, not to mention counterproductive. Kai would get nothing out of going to Negan."

"I think you're underestimating him," he said.

"Maybe, but what choice do we have now?"

Dwight took a moment to analyze and slowly shook his head after a minute or two. He was still pissed.

"What does this mean?" Daryl spoke up.

He's voice broke me from the defensive trance I'd fallen, and I sat back in my chair, relaxing my sore muscles a bit. He squeezed my hand reassuringly, but he kept his focus on Dwight who shrugged his shoulders in defeat, an incredulous smile on his face.

"Who the fuck knows? We may very well be fucked before any of this shit gets started," Dwight answered, shooting me a chiding look. "But seeing as you're sitting here and not locked in a damn cell, that leads me to believe that maybe Kai is holding up his end…for now, at least."

"I'm sorry," I bit out, angry tears beginning to blur my vision.

"Look, forget it," Dwight said, letting out a nasally sigh as he took another swig of his beer. "Don't worry about Kai. I'll deal with the meathead. You guys just focus on getting out of here and back to Alexandria as soon as possible."

"If we make it out," I mused pessimistically.

"You will," Dwight said, "if you start thinking and stop taking stupid fucking chances."

I curled my lip at him, disgusted and thoroughly done with the conversation. I stood up, the chair scrapping noisily on the floor.

"Dwight, every damn move we make until we die will be taking a chance. There's no winning anymore without a gamble. If you're not sure that's true, go take a look in a fucking mirror."

I left then, my last comment an ode to my overall mood. I was past feeling like victim, like I hadn't done enough, or hadn't made the right decisions. I was still alive and so were most of the people I cared about, and no matter what I did or how I did it, I intended to keep it that way.

Edited by lolasskicker.

Ah! It's here! It's a day late, but it's here! So sorry for my tardiness.

So, Rachel's kinda fucking sketchy, huh? I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do with her yet, but I did plan for her to be a bit off. If anyone has read the comics and has guessed where she's from, you'll know why. I wonder if she's going to stir up any trouble... Hmm...

Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend! :D