Between the Thorns

Chapter 53

Daryl looked over the note one more time before he folded it up and handed it off to Dwight. Along with the words, there was a rough map at the bottom, showing the location where Negan was moving the rest of his soldiers and weapons. If Rick got there in time, he could take them by surprise and win what Daryl hoped would be the last battle of this war. Dwight had a way of getting the information back to the militia. And since he was under less scrutiny than Daryl at the moment, that was probably for the best.

When Daryl walked back into the Sanctuary, he wasn't sure what sort of reception to expect. He prepared himself to be stuck back down in that dark damp hole. Knowing that this time, they might never let him out. And while Negan didn't seem impressed with his ill timed elopement, the big man accepted his explanation for it. He needed to hide Jean and the girls somewhere safe until the war was over. Since the only people that actually saw him fighting alongside Rick were either dead or captured, Daryl assumed that Negan actually believed his story. If anyone spotted him when he crashed the truck into the building and released the walker herd inside, they weren't speaking up. Daryl was not aware of the confrontation Rose and Carl had with the man at the gates of Alexandria. Or that she'd released Maggie's prisoners, most of whom had already found their way back to the Sanctuary.

Both Dwight and Daryl startled slightly at the loud knock on the door to Dwight's apartment. Before he could move to answer it, the door was shoved open. Daryl's body tensed as Simon stepped inside, making the small space seem even smaller.

"I know you're scheming in here," he announced with a loud guffaw as he snapped the door shut behind him. "So don't even bother to deny it." Daryl and Dwight glanced at each other.

"What do you want?," Dwight huffed, eyeing the man with obvious suspicion.

"I want what we all want," Simon said. Like Negan, the man had a flair for the dramatic. And Daryl was all out of patience for their nonsense. "I want to overthrow Negan," Simon said, grinning his overly wide smile at them both. Without waiting for an invitation, Simon plopped down in Dwight's easy chair and put his feet up, resting them on the table before he added, "...but unlike you two clowns I actually have the soldiers and the weapons to pull it off."

"Then why the fuck are you here?," Daryl asked. Simon flashed him another sadistic grin.

"Well Daryl," he said, "...you can never have too many friends. And after it's done and I'm the leader of the Saviors, I'll need your help setting up a meeting with your friend Rick. See if we can end this rebellion without any more bloodshed."

Daryl and Dwight looked at each other. Neither of them was eager to trust the man. But they also didn't have many other more appealing options. Simon likely wouldn't be an improvement over Negan. But a coup would cause division among the Saviors and make it easier for the militia to overtake them.

An hour later, Daryl found himself in the courtyard outside the Sanctuary. Dwight was already gone, taking the information about the Saviors backup location to Rick and the others. At first, the coup seemed to be going as planned. Simon and his men surrounded Negan and appeared as though they were prepared to kill or capture the man. It took Daryl a moment to realize when the small crowd shifted, circling him instead.

Negan laughed, whacking Simon on the back. Then he lifted his arm and gestured for one of his men to join them. Daryl's eyes widened and he gripped his crossbow harder when he saw that the man was dragging Sherry outside. Her face was red and blotchy. And her shirt was ripped down the front, revealing her black lace bra.

"I'm sorry Daryl," she weeped. "They made me tell them." Tears were streaming down her face as the man walked her forcefully across the courtyard and handed her off to Negan.

"Before he left, Dwightyboy told Sherry here everything about your plans," Negan taunted, his smile growing wider as another man approached them. It was one of the Gavin's outpost soldiers that Rose released from Hilltop. The moment Daryl saw him, he knew he was completely and totally fucked. Negan didn't just find out about his betrayal from Simon and Sherry. He knew all along. He knew what Daryl was up to the moment he arrived back at the Sanctuary. Which meant that the information Dwight was taking to Rick and the others was bad intel. What was left of the militia was about to walk straight into a trap.