Newly Revised

"No! No! No! Somebody! Please!" Sophia cried as she ran.

She had walker guts spattered all over her arms, clothes, and face as she ran towards a group of Saviors on patrol and away from the group of walkers she and Merle had rounded up. As soon as they saw Carl coming out of the truck, Merle had started telling her what to do as they'd left the building with the twins and headed just a little ways into the woods. Sophia had them up in the trees as walker bait, the kittens making some ruckus to lure a group of walkers in so they could kill several walkers to make Sophia look worse for wear than she already did. Merle had also ripped a few holes in her shirt so as to make it look like she had barely gotten away from the things. It was all to get her inside that factory without being too noticeable since they knew when the patrols went out and where they went after watching the building for two days. It hadn't been that hard to plan out a good place to intercept them, either, since there were only two places they wouldn't see Merle moving around to make sure she was safe. The hard part for Sophia would be maintaining her weak appearance as she had not shown her scared side since the woods. The closest she had gotten to it was when the prison had fallen, and that had been months ago. Unless alone, she had to show the weak little girl that she had once been and put the warrior child she had become on the back burner. Merle had been very clear on the fact that the only way their plan would work was that Sophia had to be pathetic. A single, stray little girl covered in blood and wearing old rags and followed by a large group of walkers? Anyone with a heart would take pity on her, especially when she looked as young as Sophia did; thirteen going on ten was what Merle said. He was putting his trust in her to get the job done right, and she was doing everything she could to make sure his trust hadn't been misplaced.

Tears were streaming from her eyes as she 'tripped' and fell just as the Saviors came running around a corner, Sophia using anger more than fear to get them to fall. Just seeing the people who had taken her parents had her so angry she was ready to go back to Merle for her knife and bow, but she had to refrain from doing anything that would risk the mission. They were running towards her now while she began backing away from the oncoming walkers, her back towards the ground as she whimpered and cried. She could only tell because she kept checking in her peripherals as the Saviors charged forward, some killing the walkers while others drew them away. Sophia and Merle had watched them do that a few times, rounding up and leading walkers back towards the Sanctuary, though they weren't kept in the same compound as far as they could tell. That's how they knew this trick would work; they'd seen how the group had worked both during the day and at night during their stakeout. The first day they had been scouting the Sanctuary, they saw where the main gates and patrols came from while that first night they finished mapping the outside. The second day had been spent canvasing the area in between watching and waiting in the red building, learning when the patrols headed out and the general direction they went in. Sophia had honestly thought it was going to take more than her little act to get the Saviors to do anything more than take pity on her, but it actually looked like they were trying to protect her as a darker skinned woman with two-toned hair came up and knelt beside her.

"You okay, hunny?" she asked. "Where's your family?"

"My...my mom...she...she...she," Sophia said before wailing and throwing herself into the woman's arms.

"Shh, it's okay," the lady said as she patted her hair and rubbed her back. "You're gonna be okay, sweetie. I'm Arat. What's your name?"

"Ph-Ph-Phia," Sophia answered.

"Phia? That's a pretty name. Let's get you somewhere safe and in a change of clothes, huh? Would you like that?"

Rather than speaking, Sophia just nodded her head and tightened her grip on the woman who'd introduced herself as Arat. The woman helped her stand up and let her hold onto her the whole way back to the concrete factory they called home, Merle watching from his vantage point the entire time. He could see the woman attempt to ask Sophia a few more questions, but she had been told to only gave vague replies, such as not having a camp and it just being her and her mother out here. Not too many walkers roamed the area thanks to the patrols, which let Merle move around relatively easily to keep to keep the girly in his sights until she'd been escorted into the building. Even though his nerves were shot all to hell, Merle was giving his little girl a chance to show that she hadn't been taught to be a Dixon for nothing. The twins were with him back in the red building closest to the Sanctuary's front gate, where they had agreed Sophia would come back out, hopefully with Carl, if not Carl, Daryl, and Ani. Once out, she'd have them make a b-line for the mechanic shop for Ani's ATV, as well as the vehicle the Saviors had been using when they'd first even gotten to the area. That was the plan and Merle, even for all his dislike of the Almighty with everything that had happened to him, he was still praying for the safety of the little girl and that she could actually pull off what they had planned as she disappeared.

Sophia was led inside towards an area where people were busy moving tables, the lady with her walking up to one of the men to ask, "What's going on here?"

"Negan wants the floor cleared," the man said. "The market's closed."

"Yeah, well, I still need a change of clothes for the little girl. Can't go walking around covered in walker guts inside."

"Fifty-three's packing the clothes up. Make it quick. Boss man wants everyone out here on the floor in thirty. Where'd you find the kid anyway?"

"Outside. She was being chased by walkers. They got her family," Arat explained morosely. "I'll take her to Negan later since he's busy with the other one."

"Must be our day to pick up strays."

"Yeah, well, Psycho ain't a stray," Arat countered. "Come on, girl, let's get you a change of clothes and cleaned up. You smell like shit."

Sophia followed the woman named Arat through the floor of the factory, all the movement making it hard for her to keep up until she was pulled by the wrist. In short order, she had clothes thrust into her arms and was taken into a shower room where she was left to clean herself, the woman telling her she'd be waiting outside and to hurry up. If she wanted to keep her other clothes, she could, but otherwise they'd be tossed and probably burned considering the state they were in. It didn't matter much to Sophia if they were kept or not since they were just random clothes they'd had in Alexandria. She was, however, thankful that Arat had grabbed her jeans and a slim fitting t-shirt to wear because it would make fighting easier if she had to. Ani had insisted that she get used to wearing form fitting attire specifically so that she could train easier the same as she had Beth. Sophia was thankful for Ani shoving her into clothes she wasn't entirely comfortable in, having spent most of the time at the prison and over the winter in loose pants and shirts that were just a little too big. It would have been extremely awkward for her to be in such tight clothes around the Saviors otherwise, though the timidness she showed Arat at being in such clothes when she left the showers was genuine.

"Come on," she told her, deeming that she looked and smelled 'good enough.' "I'll show you around real quick. If you're gonna stay, you need to know where you're going. That area we were before? Usually that's the market. We're heading back that way now. This is our living quarters, saying Negan lets you stay up here."

"Negan? Stay?" Sophia asked, trying to sound as confused as possible.

"Yeah, keep up. Negan's the leader of this place. There's rules you'll have to follow, but it ain't bad. Could train you up, too. All alone in a world like this? You're gonna need to be trained. You can't just run, crying and screaming, and expect someone to come running. You got lucky we went on an extra patrol."

"Why?"

"Some kid came in and shot up the place. Had some balls on him, I'll give him that. Prolly a few years older than you. How old are you, anyway? Eight?"

"Ten," Sophia said quietly, hating how her body still looked so young that she was thought to be five years younger than she actually was.

"Alright, you're old enough to start learning to fight. Have you killed a walker?"

"One," she responded, ticking her voice up just a little and constricting her face into one of terror. "You want me to fight walkers?!"

"Hey," Arat said, turning on the little girl. "You don't want to fight? You work. You work, you're screwed. I'm trying to help you out here. Take it or get the fuck out of here."

"No! No! I'll do it! I'll do it! Please don't send me out on my own!" she cried, reaching out and grabbing Arat's hand, who nodded her head before walking on.

"Alright then. Stow that shit up. Negan doesn't like pussy-ass weaklings, so that's not what you're gonna be, got it? You want to stay here. You want to become a soldier. You don't want to be a worker. You don't want to be sent to one of the outposts or colonies. 'Cause that's what'll happen if Negan thinks you're a wimp or have problems taking orders, or make any problems at all. And if you end up there, there's a good chance you die. You stay here, you stick with me, you'll become a badass like me."

"Do you really think I can?" Sophia asked, hoping that she looked hopeful, not manic.

If this woman knew that Sophia could probably knock her out if given just a few minutes or a well aimed punch, she wouldn't be treating her like a little kid; that was exactly what she and Merle wanted. She wanted to be an invisible little kid so she could get the layout of the area and at the very least make sure she and Carl got out safe. Being led back the way they'd come in, Arat brought Sophia down to the factory floor where they stood waiting for something, Sophia catching sight of a beat up Daryl, but not her best friend. Seeing Daryl, though, she had to fight the urge to cry in joy, instead turning her eyes to Arat almost as if she'd gotten caught doing something she shouldn't.

"Don't worry, kid. Stick with me and you'll be one of Negan's top lieutenants in no time," Arat said. "Now hush up. And for the love of God, when I kneel, you kneel, and then keep your trap shut. Last thing we need is you drawing attention to yourself right now."

"Why?"

"'Cause you just got here. You want Negan to like you, you show you can follow the rules even before you meet him. So keep your lips sealed and your head down."

"Yes, ma'am."

Arat scoffed before saying, "Here we go."

Banging overhead sounded out, Arat pushing on Sophia's shoulder as she knelt down on one knee, Sophia following suit, barely able to hold back her gasp as both Carl and Ani came into view. They were following behind Negan, who started talking about rules the woman had mentioned just before they'd all knelt down. While she wanted to call attention to herself so that Ani knew she was there, she knew she couldn't let anyone know that she was in the factory if she was going to keep up her charade long enough to get out. Sophia didn't even pay attention to what Negan was saying, too busy looking at Ani's face; she could tell something was wrong, but what she didn't know. Sophia's eyes were glued onto Ani as best as she could as the woman stood apart from Negan and Daryl facing away from the crowd. Carl was standing next to her completely unharmed, meaning he was safe because if Negan was going to do something to Carl, he already would have started. Sophia was much more worried about Ani, who turned and retched as the same stench from Terminus floated through the air, turning her own stomach. Negan started talking again, telling Ani to move to the front as Sophia stood on her tip toes trying to see what was happening.

"Here, kid," Arat said quietly before pulling her over to stand in front of her where there was a pretty good view.

In horror, Sophia watched as Ani began fighting her father, thinking her adoptive mom was going to get hurt by the man again, remembering how her own father treated her mother when she went back to him. Her expression quickly turned to that of awe as she watched Ani move through combination after combination of attacks and every single one connected to a vital point on her father's body. The man tried hard to block, defend, and attack, but Ani just slapped his hands away or dodged before landing another series of blows. It didn't feel right, though, the longer it dragged on, and Sophia could feel herself . Ani wasn't the type of person who would draw something like this out, and her face was completely devoid of any emotion. Even her eyes seemed to be looking at nothing and everything all at once as she fought. Sophia lost sight of her as the sound of fists against flesh resounded throughout the factory, though, until Ani had practically roared, not once, but twice, the sound making Sophia clap her hands over her ears. She watched as Ani stood up only to quickly turn around, the woman who'd given her the scar stumbling towards the crowd in the process. It only took a few moments for Sophia to realize what Negan had done as Ani ducked around her mother and then twisted her head; he'd forced her to fight her parents. He had been so callous towards her that he'd actually forced her to be cruel to her parents in a way that was completely unnatural to the woman. Sophia could already see the difference in Ani as she was pulled from the room; she wasn't struggling against the woman dragging her out at all and instead had a face of indifference. Sophia knew that look all too well because it was the same look she'd gotten on her face over the winter when she started having problems moving around and then again at the prison when Daryl had left and she hated it. There was nothing she could do at the moment aside from try to get closer to wherever they were taking Ani and maybe bring her some hope at the very least.

"Damn, that was nuts. I didn't think the little bitch had it in her," Arat commented.

"Who is she?"

"She's someone we brought in from one of the colonies. Negan wants her to stay, but to stay, she has to do things his way. Like he said, we're Saviors, and right now, he's trying to save her from herself."

"Is that why he had her fight that guy?"

"That guy lied to Negan, him and his wife. That was actually their daughter," Arat told her as she lead the girl out of the factory floor. "Those assholes, they carved her up, beat her up, tried to fuck her up in all sorts of ways. Negan was helping her get back at them for the shit they put her through growing up."

"Isn't that...That's a little mean, isn't it? Did she want to get back at them?"

"Who knows, but it ain't just that. She owed us, so she settled her debt."

"Owed?"

"Yeah, she's got a pretty decent set up right now, free of charge. I guess Negan decided it wasn't good enough when that kid came in."

"Free of charge?"

"Oh, right. Soldiers get a lot better treatment, like I said. But we still gotta work to get our shit. Keep the colonies in line, protect everyone, give the workers their points. Some make shit, some build it, some cook it, some grow it. Don't matter what it is, it cost points for the workers and the Soldiers give the points."

"So, will I have to earn points?"

"Not if you listen to me. Come on, kid, you can stay in my room for now. Negan's gonna be too busy to be doing anything about you for now anyways."

"Could we meet that girl? The one that was fighting? That was really cool!"

"Damn right it was. Well, I guess Carson should check you over, make sure you're good. Let's go. Maybe you can meet her there."

"Really?!"

Arat chuckled, "Don't get too excited. Might not even be there and I don't know if Negan's gonna be having her under lock and key still or not. Hell, first time she's left the room other than for a shower since she got here."

"Really? Why?"

"Kid, quit asking me. You can ask her if we catch her."

"Oh, sorry."

Sophia fell silent, making a point of putting her head down and slumping her shoulders as if she was both upset and ashamed at upsetting the woman. With any luck, Sophia would be able to trick these people into letting their guards down sooner rather than later. She had been lucky so far when it came to fooling these people, but she also knew that Negan had seen her at the clearing. Her face paled for a moment as she thought about that considering not even Merle had thought about that and if she ran into Negan, the entire plan would go up in smoke. The only thing she could do would be to try to avoid the man as much as possible and try to make sure she kept up the act of a meek little girl. It was hard to pretend because all she wanted to do was run to find Carl, Ani, and Daryl and fight her way out with her family and best friend. She knew Merle was back in the building she could see from the windows as they turned the corner, which meant that that was the direction they needed to go to get out. The layout was pretty simple, at least, which made it easy to remember which way she needed to go to get where she wanted to be.

"Hey, Arat!" a blonde woman with a tattoo on her neck said, walking up with several other men and women. "Negan wants us to pack up and prep. Who's the kid?"

"Oh, my new ward," Arat said quickly. "Let me get her back to my room and I'll be there."

"She's new? As in hasn't met Negan?" one of the men asked.

"Yeah, just brought her in."

"You know the rules."

"That's why I'm taking her to my room. Lock her in. You'll be fine, right?"

"You know she's gotta stay in the cells," one of the men told them. "Them's the rules."

"For adults, jackass," Arat defended. "Kids aren't kept in cells. She's only ten, for fuck's sake!"

"Don't matter, she can't be locked in your room. You got weapons in there she ain't allowed," the man reasoned.

"Take her to the red room," the blonde told Arat. "Lock her in with Ani. They can keep each other company while we're gone and it leaves just the one room we need to keep an eye on. There's no weapons and it's not a cell while still being used as one, so that should be fine."

"I'm good with that," the guy said. "I'm just not gonna be responsible for breakin' any damn rules."

"Alright," Arat said while nodding her head. "Regina's gonna be in there too, right?"

"No, she's heading back to her outpost now that Negan said there's no need to worry about Ani getting attacked. And, I mean, who would try after what we just saw? I thought she was lying."

"Yeah, that was some crazy shit back there. Didn't think a person could smash a person's skull in like that," Arat admitted as they moved in front of a red door. "You go in," she told Sophia, pushing her towards it. "Stay here and don't cause any trouble. We'll be back."

"Thank you," Sophia said, giving the woman a hug to make it seem even more realistic.

"Yeah, yeah," Arat told her, rolling her eyes and looking over to Laura who was smirking; every kid they found with no family acted like this. "Go on."

"Hey, Ani?" the blonde said as she opened the door. "Negan told me to let you know. We're taking Carl back home. You paid his debt in full, and yours. When we get back, though, Negan expects you to answer him properly and quit beating around the bush. And you should. Just stay here with us and you'll never have to do anything like that again. Just...just think about it, okay?"

It seemed the blonde really wanted Ani to stay at the Sanctuary and thought she actually would, too, as Sophia entered the room, smiling brightly at Arat and the group as the door was closed behind her. She waited until she heard the lock click in place before turning back towards the room seeing how nice it was. There was a decent sitting chair, obvious food and beverage, and several books, all things Ani would enjoy, and it really did look quite comfortable. But what caught Sophia's interest the most, though, was how Ani was just sitting on the bed while staring blankly at the wall, her hands folded on her lap as her legs dangled off the edge. She wasn't even blinking, something that scared Sophia because she had never once seen her like that, and it had her scared to approach her for several minutes. It was only the need to make sure her caretaker was alright that had her moving.

"Ani?" Sophia asked softly after a few moments of silence. "Ani, are you okay?" When Ani still didn't move, Sophia walked cautiously over to stand in front of her, making sure she was in her line of sight before slowly inching closer, "Ani? Please? I need you."

"Phia?" Ani whispered as her eyes focused in on the golden-haired girl in front of her.

Ani was lost in her head as the vision of her straddling her father as she literally pounded his face in was playing on repeat in her mind as her hands numbly sat at her sides. She'd been taken to the showers, but hadn't even been able to get out of her own clothes. Regina had bitched and complained the entire time telling her she was being a big baby as rinsed off her body. Even when she was pulled to the doctor's office, she was only moving her legs on autopilot and didn't flinch at all when he started cleaning her hands. She'd felt the doctor as he stitched up a couple cuts and bandaged her hands up before informing her that she had been lucky she didn't break anything, but the cuts would have to stay stitched for a week. That was before she was dragged back to the room and sat down before Regina left the room, the lock on the door clicking before opening and clicking again who knew how long later. She'd barely even made out Laura's voice over the blood rushing through her ears, only catching something about Carl, home, and debts paid. It wasn't until Sophia's pretty little head came into view that anything else could be seen in her mind. Her image was barely recognizable as she slowly entered her peripherals, even then, the girl was stained in red for the longest time until she told Ani that she needed her.

The letter came roaring back to life in her mind as she watched the girl, knowing then and there that Ellie had been full of shit. She'd never once hurt this girl, never once even hit this girl, and here she was, somehow at the Sanctuary, in her room, telling her she needed her. All the kids she'd helped and protected over the months at the prison, Sophia, Carl, Judith; she had never once treated any of them cruelly. She knew she had been a bit tough on them when it came to training their bodies and stamina and she knew she could come down hard on them when angry. She'd yelled at them and punished them, but she had never once touched them in anger and she always tried to calm down after the initial angry shout telling them to go to their rooms, essentially. There was no way in hell she would ever be able to hurt any child like what her own mother tried saying she would be forced to. Tears sprang from her eyes as she quickly stood and grabbed the girl, bringing her in tightly for a crushing hug, even as Sophia began crying and hugged her back just as tightly.

"My little girl," Ani said as she cried into her hair before realization hit her and she pulled away, holding onto Sophia's shoulders as she pushed her back. "What the livin' hell are ya doin' 'ere?!"

"Bobby went missin' and Catty was cryin' and I couldn't just sit around and wait!" Sophia cried. "Merle and I, we know how to get out."

"Oh, my brave, foolish, sweet, cleva child! What am I goin' ta do with ya?" Ani chuckled before her face went blank again and her voice went flat. "Ya saw it, didn' ya?"

"He was your dad, right?" Sophia said, holding Ani just as tightly. "He deserved what he got."

"Nah, Phia, nah. He didn'. Nah matta what a person does, they don' deserve ta be tortured slow like that. Quick and painless. That's what ya should always aim for."

"Then why-"

"Negan," was the only reply Sophia got before Ani was gone from in front of her.

Ani wasted no time in grabbing what items she could from the room; food, a bit of medicine, and a singular knife she had managed to nick off Laura when the woman had been in the room last. It wasn't big, but it was enough to do damage if aimed right, even to kill if she needed to. There were no other weapons in the room and Sophia admitted that she hadn't brought any in with her, but that didn't stop Ani. She was absolutely determined to find where they had taken Daryl and get him out before taking her little family and running for the hills. Her mind was blank from everything but the task at hand as Sophia brought her the stereo's power cord and a couple other miscellaneous items that could come in handy if they needed them. Even though not a word passed between them, it was obvious that Ani was in the process of gathering things to get the hell out of dodge.

"What's goin' on outside? Why they lock ya in 'ere with me? They know who ya are?"

"No, they're leavin'. Takin' Carl back to Alexandria. The blonde with the neck tattoo. She thinks you're stayin'," Sophia said, concern obvious on her face and in her voice.

Ani's face went dark and hard as she turned towards Sophia, "Don' fuckin' doubt my loyalties, Phia. I'm takin' ya, takin' Daryl, we gettin' the fuck out a 'ere and next I see this place, it's goin' up in flames."

~x~

Carl was sitting in Negan's office as he watched the man do something with a spiral binder, most likely checking inventory and such now that they'd brought more stuff in. It was hard to believe that the man could sit so calmly after what he had made Ani do to her parents and how happy he had been to do it. He had watched in complete awe and terror as the woman who had taught Carl everything he knew about fighting, about strategy, had completely overpowered a man a foot taller and at least a hundred pounds heavier than her. But the way Negan had forced her to do it slow, she'd once told him, when asked why she always killed the people who were being eaten when they were dead already, that nothing deserved to suffer through death. When and where applicable, it should always be a quick and painless death, even for the worst of the worst, because no one should be tortured. That was why she killed the men who'd tried to claim her as she did; it was quick, but they still paid the price for their misdeeds in death, an irony she was more than willing to make happen. By the look on Ani's face when they entered the room, she was already shutting down just by being here and being forced to break one of her core principles was not going to do her any favors.

His anger grew all over again as he thought about her and Daryl's situation while they sat in silence for the better part of half an hour going by the clock. To say he had been shocked at first when Negan offered to show him around rather than treat him as he had Ani and Daryl would have been a lie. It was only after he'd walked into Ani's room that he really felt like he wasn't going to be treated too harshly by Negan. After all, why would he bring him to Ani if he was going to hurt him or hurt her or make a show of making Daryl act like a servant in front of him? He sat stock straight, his face still unwrapped as Negan wrote in the binder, wanting nothing more than to take some of the moves he'd seen Ani do to the man in front of him. The only problem with that was the fact that his last attempt at hurting the man had landed Ani having to pay his debt by fighting. If he tried again, who knew what he would demand of Ani or Daryl or both of them just to get payback for his actions again. All the threats to the three of them regarding the others were too much for him to risk becoming realities and just made his irritation at the situation even worse.

"Can I wrap up my face now?" he asked, feeling weird without the bandage.

"No," came Negan's immediate reply. "You absolutely can not."

"Why the hell not?!" Carl shouted in frustration, which only caused Negan to chuckle.

"Look at this badass," Negan said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, really loving the guts and glory this kid was going for. "You can't 'cause I'm not done with you yet. And I like lookin' at your disgusting, rad-ass, badass eye. So it's stayin' out. What?" he asked when Carl narrowed his remaining eye at him. "You got somethin' to say?"

"Why haven't you killed me? Or my dad? Or Daryl? I mean, why make Ani fight like that? Why not just kill us all?"

"Daryl..." Negan started. "He's gonna make a good soldier for me. You see, he thinks he's holdin' it together, but you saw him. You saw his reaction to what I had Ani do. He's ready now, and so's she. She's a fighter, a medicine maker, and, most importantly to the Sanctuary, she's an actual psychologist. We need someone like her here, helpin' the people who need it usin' her skills. Not stuck in some backwater colony that barely has need of her abilities. Your dad? He's already getting me great stuff. You, on the other hand...Well, we shall see," he said slowly. "It's more productive to break you. More fun, too. You thinkin' that's stupid?"

"I'm thinking we're different."

Negan put his binder down and folded his hands while leaning forward, thoroughly interested in Carl and wishing he had a kid like him, stating, "You're a smart kid. What do you think I should do? You know I can't let you go. So, do I kill you? Iron your face? Chop off your arm? Tell me. What do you think?"

The anger festered in him at Negan mocking his abilities and the thought that he could be broken, making Carl rise to his feet and look down at Negan while saying in as menacing a tone a thirteen year old could muster, "I think you should jump out the window to save me the trouble of killing you!"

"Oh-ho!" Negan chuckled, his amused smile coming back in full force. "Now, there is the kid that impressed the hell out of me."

Carl just looked at him accusingly before telling him, "I think you're not saying what you're gonna do to me because you're not going to do anything. You saw what Ani did today. We're all trained to an extent. She trained us. And if you knew us, if you knew anything, you would kill us. But you can't," he whispered as he bent to look Negan straight in the eye.

"Hoo," Negan said seriously, thoroughly impressed at Carl's bold audacity. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't. Let's go for a ride, kid," he told him in a more friendly tone as he stood before leaving the room.

Carl was dragged along as Negan began giving out orders. The woman who'd pulled Ani away walked up and gave the man a general rundown of how Ani was even doing as Carl listened on. Apparently, she'd completely shut down again, unable to do anything but stare at a wall and hadn't made a peep since they left the room. Negan simply shook his head and said he'd deal with it when they got back before telling the woman to go 'back to her outpost.' Turning to a blonde and the fat guy walking behind them, he told them to round up the men before leading Carl back out into the courtyard. He was loaded into one of the big trailer trucks the Saviors used to cart goods with before Negan entered the cab and sat next to him. A taunt towards Daryl and a command towards Dwight later, Carl was on his way back to Alexandria while leaving his friends behind. He didn't know that Sophia was in the Sanctuary, currently locked in a room with Ani looking for a way out. He didn't know that Merle was cussing under his breath as he watched Carl get loaded up and Jesus climb off the top of a truck real quick. He didn't know that as soon as Merle had seen him come back out, he'd grabbed his and Sophia's bags and called for the kittens. All he knew was that he'd made a huge mistake in coming to the Sanctuary and now Alexandria was going to be paying for it, too.

~x~

Daryl watched as Ani delivered an unholy beat down on her father and how careful she was being with where she placed her blows and how strong they were. Nothing could have prepared him for the sheer brutality that she used to break his face in, the fact that she had killed the man in a similar fashion as Negan had Glenn. He couldn't believe that she could actually do that; he knew she was strong, but to see just how strong she truly could be was eye-opening, even to him. She had killed before, he'd seen her kill before, but for her to drag it out as brutally as she did was something he'd never seen and, as he watched her being dragged away, he could tell something had broken in her by it. The way her eyes went dull when she looked at him the last time, her shoulders were completely slumped, and she refused to meet anyone's eyes after she'd met his, the guilt and fear that shown through when she looked at him obvious. It had broken his heart and his resolve all at the same time to see her like she'd been when she was dragged off because he knew the last time she had been like this it had taken him forcing her to stay in bed with him to help her even start to relax.

He couldn't allow her to go through anything like that again, though the reality of her having to fight in such an emotional state like that again was probably slim. She hadn't had any friends from her hometown thanks to her sister's treatment of her in school and her age ostracizing her even further, so the chance of running into anyone else from her past was slim. Daryl hoped that would be the case as he was dragged back outside when he was done cleaning the factory floor and sent right back to dealing with the damn walkers. He almost got bit several times by the things he was supposed to be working with because he was too distracted by the thoughts running through his head about how Ani was doing and what Negan had planned for Carl. Ani's eyes haunted him, almost as if she was blaming herself for what she'd had to do, maybe blaming him for it, too, and, hell, he really did feel like it was partly his fault for refusing to give into Negan's demands. Maybe if he had, maybe both Ani and Carl would be safe right now and he wouldn't be so distracted he didn't even realize Negan was heading out until he called for him from his truck.

"Daryl!" He leaned out of the truck and told him, "You seem worried, so I'm taking the kid home."

"If you do anythin' to him..." Daryl started to threaten, only for Negan to cut him off.

"Dwight!" he bellowed. "Daryl needs a time out. Put him back in his box for a while," he told the man.

Daryl was dragged away, but not before he'd noticed movement on the roof of the truck as someone quickly ran to hide on another trailer right next to where Negan had stopped,. Someone had managed to sneak into the Sanctuary and, for the life of him Daryl hoped whoever it was was going after Ani. He could find his own way out if he had to, but she needed to get out sooner rather than later after what she'd just been made to do and wouldn't be able to escape herself. He knew from experience what those dead eyes looking back at him meant the last time she'd met his eyes before being pulled away herself and he was left to clean up the mess from the fight. She was in no shape right now to even think about trying to escape and, if he was right as he was shoved back into his black cell, she may very well give Negan the answer he wanted just keep everything shut off. He wasn't sure how long he sat in the dark but it was long enough for him to have begun dozing off, the music still being played intermittently throughout the day and night having caused him to get very little sleep. Not having Ani in his arms, the cold, however many days they had been in this place, it had started taking it's toll on him as far as exhaustion went, but he would manage. He was jolted awake by the sound of the lock undoing, a letter being slid under the door in the small space that was open. 'Get her and go now' was written elegantly on it, a match and a key taped to the back; someone from Negan's side had turned and was giving him a chance to get Ani out of here himself. Seizing the opportunity, he quietly and carefully pushed the door open, double checking the hallways before bolting from the room.