Chapter 38: Sing Me a Song
A couple days had passed with little excitement. Riley and Daryl were forced to do things around the Sanctuary and she resisted as much as possible. Unfortunately, her resistance always brought some sort of punishment on the hunter and even though she knew he was more than capable of handling it, it still made her question the option of resistance.
Daryl seemed to be trying to comply as much as possible since his resistance would lead to her punishment. There were things he would never do, though, and one of those was saying that he was Negan. Her punishments for his misbehavior weren't as harsh as the ones implemented on him and it made her believe that what Sherry said was right. They were going easy on her. Even Dwight wasn't pushing her around as much as usual.
The woman had showed up several more times outside her cell. Sometimes, she would relay messages between her and Daryl, mostly asking if the other was alright when things got hard. She provided a nice voice to talk to in a dark place and she would update them on the status of everything happening outside. Her resistance had brought some murmurings throughout the place and she could tell it was making Negan a bit irritable and impulsive.
Throughout her stay, she had only briefly seen Dylan through the halls. She didn't want to speak to him or even see him because she knew that her anger at him would flow out like lava and she would get Daryl in more trouble than he'd ever been in. She really wanted to give Dylan a piece of her mind because it was his fault that Glenn and Abraham were dead. He betrayed her and led the Saviors to her family. She could never forgive him for it.
Today had to have been her fifth or sixth day staying here. She hadn't really counted, but she had been here long enough to get to know the routine. Mornings usually started with food delivered by Dwight or a lower man on the totem pole. She was allowed to eat for about twenty minutes before the rest of the day started up. Her and Daryl would be dragged around to do menial tasks around the Sanctuary, most degrading and nasty. One day it might be scrubbing toilets, another mopping up blood from the aftermath of a fist fight. Then, they would be separated to do more work outside of the walls, like chaining up walkers to the fence. Whoever watched over them stayed connected with the other over a walkie talkie. When she resisted, Daryl was punished. When he did, she was.
The rest of the day would consist of more hard labor and tests. On a good day, Negan wouldn't show up because he was too busy taking care of more important work or bumping uglies with one of his wives. On a bad day, he would show up and toss them around a little bit, making the punishment worse if one of them hadn't complied with the day's work.
She thought that today would go like any other day. That was, until Dylan was the one to show up to bring her to her day's work.
Her body immediately tensed and she could feel the raw surge of anger slither through her blood. Her fingers twitched and she wanted so bad to leap up and punch him right on the spot. She almost did.
"Come on, Ri. Gotta get the day started," he murmured, tone flat.
Nostrils flaring at the childhood petname, she stood and slammed past him and down the hall. Her pace was so quick that he had to jog to catch up and he slid in front of her, stopping her before she could get too far.
"Slow down. We need to talk okay?" His voice was quiet and he took a quick glance around them before opening up a nearby door.
It lead them to an empty sleeping area and he closed the door shut behind them and locked it. Just looking at him made her disgusted and all of the memories from Glenn's death came flipping through her mind at a rapid pace. He opened his mouth to speak and her anger snapped before he could say a word.
With all of her strength, she lunged toward him, fist poised. Her knuckles snapped along his jaw, the amount of force from her hit so great that she slammed into the wall next to them and stumbled to the floor. She panted, hand twitching as pain crackled up her knuckles. One of them had split open from the force of the hit and the rest were already starting to turn a sickening purple.
"Sonuvabitch," he swore, cradling his jaw.
"I don't want to hear your excuses. I don't care if you had some other grand plan that you never told me. Your actions cost me two of my family. And they may not be blood, but they're helluva lot better than the blood family I have left!" she snarled.
"Dammit, they're not excuses, Riley! You aren't the only one who found someone to care about, alright?! I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had you at Alexandria and I had her here! And you don't know Negan, okay? He's not the type of guy you argue with!" he snapped.
"I don't care if whatever whore you're sleeping with is here! You didn't have to lie to me!"
In an instant, his demeanor changed. His frustration became seething anger and she wasn't prepared for the snap of his hands pinning her to the wall.
"Don't ever call her that. Ever," he breathed, voice low and more dangerous than she had ever heard from him.
For a moment, she stared back at him, both of them breathing heavily as they glared at each other. Hot anger rolled off both of them in waves and the tension was so thick she could barely breathe. After a moment of glowering, he let her go and took a step back.
"I didn't tell you because I was trying to figure it out. And I didn't want anyone getting hurt in the process. If you told Rick, he would've attacked. And her name is Olivia, if you even cared," he huffed.
She shook her head fiercely and clenched her fists, the memories of Tiffany and Glenn surging through her mind. "I can't forgive you again. Once I get out of here, I never want to see your face again."
A look of surprise flickered onto his face, but he immediately hardened and covered it up, stepping away from the door. "Get your ass moving. You have work to do."
Riley looked past him, not hesitating to start walking. She didn't want to hear any more of what he had to say. She couldn't trust him.
The two of them headed for the main room, where everyone was bustling around getting things done. They only made it to the center of the room when the door up on the second level opened up and the leather-clad leader came inside. Thought he wasn't alone. She barely got a glimpse of a brown Sheriff's hat before Dylan was yanking on her arm and trying to pull her down. Everyone around her had knelt down and she was the only one still standing, despite her cousin's attempt to get her to kneel too.
She pushed him off, grinding her teeth and staring up at Negan as he neared the railing. He caught her eye for a brief moment and the grin already present on his face widened. But she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes had jumped over to the figure beside him, standing tall and looking right at her. Carl.
It took everything in her not to gallop up to him, but her heart was racing like she had done so.
"Dwight," Negan called out. "Why don't you bring Riley here up to my room. Wait outside the door for me and the kid."
Dwight moved from his kneeling position and headed across the room toward her, not hesitating to grab her by the arm. She spotted Carl squirming on the spot, but she didn't have a chance to look back at him as she was shoved roughly out of the room. Faintly, she could hear Negan begin a speech, but it faded as they headed across the facility.
How did Carl get here? Did Negan snatch him up from Alexandria to bring him? So many questions were pounding in her mind and she felt anxious and twitchy. The last thing she wanted was for him to be here. If he got hurt, she would never forgive herself. No one could predict what Negan had up his sleeve and it unnerved her. He could be planning to kill Carl in front of her to make her cooperate. Or he could be doing nothing at all.
Every time she slowed, Dwight gave her a rough shove. He wasn't being as careful as usual and she could feel the tension coming from him too.
After going up several flights of stairs, they finally reached a room near the top at the very end of the hall. They stopped beside it and waited. Each moment that passed made her more anxious and she could only stare hard down the hallway waiting for Carl to come around the corner with Negan. Dwight fidgeted too - moving his feet around and crossing his arms before uncrossing them moments later.
The time seemed to pass agonizingly slow and she was sure it had been at least a half an hour before she heard the faint footsteps.
Adrenaline released into her blood and she stood up straighter, shifting anxiously and running through a thousand thoughts in her head as Carl and Negan turned the corner. Carl was carrying a platter of fruit, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Hey, you made it. Alright Dwighty-boy, you can head on down to keep an eye on Daryl. The three of us have a lot to talk about," Negan said with a wicked grin.
Dwight gave a nod before turning and leaving them alone. Negan opened up the door and gestured for her and Carl to go in first.
Slowly, she stepped inside, taking a mental note of everything and what could be used as a possible weapon. Negan's room was actually rather nice. A large king sized bed sat to her left and on the right was a small sitting area.
"Sit, let's get started," Negan commanded, shutting the door.
She sat down in one of the arm chairs and Carl sat down in the other, placing the platter on the table.
"Get started on what?" he asked, shooting a glance at her.
"I want to get to know you a little better, Carl. And Riley here, she's good incentive. Leverage. Now I know, I know how that sounds. But you can never be too careful." He turned to her and then continued, "you know your boyfriend here came riding in on one of my supply trucks. Shot two of my men. Pretty ballsy move. But there were two things he wanted. You and me. "
She bit her lip, a heavy breath entering her lungs. Why did he have to put himself at risk like that? After Glenn, she couldn't lose him too.
"You're smart, Carl. In fact, I'm going to tell you just how smart you are in case you already don't know. See I'd expect a kid your age to be moping around, not giving a damn, crying about missing the prom. But you, you go on a mission. You find me and kill two of my men and you're smart enough to know that I'm not gonna let this slide."
Was that why she was here? Her stomach churned and she glanced over at Carl. He wasn't looking at her, but she could feel all of his attention kept raptly on her now. He was thinking the same thing as her.
Negan shook his head and laughed. "Ahh...I can't do it. It's like talking to a birthday present. You gotta take that crap off your face, I wanna see what grandma got me!"
This seemed to catch Carl off guard. He blinked in disbelief before immediately replying, "no."
"Two men! Two men. Punishment. You really wanna piss me off?"
Negan's eyes flickered toward Riley and her hands gripped the armchair tightly. She hated him with every fiber of her being, but she forgot how intimidating he was when he was really angry. Still, she didn't want Carl to give in. No matter what he threatened to do to her.
"Don't," she breathed, looking at her lap. "Don't let him manipulate you."
He laughed. A deep, hearty laugh that made her spine crinkle in discomfort.
"Look at you two. Power couple. Both tough as nails and smart as shit. Damn. You know she's been giving me and my men hell? Resisting every damn day. But today, darling, today is not one of those days I will go easy on you. So if I were you, Carl, I wouldn't piss me off."
Carl made eye contact with her for a brief second before parting his lips and letting out a defeated sigh. His chin twitched and he carefully reached up to untie the wrap around his head. Tension came swirling into the room and she kept her gaze locked on him. This wasn't just a moment of giving in. It was also a moment of extreme weakness for him. A moment of finally coming to terms with something he desperately tried to ignore and hide. She hadn't pushed him to get to that place so she hadn't seen his scars yet, but she was about to see them now.
Finally, he pulled off the wrap, letting it drop into his lap, though his hair was still covering the right side of his face.
"Get that hair out of your face, let me see," Negan murmured, grinning.
Carl hesitated, the trembling in his lips more prevalent now. He flitted his head slightly to her and her lungs deflated. It wasn't Negan that he cared about. It was her. He didn't want her to see his weakness.
All she wanted to do was reach out and engulf him in a hug, but she resigned to leaning slightly forward and telling him in a soft whisper, "it's okay."
It seemed to be the push that he needed. His fingers swooped under his bangs and he pushed them out of the way to reveal his healed over wound.
Around the edges of where his eye should have been was heavily wrinkled and scarred. And the main part of the wound was the black hole where his eye should have been. She could still remember when it had been there. The whole thing wasn't pretty and she understood why he had been so insecure about it. Scars were never pretty. Her own was ugly and marred into her side. But they were part of who they were now. It was something that proved his survival in a beautifully tragic way.
"That is disgusting!" Negan bellowed. "No wonder you cover that up. Have you seen it? I mean have you looked in the mirror? That is gross as hell! I can see your socket!"
Carl's face twitched with unreleased emotions and he looked down, doing his best to hold in whatever emotions were going through his mind right now. With every mocking jeer Negan spewed, Carl's resolve slipped further and further until the sniffles came. Her shock had faded and now her concern was placed fully on him. She wanted to hold onto him - bring him somewhere safe where he could cry with his head buried in her shoulder.
Instead, she carefully reached across the chairs, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together as Negan continued with his insensitive comments.
Finally, the man grew silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Damn. Holy hell, kid. Look, I just...it's easy to forget that you're...just a kid. You know I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I...I was just screwing around."
"J-just forget it," Carl whispered, shaking his head.
Right as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Her hand stayed clutched tightly to Carl's as a man came in with Lucille. The words exchanged were lost on her ears and she forced herself not to say any of the words she was so desperately wanting to spill. She protected Carl and he protected her. Having someone taunt and humiliate him like that, even if it wasn't intended, wasn't something she could forget. It was just another thing added to the list of reasons why she was going to kill Negan.
"All feelings aside, you look rad as hell. You shouldn't cover that shit up. No one is gonna screw with you lookin' like that. And if she likes it? Hell I'd keep it uncovered," Negan chuckled.
Riley was getting more antsy and uncomfortable the more he spoke to Carl. And the way he treated the man who had brought his bat all the way up was disgusting.
"You see? That's what I'm talking about! Men breaking each other's balls. This is the shit your dad's supposed to be teaching you. I'd hope at the very least he taught you how to treat your girl right, if you know what I'm saying." Negan winked.
The suggestive comment sprung something in Carl because he had jumped to his feet at once, his lips set in a firm line.
"Ah, ah! Relax, I'm busting your balls! Sit back down." He pointed Lucille at him.
She ground her teeth, spine shuddering as Carl sat back down, the anger in his eye more prevalent now.
"What do you kids like to do for fun? You like music?"
Neither of them replied.
"Carl, I want you to sing me a song," Negan decided.
Carl looked up. "What?"
"Yeah! You mowed down two of my men with a machine gun. I want something in return for that."
"I-I...I can't think of any..."
"Bullshit! What'd your mom used to sing to you? What did your dad play in the car?"
Her mind immediately wandered to what her own parents used to sing to her. You Are My Sunshine. However, the lyrics popped out of her mind as soon as Negan stood and took a step toward Carl, pointing Lucille in his face. Her hands shot to the arms of the chair to push herself up, but he held a hand out to her.
"Start singing," he demanded.
Carl stammered for a minute, trying to force himself to start. A couple of words tumbled from his lips before he swallowed and started up again. "Y-you are my sunshine..."
Negan prompted him to continue, but for a moment she was frozen.
"...my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey..."
Her heart started to beat rapidly as Negan swung Lucille around aimlessly, startling both of them.
"Do not let me distract you, young man!" he exclaimed.
Carl continued in a broken voice, "you'll never know, dear..." - another swing - "...how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."
"That's pretty good. Lucille loves being sung to. It's about the only thing she loves more than bashing in brains. Weird, huh?"
Riley's jaw quivered. This man was sick in the head. Her childhood song was now tainted, images of her parents perfect figures marred by blood and plucked sunflower petals. Absently, she clenched her fists.
"Your mother sing that to you?" Negan prompted. "Where is she now?"
Carl shook his head.
"Damn. You see it happen?"
"I...shot her. Before it could..."
Negan's grin couldn't get any bigger. "Damn, no wonder you're a little serial killer in the making. That was an example of breaking balls, by the way."
Finally, he turned to her, leaning down on her level. Her nose twitched and she stared harshly at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with him.
"What about you, darling? Where did your mama go?" he paused. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."
She couldn't. No matter how hard she tried to just give in and get it over with, she couldn't. Images of Glenn, her parents, blood...all of it was flashing in her mind and was getting faster and faster every time he spoke and his hand found its way onto her wrist.
"Look. At. Me."
Her free hand shot out and latched onto his own, nails digging into the flesh of his wrist. Blue eyes finally snapped up to meet his brown ones and she clenched her teeth hard enough to break them.
"Don't touch me," she growled, chest heaving with every breath.
Negan looked at her in silence for a moment, his gaze calculating, before a Cheshire cat smile stretched across his lips and he laughed. "It's getting to you, isn't it, sweetheart? Damn, you are one tough bitch."
He pried his fingers off her wrist and then slowly stood, swinging Lucille over his shoulder and heading for the door. "Come on. Should be ready by now."
"What should be ready?" Carl mustered.
"The iron."
The what?
She didn't have a chance to ask what that even was because he opened up the door, waiting for them. Hesitantly, she stood, and the two of them followed after him. They went back downstairs to the main room where the furnace was burning hot down below. Negan rammed Lucille against the railing as they walked and she spotted a man down below tied to a chair and trembling.
Everyone knelt - even Daryl. Likely because he didn't want to do anything to get her and Carl in trouble.
Negan turned and handed the bat to Carl, asking if he would hold it. Her eyes locked on the weapon and her fingers twitched, longing to take it and ram the man over the head like he had done to her family.
"You know the deal. What's about to happen will be hard to watch. I don't wanna do it. I wish I could just ignore the rules and let it slide, but I can't. Why?" Negan queried, heading down the spiral stairs.
"The rules keep us alive," everyone chimed, reminding her of some sort of cult.
She and Carl slowly followed him down to a level part of the stairs and he stood tall.
"That's right! We survive. We provide security to others. We bring civilization back to this world. We are the Saviors," he spoke, resting his hands on the railing. "But we can't do that without rules. Rules are what make it all work. I know it's not easy. But there is always work...there is always a cost. Here, if you try to skirt it, if you try to cut that corner...then it is the iron for you."
Riley shifted her body a bit closer to Carl's, her chin resting lightly against the back of his shoulder.
Negan waited for the words to sink in for a moment before he lifted his hand. "On your feet."
Everyone rose and the three of them moved down the rest of the stairs. The tips of her fingers held onto the hem of Carl's shirt as they moved through the parted crowd to the man in the chair. Negan kept going toward the furnace, but she and Carl stopped where they were, watching carefully.
Dwight lifted a blistering iron out of the fire and it was then that she realized what he was going to do. It was just like what happened to Dwight. The side of his face had been marred, likely burned, by this. It made her wonder what he had done to deserve it.
"Mark. I'm sorry. But it is what it is," Negan murmured, shrugging nonchalantly, as if he wasn't just about to burn off the flesh of someone.
He took a step forward, holding the iron in a gloved hand, and brought it up to the side of Mark's face. The screams deafened the whole room and she felt Carl tense alongside her. She herself was tensed up, keeping her eyes directed away from the scene. Negan could say he was fair and honorable all he wanted, but this? This was not honorable. This was evil. Pure, sickening evil.
After a few seconds, the screaming died down and she dared to take a look as Mark's head lolled forward. He'd passed out from the pain.
Negan carefully removed the iron, skin sticking to it as it inched away. She felt a heave wrack her body, but forced herself to swallow what was in her throat and remain quiet.
"You see? Now that wasn't so bad now, was it?" Negan spoke before giving the iron back to Dwight and turning to look at Mark. "Pissed himself..."
The tyrant moved over to Daryl, putting his mouth close to his ear. "Clean that up."
Daryl's jaw tightened, but he moved forward, taking the mop and starting to soak up all the urine. A doctor came forward at Negan's orders to examine Mark.
More words were spoken about the rules - ones she ignored - before he came back over to them. "Some crazy shit... You probably think I'm a lunatic."
You are.
"Alright, kid. I think you've had enough time with your girl. Say your goodbyes and give her a big ole hug. Cause for now, it'll be your last."
Carl stopped breathing for a moment before looking up. "I'm not leaving her."
"Oh you bet the hell you are! Cause if you don't, she'll have some mighty fine consequences. So I suggest that you do as I say before I change my mind."
Her eyes snapped on Carl's face and her hand traveled carefully up his arm. "Carl..."
His movements were hesitant, but he turned to look at her.
"Go. I'm fine," she assured, tightening her jaw. She didn't want him to risk anything for her.
Not giving him another chance to speak, she stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms wound around her waist and he held her tightly for a moment, clearly not wanting to let go judging by the amount of force he held her with. She allowed it for a moment before pulling away, her lips brushing the side of his cheek just below his injury.
"There ya go. Now c'mon Carl. We got some more to discuss. Dwight! Bring her back to her cell," Negan instructed, grinning and steering Carl away by his shoulder.
He looked back at her a few times before he disappeared from sight and Dwight was the one leading her by her shoulder. Eyes watched her as she left, but when she was finally back in her cell, she felt like she could breathe again. She gingerly sat down in her corner, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face into her knees. The day had been long and so many things had happened. First, the thing with Dylan and then Carl showing up with Negan trying to intimidate them. She just hoped with everything in her that he would be returned safely home and didn't try to do anything.
For a little while, she allowed herself to think of things if nothing bad had happened. Her parents were alive and living in Alexandria with them. Glenn didn't die and was a good friends with her parents. Dylan wasn't a traitor and got along with Carl. And Carl...he was with her and they were happy. Negan didn't exist. Everything was normal. Peaceful.
She clutched hard onto those thoughts, and for a moment, everything felt real. However, the thoughts dissipated as soon as she heard footsteps.
Her head shot up and she watched the crack of the door carefully. A shadow loomed and got thicker and thicker until the knob of the door creaked open. Instead of Dwight or Negan or Dylan...it was Daryl.
"Come on. We're getting out of here," he murmured.
She didn't hesitate even one second.
A/N: Well she's finally escaping! Dylan had his own reasons for doing what he did but they were shitty and Riley won't forgive him. Negan continues to become more and more hated by her and Carl finally revealed his eye. Lots of stuff happened. But finally, she can be properly reunited with everyone and things will be happy and fluffy for at least the next chapter. Still, kinda hard to make everything perfectly happy when there's a war brewing. Anyway, anyone super excited for the show's return tomorrow!? I'm pumped and scared at the same time. It's going to be intense, I know it. Ugh. Now that it's back, I'm going to try and update weekly, but with my school courses in full swing, I mayyy not be able to. I sure will try though! Well anyway, thank you guys so much for being awesome readers! Your reviews always fuel me to keep going and it makes me excited that so many people like this story! I love you all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)
