A Long Long Journey: Book 2

Silence the Whisperers

*WARNING: Please be advised that this chapter contains mature content and strong language.*

Chapter 55
Quinn's POV

Happiness. Sadness. Defeat. Anger. Jealousy.

I sat down at the table and watched Michonne laugh with the kids at dinner. They were so happy. I was happy for them, for her. I was angry, for me and for Daryl. I was sad, for me and for Daryl. I was jealous of the happiness that Michonne had. I hated that I couldn't have that same happiness. And I hated that I couldn't give this kind of happiness to Daryl. His face was bright when he looked at these kids.

I stood up and excused myself from the table. I went into my room and shut the door behind me. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes, holding my stomach. I never thought of myself having kids, I never really wanted them since all the men in my life abandoned me. I figured I didn't want my child to have to go through that pain either, but Daryl has stuck around. He's been there for me through all of our worst moments and he truly cares. He would be a great dad.

I laid on my back, staring at the ceiling, letting my thoughts finally invade my brain. I always suppress them because I usually don't have the time nor the energy to let them get to me, but even pretending that they aren't there is exhausting.

___

Daryl's POV

I walked up the stairs in the dark, the moonlight being my only guide of light. I knocked on the door and placed the tray of food on the floor in front of it. I headed back down the stairs and made myself comfortable on the couch. I could sense that she was sad and I knew she just needed time alone to recognize it and figure it out. She would come to me when she was ready.

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Quinn's POV

I shut the door behind me and heaved the basket of laundry down the stairs. Lydia stormed by me, Daryl close behind her.

"We were just talking," she said with annoyance.

"He ain't your friend," Daryl answered. "Just stay away from him, alright?"

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked, stepping in stride with Daryl.

"Lydia's makin' friends with Negan."

"He gets me," she defended.

I took a deep breath, readjusted the laundry basket, and stepped towards her.

"Negan doesn't get anyone. Negan is a self-centered, narcissistic, sarcastic, con artist, dictator who will do anything with a reward that benefits him. Negan will kill anything or anyone that tries to get in his way. His power was taken away from him because he does not know how to use it. Let me tell you some things about Negan. He locked Daryl in a closet and fed him dog food, hung up pictures of our dead friends. He took a baseball bat covered in barbed wire, that he named Lucille, to two of my greatest friends' heads and then he laughed about it and cracked jokes while I sat there on my knees praying he didn't victimize someone else. He forced his own people to perform manual hard labor to earn points and they would use their points to get food. If one of his people tried to leave, he would put an iron into a bed of burning coals and then burn their face with it in front of everyone. He took Eugene from us and made him make bullets to take us out. He marched into our community and took all of our guns, all of our food, all of our medicine, half of our furniture and supplies. He took our mattresses and then burned them in the middle of the street. He left us vulnerable and exposed time and time again. He is an outsider. He is not one of us. You are. Negan is not your friend. He is not a good person and he will never be a good person. Negan will use you to his advantage and then scrape you off the back of his heels like you are dog shit because that is just the way that Negan is."