Destined to Lose: The 5th book

Chapter 4: Without a Leader

An hour or so after the walkers were let lose in front of the sanctuary, Dwight grabbed me and put me in the same room as before with everyone else. Minus Negan and Gregory. When Simon comes in, he grumbles out angrily, "what's she doin' here."

Dwight remarks, "Negan had her in here earlier for a reason. I don't know what it was but I sure as shit ain't letting her be out there right now trying to get away."

Simon eyes me cautiously as I eye Dwight. Isn't this the exact distraction I need to get away? Simon sighs and nods and that's the end of the conversation. A few minutes of silence goes by before Regina speaks up, "we have to assume Negan's dead."

Simon angrily retorts, "I'm Negan. And as I understand it, everyone in this room is. Now, I realize there's a lot of stress in the air, but just to clarify, are you saying you're someone else, Regina?"

"No." She replies instantly .

"Good." He nods.

Regina offers an idea, "we should send the fence crew out. Grab a few others, we get workers, standing back to back." I see Eugene start to shake his head, "we get them out with pipes, they clear a path... - just enough for a small team... -"

"Inadequate." Eugene speaks loudly.

"What?" Regina questions harshly.

Eugene explains, "the numbers you suggest aren't adequate. Given the current SRO density of the herd surrounding us, workers armed with melee weapons in the formation you propose would be overcome, closed in on, and macked upon within a few minutes."

Regina explains her full plan, "yeah. That's right. We use the workers as a distraction to get a small team past the herd. They can warn the outposts and then come back with the Fat Lady."

Eugene argues further with her, "add to the approach's slim chances of success, it's likely the play would lead to widespread unrest, pitting the workers against the soldiers when we're running out of food and fuel, upsetting our already precarious apple cart."

"Maybe all we need to do is put you out there, Eugene. Maybe it would motivate the answer man to come up with a solution," Regina threatens.

"He's right! You're gonna have a rebellion if you do that." I defend Eugene. I don't know the full reasoning why he's here and in a position like this but I at least know he's maybe on my side. More then the other people in the room are at least.

Regina spits towards me, "and who's asking you? You're just —"

Dwight stops her mid sentence, "Regina, she's right. He's right." The workers have the numbers, and we need to keep them on our side."

"We need to keep them in line." Simon corrects him.

Gavin chimes in, "even if we get a few of ours out and somehow clear the crowd, they have snipers all around the building." He sighs heavily and continues to stare at the table as he speaks, "so right now, let's deal with the other part. Someone in here made everything out there happen." He uses his finger and wags it around for emphasis. "We're having our little crisis-management meeting about the rebellion in Alexandria, us three outpost heads, and that's when they pile this crap on us? That's when they cut us off?" He slams the table hard, "come on. They knows all and sees all. Sometimes it doesn't take a gun. The right kind of rat... can kill plenty of people with just some talk."

Dwight sits up commenting, "but it's not gonna be us, and it doesn't have to be the workers."

Simon tries, "Dwight, you got to face reality here."

"No, Simon, we keep what's ours, and we don't give up a damn thing." He argues more, "we get out. And I don't want to hear backbiting or pissing or moaning from you two." He points to Gavin and Regina, "you got a problem with that, come at me." He sits down when neither say anything back to him. He forcefully looks at Simon and spits, "you can't lead the Saviors out of here, I will.

Simon stands up tall and starts to walk over towards Dwight. Past me and Eugene and to his side. Although he's not angry, he smiles and hollers, "yes, my boy. Yes! And... we're gonna find that subhuman coward that did this to us," he looks to Eugene and me while speaking, "and we're gonna kill him very slowly in front of everyone here over the course of a few very long days." Although I have to look away knowing he means it, I can see Eugene not flinch at all. Simon ends the get together, "good meeting, people. Now let's make today the best today it can be."

Dwight goes back to his room with me in tow where Simon tells him to keep an eye on me. Although I ask him multiple times to tell me the full plan, he just shakes his head and tells me not to worry about it. After an hour of waiting there's a knock on the door. When he opens it Eugene is on the other side. I don't feel like hearing what he has to say and stand up and comment, "I'm heading to shower. Take off that vest, Dwight. It's driving me crazy." I comment out, wishing like crazy I could rip it off of him and hold on to it until I can get it back to Daryl. When I get back from cleaning up, I see the jar of pickles on the desk and mumble, "he brought you pickles?"

"Wanted to thank me for having his back." He explains, painting one of his figurines.

"Pfft." I snarl, "he's just watching out for himself, as usual."

"Is that so wrong? You should take a page out of his book. What do you think Negan's gonna do with you once this is all over, huh? You need to start figuring out what you're going to do if you don't get back home." He directs of me.

"I thought the plan was to help get me out of here." I say out loud.

He lowers his head and shakes it, "the only plan I've known is the one to take out Negan. That's it."

I bite my lower lip and shake my wet hair, "nah, Daryl has his own plan then. I know it."

He sighs, "I sure hope so, for your sake." I throw the wet towel I used on my hair onto the ground and sit on the bed, letting his words wrestle within my head.