Destined to Lose: The 5th book

Chapter 8: Wrapping Things up

The next afternoon, as I'm sitting in the new room Negan moved me to, there is a knock on the door. I go to open it and see Negan standing across from me. The gunshots still ringing from what I assume is the fighters taking out the walkers for them to get out, "you're going to Alexandria, huh?"

I move further back into the room and Negan follows me in, "it's the only play we have. I wanted to give you the courtesy of telling you."

"You don't have to kill anymore people." I plead with him, my heart racing.

"You know it's gotta be this way." He shakes his head, "everyone is looking to me to protect them. After what they did, and then driving a truck through the door. An example has to be made." He retorts back, "just be happy you won't be there to see it."

"Happy? You're going to kill my friends, my family. And you want me to just sit here and take it?" I grab the only heavy thing in the room. A book and grip it tightly.

"No, that's why I came to tell you something else." He replies.

I scrunch my nose and snarl, "what?"

"One of my lookouts saw who drove that truck in. Do you know who it was?" He asks out loud.

"Does it matter?" I question, "aren't you going to kill everyone."

"No, I'm not, but I think you should know. Daryl drove that truck through. And then he ran. He didn't try to come in and get you. He ran off, left you in here with everyone else." He says lowly.

I shake my head in denial, "liar" and turn to look away, "and even if it was him, he had a reason."

"Yea, to kill me and everyone inside. Including you." He says back flatly.

Negan begins to walk back to the door to leave, so I question in a whisper, "are you going to kill him?"

My head drops, my heart stops, waiting for his answer. He answers, "Daryl is a warrior, and if he gets in my way, I'll do what I have to. But for you, I'll make it quick."

He goes to shut the door and I turn and throw the book as hard as I can, missing him and hitting the door. I hear it lock behind him and I run to the handle to try and get out, "Fuck!" I yell and kick at the door. He didn't move me here to be nice, he did it to lock me in. He knew they would get out and he knew he needed me locked in. I curse myself for ever allowing myself to think of Negan as kind and pace the floor, trying to figure out a plan.  I'm up all night worrying and wondering what happened. Did Negan win? Did Rick & everyone else win? I don't come up with any real plan by the next morning. Regina escorts me to the meeting room sometime after the sun rose. Negan is there, already cleaned up from the night before, "what do you want?" I snarl in his direction.

"To update you on where everything stands. Sit." He directs to the chair to his left. I stay where I am and he grabs his bag and says more forcefully, "sit."

I do so, knowing right now I have no other option. We sit in silence until Simon walks in and shuts the door behind him. Negan turns his walkie on and clicks it, "Hilltop is covered. The roads and then some." He informs them, "they are out there somewhere, so let's get balls deep in every nook and cranny they might hole up in. Nooks, crannies, and holes, people. All that shit outside the box." He clicks it off and looks to me, "appears our friends at Alexandria had themselves an escape plan. He switches to look between Simon and I and I take a quick sigh of relief. They didn't get them last night. At least not Alexandria or the hilltop. He goes on, "Rick's little one-eyed pride and joy played me. Damn. That kid... That kid is built for this shit."

"You sure you want her around for these conversations?" Simon questions, eyeballing me.

I snarl his direction as Negan responds, "are you questioning my decisions?"

Simon shakes his head and changes the subject, "let me go out and close this thing then."

Negan shoots him down, "Arat's got it for now. How'd the Hilltop go?"

"As requested." Simon answer.

"Good job. With an extra attaboy on top given I know you didn't want to play it that way." He gives him his kudos.

"You hear anything from Gavin?" Simon asks him.

Negan shrugs ever so slightly, "not yet, but it's coming. Gavin may be perpetually pissed off, but he keeps his shit dry and tight."

Simon paces a few steps and inquires, "if I'm not running down Rick and company, where do you want me?"

Negan moves in his chair just a bit where it scrapes against the floor and points to the chair across from me and to his right. He says, "garbage people."

Simon smiles and nods, "good. Eliminating those who reneged might... leave us a tad short on ammo, but it's worth it."

I drop my head, already knowing Negan is pissed at his response. Negan inches himself closer to Simon, "I need you to hear me on this, Simon. Those piss-stained double-crossers may have pulled a triple cross, but it doesn't change the fact that they are still a resource." He raises it louder, "so you're gonna choke back whatever shit is stirring up inside you and remind them that a deal with the Saviors is a lock, stock, suck my barrel deal. Deliver the standard message, take one out, and the rest will fall in line. Just one, Simon." He makes sure to remind him of the plan. To only take one life.

I spit my disgust towards him with a sneer but Negan either doesn't hear or ignores it, and asks Simon, "if you've got something to say... say it."

Surprisingly, Simon answers, "maybe we should cut our losses here. These people can't learn the lesson, no matter how many times we teach it. Alexandria, Hilltop, Kingdom, these garbage rats... they're not seeming to understand the situation. Not one little bit." I can tell he is trying to read Negan's cold expression but continues anyway, "so maybe we learn our lesson, scrape the plates into the trash. Move further out. Find other communities to... "save."

Negan chuckles and mutters, "oh, I am doing my best to hold it together right now. You wanna cut your losses, take your own advice. Killing everybody to solve the problem... that is the easy way, not our way. What we do... saving people, it is hard. But it damn well works."

I mutter loudly, agreeing with Simon, "not lately."

Negan bites his lip as he grills me down. But says back to Simon, "once I clip Rick, everything's aces again, Simon. There's a knock on the door and 2 men walk in carrying a wooden coffin, similar to the one Sasha was on. Negan questions, "what the hell is that?"

"A delivery from the Hilltop." He says as they place it on the table. Clear deadhead grumbling coming from inside. He places a nail gun on the table, "I brought you something to deal with it. It's charged.

I debate for a moment grabbing it to use as leverage to get out, but Negan is already moving towards the box, behind me and to the nail gun. Once they get it open and take out the walker, Simon looks in and says, "That's Dean. That means the other people that the Hilltop are holding are from the Satellite Outpost." He gets more angry, "those are my people. I'm gonna kill every last one of those farmers!"

Negan quickly and loudly shuts him down, "you will do exactly what I asked."

Simon argues further, "we can't let 'em get away with this shit.

Negan pounds the table with his fist, "you will do... your job!" Simon just stares and him and the two hold each other's eyes for a few moments. Simon nods and begins to leave the room, "hey Simon, take Sadie here with you."

"What? Why?" I question him, as Simon stops walking out and waits for his answer.

Negan gets right into my face and harshly whispers, "I think you're starting to forget who's in charge." He lightly taps me on cheek two times and stands up.

"Let's go" Simon waits for me. I stand up and go to head out, while Negan has a smile on his face.