Destined to Lose: The 5th book

Chapter 12: A Chatty Ride

Negan tells me there was a meeting for his army later that afternoon and that there was no exceptions. That I had to be there. I follow everyone else out the sanctuary doors and into the courtyard. I see Dwight hovering in the front and I try my best to get over to him, to ask him what's going on. I know I'll need to wait, but I can at least let him see me. Give him a glare that tells him we need to talk.

We all stand and wait for Negan to speak. He stands between two tied up meatheads and hollers out to his army, "you all know how it works. You get a bite, some kind of wound from one of these things, something from them gets in you, and you die. You join the club... which sucks." He pauses for a brief moment, "what  if we could use that to our advantage?" He turns and slams his bat into the side of one the dead, blood and guts dripping out. "You see how Lucille is getting to know our beautiful, cold friend here?" He spins it around the blood, dragging out the inside, "that's it," he chuckles, "look... at... that." He shows it off in front of him, no more smashing and bashing. With this... Well, this, it can just be a touch. Or a big, wet kiss. Either way, this gets you full membership, and that's what we want. We want people to join the club. Hilltop is gonna learn to toe the line one way or another, dead or alive..." he twirls the bat in his hand, eyeing it with praise and a smile, "or some kinda shit in between. Let's go!"

Everyone starts to move to get to work on getting all the weapons covered in dead blood and guts. Dwight gives me a head nod to follow him and we round a corner and duck under a balcony to talk quickly "what happened out there?"

"they lit up Alexandria, everyone but the kid got out. We were heading to the hilltop when we got separated. I led them away so I think they made it. But we shouldn't be talking, I don't know anything else." He says and moves to walk away.

I call, "so Daryl's alright?"

Negan rounds the corner and he asks with a condescending smile, "what's going on over here?"

I quickly respond, "since you won't tell me anything about Daryl, I'm trying to ask anyone else what they know."

"Well, what do you know about Sadie-babies beu?" Negan puts his bat over his shoulder, dead blood and guts dripping off of it.

Dwight turns to me to say, "he got out, ambushed me, but I got away in the woods. Bastards lucky I had no ammo."

"Burn in hell" I snarl to him, happy he told me in his own way that Daryl was alright.

"Go help the others, I gotta tell my friend something." Negan directs him. He bows his head and hustles away. "I want you with me on this trip."

"What? Why? You know I'll just try to get away the second I can." I inform him, wanting to be far away from the hilltop as he tries to hurt everyone I care about.

"You don't think I know that. I'm letting you go". He replies.

"What?" I ask, not expecting that.

He shrugs, "I got what I needed from you. We'll be leaving in an hour, be in that car." He points to a black 4 door and walks away. I stand there shocked for a few minutes before I head inside to dress into my own clothes, all the while trying to figure out what Negan could've possibly gotten from me.

"Are you really going to make me sit in the back?" I question out loud as he places his bat in a bucket of blood and guts.

"Doesn't she look beautiful" I see his smile from the mirror as he starts the car.

I shake my head and look out the window, "I can't wait to be away from you."

He starts driving, following behind all his men, "aww, come on. We had some good times. I'll admit it, you know me more than anyone here."

"That's not something I'll be advertising." I tell him, "I did what I had to, and making conversation was just something I had to do."

He chortles "you can tell yourself that all you want, but we both know you enjoyed our talks. You enjoyed telling me things no one else knows, and me doing the same."

"That's not true" I return, hating that he's saying these things to me right now.

"No?" He eyes me in the rear view mirror, "Daryl doesn't know about those cuts, does he?" I try to hide the face of anger from him but he sees it, and says "don't worry, I won't tell him. And what about how you feel about your sister? Does he know you still hold that guilt?"

"Shut up!" I growl to him, wanting the rest of the ride to be in silence.

But Negan is Negan and he continues, "and that last kiss we shared, I know I'll cherish it."

"I didn't want that." I snarl back.

"You say that, but I know you felt something for me when it happened." He tries to tell me my feelings.

"I felt grotesque." I answer back.

He laughs quietly and holds his hand up to tell me he's going to stop "alright, alright, I don't want to end on a bad note. I just want to say thank you."

"For what? What did I give you that you're so ready to send me back home?" I question to him. Hoping he answers honestly.

"Friendship." He smiles through the mirror again.

"As if" I scarf back a loud laugh.

He goes to say something but the car is hit on my side and we are spinning off of the road "oh, shit!" I hear Negan yell, trying to get control of the car. I don't know how much longer it was from the initial hit but we are hit again, this time the car flipping off the road.