The three of us walk up to the house without saying much. Negan walks to my right, whistling like he owns the place and Alex walks to my left, never taking his scowl off Negan. Despite the tension, a little joy sparks up inside me at the thought that my friends are right behind the door we're about to walk through.
Alex knocks on the door in a specific way, giving the agreed upon signal. We've taken to barricading the doors from the inside, because the locks don't work anymore. There's the sound of heavy furniture inside and then the door opens. I can't help but smile when Priya's eyes find mine and her mouth falls open in complete surprise.
'Hello, darling', I say while I step toward her and take her into a tight embrace.
'You're here', she utters.
'I'm here', I answer. I find myself crying into her thick, black hair. I've been crying an awful lot these past few days, but given the circumstances, I don't think you can blame me. I release her from my embrace, but hold her close by cupping her face.
'Oh my God, I'm so glad to see your face. Are you all right?' I ask her.
'Am I all right?' she asks, placing her hand on my wounded cheekbone. 'I'm not the one who's been out there for days. What happened to your face?'
'What? What's wrong with her face?' Alex asks, coming up next to us. He hadn't noticed my bruise in the twilight, but we're standing close to a portable light now that Priya must have brought with her to the hallway.
'I..', I begin, but before I can answer, the sound of running feet and screaming children echoes through the hallway and soon I'm nearly knocked over by Carmen and Miguel jumping into my arms.
'You're back, you're back!' Carmen shouts excitedly. I pick her up and laugh while I try to dodge some of the kisses she keeps planting on my face. Miguel has wrapped his arms around my waist, equally happy to see me.
'I was worried about you', he says. 'Don't leave again.'
'I've missed you too, guys', I say, putting Carmen back on the ground and pulling them both in for a group hug. 'I'm so happy to see you.'
I look up from the embrace when I notice another figure stepping into the hallway. She's the only one to not break out in smiles when she sees me. Katarina's ever-vigilant eyes are focused on a point behind me. Right, in all the excitement I'd almost forgotten about Negan. I stand up and look back at him. He's leaning against the wall, seemingly relaxed and somewhat amused by the proceedings happening before him. He's quiet for once. But I'm not so easily fooled. I'm sure he's ready to attack at any moment if anyone starts to act against him.
'This is Negan', I tell Katarina. 'Let's go to the living room, shall we? We have a lot to talk about.'
'That's a great fucking idea.' Negan leaves his place by the wall and swaggers over to me. 'Now what does a guy have to do to get a drink around here?' He grins at Katarina, who watches him in silence with an icy stare. Nobody responds to him, but we all make our way to the living room. Katarina doesn't hug me when I pass her, but she reaches for my hand and grabs it tightly, just for a second. I give her a weak smile, and the corners of her mouth lift slightly too.
It's gotten full dark outside now, but the room is lit with several portable lights and there's a fire burning in the fire place. Once we've entered the room, everyone stands around rather awkwardly. Even the kids seem to sense the tension. They hold on to their uncle, looking at me and Negan with wide eyes. Priya perches on the edge of the couch, but the others stay on their feet. They don't trust him and they're not about to let their guard down. All eyes are turned to me and Negan who's standing next to me. In the deafening silence, he leans over to me and whispers loud enough for everyone to hear:
YOU ARE READING
Too Good to be Bad | Negan |
Fanfiction'You messed with the wrong man, sweetheart. You'll find out soon enough.' I knew breaking into this place was a bad idea. But it's too late now. We are surrendered to the mercy of this bat-wielding man who won't take his eyes off me. And he does not...
