Future Ghosts • TWD

161. Torture.

When Rosie wasn't tied to a chair in that dark room, she was kept in a cell. The people keeping her in this cell, however, weren't as nice as Negan and his people had once been about it. She got no food, no water, no blankets- no nothing. All she had was the clothes on her body and a feeling of dread crawling its way around her frame.

In this cell, she kept incredibly quiet and tucked herself away into the darkest corner. Not because she was afraid of the people keeping her in there- she was afraid, but she would never let them know it- but because she knew that in that same room, in a separate cell, Daryl was tied up, too. She had heard his voice at one point, speaking to Leah as she walked through the room.

Daryl couldn't know she was there. He just couldn't.

Rosie had overheard his plan- or, rather, she overheard him talking to Leah and figured out his plan for herself. By eavesdropping incessantly, Rosie had discovered that Leah was under the impression that Daryl didn't know any of the people he was traveling with. He was helping them in trade for food, water, and safety in numbers.

Ian was yet another concern. Rosie had hardly seen him since they were split up into different rooms, and when she was able to get a glimpse of him, all she could see was his bloody, swollen face. All that meant was that he hadn't talked just yet. And, decidedly, Rosie wouldn't either.

The door to the room with the cells creaked open later the next morning. Liam held it open for two older, stronger men, who each held one arm of Ian's. Ian kept fighting against them, but they still dragged him into a cell somewhat easily. Out of the corner of her eye, Rosie could see blood pouring from his mouth and nose, staining his shirt red. He was silent. Numb when they tossed him into a cell and slammed the gate shut.

"Get the girl out," a taller man said.

Liam nodded silently, taking out a set of keys and making his way over to the cell Rosie was being kept in. Rosie made eye contact with him as he unlocked the cell, and he gave an almost unnoticeable shake of his head.

They hadn't broken Ian just yet.

As Liam twisted the key, he pulled the cell door open. In walked the taller man. He grabbed Rosie by the arm and pulled her up to her feet. She struggled in his grasp, trying to rip her arm out of his grip, but it wasn't any use. The second she did it, Liam grabbed onto her other arm and the two practically dragged her out of the room.

She was led down the hall and back into that dark room with the chair in the center of it. They shoved her down into the chair and got to work, tying her to it. When they were done, they both stood back up. Liam stood off to the side, leaning against the wall and watching with crossed arms. The taller man stood in front of Rosie.

Her eyes angry, Rosie glared up at the man. "I ain't tellin' you shit," she spat.

"You think so?" the man asked, a small smirk on his face. His hair was only a bit shorter than Daryl's and only a few shades darker. Rather than falling slightly over his forehead, like Daryl's did, this man's hair was a bit more slicked back. His features were pointed and sharp. Rosie could feel that, deep inside, without any known exact cause, he was angry.

Still, Rosie nodded. "I do think so," she confirmed. She was playing a dangerous game and she knew it. But if it meant her family had a chance at surviving, she didn't care what they did to her.

The man threw a punch to the left side of her face. Rosie took the punch as best as she could, biting down on her lip, trying to pretend that it didn't hurt like hell. Leah had already delivered her share of hits. This wasn't anything new.

"You saw what I did to your little boyfriend in there, didn't you?" the man asked, his eyebrows raised.

Rosie opened her mouth to answer, but he punched her before she could even get a word out. She groaned in pain, spitting out a wad of saliva and blood. She sniffed, taking a deep breath before answering him with, "I'm a lesbian."