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"Welcome home, sweetheart," His deep, raspy voice was booming, "You're gonna love it here."
He placed a hand on her back, they had just stepped out of the truck. She hated it when he touched her. It made her feel like she betrayed her family, although she knew she did nothing wrong. She was too emotionally drained to retaliate. She needed her father. It had been less than an hour, but it felt like ages, like it would be ages until she would see him again. Maybe, she thought, she wouldn't.
She didn't respond. Speaking felt too hard at that moment.
Negan licked his lips and sighed, gazing down and the girl, "Come on, princess, let me show you to your room."
She trudged alongside him, entering through the large gates. She noted how hard it looked for any intruder to possibly enter the compound, making her stomach swirl with a sudden sickness. She was trapped, never to escape unless Negan allowed her to, which, she knew wouldn't happen.
They strolled through the long, narrow and damp hallways, passing door after door. She wondered what kind of place it was pre-apocalypse, having so many rooms. There were tiny windows on each of the doors, but most were covered by a small curtain, or piece of black construction paper.
"Why isn't anybody in their room?" She asked quietly, gazing through each window that wasn't covered with paper.
He tilted his head and smiled, "Everybody here has a job. You work for points. Rooms are for sleeping."
She furrowed her eyebrows, a faint line appearing between them, "I'm not working for you."
He paused before tilting his head, letting out a huff of laughter, "Sweetheart, you don't have a choice."
She frowned and crossed her arms, biting the inside of her cheeks, looking anywhere but at him.
"We had an agreement. You come and live with me, and your buddy Daryl stays alive and well. Being here includes playing by the rules, just like everybody else."
"What's my job?" She grinded her teeth, clearly irritated.
"I have something in mind," He grinned, "For now, you stay here."
They stopped in front a door, one that looked identical to the others. He opened it and stepped in, grinning, spinning around and throwing his arms in the air.
"Look at that," He laughed, "It's your very own room. Hell, you've even got a mattress."
She glared, huffing, and hesitantly stepped into the room. She felt guilty, wanting to walk over to the bed and rest, knowing that night, her family would have to sleep on the cold, hard ground.
