No Sanctuary For Old Men [18+] |Negan| ✔️ Complete

XII • Last Day on Earth

The next few days went by like a blur. Daphne felt almost giddy, so ready for her interview with the Big Boss that would be coming at the end of the week.

She relaxed, spending her days sewing, meals with Talia's family, and evenings with Paula and her crew. Occasionally Arat or Simon would join them for drinks, but they were often busy with Savior duties, whatever that entailed.

It was the crack of dawn on her twelfth day in the Sanctuary that she was woken by a violent fist in her hair.

She reacted immediately, reflexes thankfully not dulled by her short time of comfort and safety, lashing out for the nearest throat.

Hands grabbed her wrists from behind and she found her face inches away from a sneer of a grotesquely melted face.

"Your probation ends today, bitch," Dwight said, husky voice full of glee.

Her mind reeled. Was this sanctioned? Had Negan decided to cast her out early? Kill her? Had she messed up somewhere?

Or had Dwight figured out she knew about he and Sherry's plans and was taking her out now? She whipped her head back to see who had her wrists and her worry melted away at Arat's grinning face.

"Wake up, sluts!" she barked, and there were groans around the barracks. Dwight let go of Daphne's locks, flinging her backwards. Arat grunted and released her to flop on the bed.

"Can I at least get dressed?" Daphne asked, reaching under her pillow for her phone.

"No, we're unexpectedly kidnapping you for an unorthodox occasion." Arat grinned, and the recruit noticed the Savior had bleached the ends of her luscious curls.

"Like the new look," she said, slipping the phone into a pocket on Arat's thigh. The dark eyed woman raised an eyebrow but didn't draw attention to it.

Arat smirked. "I was up too late to bother sleeping before an early morning engagement."

Daphne's heart pounded. How long had Negan been planning this? Why like this? So she couldn't be prepared? Thank fuck Arat had been so close to receive the phone.

She followed Dwight and a few other Saviors, flanked by Arat and Fat Joey. They snaked through hallways, up stairs, and finally came through a set of double doors into a massive warehouse containing what looked like every resident of the Sanctuary.

Daphne forced herself to keep her head high, regardless of the fact that she was dressed in a grey tank and booty shorts with bare feet and mussed hair. She shoved her apprehension down deep in her gut, turning towards the balcony that the Saviors were facing.

She stood between Arat and Dwight at the front of the massive crowd. Five women in black dresses stood by the double doors behind the balcony, and Daphne immediately recognized Sherry's stoic face. The blonde from Colin's photo reached for the doorknob, and the recruit vaguely wondered if she was wearing her gifted lingerie underneath the flowing garment.

There was a shuffle as everyone started to kneel, and Arat tugged on Daphne's hand, jerking her to the floor.

"Keep your head down," she hissed, and the blonde complied, though it was taking every ounce of willpower not to look up. It was as if electricity had sparked the very air.

A long, drawn out guttural chortle filled the silent room, reverberating in Daphne's ears like a freight train. Her heart rate quickened, breath catching in her throat, warmth creeping up the back of her neck like tendrils of fire.

One bootfall on metal, another lazily following, and she could almost picture the swagger of the Big Boss as he descended the balcony steps. It felt like torture listening to him draw ever closer, and her eyelids fluttered closed to try to keep her from peeking up at the man she'd been dying to meet.

His voice was like silk drifting over gravel as it echoed over the expanse.

"Well, if it isn't just a BEAUTIFUL motherfucking morning!"