A Hard Lesson to Learn

Chapter 27

Much to Negan's surprise, no one came to make sure he was locked away for the night. The last person he had seen was Gabriel as he changed out his bedpan for the day. Looking out the window in the corner he decided it was not quite late enough to make his run. If he waited around, then it was possible Rick, or someone would come down and check on him. It was too early to run now because the guards would be changing shifts soon and then doing their patrols, plus anyone could be walking around upstairs in the house.

So, he waited and waited and waited until it well into the night or maybe even early morning. Negan walked to the door of the cell and gently pushed it open. The metal door that kept him locked in this cage was finally open and he was ready to make his run.

Slowly, he snuck up the stairs. Once he reached the top step, the feeling of regret washed over him. Was it worth it to do this? Would it make things worse for him if he was caught? Probably, but Negan was not going to sit around and wait for someone to come to lock him up. With his hand on the doorknob, Negan turned the handle and the door opened.

He had to be quiet and careful to avoid waking up anyone in the house. Slowly. He crept across the wooden floor and towards the front door. Pulling the door open and stepping out, Negan was finally a free man again for the time being.

He stayed lurking in the shadows. Negan grabbed a shovel from the gardening shed that was in front of Rick's house and made his way down the road towards the back wall of Alexandria. He knew that there were some houses toward the end of the street that no one lived in so maybe there was something in one of them that he could use.

Negan moved to the back of the houses. Hopefully, one of these doors was unlocked. The first house's door was locked so was the second's.

Making his way over to the third house there seemed to be something pulling him to this house. There was a little stone patio with a small fireplace that still had some simmering embers in the bottom. He tried to look in the back windows, but the house was too dark to see inside. Negan moved to open the door and surprisingly it opened.

He quietly walked into the dark kitchen. The moon high in the sky provided him with just enough light to see within the room. He could see the living room from across the hallway. The lamp in the corner of the room gave him enough light to see in the room.

Negan came around the corner and immediately stopped in his tracks. He felt like a little kid that just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He could not form the words he wanted to say. For a man that loved to talk, the words just could not come out.

"Why are you in my house," Kali slurred looking from the floor to Negan standing in the doorway. She brought the half-empty of bottle of tequila to her mouth and took a long swig before pulling it away.

Negan looked from Kali to the empty bottles of alcohol that lined the front of the couch. "It was unlocked," he said simply easing into the living room.

"So, you think it's okay to just waltz in here and take whatever you want? You'll never change Negan. Always taking and doing things you want without thinking about the consequences. So please excuse yourself from my house and move on," she chastised bringing the bottle back up to her mouth.

A small smirk danced across Negan's face. "How much have you had to drink," he asked walking over to the couch that she sat on.

"Not enough," she said softly her eyes locked on him as he walked over.

Negan sat down beside her. He reached over and grabbed the bottle from her hand. "I think you've had enough of this for tonight," he told her sitting the bottle down on the ground.

"Good thing there are different ones in the kitchen," she said pushing off the couch and stumbled to the kitchen.

Negan chuckled and shook his head. There were times at the sanctuary when they would go and get plastered celebrating a good run or just a good day in general. While he preferred a nice stiff glass of whiskey, Kali was always one to turn to tequila or vodka. On more than one occasion, he would have to help her back to her room because there was no way she would make it back alone.