Surviving The New World (Book Six in the Surviving The Walking Dead Series)

The Last Dance

"No, please!" I begged as Rosita removed the cuffs from my arms. "Please, I didn't do it! I DIDN'T FUCKIN' DO IT!" Rosita roughly shoved me into the cell, causing me to fall to my knees.

"Rosita!" Aaron snapped. Rosita slammed the cell door shut and locked it behind her and stormed off towards the exit, stopping to look at Negan.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" Rosita snarled.

"Nothing much." Negan smirked. Rosita began to go after Negan, but Aaron quickly grabbed her and forced her out of the exit and shut the door behind them.

"No." I sobbed as I rested my forehead on the cold hard ground. "I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I didn't do it."

"Baby?" Negan softly called out to me.

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

"Okay...what did you not do?"

"Harlow...I killed 'er, but I didn't kill 'er like that! I didn't do it. I didn't. I didn't."

"Michaela, just breathe. You're working yourself up; think of the babies." Negan was right, I needed to calm down for the babies' sake. Still, I was in absolute shock. I didn't do it...I didn't remember doing it. I looked down at my hands and eyeballed the dried blood under my nails. "Now, what happened?"

"They said I butchered Harlow, but I don't remember doin' it. They think I hallucinated what I thought happened."

"Do they have any proof that you did it?"

"Just what I did to Patrick before goin' to New Haven...I-I plead insanity, but I know I didn't fuckin' do that! Ya gotta believe me, Negan."

"I do, sweetheart. I know you. If you say you didn't do it, then you didn't do it. Now, please, stop crying. You know how much I hate to hear you cry." I wiped the tears from my eyes and quietly sniffled. "Are you alright? I saw Rosita shove you."

"I'm fine, just a little sore."

"Did you land on your stomach?"

"No, I caught myself."

"When was the last time ya ate?"

"When I was at Hilltop." I looked towards the bars as the sound of metal on concrete filled my ears and watched as his food tray slowly slid across the floor.

"Eat."

"Negan—"

"That wasn't a request." I let out a sigh and crawled over to the bars and sat against the wall. "I took away all the vegetables, just the way you like it." I sighed with defeat and grabbed one half his sandwich and began to eat.

"I thought you thew your tray at Rosita?"

"I did, I got another."

"Then ya need to eat, too." Negan let out a sigh and I watched as his hand grabbed the other half of the sandwich and pulled it into his cell. It was a ham sandwich, which tasted good, but it would've been better with jelly. The more I ate, the more nauseous I grew. Reluctantly, I forced the sandwich down.

"You're gonna make it through this, Michaela."

"I don't know if I will." I sighed. "The way they looked at me, even Daryl's fed up."

"Fuck them." Negan scoffed. "I get you're a lil' messed up upstairs, but that isn't any reason to just give up on you." I slightly jumped as Negan's hand reached through his bars and into mine and gently placed his hand on my stumped arm. "I'm not giving up on you, Michaela. Not for one fuckin' minute."