When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 102 - Ten deep

Her head bounced off the wall behind her as she rested back, eyes closed tightly. She hadn't had one minute of sleep and every waking moment was filled with dread that she was never going to get out of that box alive - she was oddly more terrified of the confined space than she was of the absolute psychopath that sat opposite her. Negan had moved to the floor when the sun began to set the second time. He sat directly opposite her, eyes locked on her face and his eyes narrow. Neither could tell what the other was thinking. The tension was unbearable.

"My friends are out there, fighting for their lives..." she sighed, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling. "And I'm stuck in here with you"

"Aren't you lucky" he quipped.

Lou scoffed. "Do you take pleasure in causing such misery or is it just a side effect of your natural asshole-y-ness?"

A chuckle left his lips. "Little bit of both"

Slowly, she shook her head and glared at him through the darkness. The only visible part of his body was the tip of the boot that shined in the sliver of light from the cracked door.

"Why do you hate me?" he asked. The question sounded genuine, like the man couldn't actually understand her justification.

"Is that-is that a serious question?"

"Yes"

"Do you want me to start at the top of the list or jump to the main points?"

Negan narrowed his eyes. "Is it because I killed your brother? Or is it because you didn't have the guts to do it yourself?" He waited for a response but nothing came. "See, I think it's the latter. I think you wanted to kill him for months but you just didn't want his blood on your hands-"

"Didn't realise you were a shrink. Tell me, what's the going rate nowadays?"

"I also think-"

"I couldn't care less what you think"

"Well, we're gonna be stuck in here for god knows how long and I'm bored out my mind so you're gonna damn well listen" he snapped. "I think you're fueled by whatever hatred you have inside of you. I think that angers directed at me because you have nowhere else to put it and I think that deep, deep down, you know if your daughter hadn't died...you'd be on my side of this fight"

Every ounce of her wanted to scream at him, to compose a verbal list of every bad thing he had done and the repercussions of those actions but she simply didn't have the strength in her. So instead, she pursed her lips, shook her head and sighed. "Whoever you lost...must've been really important to you"

Negan was taken back. He wasn't sure what response he was expecting but it definitely wasn't that. It caught him completely off guard and he found himself struggling to reply. His eyes locked onto her silhouette, taking in every inch of her and for the briefest of moments, he felt...something for her.

"How do you do that?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Deflect so easy"

"It's a gift" she sighed. Every muscle in her body ached; she was fighting to keep her eyes open and she was tired of playing his games. She wanted out of the building. "I'm sorry for whatever it is you went through. I'm sorry that it made you cruel and vindictive and I'm sorry that she's gone. I'm sure whoever you were before couldn't have been so vengeful and I think you fight to keep up the image of the 'big bad wolf' because if you go back to who you were, you'd have to deal with that loss. You may or may not deserve to die at the end of this for what you've done, for who you've killed but it won't be me who makes that decision. Yes, you killed my brother. Yes, I hate you with every bone in my body...but I'd never be on your side of the fight...'cause when push comes to shove I'd rather stand in front of a gun to save a life, than hide behind it and take one"