After working up the nerve, the following morning I finally listened to what Sawyer instructed me to do. The last thing I wanted was to listen to anything one of the Saviours had told me, but he was right, I couldn't let myself deteriorate in this room. I thought about what Glenn would do, and I know he would fight tooth and nail to get himself back to our family. He wouldn't be sulking or moping in bed, he'd be creating a plan. And even though I don't entirely trust Sawyer yet, that desperate boy was my only option. Negan would be back soon and I was determined to be ready.
I rubbed my hands anxiously on the sides of this god-awful dress and gripped the door handle, pushing it open slowly. I listened for a moment, hearing only the soft voices of a few women coming from the common room just down the hall. When I didn't hear the men's voices, I tentatively stepped out of the room. My shoes made a shuffling sound on the floor, echoing down the hallway and alerting the other women of my approach. Three women sat around the common area, two on the sofa and another one on a single loveseat. The fourth woman stood over at the unattended bar top, swirling what looked to be an amber liquor in her glass. I hated the thought, but they all looked so pathetic. They looked like four little birds trapped in this cage with their wings clipped. I refuse to turn into that, I wanted to be the cat poking around just enough to set us free.
Three of them looked over at me like they were waiting for me to make the first move. I wondered if they were trying to feel out my mental state at the moment. Whether I was terrified and would just break down crying, or if I was confused and start running. However, I am sure they may just be scared of me as they all either heard or had seen what I had done to that Saviour. It was the one girl who looked no older than twenty who kept her head down. Her long, thick blonde hair covered most of her tear-stained cheeks. She was one of the women sitting on the couch, a pixie-faced redhead consoling her with a gentle rub on her back.
"Hello," I sighed out softly. They seemed to ease at the simple greeting. My tone was calm and steady, I was not going to break down or run.
"How are you feeling?" the woman over at the bar asked. Her silky brown hair was cut to her shoulders, her hazel eyes pinning me in place. She was beautiful, they all were. She took a sip from her drink waiting for my answer. The way that she held herself, reminded me of Rosita. No bullshit, no fear, she was adaptable. She accepted her fate here, whatever it may be, and made the most of it.
"I'm fine now," I answered, hoping they couldn't see through my facade. The truth was that I was fine, if I was here alone I'd probably go after anyone who came within two feet of me before eventually turning into one of these women and accepting defeat. But I'm not here alone, what made me scared and the only thing that kept my anger from boiling over was Daryl's fate here as well. "I want to know why I'm here though. I need one of you to tell me why Negan brought me here."
"What's your name?" The woman at the bar disregarded my question, walking over from the table and taking a seat on one of the chairs. She motioned for me to sit as well.
I obliged hoping that this would eventually lead to some answers. "Scar." I sat down on the last remaining two-seater sofa.
She gave me a small half-smile, "I'm Sherry. This is Tanya," she pointed to the woman who sat alone on one of the single loveseats. Her nearly black hair also seemed to be cut short, but it had been pulled back from her face, only her front bangs hanging loose. She granted me a weak smile. "Frankie," Sherry then pointed over to the pixie-faced woman. She greeted me with a simple 'Hi.' "And Negan's newest wife, Amber." She motioned toward the younger woman who still seemed to be emotional, although, she had calmed down since my arrival.
My head snapped towards Sherry, trying to hide the confusion on my face, "Newest wife?" I nearly stuttered. "You are all his wives?"
Sherry looked around, even though we were the only people in this room. Her eyes darted toward the open door leading out into the main hallway. Tanya immediately stood, already knowing what that look meant and went to shut the door.
"Negan likes his trophies. He wants to feel powerful and he is. He will surround himself with beauty. Just one other reason for people to fear him," Sherry explained. "He doesn't outwardly force us to accept his proposal, but if he wants you... you're already his. He's good at that... the manipulation. He will find you in a position where your only option is to say yes. He will find something to hold over your head where the alternative to saying yes is way greater of a risk than the loss of your own freedom."
"I don't understand," I shook my head.
Sherry took a deep breath, "In my case, months ago my husband, sister and I tried to escape. My sister was a diabetic and in need of regular doses of insulin. However, insulin is hard to come by, which in turn Negan used to his advantage to force her into a proposal. That's when we decided to make a run for it," Sherry wiped the tears from her eyes before they fell. "I don't want to get into the details of it, but my sister didn't make it and my husband and I were forced to return. To stop Negan from killing us both for trying to escape with his fiance, I agreed to marry him instead." Sherry exhaled harshly like she was reliving it all over again. "There is always something Negan can find to get his way, no matter how big or small it is."
My mind immediately jumped to Daryl. My chest began to tighten, the panic slowly creeping up with the realization. The only reason I was here, the only reason I was taken alongside Daryl was because Negan knew. Whether it was because he was using me to break Daryl or if he was about to hold Daryl's well-being over my head to conform. The more that I thought about it, the more likely that Negan was doing both. He planned to use us against each other. He wanted us to break the other.
I shut my eyes tight for a moment, picturing Daryl in the back of the Saviour's van. I could still feel the heat of his hands as they lightly gripped my face. Whatever he plans to hold over your head... you keep yourself alive. But my worst fear was coming alive, Negan was about to use Daryl.
"I think I'm going to be sick." I couldn't keep the words from rushing out of me. I stood from my chair and began to pace. Sherry instantly handed me her glass of liquor and I took it without hesitation.
"You're going to be alright," Frankie said softly as I downed the remainder of Sherry's drink. I couldn't handle her sad, blind optimism even though I knew she didn't believe the words coming from her mouth either. None of these women were okay, they were backed up into a corner with no way out.
"How long?" I pressed. "How long until he forces me into this?" I wasn't about to beat around the bush, I was calling a spade a spade. This wasn't going to be a thoughtful proposal from the one you love, this was going to be an ambush and I needed to be prepared.
"He will be back tomorrow," Tanya said. That confirms that Sawyer was truthful with Negan's return at least, giving me a proper heads-up.
"He will most likely set up a spectacle, scaring you into a position where you think becoming his wife is your only option," Amber spoke up, the first words that I have heard come out of her mouth this entire time. I assumed that was what she was going through right now, or at least the aftermath of it.
"Your situation is a little different than ours though," Sherry added.
"What do you mean?" My eyes narrowed on her while I took a seat once again so I was directly across from her.
"All of us had lived here before we ended up in a situation that resulted in a proposal. He knew our weak spots or what we were in desperate need of. But you... you are the first potential wife that he has brought back with him." Sherry paused for a moment, her brows furrowing. "So what does he have over you to make you so scared?"
The women waited patiently as my hands began nervously fiddling together in my lap. I took a deep breath and smoothed my palms over my dress once again, Sherry's question only confirming my previous worries.
"I wasn't the only one from my group taken by Negan," I began, but I could feel a lump in my throat beginning to well up. I swallowed hard before clearing it. "I don't even know what to refer to him as," a small smile slid up my face, "but I love him." I looked up at Sherry and that's when I realized that two light tears were beginning to slide down my cheeks. "And I haven't even been able to tell him that myself yet," I shrugged, shaking my head trying to clear my emotions, "Negan saw that and now I know he is going to use that against the both of us. I will become Negan's wife to keep Daryl safe but in return, if I do, I know it will break Daryl. There is no winning in our situation, not unless I do something to stop it."
"You arrived with Daryl?" was the only question Sherry could ask me.
My glassy eyes shot up to meet hers. "Yes." And then it all came back to me. Sherry's escape with her husband and sister. The story Daryl had told me long ago about the people he tried to help in the burnt forest. Dwight was Sherry's husband.
"The one good thing about being one of Negan's wives is that no one dares to bother what is Negan's. We may be trapped, but we do have the most freedom moving within the Sanctuary. And I know where they are keeping Daryl."
My breath quietly caught in my throat, my mind racing. I now had both Sawyer and Sherry who seemed like they wanted to help me. This is why Sawyer insisted that I talk to them, he knew the slight power one of Negan's wives could have. Like Sherry had said, although we are seemingly trapped under Negan's thumb like everyone else if we go wandering around the Sanctuary with a purpose no one will tell us otherwise. Even Negan's men would be too scared of the repercussions if we were to let it slip that one of them stepped out of line without Negan's approval.
Right then I realized that was Negan's weak spot. His pride and ego were far too delicate for his own good. As long as he was away from the Sanctuary, I had leverage. And how stupid of a man not to realize that a woman with even a little bit of power and patience was enough to fuel the fire to take him down.
~~~~~
Hello lovelies, I have returned. So sorry for the long wait! Some of you messaged me asking if I was continuing this book and the answer is YES. LOL. I just went through a phase of being obsessed with puzzles (loser) and then I didn't have enough time to write as well. I still have a lot planned for this book and I am already picturing some crazy scenes. It may just take me a little bit longer than usual because it's been so long since I have watched these seasons of TWD.
This chapter is dedicated to scar770 for reading all of Stray within a few days before immediately jumping over to Red and asking for more! I love you so much and here you go!
Drop me a comment about what you think to get the next shoutout xx