➡️ First of all, we learned in the last chapter that Brie (one of my OC's) was an item with Negan once upon a time before she served with him in the Saviors. Now, in this chapter, I'm allowing us time to grieve through the last chapter before I dive right into S8. So, this chapter is a little of what happened before Negan became himself and created the Saviors. Yet, the italics will be the past and the regular writing will be the current time. BTW: Brie's little sister in this, Lucy, is not in reference of any kind to Negan's baseball bat, Lucille. This is Negan and Brie's story... #Bregan ⬅️
❝ We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization. ❞
— MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. —
~ ~ ~
The night had fallen on them quickly. Brie Kurtis peered out of her right eye over at her little sister, Lucy. The little fire that the two had put together was at their feet, shining onto their dark faces.
Brie knew that Lucy was starving over there, wrapping her skinny arms around her equally small stomach and rocked forward and backwards over and over again. They hadn't eaten in days, only living off of one bottle of water and any wild berries that they could find in the woods.
She had felt bad for her little sister since Brie was the one that was always supposed to take care of her. The day of when things began to go crazy, their parents died and Brie had to put them down by herself. They tried to reunite with their aunt, but when they went to her house, she was no where to be found. Ever since then, it has just been Brie and Lucy together and trying their best to survive this thing.
However, there have been others here and there along the way. An estranged man and little boy accompanied them for a few months not that long ago. The man and little boy had spare food that they were willing to share with the two young women.
The father and son stayed with them for a long time until the boy was bitten and died. The man cried for two days before he killed himself in the bathroom of a house that they were staying in at the time. Sadly, Brie and Lucy had to move on and start new someplace else.
Again, they ran into another group — yet, they weren't all family members. Some were strangers that had ran into each other and desired to survive together. They stayed with the group of five for a good few months. Almost one by one, they went away — except for two, whom had left within the night after taking Brie and Lucy's remaining food.
Ever since then, they had been alone and they plan on keeping it that way, too. They were loners. Always have been and always will be, too, unfortunately. Brie wished that she could find a place for her little sister to keep her safe, fed, and happy.
Brie focused back on the dying fire in front of her that was close to her boots. Some nights after they've made the fire up, Brie seriously contemplated throwing herself in there to suffer and, eventually, die. She'll turn, though. No matter what happens to you, you turn — unless you get hit through the brain first.
All Brie wanted to see is her little sister smile once again, even if it was for a second. She wanted to save Lucy from this world, but that was impossible since Lucy had allowed the evil to consume her.
~ ~ ~
"I don't want to do this, Brie!" Negan exclaimed, kicking her in the ribs. "You shouldn't have left me when you did!"
Brie was taking each and every shot, spitting up blood when he'll hit her and kick her. Simon was hovered over Negan, where Brie was laid out on the cell's cold ass floor. Simon wanted her dead for betraying them.
Just as the smoke cleared, Simon was the one that snuck up on Brie and practically kidnapped her before anyone else could notice. He brought her back here, where they could beat her to a bloody pulp for betraying Negan to even begin with.
Brie seen through a busted eye and a whole one that Dwight had walked up, almost appalled of the disaster sight of Brie. His mouth was somewhat hung open and he blinked a few times.
"I trusted you!" Negan screamed, kicking her one last time in the ribs. He straightened himself up and without looking back at them, he called out to his fellow Saviors: "Dwighty-Boy, fire up the furnace. We have a traitor to burn. And, Simon, go get her ready. Drag her, if you have to."
"Yes, sir," Simon happily accepted, even smiling about it.
Negan turned back around, grabbing Lucille from being laid-up beside the door. "I really don't want to do this, Brie, but it's what has to be done. You are a traitor... And traitors get burned."
Negan walked away as Brie laid there, struggling to breathe and not choke on her own blood. As soon as Negan was down the hall, Simon looked down at Brie with a more than eager grin across his face. She was going to pay for what she did. Burn, actually.
Simon bent down and grabbed her by the back of her hair, taking in a big handful of it. "C'mon, Brie," Simon growled, picking her up by her hair. She couldn't stand, though, so that's when he decided to drag her instead. "You'll learn, you stupid bitch! You don't cross Negan!"
~ ~ ~
"You hear that?" Brie whispered to Lucy, peering behind them at the noise that just came from the woods. "What was it?"
Lucy shrugged, turned back around to face the fire from looking behind herself for a moment. "I don't know and I don't care," she murmured and rolled her eyes. "I hope that they get me."
"What a positive attitude that you have," Brie sarcastically commented, staring at her as she said this. Nevertheless, Brie rolled her own eyes before standing up with her AK-47 rifle. "I'm going to go see."
She didn't hear Lucy say anything, so she began to take off into the woods that surrounded them. She held the rifle up, along with a small flashlight that sat on top of it, pointing in the direction that she had heard the noise to come from.
"Come on out," she called out to the unknown noise, obviously afraid and not at the same time. "I won't hurt you... Not unless you make me."
The noise didn't return, but she stayed for a minute longer to linger around until it would come back. Lucy normally would suggest that it's an animal of some kind than the dead or people. Yet, if it was people, it would be one with the noise that it made.
"I'm going to give you to the count of five," came Brie's warning tone and gritted her teeth. "One... Two... Three... Four..." She paused and sighed. "Don't make me say 'one,' because if I see you after that, I'm going to shoot you without question."
She looked around one last time, shining some light out on everything out there. She growled and gritted her teeth again. "That's it," she whispered to herself and squinted her eyes together. "One."
~ ~ ~
Brie was tied-up to a simple chair, surrounded by all of those Saviors and the furnace nearby, too. She was barley conscious and everyone could clearly see that, seeing how her head was hanging down without movement.
Dwight had done what Negan instructed him to do and that was to fire up the furnace. Simon had done his job, too, dragging Brie here all the way from her cell — since she couldn't walk on her own. She wouldn't be able to function after this is all said and done.
"We meet here today because what's about to happen is gonna be hard to watch. Personally, I don't want to do this," Negan announced, but Brie couldn't physically see him. She could clearly hear him, though. "I wish that I could just ignore the rules — especially for her sake — and let it slide, but I can't. Why?"
"The rules keep us safe," the Saviors instantly replied, rehearsing the same old ritual as before.
"Exactly," Negan gulped and nodded, looking down at Brie's titled head. "Many of you know that Brie and I go way back... Almost since the beginning of this whole thing. I trusted her a lot. I even trusted her with my life. She was a leader among us and it was an absolute pleasure of having her work for me."
Negan paused and extended her hand out to touch her, placing his fingers underneath his jawline and picking her head up — which was just a bloody and broken mess. "However, as many as you know, Brie got tired of her life here with us," Negan picked right back up before allowing her head to drop down once again. "She ran away with the other two animals and tried to hide behind the Kingdom's walls. She showed up to fight and killed a lot of us, too. Simon snatched her before she could get away, though, and look at her now. Pathetic."
Negan backed up little by little until he was almost at the furnace. He extended his arm out and Dwight handed me the glove. He slipped it on over his right hand while Dwight was pulling out the iron from the furnace.
"We have to burn the traitor," Negan continued to rant and rave, getting the iron and bringing it over to her face. She wasn't going to sit her head up, so Negan motioned for him to come on over. He did and used both of his hands to hold it up. "Someone has to watch for the wolves in sheep's clothing."
With that said, he brought down the iron to her face.
~ ~ ~
"Don't shoot," the male voice called out with his hands up in surrender. "I'm coming out."
Brie held her rifle firmly, just like her lips, and focused the light on the strange man. "Who are you? Where are you headed?"
"Washington," the man answered, slowly putting his hands down — but Brie was watching his every move. "According to my map, I'm not that far away."
"You're not," Brie claimed, flatly. "Only eighteen miles away."
"Good," the man murmured and his eyes met Brie's light — but, most of all, he met her own dark eyes. "What's your name, Miss?"
"Brie," she gulped and, for whatever reason, she answered him first. "My little sister is over there and her name is Lucy. You're not no rapist, are you?"
He shook his head and quickly claimed: "Of course not! I have had to kill people before to prevent them from turning, but I am no rapist."
"Good," Brie whispered and slowly began to put her rifle down from being pointed at his head. "What's your name, stranger?"
"Negan," he answered and nodded. "Just call me Negan."
~ ~ ~
She felt the iron to her face, but didn't react. It hurt beyond compared, but she didn't wake up until it was almost over. Then, her screams escaped from her mouth that seemed to echo before bouncing off the concrete walls and cake back to hit her in the face.
Negan was almost hurt by her pain. Almost, that is. His instant facial reaction to the pain was immediate, but he had to quickly collect himself before others looked to see. Everything from their past to their present — even to their potential future... He had ruined that as soon as he played that iron on her face.
Then, Negan realized that he had to say something and fast, too, to officially make his point clear. "Ah, just like that," he decided to say first before placing the iron back on the rack that Dwight was currently holding up. He went ahead and slipped off the glove as well. "If this tells you anything, then the message is clear: If I am willing to do this to Brie, I will do this to anyone who crosses me."
The Saviors has received his message loud and clear. By now, they all knew right from wrong. Negan had done this deadly act unto Dwight, Mark, and, now, Brie. Bloody hell, he threw Doctor Carson straight into the furnace. Would that count, too? He was willing to do this to anyone that dared to cross him.
"Simon," called out Negan and Simon looked to his leader, "why don't you go get somebody to clean this mess up for me, hm?"
"Yes, sir," Simon obeyed, quickly disappearing to go get someone now. He dodged, keeping his head down and hidden to avoid suspicious.
Dwight had the furnace now off and spun around, facing Negan's back, as he gulped. "And, uh... Dwighty-Boy, won't don't you help the new Doctor Carson out by taking Brie to his room?"
Not saying a word, Dwight simply nodded and headed over to her. Doctor Carson cake up behind the chair to untie her, but couldn't manage without Dwight's pocketknife. Together, they untied her and had to legitimately drag her back to Doctor Carson's room.
Dwight knew all about this unimaginable pain and he could only hope that Brie would be able to walk away from this like he did.
~ ~ ~
"So, tell us, Negan," Brie spoke up to the new stranger. "Why are you headed to Washington for? Are you, too, hoping to find a cure there?"
"Too?" Negan smirked and shook his head. He was talking between bites from his can of beans. He even shared a little of what he had with the two Kurtis sisters. "You two must have ran into a few groups that were headed to Washington."
Lucy was happily eating beside Brie, keeping quiet as she munched on her new and improved meal. She hadn't said much of a word since Negan arrived. She didn't care, as long as the estranged man carried food with him.
Brie nodded, swallowing a big scoop of beans in the process, and replied: "Yeah, well, not very many. But, back at the beginning, that's all that I heard from others. They were all headed to Washington, where a 'cure' was apparently waiting for them at."
"That's the rumor," Negan added with a nod and after he swallowed a scoop of beans. "So, where is 'home' for you girls? I'm from Virginia, actually."
Brie nodded, somewhat smiling, and answered: "Oh, yeah? Well, we're from Michigan."
"It's nice there," he commented and sat down the now-empty can of beans on the ground next to his feet. He clapped his hands together to dust them off. "I went there way back when, but I'm sure it looks just as bad as the rest of the world does right now."
"It could always get better," Brie countered, earning a sudden glare from Negan. "It could."
"Maybe," Negan sighed and shrugged, "but I wouldn't count on it."
~ ~ ~
Negan had a plan for this. He always did for everything. He was Negan, after all. He just had to stay calm, cool, and collected.
Brie was laid out on his bed in his apartment after being badly burned by him only about an hour before. She laid flat back on his bed, still passed out, and barley had life left in her. Doctor Carson had just left with the latest report: She was going to live, but not more if she endures anymore pain.
Negan made this his newest mission in making sure that Brie was to not feel anymore pain for now on. Yet, the Kingdom would soon notice that she's gone and come around looking for her. He had to drop her back off, but instead at the Kingdom's front gates, it would be at Alexandria instead. This would make an even better statement since Rick will be waiting inside for anything big to happen.
He wanted this message to be clear to everyone, but more so to Rick than anyone else. Simon was getting the truck ready now to run and drop her off real quick. Normally, if this was anyone else, they would be getting delivered back in a body-bag. Yet, this was Brie — and Negan cared about her more than he would like to admit and way more than he's led on, too.
"Mm, hm," Negan heard from behind him after staring out of his window. He looked over to Brie, who was finally waking up. "Good afternoon to yah, sunshine. Glad you're not dead."
At first, she remained laid out on the bed without moving an muscle. Then, she heard Negan and slowly looked up at him with a mixture of angry and scared eyes. Her face was bad, but it would look better in no time — without ever fully healing, though.
In a calm and slow manner, Negan began to edge closer towards the properly made-up bed. "You'll look better in no time, by the way."
"Fuck. You," Brie managed to spit out, but her mouth was somewhat glued on one side after being burnt. "I hate you."
"Brie, you can't mean that—"
"I do," she immediately cut him off and yelled. "Stay away from me."
"Brie, let me explain," Negan tried soothing this whole situation over with. "I know that I don't deserve that, but, please, Brie?"
"Fuck off!"
"After everything we've been through, including Lucy, this is how you repay me — by turning your back on me?! You made me do that, Brie! You—"
"Don't you dare bring Lucy into this!"
~ ~ ~
Brie and Lucy had decided to stick with Negan after their first encounter with one another. Lucy was 'okay' with the decision, but Brie over almost 'over-the-moon' about it. She found herself becoming closer and closer to Negan.
Altogether, it has been four months since they've decided to stay with him. They had made it to Washington, finding nothing at all. No cure, above all. Brie expected this more than Negan did, but they have made the most of their trip, though.
Tonight, after having a good meal of deer and jerky, Lucy immediately went to sleep off in the house that they were currently staying in. Negan and Brie decided to stay downstairs to keep watch and stay warm, using the fireplace to their advantage.
"We got lucky today," Brie commented, trying to stay warm with the fire and her jacket. "That deer was just in the right place at the right time."
"Maybe," Negan somewhat agreed and shrugged. "But luck doesn't exist, Brie. You know that."
"I guess," Brie murmured and shrugged. She was still somewhat freezing, though, and it was slowly tearing her down. "I'm ready for summer, to be honest. I somewhat miss the heat."
"You'll regret that wish later," Negan replied, then looked over at her up and down. "Are you really that cold, Brie?"
"Yeah," she blurted out and nodded frantically. "Nothing is helping, either."
"Let me feel your head," he demanded and placed his right hand on her head. He moved his hand down to her red cheeks, too. "Doesn't seem like you have a fever. Maybe you're just really cold."
"I am," she quickly claimed before her teeth began to chatter.
"Shit," Negan breathed out before throwing his arm over her back and scooping her up into his blanket. "Any better?"
"A little," she chattered and fell deeper into Negan's grip. She liked how this felt, but maybe it's because she hasn't felt another man's touch in so long. She glanced up at him after finding her head nestling into his neck.
She quickly found warmth with Negan, but she wasn't about to tell him that, though, so she kept quiet until it all became too much to bare. She slowly began to separate from him before gulping and staring at him.
Maybe it was the heat or the possible pleasure in store, but Brie needed this to happen already. "Negan?" Her voice came out as weak and desperate, and he heard it, too. "I—"
Before she could finish, Negan was all over her with his lips crashing to hers immediately. His left hand was on the small of her back while slowly leading her down to the rug on the ground. His right hand was now busy getting her clothes off as fast as she could get his off, too.
That night started something between them that would last... Until the calvary showed up.
~ ~ ~
Simon wasn't playing around with Brie's betrayal, not like Negan was taking it so lightly. She was Negan's past, not his. He pulled up to Alexandria and dropped her off rather quickly, legitimately throwing her out of the back.
Rick was the first one to run out and see what they had dropped off. Tess, Tara, and Daryl followed behind him while the others waited inside. They could see a bag was over her head, wrists were bound behind her back, and her ankles were tied as well.
Simon had took the initiative and stabled a note — legitimately — to her chest, causing her to lose more blood than she already has. They pulled off the bag and immediately seen that half of her face had been burnt badly — like they had just done it not long before dropping her off. They rushed her inside to get checked, but they're gonna need somebody — like a doctor — to say for sure.
Negan didn't want to kill her because of their past, but Simon wanted her dead. Before dropping her off, Simon confronted her and gave her a good backhand to the face — just to be more of a dick than he already is.
Brie managed to ask Negan, however, before she left: "I was never you, but tell me, Negan, how does it feel to know that I will always be apart of you, though?"
Tess was two seconds from going out to look for her after Ezekiel reported to her that Brie had disappeared. She knew that she should've went out to look for her, which now made her very upset with herself.
Rick managed to unattached the note stabled to Brie's chest with ease, which he shared with the rest of the group — including Tess — that said: You have been warned. Don't cross Negan again or you will all be next to die one-by-one.
~ ~ ~
Lucy wanted to die. She finally managed to convince Brie to leave her back to die, but if it wasn't for Negan, she would've stayed back with her little sister, too.
When the dead had their backs to the wall, Lucy decided to sacrifice herself for her big sister and her newest friend. She wanted to die, after all, from all the depression that fueled inside of her body.
With pleading eyes, Lucy looked up at Brie and pleaded: "Let me GO, Brie! Just... Just let me go and leave me be. This is what's right. I'm not ready for this world. I never was. I only stayed alive for you, but now that you have somebody, I can finally die in peace."
Brie screamed and pleaded with her to go with them, but Lucy purposely let go of her hand before falling back into the trailer from the sunroof. Brie seen her little sister take her last breath before she was being dragged away by Negan.
Lucy didn't get the chance to stay and see just how much of a monster that Brie and Negan became.
• That's it! Long and hard to write! Here it is, tho 🤗 Started my new job today and I already want to quit 🤢 Anyways, I hope that you loved this chapter, tho! Thank ohmysprouse for helping me along the way! I made that edit, btw 🤦🏻♀️ That is all since I gotta get to sleep... 😴 Goodnight! All the love .xx •