Kat needed to find an excuse to go to Rick, and the most plausible one was hunting for supplies.
<Negan?> Called him.
<I'm here> the man replied.
<I have to go hunting something because the supplies are poor... And I could stay away a bit. Is it a problem?>
It was the right opportunity.
<No, there's no problem, I can look after myself alone Kat> His words sounded sharper than he wanted, and Kat had noticed. He was strange lately.
<All right. Then I'll get ready to go> she informed him.
Kat had taken everything she needed and then she had gone through the door, turned around and shouted to Negan that she was going out, and he had told her that they would have seen each other soon.
Say hello to Rick, bitch.
He had thought it, wanted to spit it in her face, but he had bitten his tongue.
Negan waited twenty minutes for Kat to be far enough away, then prepared to return to the Sanctuary. He had put on his clothes, had taken supplies and unfailingly his Lucille.
He set off and soon felt pains spread all over his body, but after having remembered the reasons for which he was doing it, it was as if he had been reborn: the rage flowed in his veins like a flooded river, the veins throbbed and the hand with which he supported his beloved Lucille was completely white.
They will pay, everyone of them.
He was full of resentment towards everyone: he had been betrayed by his "friends", by his men and also by whom he considered his girlfriend.
They had cut him to pieces hoping that they could not recover from such a thing, but they were wrong: Negan was strong, more than all of them put together probably. He would not have lost and would have avenged himself.
Once he arrived at the Sanctuary, exhausted, had violently slammed Lucille against the closed gate, making the cold metal sound under his undelicate touch and stirring the zombies bound to the fence.
A man came running out attracted by the noise, and when he recognized Negan, he almost had a heart attack.
He was back.
He stopped to look at him from afar as you look at the wild animals beyond the cage.
Then Negan, impatient, shouted at him to open immediately, and he rushed to execute the order.
As soon as he opened the gate, he had dropped to his knees on the floor, raising the dust, keeping his head down in silence, hoping that Negan would not do anything to him.
Negan said nothing and moved on, placing Lucille on his shoulder. He entered the Sanctuary with the man in tow and, after grabbing him by the neck, had ordered him to immediately gather everyone in the central hall, without telling them he was back, and then he would have to go back to call him.
The man executed the orders in terror and did not take long to put everyone in alarm. He had told Simon that the men had gathered to protest, while told people that Simon had to give a speech.
When they were all gathered together, the man vanished to call Negan, letting the others look at each other in perplexity while waiting for someone to speak.
From the dark and silent corridors there emerged a whistling, bleak, unmistakable sound. The steps were getting heavier and closer: the small pieces of cement fallen from the walls shattered under his weight. Lucille's barbed wire ran slowly against the bare concrete of the wall causing small sparks. The dark, thin shadow of the man made his way through the timid lights of the Sanctuary.
When people began to understand, they all knelt, terrified even before being in the presence of the man. Everyone except Simon, he stood ready to look Negan in the eyes.
When he appeared before everyone with his usual mocking smile, time seemed to freeze: although he was visibly losing weight a lot, he was not less afraid than before, indeed.
The men still on their knees looked at him briefly to avoid crossing his gaze, except Simon, who was clearly visible in front of the crowd waiting for him.
<Surprise> exclaimed Negan as a threat to Simon.
<How do hey say? Ah yes, who doesn't die see each other again, right Simon?> He added walking towards the man.
<Negan> just answered the other snarling.
<I have heard rumors of the fuck you were doing here during my absence, and it will not surprise you that I'm not happy with how you handled things...> Negan started walking dangerously around Simon, stroking Lucille like if he wanted to apologize for what was about to happen.
<People are resources, not fucking puppets! This place is going to hell because you can have a little fun, but it ends here. Now. To command means to take responsibility that no one wants and to make sacrifices that others can not even imagine, it takes guts for such a thing.
But since you insist so much in wanting to have the command... then I'll leave it to you> Negan's words had left everyone incredulous.
Simon did not quite know what to say and just stared at him defiantly.
<Come on Simon, is that what you wanted, didn't you? At least pretend to be happy!> Negan shouted at him mocking him.
<I will give new life to this place> Simon growled.
<But if you can not even make survive this place! You will give a new life just to a shit Simon, you will not even be able to keep your own life... imagine the others'!> He whispered in his ear before returning in front of him and pass Lucille to one of his men.
<And now come on, come get what you want so much> Negan shouted, opening his arms.