"Where are you headed today?" Dwight asked me as I passed by him. I stopped and turned towards him. He was propped up beside his bedroom door that was closed, like it always is.

I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest, and replied: "Um, Negan said something about going to a Kingdom or something. I have no idea what that means."

He lifted himself off the wall and nearly bumped right into me. "You're gonna meet the King."

"I'm sorry, but did you just say that I'm going meet a king?" I stuttered out, blinking a few times in question. I had to act dumb. I knew who the King and what Kingdom was, too. I didn't want him to catch on.

"The King is what I said," he corrected, nodding. "Anyways, I'm surprised you don't know about them yet."

Innocently, I shrugged and claimed: "Nope, no idea. Sorry. Am I supposed to?"

Just like I did with the innocent shrug, he did the same and got right in my face. "I don't know," he whispered, timidly. "You tell me."

I watched his damning eyes, how they could tell a story without words and how they can convince me to do almost anything. He knew how to play me like a violin and how to make me sound like I've been doing this my whole life.

With equal eyes, I squinted them and countered him: "I know just as much as you do, Dwight." We held our gaze for another minute before I turned away. "Anyways, where are you headed today?"

"Your home," he commented and I nearly broke my neck to look back at him.

With wide eyes, I silently asked: "What? My home? What?"

He nodded and replied: "Yeah, Alexandria. You ever miss it?"

"Dwight, please," I began to beg, coming face to face with him. "Let me go with you."

"Go with me?" he eagerly repeated, gesturing towards himself. "No way. That's your home. Plus, Negan and myself both won't allow you. Sorry, but we have enough people going."

"Who? Who is going?"

"Well, uh," he stuttered, now having to think about it. "Negan, myself, and Daryl, and—"

"Daryl? Did you just say DARYL?!"

He nodded and answered: "Yes, I did — but you ain't going, sister. You're going with Brie and Gavin. Forget it."

"Dwight, please—"

"Back off," he warned, pushing me off of him. He shoved his finger in my face as an extra warning. "You're not going and that's the bottom line."

"Dwight, that's my family and—"

"Not anymore," he cut me off again and growled in my face. "You're Negan now, remember?" Fuck, I thought to myself as a reminder.

Now that I'm officially Negan and all that, I can't claim that Rick and them are my family. I have to completely pretend that Negan didn't single-handily murder my friends right in front of my face. I have to pretend that he didn't kill Glenn, my best friend. I have to pretend and I'm already so sick of it.

"Brie will be waiting for you at the back gate," I heard him say now that he slowly walking away and disappearing into nothing. "Good luck!"

Yeah, thanks, I wanted to say in return, but kept quiet as I allowed him to leave. There could be advantages to being Negan now. I had to think quick before it's too late, so I began to run down the hallways until I was where Daryl's cell was. He wasn't there. It was emptied, but he's probably not long gone now.

I looked to my right and seen two Saviors dragging him away. I decided to run up behind them and yell out: "Um, wait!"

They all spun around, Daryl included. The look on Daryl's face said it all. He was confused, pissed, and sadden. He has no idea.

"What do you want?" one of the Saviors asked me, rolling his eyes.

"I just seen Dwight and he told me that I had to come and get Daryl," I lied right through my teeth. Yet, I sounded so truthful that I actually began to believe it, myself. "What are y'all doing? I was just told that I had to come and get him and, now, y'all are?"

"Uh, uh," the other Savior began to stutter out in confusion. "H-He did?"

I nodded, crossed my arms over my chest, and replied: "You're damn right. Direct order by Negan."

Quickly, they snatched their hands off of Daryl and held them up in surrender. Wow, that was easy. "Alright, sorry," they apologized before they began to take off down the hallway.

I didn't even walk up to Daryl until they were completely gone and the hallway was clear of any such Saviors. Slowly, I approached Daryl. He wasn't in the same. I'm sure that he's been torn down to being nothing, too. I brought my left hand to his face and quickly flinched away, grunting. Just like how it was before between us.

"I'm sorry," I decided to apologize before anything else. "I had to do this. It's only temporary, I promise." He kept quiet, but he watched me closely from being shorter than him. "I have a plan. Believe in me as I have always believed in you."

With that said, I placed my hand on his shoulder and spun us around to begin to walk again. We were quiet and he was hesitant, which only made me even sadder. I wanted him to be okay.

"We'll escape as soon as we can," I whispered to him, keeping my focus forward. "I'm going to the Kingdom today and they know my brother. I'll deliver a message." Then, we got to the door, but I didn't open it yet. I faced him towards me as I took a deep breath. "I love you." He remained quiet. "I always have and I always will. I'll make this up to you and Glenn, I promise."

Then, I leaned forward and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his stomach. He didn't hug me back until I was about to let go, then he finally took the chance to hug me back. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was so worth it. Totally worth it.

"I'll see you soon. I love you. Remember me."

———

"We're not going into the Kingdom, necessarily," Brie was telling me as we began to pull up into an empty parking lot. There was a big truck already there, though. "We're far from the Kingdom. We meet in the middle, as to say."

Oh, I thought to myself, but definitely kept quiet. I didn't want to get too involved. I don't agree with anything that these low-lives do. Especially Negan. Fuck all of them and Negan, too!

Gavin pulled up and the car squeaked to a halt. Jared was in the passenger seat, all ready to go. As soon as the car had stopped, Jared was already out and getting ready to annoy the people that represented the Kingdom.

Waiting until Brie and Gavin were getting out, I finally did the same and immediately recognized who was there. Other than King Ezekiel, there was Jerry, Richard, and Morgan. Wait... What?! That's Morgan from Alexandria!

Nevertheless, I kept my cool as I slowly approached them, hiding behind Brie for the most part. "Here you are," Ezekiel said, signaling towards the back of their truck. "I'm sure that you'll find that everything is in place for you."

"Go check it out," Gavin calmly demanded of Brie and Jared. I stood there beside him as quiet as a church mouse.

They began to look through the stuff and Brie turned around with a nod. "It's good," she concluded, obviously not trying to cause trouble like Jared.

"Hold up," Jared suddenly called out, holding his index finger up. "Looks like it's low."

"Brie says it's not," Gavin countered, still remaining still in his place. "What's the conclusion here?"

There a moment of silence as I looked up to see Morgan's eyes directly on me in question and anger. I wanted to just go right up to him and tell him what's really going on, but I can't with all these witnesses. I could kill them all, but I can't do that or I'll be hunted down.

"It's light," Jared finally said, showing off in front of Ezekiel. "Needs more."

"We'll get it next time," Gavin calmly concluded, nodding towards Ezekiel in a mental agreement. "Now, let's go."

"Not until we get what's ours," Jared countered with Gavin had already demanded. He got right in the King's face and said: "Cough it up... King."

"I can't," King replied instantly, clearly upset.

"We'll get it next time," Brie claimed, then looked to Jerry. "Help me with this, will yah?"

Jerry nodded and made his way over to her, to help. Just as Brie spun around to take the crate of watermelon to our own car, Jared was there to make Brie drop all of the watermelon everywhere on the ground. "Let them get it," Jared hissed, meaning for the Kingdom people to do it.

"Jared, stop it," Gavin warned, staring straight at him.

The kid, Benjamin, got down on his hands and knees to pick up the fruit that had fallen, pitting it back into the crate. I fell to my knees, also, and began to help. He looked up into my eyes, but didn't say a manage. He obviously wanted to, though.

"What are you doing?" Jared asked me, but I remained quiet as I kept helping Benjamin until it was finished. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Helping," I spat back in his face, now handing the crate of fruit to Ben. "It's the right thing to do."

"You haven't changed," he hissed in my face, dragging it out. "You're the same stupid good-hearted bitch that you've always been!"

Before I knew what I was doing, I had slapped him right across the face — which caused everybody to gasp. I was even surprised, but it was so real. I wanted him hurt now. I wanted him to feel the pain that these people feel.

"You are some cocky son-of-a-bitch, you know that?" I growled back in his face while he held his red cheek. "If you keep talking to me like that, I will kick your ass in a heartbeat."

"We're leaving," Gavin announced aloud. "Let's go. I mean it."

Then, Jerry and Ben loaded-up the rest of the stuff, but I helped. I had written out a note and, just as Morgan handed me another crate, I slipped him the note. He knew that it was there in his hand, but he didn't say anything — just nodded.

As we were leaving, Brie smiled and waved to Jerry — which showed that she had a heart somewhere deep inside her chest. Jerry, being the good guy that he was, smiled and waved back at her.

With the car now speeding away from the Kingdom people, I looked in the back window and saw Morgan reading my letter. He would know what to do.

To Whom It May Concern:
Daryl and I have been taken prisoner to Negan's Sanctuary. Daryl is now Dwight's little pet, against his will, while I have caved in. I couldn't take the abuse anymore and I'm ashamed. I had to declare myself to be just like Negan to eventually get out of here. Please tell my brother, Jesus, that I am okay. Please tell Rick and everybody else at Alexandria that I am truly sorry for everything that I've done. Please get Daryl and I out of here. We'll really appreciate it.
— Tess Rovia

• This chapter sucks. I'm sorry. Truly, I am. Something good will eventually come, but I may not update for a while. I've been feeling pressured to update when I haven't been feeling like it. Everything hurts — especially today. IDK how to describe my pain, but my chest really hurts. 👋🏻 All the love .xx •