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

I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest. "Um, Negan said something about going to a Kingdom today 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 am going meet a king?" I stuttered out, blinking a few times in question. I had to act dumb. I knew who the King was just like I knew what the Kingdom was, too. I did not want him to catch on.

"The King is what I said," he repeated, nodding. "Anyways, I'm surprised that 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, his eyes scanning my body from head-to-toe. "You tell me."

I watched his damning eyes, how they could tell a story without ant words and how they could convince me to do almost anything. He knew how to play me like a violin and how to make me sound like I have 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 with a chuckle, gesturing towards himself. "No way. That's your home. Plus, Negan and myself both won't allow you to. Sorry, but we have enough people going."

"Who? Who is going?"

"Well, uh," he stuttered, now having to think about it. "Negan, myself, 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 Alden 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, they're my friends and—"

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

Now that I am officially Negan and all that, I cannot claim that anyone from both Alexandia and Hilltop are my friends. I have to completely pretend that Negan did not single-handily murder my friends right in front of my face. I have to pretend that he did not kill Glenn, my best friend. I have to pretend and I am already so sick of it.

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

Yeah, thanks, I wanted to sarcastically say in return, but kept quiet and allowed him to leave.

There could be advantages to being Negan now, though. I had to think quick before it is too late, so I began to run down the hallways until I was where Daryl's cell was. I peeked inside through the jarred door, which was empty. He was not there.

I looked to my right and seen two Saviors dragging him away. I decided to run up behind them and yelled 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 had 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 pretty 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 orders straight from Negan."

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

I did not even walk up to Daryl until they were completely gone and the hallway was clear of any such Saviors.

Slowly, I approached Daryl. He was not the same. I am sure that he is being torn down to nothing, too. I brought my left hand to his face and, he 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, though,  I promise." He kept quiet, but watched me closely. "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 together. We were quiet and he was hesitant, which only made me even more depressed. 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 will get us both out of here by worimg alongside the enemy." He remained quiet. "I will make this up to you, Glenn, and Abe. I promise."

Then, I leaned forward and lightly embraced him, wrapping my arms around his stomach. I hardly touched him, as if he was glass and was going to break. He did not hug me back until I was about to let go, then he finally took the chance to grab my arm and hold me. His chin rested on top my head. It all only lasted a few seconds, but it was so worth it. Totally worth it.

"I'll see you soon, Daryl."

———

"WE are not going into the Kingdom, necessarily," Alden was telling me as we pulled 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 did not want to get too involved. I do not agree with anything that these low-lives do, either. 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, he was already out and getting ready to annoy these people that represented the Kingdom.

Waiting until Alden and Gavin were getting out, I finally did the same and immediately recognized who was there. Other than King Ezekiel, himself, was Jerry, Richard, and Morgan. The same Morgan from Alexandria.

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

"Go check it out," Gavin calmly demanded of Alden and Jared. I stayed back, quiet as a church-mouse.

They began to look through the stuff and Alden turned around with a nod. "It's good," he 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."

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

There is a moment of silence just 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 was really going on, but I cannot with all these witnesses. I could kill them all, but I cannot 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 spat out, "Cough it up... King."

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

"We'll get it next time," Alden claimed, then looked to Jerry. "Hey. Help me with this, man?"

Jerry nodded and made his way over to Alden, all-too-willingly to help. Just as Alden spun around to take the crate of watermelons to our own car, Jared was there to make Al drop all of them 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 which had fallen, placing it back into the crate. I fell to my knees, also, and began to help, too. He looked up into my eyes, but did not say anything. 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 yelled back in his face, now handing the crate of fruit to Ben. "It's the right thing to do."

"You haven't changed," Jared hissed back in my face, dragging it out. "You're the same stupid bitch that you have always been!"

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

"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 along with Alden. Back at the Sanctuary, I had written out a note and, just as Morgan handed me another crate, I slipped it to him. He knew that it was there in his hand, but he did not say anything — just nodded.

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 isn't doing so good while I, on the other hand, have caved in. I couldn't take the abuse anymore and I am ashamed. I had to declare myself to be just like Negan to eventually get out of here. Please tell my brother, Paul, that I am okay. Please tell Rick and everybody else at Alexandria that I am truly sorry for everything. Please get me and Daryl out of here. We are ready to come back home.
— Tess Rovia