For the trigger warnings summary, go to the bottom of the chapter!!

"Hey, Brooks." One of Negan's wives said, as she passed her in an isolated stairwell.

"Hi." Brooks responded, stopping for a moment, before turning to the woman and holding her back by her wrist. Brooks had to admit, she didn't know this woman's name, and the feminist inside of her was screaming, referring to her as nothing more than 'Negan's wife', because she was a lot more than that. "Sorry, I've forgotten your name."

The kind woman with blonde hair offered the girl in front of her a grin, before going down a couple of steps so they'd be the same height. Brooks was still a child, she was still fifteen, it was no surprise she was only 5'3. "Amy."

Amy was too slow. A scream ripped from Brooks' throat as she watched four walkers tackle Amy to the ground and start ripping at the young woman with their teeth and hands. Carl and Chris stared in shock while Sophia and Carol came running.

"Amy!" the whole town could hear Andrea screech as she pulled out her gun to shoot the walkers. She shot one, but Rick came yelling.

"No! Stop! Don't shoot!" Rick shouted, wrapping his arms around Andrea's arms and pulling her back. Amy was screaming in agony as her body was torn apart like it was nothing. Like she was just a meal, her only purpose to be eaten. Andrea screamed and fought Rick with grief as she tried to save her sister. "There's nothing you can do for her now!" Rick told her, regretfully.

"Amy." Brooks repeated quietly, images of the girl she knew all of those years ago were flashing before her eyes, in particular, the way she died. "That's- that's a pretty name." She mumbled, accidentally stuttering. She had to admit, it had been a long time since she thought of Amy Harrison, but watching such a young, kind and beautiful woman get torn apart by animals had haunted her for a long, long time.

The kind hearted woman smiled, she seemed to only be twenty five, maybe twenty six. "Can I help you with something, my love?"

"Uhm-" Brooks stumbled, taking her hand off of the woman's arm. "I was just wonderin', 'bout how you feel... Bein' Negan's wife, or bein' one of 'em. Like I know you got it better than the workers, but... I don't know."

Amy visibly froze. Like she was under some kind of test. "I love being Negan's wife. He's good to me, to all of us. I love him, and I'll forever be loyal to him. If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with the doctor that I cannot miss." And with that, she quickly went around Brooks, and scurried down the hallway.

In the sanctuary, Brooks was respected and cared for, but she was still Negan's #2... And Negan was feared, and so of course some of that would rub off on Brooks, in the sense that they were worried she'd report to him anything that wasn't worshiping his name. The way the saviours operated was under a monarchy system of censorship... Yet, it was still better than Alexandria and the Hilltop deciding to put a fifteen year old child to death.

/----------\

Brooks was wandering down to the armoury after her interaction with Amy. Brooks' conflict about who's side she was on had been haunting her for the two days since she'd been abandoned by Rick's people, and saved by Negan's people. Despite the love and affection Brooks received from the saviours, and the hate and anger Brooks received from Rick's people... It had always been obvious to the teenager who's side she was on. Not anymore. She supposed she just wanted a wider viewpoint by speaking to Amy, but the fear in the woman's eyes when Negan was brought up just conflicted the situation even more. If there was one thing Brooks Dixon hated, it was a bully, and in many ways, Negan was just that... Then in others he was just the opposite, he was the guy who stood up for the bullied.

Which was conflicting.

As Brooks walked into the armoury, following the voice of Negan, it's important to note that Brooks had yet to see every saviour there was. Many who now worked at the sanctuary had come from other outposts, and had only been there a week or so. There had been lockdowns and isolations to keep Brooks away from the sick, and stuck with Eugene, and she had also been gone (kidnapped) for the two nights after every saviour was better.

So, when she walked into the armoury and saw a familiar face, it bothered her why she couldn't put her finger on where she recognised him from. Negan was talking about some woman they caught breaking into the sanctuary with machine guns, he hadn't noticed Brooks slip in and stand in the corner. He especially wasn't noticing the way she stared at one man in particular. He was Asian, and in his late twenties, maybe twenty nine or even thirty. He had a crude and twisted smile on his face as he listened to Negan talking about the woman locked in cell twenty three.

Then, he made an exit. Negan eyed the man up as he left the room, but said nothing, he can't have been important enough. Brooks' eyebrows furrowed as she watched him, and as they say, curiosity killed the cat. "What's 'is name?" Brooks asked, interrupting Negan like nobody else would dare to do.

Negan turned to her, and smiled. "Didn't hear you come in then, kid." He commented, before taking a step back so she'd be more involved in the main circle. "Kaden Baek. He came from one of our outposts."

"I promised my group a girl. I'm taking the pretty blonde with me, and the black one can live. How say's it?" Kaden offered.

Rick shook his head. "Not an option. How about we let you leave? How about we don't kill you?"

Kaden grinned. "You think you have the control here, man? I'm the one holding the gun here. And, I'll pull my trigger before you get to yours. So, we got a deal?"

...

"Listen, I'm not a paedophile, man. I'm just tryna get in good with my group, you get that, right?" Kaden asked.

Rick nodded, lying completely. "Yea, yea, that's understandable... But... Sophia's mother is downstairs, and she's worried sick. Poor woman didn't sleep the whole night, how about you just let them both go, so Sophia can hug her mom?"

Before Kaden could respond in words, he was screaming in pain and falling to the ground. But, also, simultaneously, pulling the trigger on his gun as he fell. Daryl had used an arrow to shoot the man in the leg.

Sophia fell to the ground.

Brooks remembered him now. Five years ago he kidnapped Sophia, and shot he, after they all got lost after the highway herd. He was trying to take her back to his group so they could do God awful things to her. Five years ago, Rick let that man live. He left him tied up in the church, and the group never blinked twice. Five years ago, Rick and everyone else were too weak to do what needed to be done, Brooks was too weak to vocalise her disagreements.

It was a little ironic that five years later, Brooks would be the one to end his life. "How long ya known 'im?"

Negan shrugged. "Don't know exactly."

"Since the beginnin'?" Brooks asked, starting to worry if this was the group that wanted a twelve year old girl to share between them.

"No." Simon answered, shaking his head. "Me 'n' Cole found 'im all by himself, about... Two, maybe three years ago now. He's a good-"

"He's a fuckin' paedophile." Brooks interrupted, running out of the room and running as quickly as she could to cell twenty three. Brooks knew in her heart that Kaden was going to go and attack this poor, defenceless woman in her cell, and Brooks would make sure that his attempt of that would be the last thing that he ever did.

"Brooks!" Negan called, quick on her heels as he ran after her. The armoury was just around the corner from the cells, so luckily Brooks' bad leg didn't give up on her before she got there.

The cell door was open, and when Brooks got to the doorway, she saw that he was kneeling next too... Sasha... And undoing his belt, her shirt was ripped, just enough so it was off her shoulder and her bra was exposed a little. "Hey!" Brooks couldn't help but scream, as she took two more strides and kicked him in the head. He landed on his back, staring up at Brooks, shocked and terrified. "What the hell do you think you're doin'?"

"I-I-" Kaden began to stutter.

"You really think I need an answer, I got eyes, Kaden." Brooks told him, taking another step forward so he shuffled into the corner, terrified. "Come 'ere, you fuckin' pussy." Brooks demanded, charging over, grabbing him by his neck and forcing him to his feet as she shoved him against the wall, keeping her right hand squeezed around his neck. He was taller than her, by quite a bit, but her harsh grip on his neck still left a bruising pressure that left him wheezing.

"Please-" He managed to wheeze out.

"God, you had to make this hard, didn't ya... I have gotta get you back to my group... Stop cryin', kid, or I swear to god I'll bring ya back to my group as a damn walker, ya hear... Ya might wanna save that beggin' for when we get back to my people. You're gonna need your voice, sweet cheeks. Lots of the men like the hear!" Brooks screamed in his face, quoting things he had said to Sophia five years ago. "Do you remember sayin' those words to twelve year old Sophia Peletier! Because I remember all the nights I stayed awake with 'er! I remember the nightmares! The trauma! I remember how she couldn't forget a single thing for years! You selfish fuckin' asshole; she was a kid!"

A look of realisation struck Kaden's face as Brooks threw him down onto the ground. He landed on his back, his hands shaking over his chest, his legs beginning to curl in fear. "I remember!" He cried. "I'm- I- I'm sorry- I'm a changed man- I-"

"You just tried attackin' this woman, who's tied up in ropes and cannot defend herself, that ain't much different from attackin' a twelve year old kid who cannot defend herself!" Brooks couldn't help but scream as she took the sharp knife from her belt. Her mother's knife. She took a knee, and shoved the knife into his crotch. Kaden let out a throat breaking scream as he tried to grab at Brooks' wrists, but in her fury, Kaden was a lot weaker than fifteen year old Brooks Dixon. "Say 'er name! Say Sophia's name!"

"Sophia! Sophia Peletier!"

"You would've killed 'er!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"She's still alive, ya know?" Brooks spoke quieter, leaning down to speak in his face. "She's livin' a beautiful, happy life, and she's gonna live a long, long time, whereas you ain't ever-" Brooks pulled the knife out of his crotch, making him scream again. "Gonna see-" She stabbed his shoulder. "The sun-" She pulled it out and stabbed his abdomen. "Ever-" Pulling out the knife, she lost her mind, she just stabbed it in and out, in and out, in and out, perhaps fifty or so times. He stopped twitching by the twentieth stab, but the anger Brooks felt for twelve year old Sophia was just as pure as it was when Brooks was ten. "Again." She whispered, pulling out the knife, and falling back onto her butt. She was breathing heavily, letting her tired arms hang limp by her side, but her tight grip on the knife's handle never eased up.

149 people.
728 walkers.

"Brooks?" Sasha whispered.

Soaked in fresh, dripping, warm, red blood, Brooks looked up to Sasha, who's eyes were wide, terrified, staring at Brooks like a child would stare at a monster that just came out of their wardrobe. "Are you okay?" Brooks managed to whisper out, her voice was hoarse from all the screaming she had done at Kaden, but it wasn't shaky. There wasn't a hint of regret or remorse in her tone.

Sasha was a little taken aback by the question, but nodded. "You- you came in... Before he did much."

Negan's head turned back to speak to Simon, who was standing a little behind his boss. "Get this woman a new shirt." And Simon nodded, quickly running off like the mindless drone he was.

"He was... He was that Kaden?" Sasha asked, having heard the story from Sophia before.

Brooks nodded. "Never seen 'im before today, well... Not since that day, all 'em years ago. He's been at another outpost."

"Well you've already been hanging around with psychotic killers, wouldn't surprise me if you were hanging out with rapists as well." Sasha retorted, her moment of gratitude gone. She didn't need to thank Brooks for what she had done, because Brooks had done the bare minimum, but going straight back to hating her and treating her like an outcast was unnecessary. 

The girl simply hummed, the comment sliding off her shoulders. She'd heard worse in her life. Taking a deep breath, Brooks shimmied over to sit next to Sasha before she cut the ropes off of the woman's hands. "What are you doin' 'ere, Sash?"

Rubbing her wrists, before pulling her shirt closer over her body, Sasha responded. "Trying to kill him." She nodded up at Negan.

Negan couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "And how's that working out for ya? I do have to apologise for that pathetic excuse of a man, though. We'll get you to another cell, and chuck his body in with the walkers. We won't kill his walker self, but you'll get the chance too if that's something you would be interested in."

Sasha's eyebrows furrowed as she stared up at Negan. "Why?"

"Because unlike your people, we aren't monsters."

-Trigger warnings!
Attempted sexual assault