Too Good to be Bad | Negan |

61 - I think this means war

'We're going to Alexandra tomorrow.'

I glance up to look at him and see Derek staring at the ceiling with an anxious expression on his face. We're lying on my bed and I caress his chest softly, with his arm comfortably around me.

'What's going to happen?'

'He's going to give them a chance to get in line. Show them he's got their friend, probably tell them she'll be taking a real long nap if they don't stand down. He's gonna take her there in a coffin.'

'Nice touch', I say dryly.

Derek sniggers shortly, but quickly turns serious again. He's been pretty quiet all evening.

'Are you okay?' I ask him.

'Yeah', he sighs. 'I don't like to do these things.'

'I know', I say, running my fingers through his hair. 'Why did you become a Savior anyway? You don't seem the type for it.'

He turns to look at me for a moment and I'm surprised to see a lot of pain in his eyes.

'I came here with my little brother. He was 11 years younger than me, my parents didn't plan on having him. They were already a little older. And from the moment he was born, it was clear he was a little... different.'

'What was his name?'

'His name was Jonah.' He smiles when he mentions the name. A smile that shows pain, but also so much love. 'As his older brother, I always felt protective over him. Wouldn't let anyone say a bad thing about him. Because Jonah was just... the best. He didn't see the bad in people, you know? Everybody was his best friend. Even if they did make fun of him or talk behind his back, he didn't even see it. That little guy... he just lit up the room.'

I smile seeing Derek's eyes light up talking about his beloved brother. But his smile falters when he continues.

'When everything started, I went straight home. But it took me about two days to get there and when I finally made it, I was already too late. My parents were gone.'

'I'm so sorry', I say softly. He smiles bitterly and kisses my forehead shortly.

'They were bitten', he continues quietly. 'They shot themselves before they turned. But first, they barricaded the house and locked Jonah in his room. They put all their supplies there. Enough food and water to last him for weeks. At least, if he would have rationed it. By the time I got there, the little guzzler had already eaten his way through 5 packs of waffles and 8 cans of SpaghettiOs's.'

He smiles at the memory for a moment before he continues.

'My parents left me a note, hoping I would be able to get there. Asking me to take care of him. To try and safe him. We packed up everything he hadn't already eaten, got in my car and we left. It was hard. We found some people, some places here and there. But you know what it's like. Then, eventually, we found this place. It wasn't perfect, but I could keep him save here. Of course, he couldn't contribute much. So I became a Savior pretty quickly to take care of us both. Pay for his meds. Everything was pretty good for a while.'

He drifts off a little and his eyes become unfocussed. A frown darkens his handsome face.

'What happened?' I ask softly.

'I asked to work at the Sanctuary as much as possible so I could keep an eye on him. And usually they were fine with that, they'd even let him hang out with me on guard duty. But one day, I had to go on a run and when I came back...' he swallows hard and shakes his head slightly, like he still can't wrap his head around it. 'Two assholes got drunk and they thought it'd be funny to mess with him. They took him to one of the walkers on the fence, said they were doing a little contest to see who could get the closest. Jonah was always happy to play with anybody... And, I don't know, something went wrong. He got too close.'