Freedom -Negan-

Chapter 14

I strutted out of the bathroom, my old confidence finding me as I felt a bit more alert from the shower. The men snapped their heads at me and looked me over, seeing a different person than who had first walked in.

"Thanks for the clothes. Could've done a bit better with the sizing, but it works." I nodded toward the young guard. He smiled meekly and looked at his feet.

"Sorry, that's all we had to spare."

"Enough chit-chat. Negan radioed and he's waiting for you downstairs." Simon grunted and kicked off the wall, walking past me. I turned to follow him; the guard close behind.

"Downstairs?" I asked. Simon gave me a stiff nod, seemingly annoyed that I wanted him to repeat himself. I huffed and tried to figure out the layout of this place. There were so many twists and turn, yet I had not seen one single exit door. I anxiously scratched my scar on the back head as we wandered through the halls.

We made it to a staircase and Simon shuffled down quickly, passing some people who were making their way up. They stared at me and I stared back as we passed. They seemed clean and like they were well fed – meaning they didn't have a sickly or gaunt look about them. No weapons, either. Curious.

The stairs led to another long hallway, but at the end of this one I saw the glint of an exit sign about the door. Someone walked through and I saw the outside world. I made sure to remember where this was if I needed it for the future. I didn't seem like a prisoner now, but this talk with the leader, Negan, could go south and you always needed an exit plan. I let some tension out of my shoulders, feeling slightly more relaxed after seeing there was actually a way out of this place.

We quickly took a right and to yet another set of double doors. Simon opened the door to let me through and followed me in, grabbing my right upper arm. I glared at him and he gave me the same look back. I decided to back down and looked at the large room around me. It was open and could hold maybe 150-200 hundred people. There was a catwalk that was halfway up the room and a set of stairs on the far side that led up to it. I looked around until I found the two men in the center of the room.

I saw Negan in his leather jacket and bat swung over his right shoulder. His left rest on a metal folding chair with a man that I recognized all too well. Jimmy was sitting in the chair with his hands tied behind his back and a blindfold covered his eyes and a gag was in his mouth. I looked down and saw he was only in his boxers and a white tank top. He somehow looked worse than the last time I saw him. Fresh blood splattered the white tank top that I could see was coming from his mouth.

"Well, look who got a little cleaned up. Still look like shit, though." Negan winked at me, and he gave me a large smile. It amazed me how that man went from the way he looked at me this morning to giving me this jovial smile once again. I just stared back at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"After you told me your story, I went and visited little Jimmy here in the infirmary. We had a nice little chat." He leaned down to the man tied in the chair. "Didn't we Jimmy?" The stout man squirmed in his chair and grunted. "My men came back from that little farm you were holed up in and – with Dr. Carson's exam of you – it seems that Jimmy is a lying sack of shit." Negan's hand clasped on the back of the chair. "And tried to pull one over on the boss man."

My eyes shifted to Jimmy in the chair. Negan talked too much and my brain really wasn't listening. All I needed to hear is that he believed me and I had that. The man in the chair had my full attention now. My mind went to every incident I had with him over the last week. Now, he was the useless one tied up and gagged. A smirk creeped onto my lips on the realization that the tables had turned on this vile man. And the memory of ridding him of his manhood turned the smirk into a full-blown smile.

"His fate is up to you, my dear. Seems only appropriate." Negan's voice cut back into my ears and I lifted my eyes from the man in the chair to meet Negan's eyes. He smirked at me, waiting for my response. "Live, die, anything you want to do to this piece of shit." He reached over and tugged Jimmy's blindfold from his eyes. The man looked around wildly until his eyes met mine. They hardened and I could see the fear in his eyes as I started walking towards him, pulling out of Simon's grip.

I felt all of their eyes on me. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I completely hated it. Their eyes gave me power and a boost in confidence. I especially felt Negan's eyes on me. I glanced over at the tall man and he smirked at me when I looked at his face. I didn't give him anything in return, just slowly walked towards Jimmy who began to squirm as my gaze drifted back to him.

I stopped inches away from the foot I put a bullet through. I could see the tears streaming down the man's face as he tried to plead with me through the gag. Empathy did not wash over me like it had with his young nephew. I didn't even feel disgust anymore. I stared into his eyes and showed him the absolute nothingness I felt for him. His life was no better than an insect to me at this point. All I had to do was squish it or let it walk by.

He was frantically looking around him and when they made their way back to me, my mind transported back to just mere hours ago. I was standing in front of young Will once again with the gun in my hand. The glaze in his eyes as he slumped over. I blinked and I was in front of his uncle, all the men with their eyes on me.

He started begging then. It was almost comical the lengths he went for me to spare his life. I felt bile start to rise in my throat. I needed him to be quiet. I lifted my right foot and planted it between the man's legs, pressing my toes into his crouch. The man yelled in pain, and I lifted my foot once again and slammed it down on his crumpled foot. More cries of pain. Better than the begging, at least.

I should kill this man. He was a menace and had absolutely no need to be in any type of society with other people, but I could have done that back at the barn. Killing was easy and merciful. Too much so for this man. I drew my foot back and placed it softly on the ground.

"He's already dick-less. Let him live that way." Jimmy opened his eyes and he looked into my eyes, relief washing over his. I looked at Negan and his eyes narrowed at me. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it and just shrugged.

"It's your lucky day, Jimmy. Maybe not, though, because you got no dick... But hey! At least you're alive. If it were me, I would let Lucille have her way with you." Negan whispered into the man's ear and grabbed a knife from his belt to cut the man's ropes from his wrists. He grabbed the man by the neck and got close to his left ear. "You put one of those useless toe's out of line and I'll do just that." He pushed the man forward onto his knees in front of me. I just looked down my nose at the man. He scrambled to his feet and stood. He seemed so insignificant and weak now that I wasn't tied up in that barn. "Now get the fuck out of my sight." Negan spat at the man who stood. Simon came over and grabbed the man by the arm, dragging him away.

I watched after him and became hyper-aware of my surroundings once he was out of those doors. Even though Negan was a few feet away from me, I could feel his presence behind me, watching me. He took up more space than his body should allow. I forced myself to look at the other man in the room, but he was heading out as well. I started to follow when a hand grabbed my left wrist. I turned quickly and Negan raised his hands up defensively.

"Now, it's time for you and me to have a little chit-chat."