Freedom -Negan-

Chapter 16

I paced around the room, waiting for someone to come and get me. I wanted to leave the room badly but gathered my ego and listened to Negan. I needed to play by his rules just until I left. Everyone was being somewhat hospitable so I shouldn't be the asshole that makes it not so. I wait for other people to do that, first.

There was a soft knock on the door before it opened and the young guard who was with Simon came in. I remembered that he was the one who gave me the clothes on my back. I should be nice to him. He was around 6 feet and had sandy blonde hair, slightly muscular, but nothing too intense. He gave me a small smile, and I did my best to return it.

"I'm here to show you to your room." Southern accent evident in his voice.

"No cuffs this time, right?" I said with a little sarcasm.

"No ma'am – "The man stuttered.

"Jesse." I interrupted.

"No... Jesse." Smile back on his face. "I don't think I need to do that."

I pressed my lips together and sighed. "Took you long enough to get me. Almost made the table into a bed." I grabbed the hoodie off of the table and walked over to the man. He held the door for me and stepped out of the way, allowing me to go through the doorway first. He followed me out and closed the door behind him. He cleared his throat and started walking to right with me by his side.

"My name's Peter, by the way."

"Hi, Peter. Thanks, again, for the clothes. I'll get them back to you when I get mine."

"No problem. Keep 'em as long as you need. I never liked wearing that shirt. Looks better on you, anyways." He let out a nervous laugh and his hand ran through his hair.

"I'm sure anything looks better on me after the way you've seen me." I snapped and glared at him from the corner of my eye.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that- "Red washed over his cheeks as he stuttered his apology.

I held my hand up. "Just don't talk anymore." Peter looked away and nodded.

I knew that the kid was just being nice, but timing was not great. My mind flashed back to him lifting up the hoodie and staring at my battered back. He knew what my bruises looked like, and he was trying to make me feel better because he pitied me. I clutched the hoodie in my hands close to my chest. Maybe it was a mistake come to this place. If my head wasn't so far up my own ass, maybe I would have listened to the other girls and went with them.

We walked in silence the rest of the way. I studied the halls and made sure to keep track of how to get back to the meeting room so I could make my way to the exit. Peter led me up a flight of stairs and to a long corridor that had doors on both sides. People were milling around in and out of the rooms. This place had so many people. It was probably the largest community I had ever been to. It was hard for me to believe that Negan ran all of this himself.

We took the first right that brought us down another hall, much less busy than the previous one. "This is where we keep new recruits." Peter spoke.

My brow furrowed at the word 'recruit'. I was going to protest it but was honestly too tired at this point to say anything. They could call me whatever they wanted. Nothing changed the fact that I was going to get the hell out of here after paying Carson back. So, I just nodded my head and kept walking. Peter walked up to a door on the right and pulled out a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and moved to the side to let me in. I hesitantly stepped in, surprised by what met me.

The room reminded me of my college dorm room during my undergrad. Small, but enough for one person. There was a single bed on the left wall with a small dresser to the right of the headboard, flush against the wall. A desk was on the right with a lamp set up on top. A taller lamp sat to the right of the doorway, no overhead light, though, and no windows.

My eyes went straight to the bed, and I fought the smile that wanted to creep onto my face. Peter held out his hand and I took the key that he offered.

"Try not lose it. There's a spare in the desk drawer, but it's a real pain in the neck to replace the keys around here." He offered me another smile. Jeez, that kid smiled a lot.

"I'll try." We stood in silence before I added "Thanks".

"I'll let you rest, and I'll come get you for dinner later. Unless you're starving now." At the mention of food, I felt my stomach grumble, but my eyes felt heavier, and sleep was my priority.

"I'll sleep for a little while. I won't lie, I haven't slept in a bed in a long time." We said our goodbyes and I closed the door as Peter left. I held my hand on the door handle and rested my forehead on the wood of the door. I lifted my hand and locked the door, letting out a sigh from my lips. I set the key on top of the dresser with my hoodie next to it and stared at the bed. I felt a tear run down my cheek. Stupid, I know, but laying on that bed was the happiest I had felt in a long time.

I looked up at the tiled ceiling and closed my eyes. I could hear voices from the other hall, but they weren't loud enough to keep me from drifting off. It wasn't long until I was sound asleep.