ELEANOR . NEGAN

006.

It was a fight between light and dark. The small strip of yellow luminous light roamed around the metal door, getting through the small gaps just to fight the sickness that clung onto the small molecules in the atmosphere. Whereas the darkness loomed around her feeble body, gripping and nipping at her bare skin and creating an illusion within her eyes, vision distorting to make it seem like there was no light at all.

The dingy cell was even worse than anything she came across. Long, dragging nights of star littered skies, led against sharp sticks and prodding stones were way better. Hell, she missed those nights. When the sound of snarling walkers ricocheted through the woods as each snap of a twig woke her which called quits to her one hour nap.

But, the cell with the freezing concrete floor, covered in every single bacteria you could come across was the one thing that was driving her crazy. That and the absence of a golden cross that once called home around her neck and the people back at home she called family.

Eleanor was stuck in a cell with Eugene. She guessed it was temporary as there were saviours checking in on them at any chance they could get but she didn't appreciate it. Since the death of Spencer and Olivia and the announcement of bullets being made, they all wanted to keep Eugene alive. Makes sense. Eleanor was there to be (what she assumed) a punching bag.

"Can you shut up?" Eleanor snarled. You couldn't blame her - Eugene was crying like a little bitch. "Christ."

"I- I can't help it!"

Eleanor deadpanned the slobbering mess of a man and sighed. "Yes, you can. By growing a pair of bollocks!"

Eugene gulped and stopped talking. It was bad enough they were in this cell in the first place let alone with the child of a man that Eleanor quite proudly beat up a couple of weeks ago. She pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance towards Eugene and the fact she was in this hell hole.

Her battered converse were kicking rocks into the side of the wall, Eugene carefully looking at her. Despite all things, Eugene looked up to Eleanor - a lot of people did. She was extremely strong and strong-hearted, it was hard not to like her. Maybe that was why Negan had a... somewhat soft spot for her.

"Rise and shine!" A loud voice bellowed from behind the metal door. Eugene started to cry a bit more now and Elle turned to look at him with a small timid smile. She was trying to reassure him... but it was hard to do that when he betrayed everyone. The metal door creeped open and the light filled the dark room.

Eugene was too worried to look up while Eleanor turned to face the man. And there he was - Negan. Standing in all of his glory with his steel-tipped boots and his sharp bat to his side. There were two other people behind him, one blonde woman and another man called Joey.

"Stand up." Eleanor huffed and kicked the final rock to the side before getting up on her feet, sparing Eugene a look as he shakingly stood. "How did you all sleep?" Negan asked with a teasing grin. Eugene was whimpering (an ugly whimper and a snotty cry) and looked back down at the ground. Christ alive. "Is he always like this?"

Eleanor shrugged and shuffled around. She didn't particularly want to talk to him - not after Olivia's death and not after Maya witnessed it all. Eleanor had a passing thought about Spencer but personally? She never liked him. Her hand went straight to the emptiness on her neck... thieving bastards.

"Where the fuck is my necklace?"

Joey scuffled forward but Negan raised his hand to stop him. The man then stepped closer to Eleanor, looking at her attentively. "What'd you say, lady?"

"I said, where the fuck is my necklace?"

The man was just baffled, eyes wide in shock while he scratched his now clean jaw. "I got you locked in a cell and you're asking about a fucking necklace? Must be some hefty shit."

"It's called sentiment, bitch." Instantly, fury flashed beyond his eyes but it wasn't enough to set the leader off.

Eleanor just blinked but watched with deep confusion as his posture changed and he was now grinning, ear to ear. "You're a goddamn mouthful. Holy shit!" He boomed, arching his back to accentuate the sentence. "Do you speak to everyone like that?"

Eugene's tears slowly began to stop, maybe it was because Eleanor had Negan as civil as he could be. "You should know that by now, Negan."

He laughed, a deep bellow. "I know, doll." Eleanor glared at him with the name but Negan ignored (of course he did) and instead looked at Eugene. He started to shake more vigorously now and tears started to form in his eyes. "You - what's your name again?"

"E-Eugene, sir."

Negan licked his lips and narrowed his eyes at the quivering man, giving him a strict and sinister glare to freak him out even more - and then he dropped it and started to laugh. Freak. "You're going with Laura."

Eugene's eyes flitted between Negan, the Saviour on his right called Joey and then the blonde on the left. "Who- who is Laura, sir?"

Eleanor cringed at his words and whipped her head his way. "Are you serious?" She said in a hushed tone.

"Right, right." Eugene gulped and brushed past Negan (more like stayed against the wall just so he didn't spook him) and went towards the blonde woman. Eleanor didn't say anything as she watched him walk towards Laura, but she kept her eyes on him hoping he stayed safe. Laura was quick to grab his arm and pull him down the hall.

"Where is he going?" She asked, trying to sound care-free.

"Don't worry about h-"

Eleanor looked up at him, "Where is he going?" God, she hated repeating herself.

Negan looked down at her and smirked. "You ask a lot of questions, doll." He stepped forward and rested Lucille to the wall on the side. "I didn't appreciate you lying to me, no, not one fucking bit."

Elle rolled her eyes at his words. "Oh, give me a break-"

"Do not have that fucking tone with me." God, he sounded like a dad. "I'm taking you under my care, doll. Feeding you my expensive hospice all for free-" Negan smirked and turned his head slightly, biting in his lower lip. "He's gonna be fine. We're keeping him somewhere... safe. Gotta get these bullets made, Ellie-"

"Don't call me that."

Negan just looked at her, his eyes running across her features from the little crevice by her eyebrows whenever she got pissed off to the way her bottom lip pouted slightly. He just chuckled while grabbing Lucille and with one swift movement, closed the large metal door - leaving Eleanor alone and in complete and utter darkness.