CONQUEST • Negan

Hellcat

I picked up Bertha from the table and followed Negan out the front door, eyes landing on Daryl as I stepped outside, who had been standing patiently on the porch like a guard dog this whole time. Dwight, his keeper, was beside him with the scope of a crossbow aimed at his head.

Negan had commanded Daryl to stand and wait outside since 'the help' wasn't allowed indoors. I had argued that this was literally his home and he was more welcome here than Negan would ever be but that only served to piss the lunatic off even more. Something about the fact that Daryl and I had shared the same roof apparently didn't sit well with Negan and I didn't know why. All the more reason he should be kept outside, Negan argued with a stern look.

I dropped Daryl out of my sight as soon as he caught it, choosing not to tempt the devil a second time.

"Well, this has been a productive damn day!" Negan cheered once we returned to the gates where Rick was waiting with Michonne.

Rick had a rifle in his outstretched hand, offering it to Negan and I inwardly rolled my eyes. It was a gun that the saviours had missed, maybe one that hadn't been accounted for in Olivia's armoury and this coward was just giving it up, like a good little boy who was hoping to impress daddy.

Rick caught the disapproval in my eye as Negan took the rifle from him.

"And what's this? A parting gift? Oh Rick, you shouldn't have!"

"She was out hunting," he referred to Michonne, "This was one of the guns we kept beyond the gates."

Negan grinned, "See now this is what I like to see. Good for you, Rick."

Negan turned to me, "I think you should take a page out of your leaders book here and be on your best behaviour next time I come for a visit." He winked before twisting back to face Rick. "Which will be in a weeks time, so you better get out there and find me something interesting."

"I-I wanted to ask you for something." Rick stuttered out. "Since we've proved that you can trust us to do our part-"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask if you'd allow Daryl to stay."

My heart skipped, wide eyes looking to Rick and then to Daryl who had poked his head up for the first time since being here. I wasn't too hopeful that Negan would say yes but even the idea of Daryl being let go and managing to escape from the clutches of the saviours had my heart racing.

"Nope." And like that, it plummeted. My knuckles ached from how hard I clenched my fists.

Negan looked at me and must've seen the rage I was so desperately trying to shove down, but I had never been really good at taming my fury. No amount of therapy sessions or shrink visits had helped soothe my anger issues, it was just a built in trait of who I was as a person, and never in my life had I met someone who tested those limits so much as Negan did.

He smiled, "Not unless he pleads his case as to why I should let him stay."

Daryl didn't move an inch, head bowed once more as he hid behind his dark locks of hair that clung to his face. I could tell that they hadn't let him wash, and whatever they were feeding him, I knew for a fact it wasn't even close to enough.

Was this the first time he had been out in the sun and fresh air since he was taken? If so, it was a cruelty beyond measure. Daryl was a creature built for the outdoors and caging him in a dark box was like forcing a wild cat to adapt to the indoor life, eventually it would kill them.

What else had they been doing to him?

Daryl stood in silence, refusing to give in and jeopardise his pride. We both knew that even if he did plead to stay, which wasn't his style since Daryl was the type of man to be shot dead before he begged for anything, Negan wasn't going to concede to the request. He had power over us whilst Daryl was within his custody and like hell was he going to just hand that bartering chip away with a simple 'please'. If we slipped up on this end of the field, made one little mistake, one wrong move, he'd ship Daryl over in peices. That was the only way he would ever return to us as a free man. If he was dead.