the killing of a sacred deer - carl grimes

II

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ii.

rebel without a cause
"i said it was a matter of honor, didn't i?"

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Negan gives me a grand tour. Shows off their livestock. Makes me shake hands with people I couldn't care less to meet. Eventually, she changes into a proper outfit, finally prepared for the day ahead. Through the fence in the main courtyard, she lets me speak to Daryl for a moment before nudging me away with the stupid bat.

I'm surprised to realize that I didn't completely mind Negan's company once she wasn't showing off to her henchmen or trying to prove a point. She's lighthearted, albeit with a caustic and sometimes dirty sense of humor. I have to bite my tongue quite a bit to not give her the satisfaction of seeing me smile or, God forbid, earn a laugh. While I still loathed her, I couldn't help but feel that we were on common ground. Which was a ridiculous way to feel and I hated it. But I could help it, she was going out of her way to treat me like an equal.

Also, I kept wondering about her name. Her true name. Not the ridiculous calling of Negan.

"Boss." One of her cronies calls out for her from a doorway. "We got the driver in here."

She saunters over and I follow after, as I have no other option. We go into a sort of office, it's cluttered with paperwork and junk from whatever this factory was Before. There's a couple of her tough henchmen standing around a guy is sitting in a metal folding chair, he looks like he's taken a couple punches to the face. I realize he was the one who drove the truck I had stowed away in and, despite the chance he could be a terrible person who deserves it, my stomach drops. He's in trouble because of me.

"What have we got here?" She asks, although the question is clearly rhetorical.

"Please—" The guy is blubbering. "—I had no idea. I checked the truck two-three-times. I followed protocol. I have no clue how he got in, I swear to God."

She just stares at him a moment before saying: "You know, I really hate it when people swear to God. Especially when they're lying."

"I'm not! I'm not lying! I would never, not to you—"

"—Chuck? It is Chuck, isn't it?" She smiles at him, but there's a bite to it.

"Yes." Despite his fear, he seems almost elated that she knows his name. Almost relieved.

"Chuck. It's okay. Mistakes happen, right? Nobody is perfect." She tells him with a soft tone, she rummages around the desk, boredly thumbing through a thick, dusty phone book.

Chuck nods vigorously. "Right! It's just a mistake, it happens!"

"Except there's little mistakes and there's big mistakes. You know how we keep this place safe? Because no one knows where we are."

"I would never let anyone know where we are."

"Chuck, are you kidding me? The evidence is right here—" She points at me. "—He is literally standing right in front of you. He killed two men, two of our people are dead because you brought him in here."

"I had no idea he was in there! Things were hectic at Hilltop, they only had half of what we asked of them and I was handling that and-"

She cuts him off with a quick hold up of her hand. "I don't care about your excuses. I care about the results. And if you can't deliver, you're of no use to me. When you don't do your job correctly, what do you think happens?"