The Saviors: A Walking Dead Tale (closed for wishiwashi7)

She crossed her arms as he mocked her. The scowl and cold stare never leaving Jennifer's face. She then looked over at the fridge and she rolled her eyes.

She got up and opened the fridge and grabbed two beers, handing him one. She sat back down and opened hers and took a few swallows of it. She closed her eyes briefly to enjoy the taste, she hadn't had a beer in a long time.

The beer itself was made even better by being cold. Negan sipped and sat at the small table and sofa combo just behind the driver's seat. He watched Jennifer, as if wondering what she was going to do, but also seemed to be waiting for her to do something obvious.

When he finally spoke, all manner of joking had left his tone. "You like?" He asked, gesturing to the beer. "Because there can be more where that came from. Hell, you could a whole fridge of them whenever you like."

She nodded as she took another few swigs. "haven't had one of these damn things since things went to shit in a and basket." she gave a slight chuckle as she looked the bottle then sighed. Jennifer ran a hand through her hair as she then looked over at him.

Yes part of her couldn't stand him but there was something else about him, something...hidden. She had to choices anyway, death or to work with him. "Alright, so what do you want me for anyway?" she asked while polishing off her beer.

"I want your people to work for me. They tow the party line and we're fine. You make sure that happens and no one else has to talk to Lucile there." He gestures to the baseball bat. "See, my plan is to go back in one week. And I expect to take half of their stuff. Your job is to make sure we get half and no one gets-"

He makes a *Knock* sound with his mouth and smiles.

After a moment, his smile unfading the whole time, he let his eyes roam over her body. Taking her in, and soaking over all the details. It was almost as if he was mentally undressing her.

Jennifer sighed as she placed her head in her hands and rubbed her face in frustration. "So, how the hell are we suppose to defend ourselves if you take half our stuff?" She knew this wasn't gonna go down well but she was sure there wasn't any other choice unless anyone else wanted to die.

"Can Xavier please come in here so he knows what's going on? I'm not the only one that runs things in the group."

"You don't defend yourselves. WE defend you." He got up and grabbed her wrist, dragging her outside. Once out of the RV she saw that a van was several yards away and parked. Clearly a group of Negan's men were following him should something go wrong and Jennifer tried to escape.

Around the van was a group of deads and when Negan had pulled Jennifer from the RV he whistled loudly, getting their attention. Throwing her forward, towards the approaching horde he said, "NOW! You can go ahead and shoot me with your one bullet. Then try to get past me and get that hatchet... OR - you kill the one closest to you." He leaned into the RV and pulled a police style SWAT team shotgun and started to shot what was clearly solid slug rounds into the heads of the Walkers. He was clearly targeting the ones furthers from Jennifer giving her the option of shooting him and probably failing to kill him if he reacted in any way, or shooting the dead one that was about to reach out and grab her.

She hadn't completely forgot they even left the camp when she got into the RV! Jennifer winced slightly when he grabbed her arm but she didn't show it. she didn't want to give Negan that satisfaction.

She saw the Walkers slowly surrounding the RV and watched as Negan shot the farthest ones. She heard everything he said and slowly tiook a breath before qu8ickly grabbing her gun and shooting the Walker coming towards her. She then ran out and grabbed the hatchet, taking out any others in her way and got back into the RV, breathing heavily covered in blood.

Negan grinned and pointed saying, "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!" He turned back and went into the RV. Waiting for Jennifer he'd grabbed 2 more beers from the fridge. "Here, have another. You've earned that shit." He sat back, his hand on his bat as if to remind her that he could still use it if she tried to come at him with her own weapon.

"You probably want to know what's going to happen next. So, I'm going to spell it out for you, because I'm a man of my word and I want to prove it." He sipped his beer then watched Jennifer with his soulful eyes.

"We're going back to the Sanctuary. I'm going to let you say in a nice room, all by yourself. I'm going to post a guard who will make sure you don't leave BUT he'll get you anything you need. I'm going to let you hang out in YOUR new room and come morning I'm going to join you for breakfast. No tricks. No lies."

He gestured to her bottle, "Now, finish your beer and join me up front."

When she was done, Negan gestured for her to follow him to the front of the RV. He made a show of buckling his seat belt before waiting for her to do the same and only then, did he start the car. "Safety first!" He said with a mocking smile.

The next time they stopped, it would be behind the walls of the Sanctuary.

Jennifer wasn't dumb, she knew Negan was playing nice so he could use her. But, she bit the bullet so she wouldn't get herself or her group killed. She got back into the RV and grabbed the 2nd beer from him and drank half of down before she even sat down.

She then sipped it as she listened to him and told her what would happen. She nodded, "Okay." she said calmly before finishing her beer. She then got to the front and buckled herself in. And soon they were off to the Sanctuary.

When they arrived she was a bit surprised at the layout and how big their site was! "Damn this place must've been a bitch to clear out when you found it!" she said as if she was just having a normal conversation with a friend, but why? She wondered.

Negan looked Jennifer over as if seeing her for the first time. He grinned then nodded, "Yeah, you sure do know you're shit. I LOVE that." He pointed in areas of her room as he spoke "Found One here, here and here. Lucile here took out 2 of them. My people took out the third." He lowed his bat and turned back to Jennifer with a proud smile, "But I assure you, you won't find a speck of mess after the fact. My people cleaned this place from floor to ceiling. And it's all for YOU!" He licked the side of his mouth with a smile, "So, I think I 'thank you' is in order."

Jennifer honestly hated thanking someone before it was really needed. But, she would rather try her best to not piss him off because she would rather keep her people alive. She gave a small smile, "Thanks." she said softly.

Negan nodded, "Good. Now, I'm going to have two guards posted at the door. If you need anything, they'll make sure you get it. There are a few drinks and beers in the fridge there. Snacks in the pantry. Books on the shelf. Radio and DVD player." He laughed, "Can you believe we have a DVD library? We're legit as FUCK!"

He sighed, still smiling a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, you get comfortable. I'm going to have a job for you tomorrow." And with that he turned like a man who had to go somewhere and do something right away.

The man in flannel at the door gave Jennifer a glare of warning, then closed the door. From the outside she could hear it being locked.

Jennifer still couldn't believe all that had just happened in the past few hours. She laid on the bed and stared up at the ceiling and tried to take everything in and think about how she was going to get through all this. After a bit she eventually just fell asleep, it had been a long time since she had fallen sleep in a quiet area, it was almost deafening.

Early the next morning a knock on her door echoed through the halls.

"Morning, Jenny. Let me know when you're decent so we can get the day started."

Negan didn't open the door, and it was quickly clear he wouldn't either. It would be up to Jennifer to open the door for him. The message was clear, that he wasn't going to barge into her personal space. He might beat her friends to death, but he wasn't about to walk in on her half dressed... clearly the man had some kind of principals.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Negan walked, sans his bat, just ahead of Jennifer. Behind her were two men armed with guns but the guns weren't drawn. They just walked. The building was almost a labyrinth but they finally got to a large area that was a makeshift infirmary. Cots were lined with curtains between them and most were filled with people who were clearly sick.

"You see, the way things were is that you can either work for us, or you work for US." he punctuated that last work for emphasis. "You see, these people work on the point system. The more they do, the more they earn. They provide for me and in turn I provide for them."

He moved into Jennifer's line of sight, "But as you can see, they can't work. Sick people cost us. All of us. These people would rather be out there, earning points, earning food and the occasional beer and I want NOTHING more than to get them back to work." He grinned and then stabbed a finger at Jennifer's shoulder. "And THAT'S where you come in. We got a new group who've settled in an old super market. You see, previously we were okay with whatever they gave us. But the deal needs to change. We need some of their meds. So I need you to take some of the boys over there and come back with half their meds. HALF. See? I'm not unreasonable. I'm not a monster. So... get something to eat and get ready for a field trip. I'm letting you take point on this one."

The next morning Jennifer was jolted awake from her deep sleep. It took her a second to remember where she was before she rubbed her face and sighed deeply. She climbed out of bed, "Hold on." she said as she got dressed.

She then opened the door and followed him out, not even flinching at the men with guns.

When they got to the infirmary she listened as he explained the rules while she looked around at some of the people on cots. She then looked up at him when he stood in front of her and her eyes widened when he explained what she'd be doing...she'd be taking charge of a group! She had led a group once before but it was a group of people she knew, friends.

She listened to the plan and nodded slowly as she nibbled her bottom lip, slightly nervous. She wasn't exactly sure how any of his men would take being bossed around by a woman. She just sighed and the shrugged as she agreed.

"Good. When you're ready, let Dwight know. He'll back your play."

Negan gestured to a thin man with oily blond hair framing his face, the left side of which was a single patch of scar tissue perfectly lined up with the side of his eye and cheek. The man just nodded once, then found something on the floor to study so as not to make eye contact anymore.

"Now, obviously we can't give you a weapon yet." Negan paused, looked Jennifer over and grinned again, "Obviously."

He turned his back and called over his shoulder, "Sooner than later! These people aren't going to get well on their own."

Jennifer narrowed her eyes, 'Seriously no weapon? How am I suppose to be in charge of a group if I can't defend myself if THEY have weapons. That's not really being in charge if you ask me.' she thought to herself.

She just sighed and shook her head before heading to the dining hall to grab some food.

( '= thoughts )

As she finished her meal, clearly better prepared than the paste and grits others were eating, Dwight approached her table.

"Hey. Negan says I'm not allowed to give you a gun. But... Honestly? You gotta have something." He put a huge Bowie knife in a leather sheath. It was a foot and a half long, the blade itself was longer than your standard ruler. It was as much a work of art as it was a signature weapon. "Don't get all impressed and shit... Truth is, I had that damn thing strapped to my leg for 3 months and only took it out to oil the blade so it wouldn't rust. I'm just tired of carrying it... that's all."

Something about Dwight's posture and the way he avoided eye contact said there was more to the story, but he wasn't about to get into it.

"We best get on the way. Don't want people dying inside these walls. Negan's likely to kill the sickest people if we don't hurry back."

Jennifer was amazed when she was given pancakes and fruit! She hadn't had food like this in ages! Eating it again was almost a shock to her taste buds.

She looked up when Dwight approached her. She looked down at the knife he placed on the table. "Thank you but...if I somehow have to use it what if he finds out?"

The man with the scars gave a half shrug. "He's complicated. Either he'll be glad to know we planned for you to have a weapon if you needed it and praise us for being so forward thinking... OR he'll consider it a weakness that you had to use a weapon and couldn't handle it on your own, then punish me for giving it to you. It really is a coin toss sometimes. The question you need to answer, the only one that really matters to Negan is; At the end of the day, which decision would you make again knowing it would turn bad? So long as you don't regret your choice, you can get away with a lot around here."

The hollow look in his eyes seemed to indicate he spoke from a place of experience in this field.

Jennifer sighed and nodded as she took in his last words. "Thanks." she said softly before taking the knife and slipped it into her boot. She finished of her juice she had then stood up, "Well, I'm ready when you are. The sooner we get out of here the sooner we get what we need."

While the idea was right, the sooner they got started, the sooner it would be over, it seemed to take forever to actually get there. Dwight road a Harley, taking point. The bike was meant to make a lot of noise and draw the walkers if needed. It would also give the people a "rolling thunder" of knowing.

The drive, however, was hours long. Jennifer rode in a truck with a man driving and a woman with an assault rifle. None of them talked and they didn't listen to the radio either. The reason for the latter was so Negan could call them with information and updates.

The Radio clicked over and his voice cracked through saying, "Heads up, Team. I got a report from a little bird inside that they are going to try and hold out on you. You might have to show them some teeth. Hell, I don't care if you have to bite someone's ass, you make sure they know they did wrong. Over and out."

Over her shoulder Jennifer could hear the woman curse in disgust. "Fucker's think they can hold out on us? Probably hoping we all get the flu and die."

The Driver laughed, "Yeah. But who's going to sweeping the area for herds. I give them a week before they're over run."

an hour later, they had arrived. The place was as Negan had suggested. It was actually a strip center with restaurants, a super store, clothing and a wall made from shopping carts and various golf shafts for defense. In all, it wasn't a bad set up and anyone could see why the picked it.

Dwight, having already gotten there, was parked just outside a wall section that was moved away. It was made using a freezer and some pallets but could be moved with a normal hand jack that was often used when the store needed to restock inventory in entire sections. Yep, this place had a lot of resources.

Dwight approached Jennifer with a shake of his head and a cold look in his eyes. "We got a problem. He says all they have left is some over the counter remedies and are willing to give us most of those plus an early tribute. But they don't have any medical grade stuff left. Something about a thief who stole from them. It's your call how this goes down."

When Jennifer heard over the radio that the people were holding out that made her jaw clench. She was not about to let a group fuck her over just to get her own group killed.

When they finally got there and Dwight approached her and spoke up she shook her head. "Negan says those fuckers are holding out on us. I guess one of his guys relayed the info so I call bullshit. By the looks of this place I bet they've held up pretty good in there to be honest."

She then walked out and in front of the group, "Alright, Negan says that he was told they're holding out. And he says he needs meds for those in the infirmary so they can get back to work. I'm not about to let a few people try and screw us over so we're gonna go in there, tell them if they don't give us what we came for it won't end pretty. Now I don't wanna do that, I really don't but I hate to say it, I'd rather it be them then us."

Jenn couldn't believe what she was saying, but all of it was true.

Dwight followed right behind Jennifer, as the approached an older man with a clean shave and fairly decent clothes approached. "Is there a problem? I thought we explained to your man that we don't have anything left. We were robbed by an outsider. We've given you all we can!"

He walked backwards as he talked to Jennifer, always staying in front of her but never actually stopping her physically. It was clear he was afraid to, but also desperate to try and stop her and convince her to leave things as they were.

Dwight grabbed the man and pulled him aside, "You're in the Lady's way." was all he said and did not escalate the conflict further.

Ahead the doors of the Supermart were already open, without proper power it was clearly easier to just leave them that way. Inside the shelves and isles and been reformed to make various spaces that people were using as safe sleeping quarters or small apartment like structures.

Dwight pointed to where the Pharmacy would be and the rest of the men just prevented others from approaching to make their pleas or potentially threaten Jennifer. She would have a clear line to her destination - they would be sure of that.

At the pharmacy a man of mix Ethnicity, possibly Asian, smiled as if greeting a customer. "Good afternoon. How can I help you?"