Heart of an Inmate

Chapter 11

Lucille, here I come baby.

The young man sat shivering against a tree. They had tied his hands together but Billy didn't think they needed to. The guy was weak and looked like he was going to keel over any moment. He glumly wondered if the guy died if he and his little party would be blamed. He scratched under his chin which was buried in a bushy brown beard. He had lice and they were driving him nuts.

He glanced around irritated. His fellows were branched out to look for trouble. He wasn't expecting much because he had heard the town was governed by a woman and they tended to be a bit weak when it came to killing people. The fact he'd only come across two women who had been desperate and willing to do anything to live in all his time running didn't factor in his thinking.

He paced around the fire.

The second time around he thought he heard something. He frowned straining. There! A soft voice not far away.

"John? John? Are you ok?" It was coming close by and he held up his gun and started walking forward trying to keep silent. It was a woman's voice. Maybe the guy's girlfriend. A woman would be welcomed while they waited for the drop off time.

"John? John?"

He cursed she had gotten further away somehow. He sped up jogging away trying to catch her. With luck, she would be alone.

Negan bit his lip trying not to laugh at the idiot running off into the woods. He grinned at Theresa who was sitting right next to him. She threw her voice again and wonder of wonders it sounded even further away.

"That was the godamnest coolest shit I ever saw!" He whispered, "If we get to bunk together you have GOT to teach me that!"

Theresa spared him a smile before she raised enough to look around. The camp was up an incline. Good for seeing what was coming but only if someone was there to look. She started to walk up to Paul when movement caught her eye.

"Hey! Who are-" The question turned into a cry of pain as she attempted to spear him. To her chagrin two of the knives came loose and the one she had gored him with didn't go far enough to cause any major damage.

"Grab her Nick!" He groaned pulling the knife out, addressing someone behind her. Theresa reversed the movement of the pole and hit the guy coming up to her in the solar plex. If she had a sturdy stick instead of this light ass drape bar she would have sent him to his knees.

As it was he staggered a bit which gave Negan a chance to step behind him and wrap a big arm around the guy's neck. While the guy thrashed trying to shake Negan off he put more pressure on. Then more.

There was a clicking sound that sounded like a door being firmly shut and the unfortunate guy went limp dead as a doornail. The guy who had taken the knife to the gut was fumbling for something in his belt. Negan practically skipped past Theresa and bashed the gentleman's head in gleefully.

Theresa winced.

"God, I love that sound." He enthused "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

They heard two men arguing as they came back to the camp. Angry cheated voices filled the air. Theresa stepped forward up against a tree while Negan took the other side.

"I'm tellin' you Phil I heard a woman!"

"You're a damn fool Billy you couldn't put a guard up?"

The unfortunate guy called Phil stepped into the small clearing and Negan swung the branch as if he was hitting a fastball. The guy's face crumpled inward.

Billy wasted time gaping at this totally unexpected phenomenon which gave Theresa a chance to impale his head with one of the knives.

"Behind you!" Negan went to step forward and stopped holding his hands up. This new threat wrapped his arm around Theresa's neck.

Faster than he could stop her she threw the knife underhanded blade first and watched as it hit the tree next to her brother's head. It stuck out of the bark waving gently back and forth.

" Dumb bitch you almost killed the guy you came to save!"

He was a broad man she could feel that much as he pulled her hard against him.

John grunted cringing a moment then brought his hands up rubbing the blade trying to cut through the ropes.

The newcomer shoved a gun up to Theresa's head. She went still.

Negan was swinging the branch casually. A huge smile split his face and he sounded perfectly amused when he spoke.

"Damn I know you! You were at the sanctuary weren't you?"

Theresa was shaking, whimpering, and had put her hands together as if she were praying.

"You! You son of a bitch I thought that guy Grimes killed you!" The guy said he pressed the gun harder against Theresa's head.

"Nope. Still here. Nine lives baby. Why don't we call it a day? The three of us will leave and I won't have to bash your head in. What do you say, Jeremy?"

"My name's not Jeremy asshole!" The man seethed.

"No? Jack? John? Starts with a J right? Give me a minute." Negan raised a hand to count off on his fingers.

"Jay? Jon? Jonathan? Joseph! Joe? No wait...it'll come to me."

"My name's Jonas, you bastard!"

Negan clicked his tongue and shrugged " I was close. That was like the very next thing I was gonna say. Honest."

the guy grinned displaying rotten teeth " I'm gonna enjoy this." He shifted to move the gun and Theresa brought her hand up. She hadn't had time to check which end was sharpest. With Negan distracting the guy she had just enough time to see where Jonas's eyes were in conjunction with her body. The Branch went in making him shriek. The gun went off over her head and she gasped and staggered covering her ears as pain snapped from temple to temple. Every sound took on the quality of a wales underwater song. The muffled wump paused her enough to glance over in time to see Negan bash Jona's head in.

She straightened up shaking her head trying to bring her hearing back. Negan stepped towards her looking concerned. His mouth moving but for once there was no sound. Theresa read his lips as they formed the words.

"No, I am not ok!" She yelled at him. "One more!"

She managed two or three steps towards John when there was a noise that sounded like a hard rap on a door.

Theresa was confused over what happened next. It felt like someone had punched her from behind. John suddenly had blood splattered on him and he looked like he might be screaming but she wasn't sure. She staggered another step and the strength went out of her. She hit the ground. Theresa noticed the clouds drifting in the sky and how beautiful they were. She heard that noise again, a sharp rap, then another as her vision seemed to waver.

John and Negan appeared over her looking alarmed both of them talking to her but it blended into one long drone.

Seeing their faces was like looking into a heatwave. Interesting. Then the darkness claimed her.