“If I run, will you kill me?”
Fox is as silent as Bear, but his eyes are kinder. Not softer, but kinder. Like he might sympathize with my position even if he can’t, won’t, improve it. “Hopefully not.” He could though, I’m sure of it. His arrows missed Negan and me by inches when he shot out our tires from the trees; he reminds me of the stories I heard about redneck we took from Rick’s group, the one with the crossbow.
“I’m not stripping,” I reassert. “I’ll die out here, let myself be eaten alive, first.”
“Dramatic,” he smiles, brows up like the tease of a big brother as he picks at the top of his bow.
“What if I ordered you to strip, huh? Would you?!"
Fox shrugs, shifts out of his jacket, uses his free hand to pull loose the ties of his vest.
"Jesus Fucking Christ!!" I turn away, look down. What the hell kind of nudist group did Negan abandon me to? His bow clatters, clothing ruffles, then there’s a scraping as Fox retrieves his bow. “I’m NOT looking up.” Clothes hit me in the face.
Curiosity, confusion, gets the better of my stubbornness and I look up. Fox is bare-chested save his jacket, his shirt and vest in my lap, and he nods encouragingly. My sigh’s practically a growl as I think, finally, I get it. “Strip to change...that’s what he meant?” Fox shrugs almost guiltily. “Wha-Why didn’t he just say ‘change’?!”
“Challenge?” I wanna throw the clothes back, tell him to go fuck himself along with Bear.
He smiles in the face of my rage. “Fun?”
“Change.” His weapon almost nudges me. “Dark soon.”
“It matter?” Fox leans forward, though keeps out of reach as his eyes lead mine in a scan of the forest. “Eyes everywhere...” He extends the vowels in a teasingly dramatic manner.
I’m disgusted, but not surprised. These people have been watching us all along, haven’t they? It’d be foolish for them to turn their backs on me now that I’m worth something to them. Still, I’m not about to give anyone any kind of show...I change by gym rules. Vest on, dirty shirt slipped out of underneath, and no one sees anything.
“Impressive...and pants?”
I step through the neck of his shirt, tie the arms around, then do my best to slip out of my jeans without flashing. I kick my soiled clothes aside and set hands on my hips with a huff of both annoyance and victory.
Fox’s lips tick up, brows arch, then he gives a cat-call of a whistle. I glare and he chuckles before doing it again. And again. Slowly elongating the sounds, adjusting the keys, morphing it into the Saviors’ call...Negan’s call. Is that where our call came from or is he just fucking with me like Bear? Does his whistling have a point or am I just some living toy to these people until I’m traded back?
I wrap my arms around myself, look down, mutter. “Can...Can we go now?” I can feel tears threatening my eyes.
“Yes.” His amusement is gone as he collects my dirty clothes and gives a shorter whistle, extends an arm in the direction I’m to walk...the same path Bear took to leave. He stays back, gives me space, only speaks to direct my path.
I listen, obey, then I don’t as my feet take me left instead of right. I get five steps before there’s a harsh whistle and a sizeable rock breaks open the ground before me, revealing spikes and the growling undead beneath. I stop short with my breath and a hand yanks me back by the wrist.
This picks up some hours after the last one - if unsure, Lorien told Bear to go fuck himself after he ordered “strip” so she’s been left with another member of Bear’s group, Fox. (They all go by animal names for reasons that’ll slowly be revealed; same with not speaking much.) Fox is a little clearer when he communicates, but he’s also a little cheekier...he's played by Aidan Gillen, by the way! Next I think is catching up with Negan...maybe Simon too, not sure.
…If anyone else wants on the tag list just lemme know. I’ll also tag this for Negan’s Thirst Squad (because Negan’s a big part of this overall). 😄
(Top gif found on Google, bottom made by me via YouTube.)
Previous Chapters: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 , Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 …Or go to the Masterlist, lol!