Playing For Brains

"We are going out for a drive, we won't be back for a while, can you hold down the fort while I am gone?" Negan asked Simon as he motioned for Arlie to get in the passenger seat of a beat-up black sedan.

"All good here boss man" Simon replied giving Negan a nod before turning and giving Arlie a smile. She really didn't like the man, something about him just made her stomach feel funny.

"I don't feel like I need to go out again, I would have been fine for a few more days. I know you are really busy and people will start to wonder where I have gone in the lab as I haven't been to check in since yesterday afternoon" Arlie questioned.

Negan was quite for a while as he pulled out of the Sanctuary, the engine of the car rattling along.

"I took care of our little incident last night, but the last part is in the trunk of our car right now Darling" Negan muttered, focusing on driving. He was tired and disposing of a body wasn't what he planned to be doing today, but it had brought Arlie out of her seemingly grumpy mood she had been in since their visit to Alexandria and she was talking to him again so he took it as an odd kind of win.

Ooh was all that Arlie could muster not knowing what to respond as her body flooded with guilt once more. She still didn't know how she was going to process what she had done, how she was supposed to face her family now she had done this. She was the monster that Sasha told her she was over and over again. She denied it but she couldn't anymore. She was a monster and she deserved to be treated like one. She killed someone to protect herself, but she also did it to protect Negan.

They travelled for around 20 minutes through buildings and farm land before they came to a forest on the edge of town. They had been this way before while on the way to Alexandria, Arlie recognised the over turned car in front of them. They stayed sat in the car in silence for a little while, neither knowing what to say to the other.

"I guess we have a body to move" Negan broke the silence, turning to face the young woman at the side of him.

"We should go hunting at the same time, save coming out again in a few days' time" he added as she continued to pick at her finger nails.

After not getting anything out of his companion he swung his door open and moved around to the trunk of the car, assessing the wrapped body sat there, blood beginning to soak through on patches. It was hard to get into the car in the early hours of the morning, exhausted from his day, but he was hoping after some sleep it might be a little lighter. He pulled at one section to bring it to the lip of the trunk, realising that his hopes were futile as the body was still as heavy and awkward to move. It wasn't going to be easy.

The other car door clicked shut letting Negan know that Arlie had got out of the car, she came and stood at the side of him taking in the body wrapped in a blanket. He heard her take a deep breath before grabbing hold of the opposite end of the body and pulling.

Just when he thought he knew the young woman in front of him, she surprised him.

They walked for what felt like hours in silence, the body hanging in their grip between them. They reached a small cliff before they stopped. Arlie looked at Negan for the first time since getting in the car, the man wasn't able to fully read her expression on how she was feeling but he knew what she was thinking. This small ravine would allow them to get rid of the body without having to bury it. Nobody would want to go down there, let alone be able to get back out with ease. It was the perfect spot.

They dropped the body to the edge, before Negan used his foot to push the wrapped body over the edge.

Arlie felt sick, but she didn't want to show it. What she did last night might eat her alive from the inside but it had shown Negan she was a team player still, that she was part of the team. If she was given the right opportunity, she might be able to use it against him to her advantage. Maybe get her back to her family and out of the sanctuary. But did she still want that? Would she be able to let herself live there again?

Negan extended his hand out to Arlie displaying a small hunting knife in his palm. Arlie picked it up, weighting it in her hand, realising it was the same one she had used before. It felt wrong in her hand too light compared to the one Daryl had gifted her. What had happened to that one anyway? They took it when she first arrived but where was it now?

The forest was alive with bird sounds. She hadn't heard it before but now that the body was gone, it was like a weight had been lifted from her. She observed the forest, each tree, shrub and leaf. She missed spending the majority of her time out here and she had grown to live with the noise her new companion made. She couldn't help think about how much Daryl would complain if he was here about all the noise, and how she should walk quieter, let alone her companion.

It didn't take them long to come across a rabbit in front of them. Arlie quickly disposed of the rabbit, getting a fill before handing the knife back to Negan. It was a nice top up that she didn't realise she needed.

The drive back to the Sanctuary was in a comfortable silence. No words were needed between the two. When they arrived back Negan went to attend his business while Arlie heading towards the lab to check on her test subjects.

Eugene had been keeping a detailed record of vitals, side effects and even times of deaths. It was a hard-hitting fact for some but others showed promise, particularly the latest combination she had created.

Was what they were doing ethical? No.

Did she had a choice in being here, trying to find a cure? Also no.

Arlie fell asleep that night wondering if there was a way out of this mess. A way to avoid playing God by sharing a cure. What a cure would do to those around her. Would it work better than the one she had been given? Would she want others to have it when her fate was sealed?

Little did she know that she didn't have long to think about it.