C H A P T E R  0 4

❛ don't cry mercy ❜

QUINN

     THROUGHOUT HER LIFE THERE HAD often been moments Quinn had wanted to disappear. To be swallowed by the earth, taken by darkness, she didn't really care how, as long as she was gone. Sometimes she'd given in to that desire, literally burying herself beneath the haze of drugs and alcohol. Other times she'd managed to find a healthier escape, like dancing her heart out on stage. However, since she found her family, the craving to vanish had slowly decayed over time. Until she finally realised she'd discovered her place in the world and there was no more need to disappear.

Right until this very moment.

As soon as the words had left Negan's mouth, the desire to vanish on the spot returned with such a force that for a moment it felt as though her mere wish was enough to make it happen. But it wasn't. Instead she had to stand there and listen to the disgusting wishes of the man who murdered her family. She had to look at Daryl as his entire body tensed like a livewire.

Before everything that had happened over the last few days, she'd been sure Daryl would have attacked any man who had even dared to suggest this. But now he forced himself to keep still, the only sign of his hatred the way his blue eyes crackled with rage and his hands clenched into fists. It was all he could bring himself to do without having to fear another person he loved being taken from him.

And despite the way her heart ached as she looked at him, it was easier to do so than to look at Negan. She could imagine the smirk on his face perfectly as he watched her inner conflict. The only way she could spare him any more satisfaction was by keeping her pain filled eyes on Daryl.

"What do you say, darling," Negan spoke up again and his voice sent shivers down her spine. "You and me. How 'bout it?"

Her deal to see Daryl had blown up into her face completely. Had she not tried to be smarter than Negan, she would not have the image of his bruised and naked body branded into her mind as she tried to make this fucking impossible decision. It might've been easier to say no and spare herself a future as a slave. But the temptation to say yes grew with every passing second she was looking at the defeated form of the man she loved...

With a startled beat of her heart she realised it was the first time those words had crossed her mind. It shouldn't have come as a surprise and yet at the same time it did. He was her home, the only place in this world that felt so completely safe every worry seemed insignificant. She'd fallen in love with him gradually, his quiet strength, the fierce way he loved, his blue eyes that seemed to follow her wherever she went. She loved him so fiercely that she was now considering giving up her own freedom to save him. Never in her life had she come even close to loving someone that much.

But no matter how much she wanted to spare him this fate, it was because of the fact that she loved him that she couldn't accept Negan's offer. She would not only be betraying herself, but Daryl as well. She wasn't the only one who had opened her heart to the unknown and taken the terrifying plunge of being with someone. Daryl had to face his fear of being known just as much as she had. Even if she accepted with the best intentions - saving him, she couldn't think of better intentions of that - she was still dooming him to a fate worse than death. Yes, he might live. Yes, his life might get better but would he get better...

And so in the end, the choice was simple.

"I'm gonna have to say no," Quinn spoke, watching as the tension seemed to slowly leave Daryl's muscles, but his hands remained clenched in anticipation of Negan's wrath.

He took a step closer, and another, until he was standing so close to her she could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek. She inhaled deeply as she turned her gaze to him, looking right into his eyes. They held a thunderstorm. He wasn't used to being told no and it had angered him, as she had expected, but saying yes simply wasn't an option.

"You better think real fucking careful of what you say to me, tempest," he muttered, his voice so low that if he hadn't been standing close, she wouldn't have heard him.

She forced herself to hold his gaze as she replied: "No is what I meant."

For a moment it seemed like he might lose his temper and finally have her punished for continuing to talk back to him, but he surprised her by breaking out into a laugh. "Ah, see, now this is what I'm looking for. Nothing like the bunch of pussies walking these halls. Sucks though because both your lives were about to get so much cooler." He turned his eyes to Daryl. "You really okay with this? I mean she just gave you a big fucking middle finger and told me to put you back into that cell. Doesn't seem like such a crazy idea for me to take her out of your hands now, huh?"

Daryl stood still as a statue but she could tell by the way his breathing quickened that Negan was getting to him. And judging by the way he was smirking, Negan was very well aware of it too. It was like he was waiting for Daryl to explode and lunge for him once again. She knew one of the reasons Negan had taken them was because he really did think they had balls. Despite how tiring it was, she had been listening to his bullshit and it wasn't hard to figure out he wanted both of them to work for him because of their lack of care for the rules. Unless they were his rules of course. He was seriously dreaming if he thought he could ever get them to follow him.

Negan grinned at Daryl before finally taking a step back. "Let's just take a look at D over here, shall we?" He walked up to Dwight and pointed that stupid bat at him. "Dwighty boy over here did some real stupid shit, fucking pissed me off. And I was going to punish him, oh yes I was. Until his super hot, super badass wife suddenly tells me she'll marry me if I let him live. And me, being the gentleman I am, I accepted. But of course I couldn't let D off the hook completely which is why half his face now looks like fucking melted cheese. Point being, I am a gentleman." He patted Dwight on the shoulder. "D and I are cool now and that-" he pointed the bat at her "-can be you."

Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised at the fact that he already had a wife, and perhaps maybe more than one, but still the thought made her sick to her stomach. And clearly it had been showing on her face, because Negan's grin widened.

"Now, I know what you're thinking but why play by the old rules?" The suggestive gleam in his eyes made her want to scratch his eyes out, but there was nothing she could do to show her hatred.

For a moment her eyes flickered to Dwight, who looked uncomfortable at the mention of his former wife and a sudden realisation struck her. The woman in the black dress...was she a part of his creepy harem too? If you were a wife of Negan, did you have to wear fancy clothes for his satisfaction? The thought left shivers crawling down her spine.

"Alright then," Negan said with a shrug when neither of them replied. "Let's get both of them back into their holes. Give them some damn needed thinking time."

Her guard, David, took a hold of her arm while Dwight started dragging Daryl away. But she managed to lunge forward just in time for her fingers to take a hold of Daryl's hand. And in the one second they touched, she felt as though the fire within her was ignited once again. It didn't matter one bit what these assholes did to them, because as long as they were alive, Quinn would not rest until she'd taken her revenge. Daryl squeezed her hand, reassuring her of that very fact and then he was ripped from her once again, forced into the hole.

She couldn't see the door closing as David pushed her forward, but the bang vibrated through her bones all the same. She wished she could turn back around and do something, put up a fight, resist in any way possible but all she could do was walk toward her cell like an obedient pet.

Just before she was pushed inside however, Negan came standing at her side, his eyes glittering with menacing amusement. "We both know it's only a matter of time before you join me. Leaving the scissors was only sign number one you want it." A smirk appeared on his face upon seeing the realisation slowly settle on her face, it had been a test after all and Quinn wasn't sure if she failed or succeeded anymore. "I mean, hell, you saved my ass once already," he added, his smirk only growing.

She wanted to hit him. If he truly thought that her trying to stop Daryl back in the clearing was about him, he really was delusional. "I didn't do it for you," she spoke through gritted teeth.

"Sure, darling," he grinned. "Sure." Then his gaze flickered down to the necklace she was still wearing and a frown appeared on his face. "I don't remember that being part of the outfit."

Her stomach turned with dread, the feeling washing over her like a tidal wave. But there was nothing she could possibly do to stop him from reaching out. As his gloved hand touched her neck she thought she was going to throw up. She bit her tongue, hard, to stop from screaming. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.

"Can't have ya thinking you're gonna get out of this," he said as he opened the lock and pulled the chain from her neck. "Like I said, two choices only. You're mine now, Quinn, better get used to it."

With that stupid grin of his in place he turned around and walked away, missing the way she trembled while silent tears ran down her cheeks. She was pushed inside the hole. The door closed behind her, leaving her alone in the darkness once again. Her hand reached for her empty neck and a sob left her lips.

She slid down the wall until she was seated on the ground. Her entire body rattled with sobs she could no longer contain. The image of Daryl's defeated form haunted her. And the feeling of Negan's touch against her skin made her sick. Her body felt as though it might explode from all she had to endure in such a short time. With tears streaming down her cheeks she crouched down and threw up the little food that remained in her stomach. Her throat ached as the vomit worked its way to the surface. She was shaking even worse now, weakened by more than just her physical pain.

She crawled to the corner furthest away from where she'd puked and curled up in a little ball. She didn't even try to hold back the tears falling down her cheeks, it was useless anyway. It'd been stupid to think she could outsmart Negan and yet she'd tried. And now all she had to show for it was the fact that she was missing her necklace and forced to see a bruised Daryl everytime she closed her eyes. She'd give anything to get him out of here, to have him be safe, somewhere no one but her could ever touch him again. Maybe it was selfish but she hardly cared at the moment. He was hers and she'd make Negan regret he tried to make them both think otherwise.

The last thing she wanted was to believe Negan. She wasn't his property, she could still make her own choices, as she'd shown just now. But she had no idea how long he would allow her to refuse him. Would he hurt Daryl even more if she kept rejecting his offer? She could take everything he'd throw at her, but she wasn't sure how long she would last if he decided to take his anger out on Daryl. The bruises on his skin now were already bad enough to make her wince, who knew what else he'd be willing to do...

She reached for her necklace, only to realise once again it was no longer there. Already she missed the chain around her neck, feeling as though she'd lost a source of comfort with it gone. No matter how silly the thought, it was the last piece of Beth she carried with her. Now that it was no longer with her, she felt as if she had failed the teenager even worse.

The thought of Beth made tears well up in her eyes once again. She pressed them closed and wrapped her arms around herself, drowning in the darkness. It was as though the hole brought out the worst of memories to the surface and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep them contained. She was so tired of watching her friends being slaughtered while she was helpless to stop it. She wanted to fight back, to show every single one of the Saviors exactly what they were capable of. They would come to regret the day they forced them to kneel.

She wouldn't plead for mercy, she refused to give in to Negan's wishes. And now the only question that remained was how long could she keep that up...

Footsteps in the hallway made her open her eyes. She held her breath as she waited, a small frown on her face as she realised that the steps sounded lighter than those of her guard used to. They were almost hesitant, as though the person they belonged to was searching for the right direction. She was about to lay down again, not caring much about whoever was walking through the hallway.

Until they came to a halt right outside her door. Beneath the small crack under the door she could see a shadow, waiting. Slowly she sat up, her heart beating loudly in her chest. She winced when the door was suddenly pulled open, bathing her in bright fluorescent light. As her eyes adjusted, she felt all air leave her lungs. She'd known he was around here somewhere, but seeing him was a different story entirely.

Her father was standing in the doorway.