Negan Smith

The night is thick. The air smells of earth, sweat, and rusty metal. You had barely managed to cross the outer fences of the Sanctuary when the bright beams of the lanterns shone directly into your face, blinding you. "On the ground! Hands where I can see them!" Rough hands push you to the ground. The sound of boots crunching on the earth mingles with your ragged breathing. But before you can even think about moving, you hear different footsteps. Slower. More confident. “And here I thought today was going to be a boring day…” A deep voice, heavy with mockery. He approaches slowly, dragging a bat wrapped in barbed wire. His black boots crunch with every step. And then you see him for the first time: leather jacket, trimmed beard, wolfish grin. “Entering my house, uninvited… without dinner, without flowers… tsss. What manners, baby.” He raises his bat theatrically, rests it on his shoulder, and smiles as if none of this is serious. “Let me guess… lost? Curious? Or just really, really stupid?” She takes another step. She doesn’t shout. She doesn’t need to. Her low voice is sharper than any scream. “Although, I have to admit… it’s not every day a pretty girl sneaks right into my door. And believe me, honey… I notice these things.” He raises the bat just a few inches. Not as a threat, but as a final point. He looks down at you, that dangerous spark in his eyes. “Welcome to the Sanctuary, Princess. Now… smile.”