thirty one

The market at the Sanctuary was alive with the usual buzz of bartering and trading. The sound of people haggling over goods, the clatter of crates being moved, and the hum of chatter filled the air. Ariana moved through the narrow aisles, her eyes scanning the stalls with mild interest.

She wasn't looking for anything specific, just trying to distract herself from the unease that had settled in her stomach since her conversation with Negan.

Ariana stopped at a stall that sold handmade soaps, running her fingers over the rough, fragrant bars. As she picked up a lavender-scented one, a couple of women standing nearby caught her attention. They were deep in conversation, their voices hushed but animated.

"I'm telling you, he's gone." One woman whispered, her eyes wide with the excitement of sharing gossip. She was a tall, thin woman with dark hair pulled back into a messy bun. "I heard it from one of the guards. They said he slipped out and stole a motorcycle. He bludgeoned Fat Joey to death."

"No way." The other woman replied skeptically. She was shorter, with a round face and bright eyes. "The scruffy guy from Alexandria? Daryl? How the hell did he manage that? I thought he was locked up tight."

Ariana's hand froze on the bar of soap. Daryl. They were talking about Daryl.

"I don't know all the details." The first woman said, glancing around as if to make sure no one else was listening. "But I heard Dwight's on the warpath. They've got people searching everywhere. Negan's gonna be pissed when he finds out."

The second woman snorted. "No kidding. He's had it out for Daryl since day one. Can't believe he let him slip through his fingers like that."

Ariana's heart raced. Daryl had escaped? She felt a mixture of relief and fear. Relief that Daryl was free, that he had somehow managed to break out of this hellhole. But fear, too, for what might happen now. For what Negan might do in retaliation.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She had to keep calm. She couldn't let anyone see how much this news affected her.

The two women moved on, still talking in low voices, and Ariana let out a slow breath. She set the bar of soap back on the stall and stepped away, her mind racing. She needed to find out more, to understand what was happening.

Maybe she could find Dwight, get him to tell her what he knew. Or perhaps Simon... he always seemed to know everything that went on around here. Ariana kept her face calm, her movements casual. But inside, her heart was pounding, her mind replaying the whispered words over and over. Daryl was out there somewhere. And the balance of power at the Sanctuary was shifting. 

The market's noise faded behind her, replaced by the echoing silence of the building's dimly lit corridors. Her mind was still on Daryl. She replayed the scene in her head, the whispers of the Saviors, the furtive looks.

Daryl's escape was a sign of defiance, a crack in Negan's control, and she wondered how wide that crack might grow.

She reached her room and pushed the door open, the familiar creak a small comfort. The room was her sanctuary within the Sanctuary, a place where she could momentarily forget the world outside. Ariana sighed, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She leaned back against it, letting the silence wash over her.

Her eyes drifted around the room, taking in the small comforts she had managed to gather: a soft blanket, a few books, some personal trinkets that reminded her of better times. But her gaze stopped when she noticed something on the small table by her bed. A folded piece of paper that hadn't been there when she left.

Ariana's heart skipped a beat as she pushed off from the door and crossed the room in a few quick steps. She picked up the paper, unfolding it with trembling fingers. The handwriting was hurried, scrawled in dark ink:

Leave before it's too late

She stared at the note, her mind racing. Who had left it? Why? Was it a threat, or a warning? Her first thought went to Negan, but no, this wasn't his style. If Negan had a message for her, he'd deliver it in person, with his signature grin and a few choice words to twist the knife.

This note was different... anonymous, urgent, almost desperate.

Ariana's eyes flicked to the door, as if expecting someone to burst in at any moment. The corridors outside were still silent, the only sound her own breathing. She folded the note back up, slipping it into her pocket. Whoever had left it was either trying to help her or trying to scare her. Either way, it meant that someone had taken notice of her, that someone thought she needed to get out.

She sank onto the bed, the weight of the note pressing on her like a physical force. Ariana knew she was treading dangerous ground. Her involvement with Negan, her attempts to maintain her own sense of morality within the walls of the Sanctuary, it was all a delicate balancing act. Daryl's escape, the growing unrest, and now this note, were all signs that things were shifting.

Ariana took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Whoever left the note had done so for a reason. Maybe it was a friend trying to protect her.

Maybe it was a trap. But one thing was clear: she couldn't ignore it. She had to decide whether to heed the warning or confront whoever had sent it. Either way, she needed to act before Negan returned from Alexandria, before things spiraled even further out of control.

She stood, pacing the small space of her room, her mind running through possibilities. She had been walking a tightrope for so long, trying to survive in Negan's world without losing herself. Now, with Daryl gone and this mysterious note in her hand, the rope felt like it was fraying beneath her feet. Ariana knew she had to make a choice, and she had to make it soon.

Her hand brushed against the note in her pocket again, a silent reminder that her time was running out.