While Aria waited for Simon to come retrieve her from Negan's room, she was trying her best to come to peace with the fact that this would be her last evening alive. She had chosen Option B, and it could only mean one thing.

Death.

Her fingers went up to brush against her neck, a sinking feeling rising in her chest, as she wondered how he planned to finish the job. If he was going to make a quick work of her death, he would have already used his trusted bat on her head. Instead, he had said something about getting her all dressed in black, so chances of it being swift and painlessly were slim. He was probably going to make a show of it, maybe dramatically kill her in front of all his people to teach them a lesson in defying him, which could be why he wanted to arrange to have her wear funeral attire. Negan had muttered something else into the Walkie-Talkie, something about 'the finest room in the house', but Aria was too busy wondering if she was going to be shot, strangled, stabbed, or forced to drink poison for her to really think much on what he was saying to Simon over the radio.

She must have looked extremely absorbed in her thoughts since Negan soon cleared his throat rather loud, bringing her attention back to him.

She really was something else, he found himself thinking as he drank in the sight of the beautiful brunette sitting across from him. "I do think black will look good on you. Real good." He emphasized the word real in a way that made her stomach twist into knots, but thankfully Simon arrived almost immediately after.

"Simon, my good man," Negan said as he stood up from his chair. "Take her to see Nancy. I'd like to see what my best stylist can do for her. She's covered in dirt and you know that simply won't do for one of my girls."

So he not only wanted his newest victim to dress in funeral attire, but he also wanted her to have her hair and makeup done? What a total sadistic bastard, turning her into some kind of eye candy before her final moments. What if he planned to do something with her corpse afterwards? Gross. That was not something she wanted to think about.

"I can't wait to see you for dinner. I'm sure it'll be a real delight for the both of us," he winked at her before Simon ushered her out, and Aria was left with even more questions than before.

"Wait a second! What kind of sick killer dresses his victims all fancy and takes them to dinner before he deals with them? Isn't that a bit of a—" The door was shut in her face, but she finished her sentence with a low mumble. "A…waste…"

Simon was standing behind her, a wide grin stretching across his face underneath his bushy mustache.

"So? New wife huh? Well, aren't you so lucky? You're only like, what, wife number seven? Eight? Ten? Aw, who cares. Congratulations all the same!" He laughed, clearly mocking her.

At the sound of the word "wife", Aria's eyes nearly bulged right out of her head. Suddenly it all made sense. "Wife? Wife?! Who said anything about being his wife!? I chose to walk the plank with my dignity intact, thank you very much!" Panic began to rise in her chest as the urge to run suddenly took over her.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head over it. Your job for the rest of your little pathetic life is just to sit there and look pretty for Negan. Among a few other things," he wagged his eyebrows provocatively before curling his hand around her forearm, dragging her down the hallway. His grip reminded her that running was not an option and she was going to see Nancy whether she liked it or not.

An older woman with dark, curly gray hair greeted her at the door. She had to be in her late 60's as wrinkles decorated her aging face. She was wearing a fancy beige dress suit with cheap, plastic pearls around her neck, and she reminded Aria of the older women she used to sit next to in church when she attended services as a child.

"Nancy, you know the drill," Simon nodded to her. "Make her look good for the big guy. Tonight's this girl's lucky night!"

The older woman smile continued to smile pleasantly as she beckoned Aria inside the small room that was a makeshift parlor. "Oh, that won't be difficult in the least. Aren't you just a pretty one? I can't wait to curly that pretty brown hair of yours!"

Aria was given no room to argue as the kind old lady took over, leaving Simon to go about some other business. Inside the room were wooden vanity sets with large mirrors full of all kinds of makeup and hair products. There was also even a styling chair where a pretty blonde was having her long, waist-length hair neatly trimmed in the back by another pretty little thing with fiery red hair. Two women dressed in fancy black dresses were applying their makeup in the mirrors, paying no mind to Aria as Nancy hurried her over to one of the vacant vanity dressers.

Oh, god. Option B was worse than she thought. Negan had a whole harem of women getting ready for the night's "festivities", and she shuddered to think of what he was planning to do with all of these gorgeous women. They had to have all been gathered to get dressed for a very specific reason, and she had a feeling that no horror movie could compare to whatever was cooking up in Negan's diabolical mind. She saw how easily he had scorched off Dwight's face, and how merciless he was with Glenn and Abraham, so whatever he had in stored for these women, these other Option B's, couldn't be good.

Maybe things were even worse beneath the surface. Maybe "wife" was a codename for "sacrifice". Was he was going to sacrifice them all to the great gods of the Sanctuary, or whatever the fuck he worshipped?! Were they going to be a part of some sick ritual and be disemboweled on a table to please his deity?! Or maybe it was even darker and sicker than that. She wouldn't put it past Negan to think he was a god himself, or a supreme demon overlord, and maybe he planned to cut them open and drink their blood from a crystal chalice on the night of a full moon.

Her heart was pounding, morbid thoughts spinning wildly through her head, while Nancy began to comb through her long, luscious locks.

Aria had to remind herself that this was her choice. She had specifically chosen Option B so it was only fair that she let Negan do away with her however he pleased. If reenacting some freaky ritual with his other "wives", or sacrifices, meant she didn't have to save the life of a Savior, then so be it. Of course, she was going to take him down with her. The gun was still neatly tucked away in her boot and she would make sure no one caught wind of her secret weapon until the right moment. Maybe during dinner, while he was in the middle of performing the ritual, she could whip out her gun at the last second and blow his brains out. It would mean sudden death for her, she knew, but if she was going to die anyways, she might as well make her death count. If she was lucky, she'd be killed quicker by an armed guard than she would have been by Negan's hands.

Yes, it was the perfect plan!

She calmly stared at her reflection in the large mirror in front of her. "Make me the spiffiest, most glamorous sacrifice you can," she requested politely. "Cause I'm going to be the last virgin offering he ever lays his eyes on."

The other girls in the room exchanged puzzled glances, whispering amongst themselves about what this new chick was rambling on about, but Nancy shot them a cold glare to encourage them to hush their mouths.

"You got it, honey," the older woman said. The poor girl must have hit her head pretty hard if she thought she was going to be offered up as a sacrifice, or maybe Negan just a had thing for crazy, delusional women. Either way, her job was to make his new wife all dolled up and that was exactly what she planned to do.

After showering and putting on his best cologne, Negan was dressed to impress that night. He wore a clean, white short over his tightly fitted gray pants, and although he was donning his usual leather jacket, he had spent extra time on his hair that night and even trimmed his beard a little. He had to look his best, after all, if he wanted to make a good impression.

He had his workers set up the dining room that night in honor of his newest wife, Aria, and had them arrange a grand feast. Normally, he preferred to have dinner with his sweet little daughter, but he had a feeling she'd understand that he had other dinner obligations that night.

As he made his way into the dining hall, he saw that all of his other wives were already present. He always had a collection of pretty women at his fingertips and he never grew tired of looking at them. Frankie, Tanya, and Amber all sat at one end of the table, while his other wives, whose names he often got mixed up, were sitting across from them. Two chairs sat at the head of the table, reserved for Negan and his favorite wife of the evening. Sherry, having believed she would be the one sitting at the head of the table beside him since she normally was during their fancy "dinner parties", pulled out the chair beside her for Negan, but the older man shook his head as he motioned for her to get up.

"That spot is reserved for my newest wife tonight, darlin'. No hard feelings, right?" He smirked, pointing to the chair at the very opposite end of the table.

"Go to hell," Sherry muttered under her breath before hopping up from the seat to sit as far from him as was possible.

Aria soon joined Negan and his gang of beauties in the dining hall, and she shyly looked at the other women staring back at her. They were all so gorgeous, dressed to the nigh in expensive designer dresses and high heels that would have surely made Aria twist an ankle or two if she had tried wearing them herself. Nancy had set aside a sexy black gown for her to don as well, but something so fancy and feminine just didn't suit her the way it did those other women. She hadn't been allowed to wear her bulky combat boots and had instead slipped into a pair of black, open toe wedges that had the smallest heel out of all the shoes in the bunch. Without her boots, she had to hide her gun elsewhere. Thankfully, the good Lord had blessed her with a nice rack that made it easy to store things in when the situation called for it. The padded, black push-up bra she wore underneath the slinky black dress pushed her cleavage up quite nicely but also gave her the perfect hiding place for her pistol. Until now, she never understood the purpose of such heavily padded bras, but it gave her a little more wiggle room inside to keep her gun secured. She had a lovely, silk shawl draped over her shoulders that kept the slight bulge in her cleavage from giving away her weapon's location, but that didn't mean she could make any sudden movements or bend over too far or else her gun would slip out.

She tried to ignore the cold, empty stares the other girls in the room were giving her as she slowly made her way towards the long dining table. The dining hall, although set up in a fancy manner, had a creepy aura to it. The room was dimly lit from the brass candlesticks neatly arranged in the center of the table, and the black tablecloth had crimson red rose petals scattered across which really didn't help the ominous vibe. What should she have expected from a satanic ceremonial dinner, though? Slices of pizza served on cheap paper plates?

Aria wondered if the other girls were aware that they were all going to be brutally butchered up for the night's demonic ritual. They had probably missed the memo about what happened to Option B's since they all seemed too chatty and upbeat for women who knew they were about to die.

Negan had reserved a seat just for her right next to him, and Aria slowly walked towards the table, clutching the shawl even tighter around her shoulders. As she took the seat that was pulled out for her, she tried to ignore the venomous gazes being shot at her from every direction on the table, especially from the one sitting at the very end.

From the moment she had stepped into the room, Negan couldn't take his eyes off his new bride. "You look fucking beautiful tonight. That dress was a fan-fucking-tastic good choice for you," he said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair.

Not wanting to keep their leader waiting for very long, the workers were quick to bring in trays of food and placing them on the table. A delicious aroma filled the room as the table was soon full of a wide assortment of dishes. There was wine, an actual roasted pig on the table with an apple in its mouth (presumably a "gift" from Hilltop), mashed potatoes, fresh salad, and an assortment of fruit.

"Well dig in, ladies." Negan said, helping himself as he filled his plate to the top with the goods. Sherry didn't even care to eat. She took a sip of her wine but kept her eyes glued to Aria with a spiteful look in them. It wasn't just Sherry who was giving Aria dirty looks by this point, either; was nearly everyone was looking at Aria as if she had just run over the family dog with her car.

It was hard to feel hungry knowing that she would be dead before dessert arrived, and Aria simply stared at her empty plate as she felt goosebumps prickle across her skin.

"Why the hell is it so goddamn quiet in here? Everyone, meet Aria. She's new and I expect every single one of you to treat her with the utmost fucking respect. In fact, I propose a toast!" He said, raising his glass. "To Aria, the most beautiful goddamn woman in this room," he smirked, looking over at Aria as he clinked glasses with the other reluctant women sitting closest to him. "Now that's more fucking like it," he practically bellowed as the other girls started piling food on top of their plates.

Aria's hands started shaking, and she quickly folded her napkin in her lap over and over again to distract herself. The way he boldly complimented her and compared her looks to everyone else's couldn't have been more infuriating to the other women, and it only served to make Aria feel self-conscious. Even without her glasses she could feel their steely glares piercing daggers through her. If only they knew that this wasn't a competition to be an "actual" wife for Negan, but for a blood sacrifice for a crazy cultist.

"Aren't you going to eat, dollface?" Negan asked the brunette beside him as he took it upon himself to fix her plate full of food since she didn't look like she wanted to do it herself.

She said nothing but attempted to pick up her fork and poke at some of the food given to her. It certainly looked delicious, but a part of her wondered if maybe the meat wasn't actually roast pig but a roasted civilian. The pig was too beautifully crafted and sculpted for the apocalypse, so maybe it was a façade. Hey, anything was possible in this place-even cannibalism-but at least she knew the wine was safe since the other women were happily drinking down glass after glass.

Aria she didn't condone drinking because of the effects it had on a person's body and brain, but at least it took the edge off. The one known as Sherry seemed to be the most displeased with Negan's newest wife, and Aria had recognized her as the woman with "resting bitch face" that had been giving Lily the stink eye earlier.

"Negan, may I be dismissed?" Came a voice. It was Sherry's.

Negan cocked an eyebrow. "You haven't even eaten, darlin'."

"I'm...not hungry." Sherry retaliated, looking right at Aria with sheer hatred.

"Fine. Yes, you are excused. But don't come crawling back tonight saying you're fucking hungry," Negan responded before he resumed chowing down on the delicious meal his workers had worked oh so hard to prepare for him.

Sherry downed the rest of her wine before nearly slamming her cup back down on the table, and with a dramatic gesture, she shoved her chair backwards and stormed right out of the dining hall.

Aria was surprised Negan had let her leave just like that. Then again, did he really need that many women to sacrifice in one night? Whatever cult he was a part of, it was nothing like anything she had ever read about in her history books. In her experience in dealing with mentally unstable people, the best way to handle them was to play along with their fantasies. She wasn't sure if Negan was planning to kill all of them at once, but if she was successful with her assassination, then the other girls could be spared. If she was unsuccessful, and dear god she hoped she wasn't, it would still be best to have as few women in here as possible. All she needed to do was convince him that he didn't need to sacrifice that many women in one night. Easy enough, right?

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Negan," she whispered to him in a low voice, scooting her chair just a little closer to his to talk privately. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but do you really need this many women for tonight's ritual? Are you trying to achieve Godhood or something by having this many women at once? I hope I'm not stepping out of line or anything, but I think just one woman will suffice. You can do more rituals later with the other girls. I should be more than enough, so why not let the other women go?"

Negan nearly choked on his wine at her gracious offering. "Ritual?" He repeated before throwing his head back in laughter.

Aria wasn't sure what was so funny about the situation. There was nothing funny about killing others in a ritual.

"Where did Negan dig this one up?" Tanya whispered to Frankie, trying her best to keep herself from snickering.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds like he's getting pretty desperate for new toys if he has to rob insane asylums."

Aria could hear them but didn't get a chance to say anything in her defense as Negan snaked an arm around her waist. "Damn, you just can't wait to get in my fucking pants, can you, sweetheart?"

He pulled her close, catching the brunette off guard as he brought his lips close to her ear before she had a chance to move away. "I was planning on askin' you to be the one to entertain me tonight anyway. You see, the first night is always the best. I treat you to some dancin', and we drink until we've had enough." His voice was as smooth as velvet, causing goosebumps to spiral down her spine, and she sat as stiff as a corpse in her seat as he continued on.

"Then, I'll strip you down, but only if you're willing, and I fuck you to your little heart's content." His breath was on her skin as Aria's cheeks turned fifty different shades of red. The other women were clearly trying to ignore Negan at this point as they focused on their meals. Some were even watching the two of them from the corner of their eye, but Aria wasn't able to differentiate if they were jealous or amused by the scene before them.

Wait a minute. Had she gravely misunderstood this situation? Aria's hands suddenly forgot how to work as they began to shake even harder, but luckily the wine she was holding only sloshed around in her glass instead of spilling onto her lap. "D-Dancing? F-F-Fucking?!"

"You bet your sweet ass there will be a lot of that second thing," he chuckled against her, his nose brushing up against her cheek. His lips were dangerously close to hers as he spoke, but Aria was more worried about the contents of his statement then she was about his close proximity to her face. "Since you're so eager, how bout we end dinner early tonight and head back to my room right now?"

Unable to stand it anymore, Aria clumsily set her drink back down on the table to avoid dropping it completely. "Hold on a second there, buddy! Wasn't Option B supposed to be where you sacrifice me to the demon lord or something, or like, dissect my guts and drink my blood?! Aren't we all just virgins here to be sacrificed to your insane cult?!"

Silence fell over the room as Negan cocked a single brow up. "Uh, I don't know about you, but none of these beautiful ladies here are virgins. You think any of my wives would be after marrying a stud like me?" He chuckled, eliciting a few cold glares in his direction from the other girls.

So when Simon had said she was his "wife", he had meant, well, an actual wife. No wonder the other women were dressed up so fancy and didn't seem the least bit worried about their safety. Negan wasn't some creepy, cult-obsessed freak, but was just a horny bastard with a harem of women at his beck and call. Option B wasn't a death sentence, but an oath to live in holy matrimony with him.

Suddenly the whole "virgin sacrifice" thing didn't really sound so bad compared to marrying him.

"I don't know what crazy sorta' shit goes on in your pretty little mind, but I'm not some fucking crazed cannibal. Did you really think I called you all here to be a part of some satanic ritual? That. Is. Hysterical." He said, a hint of laughter in his tone as he reached for his cup to take another swig of his drink. Once he swallowed a mouthful of the savory wine, he sported a wide, naughty grin as he kept his sights locked on the brunette beside him. "But, if you're into role-playing some kinky shit like demons or vampires, hell, I will try my best to accommodate!" He said, a hint of a laugh in his tone.

Aria had never felt more humiliated in her life. She had completely jumped the gun on this one, fearing for the worst, but even if he wasn't a cultist, he was still a cold-blooded killer. Whether or not he sacrificed and ate his victims for dinner didn't change the fact he had slaughtered countless, innocent people.

He was still a devil in his own way, and she still had the gun tucked away in her cleavage. The plan was still the same. Lives were still at stake as long as Negan was alive, and even though her assumptions about him planning to sacrifice her weren't exactly accurate, she still needed to play whatever role he had set out for her if she wanted to be successful in her mission. If she wasn't going to play the part of a poor, defenseless sacrifice anymore, she'd switch things up and be the sweet, sexy wife he couldn't wait to get his hands on.

All she needed was to get him to lower his guard and shoot him point blank. Sounded simple enough.

"You know what? I think I would like to wrap dinner up now and get back to your room. I think a little privacy would be nice," she forced herself to say with a sweet smile.

Damn, she was going to need more wine if she wanted to get through this without losing her sanity.