Chapter One
"Not that high!" she screamed, giggling as he pushed her higher and higher, ignoring her five year old squeals. Her deep brown curls bounced as she swung back and forth, catching the sunlight as she moved. He checked the time on his Power Ranger's watch.
"We gotta go home now." He stated pulling at the metal chain to help stop the swing, the swing twisted and threw her onto the ground, she fell on her hands and knees and got up smiling, her left knee bleeding down her leg, into those little white socks she wore with the ruffles at the top.
"I'm sorry! You're bleeding, c'mon!" He grabbed her hand and tried to drag her home, running. She laughed the whole way home, and even once they had parted ways he could hear her mother screaming over the blood she coated the hem of her white summer dress in, and he could still hear her laughter.
"Damn" he mumbled sliding out of his bed in the guard tower which overlooked Cell Block C. He closed his eyes as he searched the floor for his boots, finally hitting one with the outside of his foot he bent over to put it on. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder he opened the door, descending the stairs he walked over to where Rick was mumbling gibberish to his baby girl.
"How's she doing with formula?"
"Almost on empty, we'll have to go out today."
"I heard there's a grocery store up the street, couple blocks" a petite Asian boy walked out from a cell, rubbing his eyes wearily.
"Can you go?" Rick inquired, handing the child to Daryl and walking over to their baby supplies. "We need about eight or so boxes of formula to last…"
"Hey little one" Daryl whispered to the little girl, Judith as her brother had named her.
"Yeah sure, I'll just ask Maggie if she wants to come or something." Glenn, running a hand down the side of his face, retreated back into the cell he had came from.
"Rick, how early do you think we could teach her how to shoot?" Daryl laughed swinging the baby from side to side as she watched him wide eyed. Rick scoffed, scooping the baby out of Daryl's arms.
"My baby will never have to even touch a gun." Daryl raised his eyebrows.
"C'mon this baby was born to kick-ass."
…
"Hey where were you earlier?"
"Do I really have to check in with you in the goddamn apocalypse?" He slid his button up shirt over the back of his chair, pulling off his undershirt.
"At least warn me would you?"
"Oh come on sweetheart, who doesn't want to see a little more of ol' Merle." He moved closer to her.
"Me, now where were you?" He sighed, stepping back and grabbing a clean shirt out of his dresser. "I was just taking care of some business, nothing to concern yourself with." She threw her hand onto her hip, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh, then why is there blood on your shirt?"
He pushed the hair out of her face, "You're just so beautiful, but so nosy." He pulled harder on her hair. "Anyways you better watch what you're saying there, if the Governor only knew some of the shit you say? You'd be in serious trouble."
"Oh really, what would he do to me then?"
"You don't even want to know, but it could just take one instant of me being mad at you and I could just slip him some information…" She scoffed, "Imagine that: Sage keeps inquiring about what we're doing all of the time, I think she's planning a revolution."
"You wouldn't dare lose me"
"Honey I wouldn't be too sure of that."
"Like it's not obvious, you think I'm some sort of treasure map to find your brother just because I was with him for the last time maybe two seconds after you were?" He started laughing, twirling his makeshift arm replacement around the bedside table.
"You think you're so right but I still have more over you than you can handle, you are mine and there's no way you can get out of it."
"That's not true."
"Well would you prefer to die?"
…
Everyone was waiting around, fidgeting. No one wanted to send out Glenn and Maggie after what had happened earlier, the people they had lost, they wouldn't be able to sacrifice any more. Glenn was making senseless jokes, laughing just to fill the room with sound. Maggie loaded a few extra guns into the back of the car, mainly just to appease the rest of the group. Glenn looked to Daryl, standing against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.
…
"Curious, curious, curious" He mumbled, pacing in front of her, a slim knife in his hand. Stepping out of his pace he slapped her as hard as possible, she didn't dare move.
"So you want to see what the big boys do eh?" She stared up into his harsh eyes, crossing her legs where she sat on his bed.
"I'll do what you want me to."
"Bullshit!" He yelled, slamming his knee down next to her legs, moving on top of her with his hand over her throat. Her long brown hair fanned out underneath her, her eyes clear and unfazed.
"C'mon I'll show you what you're up against, bitch" He got up, pulling her up with him, his hand at her throat. He tightened his hold and pulled her up to him, making her stand on her toes, and crushing his lips against hers he pushed her towards the door.
"Meet me outside of the gates at one"
She heard the door slam and continued to walk down the hallway, slamming her boots against the ground as she walked. She fast walked down the street, just trying to get to her apartment without being seen by too many people. She didn't want to go anywhere with Merle, but on the other hand she hadn't been outside of the gates since Merle declared that she was to obey him or he would have her killed. Or whatever the Governor was accustomed to doing to traitors. She threw open her apartment door, one which she was not allowed to lock for months. She quickly went to her bedroom, redressing in a green shirt, black pants, and her leather jacket. She looked at herself in the mirror, for the first time since she could remember. Her cheek didn't look to be bruising but she'd probably put makeup on it later, she pulled her hair closer to her face, noting the way the length of it weighed down her curls. She knelt next to her bed, searching under it for her pre apocalyptic bag, something she kept just for the sense that maybe one day the world would go back to normal and her necessities would again be makeup and a cell phone instead of a knife and handgun. She fixed the impending bruises and walked out the door. She walked towards the edge of town where she knew of a door that led into a small courtyard, she opened it, walking through the courtyard, searching for Merle. She turned a corner and he was facing her along with about four other comrades.
"What's she doing here?"
"This is my expedition and it would be in your best interest not to question what I do okay?" Merle turned to the smaller boy, Sage walked up to Merle, grabbing a gun out of his back pocket and placing it in hers, he spun around.
"Not a smart move but if you get us all killed…"
"You know that Daryl taught me how to shoot, and you also know he was always better at it then you." Merle's jaw clenched and she smiled, reveling in his anger. He turned around, leading the procession into a wooded area. Sage was now walking at the head of the group, looking forward into the woods for the first sign of whatever they were there for. She heard murmurs behind them but didn't have time to look back before she tripped on something rather solid, but before she had the time to fall Merle had grabbed the back of her jacket, and draping an arm around her stomach he pulled her up.
"Easy there sweetheart," Merle whispered into her ear before addressing the group, "Well well well hasn't someone gotten creative with the walkers huh?" Merle circled the bodies, left out on the ground cut up into words.
"What the hell are we even out here for Merle?"
"You know baby," he cooed wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her into him, "you did say you wanted to know what we did here, well welcome." He moved his hand up and down her back before resting it on her ass, she looked down and he whispered down into her ear, "Now we're here to kill a traitor, just like we would be doing to you if you ever decided to cross me, isn't that right?"
"Who is it…?" She whispered, not daring to look up as there was always that slight chance that it was her they were going to execute, that she was the one they wanted dead. She could have crossed him and never have known.
"Michonne" He grunted, before he heard one of the men yell, and within two seconds she was being grabbed from behind a kantana at her throat. Merle automatically threw his hands up, "Woah, woah woah, this is really unnecessary… just leave her behind..."
"Back away," the words slithered out of her mouth as if fueled by poison, and Sage did not want to see the ignition, part of her hoped to be shot, more of her hoped that maybe just maybe her and Michonne would get away. She could not think of one reason she'd want to stay in Woodbury, maybe it was just that slight connection Merle had to Daryl but that wasn't worth it anymore. Her chest rose and fell with the chance that she might finally be free, and at that moment she felt Michonne tug on her body, dragging her backwards as they ran off into the woods. Merle began to run after her but she screamed for him to stop, screamed sentences and sentences of loyal lies, and he stopped, and she was free. Michonne dropped the kantana from her throat and Sage turned around, grabbing Michonne's hand and pulling it over her shoulder, having noticed a gunshot wound to her thigh. They began to run at a rhythmic pace, headed as far away from Woodbury as they could manage. After what must've been a mile at least they came upon the parking lot of a grocery store, there was a car parked there and she heard people talking.
"Maybe they can help us!" Sage exclaimed, Michonne answered her by putting a finger to her lips, and pulling her to crouch behind an abandoned car. They were talking about a baby they were raising in a jail, although Sage assumed they weren't serious, babies and apocalypses did not mix, when she realized she knew one of the men, she couldn't quite place it until she remembered. Glenn.
"Michonne! I know hi-" Michonne shoved her hand over her mouth and nodded to a figure behind the couple. Her head was fuzzy but she recognized Merle, she tried to scream to tell Glenn to run, but Michonne held her completely silent. She thrashed trying to run, scraping her knees repeatedly on the pavement, trying to get up as tears started to pour over Michonne's hand. She could feel that she had ripped through the knees of her pants now, and her knees stung with pain but she needed to get up she moved her legs back and forth, scraping them continuously, trying to get out of Michonne's hold as Merle, Glenn and the girl now had guns raised at each other. Merle was shouting about his brother's location and when Glenn held off on where they were Merle somehow got the girl with a knife to her throat. They needed help, Sage pawed at the car window trying to give herself some leverage to get up but Michonne was stronger than she was, she slid to the ground, she had given up and just wished that she couldn't hear their voices. Their car spurted to life and they were gone. Michonne waited until their car was gone for what seemed like hours before they got on their feet.
"What do you think you were doing! We could have saved them!" Michonne didn't speak, walking over to the basket they had left behind. Baby supplies, Sage rubbed her forehead, they weren't joking.
"Where are you going now?" Michonne had scooped up the basket and began heading south east.
"The prison, you shouldn't have bloodied yourself up so bad, could've been useful."
"I am useful, and I would've been a hell of a lot more useful if you would've let me help them!"
"What? And gotten me killed? And have gotten yourself stuck back in Woodbury where Merle and the Governor could have their way with you ever single day again?" Sage gaped at her.
"How did you know…?"
"The Governor detailed it in this journal he had, I searched his apartment before I left. I knew you wouldn't fight me when I took you, thought it might turn out well for the both of us." Sage ran behind the nearest car, throwing up mercilessly just thinking of the things that bastard could've written about her. She always knew he was the sickest person she had ever crossed, Merle just hurt her for power and sex, the Governor liked the fight.
"You okay? C'mon we gotta get moving." Michonne put a hand on her back and led them back in the direction she was originally heading. They had been walking for some amount of time, Sage couldn't estimate, or even guess she was just walking. Michonne started walking faster so she looked up, seeing gates on a very large prison. Michonne walked up to a walker, jamming her sword into its skull and carrying it on with them, Sage looked at her flabbergasted, until she remembered the day Glenn and Rick wore walker guts as a way to divert her smell, that must've been twenty minutes before she was left trying to undo Merle's handcuffs. They walked up to the gate and saw a figure a little ways off, he came up to the fence and Sage recognized him automatically.
"Rick…"
