Here's a weird/fun little story I started writing some time ago. It's only going to be around five chapters and I've partially written them already. I hope you enjoy!

Day 1

Porter, VA - Population: 299

There are very few experiences more bizarre than hearing deafening Christmas music booming from loudspeaker in May. Michonne had always been of the belief that such music should cease to exist upon the arrival of December 26th, never to be heard again until after the following Thanksgiving.

She hesitantly stepped out of her car surveying the sparsely occupied parking lot. She mentally weighed her options considering how wise it would be to interact with the occupants of the peculiar establishment.

"What is this place?" she muttered, marching reluctantly toward the entrance of the diner with the faded sign all the while wishing she was back in her condo enjoying the view of the city from her patio with her cat. Only because I love her.

The bell over the door jingled when she entered the empty diner. Oddly enough, the music was blasting from large speakers outside instead of something overhead inside the restaurant. The music was still audible with the closed door, but the setup was very peculiar.

This is why I don't do small towns in the middle of nowhere. Breeding ground for weird shit.

"Hello?" She almost chuckled to herself at how much she sounded like a woman in a horror movie. "I'm looking for some directions!"

She looked around the small diner, which had all the familiar trappings she imagines a small town diner would. It was narrow and elongated with a service counter at the center with checker-tiled floors. There was even a large jukebox on the far side of the diner.

And the Christmas bells that ring there

Are the clanging chimes of doom

Well, tonight thank God, it's them

Instead of you

The obnoxious music stopped and she heard movement from somewhere in the back of the diner. she clutched her the pepper spray hidden in her purse, prepared to defend herself from some small town psycho if necessary.

"Somebody out there?"

"Yeah. I'm a little lost actually. I'm looking for…" Her voice trailed off as a man wearing a welding mask emerged from the swinging double doors.

Hell no!

"Yes?" He removed the welding helmet to reveal his volumeless mullet and a strangely blank facial expression.

"Porter. The town?"

"Well it's your lucky day, because you're standing in it," he said. "Starting from this fine establishment and ending at the Greene farm on the edge of Coley Road. Welcome to Porter."

"Oh...that's great. Perfect." She smiled, but she was sure it looked more like a grimace. "I didn't see a sign or anything and my GPS can't seem to identify the address I'm trying to find. I don't know what's going on with it. I guess this place is both difficult and easy to find."

"The sign is back there," he nodded towards the back of the diner where he emerged. "Was fixing a bit of the lightning damage. Thunderstorms are mighty unpredictable. I should be done in a jiffy and have it back up by the days end."

"...Okay." She didn't know how else she was supposed to comment. "Well I'm looking for 11 Belcher road. I'm not sure if you can point me in the –"

The bell chimed behind her cutting off her request as a man spoke behind her in a husky drawl. "I don't know what it is with that machine. The stuff still down, Eugene?"

"Uh, yes sir."

Michonne turned to find the sir and came face to face with a darked-haired man that she would mentally describe as a very attractive cowboy. He wore a dark blue button-down shirt, partially tucked in his blue jeans and the his booted feet completed the countryside flair.

"Oh, we have a visitor in Porter?" His smile was warm and inviting and she found herself automatically returning it, getting lost in his sky blue orbs.

"Uh, yes." She refrained from calling him sir. "I'm was a little lost, but apparently, I'm in the right place. I just need to figure out where exactly I'm going. Or hell, even where I am."

"I'd be happy to help. Who're you looking for? It's a small community. Everybody knows everybody."

"Maya Moreau. She lives on Belcher road."

He gave her a slow once over. "A relative?"

"Yeah."

"She's recovering mighty fine from her hip surgery." The man named Eugene said. "You're going to need to head down on Colma, then take the first left onto Boring and then another left will get you right on Belcher. Her house will be the third one down."

"Okay I might need to write this all down. Could you repeat that?" She reached for her phone opening the notes.

"I'm actually headed that way I just stopped to drop something off for Eugene. You can follow me home," he said, taking a step toward her. He was close. He also smelled nice, she noticed. "Maya is my neighbor."

"Oh, well this all works out then." She laughed nervously, which was uncharacteristic of her. She was feeling hot all of a sudden, despite the mild weather and air conditioned diner. "Thanks so much."

"Not a problem. You'll always find help in Porter." His words felt as if they had a deeper meaning she didn't quite understand.

"I'm Michonne by the way," she said holding out her hand.

"I'm Rick. Rick Grimes."

"Nice to meet you Rick."

"Good to meet you too."

He turned, handing a small brown parcel to Eugene. "This is it. Do you think you'll be able to fix the machine."

"Do I?" he scoffed. "Come Saturday and it's done."

"Good to hear."

Rick Grimes drove a black suburban truck with 'Borough of Porter' in white lettering across the side. Michonne followed him in her own car through the secluded little town, that up until today she only heard in passing when speaking to her mother, until he pulled up near a large three story victorian style house.

He exited his car, approaching hers and she rolled down her window.

"That's her over there," he said, pointing across the street.

"Thanks again."

"Happy to help." He nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on hers. "So how long will you be in Porter for?"

"Not long," she replied, unable to tear her own eyes away. "Five days or so. Then I have to get back to...everything."

"Well hopefully I'll see a lot of you around during these five days."

Was he flirting?

"Maybe you will."

She sure was flirting back. There was no harm in that. He was a very good looking man.

"I should get going, we have a meeting soon. I'm sure Maya won't miss it, so I'll probably see you there Michonne." Her name sounded like honey (if honey had a sound) coming from his mouth.

"Okay," she said, even though she doubted she would be leaving the house for the rest of the day once she was inside. Her day had been long and unusual enough.

She pulled in front of what she presumed was her mother's new house, not bothering to lug her bag inside as yet. She smiled to herself remembering her mother's fondness for homes that resembled dollhouses with its elaborate trims, bright colors, and spacious grounds.

She was surprised to be greeted with no response when she rang the doorbell. She twisted the handle on the door and it was unsurprisingly locked.

"Just perfect." She glanced around the house wondering if she should look for a back door. Perhaps her mother simply didn't hear her. Was this even the right house? Was it the right Porter?

Of course it is. What are the odds of two Maya Moreau's living in two different Porters?

Besides, she'd never heard of this Porter, so she highly doubted there were two within a two hour driving distance of her apartment. She silently cursed at her own stupidity for not coming back to the states sonner when she heard about the accident.

"You looking for Maya?" An older gentleman with wispy white hair was standing at the end of the drive, stooped over a wooden cane. He smiled kindly at her.

"Yeah, she's not answering the door for some reason," she answered. "I doubt she would have gone anywhere. She's expecting me."

"Town meeting," he replied, in a raspy voice.

"Town meeting?"

"It's the first Tuesday." He said as if it were some kind of explanation she would understand.

Michonne's frustration with the day was growing. "She just had hip surgery!"

"She's recovering very well," he commented, before turning to continue his amble down the street. "I bet she's already at Town Hall. You coming?"

Going against everything she learned from city life, Michonne resignedly descended the stone steps to follow the gray-haired elder to where she assumed the Town Hall was located.

"You must be the daughter," he said casually starting up a conversation as she walked in pace with his slow shuffle. "With the unique name. What was it again? She always talks about you."

"It's Michonne."

"That's it!"

"So, what is this town meeting all about? Something important happen?" She couldn't imagine why else people would want to attend. It didn't sound very appealing.

"I told you," he said. "We have them every month. Mayor Grimes likes to keep them going. It's like a tradition in a sense. Most people come out."

"Interesting," Michonne said, wondering why her mother picked this strange little town out of all places to retire. "I didn't know little towns like this had mayors."

"Someone has to run the town and that's essentially what the board is for," he explained. "We have an election every other year. We elect a treasurer and a clerk and all that too. Usually the same people though, because not many newbies in Porter. Our population only grew by one in the last year."

"Well that's something." She made a mental note to do a quick google search on the history of the town. It would probably be a part of one of those clickbait articles listing the strangest places in America.

"You'll like it here in Porter. We're a friendly closed-knit bunch."

"That's nice," Michonne said. "I've been meaning to spend more time with my mother. I haven't been since she decided to move out here. She always the one that visits me."

"She'll be happy to see you. That I know. Well here we are," he said stopping in front of the tall white wood building with a high steeple. There was a sign out front reading 'St. Sarah's Episcopal Church' despite another sign with the words 'Town Hall' in large black lettering on the opposite side.

"Town Hall is also a church?" she asked incredulously.

"It's a very small town," he shrugged. "We switch signs depending on the occasion. We have a guy for that stuff. Eugene. He gets a kick out of it. A weird one, that one."

As they approached the church, she noticed the very same Eugene, the sign enthusiast from the diner, on his way inside and she couldn't help but laugh at how surreal her day was turning out to be. "I better not end up in a torture chamber in somebody's basement at the end of all this."

"Pardon?" the man asked, furrowing his brow at her odd declaration.

"Nothing," she said shaking her head at her own silliness. "Thanks so much for your help. It was nice talking to you. I guess I should find Maya."

When they entered the church, Michonne craned her neck looking for her mother. The first face her eyes landed on, however, was none other than Rick Grimes, who she now realized must also be Mayor Grimes.

He was seated at the front of the church (or town hall as it was currently called and operated) with four men and three women, who she assumed were part of the elected board. The remainder of half of the town's inhabitants sat in pews listening to what was being discussed.

One of the board members, a caramel skinned woman with a large curly afro stood and started summarizing a proposed budget for a festival that will take place the following year. She must have been the treasurer. She drowned out most of what was being said, until Rick started speaking.

It seemed there would be a largely anticipated event taking place in Porter that Saturday and the big haired treasurer, who Rick referred to as Sasha, based the proposed budget on their spending for said festival.

Rick's eyes were now on her and his sentence trailed off as people turned to see the latecomer that diverted his attention. She looked away, spotting her mother who gleefully waved her over. She moved down the side aisle trying to avoid being too much of a distraction as she approached the woman who shared many of her features.

"Hi baby." Maya smiled giving Michonne a quick kiss on the cheek as she slipped next to her. "Welcome to Porter."

Hope you enjoyed this! Let me know what you think. Do you like it? Interested?

Porter is a completely made up town.