Michonne let out a sigh as she sunk into the lukewarm bath water. She propped her feet up on the lip of the tub in order to push herself down as far as she could, but she only managed to get as deep as her chin. The water felt great on her aching muscles. She wished she could have warmed the water further, but she was losing daylight, and she wanted to bury her campfire and make sure it was completely out before sundown.
It had taken hours to make 4 trips to the creek, lugging gallons of water back to the house, building a fire, and then boiling some of the water to create a warm bath for herself. It was the first time she'd been able to wash in an embarrassingly long amount of time.
There'd been a heat wave for the past week that dried up most of the water sources she'd come across, and she had been traveling from place to place to find a stable source of water. She'd been scavenging the area and happened upon the house she was now in, it seemed a nice place to hold up in for a few days, and when she found the small creek nearby it sealed the deal.
It was difficult for her to find a place to feel secure enough to stay in for any given length of time, but the large, fairly clean tub she'd found in this house convinced her it was a safe place to at least take a bath and sleep in a bed.
She'd scoped out the house and surrounding woods, locked all the doors and windows in the home, and locked herself into the bathroom before letting her guard down and plunging into the warm water.
She was distressed by the amount of dirt and grime that had come off her body and hair, and that was now floating in the formerly clear water, but it felt so good to be clean.
She wished she had some soap to really wash herself, but beggars couldn't be choosy. While in the tub, she scrubbed some of her clothing and underwear, taking advantage of the large water source. When she was done, she leaned back and rested her head on the tub.
"You were right about this place," she said with her eyes closed. "It's nice to be clean."
Don't worry baby, you always smell nice to me.
Michonne chuckled. "Good answer," she replied. "You always were a charmer."
That's how I got your attention, Ms. Anthony.
"Hmm… it was. Showing up at my desk every morning with coffee and a smile, bringing in plain bagels for the whole office but grabbing a cinnamon raisin one just for me…"
Well, I knew how much you liked food.
"Shut up," Michonne snickered.
My munchie mama Michonne. I always loved watching you eat. And I always wondered where that food went… until I saw your ass.
Michonne burst into laughter so hard tears came to her eyes.
"You're such an asshole."
That's why you loved me baby.
Michonne kept her eyes closed as she laughed, but soon that laugh turned into tears. The tears welled up behind her closed eyelids until they spilled out from underneath, dripping down her cheeks and into the bath water.
"I still do," she confessed to the empty bathroom. "And I miss you so much."
She waited for his response, a wise crack, or a serious reply, but there was nothing. She opened her eyes to the darkening bathroom, the one lit candle giving the only light.
The water had cooled rapidly but it still had some warmth, and it felt good to be submerged, so Michonne leaned her head back on the tub and relaxed. Unknowingly, she slipped into a light slumber.
A thud woke her up suddenly, her heart racing. She was unaware of her surroundings and she leapt from the tub, splashing water everywhere and creating a racket.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping, but her lone candle was almost out. She scanned the room for her katana which she grabbed and pulled from its sheath.
She heard a voice say "what was that?", and the sound of footsteps coming towards her. Michonne panicked and reached for her shirt, but realized that her weapon was more important than getting dressed at this point. She crept towards the bathroom door with her katana up.
"Hey!" a deeper voice called. "Let me check it out."
"Are you kidding me?" the first voice yelled, "you can barely stand, I'm not gonna let you clear it alone."
"Excuse me?" the second voice asked in a hoarse southern drawl. The man was rasping loudly, as if he couldn't breathe properly. Michonne strained to hear the conversation, even as she began calculating how she'd kill these people once they broke down the bathroom door.
"I'm gonna help you clear it. You should just let me do it myself," the first voice mumbled, and Michonne could tell the first voice was young, maybe even a teenager.
There was pause, and the second voice said "let's go," somewhat reluctantly.
She could hear the creaking of floorboards as the men made their way down the hallway towards her locked bathroom. She was trapped. There was no window she could climb out of to get away. During her months of being alone she'd seen the evil that the humans left alive could do to each other, and she made sure to steer clear of the living as well as the dead. Now she was trapped and naked in a bathroom, and there were at least two people outside her door.
She heard the rattle of the door knob.
"It's locked," the younger voice said. There was quick knock on the door and then silence for a few seconds as they waited.
"It's not a walker," the older voice declared. He knocked again. "Hey, if someone's in there, let us know."
Michonne frantically scanned the bathroom for any additional weapons or avenues of escape, but she knew it was futile. Right now, her only true advantage was surprise. The people out there didn't know there was a woman in here with a weapon. When they opened the door they'd lose their heads… if they didn't shoot her first.
"Get your gun ready," the older man rasped to the other.
Michonne tensed, her body primed to stab as soon as a body part made its way through the threshold. This was it. If she lived through this encounter, she'd never take a bath in a windowless room again, and if she didn't, well, at least she'd join her family.
Bam! She could feel the vibration shake the house, as someone kicked at her door. Her weapon was held up in strike position, her chest heaving as adrenaline coursed through her veins.
Crack. The door flew inwards, and as soon as Michonne saw the outline of a figure, her katana was slicing through the air.
Everything was moving in slow motion. What should've been one second seemed to take longer, as her muscles dragged her katana towards the neck of the stranger. In mid-strike, her eyes moved past the gun pointed at her head to the eyes of the man who was staring back at her.
He had cuts all over his face, and one eye was almost swollen shut. There was blood on the bridge of his nose and running down his neck, and his shirt was ripped to shreds. Her katana moved closer and closer to his neck as the milliseconds ticked by, but he didn't make a move towards her at all. His eyes met hers and he stared with wide blue eyes, his gaze locking onto hers. In the final millisecond of her swipe, she made the conscious decision to stop. Her muscles clenched, stopping the katana just as it made contact with his flesh.
There was a long silence, as Michonne held her sword against the stranger's neck, the stranger held his gun pointed at her head, and the other man, who she now realized was just a boy, pointed his gun at her as well, staring at her state of undress in wide eyed shock.
The man's eyes didn't leave hers for a few seconds. She didn't even think he realized she was naked until a few more seconds went by and he began to scan his surroundings.
She watched as his eyes took in the sword pressed against his neck, her face again, and then they quickly swiped down her body. When realization of her nakedness set in she noticed a red flush moving from his ears and across his face and neck.
Michonne's eyes didn't waver from his as she softly panted, adrenaline causing her breath to be expelled in short bursts. If he made any movement, she'd cut his neck. She didn't know why she hadn't done it yet.
The man soon wavered and lowered his gun ever so slightly.
"Carl, put your gun down", he called to the boy behind him.
"Wh… what?" he asked, in disbelief that his father would say that with a sword pointed at his neck. The man lowered his own gun to waist level, but it was still pointed at her.
"Put your sword down, we won't hurt you," he ordered. Michonne stared at him, not believing a word.
The man's eyes flicked to her bare breasts and up to her eyes once again.
"If I wanted to shoot you, I would've done it already," he explained, "and if you slit my neck my son will shoot you before you finish the move."
Michonne's eyes left the man's for a split second to check out the boy who was standing behind his father, his gun still cocked, loaded, and pointed at her head. The boy's eyes were flitting around rapidly from his father, to her sword, and then her naked body. His eyes moved nervously, but his hands were steady on the gun, and he stood in perfect shooting position. From his apparent comfortability with the gun she was fairly certain he would shoot her if she stabbed his father.
Her eyes returned to the man's and she slowly lowered her weapon but kept it pointed in his direction. The man took a step back, giving Michonne her space.
"We didn't know this house was occupied. We don't want any trouble Miss. We just need somewhere to stay for now, and this house is the safest one in the neighborhood."
Michonne stared at him, her heart racing.
"I'm sorry we barged in on you like that. We don't mean you any harm. We're gonna go back to the living room now, give you some privacy."
When Michonne didn't say anything the man gradually backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Michonne continued to stare, her katana angled towards where he'd just exited.
What just happened?
A/N: This story will probably be a handful of chapters long. I hope you like it so far, and please leave a review!