Title: Family
Spoilers: Episode 5X15 – "Try"
Summary: Michonne feels her family is falling apart.
A/N: All rights to The Walking Dead. The lyrics belong to Portishead, "Western Eyes." This is Part 1 of a two part story.
But I'm aching at the view
Yes I'm breaking at the scenes just like you
Michonne closed her front door and leaned against it feeling too tired to walk up the stairs. She was worried about Sasha and Tara. In the past she would have said a quick silent prayer for her friends, but she stopped believing in any higher power a long time ago. She was going to propose a meeting soon. Something needed to be done before Sasha hurt herself or someone else. She needed to talk to Rick. Even though they lived together and worked the same job she missed him. They hadn't really talked much since their first couple days in the community. They'd been inseparable for so long it felt strange to mostly only say good morning or good night to each other as they began and ended their days. The people she grew to love as her family were all relativity safe, alive, clean, and well-fed, but she knew they were breaking apart.
She sighed and looked around the house. It was modern and nice, but it didn't feel like home yet. The prison felt more like a sanctuary than Alexandria. She couldn't believe how much she missed that place. She missed seeing Rick work tirelessly at farming to feed them all. She missed reading comic books in the warm sun with Carl. She missed late night talks with Hershel. She chuckled when she thought she even missed Darryl giving her fleas.
She couldn't shake the feeling she was in the Twilight Zone now. The innocence of this community didn't feel right. She felt such a rush earlier killing Walkers again. She knew how crazy that was, but she couldn't help it. Killing was a certain kind of normal now.
Michonne shook herself out of her thoughts and made her way up the stairs. She passed by Carl's open door and smiled when she saw clothes and comic books strewn around his unmade bed. It looked like a real teenager's room. If nothing else she was glad Carl was able to be a kid again.
Her constable's uniform was still laid out on her bed. She ran her fingers down the seams of the shirt and sighed again. She was tired of hearing that sound come out of her mouth. She knew what it felt like to get everything you wanted and still have a cloud of unhappiness follow you everywhere. It's the same feeling she had after graduating law school at the top of her class and getting hired by the most prestigious firm in Atlanta. She had everything but still felt so lost.
Just like now.
She couldn't stop the nagging feeling in the back of her head that something was coming that was far more dangerous than the Governor or Terminus.
Michonne looked at the clock. It was 2:54 PM. She needed to relieve Rick of his shift soon. She put on her uniform and rushed back down the stairs. The glint of her katana caught her eye as she made her way out of the door. She felt as urge to remove her weapon from its mantle, but kept on walking.
The first things that greeted her when she stepped outside were several screams and shouts. She saw some of the townspeople run towards the commotion, and she took off after them. She reached her hand in her waistband to make sure her handgun was tucked in the back. She felt like she hit a brick wall when she reached the end of the street. She didn't know what she was expecting to see, but it wasn't a bloodied and ranting Rick waving his gun around. She saw Pete on the ground, and Jessie crying silently as she watched in horror. Michonne made eye contact with Glenn and she was sure the look on his face mirrored her own. They feared their leader was losing his mind again. Carl ran up to her and silently pleaded for her to do something. Deanna stood in the front of the semi-circle surrounding Rick, looking at him with disgust. Her eyes traveled to Michonne with the same look.
Michonne turned away and looked up at the sky. She saw Sasha back in the watch tower firing shots at any and every Walker she could see. She felt a chill go down her back. Her grandmother used to say that meant someone was walking on your grave. She let the shudder pass and took out her gun. She walked up behind Rick and whacked him in the head. He fell to the asphalt with a dud. She tried not to look at the tears streaming down Carl's face. Instead she watched as Rick's chest moved up and down as he laid there unconscious.
"Help me get him inside." She said quietly to Glenn.