The darkness did nothing but sharpen Rick's senses as he was thrown into the bed of a pick-up truck. His blindfold was made of some sort of scratchy material, maybe burlap, and it chafed his eyes and face. He could hear the engine start and muffled voices go back and forth in conversation as the truck seemed to hit every bump and pot hole in the road. A particularly big hole threw him closer to the person sitting next to him, but he didn't move away. He'd never move away from her. His hands were tied behind him, but he used his body to speak for him, resting his leg right against hers. Reassuring her as well as being reassured himself.
I'm still here. You're still here. We're still alive.
He felt her rub her leg against his in return.
I'm still here.
The ride in the back of the truck seemed to stretch on forever. The heat was causing him to sweat and stick to himself, the sunlight burning his sensitive skin. He knew he'd have a sunburn by the time the truck stopped. But the long ride gave him time to reflect on what happened hours ago, when a run with he and Michonne turned into them being completely surrounded and outnumbered by a gang of people armed with clubs, knives, and various other homemade weapons.
Rick wasn't one to surrender, but he just didn't have enough bullets to take them all out, and Michonne knew it too, slowly lowering her katana. They both surrendered, thinking that action could give them enough time to figure out what to do next. The next thing he knew they were being tied up, and blindfolded. He was just grateful she was still sitting next to him unharmed. He was confident they'd find a way to get out of this. They always do.
After hours of driving, the truck pulled to an abrupt stop. Rick tensed, and could feel Michonne tense beside him. One of the men who were piled into the back with him grabbed his arm and yanked him off the back of the truck. Because he was bound and blindfolded he couldn't properly brace himself and he crashed to the ground and landed on his shoulder, letting out a grunt. Before he could right himself he felt Michonne crash on top of him, her head hitting his chest hard. She let out a moan on impact, but he was glad he was there to cushion her fall. Rough hands grabbed him and pulled him upwards.
"Where'd you find these two?" a gruff voice asked.
"Down by the highway. They were together." The man who was holding Rick replied.
"Well ain't that sweet. Lock em' up, you know what to do." The first voice ordered.
Rick was walked/dragged into a building. He could tell by the acoustics and echoes around him that the building was fairly big and generally empty. He was dragged along until he was yanked to a stop. He could feel hands on his body, running down his waist line and reaching into his pockets.
"Don't touch me!" he heard Michonne yell and he figured they were doing the same to her. He heard a small thud and it sounded like they had slammed her up against the wall. She then started making choking noises.
"Hey! Don't you hurt her!" Rick called.
"You stop fighting and I'll let go of your neck" someone grunted. Rick could hear Michonne struggling next to him and more grunts and gasps until the noise quieted down. Rick was terrified. He didn't know if she had stopped on her own or if she had passed out.
"That's it. See, you cooperate, and we don't hurt you." The man said. Rick felt someone loosening his blindfold and then it fell to the floor. The bright light of the room they were standing in was blinding and he squeezed his eyes shut until they adjusted. As he squinted around he could see the outline of Michonne, her back pressed against a wall, a man removing her blindfold as well. She had the same reaction as Rick, squinting in the bright light. She glared at the man who had been previously choking her, and then her eyes found Rick's. They silently checked each other over to make sure the other was okay.
"You two are gonna stay in time-out for a while until you learn how to play nice." The man who had hold of Michonne said. He pulled a knife and Michonne flinched slightly. The man who was holding on to Rick's arm unlocked a door and pushed Rick towards it. The man who had Michonne reached over with the knife and cut Rick free as the other man shoved him into the room. They then dragged Michonne over and cut her loose as well, shoving her in and slamming the door behind her. They both heard the door lock, but all they could do was hear it, as the room they were in had no windows and very well could've been a closet. It was pitch black inside, and the only light was coming from the closed door they came in from. They were quiet until they heard the men walk away.
"You ok?" Rick whispered, feeling for her in the dark. He managed to touch what he approximated was her shoulder.
"Yea. I'm ok." Michonne muttered.
"What do you think they want?" Rick asked.
"Doesn't matter. We need to get out of here." Michonne said, heading for the door and trying the knob. Rick turned and ran his hands along the walls of their room, searching for any weaknesses and trying to figure out how large the room was. He made his way around, not feeling anything, but he figured the room was about the size of one of the jail cells in the prison. There was nothing but a concrete floor and the door. The cracks underneath the door provided the only light. His foot banged into a bucket, the only object in the room.
"This bucket better not be for what I think" Rick grumbled.
"You think we can kick this door in?" Michonne asked, pressing against the door.
"Maybe, but not without making a huge amount of noise, and it seems like there's a lot of them out there. I think for now we need to sit tight and think of a strategy."
Michonne sighed in frustration because she knew Rick was right. Rick slid down one of the walls and sat in silence as Michonne paced back and forth in the small room like a caged animal. Although it was hard to judge time in the dark, eventually she also slid down the wall and sat next to Rick.
"Any idea where we are?" Michonne asked him.
"No, but we're about two hours away from where they captured us. That's all I've got. If they let us out we both look for landmarks that could help us."
Michonne nodded next to him although she knew he couldn't see her. Rick knew she was frustrated and annoyed at their helplessness. His hand found hers in the dark and their fingers interlaced.
"Hey, at least you're here with me and not Eugene." Rick whispered.
Michonne chuckled at his joke. "Yea, true."
They sat in relative silence for what seemed like hours. They could see daylight was fading based on the light coming from under the door.
"Ugh, when will they let us out of here?" Michonne whined, "I may just die of boredom."
"Well, I can think of a few things we could do to pass the time, but it may be a tad bit inappropriate due to the circumstances."
"Really Rick? You know we're hostages right?"
"And what's your point?"
Michonne laughed loudly and nudged Rick in the side. "Yea, I'm really glad you're here instead of Eugene."
When the light had almost completely disappeared, they could hear people walking around in the building, but none of the footsteps sounded like they were coming to open the door. Michonne had taken to pacing again. "They're not letting us out today" Rick sighed.
"I can't just sit here. I… they need to let us out now!" Michonne growled, but Rick could hear the shakiness and panic in her voice. She began to bang on and kick the door.
"Michonne!" Rick called, but she continued to kick. He stood up and reached for her in the dark, placing both his hands on her shoulders and then moving them around her waist, hugging her from behind. He could feel the quickness of her breathing and the tension in her back.
"You need to relax and save your strength. We will get out of here Michonne, but banging on the door isn't going to make that happen any quicker."
After a few tense seconds, Michonne leaned back into Rick's arms and then turned around to face him, her fast breaths blowing on his face. He pressed her chest up against his and she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Have I ever told you I'm claustrophobic?" she said softly.
Rick rubbed circles on her back. "No, but that explains a lot" he said.
"I don't do well in small places like this… It was one of the reasons why I always went on runs when we lived in the prison. I've had panic attacks before."
"Don't worry. I'm here with you. You'll be ok. We will get out of here, alright?"
Michonne nodded into his shoulder, and Rick took her hand and led her to a spot on the floor. He sat with his back against the wall and he pulled her into his lap so that her back was leaning against his chest. Her breathing was still fast, so Rick gently began to massage her shoulders.
"Just feel my breathing, and try to match my breaths. Breathe with me, ok?"
Over time her breathing slowed down and she began to relax into him.
"Feel a little better?" he asked.
"Yes. Thank you Rick."
"Just doin' my job" he replied, kissing her shoulder. "Now try to get some sleep. I'll stay up and keep watch."
"I can't… I should keep watch…" Michonne started.
"I'm not takin' no for an answer. I got this. Sleep will help you."
Rick could hear Michonne let out a sigh and he knew that she had rolled her eyes.
"And don't you roll your eyes at me" Rick joked, causing Michonne to chuckle.
"Fine. You're really bossy you know?" she said, stretching and shifting to get comfortable against him.
"That's why you love me" Rick responded, pressing a kiss against her cheek.
"I do" Michonne mumbled, and to Rick's surprise she was asleep within minutes.
Rick sighed and let his head hit the hard wall behind him. He had to get her out of here. He had to get home to their children. He was going to get home, no matter who he had to kill in the process. He spent the rest of the night listening to the occasional footsteps in the distance, and Michonne's soft breathing as she slept.