Disclaimer: This story is very dark and is not intended for children. It has many trigger warnings including rape, torture, and abuse of various kinds. If that is not something that you want to read about, this story is not for you.
"How's Rick handling it? You know, behind closed doors? I mean, you know him way better than anyone else in Alexandria" Aaron asked Daryl, as he sat in the passenger seat of the speeding sedan.
"Mmmnnnn" Daryl grunted in a sound that let Aaron know that he wasn't sure. "How d'ya think he's handling it."
Aaron nodded, sympathizing about how he'd feel if something happened to Eric. "I mean… he seems to be holding it together well. Considering…"
Daryl stared straight out the windshield at the road that was quickly passing them by.
"I mean… I just really miss her. I know how important she was to him. To all of us" Aaron explained.
Daryl kept his eyes on the road straight ahead as he mumbled, "yea."
There was silence for a few minutes as both of them became lost in their thoughts. Daryl was practically driving on autopilot when a small herd of walkers drew his attention. They were in the middle of the road, and although there weren't many of them, there was enough that they couldn't just go around.
"How 'bout we stop here and draw them to us? Pick them off one by one?" Aaron suggested. Daryl nodded and they stopped the car a small way down the road, waiting for the walkers to stumble their way over to them.
As they waited, Daryl saw a slight movement in the trees, just in his peripheral vision. He turned to the movement, his crossbow at the ready. To his astonishment he saw a woman stumble from the bushes. She was barefoot, and bleeding from her feet from the tough terrain she was walking through. She wore only a filthy t-shirt that was covered in blood that didn't seem to be hers. She was bruised all over, the purple and red marks marring her brown skin, and blackening her eye. Ligature marks from handcuffs or ropes, cut across her wrists and ankles, and her hair was chopped up into uneven clumps. It looked like someone had taken a knife to her locs, and cut at her hair randomly, not even using scissors. But the most alarming, haunting part of this familiar face was the eyes. Her eyes were blank and staring, barely blinking, barely registering as human. She stared through Daryl, not a single trace of recognition on her face. Daryl and Aaron both stared at her in shock.
"'Chonne?" Daryl asked, but he already knew it was her.
"Oh my God" Aaron whispered, his hand going to cover his mouth.
Michonne stood there, not glancing at the men or the walkers that were quickly approaching. She stared as if she were watching a movie that was playing in her own head.
"Walkers!" Aaron warned Daryl, as the small herd finally reached them. The two of them turned their eyes away from Michonne for a second, to focus on killing the half dozen walkers that had reached them. Within seconds they turned back to her, overjoyed that they'd finally found her after her being missing for a month, but she wasn't where she had been seconds before.
They spotted her limping away from them, down the road, her shoeless feet leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind her.
"Michonne!" Aaron called, jogging to catch up with her, "Michonne! Wait!". Aaron reached out and touched her arm gently to get her attention. She jerked away from him as if he had shocked her, and he immediately held up his hands to let her know he meant no harm.
"Michonne it's me, Aaron. And Daryl. We're not gonna hurt you. We're not gonna hurt you. We're here to take you home."
Michonne stared at Aaron blankly. Her eyes shifted to Daryl who approached her as he would a wounded animal.
"'Chonne, you're hurt" he said softly, "let us take you back to Alexandria. Let us help you. Rick, and Carl, and Judith are waiting for you. Everybody's missed you."
Michonne's brow crinkled at the names as if she were trying to remember something really important, but she still didn't speak.
"You wanna come with us?" Daryl asked, holding a hand out to her. Michonne stared at his hand for a while, and without answering she stumbled back towards the car. Aaron ran to open the back door for her, and he reached to hold her arm as she lowered herself into the back seat. At his touch she jumped again, turning towards him with her eyes wild.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Aaron began, shocked by her reaction to him.
Daryl stared at Michonne as she began to tremble, her eyes unfocusing as she looked through them once again.
Aaron slowly closed the car door, and shot Daryl a concerned look before they both hopped in the car, speeding back to Alexandria with an impassive Michonne in the back seat.
XXXXXXXXXX
It had been hours since Michonne had returned to Alexandria, and seemingly back from the dead, and she hadn't spoken a word. She was understandably changed, Rick knew that immediately, when he had run to her in exhilaration and she backed away from him, eyes wide and body trembling. Her hair had been roughly hacked off and her eyes were sunken in to her head, making her look like a bare skeleton of herself. Every time he tried to touch her she reacted as if he was hurting her, and he quickly learned to stop trying to touch her.
Even the sight of Carl and Judith wasn't enough to bring her back from the fog she seemed to be in. Rick wondered if she'd hit her head or had a brain injury for her to have changed so quickly. Her aversion to touch was more understandable when he'd seen the wounds that littered her body. Various bruises and lacerations stood out on her skin in ugly purple patterns. Her wrists and ankles were open and raw from her being tied up somewhere. The thought of someone tying her up and causing these wounds hurt Rick to the depths of his soul. When Rosita approached Michonne in an attempt to wrap up her open wounds to prevent infection, Michonne reacted the way she had to everyone else, pulling away and fighting to be free.
No one knew how to help her, and Rick wished Denise was here so she could give him some advice on Michonne's psychological state. Without anyone who knew psychology, Rick figured that she had gone through something terrible and obviously traumatic, and maybe she needed her space to think things out.
When he brought her back to the house, she barely responded, searching the house glassy eyed as if she wasn't seeing what was in front of her. He led her to the bedroom they shared, hoping she'd remember the love she had for him, or their children, but she refused to enter it, and he gave up and led her back downstairs.
Carl had tried to talk to her, to bring her back from wherever she was in her mind. She was sitting on the couch in the living room, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her head resting on her knees. He had placed a piece of candy bar that he'd been hiding in his personal stash in front of her, hoping she'd eat something, as it was obvious she hadn't for days, but she didn't even look at it, or him. He tried sitting with her quietly on the couch, then reading her a few pages from a comic book he knew she loved, but nothing was working. She was still wearing the long dirty t-shirt she had on when they had first found her, and blood and dirt was caked to her face, arms, and legs.
"Michonne" Carl called to her softly. "Michonne I'm so glad you're back. I know you don't want to talk now, and that's okay. You can take your time if you need it. Me, Dad, and Judy, we're gonna be here. We're not going anywhere. We missed you so much when you were gone. We need you", Carl confessed, a tear escaping from his eye. He moved a little closer to her and he noticed her whole body tensed, causing Carl to stop.
"Michonne, can I touch your hand?" Carl asked. She didn't answer, and Carl didn't want to push her, so he decided not to.
"Okay, I won't then. I'm gonna go get dad. He's upstairs. We'll be right back."
Carl raced up the stairs, meeting up with his father in the hallway. He was carrying a bowl of warm soapy water and a washcloth. "Anything?" Rick asked Carl quietly, as Judith was sleeping in the next room.
"She won't look at me, and she doesn't want to be touched. Dad, what happened to her? What could make her like this? Who did this to her?" Carl asked, his face turning red and his eyes glazing over.
Rick pulled Carl to him and kissed him on the top of his head. "I don't know son. But she needs us. Whatever she's going through, we need to help her to come back. We thought she was dead, and this is a second chance to have her with us, and we can't take it for granted. I know it's hard seeing her like this, but we have to do whatever it is she needs."
Carl nodded silently, a tear escaping down his cheek which he quickly wiped away. "It's late son. Go to bed, I'll watch her through the night."
"But what if… What if she speaks? What if she needs me?" Carl asked.
"I'll wake you up. If something changes I'll wake you up, I promise" Rick assured Carl.
Carl nodded. "Okay. Goodnight Dad."
"Goodnight Carl, I love you" Rick said, and then he headed down the steps with the water and wash cloth. When the creaks from him walking down the steps ended, he was met with absolute silence. As he approached the living room, her absence startled him.
"Michonne?" Rick called, as he searched the kitchen and hallway, hoping she was still in the house. Silence. "Michonne!" Rick called, bursting into her old bedroom, where he saw a figure sitting on the floor in the dark. Her back pressed upright against the wall, and her head on her knees. Her eyes were closed, and her arms were wrapped around her knees, in the fetal position.
"Oh, thank God" Rick breathed out, his hands shaking and his heart racing. He swiped his hand through his hair in relief, his mind immediately going to what he'd do if she'd gone missing again.
He kept his movements slow as he approached her, as she was skittish and easy to startle. He slowly put the bowl of water and wash cloth on the ground in front of her. He then lowered himself to his knees and sat back on his heels across from her. The whole time she didn't move a muscle. He sat there in silence for a minute or two, unsure of what to say. Unsure of if there was anything he could say to bring the Michonne he knew back.
"Michonne, whatever you went through out there, I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry Michonne. I know it was bad. But I know whatever it was, that you can come back from this. I know because you always have. You always will. That's who you are. No matter how long it takes, we'll be here for you, every day. And… if you never speak again, I'll always be here for you."
His words were met with silence, and she didn't move a muscle in response. Rick cleared his throat. "I brought some water and a washcloth so you can wash. I know how much you like to be clean. If you'll let me, I can help you" Rick offered, picking up the washcloth and showing it to her.
When she didn't move or respond, he thought maybe she had fallen asleep with her head resting on her knees. "Michonne?" Rick called again and he was met with silence.
Rick dipped the washcloth into the warm water and stretched his hand towards Michonne's arm, where blood was concealing the bruises. As gently as possible, he touched the warm washcloth to her arm, and she jolted away from him so quickly the washcloth hit the floor with a plop. She turned to stare at him with wide eyes that bore into his soul. He could see so much pain in those eyes.
"I'm… I'm sorry Michonne" Rick said, "I didn't mean to scare you."
Her breathing was raspy and her chest heaved up in down quickly to match her rapid heartbeat.
"If you want, I'll leave you alone for a little while" he said, slowly standing. She still didn't answer, but at least she was now looking at him.
"I'm gonna go. I'll be right there in the living room" Rick said, backing towards the doorway. "I'll be right there if you need anything, okay?" he asked. Once he reached the doorway, he stood in front of it, staring at her, silently pleading for the love of his life to show some recognition. To give him some sign that the Michonne he knew was still in there.
He reluctantly turned around and closed in the door slightly behind him, when he thought he heard his name whispered so softly he wasn't sure if it was a whisper or the creak of the door. He spun around and glanced at Michonne, her head turned towards him, her eyes focused on him with the slightest hint of recognition.
With tears running down her face, and her brow knotted in confusion, she whispered
"Is this real?"
XXXXXXXXXX
A month ago:
She had been tied up for hours, her arms that were tied to the headboard above her head on the filthy mattress had long lost their feeling, and hung limply from the ropes. Her shoulders had become so sore she didn't think she could move her arms if she was untied. Her wrists were bloodied and swollen from her constant pulling and struggling on the ropes. Her ankles were just as red and sore as her wrists. Her lips were dried and cracked, with the faint hint of blood permeating on her lips.
Just a little while longer, Rick will find me. Rick will find me or I'll escape. I'll kill every single one of them.
All she could remember was she had been out on a run when something slammed into the back of her head without warning. She woke up tied to a dirty bed in her underwear. Her weapons and outer clothes gone, and a horrid headache. She had been struggling to free herself for a while, causing the wounds to her wrists and ankles, but to no avail. She paused from her struggling for a moment and heard a creak as the bedroom door was pushed open.
"Hey sweetheart, glad to see you're awake. I thought that bump on the head might've been a little too much for ya. Now, what were you doing out here all by yourself?". Michonne met him with a cold stare.
"Not talkative huh? Don't worry, you don't have to say a word."
He reached out a dirty hand, and slid a finger down Michonne's cheek. "Damn you're pretty. We haven't seen a woman in a long while". He flattened his hand and ran it down her stomach, causing her to suck in a breath and lunge at him. "Look at these muscles, and these titties. I think you're gonna stay with us a while."
"Don't touch me" she growled.
"Why not?"
"I'll kill you" she snarled, pulling at the ropes even more, but hopelessly realizing that they were holding and she was stuck.
"That's cute. No… no you're gonna be my Dolly. I'm gonna dress you up, and play with you. And if you please me, I'll treat you right. You're gonna make me happy, and if you make me happy, I'll take good care of you."
"I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna slit your…"
Michonne's sentence was cut off from his hand wrapping around her throat. "Dolly, you threaten me again and you're gonna regret it. You understand?"
Michonne stubbornly stayed silent as he squeezed harder. She could see black spots in front of her eyes. He leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers as she gagged. He suddenly let go and she gasped for breath, secretly wishing she would've passed out. While she gasped and sputtered for breath, he took a knife and pressed it to her chest between her breasts. She was still breathing hard when he cut her bra off with one swipe.
"Look at them titties. Dolly, you truly are a treat. It's been quite a while. I know the others are gonna want a turn, but I just had to get first dibs."
"Don't touch me!" Michonne screamed, still out of breath from her choking.
He slapped her so hard, she bit down on her tongue. She could taste more blood in her mouth. "Your yelling and screaming is gonna bring the dead, and if they come for us, guess who's feeding them?"
She continued to struggle, panicking when she realized she could not get free and the man was staring at her like she was a snack.
"Shhhh Dolly" he said running the knife from her neck, down between her breasts, and over her stomach to her belly button. "Shhh now. Be a good Dolly."
Michonne kept gasping and struggling as the man hooked his finger into her panties and yanked them down to her knees.
"No! No!" she screamed. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you! Get off me!"
The man chuckled. "I told you about attracting the dead. Don't make me hurt you now. Shhhh" he said again, placing his finger on her lips. In a split second she bit down on his finger and he gasped and yanked his finger from her mouth.
"Fuck it!" he cursed, shaking his hand to get rid of the pain. He spun in a circle to calm himself down, as Michonne continued to struggle on the bed. She was pulling the ropes on her wrists and ankles so hard that they were now cut and the ropes were digging into her flesh. He quickly approached the bed, kneeling next to her. He then raised his hand and slapped her three times in the face. Her head was spinning from the pain and her whole face stung. She was dazed and her head dropped back to the dirty mattress.
"I was gonna go easy on you Dolly, but now you're gonna pay. I'm gonna make it hurt. And then the rest of my buddies, they're gonna have their way with you too."
A whimper left Michonne's lips as she watched him drop his pants. He climbed on top of her on the bed, his sweaty body pushing her tied legs apart. She was moments away from begging him to stop. Moments away from pleading, but she realized that either way he wasn't going to stop. She could feel his appendage pressed up against her inner thigh, and he stared directly into her frightened eyes.
"I'm gonna have so much fun with you Dolly" he whispered, pressing his cheek up against hers right before he thrust inside of her, filling her to the hilt.
She gasped in pain, and he laughed. "It's big ain't it. I know, but you'll get used to it"
"Stop!" she tried, but he ignored her, bombarding her with a series of thrusts that had her crying out and clutching at the ropes on her wrists. In a last ditch effort to get him off, Michonne head butted him. He rolled off of her clutching his head.
"You bitch!" he screamed, punching her repeatedly in the face, over and over again. "You. Fucking. Made. Me. Ruin. My. Dolly's. Face!"
Michonne was barely conscious from the blows, and unable to fight back anymore. She had already been hit on the back of the head, and the blows to her face caused a severe headache. Her head lolled to the side and she stared blankly as he rolled back on top of her. "Your face may be messed up, but the pussy still works" he whispered, before finishing his task. Michonne thankfully was out of it for the majority of the assault. After he emptied himself inside of her, he climbed off of her, his chest heaving and a satisfied smile on his face.
"Shit, it's been a while Dolly, but God damn. I think that was one of the best fucks of my life!" he said with a pleased sigh. Michonne was out of breath, tears streaming down her bruised face. Her wrists were now bleeding from the pull of the ropes, and her insides were burning. He had bruised her on the inside, and the pain was a reminder of what had just happened. A wave of shame washed over her. She'd just been raped. This disgusting piece of shit had just raped her, and she couldn't do anything about it. She had never been so helpless in her life.
"Who's got next?" he called to the door, after pulling his jeans back up and hooking his belt. She laid there trembling, her head pounding as she slowly digested what just happened, and suddenly a new man was at the door, grinning at her.
"How was she?" he asks the first.
"She fights like hell but she's sweet as candy. I may just have another taste before I hit the sack. Watch her head, she headbutted me. Had to fuck her up for that one" the first said on his way out.
The second man stood before her, studying her body for a few seconds as she trembled. When the second man removed his pants she knew that this would be worse than the first one, and she prayed for death.
Sometime between the third and fourth man, Michonne must've fallen asleep or passed out, because she awoke to a loud bang and an explosion that shook the house. She could hear people running and screaming on the other side of the door. All of a sudden, the bedroom door was kicked in, and Rick burst through, his Colt Python held up at the ready. At the sight of her laying naked, and tied to the dirty mattress, Rick's mouth dropped open.
He rushed to her, calling her name, quickly cutting the ropes that held her bound.
"Michonne, my love, are you okay?" Rick asked, holding her to him.
She shook her head no, bursting into tears in his arms. He removed his own shirt, wrapping it around her, and then lifted her into his arms, stroking her hair and cuddling her as he carried her to safety.
"We killed them. We killed them all. They'll never hurt you again" Rick whispered, and she finally allowed herself to relax into his arms, relieved that her ordeal was finally over.
Her eyes snapped open and she was still tied to the bed in the dark. When she realized where she was, she let out a cry of frustration and horror. She struggled against the ropes again, freaking out. Screaming and kicking, trying to do anything to be free. The noise she made brought someone else into the room.
"Oh good, you're awake. Now we can go round two."