INTRUDER ALERT
Michonne was napping in her bed with Judith when she was startled awake by a hand over her mouth.
"Shhh," Carl said with a finger over his mouth for her to be quiet. "There are at least three strange men in the back yard," he whispered. "My window was up and I heard something. I looked out and saw them by the tree at the end of the yard. They're definitely not from here." The group had only been in the Safe Zone for three weeks but Carl knew they weren't Alexandrians.
"Did you see any weapons?" She whispered getting up carefully from her bed so to not disturb Judith.
Carl shook his head no.
"Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they're not there. You stay up here with your sister. I'm going down to look around to see what's going on. Check your ammo." Michonne told Carl. He'd already put his gun on his hip. "I'll be back."
"But I don't want you to go out there alone!" Carl whispered back.
"I can't let anything happen to you or your sister and you have to stay here and protect her. It's just about dark now. I'll hide on the porch to keep them from getting into the house. Your father should be back from his supply run any minute. He won't know what's going on so I need to warn him and if I can, get help." She looked at him. "Carl, I'll be okay." He was standing next to the bed near Judith. They hugged each other tightly and she bent down and gently kissed Judith on the head and left the bedroom.
All the lights in the house were out because they were napping. They'd had a full morning, waking early to see Rick off. They were up late the night before helping Rick repair the kitchen sink. They'd gotten a late start because Jesse Anderson came by after dinner asking Rick to come help her move some heavy items in her garage. She wanted to enlarge her art space so her and the boys could do more projects. By the time he got back and they started working on the sink it was late. He didn't want the water shut off all day while he was on a supply run and he wanted Carl to see how to fix a sink. So all three of them stayed up late into the night working on the sink until it was repaired.
…...
Michonne cleared all the rooms upstairs then quietly slipped down the stairs holding her katana at the ready. She quietly and quickly checked the whole downstairs but found nothing. She peeked out the windows and saw no one. Then she checked the doors, back door first. When she got to the front door she peeked out the window to make sure no one was around. She quietly opened the door and sneaked onto the porch. She peered around the side of the house but saw nothing. She went to the other side to peek around the house when she saw Jesse Anderson coming up the walkway. Michonne ran down to get Jesse and shushed her as she quickly brought her up the steps onto the porch.
"Jesse, what are you doing here?!" She whispered incredulously.
Jesse started to answer too loudly and had to be shushed again.
"I just wanted to thank Rick again for helping me yesterday and invite him to dinner…"
"It's dangerous. They're people that don't belong here in the back. I have to lead them away from here. You've got to hide inside. I can't let you go back because they may see you."
Just then they heard someone say, "I saw somebody walkin' in the front. I'mma check it out." The voice was male and was coming from the side of the house Jesse came from.
Michonne hurriedly pulled Jesse down behind the Adirondack chairs. She told her to stay quiet and stay hidden. They both scrunched down. Michonne hoped since it was now dark maybe they wouldn't be seen.
A man came from the side of the house looking around. A voice from farther away whispered out, "See anythin'?"_
Michonne guessed it was Jesse's fear or that she was startled because when the man said, "No," Jesse yelped and immediately put her hand over her mouth. The man jerked his head up toward the noise and slowly came up the porch steps looking around then turned toward the door. Michonne jumped up out of hiding and with an arc of her sword sliced his head in two, dropping him to the porch with a thud. Jesse gasped and just as Michonne turned around to get her she heard the click of a trigger.
"Well lookie wha' we got 'ere!" Two men had come from around the side of the house and were standing on the walkway. They were dirty and in tattered clothes just like the first man. The one speaking was pointing his gun at Michonne's head. "Put ya sword down and ya hands up lil lady or I'll kill ya where ya stand."
Michonne slowly stooped and put her sword down, then put her hands up. The one without the gun ran up the stairs and rubbed his hand over Michonne's face, laughing crazily.
"Ain't she perdy," he said, changing to rub her breast with one hand and between her legs with the other while giggling wildly. Michonne squeezed her eyes shut and kept her mouth closed. She fought back tears while she was being groped. She had to protect Carl and Judith. She wasn't going to scream or move and have him kill her and then go into the house.
After walking closer and seeing his dead friend, the man holding the gun walked up the stairs to Michonne and backhanded her on the side of her face. Michonne let out a yelp and fell to the porch next to the dead friend of the two men. Blood dripped down from her busted lip.
"Tha's for killin' our friend." He kicked her in the stomach. "And tha one's just for me." Michonne immediately lost the air in her lungs with the kick. The groper continued laughing.
Jesse couldn't help it. She let out a short scream when he kicked Michonne. She quickly put her hand over her mouth and moved her head further down behind the chairs. The man with the gun turned toward the noise to see where it came from.
Michonne, gasping for air, struggled to get up, wanting to lead them away from the house to save the kids and Jesse. But before she could rise the front door suddenly jerked open. Carl quickly aimed and shot the man with the gun through the head. The groper tried to run but Michonne moved her foot, tripping him and he fell down the steps. Carl took aim but Michonne called hoarsely, still trying to catch her breath, "Don't kill him! Need information!"
The groper's leg landed at an odd angle, definitely broken. Michonne tried rising to her knees, telling Carl to run and get Abraham as Daryl and Glenn were out with Rick.
Jesse screamed when Carl shot the man, then continually said, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," with panting and loud crying. She stood and backed up against the wall with her arms up at the elbow as if she were being robbed, still crying bitterly.
Every time Michonne moved she felt extreme pain in her side. She tried to relax her body, but could only take in shallow breaths. She held her side with one hand and her head with the other.
Abraham, Rosita and Eugene came running through the yard with Carl. Abraham immediately went to the groper and pulled him face to face by his collar yelling, "How many more are here?! How'd you get in?!" Eugene stood back staring while Carl and Rosita ran up the steps to help Michonne.
Just as all this was happening, Rick came up the walkway unaware of what was going on. Jesse saw Rick first and ran to him, stepping over the bodies and passing by Abraham and Eugene. She pulled him into a close hug, burying her face in his shirt crying and hiccuping in hysterics. It was just too much for her; the man's head splitting, all the blood, the man rubbing on Michonne and other one beating her. She was not used to this!
Rick looked up on the porch. When he saw Michonne and Carl he quickly removed Jesse's arms from around his neck and ran up the stairs to them.
"What, what happened?" he asked. When he saw Michonne's face his blue eyes hardened as he looked at the two bodies and the man on the ground. Carl was giving him a quick rundown of what took place as he gently picked Michonne up to take her inside. But when the pain hit her again as she was moved, she squeezed her eyes shut with tears falling and let out a painful grunt. He held her closer and continued carrying her to the door with Carl and Rosita following.
By this time their neighbors had heard the shot and Jesse's screams and cries and had come over to see what was wrong. Rick yelled for Eugene to go get Denise for Michonne. Then he told Abraham to take their prisoner to the constable's office and tie him up and get Daryl to help interrogate him. As soon as Abraham attempted to lift him, the groper yelled from the pain in his leg. Abraham hit him in the face, knocking him out, and put him over his shoulder. He bypassed the onlookers and headed to the office
Before Rick walked over the threshold with Michonne in his arms he heard Jesse cry out between sobs. "Rick? Come back, I need you!"
He turned and looked at her, tears streaming down her face. "Would some of y'all please see to Jesse?" He said to the neighbors. "Thank y'all." He then continued on into the house as Carl grabbed the sword, following his father and shut the door.
END