Chapter 2: The Promise

Rick and Michonne had returned and were somewhat relieved to see that Lori hadn't given birth yet. They both wanted to be there when it happened. Rick as a husband and Michonne as a best friend. They brought back enough formula and baby clothes to last the baby a while. Lori began to notice that Michonne was being more distant than usual from Rick. When she had the chance, she finally approached her about it one afternoon while she was on watch.

"Hey." Said Michonne when she saw Lori approach.

"Hi." Replied Lori.

"You okay? You look a little pale." Michonne said.

"I'm just...tired. Can't wait for her to come out." Lori said as she rubbed her belly.

"Any minute now." Michonne reassured her with a smile.

"Michonne, Rick is... He'll never tell me so I'm asking you. Woman to woman, friend to friend." Lori said.

Michonne nervously nodded.

"What happened out there, with Rick?" Lori asked.

Michonne looked to the ground, she didn't realize how bad a job she was doing at hiding how nervous she was. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to buy herself more time to come up with a proper explanation.

"Come on, Michonne. Don't insult me. I just need to know what happened." Lori said.

Michonne wanted so badly to just lie - it would make everything so much easier. But she didn't want to defend herself. That would mean she was guilty and she wasn't. She came close but she didn't do it. And she felt that was something to be proud of. "Nothing." She said. "We were stressed and tired and hungry. We weren't thinking straight. So we kissed. But that was it. That's all that happened." She added.

"Are you still stressed and tired and hungry?" Lori asked.

"No..." Michonne said, unsure of where Lori's question was about.

"Then why does he still look at you like that? And why do you still run from him?" Lori asked.

Michonne was stunned. She didn't know what to say. Truth or lie she was wordless. "I-" was all she managed to get out before someone in the prison screamed.

Lori and Michonne's conversation was cut short when Michonne got out her binoculars and used them to spot The Governor at their gates. He had more people and a tank. Rick was down at the gate trying to beg for Herschel and Carl's lives but The Governor wasn't having it. Michonne wasn't sure when they had been taken. The Governor used a machete to decapitate Herschel in front of his daughters and everyone else. A war broke out as Rick began to shoot. Bullets were flying all over and one of them struck Lori in the chest. Michonne carried Lori out of the line of fire but Lori was hit bad. She wasn't going to make it and the only words she could get out under her breath were "Please, save my baby." before she drew her last breath and died in Michonne's arms.

Michonne was shaking at first but Lori's last words made have to focus. There was no one else around and Michonne knew it was up to her to fulfill her friend's dying wish. She took Lori's knife from her belt and proceeded to carefully cut into Lori. Because of her own previous pregnancy, Michonne knew the basics and was able to pull the baby out. She tapped on her back until the baby drew her first breath in Michonne's arms. Michonne didn't have the time to put Lori down as she ran into the prison, to get the baby to safety. Michonne heard a loud bang and saw The Governor's tank rampaging its way into the prison. There was so much chaos that she couldn't find anyone before she left. She took what little baby necessities she could carry and ran out of the prison, never taking a look back.

Michonne was out in the cold winter on her own with a newborn baby. She didn't have milk, she didn't have shelter, she didn't have anyone else. The baby wouldn't eat the formula at first but she eventually got too hungry to refuse it. After hours of walking with the baby on her back, Michonne realized it was getting dark and took shelter in an abandoned car. It was the first opportunity Michonne had to clean Lori's blood off her baby daughter. While she wiped the baby down with a towel, Michonne remembered a conversation she had with Carl, when he said he wanted the baby to be named Judith, after his favorite teacher.

"I promise you, I'll get you to your daddy. And your brother. Just hang in there, Judith." She whispered to the baby.

The next day, Michonne with baby Judith on her back found a trail of what looked like Rick's prints. She found her way into the middle of suburbia when suddenly, it started raining. Washing away the trail she was following. Frustrated and tired, she went house to house looking for food and eventually had a ray of hope shine her way when she found a can of pickles in one of the houses. She barred up the same house as the sun set and fixed a warm, cozy area for her and Judith in front of the fire place. Judith fell asleep on the mattress that Michonne set up on the floor while Michonne treated herself to a can of fresh pickles - the first meal she'd had since the prison fell. She savored every bite, leaving half of the can for breakfast the next day. She joined Judith on the comfy mattress and cuddled her the baby to keep her warm before falling asleep herself.

The next morning, Michonne was awoken by the sound of banging on the front door. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her sword and Judith, tying her onto her back and running out the back at the same time, leaving her can of pickles behind. As soon as she opened the door, she was distraught to see a tall bearded man standing in her way. She could tell by his posture that he was not friendly.

"What do we have here?" He said with a southern accent.

Michonne looked on not saying a word.

"What you got there, on your back?" He continued.

"Don't." Michonne uttered.

"Don't what?" He said. "Come on, sweetheart, don't play hard to get." He added.

"Ooh-wee! Looks like I hit the jackpot this time!" Said another man as he came in through the front door, eyeing Michonne and Judith as he chewed on a twig.

"Stay back, Randy, she's claimed!" Said the first man.

"Didn't hear you say it, Lance!" He replied.

"Fuck that. I found 'em first, you son of a bitch!" He said, with his voiced raised.

"Fine you can have the lady, I'll have the kid." He concluded.

They agreed and began laughing as they walked closer to Michonne. Michonne felt her blood boil and she pulled out her sword. She swung it at the man in front of her, cutting his head clean off.

"Fucking bitch!" The other man yelled as he pulled out his gun. "I have a clear shot on the kid. You move and she's dead!" The man threatened.

"Okay. Just... please don't hurt her." Michonne pleaded.

"Oh it's too late for that. Far too late. I'm gonna take you. Then I'm gonna take the kid. Drop the sword and the kid." He ordered.

Michonne complied and gently put her sword on the floor. She hesitated to part with Judith but she realized the man was crazed and would definitely kill them both if she didn't comply. She decided she could kill him later if she played her cards right. She took Judith of her back and gently put the crying baby on the couch.

"Please. Don't hurt her." Michonne continued to plead.

"Maybe if you behave I won't." He said "Now, how about you be a nice girl and strip for me, huh?" He added.

Michonne stood still. Refusing to be bossed around like that. The man aimed his gun at the couch Judith was on and shot one bullet, purposefully missing her.

"Okay! Okay! Just. There." Michonne said as she began to take her clothes off.

"Take it all off." He ordered.

Michonne complied again and took the rest of her clothes off. She was down to nothing but her shirt and her underwear and the way the man looked at her while licking his lips made her cringe.

"Gooood girl." He growled. He stepped closer, his gun still drawn. "Wanna see those lips work. Get on your knees." He ordered again.

She got on her knees and the man walked even closer to her. He let his pants down and let his manhood hang in front of Michonne's face. She paid no attention to it as she tried to stay focused. She waited until he was right above her and when he was, she sprung up, slamming the top of her skull directly into the man's jaw, knocking him out instantly. Michonne quickly put her clothes back on and grabbed Judith and her sword. She walked over to the man's unconscious body and stabbed her sword into his eye. Suddenly two more men came in through the front door. They saw Michonne and started shooting at her. She bolted out and ran as fast as she could. She kept going even after she couldn't hear any more shots. She eventually ran behind a building to catch her breath before she took Judith off her back to check if she had been hit, she hadn't much to her relief. She took Judith into her arms and rocked her until she calmed down before she tied the baby to her back and they moved on. Hopefully those men wouldn't catch up to them now that Judith wasn't crying. Michonne left the suburbs and decided to go into the woods. Hopefully they'd run into less trouble there.

Days later, they came across a board marked 'No Sanctuary'. She wonder how it came to be that the rest of the text was crossed out. She kept moving, not sure of where she was going as long as she kept going, for Judith. She would protect this fragile baby with her life. She wasn't going to let her die. She wasn't going to let her be like André. This was God's way of showing her that He forgave her for failing the first time, that He was giving her another chance. She wasn't going to break the promise she made to Lori. The promise she made to Judith.

Michonne wondered in the woods with baby Judith on her back asleep from hunger. Michonne was still paranoid that the Marauders were still after her, she figured she could lose them in the woods if they were trailing her. Michonne's knees were shacking from exhaustion. Her feet were aching from blisters. She wanted so bad to just lie down, even just for a second. She looked around, made sure it was clear and decided to rest, just a little bit. She gently took Judith off her back and lay her on the ground with the sheet Michonne used to carry her and lay down next to her shortly after. Her body exhaled as she lay down and she shut her eyes. Moments later, Judith was awake and tugging on something, the slight noise eventually attracting Michonne's attention. She opened her eyes and looked at the baby girl and smiled at her before noticing that Judith was tugging on some sort of chain. Michonne's curiosity caused her to get up slightly and she took hold of it as she followed it. She crawled on her knees until she reached the end of the chain. It was attached to a hatch door hidden beneath the dirt and leaves. She cleared the dirt and found the key in the door. She turned it and struggled to pull the door open but with all her remaining strength, she managed. She found a ladder lead down to the hole and she used a flashlight that she had to scope it out and knocked on the ladder to see if anyone or anything would come out, but nothing did. Michonne assumed it was clear.

She heard a car in the distance, her fearful and cautious mind telling her to hide. She used her hands to blend her footprints in the area with the leaves and picked Judith up again. She tied the baby to her back with the sheet, took the key out of the hatch and quietly made her way down the shaft and quietly locked the hatch behind her. It was pitch dark and Michonne used her flashlight to spot a light switch. She flicked it and the whole place lit up to reveal a room with shelves upon shelves of supplies, a bed and a bathroom in the back. Tinned food, soap and bottled water were in the masses. Michonne blinked heavily to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Suddenly she heard footsteps above her and a few voices she could barely make out.

"This is where the trail stops-" One man said.

"You dumbass, told you ain't nobody out here. Shit. We shoulda stopped following that bitch days ago... Fuck you man, wasted my damn time!" The voices said before a fight broke out.

Michonne heard a gunshot and covered Andrea's mouth as the baby began to cry. The two men continued to struggle when two more gunshots went off and then silence.

"Son of a... bitch." One man said while sobbing under his breath. "At least I killed you... first" He said and Michonne heard a bang on the hatch as the man seemingly collapsed.

She continued to hear sobs for a while before it went quiet again. It would seem the men had killed each other. Or at least she hoped they had. She put Judith down and quietly climbed up the ladder and locked the shaft door before climbing back down again. She once again stood still, taking in what was in front of her, still conflicted about whether or not it was real. She turned to her left and took a bottle of water, opened it and consumed it. The fresh, clean water poured down her throat and Michonne smiled to herself as she savored each drop. The smile turned into a weak laugh. She picked Judith up and smooched her as she celebrated.

Moments later, after Michonne had settled in. She opened some cans and treated herself and Judith to some food. The baby girl was just as relaxed as Michonne was for the first time in weeks. They finished eating and Michonne explored the bathroom. She jumped when she found the water was still working. She filled up the tub, undressed them both and climbed in with her baby. Judith cried at first as this was the first real bath she had ever had but Michonne's gentle wash made her calm down. Michonne brushed her baby's body clean before her own generously with the soap she'd seen in years.

Michonne watched as Judith played with the water and laughed when her baby splashed water all over the place. By the time their bath was over, the tub was full of dirt. Michonne wrapped herself in a towel while she made Judith a diaper out of sanitary pads. She dressed her baby up in the smallest clothes she could find before laying her onto the bed. The smell of cleanliness made Judith fall asleep almost instantly and Michonne finished getting dressed herself in a pair of tight leather trousers and a grey tank shirt. She looked up at the hatch door one more time, making sure it was completely safe. She eventually decided it was and smiled before joining Judith in the warm, comfy bed.

She cuddled her baby girl and whispered to her "So glad you're here with me, little angel. I wouldn't have made it if you weren't. So glad you're finally getting what you deserve. I will never leave your side. Never.". She kissed her baby's head and fell asleep holding onto her.

Somehow, they made it. Together.