Michonne sliced through the skull of a walker that was trudging in her direction with ease using her katana. The walker's body dropped to the floor and she wiped some of the blood off of her weapon using the remains of the walker's shirt. She had been in the woods for days now, just wandering and making sure she didn't get bitten. She would never let her life be ended by some rotting corpse looking for a meal. Not after how many times people were taken away from her in that exact same way. She ambled through the thick vegetation with no idea of where she was going to go or what she was going to do next. At this point, Michonne was simply alive. Well, she was surviving. She hadn't felt truly alive for a while now.
Michonne tugged both of the chains her pets were on and looked at them over her shoulders. Their jaws were removed and the arms that they previously had were now lying somewhere in the woods. Doing this kept other walkers from trying to bite her; it disguised her as one of them. She almost chuckled at the thought. They were an unfortunate reminder of the way Michonne felt about herself at that moment. No direction… no purpose- just thoughtlessly trudging along.
A yawn freed its way through her lips, reminding her of the lack of sleep she had been getting recently. She could never get sleep when she was in the woods. Knowing that something- or someone- could ambush her at any given moment stopped her from being able to relax long enough to sleep for even an hour straight. The occasional dreams and memories that plagued her mind didn't help, either. Michonne sighed. She really didn't know how she would be able to keep going like this. The loneliness was really starting to get to her.
That brought her mind to the woman she met almost a year ago. Andrea was wandering through the woods, hungry and dehydrated, when Michonne found her. She remembered how it was when they first met. They didn't trust one another right away, but they were all each other had at the time. Somewhere along the way, they became great friends. Michonne didn't know how much she needed human interaction until she met Andrea. In a way, Andrea helped Michonne open up in a way she never thought she would after losing…
Michonne scowled and took a deep breath. She didn't need to think about them right now. She was only just starting to accept the fact that her closest friend in a long time was gone. She felt a wave of guilt and sadness fill her chest thinking about it. She remembered exactly how it happened.
Andrea wasn't feeling well for a couple of days, but they were running out of supplies and Andrea knew that it would be best for the both of them to go out and try to find something. Anything to allow them to go for another day. Michonne didn't agree, but she knew better than to tell Andrea she couldn't go. Andrea was stubborn and wanted to contribute; there was no way she would stay behind just because she didn't feel the greatest. Michonne figured it would be best to only go a few miles out and find another place to stay due to Andrea's condition. She knew Andrea was a great shot and could hold her own, but she didn't want her to exert herself too much.
They gathered the small number of items they had accumulated over time and left the small cabin they were staying at around midday. It was hot outside, and after walking for about an hour, Andrea began to show signs of exhaustion. Michonne knew that getting supplies was important, but she didn't want to risk her friend's health.
"Michonne," Andrea said, "we need water. We need something to eat. Waiting around isn't going to do us any good. I know you've been giving me some of your food and water."
Michonne looked at Andrea. As if to prove her right, Michonne's stomach chose that moment to growl ferociously. Michonne narrowed her eyes and looked at her stomach, annoyed that it gave her away. Andrea smiled and shook her head.
"Alright, but let me know if you're feeling too tired." Michonne knew she wouldn't, but she had to say it to make herself feel better.
Andrea stopped walking and looked at her friend. "Thanks for looking out for me, Michonne." She wrapped Michonne into a hug, truly grateful that she came across this mysterious woman when she thought her life was going to be over. Michonne hadn't been hugged for a long time now, and she wasn't sure how she felt about the sudden act of… intimacy, but she returned the hug with one arm. She realized that the both of them probably needed something as simple as a hug for a long time.
"Alright, alright. Let me go before you get me sick." Michonne said, chuckling. Andrea laughed and their trek continued.
They came across a few homes as they walked, but there was nothing good in them. The next home that they entered had a few items that were worth taking, but nothing that could feed and hydrate the both of them for more than a day. Michonne decided the next house would be the last. Andrea was looking even worse, and even though she would never admit it, she felt worse, too. Michonne knew she needed some rest.
The next house that they searched was bigger than the previous ones. Michonne hoped that that meant there would be more supplies to take. They slowly entered the home and were relieved when it seemed like it wasn't too badly damaged. It seemed like the messier the home, the less likely you were to find something worth taking. Michonne checked all of the rooms on the lower level, not finding much of anything until she searched the bathroom. She was happy to see that there was soap and a first aid kit. There was a tube of toothpaste, too, but not her favorite flavor. She didn't care too much, though. Toothpaste was something that she hated not having with her.
Michonne walked to the kitchen and found a few cans of vegetables, beans, tuna, and a couple bottles of water. She smiled in triumph knowing that she and Andrea would be okay for at least two days. They would be able to stay in the house for a couple of days before having to worry about going out and looking for more food. Thinking about that made Michonne realize that she hadn't heard Andrea while she was down there. Michonne didn't think much of it; she just figured Andrea went ahead and started checking the rooms upstairs. The feeling in Michonne's gut was telling her something different, however. The scream from upstairs confirmed that feeling. Michonne raced up the steps, taking two at a time, and barreled into the room she thought she heard the scream from.
"Andrea!" Michonne cried out, seeing Andrea on the floor fighting off two walkers. Michonne quickly pierced both of their skulls with her katana, and threw them off of her friend. Andrea was crying silent tears, holding out her arm and inspecting the flesh that was bitten into. Michonne felt weak. She didn't know what to do. She just stood there, looking at the wound, frozen. It was bringing up memories that she tried to bury long ago, and she could feel locked up emotions bubbling their way free. Andrea looked up at Michonne, and her face was deathly pale. Michonne didn't know if it was because of the illness that Andrea was experiencing, or if it was because of the situation. It was probably both. They stayed silent for a few minutes, Andrea sitting and Michonne standing, before Andrea broke the silence.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, hanging her head low. Michonne was quick to sit next to her friend and pulled Andrea into a hug with both arms.
"Don't apologize to me, Andrea. This wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have let you leave. I knew how sick you were! I knew that this could have happened and I let you come along anyway!" Michonne's emotions were starting to go everywhere. She was devastated for her friend. She was pissed that she left Andrea by herself. She felt hatred towards the corpses lying on the floor; the corpses that walked around this world killing people.
"Stop," Andrea said. She was silent for a while before reaching over and grabbing a picture Michonne didn't notice. Andrea looked at it and then turned it towards Michonne so she could see. There were two girls in the picture, seemingly sisters, with matching blonde hair and smiles. She looked over at the walkers that she killed and guessed that those were their bodies. "It reminded me of a picture I took with my sister before all of this happened." Michonne was silent. She knew Andrea lost people, but she never knew exactly what happened. She didn't push Andrea for any details, either. Michonne didn't want to share her past, and she didn't expect anyone else to. "I could hear the screams and the gunshots again. I could see Amy dying right in front of my eyes again. I didn't hear them." Andrea was sobbing. Michonne didn't try to stop her own tears from falling.
For the next couple of hours, Michonne and Andrea just sat there. Andrea talked about her life before the apocalypse occasionally, but they were mostly silent. Just taking in the events that happened. Taking in the fact that this was life now.
"Michonne, thank you. Meeting you made me feel like… like I had a sister again." Michonne's heart broke all over again.
"Thank you, Andrea." Michonne sighed. "I lost people, and I was a wreck. You helped me feel what it was like to have family again." Andrea smiled faintly. She was quiet for some time before turning her head to face Michonne.
"Don't let me turn into one of those things. Please." Michonne nodded, more tears escaping from her eyes. She sat with Andrea, holding her hand until she felt it go limp. Michonne swallowed roughly and looked over. Andrea's head was leaning to the side and her body was completely still. Michonne knew that it was only a matter of minutes until she turned, and she wanted to make sure that she could at least do this for Andrea. Michonne got up and unsheathed her katana. She lined up her weapon, looked away, and cut through Andrea's skull. Michonne gathered the supplies she had before walking to the door. She looked back at her friend once more before she left.
Michonne continued to walk slowly through the woods until she saw a gap in between the trees. It looked like it led to a road, and Michonne figured that it would be a good idea for her to see if she could find a house with some food, water, and a bed. If she got lucky, they'd have a running shower. She could feel the dirt that accumulated during her days in the woods, and the quick baths she took in the small bodies of water she found weren't very effective.
Before walking out to the road, Michonne killed the pets she had with her and gathered the chains. Sometimes those pets were more annoying than they were useful, and Michonne didn't have time to match their slow pace. She wanted to find somewhere to go before it got dark. She walked along the side of the road until she came across a street lined with homes. She searched a few of the homes that looked a little worse for wear, but she didn't come across anything. Michonne found her way to a nicer looking home and entered. The door was already unlocked, so she carefully searched each room and each floor before feeling comfortable enough to lock herself in. She was happy to see that the house was relatively clean. Michonne walked towards the kitchen and saw a huge can of pudding on the counter. She smiled thinking about how much she loved sweets and decided that she'd probably eat some of it for breakfast in the morning.
Feeling completely worn out after the past couple of days, Michonne walked up the steps and walked into the closest bedroom, closing the door behind her. She peeled off her vest before walking into the attached bathroom to see if the shower worked. The water pressure was really low and it was cold, so she wouldn't be able to take the shower that she really wanted, but she was happy to be able to take her time and wash herself in a tub. She grabbed her soap, a washcloth and towel that were folded up in the linen closet, and her toothpaste.
After cleaning herself and brushing her teeth, Michonne put on a big shirt she found in the house. She plopped on the bed and spread her limbs, sighing in contentment. She let the comfort of the mattress take her to sleep.
Michonne was startled awake by what she thought was the sound of metal. She looked outside and saw that it was light out. She woke up a few times during the middle of the night, but she felt a lot more rested than usual. Michonne jumped out of bed and slipped on her pants before opening the bedroom door, katana in hand. She stuck her head out and listened, confirming that there was noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like the kitchen to her. She slowly walked down the steps, wrapping both hands around the handle of her weapon and quietly tiptoed towards the kitchen.
She stood there looking at the boy in front of her, his back turned towards her. Michonne could see that the noise she heard was the boy cutting the lid off of the can of pudding. He was obviously a teenager, but she couldn't tell exactly how old he was without seeing his face. She decided to bite the bullet and talk to him.
"You know, I was planning on eating some of that chocolate pudding for breakfast, but I see you've already gotten to it first," Michonne said, still holding on to her katana, but not aiming it towards him. The boy turned around quickly and lifted his gun, pointing it at Michonne's head. She noticed that he wasn't shaking. "Woah, kid. I'm not going to hurt you," she said while holding one arm up next to her face in surrender. "If I was going to, I would have done it already. You didn't even notice me come down here."
The boy didn't move for a moment. Michonne could see his blue eyes scan hers for some sort of sign that she was lying. She figured he was about 13. He lowered his gun, but he didn't drop his stance fully. If Michonne made a move to try to harm him, he would simply have to raise his arms and pull the trigger. The kid could read people and he was smart. Michonne was starting to like him already.
She put her free hand on one of her hips. "So, what's your name?"
He took a moment to answer before replied. "Carl," he said. His voice was a little deeper than she thought it would be. She raised his age to 14 in her mind.
"Well, Carl, how about we find a couple of spoons and bowls, and then we can share some of this pudding. You can tell me what a kid your age is doing out here all alone."
Author's Note: Okay, well that was a little longer than I intended it to be! I wanted to keep going, but then it really would have been out of control. Hopefully you guys liked hearing about a part of Michonne's past. Instead of having one or two chapters posted every week, I'm just going to put these out whenever I finish a chapter. Thanks for reading. xxx