Okay, it's up. Sorry for the wait. Thank you everyone who has read enough to have gotten this far!
The 2 cars speed down the road, headed in the same direction. Michonne sits in the backseat facing the window a quiet anger simmers in her unsaid words tingeing the air with tension. On the other side of her Carl sits with Judith in his arms.
Rick looks back at Michonne in time to see the scowl on her face directed at him. The cold betrayed look that trusts no one reminded him of when he first met her; how defensive and closed off she had been. He wonders if he's back to square one with her.
"We care about your opinion, we just had to try this out," Rick says.
She looks back at the window.
"Mhmh," she says annoyed.
After the radio signal everything had gone chaotic. Some wanted to try to go to the place immediately, others wanted to ignore it and wave it off as a trap. After the arguing had died down they came to the decision that they wanted to go to the place that was said on the radio, all except one. Michonne distrusted the message and felt it would be safer to work it out on their own. A part of her felt it would turn out as another "Governor" dictatorship that will end up doing more damage.
"Here it is," Daryl says.
In front of them was a gate that saw large enough to let cars pass through.15 feet tall chain link fence with barbed wire at the top, had been covered with cloths so you can't see inside, wrapped around the camp.
Glenn pulls up the SUV net to the other car with the window rolled down.
"What do we do," Maggie calls over from the passenger seat next to Glenn. Daryl shrugs and honks the horn once.
After an extended amount of time and just when there about to call it quits 7 men dressed in army uniforms step out from the gate assault rifles pointed at them.
"Step out of your cars slowly with your hands up," the man in the front yells. All of the men look axceptionally similar with height and strength that could rifle an ox.
Carl sets Judith on the seat and everyone complies cautiously stepping out.
"We have a baby," Rick says.
The man in the front nods, "Alright. If you have weapons, set them on the ground."
As they cautiously do as told a tension rises in the air. Two groups not trying to kill the other, but plans can change in the feel of the moment. A look taken the wrong way or a movement that's too quick it could be seen as aggressive. They feel vulnerable as they set down their weapons, like a muzzled dog that feels the most need for aggression when it can't protect itself.
"Can we check," the man asks. Rick nods in consent. 4 of the men stand guard while the other 3 men pat down everyone to make sure they have no hidden weapons.
A man with a full head of hair and a bushy mustache to match walks out from the chain-link door. He gives the men a furtive look and they walk back inside, with the exception of the man who had done the talking.
"My name is Lieutenant Blake, but you can call me Blake if you'd prefer. This here is Charlie ," he says motioning to the man who stayed. He continues with a speech that seems routine and practiced, "We often have new comers, in fact we had a man and a woman come to us a couple of days ago, but that doesn't mean we can trust you. You will be given a place to stay; it's separated from our other residents. We have rules here and if you can't abide by them then you can leave. Every one of you is expected to earn your stay here, this aint a motel. We clear?"
Although the question may have been rhetorical Rick answers, "Yeah, we're clear." Blake takes notice of Rick then, observing that he is the one of charge.
"Get your weapons and get in your car. Open the gate." With that the chain link fence opens up and they head back to their cars with their weapons in hand. "You. I want to talk with you," Blake calls over to Rick. Daryl, Michonne, and Carl stare at Rick's back as he strolls over to Blake.
Blake turns his attention back to the cars, "Keep it below 15, they'll show you where to park." Sure enough men wearing army uniforms inside begin to guide the cars. As the cars slowly drift inside, Blake follows behind the cars and says to Rick, "Walk with me." As Rick follows him inside he see that it had been a military base. To the left were roeads and large factories holding army cars and planes, to the left is a large field and a takeoff zone, and nearly a mile straight ahead is a parking garage and buildings behind it.
"You're the leader," Blake says to Rick more of a statement then a question.
"That's correct."
"I understand you protect your group, lead them, you're use to calling the shots. Some find it hard adjusting to a spot when they're no longer in control. I've had to go head to head with some people; I'm hoping you won't give me any trouble."
Rick shakes his head, "Wasn't plan'n on it."
"That's what I want to hear. I'm gonna need you to watch you're people though. If they cause waves, if they kill anyone I will kill them and the rest of you are back on the road, guilty by association."
"I'll watch them," Rick says.
"How'd you end up here," Blake asks in a relaxed tone yet is still reserved.
"We heard your message on the radio."
"Yeah but what happened to your last place? Nobody has made it this far without having had a camp sometime along the way."
"We were at a prison not too far from here,"
"Figured someone eventually clear the prison and take. It's a good spot, secure, safe. How many of you when you cleared it?"
"About nine at that time."
"Nine," Blake says to himself impressed, "I'm gonna have to expect more of my men now. I suppose your group will be very useful. How'd you lose it?"
"Another group wanted what we had. We fought, deaths on both side, the walkers ended up taking over what was left of it."
"Too bad," he says thoughtfully. "Walkers," he says rolling the word around. "That's creative. We call'em deadbeats but I guess walkers work too."
Before there is silence Blake starts again, "This place was an army base. In the beginning there was an outbreak inside. Most of the men ran, were eaten, or decided to chose their own way out." He points to his head with his fingers imitating a gun.
"And you? What did you do?" Rick asks.
"I was one of the few who stayed and made it, only about 30 did as well. All these people wearing uniforms, it's just an act makes new comer's feel comfortable to have some sense of authority. For others who pose as threats are intimidated." Rick understood what he meant; many people seemed to have felt reassured when he had worn his uniform.
The cars pull into spaces inside of a lot filled with cars. By the time Rick and Blake catch up to the cars everyone is already out of the car with their gear.
Blake turns to another man who had been leading the cars, "Max, show our guests to their rooms; protocol."
Blake walks away, but suddenly turns back around and calls to Rick, "How many is in your group."
"13," Rick says back to him.
Blake calls back to Charlie who is still by the cars speaking with another man, "Charlie, change the population count to 313."
Hours later Rick paces his room with a restless Judith rocking her to help her drift asleep. They had just gotten back from being shown around the base and acquainting them with the schedule. They had specific times for meals in the cafeteria, kitchen duties, farming, taking care of the animals, guard duty, and a school time for the kids. There would also be a room for the very young kids to be cared for while other worked.
A knock on the door brings Rick back from his thoughts, "It's open."
Michonne opens the door to the small room, "Do you know where Carl is? The books here are terrible; I wanted to ask if he had finished the ones we got a couple of days ago.
"He wanted to look around," he says holding Judith as she stirs awake.
It brings a grin to Michonne's face to see him handle her so gently and the little girl so happy. Even in the apocalypse he was a better father than some before.
"I actually wanted to talk with you," he says coolly.
She closes the door behind her and strides across the room sitting in the chair next to the bed. "I'm listening."
"I know you didn't want to come here and I apologize. We made a decision that was against you."
"I get it. It wouldn't be fare not to go just because I didn't want to."
"You know if you had put up a fight and refused to come with us I wouldn't have come here. You're a part of our group, our family; we would all follow you."
She's sincerely touched by his words. "Does that mean if I were to walk out right now you would all follow me?"
"I'm hoping you don't get any ideas." Judith begins to cry ending their conversation. Rick pulls out a bottle out of the crib, they had given them. Fortunately another woman had had a baby nearly 2 year ago.
Michonne looks at the baby and a longing erupts inside of her. The need was so strong she could practically feel the pain inside of her stomach. The longing to nurture and care; the longing to be a mother. When she had first gotten to the prison she had initially tried to ignore Judith as it brought back too many painful memories, but looking at the child now all she wanted was to hold her.
"Can I?" Michonne asks the wanting lingering in her voice. Rick nods and sets Judith in her arms with the bottle. Attentively Michonne feeds her. Several minutes of a comfortable silence goes by disturbed only by the little suckling noises from Judith.
Michonne does something that surprises herself. "I…" She pauses unsure, "I was a mom,…before." She expects him to say something, but when he says nothing she continues. "He was three years old when he…died. He was so quiet, you know how most babies cried a lot, he never did. I didn't have problems sleeping, going to the store, going places was never a problem when he was a baby." She rubs off silent tears on her shoulder and continues her story. "He said he wanted to be a lawyer like me." She smiles slightly, "When he would play he would act as the judge and say he was doing what I do. Of course he didn't really understand what I did. After you know everything happened I had my son, my boyfriend, and his brother. We got by. On one really bad day when it had been days since we had eaten…it's so hard to take care of you're baby when he's telling you how hungry he is and he's pleading with you to give him food when there's nothing to give him."
She continues her telling her story, but her mind replays the memory.
"Yeah, Michonne Why can't we feed our son," Robert asks tauntingly. He answers his question, "oh yeah that's right, because we have no food! We have nothing!" He continues on an idiotic rage with his brother Niall both of them yelling and tearing apart the kitchen of the house they had hid in.
"Keep it down," Michonne says as her son hides behind her legs and whimpers. "You're scaring him!"
Robert's demeanor calms, but a fire inside of him is still lit. He laughs a sickly sweet chuckle, "The dead roam the streets and my yelling scares him."
"Stop it. This isn't like you. This isn't how you used to be."
"Nothing's like it used to be Michonne. Nothing."
Michonne lifts up her son carrying him to the other room to sleep. Hours later she wakes up to find herself alone. A feeling of boding crawls up her spine as she walks back to the kitchen. Walkers outside growl and slam themselves against the house. On the kitchen floor Robert holds their son in his lap as he plays with a toy car.
"Come to Mommy," she says. Niall comes up behind her and holds her hands behind her back. Her son tries to go to her, but Robert holds him down, "She's okay we're just playing."
He turns his attention back to Michonne who struggles to get free. "We both know this will never end well. This is the end and there's no avoiding it. We should choose our own way out, I don't want to be ripped to shreds, and I don't want to be alone. We're a family we should all go together."
"You don't know that. We could survive, we could find a place."
"You're good with a sword, but do you really think that our army could fall to shit, but one woman with a katana is gonna make it past the end."
"I want us to live, even if it's not forever. I want to us to live."
"Why," he says then points the gun to their son's head and pulls the trigger. Blood splatter his face and the kitchen floor. His body falls limp in his lap. Michonne screams and wreathes back and forth trying to get free. In the back she hears glass breaking followed by thuds, but ignores it.
"How could you… how could you," she whimpers like a broken record. All she wants is to hold her son's body, just once more. Robert points the gun at her head, "Don't make this harder than it already has to be." A scream splinters through the air and blood spurts on Michonnes face, Niall lets go off her and she rolls away pulling out her katana.
The bullet meant for Michonne slams into the skull of the walker that took a bite out of Niall. A herd of walkers stumble through the kitchen door. Two more walkers are shot. Niall and Robert pull out their axes and work away at the herd. Michonne watches as they kill the walkers. It's not long until Robert is bitten too, and the walkers begin feasting into their flesh as screams of the men join the growls of the hungry. Michonne stands and kills the walkers eating them, and slices through the rest of the walkers that stumble out trying to eat her.
By the time they are all dead Niall and Robert lay motionless large chunks of flesh and muscle torn from their body. She drops to the floor, tears streaming down her face, she crawls back to her son's body leaving her sword at the door. She holds her son's body in her lap and cries into his limp body. All thought and reason leaves her as emotion becomes her. Pain and sorrow fill her creating a burning inside of her that is son unbearable, she can hardly breathe.
For hours she sits their crying, praying, hoping for something, wanting the impossible. A hand grabs her foot, making her jerk back and sees a familiar face; Niall had turned. She sets down her son and crawls away from the walker that tries to grab at her. She picks up a hatchet and slams it down on his outstretched arms. She stands and is about to make a run for her sword when another walker steps in front of it. She picks up Niall and slams his head down against the counter repeatedly, then lifts the hatchet and kills the walker that had walked in. She turns back around to find Niall standing by the counter, alive and notices her, but not trying to attack her. A low groan behind her catches her attention as she turns back around. An idea fills her head as she walks back over to Robert.
Rick sits in front of Michonne and holds her hand, "I'm sorry you had to go through that." He imagines if he had to lose Carl like that and pain fills him imagining it. "No one should have to do that."
Michonne wraps one arm around with the other still holding Judith as she cries into his shoulder.