A/N: This chapter was hard to write for some reason, but I hope you guys enjoy it!
"A warning to the people,
the good and the evil,
this is war."
(30 Seconds to Mars, This Is War)
This Is War
"We can stay and fight, or we can go," Rick says.
No one answers.
Michonne glances around at members of the group, fighting the urge to bust out laughing again. None of them seem to know what to do with themselves. Why? Because Rick still has a gun in his hands even though he'd proclaimed not to be their Governor? No, they don't fear him, she realizes. They pity him, the weight upon his shoulders. She can see it hidden behind the determined expression mirrored on each survivor's face. They know Rick will be the last to die, even Hershel and Daryl, who are part of the inner circle, know it. The Governor will watch him burn from the inside out, forcing Rick to witness the group die, one by one. Merle could read anyone's thoughts just by looking at them, it seemed, having previously relayed all this information to her. Still, Michonne is momentarily surprised to discover the same resolve in Merle's features before she remembers he's not leaving, not without Daryl, not until they finish off the Governor or die trying. Merle is stuck in prison by choice. As he meets her gaze, she wonders what happened to him, why he suddenly morphed into a moral version of Merle Dixon she never even knew existed—could exist. She hadn't believed he could hurt and genuinely laugh and just feel human until he'd kidnapped her.
A sudden wave of emotion flows through the assembled circle, and on instinct, Daryl makes the first move by stepping boldly into the center. "I'm in." Merle, followed shortly by Michonne and Hershel, stand next to him. The rest of the group joins until everyone is standing in front of Rick. The simple movement shocks their leader, eyebrows raising as he finally understands what it means.
Merle takes advantage of the moment. "We fight," he declares, and when Rick can only stare, openmouthed and confused at Merle like he just spoke Spanish, Merle moves forward again to extend his left hand. It's his way of wordlessly forgiving Rick for what happened back on the rooftop in Atlanta, for doing what he had to for the sake of preserving other lives, letting the past rest once and for all. Michonne recalls what she told him earlier about this being his chance to prove himself and hone his skills. To make himself useful, to be something other than a garbage man.
He always had the potential.
Merle smiles. "Put 'er there, Officer Friendly."
Understanding trickles down over Rick, washing away shock and a hint of distrust. He grabs Merle's hand and shakes it. "Thank you," Rick replies, grateful and relieved to finally have a right-minded Merle on his side.
A moment of awkward silence falls over them in which Daryl's brother can feel multiple pairs of eyes trained on his back, judging him, weighing his sincerity. He turns around to break it. "Well, what're y'all waitin' for, huh? We got work to do! This prison ain't gonna defend itself!"
Daryl and Merle set the traps well outside the prison gates, where the Governor and his men will roll through in their armored vehicles. Glenn and Maggie, though not very happy with Merle's reappearance, focus on loading weapons and finding protective gear to wear inside. Hershel and Carol go over the medical supplies in case someone acquires an injury during the fight. Beth and Carl watch over Judith while Rick makes a quick sweep of the prison with Michonne before sunset, using the scope on his rifle to keep an eye on the trees.
"We should've seen something by now," he mumbles quietly to Michonne as they make their way back to C Block. "We weren't there at noon."
"Doesn't mean he isn't comin'," she points out.
Rick doesn't have a response to that.
Back inside, Merle echoes her thoughts when Rick expresses his concern to the others. "Oh, he'll come, all right. Just not tonight. Or any night. Can't see the biters then, only hear 'em. Can't see us. Doesn't have the guts to parade through here in the dark when he don't know the layout," he assures, gesturing to their surroundings. "We'll be fine till morning, but I'll keep watch."
Daryl slings his crossbow over his shoulder. "I'll come with you."
Merle shakes his head. "Nah, we need you rested, ready to go come mornin'. Rick, too."
"Glenn and I will take second watch," Maggie volunteers, stepping out from one of the cells, Glenn right behind her.
Merle nods once. "Michonne and I'll wake you when it's time."
Rick hands his rifle over to Michonne before she can object. "Just in case," he says, low enough so only she can hear. "Be careful." She takes the weapon, weighing it in her hands. She's always preferred her Katana over firearms, but when it comes to distance, any gun with a scope wins, hands down.
Merle faces her, the bayonet catching in the moonlight shining in through one of the windows, glinting brightly enough to catch her eye. The rest of him is hidden in shadow, and she can barely see his outline when he asks, "You ready?"
Michonne takes a deep breath and releases it slowly through her nose.
"As I'll ever be."
