14 – Perfect Storm

"Let me out!"

Michonne was screaming at the top of her lungs as she watched officers run by, one by one, all of them ignoring her demand. She banged on the door, then the window. She pulled at the handle with hopes of pulling it off, but it was much more sturdy than herself. She was running on no food and little sleep, causing her to realize she was no match for that insane asylum disguised as a hospital. But still, she needed to find Carl. She needed to take care of him.

"Help!" she yelled when she saw Dr. Edwards coming down the hallway.

With a frown, he approached her door and asked, from outside of it, "Why are you screaming?"

"Let me out of here," she begged with an uncontrollable lip quiver. "Please."

"You have to calm down," he told her. He unlocked the door and carefully stepped into her room, not allowing her any sort of opportunity to burst out of it. "You're in a lot of trouble, you know." He stood there waiting for her to respond, but nothing came out. "If you just wait a bit, until things calm down, I may be able to get you out of here in once piece."

She let out a small sigh, relieved that the doctor was still somewhat sane. Or pretending to be, anyway. She knew Dawn and the rest of her people were out of their minds, but Edwards had come off as a bit more grounded in reality. "I don't care what happens to me," she told him seriously. "But I need to see that kid that just came in."

Edwards frowned at her again, shaking his head in confusion. "What kid?"

"Don't do this to me," she pleaded. She didn't have the stomach for mind games in that moment. "Just tell me why he's here. What happened to him."

"Are you sure you're all right, Grimes?"

She wasn't all right at all. She was nearly hysterical with worry about Carl. "I need to know!"

"I promise you," he said calmly, "no one's come in all day. We've been waiting on Andrews to get back, but Dawn hasn't let anyone else go out, thanks to you."

She wasn't sure what to believe. She knew she didn't imagine seeing Carl there. That was the last thing in the world she wanted to see. But Edwards seemed genuinely baffled as to what she was referring to. The staff seemed to always communicate when a new ward was coming in, so he would have certainly been aware of such a thing. Was he lying?

"Okay," she conceded, not wanting to push the issue and arouse any further suspicions. Instead, she wondered if Andrews' disappearance and Carl's appearance were at all connected. She put her hand over her forehead, pretending to be bothered by the pain. "Could I have been imagining things?"

Dr. Edwards didn't know what to make of her display, but he held her face for a moment, examining her swollen eye and the other bruises the officers had inflicted on her after the Gorman incident. "It's certainly possible," he agreed. "You've got a concussion. And you haven't eaten, which is only worsening matters."

"I just want to get out of here," she told him honestly.

"Stop screaming and I'll try to come back for you later," he promised. "If Andrews doesn't make it back by nightfall, they'll be going out to look for her. Things will be calmer then."

Michonne nodded and watched him leave, locking her in her room once again. This time, she was fine with it. She preferred to be left alone, really. If he didn't know Carl was there, that meant Dawn probably didn't either. And she would have a much better shot at getting them both out alive if the staff thought she was safely locked in her room. She quickly pulled off her belt and got to work on picking the lock.

4 hours earlier.

Rick, Daryl, Sasha, and Carl were slowly rolling through the streets of Atlanta in their church bus, scanning every car they could find for a white cross, or any sign that one had been painted on the back. With Sasha's limited intel, they knew the kidnappers were posing as cops, so the first thing they did was check all of the police and fire stations within the downtown and midtown areas. The plan was to start with a small radius, and widen it, only after all their other options were exhausted. Police stations, fire stations, hotels. No luck.

"We're gonna have to check through every parking structure in the city at this rate," Sasha noted disappointedly.

"And there are too many of those," Rick replied calmly. A stark contrast to the way in which he'd left the church. "We don't know what these people are capable of. Time is of the essence."

"Well where else should we check?" Daryl asked, his gaze fixated on a passing walker.

"I don't know." His thoughts were battling between the notions that she was at a police station further out, and her being in the downtown area. "I don't know where the churches are in the city…"

"There's Ebenezer," Daryl suggested.

Rick was surprised Daryl would know anything about Martin Luther King Jr.'s church, but pushed it aside to consider the idea. "Yeah… Maybe."

"It's too bad it wasn't a red cross on the car," Carl piped up, trying to think of places along with everyone else. "I know where all those are in the state of Georgia."

Sasha looked across the aisle, over to him, confused. "Why would you know where every Red Cross is in Georgia?"

"School," he shrugged.

She chuckled at the uselessness of such a thing, but it triggered a thought in her mind. What if the white cross was supposed to be some medical symbol? Those officers did insist that they could help. "Hospitals," she blurted out, already thinking of two off the top of her head.

Rick looked at her in the rearview mirror, thankful for her quick thinking. They'd have generators, space for plenty of people, and maybe even food. That made as much sense as anything. "Piedmont, Grady, and Emory are the closest," he nodded, making a sudden turn back towards the highway. "We'll check Emory first, and then go from there."

Emory Hospital had been a bust, so they continued to the next closest hospital, hoping it would be the one. It was getting close to sunset, and it would be much harder to see once darkness fell over the city. Rick felt a huge wave of relief when they got close to the massive hospital and the cars with white crosses instantly became prevalent. His fingers tapped nervously on the wheel as he tried to concoct a plan.

"Looks like this is it," he announced to his small army. He always knew Grady was the largest hospital in the city, but he didn't really understand the enormity of it until he realized he would have to find Michonne there. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

"This place is huge," Carl commented with wide eyes. "How are we supposed to find her in there?"

"We're gonna have to stake it out," Daryl knew, looking up front to Rick to make sure he agreed. That he understood they couldn't just run in there blind.

"Yeah," Rick affirmed. He stopped their vehicle when he realized there was a spotter on the roof of the building. They were still far enough to go undetected, but they wouldn't get much further in a big white bus without being seen. They might even have to amble towards the hospital as walkers, if push came to shove. "We're gonna have to leave the bus here," he told the other three.

Sasha didn't like the idea of having to park so far away. If anything went down, they would have a long run ahead of them. "Just give me a minute," she said, standing from her seat.

"Where are you goin'?" Rick frowned, also standing to meet her at the exit.

"I got this," she assured him, looking him in the eye. "Let me help." She'd made sure to bring along her M30 for the mission, and this was exactly why. With her sniper rifle in hand, she hopped off the bus and set up shop on the hood of their vehicle.

Daryl could tell Rick wanted to stop her. He was fidgety, walking around in small circles as she got prepared. But Rick didn't know what she could do with that weapon. He did. "She got this," he told his friend confidently.

"That's almost a mile away," Rick turned to protest. "How can you possibly know…"

"She can do it, man. Trust her the way you trust me."

"I do," he answered nervously. He was scared to let her try, but even more scared not to. He needed to get to Michonne. "It's just… if she misses…"

"We're fucked," Daryl understood. "But she ain't gon' miss." He caught her eye through the front window and gave her a slight nod of encouragement. Then stood with Rick as they watched her take her shot.

Rick could feel his palms sweating as looked on anxiously. Sasha appeared completely calm and composed as she took aim and got off her shot. It was so quick, they weren't sure anything happened. But when they looked to the roof, the spotter had, indeed, fallen to the ground.

Rick let out a giant sigh of relief as he signaled for Carl and grabbed Michonne's sword and his gun from the bus seat. "All right, let's move. Let's go."

Together, the four of them quickly scurried closer to the hospital entrance, where they would be able to scope out the goings on for a bit before going in. In two hours, not much had happened. Nothing, in fact. No one had gone out or in. No further movement on the parts of the roof they could see. They would have to get closer.

Rick whistled for Sasha and Daryl to join him and Carl, and within seconds, they were huddled together again. Carl kept his back to the group, his eyes scanning the streets for anything suspicious.

"It's too quiet," Rick said, squinting up at the giant building before him. "If they're taking people at the rate they have been, there should be more movement."

"Maybe they only go out at night," Sasha offered. "It was late as hell when they took the three of us."

He nodded. "Still doesn't feel right, but that is a possibility."

"We still need to get closer though," Daryl inserted, having read Rick's mind. "If they're only in one section of the building, we ain't gonna see shit from out here."

"It's been two hours and nobody's even come for their man on the roof," Sasha had noticed.

"Maybe they don't know yet."

"Or maybe they do and that's why no one's come out," Rick considered. "There's no way to know."

Carl caught wind of someone or something coming around the corner and got his people's attention. "Psst."

The other three instantly had their guns up before they could even place the figure. It was a young black kid in scrubs, limping towards the hospital, oblivious to the fact that he'd been spotted. "You should stop," Rick called out to the young man.

Startled, he looked back at the grimy foursome and held his hands up in surrender. "I don't have anything," he promised nervously. "Just a gun and a knife and the clothes on my back."

As Daryl went over to frisk the stranger, Rick stared at him inquisitively. "You work here?" He watched the kid shake his head. "You live here?" Same response. Rick stepped in close to the young man as Daryl moved away with his weapons. "Why are you in scrubs?"

"I just escaped," he answered, swallowing hard. "I got out. But... I left a friend in there, and... I don't know."

He glanced back at his group, wondering if they believed him. He hadn't missed the kid's choice of words. "Escaped?" he asked.

"A lady in there helped me get out," he nodded. "She knew it would cause chaos, but I don't know if she knows what they're capable of. I didn't wanna leave her there."

Rick knew instantly who this lady was. Michonne had a soft spot for kids, and a penchant for mayhem. "This lady," he started pointedly. "Is her name Michonne?"

Noah's eyes widened in shock at the fact that these strangers knew his new guardian angel. But then he remembered what she said – that her friends were coming. He had to laugh at how spot on she was. "Are you Rick?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes." Rick felt another surge of relief as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. She was alive. Or at least, she had been. He moved in closer to the teenager, almost afraid to ask his next question. "What did she do?"

"What?"

"You said she got you out. What did she do?"

"She... " He had to shake away the image of Officer Gorman with his throat bitten out before answering. "She killed one of the officers. Then distracted everyone long enough for me to run out."

Goddamn it, Dillard, Rick thought. She never stopped doing shit that would get herself killed. He nodded again, trying not to lose hope. "And how long ago was this?"

"About two hours ago."

"You know your way around this place?"

"I was here for a year," he confirmed. "So yeah."

Rick wasn't sure whether this was real, or just some elaborate trap, but he wasn't going to let that deter him. If Michonne was in there, he was going in, no matter what. He turned to the rest of his group to introduce them to their new ally.

Over the next several minutes, Noah explained the scope of the place to Rick and the others. He told them of Dawn and the mission of the officers; where they were located in the hospital; where Michonne's room had been. He knew there were guards on every floor from top to bottom, but none of them seemed to be at their posts once Michonne had gone postal. This was the best time to strike.

Rick looked at Daryl, then Sasha, trying to figure out the best way to put them to good use. "You and me will each take a floor," he started, talking to Daryl. "Take out everyone we see. Quick slice to the throat, but have your gun ready." Daryl nodded, and was already checking his bullet stash. "Sasha, you go to the women's floor. Find Michonne."

"And if she's not in her room?"

"That's why we're taking out everyone we can."

"So… we're assuming the other two floors will be unguarded?"

Rick sighed. He didn't want to have to include Carl in such a dangerous plan. He really didn't. "We'll be fine," he decided.

"Dad," Carl piped up predictably. "I can help."

"Carl…"

"You let me come. Let me help."

"We don't know what's going on in there," he declined diplomatically. "I can't let you."

"Rick," Daryl called out to him. "He can go get Michonne while the three of us take out the staff."

"He's not ready," Rick shook his head. The fact was, Carl was probably more ready than he was himself. But if anything happened to his kid, he would never forgive himself. "I can't…"

"I can do this, Dad." He grabbed his father's arm, forcing him to pay attention to him. "Michonne saved Judith. She saved me. Let me help."

Michonne had saved Rick, too, and he knew that. "I just-." His words were cut off by a car driving into the parking lot. It was another one with a cross, so he knew it was likely another officer. He raised his hand, signaling for the rest of them to get out of sight. They stayed flush against the building, while Rick peeked around the corner, taking watch.

It was, indeed, an officer, likely returning from one of her kidnapping trips. Rick watched her pulling an empty stretcher out of her vehicle and set it up to roll inside. "Who is that?" he asked Noah with a frown. "Is that Dawn?"

"No, Dawn never leaves," Noah said, moving up the line to take a glance around the corner. "That's Officer Andrews. She usually comes in with kids."

Before anyone else had even processed what he'd said, Sasha was running towards the woman. Rick almost called after her, but knew doing so would likely ruin whatever she had planned. Instead, he just followed after her, the other three of them taking off after him. Sasha paid them no mind as she pulled her knife from her belt and slid it across the woman's throat in one swift motion. The remaining four of them stopped in their tracks as they watched Andrews fall to the ground.

Sasha began to pull the officer's uniform from her body, leaving everyone to wonder what she was doing. "We have our way in," she told them, as if they were supposed to have picked up on her plan.

Rick dropped the ground with her, stabbing the woman in the head so that she wouldn't come back to life. He then gazed at Sasha as she frantically undressed the corpse, wondering if she was okay. She was acting like he had been all morning. "Everything all right?"

"Yes," she retorted instantly. She pulled off Andrews' bulletproof vest and handed it to Carl. "This could've been me," she told Rick, beginning to change into the uniform. "And if it had been, I wouldn't want you guys out here arguing about who's going in and how."

"I just don't want anything to happen-."

"It's already happened," she cut Rick off, not angrily, but passionately. "Whatever happened with you and Michonne. You pulling the gun on Abe… whatever. It's happened. Carl is here. He's strong. And he came to help, so let him help," she demanded. "I'll go in with him on the stretcher." She looked back to Noah, "That's how it works, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded, somewhat stunned by everything that was happening. "If you move fast, you can probably get him to her floor without anyone noticing you're not one of their people."

She nodded back as she continued to change into the police uniform. "Carl and I go in. I take care of everyone on that floor and the kitchen, while he looks for Michonne. You two come in, take care of the other three floors. Sound good?"

Rick didn't know what else to say. He hated the idea of Carl being involved, but he did let him come, against his better judgment. And the kid deserved the opportunity to save someone that meant a lot to him. He turned to his son, all strapped up in his vest, and affectionately rested his hand on his shoulder. "Be careful," he said seriously. "Remember, people are the real threat here."

"I know, Dad."

"You get into trouble, you shoot or you run," he reminded him, handing over his .357, just in case. "You hear me?"

Carl nodded, thankful that he was finally being trusted with something substantial. He was helping save Michonne. That meant a lot. "You be careful, too."

"I love you, Carl."

"I love you, too," he replied, hopping onto the gurney.

Sasha covered the teenager with a blanket and handed his hat over to Rick. "I'll keep an eye out for him," she promised. "We'll be fine."

Rick nodded himself. "I know."

She gave his arm a squeeze and then looked back to Daryl one more time before heading in. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Rick watched his son head off into no man's land to save the woman they both loved.

"You ready?" Daryl asked, seeing his friend lost in worry, once again.

"Yep." He handed Carl's hat to Noah, along with the knife they'd collected from him earlier. "You go sit on our bus until we get back."

"Yes, sir," he accepted gratefully.

Rick said a quick prayer that things would go smoothly in this place, then looked to Daryl. "Let's go." With his AK strapped to his front, Michonne's katana on his back, and his knife in hand, the two of them followed Sasha and Carl inside.

Feel it coming in the air
Hear the screams from everywhere
I'm addicted to the thrill
It's a dangerous love affair
Can't be scared when it goes down
Got a problem tell me now
Only thing that's on my mind
Is who's gon' run this town tonight
Who's gon' run this town tonight?
We gon' run this town

Lyrics: "Run This Town" – Jay Z (Blueprint 3)

A/N: I would've had this chapter to you guys sooner, but I've been just a tiny bit distracted with joining Tumblr, finally. (As if I need something else to be obsessed with, lol.) Please feel free to follow me if you're on it! My user name is cake-by-thepound.

On another note, nice job to those of you that called Carl being a decoy! I definitely did not want to have him get hit by a car or anything, but I liked the idea of him switching places with Noah. The exact thing Michonne never wanted. Anywho, next chapter, the hospital drama concludes! Yikes. -Ash