Chapter 27
They took apart most of the church, fortifying it for those who remained behind. As Michelle watched it disappear in the truck's side mirror, it finally looked like it belong in this world instead of being a constant reminder of what life had once been. Turning her head back and watching the open road before them, it felt like things were finally back on track. They were going to go to Atlanta, get Beth and Carol back and then return to the church for Carl, Judith and Michonne; the priest could decide to come or not for all she cared. After that, they'd be off to D.C. to join back with Maggie and the others. That was the plan.
She breathed out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders, the world seemingly brighter today than it had been in quite some time. Sure, she hadn't slept in days, and if she spent more than a few moments thinking back on some of the things that happened recently, she felt like she might go mad, but there was still hope and that was all that mattered.
"I didn't mean to leave you behind."
The few mumbled words were barely audible over the rumbling of the truck, but just loud enough for her to look over to Daryl. Now this was probably the reason why no one else had chosen to sit in the cab with them rather than in the box. She'd found that odd earlier, but it had quickly escaped her mind, like things tended to do when someone was as exhausted as she was.
"It's alright," she told him with a shrug, but the glance he gave her before turning his eyes back to the road made it clear that he didn't believe her act. Passing her fingers through her hair, she began again. "Okay, you're right. It wasn't alright. It hurt, a lot. After all that happened... It was like a punch in the gut, really. But, you had a good reason and truth is, I would have done the same. You came back, and I appreciate that, but if you hadn't, it would have been okay too. We're friends, but at the end of the day, I'm a big girl and I can take of myself."
She watched as he nodded his head, taking in what she'd said into consideration, which she hoped would help him let go of some of the guilt he seemed to feel whenever he looked at her since he'd gotten back.
"You sure about that?" He asked her, with another side glance and a ghost of a smile on his thin lips. "'Cause you look like shit right now. You should get some sleep before we get to Atlanta."
She shook her head, which most likely made her look like a stubborn toddler more than the responsible adult she was claiming to be, but the idea of sleeping was just far too terrifying to even consider. After a minute, she chose to confide in him, after all they'd been through, she felt that if anyone in this world could keep her secret, it was the man sitting next to her. She explained how just closing her eyes for a few minutes brought back horrible images that appeared to be melding together into some truly nightmarish stuff and that she just didn't want anyone to see her like that, or worst, hear her scream as she woke up in a panic. "...I had the same type of dreams after what happened with my dad... and before that with Ellie... I just don't want anyone to see that."
"It's light out," he said, his voice a little softer than usual. "Maybe it'll help. Plus, if you want, I can shake you as soon you make as much as peep." He could obviously tell how unsure she was about the whole idea as she nervously licked her lips, but he also knew the magic word to help convince her. "I mean, you'll need to be alert when we take on the hospital."
He was right, of course, going into this and barely able to distinguish between hallucinations and reality wouldn't do. Especially since, according to Noah, most of the hospital's armed staff were former law officers, they would need to be as aware of their surrounding as possible. Resting her head against the back of the seat, she closed her eyes for a second only to reopen them almost immediately to look straight at Daryl.
"As soon as I make a sound-"
"Don't worry," he cut her off, before adding with another hint of a smile, "I don't want to listen to that either."
She did sleep, almost all the way to Atlanta, bringing her to nearly a full six hours of sleep over the past four days. Still, by the time they reached the city, Michelle felt alert and ready to take on the world, probably in big part due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins and the relentless hope that this time, she wouldn't fail in saving someone she loved. And as they went over the plan, she felt restless. It was a good plan, solid and clean and easy enough to execute; her role in it was simple, along with Noah, they would find Beth and Carol and get them to safety while the others handled the guards. This was happening, it was finally here and she had to stop herself from grinning as she pictured Beth's face when she'd see them coming to get her like the proverbial cavalry.
Tyreese rose a question, what they would do if things turned bad, which could happen and then things could get really messy, really quickly. Like they had at the church. In a flash, she saw a loop of images; blood flying onto the walls and pews, some of it hitting her face, and then the body of that woman on the ground. Daryl's finger just gently poked her arm, bringing her attention back to the here and now, as she noticed her shaking hand and shoved it deep in her pocket, trying catch up quickly on what was being said.
"...we do an even trade. Theirs for ours. Everybody goes home."
He had a point this could work as Rick was quick to point out, but their original one would work. Her hand still shook in her pocket as she thought about she might have to do with the machete Daryl had given her, the thought of another death on her conscience making her feel light-headed. Daryl was looking at her as she tried to get it together and a second later, his low voice filled the room.
"Nah, that'll work, too," he said and, suddenly, she was letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. He turned toward Noah, confirming with him that the head of the hospital group, Dawn, was just trying to keep their whole operation together. "If you take two of her cops away, what choices does she have? Everybody goes home. Like he says."
Once Rick agreed, they began to plan how to get the two cops and, really, it was as simple as repeating the first part of their plan. Shooting in the air, attracting them to their location and then taking them hostage, instead of out. It was a riskier plan, but it had the one advantage of being less likely to turn into a bloodshed which was not negligible. And on the plus side, they wouldn't have to wait until it was dark to put it in action.
Her little moment of panic had somewhat dampened her spirit though and she quickly retreated to a corner to try and get herself back together. It wasn't the first time these kinds of tremors came upon her, she'd spent quite sometime in an almost perpetual state of tremors and flashback after her father's death and the same had been true for months after the accident. But now, she needed those to stop, she needed to be stronger than that, to take control of her mind and body. She wasn't about to become a burden for others. She wouldn't let that happen.
When she emerged from her corner, she found him standing nearby and deeply appreciated that he'd respected her need for space without her having to ask for it. Once he saw her, he walked over to her side, before he even asked, she assured him that she was okay. "...I know it doesn't look like it, but I'll be fine."
"Alright."
He didn't push or ask if she was certain, simply trusting her and, once again, she was grateful to have him as a friend. He placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her back to the group as they got ready to put their plan in motion.
Sasha was actually the one to first shoot into the air while Noah got into position and after that, everyone got very quiet as they waited to see if the people from Grady would respond to the noise. It felt like an eternity before anything happened, when truly it was likely only minutes. From their various posts, they heard the shots from Noah's gun, signal that a car was approaching and to be ready to go at any moment. After that, things moved quickly as the Grady cops nearly took down Noah with their cruiser and wrapped zip-ties around the young man's wrists.
They'd somehow missed out on the lack of walkers anywhere around. So much for good police work... And as Rick's whistle signaled their presence, they realized the mistake they'd just made. After all, it was six versus two.
"What do you want?"
"Whatever this is, we can help."
It seemed the two officers had different ways of handling the situation and, to their credit, neither of them gave up too easily even after Rick threatened to hurt them if they didn't do as they were told. Maybe they simply didn't realize how dangerous that man with the crazy beard could be, or they had nerves of steel. The man surrendered first and, soon after, she was collecting their weapons as Tyreese helped Noah out of his restraints.
The male officer quickly recognized Rick as a former officer himself and, maybe it had something to do with having been in the same profession before the outbreak but it seemed to make him more docile, or maybe it was due to Daryl holding on to him tightly with a rifle in close proximity to the man's head. Whatever the reason, she was just glad neither one of them seemed to feel like playing the hero. Stupidity on their part was really the last thing they'd need if they were to get out of this without having to kill anyone.
She heard Noah mention that the man they were holding, Lamson, was one of the few good people left at Grady and that he'd likely go along with their plan, but before anything else could come of that comment, a car came crashing toward them. So much for no one deciding to play hero.
She jumped to the side, quite aware that her new machete would do no good in this situation, as Daryl and the others shot at the vehicle. Mentally she made a note to take him up on his offer to try and teach her to shoot when they got out of this; maybe he'd have better luck succeeding in that task than her father had. The two cops piled up inside the car while the driver shot at them, smiling the whole time which made her blood boil, to think that someone could be trying to kill people and grin like a loon while doing it revolted her. They were actually, genuinely trying to do this the right way, without deaths on either side.
As they speed away, Sasha was able to shoot one of the back wheels and from the sound of it, they didn't make it far. Catching up with them on foot was easy, even with Noah slowing them down a little with his limp. As they rounded the corner around which the car had disappeared, nothing could have prepared them for the sight before them. Or the smell for that matter. After this long around walkers, she thought she'd almost forgotten that they smelled, but these ones did. They were stuck to the pavement like big, undead chewing gums, all under the water tower that said Evac Here. This was the kind of place authorities tried to direct her dad and her to after they'd made a run for it out of the airport, if they had, this could have been them.
Still, there wasn't time to dwell on that, the cops had some advance on them and they couldn't have them getting away. And so, they hurried past the burnt walkers flapping their jaws at them, desperately trying to grip their legs or anything they could. In a stupid move for them, the two tied up cops ran out from their hiding place and in a moment, they were on their tails.
She closed the group along with Noah, until passed Daryl who slowed down for some reason. She was about to do the same but the woman ahead of them nearly tripped on one of the dead and, for a brief moment, they thought they had them. Glancing over her shoulder, she expected to see him just a few yards behind but when he wasn't there, she signaled Noah onward and doubled back; this rescue mission wouldn't be worth much if they lost one of theirs in the process and she was determined to get back to that church with both Beth and Daryl.
As she ran past the FEMA trailer, she saw what had been holding him back, that third cop, the grinning one, was trying to get one of the walkers to take a bite out of her best friend and she wasn't about to let that happen. Rushing toward them, she reached them just in time for Daryl to knock the man off him with the help of a walker's skull, while he was on his knees, she sneaked behind the man, her machete pressed on his throat before he could move again. She had no intention on killing him unless she absolutely had to, but to her advantage, he didn't know that.
Rick arrived on her heels and holding his gun on the man, the look in his eyes scared her and she couldn't help but wonder if he was a good enough shot to only take the cop out without harming her. Not really wanting to test that theory, she stepped back, dropping her machete to her side and walking over to Daryl, her hand beginning to shake again. Once they got back to the church, she'd really have to do something about that. Her friend's eyes were on her for just a second as she approached before he turned back to Rick, trying to talk him down from killing the man who'd just attacked him, reminding him that trading three people for two was an even better option for them. That was true, of course, but she wasn't sure that was why Daryl had done as he glanced at her again, first at her hand and then her eyes before giving her the tiniest nod. Even if she didn't ask for it and, at least, felt like she didn't need it, he was still protecting her.
They brought the cops back inside with them and with the adrenaline starting to leave her system, she was beginning to crash, trailing behind more and more as sleep tried to overtake her. She could hear them talking but it was hard to concentrate on what exactly they were saying. This wasn't a good sign. Not a good sign at all. Leaning against a windowsill, she appeared to be standing when in reality she was simply trying to keep herself awake, to keep herself focused on the task at hand. Unfortunately, the dead ones down below made that impossible as they brought back more and more memories of those early days with her father, just after the outbreak and, of course, of what had happened afterward...
It wasn't until they called her name that she snapped out of her vivid little trip down memory lane, she thought they were about to leave and that why they were calling on her, but it wasn't until everyone was shouting at her, asking which way someone went that she realized something had happened. Something had happened and she'd missed it, which meant she'd messed up. Big time.
