The time dragged on and silence had overtaken us. What was there to say in a situation like this? Everyone was supposed to be civil here, but the tension was just mounting.
Milton was the first to break the quiet. "There's no reason not to use this time we have together to explore the issues ourselves."
Martinez snapped at him. "Boss said to sit tight and shut up."
"Don't you mean the Governor?" Daryl was starting to become impatient. Waiting was never his strongest feature.
Milton ignored the Governor's given instructions and continued on. "It's a good thing they're sitting down, especially after what happened. They're gonna work it out. Nobody wants another battle."
"I wouldn't exactly call it a battle."
He lifted his notepad for all of us to see. "I would call it a battle and I did. I recorded it."
"For what?"
"Somebody's gotta keep a records of what we've gone through. It'll be a part of our history."
Hershel added to the conversation. This was the type of thing he would have probably suggested we do. "That makes sense."
Seeing that he had someone interested, Milton approached Hershel with a small amount of excitement gleaming from his face. "I've got dozens of interviews-"
He was cut off by the sound of walkers banging against metal on the other side of the barn. Daryl and Martinez were the first to start following the sound. Andrea wasn't far behind them.
Shane was about to join, but I stopped him. "I got this."
He didn't like it one bit. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. You stay here and have Rick's back. It's better that at least one of us stays." Even though Hershel had good intentions by being here, he couldn't be fast on his feet. If something started to go down inside, Shane was the better option. Without allowing another objection, I pulled out my knife from my back pocket and ran to catch up with the group.
There were only a couple hanging out near the silos. It wasn't entirely necessary for all of us to be there.
Daryl gestured to Martinez. "After you."
"No way. You first."
Andrea huffed and pushed passed the men. She grunted as she shoved one of the walkers against a wall and out her knife through its skull.
"Pussy." Martinez commented at my brother before walking toward the next few walkers.
Here we go. 'Pussy' is one of the few names Daryl never tolerated. Merle called him that, our father called him that, even neighborhood bullies used the name once or twice. Whenever he was called that one specific name, it never ended well for the other person. He always proved them wrong.
The two men started finding more creative ways to kill the walkers, rendering Andrea and I useless. I nudged at her with my elbow. "C'mon. Let's leave them to their pissing contest."
We started walking back to where the other group members, but I stopped. "You know this is bullshit, right?"
"What?"
"I know you want this to work out. Shit, I want it, too. The fact is, whatever the hell they're talking about in there, it ain't good. I know Rick. He's not gonna give up easily. He wants us to be safe. Us. He couldn't give less of a damn about Woodbury."
Andrea crossed her arms. "That's what the Governor wants for Woodbury. He wants his people safe."
"You still don't see it." I shook my head. "Andrea, he wants power. He is a psychotic son of a bitch that will do anything to keep it. Even with him aside, after what happened to Glenn and Maggie, ain't no way the two groups are gonna live together. This whole thing is bullshit."
"I see it, okay? He is not the man I thought he was, but I'm still trying. There is no reason for people to be dying over this power struggle."
"Okay, say this does work. They come up with a solution to make both groups happy. What then? You're gonna be okay with him running Woodbury?"
"No, I won't be, but if it keeps people safe, then it is what it is."
I shook my head. "I wish I could see this the way you do. Andrea, promise me, that if this whole plan of yours goes to shit that you will try to come back to us at the prison. You're gonna get caught in the crossfire and I don't think I would be able to take it if I see you die."
My last sentence was enough to convince her how serious this situation was. Without notice, she grabbed me by the shoulders and stared into my eyes. "I promise I will come back." She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back.
Standing this way didn't last all that long. I pulled away from her, uncomfortable with the affection. I pulled my shirt down and brushed back my hair. "So now what?"
"I guess we just walk back. Lord only knows how long they're gonna be in there for. Might as well catch up with everyone."
"Sounds good. Daryl and Martinez can catch up later."
"Yeah. I have a feeling those two could have gotten along under different circumstances."
"I could see it."
She tapped my shoulder. "Hey. How are things with you and Shane? It must have been weird seeing him after all that time."
"It wasn't at first. When I saw him, it was like the world stopped. Then, after awhile, it started moving again, but I wasn't ready for it and he was. He seemed like he wanted to pick up right where we left off. I did, too, but it wasn't that easy. Things are getting better now. I just want this Governor bullshit to stop so we can actually have a chance to get things completely normal."
"What about Daryl? All you did was talk about how much you thought he hated you."
"He doesn't. In fact, him and Shane have been working together on a lot of things. We don't fight as much as we did on the farm. We're just kinda living our lives."
"And Merle?"
My heart stopped. I didn't want to talk about him. My mouth remained closed.
"Ah. I see. Well, when this is all over, you should try and work it out with him. He may be a dick, but it's good to have him on your side."
"Yeah. We'll see about that."
We met up with the rest of the group. Shane was circling the area, watching for any surprises the Governor might pull. I knew he was probably worried about us, but didn't want to try any heroics unless he heard a gunshot. Bullets meant actual trouble. I didn't even get a chance to kill one of the dead.
At first, I didn't see Hershel or Milton. After taking a minute to scan the surrounding area, I spotted the two of them sitting next to each other talking like old friends. I still wondered what the real reason was for Milton being here. He wasn't strong nor a fighter and the Governor sure as hell never listened to a single thing he ever said. Milton's presence irked me, not because I didn't like him, but because there was no reason for being here today. He was a nice guy that was trying to make sense of this world. Bringing him here had to mean something.
Seeing us finally make it back to the car, Shane jogged over to meet with us. "You ladies kill a lot of walkers?"
I giggled once. "Nah. Wasn't that many of them. Andrea took down one, but I hung back. Daryl and Martinez handled it."
"Nothing yet?" Andrea asked, ignoring the conversation.
"No. Still waiting."
"They're taking too long. Maybe I should go back in there."
I shuffled my feet, trying to pick my words carefully. "They threw you out for a reason. Give them time."
Even though I knew this was never going to work, allowing Andrea to go inside to try and end it early would definitely kill any progress they may have made. It could lead to bullets being fired and someone dying. No one outside those doors really wanted to do that. Instead, it was just better for all of our sakes that we just wait.
A/N: Hey everyone! I apologize this chapter and the one before were so short. I realized that I have been abandoning my stories this year and that's simply not fair. So I wanted to get a couple out to you for the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoyed.
