Chapter 39-Grief
Sam was sitting with Luciana while Milton walks over to Andrea and hands her a drink. "Thank you. Cold drinks?" Andrea asks.
"Been running the freezers all day. Not the most practical use of the generators to my mind," Milton tells her.
"It's kind of amazing," Andrea tells him.
"The Governor thinks it's worth it," Milton says to her.
"Well, to a great party. Now, if you would just drop me a hint about tonight," Andrea says to him.
"More words cannot adequately describe the festivities ahead," Milton tells her. She nods as she talks with him more. Luciana looks at Sam, who was in deep thought.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Luciana asks her boyfriend.
"The Governor wants me to wait on looking for Dean. I just have this feeling that he is closer than we think. I'm thinking about going out and looking for him myself," Sam tells her.
"If you go, I'm going with you," Luciana tells him.
"We'll leave in a week. It will give us enough time to prepare and for me to talk to the Governor," Sam tells her.
"You think he will be OK with us leaving?" Luciana asks.
"Yeah," Sam tells her as the party goes on.
The Prison
It's been an hour since Daryl and the others have returned to the cellblock. Nobody has really said anything. Nobody has seen Daryl either. Amy was holding the baby when Carl came into the cell. "Can I hold her?" Carl asks. Amy smiles at the boy and nods. Amy hands the baby to Carl. "How long do you think she'll sleep.
"I don't know. Hershel said it could be a few hours up to a day. We should send someone on a run for some formula just in case," Amy says.
"She'll be OK. My mom is strong," Carl says.
"Yeah, she is. But the baby needs to be fed. Watch your mom. I'll be back," Amy says to Carl, who nods. Amy walks down the stairs into the resting area where most everybody was. Merle looks at her.
"She awake?" Merle asks.
"No. Hershel said it could be a few hours to a day. The babies need to be fed, and we don't know when Lori will wake up. We need formula," Amy tells him.
"There's a shopping center just north of her. Lori had us watching for some places just in case," Maggie says.
"Yeah, but there's too much debris on the road. A car will never get through there," Glenn says.
"OK, I will take my bike. That means I can only take one of you," Merle says.
"I'll go," Adam says. Merle nods.
"Go get ready," Merle tells him. Adam nods as he walks away.
"Has anybody seen Daryl?" Bobby asks.
"Not since they got back," Duane says.
"How's Morgan doing?" Jim asks.
"Not great?" Duane tells him.
"Let me talk to him. I know what he's going through," Jim says as he stands up and leaves.
"We need to grab Chris and Ofelia and bury them," T-dog tells them.
"Their bodies are messed up," Oscar says.
"We have sheats we can use to move them," Jane says.
"OK, Me Oscar Victor and Bobby will get Ofelia. Shane Nick Lee and Charlie should grab Chris," T-dog says everybody nods as they get up. Merle and Adam walk outside. Maggie and Beth were following them. "Open the gate," Merle tells them. They nod. Merle gets on his bike Adam climbs on after. They ride out of prison.
In the tunnel, Travis went through the halls, swinging his ax into the walker's head as he moved throughout the prison.
Woodbury
The Governor was in front of everybody who was all looking at him. "All right. Hey. The first time we gathered, there were nine of us holed up in an apartment with Spam and saltine crackers. Well, look at us now," The Governor says. Everybody laughs.
"We've built a place we can call home. May be held together with duct tape and string, but it works. It's ours. I'll take it," The Governor says. They all laugh again.
" So today we celebrate how far we've come. We remember those we've lost. We raise a glass to us," The Governor says. Everybody cheers. The Governor Sam and Milton walk into The Governor's apartment.
"I love a party as much as the next fella. Trust me. I love a party. But we're using a lot of resources," Milton says.
"Yeah," The Governor says.
"For instance, the Generators," Milton says.
"I thought you love a party," The Governor says.
"Come on, Milty, lighten up, for Christ's sake. Let your hair down, man. Have some fun for once. I like fun," Sam says.
"Then there's no problem," The Governor says.
"If I might. You know, I've been working on an experiment all week. It's been a challenge getting the level of power I need. And with everything going on tonight," Milton says.
"What are you asking?" The Governor interrupts him.
"Postpone tonight," Milton says.
"No way," Sam says.
"Hang on. Let's hear him out. How long do you need?" The Governor asks him.
"I don't need long," Milton says.
"How long?" The Governor asks.
"10 days," Milton says.
"No," The Governor says.
"Six?" Milton asks.
"How about-" Milton starts to say.
"How about you enjoy yourself tonight and then begin the experiment over in the morning, huh?" The Governor says to him.
"That could work," Milton says.
Outside, Michonne finds a cage full of walkers. Michonne opens the cage and walks backward. Michonne turns around and pulls out her katana. She turns around, kills all the walkers. She then hears a bucket fall. She turns and sees a man looking at her in shock.
The Prison
Daryl had been sitting up in the watchtower for the past hour. He hears the door open. He then hears footsteps coming up the stairs. "Go away," Daryl says.
"Sorry I can't," Madison says as she stands beside the man.
"I can't imagine what you are feeling right now," Madison says.
"No, you can't. I had a chance to kill Andrew, and I didn't. I left him for the walkers, and now Ofelia and Chris are dead because I didn't kill him myself. Daniel and Travis lost their kids. Dean his girlfriend because I made a mistake. That one mistake cost two people their lives. I lost two people who I saw as a family because of Andrew. That's my fault. Now leave me the hell alone," Daryl says to Madison, who looks at him for a moment before she leaves.
Woodbury
Michonne was sitting in a chair when the Governor came in with her katana. The Governor walks in front of her. "You get off on that? Poking around other people's things? Hmm? We got nothing to hide here," The Governor says to her as he sits down and sets the katana down.
" People with nothing to hide don't usually feel the need to say so," Michonne says to him.
"That's fair," The Governor says.
"We all have our secrets, huh?" The Governor asks her.
"Like Penny?" Michonne asks him.
"You know about Penny?" The Governor asks. "Then you know I loved her," The Governor says.
"I bet you say that about all the girls," Michonne says. The Governor stands up and sits in the chair across from Michonne.
"You got the wrong idea about me. I'm just a guy trying to do right about the people I care about. Now you want to leave, Andrea wants to stay. So you want me to take choice out of the equation. You want me to kick you out," The Governor says as he looks at her sword. "Actually, I was about to give you your sword back cause you fit in. We've enjoyed having you," The Governor says. He stands up, grabs her katana, walks around the table, and walks behind Michonne, and stops beside her. "This is a real problem for me. People follow the rules, and whether or not it's true, they believe it's what keeps them alive. You've turned that upside down. You've broken the rules, and if I don't do anything, I invite anarchy. How about this?" The Governor says as he walks closer to Michonne. "I keep a lid on your little outburst. You join the research team. You obviously have skills, and you're not afraid of biters. Merle will take of you and then-" The Governor said when Michonne stood up, turned her katana, pulled it out, and pressed it to the Governor's neck. Michonne stands there for a second before she slowly backs up until she gets to the door and sheathes her katana and leaves. Sam comes in after a moment.
"How'd it go?" Sam asks The Governor chuckles
"She's all personality that one," The Governor says.
"Do we have a problem?" Sam asks.
"No. No. Send Andrea over to me. You take the research team and get more grist for the mill I can handle this," The Governor tells Sam.
"Alright," Sam says as he leaves, and The Governor sits down.
The Prison
Glenn T-dog and Shane were digging graves when Oscar and Axel came over. Shane steps out of the grave. He was digging for Ofelia, whose body was right beside him. He walks over to Oscar and Axel.
"How's the premier look?" Shane asks.
"We got the walkers spread out. Need help?" Axel asks. Shane turns around. "Your friends, they were good folks," Axel says.
"They were family," Glenn says.
"I think I had one friend like that my whole life. You got a whole group. Sorry, you lost them," Oscar says. Shane sees Dale coming over. He hands the shovel to Axel.
"Finish that one and help them," Shane says as he walks he stops for a moment and looks at the two prisoners. "You two are a part of this family," He tells them before he walks up to Dale. "Lori?" Shane asks.
"Still resting. Hershel and Amy are with her," Dale tells him.
"Travis?" Shane asks.
"Still inside," Dale tells him.
"OK, I'll get him," Shane tells him. Shane looks at Oscar.
"Two people maybe three in one day," Shane says.
"Cause of one asshole," Dale says. "Lori will be OK," Dale says.
"A part of me wishes we killed them all on sight," Shane tells him.
"Oscar and Axel are good guys," Dale says.
"They are," Shane tells him.
"Madison came and talked to me. She told me Daryl blames himself for what happened to Chris and Ofelia. He lashed out on her. Daryl is overcome with guilt. She said that Daryl left Andrew to the walkers and didn't kill Andrew himself. He blames himself for making a mistake," Dale tells Shane.
"I'll try to talk to him. I'll send T-dog to go find Travis," Shane tells Dale, who nods. Shane walks down to the four men.
"T-dog go grab Charlie and Bobby and go look for Travis," Shane says to T-dog, who nods as he leaves. "Can you three finish this?" Shane asks Oscar Axel and Glenn, who all nod. Shane walks into the watchtower and sees Daryl standing there. "You remember the day Jo died that night you came to me and let me cry. You didn't say a word. I'm returning the favor now. You have got to let this go, man before it eats you up," Shane says to Daryl, who turns and looks at him. Daryl just hugs Shane and does the Same thing Shane did all those months ago.
Inside, Jim walks in Morgan's cell. "How are you doing?" Jim asks as he sits down.
"Not great. I lost my wife at the beginning, and I probably would have lost Duane if not for Daryl and Shane, bringing me back. Now I have lost Carol," Morgan says.
"I lost my wife and two children at the beginning. I joined the group after. At the beginning, I would have been OK with dying. After the quarry, I figured that my family would want me to live. So now every day I fight for them. So now that's what you need to do. Fight every day for Carol to protect Duane," Jim says to Morgan, who nods and stands up.
"Thank you, Jim," Morgan says to Jim, who nods.
Woodbury
The Governor opens the door. "What's wrong?" Andrea said it was urgent," Andrea says to him as she walks in.
"I need your help," The Governor tells her.
"It's Michonne," The Governor says as he walks past her.
"What about her?" Andrea asks.
"She broke in and stole her weapon," The Governor says.
"She can't steal something that's her," Andrea tells him.
"She went into a private place and slaughtered half a dozen captive biters," The Governor tells her. Andrea looks at him.
"Why would you have captive biters?" Andrea asks.
"There's a good reason I don't want to go into right now," The Governor says as he walks away from her.
"OK," Andrea says.
"Point is I tried to talk to her about it, and she held her sword to my throat," The Governor tells her as he sits on his desk. "Can't imagine that surprises you," The Governor says to her.
"She wouldn't do that unless she felt threatened," Andrea tells him.
"She makes people uncomfortable. Some people want her to leave, and I don't want that. It's ugly out there, and it's getting worse every day. But she put my back against the wall here," The Governor tells her.
"What are you saying?" Andrea asks.
"I'm saying what works out there doesn't work in here. You know, we're not barbarians," The Governor tells her. Andrea nods and leaves.
Andrea walks into their room, and Michonne looks up. "We got to talk," Andrea says to her as she shuts the door.
"We got to go," Michonne says as she starts to pack.
"The Governor told me what happened," Andrea says as Michonne continues to pack. "Michonne, you can't do things like this. "You're freaking people out. You're freaking me out," Andrea tells her as she walks closer. Michonne doesn't stop packing.
"The northeast wall is guarded by some girl. We can escape there after dark," Michonne tells Andrea as she hands her a bag.
"We are not prisoners here," Andrea tells her as she throws the bag down.
"No one who comes here leaves," Michonne tells her.
"What are you talking about? It's safe. There's food. There's shelter. There's people for god's sake," Andrea says.
"That's what they show you. But you can't leave unless they make you," Michonne says.
"You are not making any sense. Mich, maybe you need to sit for a minute," Andrea says as she walks closer to her friend.
"You need to trust me," Michonne says.
"And you need to give me more to go on. We got a good thing going here," Andrea says.
"I thought this was temporary," Michonne says to her friend.
"And I think we need this. I want to give this place a real shot," Andrea says.
"I tried," Michonne says as she turns around.
"Breaking into houses? That is not trying. That is sabotaging," Andrea turns around and looks at Andrea.
"This place is not what they say it is," Michonne says to her friend.
The Prison
T-dog Charlie and Bobby walk through the tunnels with their guns and flashlight raised. They walk across walkers that were all dead. All the walkers around them were dead. They turn a corner and see Travis with his ax that was in a walker's head. "Travis," Bobby says. T-dog walks closer as Charlie and Bobby stay back.
"Everybody's worried about you. You shouldn't be in here," T-dog says to him. Travis turns and looks at them. "Come on out," T-dog says as he looks at him. T-dog walks closer to him. T-dog walks in front of him. "You don't have to do this all by yourself. Okay? Our cellblock is cleared. We just close off all the doors again. Travis, why don't you just come on out with me. "Okay?" T-dog says. He put his hand on Travis. Travis grabs him and pushes him into the wall. T-dog holds his hand up to stop Bobby and Charlie. "Yeah. Yeah. It's me," T-dog says to Travis, who looks at him. Travis grabs T-dog and throws him back. Charlie and Bobby stop him from falling. Travis then walks away. Bobby Charlie and T-dog watch him before they leave.
In an open field
A truck pulls up to a pit. The truck back up. The men walk over to the pit. "Hey, all right," Sam says as he looks into the pit. "We got us a bite. Yeah, we got us some. Let's hook 'em up," Sam says. They use a net to pull the walkers up. They then pull the truck forward. Sam walks over to the net and grabs it as Milton comes over. "Look what we got here. Oh, Yeah. Come get it," Sam says. The walker tries to bite Sam. "Whoa. Look at this one. It's too little. We're gonna have to kill it," Sam says.
"Hold on. There's something interesting in its eyes," Milton says.
"so don't kill it?" Martinez asks.
"It's a maybe for me," Milton says. Sam grabs a snag pull.
"Here you go. Get your hands dirty for once, Huh?" Sam says to Milton as he throws him the snap pull. "All right, come on. Come on down. Let 'em down now," Sam says as they lower the net to the ground so the walkers can get out. "Come on, Milty," Sam says to him. Milton tries to grab the walker but can't, so the walker grabs him and bites his arm, which was protected. Martinez grabs the walker. "Oh! Oh, Man! I'll tell you what. I take back anything I said about that jacket. Come here. Let me see her," Sams says. He grabs the walker and stabs it in the head with his knife. Martinez grabs another one.
"Sam, check this one out. He's almost as ugly as you," Martinez says.
"Holy shit! Yeah, he's a mean one, huh. Look at him. Yeah, now get him down now. Come on, get him down," Sam says as he pulls the walker down. Sam uses his knife to hold the walkers month open. He then uses a pair of pliers to pull out one of the walker's teeth.
With Merle and Adam
Merle and Adam pull up the shopping center. Merle turns off the bike. "Company's close stay tight," Merle tells him as he grabs his crossbow. Adam nods as they walk through a gate and into the playground and head to the door. Adam breaks the window as Merle watches. Adam climbs through. Adam starts to gather the bottles as Merle comes in. They go out into the hall and walk down them with their flashlights raised. They hear noises and head for the room. Merle opens the gate, his flashlight in his mouth, and his crossbow raised. Adam grabs the handle and pulls the door open to reveal a possum. Merle shoots the possum. "Hello, dinner," Merle says.
"I'm not putting that in my bag," Adam says as Merle grabs the possum. Adam opens a cabinet that has the formula. Adam grabs them and puts them in his bag. They leave after.
Woodbury
Andrea and Michonne walk through the streets. Their bags on their shoulders. "Hey, girl, Where y'all off to in such a hurry?" Sam asks as he gets up. Andrea turns around. Michonne turns them around, and they keep walking. Sam runs in front of them. "Y'all breaking my hear running away like that," Sam says to them as they stop.
"We're leaving," Michonne says.
"It's almost curfew. I'd have to arrange an escort. I mean, the party's still going on," Sam says. The two women look at her.
"All right. Wait here a second," Sam says as he walks over to Martinez. "Martinez. Come here," Sam says to him. Martinez bents down and looks at Sam.
"Listen up, bro," Sam to Martinez. Andrea walks over to them.
"The Governor told us we were free to come and go whenever we liked," Andrea says to the two. Sam looks at him.
"Sweetheart, nothing personal here, but you're gonna have to step back," Sam says to Andrea, who looks at him for a moment before he walks back to Michonne.
"See? There's always a reason why we can't leave yet," Michonne says.
"Clear," Martinez says.
"Now if I were y'all, I'd find some shelter before nightfall," Sam says to them. Sam opens the gate for them. Andrea looks at Michonne.
"They knew we were coming. This was all for show," Michonne says to Andrea.
"Do you hear yourself? How can you know that? And why would they bother?" Andrea asks.
"Ladies," Sam says.
"Close the gates," Andrea says.
"No," Michonne says.
"I practically begged The Governor to let you stay," Andrea whispers to Michonne.
"I didn't ask for that," Michonne whispers back.
You didn't have to. That's what friends do for each other," Andrea whispers.
"It goes both ways," Michonne says back.
"So you want to run around out there with walkers on chains eating twigs? Is that right?" Andrea asks.
"We held our own," Michonne says.
"Eight months. Eight months on the road moving place to place, scavenging living in a meat locker. That was no life. I'm tired. I'm tired. I don't have another eight months in me. Not light that and you I-" Andrea says but stops.
"What about me?" Michonne asks.
"I'm afraid you're gonna disappear. We always talked about this place, didn't we? A refuge. That idea is what kept us going," Andrea says to Michonne, who stares at her.
"Are you coming or not?" Michonne asks.
"Don't do this. Don't give me an ultimatum. Not after everything," Andrea says to her.
"Are you coming or not?" Michonne asks once more. Andrea looks at her. Michonne walks around, Andrea. "You'd just slow me down anyway," Michonne says to Andrea as she walks past her.
"Michonne!" Andrea yells as Michonne walks out of Woodbury. Sam shuts the gate as Michonne walks away, and Andrea watches her friend leave going back into the wild. A little bit later. Andrea was sitting on a bench by herself. The Governor came over and sat by her.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out with your friend. Weird to lose someone by their own choice. Though those days had gone. Not sure it will make you feel better, but I'm sure you could use a drink. Some company. Something to take your mind off of it for a bit. Come on," The Governor says. Andrea stands up and grabs his shoulder.
The Prison
Glenn was up in the watchtower. Daryl had gone back to the prison. "Guys their back," Glenn yells down to Victor Axel and Oscar. They yell as they lead the walkers away. Glenn shoots the walkers. Oscar pulls the gate open. Merle and Adam right in, and Oscar shuts the gate.
In the Prison, Daryl was sitting with Lori while Amy and Carl were taking a break and sitting with the group. He hears the door open in the resting area. He knew that Merle and Adam were back. He looks up and sees Lori's eyes were open. "Hey," Daryl says to her.
"Hey, Where's the baby?" Lori asks.
"She's down with the others. Merle and Adam had just gotten back from a run for formula," Daryl tells her.
"Help me stand up," Lori says. Daryl nods and helps her up. "Who did we lose?" Lori asks as she stands up.
"Ofelia Chris and Carol," Daryl tells Lori, who nods as they walk out of the cell. They walk in to see Merle feeding the baby. "You like that? Huh? Little ass-kicker," Merle says. Everybody laughs.
"Great name," Lori says. Carl and Amy stand and turn around Carl runs over and hugs his mom. Amy hugs her girlfriend. Daryl turns around and walks into Daniel's cell. Daniel was sitting on his bed.
"I'm sorry," Daryl says. Daniel looks up at him.
"It wasn't your fault," Daniel says.
"It was I left Andrew alive," Daryl says.
"I don't blame you. My daughter wouldn't either," Daniel says.
"Come join us. Lori's awake," Daryl says to him. Daniel nods as he stands up.
"Let me go grab Dean," Daniel says. Daryl nods as he walks away. Daniel walks into Dean's cell.
"If she saw us, she would kill us," Daniel says. Dean looks at him and laughs.
"Yeah, she would," Dean says.
"The group is all together, and Lori's awake come on," Daniel says to him. Dean nods as he stands up. They two walk into the resting area. Lori holds her baby and feeds her with the bottle. They have had a hard couple of days. For now, everything was ok. They had peace and could live a little. They were enjoying it while they could.
Woodbury
Andrea and The Governor walk through a crowd. There were seats where they sit at the tome of with the rest of Woodbury's people. The Governor greets his people. "It's a little loud," Andrea says to him as everybody cheers. Lights come on, and everybody stands up and cheers. Everybody besides Andrea. They were walkers standing. Four walkers stood as Martinez comes out in a hoodie. Sam follows him. They stand in the middle of the four walkers. Everybody was chanting Sam's name.
"I'm gonna kick his ass one-handed. The hell with it. No-handed," Sam says. They both take off their jackets. They walkers try to grab them. Everybody cheers. Sam and Martinez start to fight. Sam starts to talk. Martinez comes up behind him and elbows him. They continue to fight as Sam kicks a walker. A whistle blows. They pull the chain. The walkers come in closer to the two men. Sam and Martinez keep fighting. Andrea starts to leave.
"Hey, Hey! Where are you going?" The Governor asks.
"What the hell is this?" Andrea asks.
"It's a way to blow off steam," The Governor tells her.
"Blow off steam? You go for a job to blow off steam. This is sick," Andrea says to him.
"Look around. Everybody's having a great time," The Governor says.
"It's barbaric," Andrea says. The Governor pulls her closer, and they both sit down.
"It's staged. Yeah, we pull out the biter's teeth. It's all for show," The Governor tells her.
"That's crazy. This is your reason for keeping walkers around?" Andrea asks.
"People need entertainment," The Governor defends himself.
"So, your solution is gladiator fights?" Andrea asks.
"We're reducing these things. We're controlling them. We're shining a light on the monster under the bed. It's fun. It makes people feel better about the whole thing," The Governor says.
"It's a slippery slope. You're teaching them that walkers aren't dangerous," Andrea says.
"We're teaching them not to be afraid," The Governor says as the fight continues.
The Prison
Morgan walks into the field and lays a flower down on Carol's grave before he walks away.
Travis was sitting against a pike. Travis hears his son talking. Travis then hears a front. He gets up and walks over a walker's body. He walks over to the phone. He grabs the phone. "Hello?" Travis says.
That took a while. I hope you guys enjoy this longer chapter. I'm really trying to get back in the swing of things. Sorry for any grammar issues. This chapter set up some stories, and I am very excited about a lot of this season. I have a lot of fun stories. I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I hope to see some reviews, suggestions, or comments. Thanks for reading. Until next time.