Well, this is the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I appreciate all who read my story and I am grateful to all of you who decided to review. One of you caught on quick to the hunger issue...kuddos to you! Enjoy!
Chapter 10
Rick and Michonne drove in silence holding hands and both glad to be alive. They had been driving for about an hour and a half when Rick turned off the road, Michonne looked from the passenger side window over to Rick.
"Where are we going?" Michonne asked confused, she was ready to get back to the relative safety of prison.
"There is a small cemetery over this way, saw it one day on a run when we first got to the prison. I figured we could bury them all there. Rick looked to Michonne for approval and Michonne shook her head.
"After everything that happened, do we really need to push our luck by going to a cemetery?" Pleaded Michonne. 'And why were you checking out a cemetery anyway, what were you looking for?"
"Nothing, anything," shrugged Rick
"You just love checking out spooky places huh Rick? Why don't you check out a book, or maybe a check out a meadow filled with flowers and sunlight instead?" Michonne teased, but had some seriousness to her statement.
"We could just take all the bones back to the prison and give them to Judith to play with, or, we give them out as walker killing weapons to the group," said Rick as he chuckled, "or maybe sharpen the ends of the bones to points in case we run into some vampires."
"Funny," smirked Michonne. "What I'm saying is can we just bury them outside of the prison or something, why a cemetery?"
"Michonne," said Rick, "Allison asked us to bury them properly, now I am not saying that this is what she meant, but when I think of a proper burial, I think of this."
Michonne thought for a few minutes before she nodded in approval. "OK, do we even have supplies to dig a grave Rick?" Pondered Michonne.
"There is a little supply shack on the property, we can check in there. If not, then I guess we take them with us back to the prison, but I would really rather not show up with eight bags of bodies and parts Michonne," Rick smiled.
"Yeah, that would be a little off-putting to the group I guess. Hey guys, we are finally back with bones and eyes in jars for everyone!" Michonne laughed.
Rick and Michonne pulled into the little cemetery and pulled out two shovels from the supply shack and started digging a grave. "Are we digging one grave or eight?" asked Michonne.
"I reckon one will be enough," said Rick as he walked over to kiss her on her plump lips and squeeze her ass.
"We are digging graves Rick, you are thinking about sex while digging a damn grave. Have you no shame?" She laughed.
"Nope, none," chuckled Rick giving her one more kiss and one more squeeze.
"I guess, this must be some of that sick kinky shit we were talking about earlier," She eyed him a little disturbed and little turned on as Rick smiled and nodded.
"Must be," smiled Rick with an added wink for good measure.
It took Rick and Michonne three hours to dig a deep enough and wide enough grave to accommodate all the bodies. Once finished, they went to get the bones from the car. Michonne was about to toss the pillowcases in the hole when Rick stopped her.
"I think it would be more respectful if we took them out of the pillow cases and lined them in the grave don't you think?" Rick wondered why he even asked her the question when he knew her answer would be NO.
"NO, I do not think!," Michonne exclaimed and Rick grinned. "I'm not getting in that grave Rick," said a very certain Michonne.
"I will do it, you just open each one and hand me one bag at a time, I want to try to keep the bones of each body together," said Rick, sad those words would even come out of his mouth.
Michonne cut the tape and untied each pillowcase and handed them to Rick, and he emptied the bones and placed them in a neat pile. They did this for the next seven bags of bones, and then decided to keep the other body parts inside the jars and circle them around in the grave. There was no way of knowing what jar went with what bones. Michonne helped pull Rick out of the grave and they both started to fill it back in. Once the grave was covered, they both said prayers that each of them find peace in their final resting place. When they finished, they saw the spirits of each victim smiling back at them. Each of them looked like they did before being ensnared into Wilfred and Edna's web. Then, their spirits ascended. Allison was the last and mouthed thank you before she joined the other souls. Rick and Michonne felt a sense of relief and calm and were happy that they could help them find peace.
It was almost evening by the time they were done, and Rick and Michonne were deciding if they wanted to chance another house to sleep in for the night or continue with the drive back the prison in the dark. They still had an hour and a half drive ahead of them, at least two if they drove in the dark. Michonne wanted to drive back to the prison, Rick wanted to find a house.
"Michonne it's almost dark, there is a community about 30 minutes up the road that we have scavenged in before, even slept in before. None are haunted houses. Let's just sleep in one of those tonight. It is too dangerous to be on the road." Michonne knew he was right; she just didn't want to admit it.
"You sure you just don't want one more night of us alone Rick?" Grinned Michonne.
"That's just a bonus Michonne," Smirked Rick.
Rick and Michonne found a house and did some stuff and thangs and then got the best sleep of their lives. They slept so deeply and peacefully that they did not wake up until late morning the next day. When they got back on the road, they heard a car speeding towards them. When they passed each other, both drivers slammed their brakes to a stop.
"Hey Man," Darryl said jumping out of the car and jogging towards Rick and Michonne, Sasha right behind him. "Me and Sasha were just coming to look for you two, check to see if you were both OK. We were getting worried."
"Y'all are just now coming to look for us? Asked a perplexed Rick. "We have been gone for seven days Darryl, counting today makes eight!"
"Eight Days?" Questioned Sasha looking at both Rick and Michonne confused. "Y'all left yesterday morning. When y'all didn't come back this morning we came to look for you. We figured we would see you on the road."
Rick and Michonne looked at each other questioningly. How were they only gone a day and a half? They spent the worst seven days of their lives in that house, and that is saying a lot considering they are living in a walker infested apocalypse.
"That's why we were never hungry? Because time was different in the house?" Asked a perplexed Michonne.
"I really don't know or care about time and space and shit like that, I am just glad to be out of that house," replied Rick as he walked up to her to give her a hug, a pat on her butt, and kiss on the forehead. Michonne thought this was going to be a thing now, him just walking up to her and kissing her for no particular reason. She found she didn't mind one bit.
Darryl and Sasha were surprised at the gesture because just the day before Rick and Michonne were not a couple, just a figment of imagination in Rick's head, Darryl thought. To go from a thought to full blown coupledom complete with open affection was baffling.
"It didn't take long for you two to go from zero to a hundred," said Darryl.
"It took seven days Darryl. Seven long terrifying days," replied Rick as he stared at Michonne with a tinge of fright in his eyes as he remembered what they endured, then squeezed her ass and kissed her on her lips, again. Michonne pursed her lips and tilted her head and had second thoughts about being able to take this constant new affection. She would talk to him later. Give him a certain number of times he could do it a day. Maybe start with five times a day, see how that goes.
"OK, when we get back, dinner in the cafeteria, and you two are telling us everything," Sasha demanded as she walked back to the car while pointing at both Rick and Michonne.
"Sure, but you won't believe us," shrugged Michonne.
"Try us," Darryl and Sasha replied.
Once they all got back to the prison, everyone noticed Rick and Michonne holding hands, especially Tyrese who furrowed his brow at the couple. He was upset that he lost his chance with Michonne, but he was not going to show it out right. Rick could be a savage motherfucker, and he was not about to mess with that, so Tyrese nodded to Rick as if to acknowledge the relationship and he would back off. Not that he had a chance anyway, Michonne always had her eye on Rick. For good measure, Rick kissed Michonne as he passed Tyrese, Michonne blew out an annoyed breath.
When Maggie and Glen saw the new affectionate couple, they gave each other a high five and Herschel and Beth smiled at the sight. After Rick and Michonne got settled and talked to Carl about their new relationship, they walked into the dining hall and you could hear a pin drop. Everyone wanted to know three things. First, how the relationship developed and if, in fact, they were a real couple now. Second, how in the world did Rick and Michonne believe they were gone for seven straight days, eight if you counted today. Three, were they really in a haunted house and if so, what did they experience. The group was excited. Everybody from the prison, except the guards on duty who were pissed they were missing this, was in that cafeteria. This was the closest they had to going to a movie or watching reality show since the dead started walking. Some settled in to hear a horror tale, others a romance, and some, well only Axel, were hoping against all hope for some old-fashioned tales of akin to Skinamax.
They told the group the whole story from start to finish, every scary detail and Michonne even mentioned Rick's womanly scream. When they finished the story, some of them had narrowed eyes as if they were telling a tall tale. Some waved their hands at them in distrust as they walked back to their rooms grumbling, convinced Rick and Michonne were trying to play them for a fool. Many strolled away slowly, scared to walk down the dark passageways to their cells and knowing they were not going to get an ounce of sleep that night because they were frightened. And still others ambled away smiling at the "romantic" way Rick and Michonne got together. Michonne thought she would need to keep an eye those psychos. Only a few select people stayed back and most were from the original core group who knew and trusted Rick. They have also grown to trust Michonne, so they had a few more questions.
"Y'all just wanted some time alone, and made up this story to justify it," laughed Glenn.
"I told y'all you wouldn't believe us," alleged Rick. They all looked to Michonne to again verify the story and she nodded, "It all happened," she stated nonchalantly but was still chilled with the retelling.
"So, you and Michonne were in a real-life haunted house?" said a skeptical Carl.
"Yes," nodded Rick.
"Cool," said Carl.
"And now you and Michonne are together?" Asked Carl.
"Yes," affirmed Rick and he went to kiss Michonne again but she dodged him, Carl was watching for God's sake. She would talk to Rick sooner rather than later.
"Cool," said Carl and he giggled watching Michonne dodge his dad.
Carl loved Michonne, she had become his best friend and he was starting to view her as a mother figure. So he was happy that his father was with his second mother.
"We are going to that house tomorrow Rick," yelled Darryl as he slammed his hand on the table. "I don't care if it's burned down or not, we going in the mornin. I want to see that damn house, if it even exists." exclaimed Darryl.
"The cemetery too," said Sasha.
"Nope, I am never going back there," said a determined Michonne.
How Michonne got in that van the next morning was beyond her. All she remembers is being dizzy from Ricks kisses and next thing she knew she was halfway back to that damn house.
"I hate you Rick," said Michonne along with giving him a gesture involving one finger.
"You love me," smirked Rick, "you want me to take my shirt off and prove it?"
Michonne rolled her eyes, but smiled knowing he was talking about the scratches on his back and love bites on his chest that she left the night before. Rick chuckled and kissed her cheek, clearly ignoring his limit, and she shook her head and looked out of the window, watching the scene as they got closer and closer back to their nightmare. This time there were more walkers they would have to deal with. Not many, but more than before. Seemed whatever spell that house had over the surrounding area was gone. There was no fog either, Michonne made sure to look for that after something reached out and touched her from within it.
"There it is," said Rick, "we ain't getting no closer than this stop the van," Rick yelled to Darryl. Michonne never got out of the van, instead she watched her friends climb out the back of the van one-by-one and walked to face the house, a safe distance away of course.
Rick, Darryl, Sasha, Maggie, and Glen all stared at the house that was burned to ash. They all could tell that the house was recently burned, some of it was still smoldering. They each shivered uncontrollably after catching a cold draft they could not explain because it was so hot outside. They felt something was off about the burned down horror. They each wrapped their arms around themselves as if for protection and then they all looked at each other, then at Rick, then they all turned towards the van to look at Michonne and then back to the house. They still didn't know how much to believe but looking at that house, and the feeling they got from it made the story seem more real and true and everyone shuddered. They had to admit it was spooky as hell.
As they were all getting back in the van ready to make another stop at the cemetery and chatting about the unbelievable nightmare that Rick and Michonne lived through, they were unaware that someone was staring at them. The spirit of Edna Morton stood in the middle of the scorched field and watched them closely, plotting. Watching Rick and Michonne. They took her kids from her. She was angry. Unlike her husband, she was not bound to the house and was free to move about the world of the dead. She decided to follow them and wait. Wait for when she could exact her revenge.
The End