A/N: All characters bar my original characters are AMC copyrighted. All rights are reserved for them! (My OC: Maddison Turner, Luke Jackson, Lou-Anne Turner, Michael Davidson.) Please don't forget to favourite, or offer feedback for what I'm writing. It's amazing when I can read what others think, and it keeps me inspires, as well as on the right track to anything that might not make sense.
It was a quick journey over to Woodbury, the car ride silent the entire time, yet the closer we got, the worse my anxiety began to feel, and the more I wanted to hide away. I hated feeling so vulnerable, I wanted to be the person I used to be, the person I was before my parents died.
"Welcome home," Martinez chuckled, gesturing with his hands as the car pulled up, slowing to a halt outside the gates as they opened to let us in. It was so protected here, the walls were high, guarded, the best protection anyone could ask for.
"Wow," I muttered, keeping my voice down as Merle drove the vehicle into the community, pulling over to the side and stopping, turning off the ignition and getting ready to get out.
People gathered, most staying at a distance, but they were talking, discussing between themselves. So looking around, I took note of everything that I could, wanting to be aware of a way in and out, just in case.
"Welcome," A stern but authoritative voice rang out from close by and I glanced over to a man, stood tall and a grin on his face, he had shaggy brown hair, tired eyes and a beard, subtle, and made him look better.
"My name is Philip Blake, but I go by The Governor," I smiled and watched him, his name rung a bell, sounding so familiar to me but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Pleasure," Jackson grinned, approaching the man himself and shaking his hand, I just watched him, his face familiar. I stayed a bit back, Jackson pulling away and following Martinez, but Merle hadn't left either.
"Well, hello there," Philip approached me and I smiled faintly, shaking his hand when he extended it. "And who might you be?"
"Maddison Turner," I tried to keep calm, glancing over at Merle, who nodded and smiled back to me before I looked at Philip again, "My friends call me Maddie," I wish I could picture who this man was, I had no idea and I really wanted figure it out.
"Turner..." He smiled, "That name is very familiar." Philip pulled back, his eyes scouring me and just taking me in. It looked like it would be bothering us both for a while.
"Well, you have a nice place." I told him, taking in the roads of people again, everyone had begun to continue their way. "Mind if I have a tour?" I just wanted to get away from him, Philip seemed very nice, but there was something inherently off about him, something that was important.
"Of course, I have some things to attend to, but Merle here can show you around." I nodded my head and watched him leave, turning to Merle as he rolled up his sleeves.
"He was so familiar," I chuckled, glancing down and looking at my wrist, "Any chance someone can look at my wrist?" It was a dull ache before, but now it's starting to hurt more, and I want nothing more than to cry or sleep it off.
"Of course, come on," He walked with me, showing me the way, introducing me to the different segments of this community whenever we passed a new building. This place was huge, and I was so surprised that they had been safe for so long.
"You'll be safe here, no doubt."
We reached the infirmary and headed inside, cots littering the room, machines sitting side by side to the cots, light shining in from the windows. I just looked around, finally giving myself a chance to relax and settle down, but I could feel it getting worse, the pain in my wrist hitting worse now I was moving around a lot more.
"You're not scaring my patients away, are you?" A woman walked into a room, a stern expression on her face. She seemed really nice, her librarian glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, connected together around her neck with a yellow and red woven braid. She had a deep and warm complexion, her hair paired perfectly with it, sitting in a bun on her head.
"Maddie," Merle smiled, glancing over to her and back towards me, "This is Dr. Stevens, she's one of our two Doctors here." I nodded my head, reaching out and shaking her hand.
"Pleasure to meet you," I nodded to her and she immediately moved onto work, taking my arm and undoing the splint from my wrist, and I went white hot almost straight away.
"Oh god..."
The words left my mouth before I could even register them, everything just seemed so far away right now, but the pain was ever constant, throbbing, sending sickly white hot feelings throughout my body.
"Merle, hold her up," The voices were faint, hands settling on my shoulders, and I felt like I was going to be sick, "She has a break, her wrist will need to be reset and then splinted." Taking in a deep breath, I tried to quell my uneasy stomach.
"Maddie, this will hurt you," I almost didn't hear what Dr. Stevens said, focusing too hard on the sickness I was feeling, closing my eyes, but then the words hit me hard, sending a flood of panic at the idea of whatever she was doing.
"Wait, what di-" I tried to speak but I cried out instead, my voice reverberating around the Infirmary, bouncing off every wall, my whole body flooding with adrenaline and I used my good hand to cling to Merle, digging my nails into his arm.
"Christ, sugar, you got a hell of a grip."
I was breathing heavy, black spots littering my vision, the pain subsiding only a little and I flinched, suddenly seeing a bright white light in my eyes. "Maddie, can you hear me?" It was Dr. Stevens. I couldn't stop myself, feeling my head spinning.
"I'm gonna be sick..." I leaned over to the side, a bowl suddenly appearing in front of me before I let go whatever was in my stomach, re-tasting the dog food that exited my body through my nose and mouth.
A hand rubbed my back gently, and I closed my eyes, finding something solid and leaning against it. "Maddie, sweetheart, can you hear me?" I nodded my head slowly, just feeling really sick and hot.
"I'm going to keep you here for a while," Dr. Stevens informed me, and hands helped me to lie down, another set helping to lift my legs up. "Your hand is set and I will splint it properly now," I smiled weakly, feeling her do this, "I'm sorry that I had to do this, I'll give you a sedative to help you sleep."
"I'll be back later, sugar." Merle chuckled, patting my other shoulder before he headed out and I just stared up at the ceiling, feeling a small prick in my arm before my eyes began to get heavy and I closed them, settling down for a short rest.
Philip sighed as he sat in his office, staring out the window and into the streets of Woodbury. The two newbies that had arrived here, were really something. Jackson had already found his place and was talking up a storm to anyone who would hear him, about what he had been through, where he had been.
It irked him quite a bit, having to listen to a child talk about his experiences out in the world. Philip had done a lot more than that child had, and he didn't want to be overshadowed, especially by Jackson.
A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts and back to the reality around him, back to the nightmare that was the apocalypse. "Come in," He turned in his chair and settled, sitting up straight and setting his hands, clasped together on the desk.
"Governor," Merle came into the room, and Philip chuckled, his eyes landing on Merle's arm, seeing these faint nail marks. "Maddie is settled into the infirmary, she's resting now after Stevens set her arm."
"That's good, glad they're settling in." Philip revelled in his authority, loving how Merle cowered in his spot, refusing to look him in the eye. "What other updates do you have?"
"Not a lot, is there something you want me to do?"
Philip grinned, still watching Merle, choosing to stand from his spot and walk around the desk, moving closer to the man. "I want you to find out if they have anywhere close, see if they have a camp or something close by."
Philip wanted to know everything he could about the two people who had joined them. Their History, their lives, who they are. He wanted every little bit of information. "Oh, and find them a job," Philip let off a breath, trying to figure what he wanted to do.
"Yes sir," Merle headed off, leaving Philip to himself, so he made his way into the other room, shutting that door and locking it behind him. Glancing at the snapping heads that littered the wall of his office. His greatest achievements, reducing his fear of the thing that was taking over the world.
But that isn't what he was here for. "Penny, sweetie, I'm here." He spoke into the room, moving around the armchair and heading over to the music player, turning on his favourite rendition of Beethoven, before he approached the cage, unlocking it and reaching in for his daughter. "Daddy's here."
She walked closer, a bag on her head but she was just out of reach. "I'm sorry, sweetie," Philip reached behind her, one hand on her shoulder, whilst the other unclipped the chain that was connecting her.
"Come on, Daddy's going to do your hair."
He spent a short while with his daughter, brushing her hair gently as to avoid ripping the hair out of her scalp. She was his pride and joy, always would be, especially after his wife had died.
As he brushed her hair, he must have caught her a little, sending her into a frenzy as she began to suddenly squirm and turn around in his arms, forcing him to stop what he was doing and hold her down, keeping his arms away from her teeth, not wanting to risk being bitten.
"Okay, okay, it's time to go back, baby." He kept her close, stopping her from wriggling as he pulled the white bag over her head and taking her back into the cage, connecting the chain once again and locking the door.
"I have to go, I need to check on someone."
Philip finished making sure Penny was away safely, ensuring that the cage door was locked before he made his way back into his office, locking up the private room he was just in and then headed out into the day, a smile on his face. He had a persona to uphold, one that he didn't want broken, he didn't want to lose his Community. They trusted him too much to lose that hope, it was the only way they were going to survive the apocalypse.
Not everyone was suited to survive out in the wilderness.
Philip sighed, the smile still gracing his lips as he greeted anyone who greeted him first. He was intrigued by the two newcomers, the ones who had survived months outside the walls of a community. He didn't think it was possible without him, so he knew they must have their own place out there, one he wanted to control.
Making his way into the Infirmary, Philip approached the young woman as she slept in one of the beds, and he couldn't help but notice her features. Maddie was this enigma, he knew her, but he also hadn't met her before. Without realisation, he had reached out to her, gently brushing her auburn hair out of her face and to the side, seeing it come apart from the bun she had it in when he first met her.
"Who are you, Maddie Turner?" He scowled, wanting to know now, but knowing he should wait, gain her and her boyfriend's trust. Philip couldn't stop himself when he traced her cheek with his finger, that's it. Realisation hit him and he just stared down at the woman in front of him. She reminded him of his first wife, Lou-anne, her facial features were similar, her emerald eyes and auburn hair, they were Lou-anne.
Then he pulled back, the young woman stirring under his touch, and he didn't want to startle her, so he sat down and waited until she woke fully.
My head was pounding when I came to, my wrist throbbing but not in as much pain as it used to. So that was a huge bonus. "God," I muttered to myself, slowly attempting to open my eyes, ignoring the light that shone through into the room. It was a lot darker out now, not as bright as it was when I first got here, so I knew I must've fallen asleep for a while.
"Jackie?" I winced again as I opened my eyes fully. Searching for Jackson to feel some semblance of normality when I remembered where we were. But when I searched the room, I noticed a man in a chair beside my bed, Philip, I felt my stomach jump and I just stared at him, seeing him watching me back.
"Philip..?" I was confused why the leader of this community would even visit me, let alone spend time in my room. That wasn't something I had expected. He smiled, and stood up, coming over to my bed and gently touched my shoulder, smiling down on me. It was unnerving.
"Please, call me Governor," The fact that he wanted me to call him that name was beyond me, surely someone preferred their name to their title. "How do you feel?"
"I feel much better," I nodded with confirmation, using my good hand to help me sit up a bit more, my head was already elevated at this point, something that must've happened when I fell asleep. "What do I owe the pleasure?" Being nice was probably the best thing to do right now, especially as I wasn't sure what his agenda was.
"I just come to check on you, see how you were settling in," Philip removed his hand from my shoulder and turned to grab the chair he had been using, before he pulled it closer and sat down again. "I also wanted to ask you a few things about your family."
"My family?" My voice mirrored my thoughts and I just stared at him, a little nervous why he was asking about my family. "What do you want to know? They're dead." I felt that being blunt was the only way to get across that I didn't want to talk about them, especially to a guy who gives me the creeps.
"Well..." He drew out the word, trailing off for a moment afterwards, "I wanted to know about your mother and father really," That couldn't hurt I guess, needing to know a few bits about them, it would help me too, seeing as I felt the same for him.
"Well, my mother was Lou-anne Turner, my father..." I froze, trying to figure out whether to say I didn't know my biological, or if I should just say that Mike was my father. "My father was complicated," I settled for that and smiled softly, running a hand over my hair, feeling the knotted bun near the back, almost completely out, so I removed the tie, letting my hair fall freely.
"How is he complicated?"
I settled back into the chair, running my tongue over my teeth, feeling a little disgusting. "I don't know my father, I know my step-father, but not my real biological one," I finally confessed, hoping I wasn't giving too much away, but something told me he already knew this.
"Lou-anne Turner," Philip repeated the name, and just smiled, "My first wife, I left her nearly 22 years ago," It dawned on me, my mother had told me the story time and time again how her marriage to my father went. He wasn't the greatest, always starting arguments until she decided that she had enough and decided to leave, it was an amicable break, the divorce went through quickly and she moved on with her life.
Yet she found out a few months after the divorce that she was pregnant, and tried to tell him but he refused to answer her calls.
"I always wondered how she was," Philip sighed, "I debated phoning her a few times, but I always decided against it. She was always so aggressive." Hold up. I stared at him, trying to figure out why he said that, she had never been aggressive and she had always said it was him, though he never laid a hand on her.
That didn't settle well with me, the idea that this man in front of me thought that my mother, of all people, was aggressive, it was beyond me what he thought he would achieve by saying this. Thinking about it for a moment, I decided it was best to play along.
"Yeah, I guess she was, she found out she was pregnant with me a few months after the divorce," I told him, waiting to see his reaction. "I'm not sure how long has passed since the outbreak but I was 21 when it happened, I don't think its been a year yet," Finishing off what I was telling him, I watched as he rubbed his face, and a grin crossed it.
"You're mine."
I felt sick at the idea of being his daughter, watching him here and actually meeting him, this was not how I expected it to go. But there wasn't a lot to do now, it wasn't the best circumstances, and to find out this man is who I was related to, the one who gives me the creeps whenever he looked at me or even towards me. I hated it.
"I guess I am, but you aren't my father." I warned him, wanting him to know he wouldn't replace Michael. Now all I needed was to tell Jackson.
"Of course," Philip nodded, but It showed in his eyes he hated that idea, but I knew not to let that get to me at all. We sat in silence for a short while, both of us just thinking, stuck in our own heads.
"Can we keep this between us?" I asked him eventually, worried he wouldn't want to keep it. "I don't mind getting to know you, but I want this to stay between us for now." It wasn't a big request, but it was my only one if I was to stay here. I'd tell Jackson if I wanted to, but seeing as not a lot of people knew that Michael wasn't my dad, I didn't have many to tell.
"Yes, of course, just let me know when you're ready to tell people." Philip got up, and gently patted my leg in a comforting way before saying he had to go. "I'll see you around," I smiled after him, bidding him farewell before watching him leave the room, and leaving me to my own devices.
It felt like some stupid kind of dream, like I should be waking up from a coma at any point and this whole apocalypse ordeal was a horrid comatose nightmare that I had been having, where I'd wake up to see my mother and Michael sat by my bedside, waiting for me to wake up.
"Ahh, you're awake."
Dr. Stevens startled me as she walked in, making me laugh about how stupid it was as she approached me, letting her take my bad wrist to check it. "How do you feel?" I smiled at her, feeling better now she's here and Philips gone.
"I feel great, the sleep really helped me," I was happy to chat to her, "Have you seen my friend, Jackson?" I asked her, wishing that I knew where he was, I didn't want to be alone here for much longer.
"He's with Martinez learning the ropes, everyone here works." I nodded, letting her finish up her check before I slung my legs over the edge of the bed to stand up. I needed to get out into the fresh air.
"Can I go?"
Dr. Stevens looked me over and just watched me for a moment, making her decision with what information she had. "Of course, just be careful and if there's any pain, no matter how severe, come to me and I will check out your wrist."
I gently touched her shoulder with my good hand and smiled. "Thank you so much, Dr. Stevens," I searched for my bag, finding it under the bed before I slung it over my shoulder and stretched, ready to go find Jackson, or anyone that I know.
"Thank you for everything," I told her again, seeing her smile before I walked for the doors, slinging it open.
Let's do this.