Out of the Woods (The Walking Dead)
Welcome to Woodbury:
Suzy felt like she had slept for years. Her eyes opened faintly and saw a light cream colored ceiling above her. The pain in her head was gone and her vision was clear again. She felt her head as she sat up to check on her wound and noticed she had been bandaged up. She looked around the room and saw she was in some kind of hospital room or doctor's office, or rather a plain room redone to look like one. Looking to her right, she saw an IV bag with a tube going to her arm. There's morphine in this, she realized. She tore the needle from her arm and stumbled to her feet off the hospital-like bed rest she was on. As soon as she tried making a run for the door, it opened to reveal a tall man with a nurse behind him.
"Oh sweetie, you should lie down." The nurse said to her as she rushed over to try getting her back on the bed.
"Where am I?" Suzy let the nice black nurse sit her back down. The man walked with a certain confidence to him. He entered the room and shut the door behind him, not taking his eyes off of her. He smiled politely.
"You're being cared for." He replied.
"I realize that, but you didn't answer my question." Suzy said back, "Where am I?"
"Does it matter?" The man chuckled with his deep voice, "You're no prisoner here and you're being cared for. Most usually just say thank you."
"What happened?" Suzy asked, "How did I get here? How long was I out?"
"We found you lying in the street in the middle of nowhere a couple days ago." The man calmed his voice to sound sincere, "You were dehydrated, starving, and injured. You were barely clinging to life when I found you. We brought you here, to safety."
Suzy remembered being out on the road. It was so hot and she was so exhausted and in pain. She remembered seeing a car before everything went dark. There was just one thing missing...
"Where's Merle?" Suzy asked, now feeling herself really panic, "There was a man with me, where is he? He isn't dead, is he?"
"Relax, sweetie." The nurse lady said, but Suzy didn't feel like she could relax. She remembered Merle's state of being near bled out. The man chuckled again charismatically.
"He's fine, same as you." He smiled, "Cleaned him up the best we could. He's recovering in another room."
"May I see him, please?" Suzy asked.
"I can't allow that right now." He replied, "Once you're recovered we'll give you some supplies, food, water, keys to a car if you want."
"I would like to see how Merle's doing." Suzy said. She couldn't put her finger on it, but everything he said sounded so rehearsed, like he said the same thing over and over before.
"Of course you can, as soon as he's able to take visitors. He's not in a state to be disturbed right now."
Suzy looked down and noticed her belt that held her throwing knives and her hunting knife was missing. She looked around the room and didn't see it anywhere. They took her stuff, too?
"Where are my knives?" She asked the man who opened the door to leave. He stopped in the doorway and turned around to reply to her.
"They're safe and sound. We'll hold 'em if and when you're ready to travel." He said.
"You had no right to take those, those are mine."
"We don't know you." He said, his tone getting more serious, "And you don't need 'em in here. You'll get them back in time. It's already dark, so I can't allow you to leave tonight. We have a strict curfew. You'll be safe here. Feel free to stay as long as you like."
He left after saying that, leaving Suzy with the nurse lady who was trying to re-administer her IV needle into her arm. Who was this guy? He couldn't even give a straight answer on where she was. Doesn't allow her to leave yet says she's free to leave whenever she wants.
"Where am I?" Suzy asked the nurse who finished putting in the IV. The nurse just frowned.
"It's not for me to say." She replied.
"Okay..." Suzy sighed, "Can you at least tell me who he was? He's the one in charge here?"
"He is. He's called the Governor."
"He named himself a Governor?"
"Not him. We did. Now get some rest, I'll be back to check on you in the morning. I'm going to go check on your friend and closely monitor him for the night."
"He's okay, right?" Suzy asked before she could leave.
"For now, I'm not so sure. His botched amputation left him with some severe blood loss. I gave him some transfusions to help his body recover. I'll know more in the morning, okay?"
"Thank you." Suzy said, "I really do appreciate it. We would've died out there if you guys didn't find us. So thank you."
"It's my pleasure, honey." The nurse smiled, "Now you get some rest. You can visit your friend in the morning."
She left Suzy alone in her little room. There were no windows, so she had no way of inspecting the outside to see where she was. From everything so far, she figured she was in a camp or some kind of community. It was so quiet like a ghost town, which gave her an uneasy feeling. But this place literally saved your life, Suzy scolded herself. Why would someone save you from the brink of death if they were a bad person? He could've just left you and Merle to die out on the street.
Well, it wasn't like there was anything she could do about it at the moment. She was most definitely stuck there at least until tomorrow. But what about Merle? He might not be able to travel for at least a week, depending on how bad of shape he was in. Wait, why was she so worried about him in the first place? They managed to survive their ordeal on the rooftop and this Governor saved them and gave them medical care. As far as she was concerned, she had fulfilled her debt by a million points for Merle Dixon. He was going to live and could either stay here or take his chances on the road. It wasn't her concern anymore. She knew she probably wasn't going to stay here, wherever this place was. She had a funny feeling she couldn't shake off. Not to mention the memories of what happened to the last refugee camp she was at. She didn't want to stick around feeling safe and secure here just to watch it go to shit later.
With the morphine in the IV kicking in her system again, she decided there was nothing left to do except lie down and actually get some rest to regain her strength. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was gone in a deep sleep instead of just being blacked out for once since this whole thing started. Tomorrow she would see if the place checked out and to make sure Merle was going to live. No matter what the results, she convinced herself to leave as soon as possible. Yes...As soon as possible...
Suzy awoke the next morning feeling better than she did the day before. She actually couldn't remember the last time she felt this good. Did she really need the sleep that badly? Since the IV bag was empty, she removed the needle from her arm and got out of the bedrest. Once she ate the breakfast brought to her and had her head bandage changed, she was allowed to leave her room. Finally, she thought.
"You can see your friend now if you'd like," The nurse lady said, "He's in the room next door."
"Thanks." Suzy replied, leaving the room immediately. She burst the door of the room Merle was staying and saw him chilling and sitting up on his own bedrest.
"'Ay, girly. How's it hangin'?" Merle smiled his usual cocky smile. He had some color back in his face and was acting himself again. The stump where his hand used to be had been properly cleaned, cauterized, and bandaged.
"Fine. I'm just fine." Suzy replied, trying to put on a good face, "How are you?"
"Me? Was feelin' like absolute shit the past few days. Had me on withdrawal watch and shit. Couldn't even get a lil' hit of morphine." Merle scowled in annoyance.
"Ah, so it wasn't just blood loss you were worrying about." Suzy almost laughed, "Hope you learned something at least."
"Nah. Nothin' I haven't already dealt with in rehabs over the years." Merle replied.
"So what are you going to do now that you're better?" Suzy asked, crossing her arms over her chest that she could've sworn he was staring at, "Hey, my eyes are up here."
"I know where your eyes are, girl." Merle laughed.
"Anyway-Do you plan on staying here?"
"I don't know. I think I should know what 'here' is, dont'cha think?"
"Yeah. I just-" Suzy shrugged, "I don't know. That Governor guy swore up and down this place is safe. I'll believe it when I see it."
"Yeah, he's quite the catch, ain't he." Merle chuckled, "As long as I got a pot to piss in and food to eat, I could give less of a shit. I think we owe him a token of gratitude."
"I know he saved us. And I appreciate it, but I don't know, Merle."
"Hey, I mean-If you wanna take your chances on the road, I get it." Merle finally looked up to her face to show he was being serious, "But you never know when you'll find another place like this. I been through enough crap already and now I only got one hand. I'm gonna play the one I'm dealt."
Just then, the door to the room reopened to reveal the Governor man himself. He was tall, well dressed with his hands in his jean pockets. He always seemed to walk with a confident strut to him. Like Suzy, he also had a belt containing his weapons like his pistol. She wanted hers back. If they weren't necessary to use then they weren't necessary to take.
"I see you two are doing better." The Governor smiled. "If you're feeling up to it, how's about coming outside and take a look around?"
"I think that would suffice." Suzy nodded. Merle stood and followed the two of them out of the room and out the building."
"It's not much right now, but it can be." The Governor said, showing them the outside, "We're still working on building the walls to make a protective perimeter."
Suzy looked around and saw they were at what looked to be an area of a town that had an apartment complex. There were many buildings, the start of a garden in the middle of the street, and walls still in the process of being built. The front was definitely completed and had two large doors held shut by a latch. There were two guys on top of it on guard with sniper pistols.
"How many people you got here?" Merle asked.
"We were nine when we first started. Back when everything first went down. There's about twenty of us now." The Governor replied, "Right now we've been advising everyone to stay indoors as much as possible until we have our walls secure and finished. We're almost there, we just have the rear of the town to finish now."
"What do you call this place?" Suzy asked.
He replied with a small grin, "Welcome to Woodbury."
"Hey, Governor-" A young latino man approach the Governor, "Crowley wants to know if we can have more guards for the open part of the border. Says they can't focus on buildin' the wall with all them biters constantly showing up."
When he finished, his gaze immediately fell on Suzy. Suzy couldn't help but try to hide her blush since she thought he was very attractive. She didn't know, but Merle definitely noticed the looks being exchanged.
"Hey," The guy raised his hand as a way to greet her.
"Hi." Suzy replied, feeling herself suddenly get shy. She wasn't usually the shy type when it came to men.
"Martinez," The Governor called him, "Tell him I'll send some more reinforcements in a moment. I'm trying to show our new guests around."
"Got it." Martinez replied. He looked Suzy's way again and nodded before going off back to the rear border.
"That's the thing here," The Governor said to her and Merle, "We want to create a sense of normalcy here. Have it feel like what was. All the grown ups here have jobs to do. We also plan on starting a schooling system for the children that come in here. So if you stay, you contribute. But I'm sure you'll find something worth your while."
"I mean, we're good with taking out biters," Suzy said.
"Was-" Merle said, "Ain't like I got two hands to hold one of them snipers with no more."
The Governor laughed, "I'm sure we can figure something out for that."
"And once the walls are finished and this place is safe," Suzy said, "For how long? You can't be sure anymore."
"It's all about brave people willing to risk their lives to protect this place and the walls. And well, if you're as good as you say you are, we could use good soldiers like you to help protect this place."
"Quite the charmer, ain't ya?" Merle chuckled.
"I try." The Governor replied. "The more people we have, the better. But if you decide you wanna leave, I understand that."
"If I do stay, do I get my weapons back?" Suzy asked.
He smiled, "Of course."
Suddenly Suzy felt guilty about all the doubts she had about this place. The effort being put into making it safe and creating community was really something. Did she really want to take her chances out on the road? Out there she might as well have a knife to her throat, reading to cut through her at any moment. Merle looked like he already planned on sticking around because he said they "owed a token of gratitude". Maybe he was right. This Governor could've left them and kept driving that day. He saved them because he wanted to recreate society. She respected that. When she thought about leaving through that gate, she realized she didn't want to. She didn't want to be out there fighting for her life anymore. They were free to leave whenever they wanted, or so he said. This Governor seemed to be straight up to her. And the people here trusted his leadership to the point where they literally named him their Governor.
"Why not?" Suzy said, "Count me in."
"That's more like it, girly." Merle smiled that big smile of his.
"I'm staying in my own room, though." Suzy laughed, "No way am I rooming with you."
"Ay, none taken." Merle raised his one hand in surrender, "The option is always open, sugar."
The Governor smiled in satisfaction, "Feel free to make yourselves at home. When you're ready, we'll teach you how to use those guns for the wall. We have experienced military here. You'll get some qualified training."
"Thanks," Suzy made an awkward smile, "Governor."
Merle and Suzy made their way into one of the buildings and went up the stairs to pick a room. As they went down the hall, they looked for one that had a door already open. If it was closed, that meant it was already taken. Merle stopped at one in the middle labeled 404.
"You sure you don't wanna come join me?" Merle put on his flirty voice, to which Suzy scoffed.
"No thanks. I'll take the one next door." Suzy backed up the the door next to his, 403.
"Well, feel free to come in and visit me. I could use the company."
"I'm not interested in the kind of company you're thinking about." Suzy rolled her eyes and went into her new place and shut the door behind her, leaving Merle to chuckle to himself at how difficult she was. It amused him when she acted all bratty like that. He went into his new place himself and shut the door to start making himself at home.
Looking around the place, Suzy saw it was a furnished one bedroom apartment. There was a small living room space when a kitchen to the side, a bathroom, then a bedroom in the rear. The walls were a plain white, but she didn't mind that. She thought about what this would've costed back in New York (a shit ton, that's what). She touched the dark brown leather couch as if making sure it was real. She even saw a television across from it with a matching dark brown wood coffee table in between. Making her way to the kitchen, she turned the faucet and almost gasped when she saw water coming out of the pipe. It was the most beautiful sight she had seen in so long, she thought she would never see it again. There was a gas stove oven with a full stack of pots and pans. Down the hall, she found the bedroom with a full sized bed with a blue quilt cover. The floor in the bedroom was even carpeted and didn't have a single bloodstain. She noticed that. Everything was so clean, so untouched. It couldn't be real...
She went into the bathroom and stared at the shower and the toilet. She never thought she could be so thankful to see either of those things. Just seeing them made her eyes start tearing. She found herself thinking about her mom. Her niece. They didn't get to see this. Maggie could've if she had just kept an eye on her. Suzy found herself leaning on the sink and crying. Maggie should've been here, and it gutted her remembering she was the reason why she wasn't.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice shaking. "It's my fault...It's my fault..."
"Stop it-" She told herself and wiped her tears, "Stop thinking about it now."
She took a deep breath and undressed out of her dirty black v-neck and black skinny jeans. She got into the shower and shuttered at the feeling of hot water touching her skin. She didn't think hot water showers existed anymore, nor did she think she would ever have one ever again. They didn't even have this in West Virginia. Looking down, she saw all the dirt rinse off her skin and puddle down the drain. She had so many cuts and bruises from running around in the woods on her body. The oil in her hair was treated with the bottle of shampoo provided and soothed to softness with the conditioner. She made sure to keep off of the stitches where her head had been split open on the rooftop. She didn't want to risk tearing them. She picked up the bar of soap and started rubbing it on her body to get off the rest of the dirt. She even did under her fingernails and toenails then her face. When everything was done, she couldn't bring herself to leave just yet. She wanted to savor this moment for a little longer. What if this place gets taken tomorrow? Who knows when I can have this again, Suzy thought.
"No, stop it." She said out loud to herself, "Stop thinking about it now."
This place is safe, she thought. She just had to keep thinking it until she believed it to be true. This place is safe...This place is safe...This place is safe...Woodbury is safe...West Virginia was safe...
"Run! They're coming!" Lucy shouted, shooting her pistol at one of the dead coming for her.
"Mom! Maggie!" Suzy shouted, "Mom! Maggie, where are you!"
Suzy opened her eyes and reminded herself where she was. She had to tell herself there is not here. There is not here...One day it will be...
"No..." Suzy whispered, curling into a ball on the shower floor. There is not here. This place was safe, and even if it wasn't, she had the power to help make it safe. She didn't even notice she was doing it, but she was scratching again. She scratched her calf until she bled as she rocked back and forth in her little ball form.
"Everything is gonna be okay now." She said, "It'll all be clear...It'll all be clear..."
She was going to contribute to making this Woodbury place safe. It won't be overrun. Like the Governor said, it wasn't much now, but it can be. It will be. Woodbury would be a sanctuary where no one had to be afraid anymore. It'll all be clear one day. It will...