Chapter 40: Destruction
DPOV
~3 months ago~
"Hey," I spoke out softly but it only escaped in a rough whisper, it was dark and the moonlight was the only source of light we had. Kat was leaning against the balcony, in solitude and Judith was fast asleep. Along with multiple others, it was quiet if it wasn't for the sounds of snoring members of our group. She looked angelic in the moonlight, her skin a soft white glow and her eyes a bright night blue. Her lips curled in a stern line, her features gentle and smooth against her skin.
"Hey," she replied in turn, this was something that was normal for the two of us. We were always the last ones to fall asleep, but she seemed to be pondering for a long while in her thoughts. "What are you doing here?" she asked me, turning her head to glance at me through thick, long, black lashes. Her blue orbs light in the moon's shine.
"I could ask you the same question," I answered her with my own retort. I was worried about her, she was stressing herself and she was trying to keep everything under control. It wasn't healthy, she wasn't fine and I knew it because of a run we had done yesterday.
"I'm just...sitting staring up at the sky, thinking about stuff and things," she spoke, turning her head to stare up at the sky through the bars that blocked the windows. Keeping us trapped inside, but keeping us safe and secure.
"What about?" I asked her, I was stood beside her, my body turned to her but her arms were lazily on the rails of the balcony, perched slightly and her body curved over it. She looked at peace but like she was overthinking something I didn't know if I wanted to know.
"Daryl, I could have died yesterday," Kat informed me, her tone was dark and her head turned to directly look at me once more. A soft gulp traveled its way down my throat and made me glance at her a little dumbstruck. Why's she saying this now? She ain't thinkin' I don't already know this, ain't she?
"But you didn't," I pointed out, getting a little defencive without myself realizing it. I ain't letting anything happen to her. Not now, not ever and I ain't jokin' bout this. She's going to survive this, before me and before anyone else.
"No, you saved me," Kat pointed out with a small bow of her head, lifting it and glancing back up at the sky. "What I'm trying to say is...I don't want to leave my family behind," Kat told me honestly, I could hear the sincerity thick in her voice. She wants to keep surviving, for them. "Not now, not ever," she informed me of her thoughts further. She honestly didn't want them to be in danger or without her. "But...I can't live forever," Kat stated which made me clench my fists a little. Damn it.
"None of us can," I told her seriously, her body turned to face me completely, her hair loose and cascading down her shoulders. They formed beautiful curls and had grown since her return to the prison. Back to the beautiful length I had once admired, back to how I always pictured her when she was in my mind. Our blue eyes connected in a way that made my spine shiver.
"I know that," Kat agreed, her voice firm and expression was stern. She knew what life was like and she knew that no one could escape death. Not her, not any of us. "It's why I'm asking you to promise me something," Kat said, after a long sigh and her blue flashed shut, hiding away her blue orbs from my own pair that searched for own, to gain the connection they once had.
"Yeah?" I challenged, speaking in a tone that made me nod and watch her carefully. Curiousity got the best of me, intent to know what she had in mind and much more. Everything about her was interesting to me. "What's that?" I asked her, my voice slightly dark and my eyes glued to hers. Her thumbs twiddling while her head was inclined in a bow, her eyes fixated on the digets that swirled in a circular motion.
"You're someone I trust," Kat revealed to me, my brows furrowing in confusion towards her statement. What's that got to do with whatever's goin' on in that mind of hers? "I know you'll survive this longer than I ever will be able to," Kat spoke as though this was a fact, it made my whole body tense and I was unsure of what I could respond.
My mouth, having no filter, spilled "Don't say that," quickly to her. Her eyes flicked up to stare into my eyes, as though I had just insulted her rather than order her to stop thinking so highly of me and so lowly of herself.
"It's the truth Daryl, you're built for this and you know that," she told me which made my jaw clench, something inside me told me she could be right about it and I didn't want her to ever be right when it came to that. "I want you to promise me, that no matter what happens to me...you'll protect and keep my family safe," Kat pleaded me. "Especially Carl and Judith. If me and, or my dad don't survive, I want you to promise me you'll keep them alive. Keep them safe," Kat had asked me as though this was her dying wish.
"I-" I went to speak, but was cut off from her. Hoping to convince her not to speak about something ridiculous like this. She can survive this, she needs to know that and have more faith in herself. It's almost like she don't know herself.
"Promise me Daryl," Kat pleaded, her eyes locked on mine and her voice was pleading, mixed with a command. She was being cunning and trying to force me into the trap of guardian angel for all the Grimes members of the family. "You're the only one I trust with this," Kat stated, which made me feel a little honoured but pressured.
"I promise," I told her honestly, my expression serious and tone honest. I'll look after them. All of them, with my last breathe and my undying promise to her. I ain't letting anything happen to her or her family. Not in a million years.
"Thank you," she said with a smile playing on the corners of her lips, curving and gracing her features in a way that made my breath catch in my throat. There's something about her, something that makes me weak and I don't know if I like it or hate it. All I know is, Merle would think me a pussy for doing all this an' thinkin' it...
Present day...KPOV
"Hey," I heard Carl call to me, he was holding Judith and I had just walked in on him and Beth talking. Beth was sat on a stool, her arms by her sides and a smile on her face. Carl looked pleased, being a big brother to Judith and cuddling her like a good brother. It was a nice sight to see, he could tell it was by the expression that was plastered to my face.
"Hey squirt," I said to him while I walked over to him, mussing his hair and making him chuckle. Judith looked at me, slobbering slightly, I picked up a cloth and wiped under her lips and giggled. Beth snickered, a sweet sound and this was when Judith's bright hazel eyes glanced up to stare into my blue ones. She looks like mom.
"Want to hold her?" Carl asked me softly, his arms turning Judith around to face me. Judith's arms stretching and hands clenching, wanting to be in my arms and her babblings was getting louder. Looks like I don't have much of a choice, Carl.
"Yeah," I smied to him, nodding and glancing from him to Judith. "I do," I stated, reaching out to place my hands on her waist. Small, but she was growing and getting heavier with each passing day. It's so strange, it's like two days ago, she was only a small thing that was easy to lift. So delicate and precious, now...she's a full grown baby.
"Here," Carl spoke out, slowly passing her to me and gently, as to not hurt her or get anything caught of hers on himself. Taking her, I turned her to face me and hoisted her so she was more comfortable. Resting her against my hip, her legs were at either side of my waist and her fingers were in her mouth.
"Hey," I giggled, taking her hands out of her mouth and wiping it down with a part of her dress. It was a yellow dress, one that made her sweet and in my opinion, like a princess. "How you doing princess?" I asked her playfully, a smile growing around the edges of my lips as I stared at her and bounced her lightly on my hip. "How was she while I was away?" I asked Beth and Carl as they watched me with smiles on their faces and gleams in their eyes.
"She was...good," Beth began, her tone was one of a small silent lie. "Just a lot to handle," she explained to me which made me giggle. Sighing, I glanced back at Judith and watched as she wrapped her hand around my finger, waving it around with a small laugh escaping my lips.
"Being stuck in a room with just children and Judith, I can't imagine how anxious you were to see your sister and father," I spoke to Beth, understanding what it was like when it came to needing to be around family. When there was something going on, that may seem small to most, but was huge in case family were fine or not, it was nerve wrecking.
"Very," Beth agreed with a small sigh, widening of her eyes and a smile appearing on her face. She's a sweet girl, I'm glad she's no longer suicidal and she's a great help with Judith. Especially while I was gone, she's been acting like the sister I'm supposed to be to her and...I do what sisters and mothers do for their young. I hope mom would be proud.
"Oop!" was my sudden noise when Judith let go of my finger, instead her hand attacked my nose and took a hold of it. Her hand clasped around it tightly, making my voice sound funny as I spoke. "What are you doing with my nose?" I asked with a nasal sound emitted from the blockage of my nose. "That's not yours," I teased, a hand reaching up to try and tickle her stomach. "Hm..." I inquired, watching a giggling Beth and Carl who were watching us. Amused by the small show we were simultaniously playing. "You like me when I speak like this, don't you?" I asked Judith, who was now laughing happily, her toothy smile revealed to me and her hazel eyes crinkled around the edges.
"I think we all do," Carl teased me, making me gasp and look at him with wide eyes. This only caused Judith to giggle louder, enjoying the faces and noises I was making without the use of my nostrils. Carl and Beth chuckling, their bodies shaking from their laughter and making me feel happy to make these kids laugh and have a good time over something so silly.
"I'm going to have to steal this nose, and this nose after that comment," I said as I brushed my finger along Judith's nose first and then to Carl's nose. Making him try and push my hand away from his face as I traced the length of their noses with a strangled laugh. Finding it hard to breathe with my nasal passages blocked, focusing on using my lungs and mouth in order to breathe.
"Like to see you try," Carl challenged, I could hear the playful tone in his voice whilst he smirked and his eyes squinted at me. Cheeky. I looked over to Beth who was stiffling a laugh, completely amused by the scenery around her at the current state.
"Would you now?" I teased and he just laughs, making a few more silly noises and playful threats to the three of them. I could hear the laughter of a baby, a boy, a girl and a full grown man. A deep voice, one I could easily identify to be my father's. He must be hiding in the shadows...
RPOV
It was sweet to lean against a door, witnessing the interaction of my three children and Beth. Beth, who was like a niece to me and my children, who were the most precious things to me. Kat, my eldest and rock. Carl, my middle child and baby boy. Judith, my youngest and my most cherished treasure. Chuckling, I watched them a few moments longer, until I saw Daryl walk past and search around for Carol. Time to go talk to him...
Following after Daryl, I stopped his search and pulled him to find a more private area so that we could talk. Telling him about Carol, I could sense his anger and sadness. He loves Carol, like if she was his own mother. "You couldn't have waited 'till we got back?" Daryl asked me, he paced along the balcony and turned to me suddenly, arms flying around angrily as he spoke.
"Until Tyreese got back?" I questioned him, not liking his tone but respecting the fact he was angry over someone he was truly fond of. Carol is like his mother, who knows how he must feel. I don't blame him though, I would be pissed if someone sent any of my children away from me.
"I could've handled that," Daryl growled, turning his back once more and pacing around again. Christ, he's like a cat in a cage. Always pacing around, waiting for his next move and rumbling on about something. He could of handled him, but I wasn't going to let him. Not over a murderer.
"Hey," I tried to call after him. "Hey," I called out this time a little louder, making him turn to look at me. "She killed two of our own. She couldn't be here," I tried to explain my actions to him, much like how I tried with Kat. "She's gonna be all right. She has a car, supplies, weapons. She's a survivor," I told Daryl, hoping it would comfort him in some way.
"Stop saying that like you don't believe it," Daryl growled, pointing a finger at me and catching my stutter. Shit. He was mad, his nostrils flaring and his face turning red. His eyes glaring at me, it reminded me of the time we had left Merle on that roof and the day I had finally met Daryl. He was angry then, just like he is now.
Daryl looked at me for a long moment, I gave him and nod and watched him as he turned away from me. Shaking his head, as though he was trying to get rid of something that was in there. Possibly his negative thoughts, either about him, me or about Carol. "She did it. She said it was for us. That's how it was in her head," I tried to tell him while he had his back to me. "She wasn't sorry," I told him truthfully. It's what she told me.
"That's her, but that ain't her," Daryl spoke firmly, getting close to my face and glaring directly into my eyes. I was as though he knew Carol like she was the back of his hand. Truthfully, at this point...I wouldn't disagree with his judgements, but Carol...she could never be forgiven for this. "What are we supposed to do about those two girls?" Daryl asked me as he pointed off into the distance, his back turned to me again. A sigh escaping my lips.
"I told her we'd-we'd look after them," I stuttered, thinking about those two girls who were now like her children and it made Daryl chew the inside of his cheek a little. Sighing, he walked towards the rails and rest his arms against it, his forehead resting against the back of his hands. "I haven't told Tyreese yet," I told him truthfully. "I don't know how he's gonna take it," I told him, which made his head rise up and to stare at the windows.
Stepping away from the rails, he turned to me and looked at me directly in the eye. "Let's go find out," he suggested in an ordering tone, walking past me he headed down the stairs. He's mad with me but...I can tell he starting to forgive me and slowly understand my reasons as to why I did it.
KPOV
"Hey, can you take Judith?" I ask Carl, while watching Dad and Daryl walk off to have some privacy, possibly to talk about Carol. Carl's expression was serious as he nods and gave me a kind look. His eyes soft and his smile slowly growing along the lines of his lips.
"Yeah, sure," Carl agreed, slowly he took her from my arms as I passed her to him. "Hey Judy," he called her by the sweet nickname he gave her. "Where are you going?" Carl asked me as I began to walk away from him, towards the exit and turned to glance at him, swiveling my torso so I could look at him.
"Going to go visit Glenn," I told him and he smiled sweetly. Nodding, he gave me a look of approval. We didn't need to say anything else, because he knew I was telling him the truth and that I was genuinely concerned for Glenn and the others. They may be in the council, but they're also family and friends of mine. I care for them.
"Could you tell him I said 'hi'?" Beth asked me softly, her bright blues were doe like and pleading. Filled with innocence and kindness. She too, was genuinely concerned for Glenn and the others. Such a sweet girl.
"Sure," I agreed, nodding and moved away from them. Exiting and heading towards A block, finding the cell he was in, I walked to him and smiled. "Hey," I called to him, he was laying on his back and his eyes were shut. He looked like he was in deep thought before I came in, his brown eyes fluttering open to look at me. A smile shaping the corners of his lips in a sick, but sweet smile. I missed the guys from the council, all of them. Hershel, Sasha, Glenn and...Carol.
"Hey," he spoke out softly, tiredly and in a recovering voice. His arms were placed over his stomach, resting on his back and his hair stuck to his head. Beads of sweat covered his skin a small, glistening coat and it made me happy to see that he was getting better.
"How you feeling?" I asked him politely, showing concern and sounding hopeful in every posible way for his developing recovery. He looks better since the last time I saw him. He looked like he was going to faint at the table during our council meeting.
"Truthfully?" he asked me, I gave him a nod, which caused him to sigh and shut his eyes at the same time. "Like crap," he answered my nod with a small clearing of his throat, his voice began to get raspy and rougher.
"Well, you did just fight an infection," I teased lightly, shrugging and leaning against the doorway. Staring down at him with a playful smirk, his laughter escaped him and made his body shake against the bed.
"Yeah, not like you can blame me huh?" he asked me equally as teasing, a smile forming on his lips and eyes resting whilst he spoke. He's always been good to me, my dad and to many others. He's a good man, strong and a fighter. He can get through this, easily.
"No one would," I agreed truthfully, my tone serious and I glanced around quickly. Surprised to not find Maggie stuck to his side. "Where's Maggie?" I asked him curiously. She was nowhere to be found in the cellblock, but I knew she would return quickly. She didn't like the thought of being too far from Glenn for too long, not since he was close to death the other night.
"She's gone to go get me some water," he told he tiredly. His tone slightly lazy and it was as though he was fighting himself to stay awake. I better go and let him have his rest. He needs it if he wants to keep his energy to fight against whatever is inside of him.
"Let me guess, you tried to do it yourself?" I teased and giggled at the end of my question.
"Yeah," Glenn stated with a small chuckle, a wide smile forming along the lines of his lips. Stretching and revealing a set of white teeth.
"But she refused you to get up and decided to be stubborn?" I questioned playfully, knowing full well what Maggie and Glenn were like when they were together and as individuals. Maggie is stubborn, whereas Glenn is easy going and level headed.
"Just how I like her," Glenn spoke playfully, his eyes flashed open and he glanced behind me, staring towards a figure and making me slowly turn. Who's coming up? What did he hear?
"Like you like what?" Maggie's sudden turn up made me jump slightly, stunned to find her return so quickly and give me a scare. A cup of water in her hands as she walked past me, entering the room and slowly lifting Glenn to a sitting position.
"Nothing," I lied to her, being playful and making Glenn chuckle. He sat up and leaned back, being supported by a mountain of pillows behind his back and taking the cup from Maggie gently. Sitting beside him, she stared at him and watched us curiously.
"I'm going to go look for Michonne," I informed the pair with a single nod of my head. "Focus on getting better, I want to see you back on that council, with me, Sasha and all the others," I tell Glenn as though it was an order, showing him concern and quickly, as though it was a slap in my face, I remembered something Beth had told me before visiting him. "Beth say's 'hi'," I inform him, passing the message along from Beth to Glenn.
"Yeah, thanks," Glenn said with a kind smile while he sipped on his cup of water. "Tell her I said 'hi' back when you see her," Glenn had stated more than asked, nodding, I leaned off the rails and walked towards the stairs. Going down them, I left the building and went searching for Michonne.
RPOV
"Tyreese," I called to a dark corridor that lead towards an exit, we had checked around the buildings and we heard from one of the survivors that they saw him enter the block where Karen and David were stored. "You down here?" I asked him, curious if I was going to recieve a reply.
"Rick, that you?" Tyreese answered me back with a question, his voice echoing down the hall as I heard footsteps approach me and Daryl. "You guys got to see this," Tyreese told us as we met halfway. His body was tense and I could tell something had really either angered him or spooked him. In all truth, I believed it to be both.
"Can we take a beat?" I asked him, hoping he'd agree to it because what I was about to tell him, would possibly make him angry at me. "There's something we need to talk about," I tried to convince him to join me and Daryl.
"It can wait," Tyreese dismissed my suggestion. "Come on," he spoke as he began to lead us the way down the hall. Daryl shone his flashlight and when we rounded a corner, I was surprised to see something I had not expected to see. "Look," Tyreese said as he hinted towards a board that had something...strapped to it? What the hell?
"The hell?" Daryl mimicked my thoughts, stepping closer towards it, he crouched down and examined the board. Revealing to me that it was of course, a rat that had been disected and pinned to the board.
"I was just looking for...answers...and I found this," Tyreese told us as he looked down at the board a little shocked to have discovered such a vile thing. "Same person that killed Karen and David, did this," he spoke, pretending to be some sort of detective. "Remember the rats at the fence?" he asked us as though we were dumb. "They showed up the same day she was killed," he told us, which made me feel a little disgusted but it was true. "We got a psychopath living with us," Tyreese said, trying to seem as though he was being too clever for us to handle.
"Tyreese-" I went to but in, but was quickly silenced by Tyreese overlapping me midspeech.
"We got to find him, Rick," Tyreese spoke, determined to figure out who had killed Karen and David. "And I'm not gonna sleep until we do," he told us, acting all stubborn. If you give me a God damned minute, you'll find out who killed Karen and David. Shut up, God damn it!
"Tyreese...whoever did this, I don't think that's who killed Karen," I began, hinting to him that I knew who the killer was and that this act was impossible in being Carol. Although...who could it actually be? Who did this sick thing? Kill a rat and spill its guts out to be some...demonic sacrifice.
"Why?" Tyreese asked me curiously, his brows furrowed and his eyes fixated on me. He took a step closer so he could have his face closer and eyes leveled to my height, this way he could look intimidating and threatening towards me.
Breaking the moment, I heard footsteps run towards us quickly. The footsteps light, but they were heard loudly enough. "Hey, has anyone seen Michonne and Hershel?" Kat's gentle voice asked us. "No one's seen them come back," she informed us which made us look at her stunned. What the hell? "Jesus-" Kat began to say when her eyes found the rodent splayed across the board on the ground. Her eyes wide, her jaw dropped and suddenly, the earth shook from the sound of an explosion.
"Christ," I finished for her, seeing the roof smash a little and crumble under the impact of whatever crashed against our shelter. The four of us all looked at each other, waiting for word and in that moment, Kat was speechless.
"Come on," Daryl said, hoisting his crossbow and leading the way. Kat followed after him, Tyreese beside her and gradually I ran ahead of them. Pushing past slightly and running towards the gates, Daryl, Kat and Tyreese falling behind as I sped past, seeing Carl rush towards us and head towards the gates.
"Get back!" I called to all the others that ran out, this included Carl and Beth. Bob, Sasha, Maggie and some others came out too. All of us gathering up behind the fences and this was when something I saw appear became no longer a nightmare...but reality. He's here. He's back.
"Rick!" I heard the familiar voice call. "Come down here," he instructed to me. "We need to talk," he told me, as though this was going to be a friendly conversation between us. The Governor...he's back. He's ready. And he's got people. We're screwed.
"He's not the leader anymore!" Kat suddenly shouted down to the Governor, so he could hear and possibly understand what was happening. I felt some sense of relief that she was going to tell him there was a council that took over the leader position. "I am," she declared which made me instantly tense. My heart had skipped a beat for a second. Is she asking for a death sentence?!
"No!" I disagreed instantly for her sake, so she wouldn't be killed by the Governor. Her courage was wreckless and she knew it. "It's not up to me and it's not up to her either," I declared to the Governor. "There's a council now, she's part of it," I tried to explain to him. "They run this place," I explained further, stating why the council were more important to him than I was.
Suddenly, he gave a girl a signal and that was when I saw two figures being pulled out from the cars they had with them. "Is Hershel on the council?" the Governor asked me curiously, a slight mock in his tone as he spoke to me. "What about Michonne? She on the council, too?" he asked and that was when both Hershel and Michonne were pulled out from the cars, restrained and pushed to their knees in front of the tank.
"I don't make decisions anymore," I called out to him, my tone pleading for the lives of the two that were in front of him and the many that were on the opposite side of the fence, inside the walls of the cellblocks. See sense. I can't do this. Not here, not now. Don't make me have to make decisions for us.
"You're making the decisions today, Rick," the Governor called to me, proud as he stood above his new found tank. A tank that was once used in the army forces. Christ. "Come down here," he instructed like it was so easy to walk down to a crazy asshole ontop of a tank. "Let's...let's have that talk," he tried to act kind, but I could see behind his voice and the lies that were laced with a tongue of silver and gold. He's a lier, a good one and I don't trust that. Not one bit.
I was about to go down, glancing at Daryl, he gave me a silent nod of agreement. I was about to head down there, when I was pulled back by a small and warm hand. Turning back, I was met by blue eyes that were brighter than the sky. Katherine. "Dad, if you go down there...he'll kill you the first chance he gets," she warned me, clearly upset with my decision.
"I'm not going to die," I state to her confidently, even if I was completely negative about the chances of me surviving once I got down there to speak with the Governor. "We're going to talk and I'm going to keep you all safe," I told her, smiling, I glanced at her and then to Carl. Carl looked like he wasn't happy about my choice either, but I wasn't going to let anything happen to them, or Judy or anyone else here in the prison.
"I won't let you risk your life, let me go down there," Kat tried to beg for me to not go down there. Wanting to take my place. She's brave, smart and strong. But she's also wreckless, over confidence and she's always thinking that she can solve issues like this if she offers herself in my stead. She's crazy. I'm not letting her get herself killed.
"No, I won't risk your life either. Protect your brother and sister," I tell her, more like a command and she gives me a look of wide eyes. Of sadness hidden behind them, she's wanting to keep me safe but it's my job to keep her and her siblings safe first. "Protect the others," I command as though I was the leader once again. "I'm counting on you with this," I pleaded to her, my hand reaching out to cup one side of her face, our eyes connecting and locking on one another. I could see my words sink into her mind, into her memory.
Moving to Carl, I cupped the side of his along with Kat's; faintly I spoke to them. "We can do this," I state, making them believe that we were capable of whatever would come in our way. "All right?" I asked them, staring between the pair of blues that watched me, both of them nodding, I saw them gulp and hold back their tears. Nodding, I placed a kiss to the top of each of their heads, walking down, I opened the gates and listened to the squeaks they made as they shut behind me. Prepared for any battle that may come, I walked down and let my fingers graze along the handle of my Python. God...help me.
DPOV
"Tyreese," Rick called as we rounded a corridor, seeing a dark and lone corridor. We had asked if anyone had seen Tyreese after we had searched high and low for him, someone told us he was in the same block that Karen and David had died in. "You down here?" Rick called for him, hoping that he would answer.
"Rick, that you?" Tyreese's voice called to us, his voice sounded like one of panic and worry. "You guys got to see this," he said as we all walked down and met in the middle, the darkness made it hard to see, but my eyes quickly adjusted to the amount of light that was provided.
"Can we take a beat?" Rick asked Tyreese, possibly wanting to get the whole 'Carol killed Karen and David' issue over and done with. I want to find out if I can go look for her or not, but even if he doesn't want her back. Tough, she's staying and I ain't going to let him boss me around. Not Tyreese. Not anyone. "There's something we need to talk about," Rick hinted at Tyreese but he just stayed tense, his expression was one of shock horror. As though he had just seen a ghost.
"It can wait," Tyreese said, determined to show whatever he wanted to us quickly and make us see what he wanted us to. "Come on," Tyreese said as he turned around and lead us down the hall, showing us what he had seen and my flashlight had given us a clear vision of what he wanted us to see. "Look," he indicated while looking towards the board that was on the ground, pressed against a wall and there was something. Is that stretched out?
"The hell?" I asked, my brows creasing and forming a straight line while I walked towards the board. Crouching down, I flashed my flashlight on it and saw how there was a rat, cut open and nailed to a board. It's guts all hanging out, skin stretched and small body on display against a piece of wood. Shit...that's insane.
"I was just looking for...answers...and I found this," Tyreese tried to excuse what he did, giving himself a reason to be there and with a reason for him stumbling accross this. "Same person that killed Karen and David, did this," he said, acting like some new Sherlock Holmes. Getting to my feet, I straighten up and watch him as he speak. "Remember the rats at the fence?" he asked us. "They showed up the same day she was killed. We got a psychopath living with us," he stated like it was something we didn't already know. Christ...if Carol is the murderer...who is tormented enough to do this?
"Tyreese-" Rick tried to but in, to try and reveal to Tyreese who the real murderer was. To prove to him that Carol was the one, and that this nut job was still living with us but simply because there was nothing else that could make this logical. Carol was gone, but there was someone killing rats and making them a new display.
"We got to find him, Rick," Tyreese tried to convince us to keep searching for the killer who had already revealed themself to Rick. "And I'm not gonna sleep until we do," Tyreese said, determined to find out who the killer was, even if she was no longer around.
"Tyreese...whoever did this, I don't think that's who killed Karen," Rick began, leading up to the slow development and adding Carol, painting her as the killer that she somehow agreed to be. Would Carol actually kill people who are sick?
"Why?" Tyreese asked a little speculatively, his brows furrowed and his expression was one of confusion. He's wondering how we know this. Rick needs to tell him what happened. Needs to tell him that it was in fact Carol who had killed Karen and David.
Footsteps drew closer as they ran towards us, light and with a small bounce in them. It was Kat. I could tell just by the sound of it. "Hey, has anyone seen Michonne and Hershel?" Kat asked us curiously when she found us. "No one's seen them come back," she pointed out which made us look at her surprised. "Jesus-" Kat suddenly said when her eyes caught sight of the rat that was butchered and turned into a pancake.
Suddenly, the earth shook and the roof began to crumble above us. The sound of an explosion alerting us that there was danger, a threat and it was all outside our shelter. "Christ," Rick finished for Kat, looking to one another, I knew none of the pair would take charge of what we should do next.
"Come on," I called, rushing forward and leading the way, my flashlight bright as it would collide with Tyreese's flashlight. Running towards the exits, Tyreese and Kat ran behind me, Rick rushing past and leaving the building before us. The door clattered shut, my crossbow slung over my shoulder and heavy as I ran. Looking around, I saw that Carl, Beth, Maggie and a few others had left the building to see what was going on and who had instructed there be an explosion to one of our towers that was now on fire.
"Get back!" Rick ordered us all, hiding behind a pillar and behind the fences. This was when all of our worst nightmares came to the picture, of the man who had killed, tortured and captured our people. A man who was power hungry and insane because of this world. The Governor.
"Rick!" the Governor called up to us, he was stood tall and proud above a tank he had with him. Cars parked in a row, people stood beside the cars and weapons in their hands. "Come down here," the Governor encouraged Rick. "We need to talk," he told us all, making my heart pound and my mouth run dry with fear. This crazy fucker, he's like a God damned boomerang. Always coming back to us, always back to square one.
"He's not the leader anymore!" Kat declared, which made me wonder where she was hinting at. Her voice shook in the slightest, but it was hardly noticeable. Is she going to tell him about the council? "I am," Kat spoke as though it was the truth, a small gulp was made and I felt my body tense. She's asking to die, isn't she?
"No!" Rick quickly interjected her, stopping her from making the mistake of trying to confront the Governor and possibly get herself killed in the process. "It's not up to me and it's not up to her either," Rick defended our system of a council, that there was no individual making the decisions for the group. "There's a council now, she's part of it. They run this place," Rick informed the Governor, making my jaw tense and eyes squint towards the proud Governor. Crazy son of a bitch.
I swear I could have seen a smile form on his face from the distance we were in, his tone was one of teasing pride as he spoke directly to us. "Is Hershel on the council?" the Governor asked us, a girl walked towards the car and plucked Hershel out of it. "What about Michonne?" he asked as another one pulled Michonne out and lead them to be in front of the Governor. "She on the council, too?" he questioned us, his tone was one of mock curiousity, both Hershel and Michonne were restrained, hands behind their backs and both pushed to be on their knees behind the fence.
"I don't make decisions anymore," Rick informed him, he stuttered a little and we could all sense the fear and worry in his tone. The tense muscles of his was indicator enough that he was close to possibly losing it once again. The Governor...what a prick.
"You're making the decisions today, Rick," the Governor decided for him, making it seem more like an order than a suggestion. He wants Rick down there...but why? "Come down here," he told Rick. "Let's...let's have that talk," he suggested, giving a small nod and making us all nervous about what the Governor had up his sleeve.
Rick looked to me for reassurance, giving him a nod and knowing what we now needed to do. Rick was about to leave, when Kat stopped him and pulled him to one side. Worry evident in her bright blue eyes, sad and scared as she looked at him. She's a nervous, scared and worried wreck. "Dad, if you go down there...he'll kill you the first chance he gets," Kat informed him, trying to give him caution and fearing for her father's life.
"I'm not going to die," Rick told her confidently, his words slow and clear as he spoke to his daughter with care. His smile bright and wide, his eyes soft as he looked at Kat. "We're going to talk and I'm going to keep you all safe," Rick said, more like a promise than a reassurance that all was going to be fine. I hope he's right, but with that crazy son of a bitch...I highly doubt it.
"I won't let you risk your life, let me go down there," Kat pleaded to Rick, her tone shook and her body shivered from the tension and fear. She was possibly holding back tears, because I could hear a hint of a thickness in her voice. She needs to trust him, he'll be all right. I know it.
"No, I won't risk your life either. Protect your brother and sister," Rick disagreed, a small shake of his head was directed at Kat. I could see her grip on him was slightly tighter than before. "Protect the others," Rick said, his eyes glancing momentarily towards the others and myself.
"I'm counting on you with this," he spoke firmly, placing his hand to gently cup her face, he kept his tone serious. A commanding statement given to Kat as they locked blue eyes together, Rick reaching her level to achieve this look. Faintly, Rick spoke to both Kat and Carl as he cupped both of their faces, one hand on each of them. "We can do this," he encouraged them, reassuring them that they were all strong enough for whatever battle was to come. "All right?" he suggested, both Kat and Carl looked like they didn't want this, but they agreed with their father. He placed a kiss to each of their heads, exiting through the squeaking gates and walking towards the fences where he could speak to the Governor.
Heading over to Sasha and Tyreese, I looked at Kat for a moment, her eyes locked with mine before she glanced down at Carl. Slinging her arm over his shoulder, holding him to her side while they both watched whatever was going on down with Rick and the Governor. "We can't take 'em all on," I state, pointing out the facts and being realistic about the whole deal if it went south.
"We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned," I ordered Sasha and Tyreese while they would look at me and back towards Rick and the Governor. "We ain't got the numbers no more," I pointed out, we had made multiple plans for whatever outcome that could of happened with situations that involved the Governor and other possible threats. "When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?" I asked Sasha as I too looked down to see what was going on with Rick and the Governor.
"Day before we hit the Big Spot," Sasha informed me quickly. "We were running low on rations then," Sasha began, as though she had more to add to this statement. "We're lower now," she informed her which made me think about the rations we went looking for during the time we had been building this small community.
"Yeah, we'll manage," I said, feeling confident about this newfound information. We can always gather more supplies on the road. "Things go south, everyone heads for that bus," I instructed, giving an order and acting as though I was in charge. Kat has enough pressure right now, she must be worried sick over her dad, Michonne and Hershel. "Let everybody know," I told them, making them nod and stare directly at the two leader figures who were discussing some sort of agreement.
"What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad?" Tyreese asked me, making me think over what people knew and what others didn't. We never discussed this openly with others, we always believed it would be our job to keep them all protected and out safely. "How long do we wait?" Tyreese questioned me as he side glanced at me.
"As long as we can," I replied, brushing past them and heading towards the stash of guns. We need to prepare, if there was anything I knew about the Governor...is he is spontaneous and quick minded. He'll make a decision before we even know what he's about to do.
KPOV
"Tyreese...whoever did this, I don't think that's who killed Karen," I could hear my dad speaking, he was down the corridor and in the dark. Rushing through the dark halls, I felt my feet fly over the floor and guide me towards the sound of my dad's voice.
"Why?" Tyreese asked him, turning the corner, I saw that both Tyreese and my dad were accompanied by Daryl. His eyes glanced up at me, quickly they shied away and it made me lock eyes with my dad. His brows creasing at my sudden appearance.
"Hey, has anyone seen Michonne and Hershel?" I asked them, my tone soft and I was breathing a little heavier from the small jog I had done in order to get to them quickly. Panick was coursing through my veins, worried for the safety of my best friend and for Hershel, who was like an uncle to me. "No one's seen them come back," I informed them, this was when I caught sight of something disturbing. "Jesus-" I said, getting cut off by a tremble and loud sound of an explosion.
"Christ," dad finished for me as the earth shook from the imapct, the roof rumbling and crumbling slightly. A piece of it falling down and landing on our feet, forgetting the rat that was splayed out, guts wide open and nailed to a board. Focused on the sudden explosion that had shook our shelter.
"Come on," Daryl said, adjusting his crossbow subconciously and running towards the exit. I fell back with Tyreese beside me, I felt the pressure and building adrenalin build inside me. The tension was making my stomach clench and churn, I could feel something was wrong. Very wrong.
"Get back!" Dad screamed when we left the building, catching up with Carl, Maggie, Beth and a few others who had left the buildings and gathered in the court. I saw something that made my eyes bulge, heart speed up and my body begin to sweat in places I never thought could sweat.
"Rick!" the Governor called up to my dad, our bodies all tense and my heart pounding faster with each passing second. "Come down here," the Governor suggested to dad. "We need to talk," he spoke, even if he was above a tank and standing proudly. Hands on his hips, clothes dark and his tone was one of pure malintention. I see right through you Governor.
"He's not the leader anymore!" I stood up, speaking directly to him and taking the role of my father. Showing him confidence, even if I felt like cowering and crying in the corner. I knew this was going to happen one day, it's why I made all those plans in case this asshole showed up. He did and now...I'm petrified. "I am," I declared to him, ready to face him and feeling my body tense, my stomach churning once more but turned silent as I relaxed my breathing, keeping calm and collected. Much like how I remembered my father when he would take charge, much like when he would be a cop and take control of an issue. I'm ready.
"No!" dad interjected, stopping me from being able to step up and do what was needed for us all to survive. "It's not up to me and it's not up to her either," Dad told him, making me look at him stunned and angered, my jaw clenching simultaneously. "There's a council now, she's part of it. They run this place," he explained to the Governor how things were now set up. Damn it. Let me go down there. Let me face him. I can do this.
"Is Hershel on the council?" the Governor asked, all cocky and proud as he stood above the tank. While we watched a woman pull Hershel out from a car, his hands tied behind his back and my heart thumping against my chest. He's got Michonne too...hasn't he? "What about Michonne?" he questioned us, his tone delighted and it was when I cursed under my breath. Seeing Michonne being dragged out by a man, leading her towards Hershel who was kneeled in front of the tank and Governor. "She on the council, too?" he asked in a teasing tone, pride evident in the way he stood and spoke. He's proud that he has the upper hand. Taking hostages, people we care about and treatening us like this. Evil son of a bitch.
"I don't make decisions anymore," Dad stuttered, worried for those we loved that were now in the hands of our enemy. Shit...we need to do something. I can't let any of them die. Not dad, not Michonne, not Hershel. Not anyone. I won't let this prick get away with killing another person I love. Not after Andrea.
"You're making the decisions today, Rick," the Governor decided for us, staring up at us and his hands resting on his hips. Looking and sounding pleased about his power over us. Dad won't submit to him. I won't let him. "Come down here," the Governor ordered of dad. "Let's...let's have that talk," he spoke cooly, as though he had it all under control and was probably smug over his control over us. He's got us where he wants us. He's clever, but not clever enough.
Dad looked to Daryl, who gave dad a nod of some sort of agreement. Dad was about to leave, but I took hold of him and turned him to face me. Panick flooded my body and took over every nerve I had inside me. "Dad, if you go down there...he'll kill you the first chance he gets," I warned him, not liking how he was so submissive to the Governor's commands.
"I'm not going to die," dad said calmly, confident and trying to reassure me. His ice blue eyes staring down into mine, making me feel helpless and I could see his mind was already made up. He's going to go down there, no matter what I say to convince him otherwise. "We're going to talk and I'm going to keep you all safe," dad said with a singular nod. The corner of my lips tugging to form a frown, I couldn't bare it. I couldn't stand the thought of any of it.
I felt my heart pounding, my grip growing tighter and my body quiver from the fear. I don't want him to die. I can't let him. I need him, he's my dad. He's like a mentor and he makes me grow as a person. He's made me who I am today. I can't let him die. "I won't let you risk your life, let me go down there," I was all but pleading him, wanting nothing more than to go down there and prevent him from being in danger and taking his place.
"No, I won't risk your life either," Dad told me, making me feel like I couldn't change his mind this time. He's made up his mind. I can't change it. "Protect your brother and sister," Dad ordered me as he looked at me seriously. "Protect the others," he commanded, looking around and glancing at the faces we grew to know, grew to love and care enough to protect.
"I'm counting on you with this," he told me, reaching up to cup my face and stare directly into my eyes. Our blues locked onto one another. He leaned towards Carl, bringing him closer and cupping his face too. Faintly, dad spoke to us and sounded confident. "We can do this," he encouraged us. "All right?" he asked us, both me and Carl staring at dad as we nod and took a harsh gulp. He pressed a kiss to our heads, turning away and letting us go. Walking to the gates, he opened them, the squeaking of the gates clattering as Daryl shut it behind dad. My eyes glued to Dad's retreating form, his hand on the hold of his gun. He's ready...
RPOV
Nearing the group of others, I stopped by the fence and saw how many people he had. It was too many to count, the amount was almost overwhelming. All with guns, all pointing them at me and the tank was huge enough to break the fences in. "Let 'em go right now," I demanded softly, not wanting to seem to intimidating but not wanting to sound like I was pleading him to not do something stupid. "I'll stay down here. Talk as long as you want," I tried to reassure the Governor that I wouldn't move.
"But you let 'em go," I told him, licking my lips and seeing Michonne and Hershel on the ground. Their hands tied behind their backs, eyes on me and their backs straight as they kneeled. "You got a tank," I pointed out to him, the tank was a threat alone if it weren't for the others and the Governor. "You don't need hostages," I pointed out to him truthfully.
"I do," he disagreed with me. "This is just to show you I'm serious," he said, which I didn't know if it was either to mock me or because he was serious. His mouth twitched, showing me I thought otherwise. "Not to blast a hole in our new home," he spoke as he glanced up at the prison. So that's what he wants. The prison. "You and your people, you have till sundown to get out of here or they die," the Governor threatened me and my people. He doesn't give up...does he?
Shaking my head, I tried to think over what my options were. Licking my lips and looking to one side. Towards the plants we had grown and how they were a sudden symbol of life. We have a chance here, out there...we'll die. Just like they will but...why does he want us gone? We can't fight, we can't risk losing Michonne and Hershel. There has to be another way. "Doesn't have to go down this way," I told him, hoping for some sort of solution to both our problems. We can't go or fight, and he can't force us out of what's ours.
"I got more people, more firepower," he pointed out to us. "We need this prison," he said to me, trying to convince me that it was only them that needed the prison. So do we, jackass. "There it is," the Governor spoke, one hand flying around as though he was indicating to something I couldn't see. "It's not about the past. It's about right now," he said as though this was what it was all about. Do these people know who this man is? What he is capable of? He's a greedy man, wanting whatever he doesn't have. I can't and won't let him force us out of our home.
"There are children here," I revealed to them, wanting to gain sympathy and understanding as to why we couldn't just leave the prison so easily. "Some of them are sick," I pointed out, wanting them to know what was going on and trying to make them see that there was no way we could just leave. "They won't survive," I stuttered, my body quivering at the attempt to make them come to terms with the fact it is impossible for us to leave the prison.
Some of the people looked at me with sad expressions, with ones that showed me they still had hearts and some that were, by their expressions, believing I was saying a lie to just gain sympathy from them. "I have a tank," the Governor pointed out. I'm not stupid, and I sure as hell ain't blind. "And I'm letting you walk away from here," the Governor said as though he was giving us charity. "What else is there to talk about?" he asked me curiously, my mind swirling in circles and I had no idea how I was going to solve this mess. How do I save us all? What does he really want? I don't think he really cares much for protection of the prison. He wants revenge...doesn't he?
DPOV
Silently, I slid the boxes of guns and ammo closer towards us. Trying to be sneaky, I pulled out a gun and some clips. "You good?" I asked Bob who turned his head to look at me and give me a curious look. Offering him the gun, I didn't know if he was sober or not, or if he was possibly under the influence of the alcohol he had brought along with him during the run.
"Yeah," Bob reassured me, looking me directly in the eyes and voice firm but quiet. I hope to God he's telling me the truth, if I give him this gun...he better use it right and he better stand with us to fight. I heard about his history with fallen camps. If we fall, he better defend us and protect our people.
Speaking faintly, I had pulled out a few other guns and handed them to Maggie and Beth. "All right," I alerted Maggie as I pressed the gun against her back, she looked at me and took the gun and gradually, everyone around us had a gun. Giving Kat an M4-A1, I then handed Carl a Marlin Model rifle, I stood beside them and watched the interaction that was made down by the fences. I don't like where this is going. Governor is acting too...peacefull. Something's not right. My gut is telling me to be ready...and I am.
CPOV
Being handed the guns, I held it tightly and prepared myself for anything that could happen. Listening to the conversation, both me and Kat were holding onto each other for our father. We were worried for his safety, along with Hershel's and Michonne's safety. For all of our safety. I didn't like how the Governor manipulated us, I didn't like the feeling that ran over me at the sight of him. Looking proud, dominant and ready to take what he thought was his.
We can't let him win, we can't let anyone die. I won't allow it and I won't let Dad get in the Governor's clutch. He's going to get hurt and he's going to die if we're all not smart. We need to do something, we need to end this and reveal the Governor for who he really is. A killer, a manipulator, dictator and a greedy, revenge filled, cocky jerk.
RPOV
"I could shoot you all," the Governor threatened. "You'd all shoot back. I know that," he stated the facts. We never go down without a fight. "But we'll win and you'll be dead," he told us darkly, and something in me knew he was telling the truth. "All of you," he spoke, making me tense. If anyone needs to survive, it has to be Kat, Carl and Judith. Please. They need to keep fighting, find a cure and live better lives than this.
"It doesn't have to be like that," the Governor said with a small shake of his head. "Like I said, it's your choice," the Governor repeated, but this was when we saw walkers coming closer towards the distance. The Governor raised his gun and shot the pair of them down. "Noise will only draw more of them over," he told me like I didn't already know. "The longer you wait, the harder it will be for you to get out of here," he continued to make his threats. Leave us be. It doesn't need to end bloody or end with either of us leaving.
KPOV
"We got to do something," Carl spoke, aggitated and anxious to get this all over and done with. Myself, Daryl and Carl had our guns up, aiming at those who stood around and ready for firing. What's with Carl? Why is he more anxious to get this over than I am? Why do I feel so calm right now? Something's wrong. I can't tell what it is.
"Your dad's got it," Daryl reassured Carl, both of their fingers itching on the trigger. I could feel the tension in the air, coming from both those down beside the Governor, from the rest of us and especially from the two men who were beside me.
"They're talking," Carl said annoyed with the thought of possibly no action. Jesus, what's wrong with him? Surely it's a good thing, isn't it? "We could kill the Governor right now," Carl snarled, glancing at him wide eyed, I saw him squint and add a little bit of pressure on the trigger.
"From 50 yards?" Daryl asked him, Carl was between me and Daryl. Myself and the blue eyed, rugged man giving each other looks of concern over my brother. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's thinking Carl's lost his mind right now. What the hell is wrong with him?
"I'm a good shot," Carl spoke cockily, confident in thinking he was capable of killing the Governor at this far a distance. "I could end this right now," Carl pointed out which made my heart jump towards my throat. Christ...one wrong move, we could send dad to death and the rest of us to hell.
"Yeah, or you could start something else," Daryl snarled as he looked away from my brother and towards those who were the threats behind out fences. "You got to trust him," Daryl tried to convince Carl. If only it was that easy. I hope Daryl's right.
"Listen to Daryl, Carl," I spoke to Carl, looking at him and nodding to Daryl's words. "He's right," I agreed. Turning my head, I shut one eye and aimed at the Governor, seeing his cocky smile and his proud stance. What does he want? Why can't he leave us alone? The damage he's done...it's unbelievable and unforgettable. He needs to leave and keep away from us. For good.
DPOV
"We got to do something," Carl spoke, aggitated and anxious over something. He wants something to happen? Why would he want that? I'm surprised he wants to get something like this over and done with.
"Your dad's got it," I tried to defened Rick. Rick's a smart man, he can handle himself. We were all in a line, guns up, ready to fire. Our aims on different individuals but we were all prepared for whatever war could happen. I stood beside Carl, Kat stood on the other end and we were all squinting towards our threat.
"They're talking," Carl said impatiently, as though this was a problem. What the hell is wrong with him? "We could kill the Governor right now," Carl growled darkly, surprising me and his sister as we both glanced at him.
"From 50 yards?" I questioned him, knowing well enough that Carl was a good shot, but not at this distance. He's better since the last time he thought he could be a good shot. He's trying to be smart, but it's not working out as he hoped it would.
"I'm a good shot," Carl spoke confidently, both of us were itching to pull the trigger. Both of us ready for the fight we could feel building and gradually, we knew that this was going to be bloody. "I could end this right now," Carl said as though it was easier than he thought. He's not thinking straight, he's either too ready or too worried for those we care about.
"Yeah, or you could start something else," I informed him, trying to make him see sense and not somehow lose it. "You got to trust him," I tried to convince him, trying to make him and Katherine have more faith in their father. They need to stop worrying. Their dad is a smart man. He can handle this.
"Listen to Daryl, Carl," Kat ordered Carl, she stared at him and I could see it when I glanced out the corner of my eye at them. "He's right," Kat agreed, her eyes flashed to look at me and she nods slowly with her words. Agreeing with my own. Rick wants me to keep them safe, to take his lead if anything happens to him. I won't let any of us die. Especially not the people I care about.
CPOV
"We got to do something," I tried to convince Kat and Daryl, Kat to my left and Daryl to my right. The three of us in line, our guns up and aims on individuals that surrounded us. We need to do something, it could be death for Dad, Hershel and Michonne if we don't act now. We need to kill him to stop his influence over those people.
"Your dad's got it," Daryl tried to convince me that my dad knew what he was doing. The man's not been a leader for months, you really think he's going to know what to do when he runs away and cries whenever someone suggests to him to take over as the leader again?
"They're talking," I snarled, not liking how people kept thinking I didn't know what I was doing. I know what I'm doing and I won't let this chance escape me. He needs to die. He needs to be killed so that he can leave us alone. Kill everyone of them that rebel against us. "We could kill the Governor right now," I informed them, knowing we could do this if we tried. My finger adding a small amount of pressure on the trigger.
"From 50 yards?" Daryl questioned me quizzically. Doubting my skill and reaction time. I'm fast, and smart enough to know that if we end this now, we can get back to surviving behind the fences. We would no longer need to be afraid of him, now that we have him and can kill him with ease.
"I'm a good shot," I informed him, tying to convince him that I could do this. I can do this. Dad said so, we can do this and I will. If it can save us all, then why should I not take this chance? "I could end this right now," I state as I squinted to the distance, aiming directly for the Governor's head. You're dead.
"Yeah, or you could start something else," Daryl snarled at me kindly, trying to make me see sense but I wouldn't. I'm being stubborn, but only because I won't risk us losing lives. Not mine, not Kat's, not Dads...not any of us. "You got to trust him," Daryl suggested to me, trying to make me be convinced of his words. That my dad could do this, that we just need to be patient and ready for whatever was about to come.
"Listen to Daryl, Carl," Kat spoke to me, she looked at me directly and I could see it from the corner of my eye. Her voice soft, gentle and it weirdly echoed to me as though she was mom. Mom...I miss her so much. She died here, I won't leave and I won't let anyone else die here. "He's right," Kat informed me, I felt her eyes leave me and flutter up to meet Daryl's pale blues. I'm not letting anyone else die. Not today, but I'll listen to them. I trust dad. I just don't trust the Governor.
RPOV
"You got maybe about an hour of sunlight left," the Governor spoke as he looked up at the sky, pointing towards the sun that slowly began to sink in the distance with his chin. "I suggest you start packing," he told me as though he cared about us that lived here. "The longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be for you to get out of here," he said to me, but I was no longer looking at him. I could only see Hershel, his face of helplessness and despair.
I can't disappoint Hershel, not now and not today. He needs me, everyone at the prison needs me and I can't see any alternatives. I need to make a call, and make one quickly. "We can all-" I said and sighed at the end. I hope I don't regret this. "We can all live together," I told them all, trying to make them think over their options as well. "There's enough room for all of us," I informed them.
"More than enough," I agreed as I thought over how many cell blocks there were. There is plenty of room, we can survive together. Even if it pains us to have the Governor so close to our beds. Close to Carl, Judith, Kat and Michonne. After everything he's done. "But I don't think my family would sleep well knowing that you were under the same roof," he said as though we were the bad guys. They don't know the things this man has done. I can tell by their faces and by how he speaks of us. He's painting us as the bad guys.
"We'd live in different cell blocks," I suggest, trying to give everyone comfort and so that they knew they could all be safe together. The further away from each other we are, the better we'll all be. "We'd never have to see each other till we're all ready," I tried to convince everyone, especially the Governor.
Hershel's smile was slowly growing, his eyes shone with pride as he looked at me. "It could work," Hershel said as he turned ever so slightly to face the Governor. "You know it could," Hershel spoke, trying to convince the Governor that this was the right thing and that it would be the best chance for all of us to survive.
"It could've," the Governor agreed with Hershel. "But it can't," he said, suddenly flipping the switch of hope we had for it all to work out. "Not after Woodbury. Not after Andrea," he listed, which made me gulp harshly down the lump that was building in my throat. I saw Michonne's expression become sour and I knew that Kat would be in the exact same state as Michonne if I saw her in front of me. They loath this man for killing Andrea. She was family. To all of us. But especially to Kat and Michonne.
"Look, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy," I agreed with him, trying to make him see that this would be the better option. "Fact is, it's gonna be a hell of a lot harder than standing here shooting at each other," I told them, pointing at the row of people and cars. All the people were heavily armed. "But I don't think we have a choice," I said with a small shrug of one shoulder.
"We don't," the Governor said with a small head tilt and shrug. "You do," he pointed out, being stubborn about his choices. What an asshole. Take my offer and we can all live in peace. There is a win-win if we can all live behind these fences. There doesn't need to be a war and I'm not giving up what we worked so hard to maintain and build.
"We're not leaving," I stated bluntly. "You try and force us, we'll fight back," I informed him and I tried to sound threatening. "Like you said, the gunshots will just bring more of them out," I agreed with his previous statement about the walkers. "They'll take down the fences. Without the fences, this place is worthless," I tried to make them all see sense. To make them realize that we could all live in harmony and not cause a fire fight. "Now, we can all live in the prison or none of us can," I said, putting my option forward. Take my offer. Please.
This was when I saw him jump down from the tank and pull out Michonne's sword. Making his way to Hershel, my eyes widened and I felt myself tense. My heart rate becoming faster at the scene that played out in front of me. The Governor placed Michonne's blade beside Hershel's neck, aiming to hack off his neck. Christ.
My eyes searched for a face that was completely shocked by what they just saw. Landing on a girl who had brown hair and her gun lowered. She looked at us, panting and shaking her head. She was evidently shocked by the Governor's actions in that very moment. "You," I called to her, pointing at her and she looked at me. Shaking her head, a pleading look in her eyes. "You in the ponytails," I tried to describe her the best I could as I continued to point at her. "Is this what you want?" I asked her. "Is this what any of you want?" I asked as I paced around and looked at each individual face.
"What we want is what you got," the man in the tank said as he leaned against the tank lazily. His gun aimed at my people and home. "Period," he grumbled out. "Time for you to leave, asshole," he ordered of me but I wasn't going to put up with his bullshit. Ignoring his snarky remark, I looked at the rest of them.
"Look, I fought him before," I informed them as I point to the Governor. "And after, we took in his old friends. They've become leaders in what we have here," I revealed to them, pointing towards the others who are now witnessing this exchange. "Now you put down your weapons, walk through those gates...you're one of us," I said as I point to the gates and to myself. "We let go of all of it, and nobody dies," I tried to convince them, seeing some faces change and consider my new option.
"Everyone who's alive right now. Everyone who's made it this far. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive," I spoke, preaching how this world changed us and that it could all be forgiven. Forgotten. "But we can still come back. We're not too far gone," I tried to convince them, that we could all change and find our way back to who we were. Slowly, I saw the Governor remove the blade from Hershel's neck and Hershel's eyes were glued on me. "We get to come back," I said, remembering the words that Hershel told me. "I know...we all can change," I finished. The smile on Hershel's face, it showed me he was proud. I could see it in his eyes, how he looked at me. He knew I was trying to keep the peace and he was proud of that.
The Governor looked to Hershel, to the blade and pulled it away from Hershel. His stare slowly moving from the blade to look at me. His face blank, eyes dark and mouth slack. "Liar," he whispered and as though in slow motion, I saw everything become destroyed. He pulled the sword back, flying it across and hacking a chunk out of Hershel's neck, blood pouring from it and staining his clothes. My heart pounding, eyes widening and slowly Hershel fell to the ground. Dying. Everything was silent.
"No!" I screamed, pulling out my gun, I fired a shot and that was when everyone began to fire at one another. Running back, I fired as many shots as I could, running out of bullets as I headed towards the bus. Reaching it, I got hit in the leg with a bullet and fell to the gound. "Ah!" I screamed before I crawled behind the bus for cover, waiting for whatever could happen. Trying to figure out a way to get myself out of this mess. Gunshots, screams and the vision of Hershel's death clouded every single sense I had. He's going to pay. I swear it.
KPOV
"You got maybe about an hour of sunlight left," the Governor spoke as he looked towards the sun, nodding towards it and pointing at it with his chin. "I suggest you start packing," he advised us and my dad. "The longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be for you to get out of here," he spoke proudly, trying to be threatening and make us leave the prison quicker. That's not going to happen.
"We can all-" Dad began, his voice strained, as though he was fighting the urge to change what he was about to say. Or at least, he was having trouble saying the right words. "We can all live together," he suggested. "There's enough room for all of us," Dad spoke truthfully. Together?
"More than enough," the Governor agreed with dad. "But I don't think my family would sleep well knowing that you were under the same roof," he said, as though we were the bad guys and the ones that would kill them in their sleep. We're not like that. Dick.
"We'd live in different cell blocks," Dad tried to keep them all at ease. "We'd never have to see each other till we're all ready," he tried to convince them, trying to make them see sense and trying to keep the peace between us.
"It could work," Hershel agreed with my dad. "You know it could," Hershel said, trying to make the Governor think positively about this newly made suggestion. I don't know how I feel about this. If the Governor changes his mind...I don't know what will happen. Or who would try to kill him first out of all of us.
"It could've," the Governor agreed with both my dad and Hershel. "But it can't," the Governor flipped a sudden switch, disagreeing with dad's suggestion of us all living together. "Not after Woodbury," he pointed out. Penny? "Not after Andrea," he said which made me shut my eyes tightly. Inhaling deeply, I looked away and clenched my jaw. Asshole.
"Look, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy," Dad agreed with him, trying to reach out to the others that surrounded the vile man. That's an understatement dad. "Fact is, it's gonna be a hell of a lot harder than standing here shooting at each other," Dad said trying to make everyone change their minds and ignore the Governor's lies. "But I don't think we have a choice," dad said, trying to make everyone see that there was an alternative to this all.
"We don't," the Governor said bluntly to dad. "You do," he said with a nod. Christ. Why is he so stubborn?
"We're not leaving," Dad said to him with a shake of his head. "You try and force us, we'll fight back," Dad said matter-of-factly. "Like you said, the gunshots will just bring more of them out," Dad spoke, refering to the walkers. "They'll take down the fences. Without the fences, this place is worthless," Dad told them honestly, making them realize that we were having the trouble of the walkers pushing in the fences. "Now, we can all live in the prison or none of us can," Dad declared to them, making his own proposition.
Suddenly, the Governor jumped off the tank and went for something. Shock filled me whne I saw him pull out Michonne's sword and walk towards Hershel. The blade pressed against Hershel's neck, the Governor giving a clear threat. "No!" Maggie cried out, Beth sobbing as the pair of them clutched at the fences. Jesus. The Governor is completely mad.
"You," Dad said, pacing around and pointing to a girl. "You in the ponytails," Dad was describing her. "Is this what you want?" he asked her, his finger still pointing towards her. "Is this what any of you want?" he asked them all as he moved his arms at either side of him, spread out and trying to gain their attention, trying to show them that this was completely wrong. Do they know what this man is capable of?
"What we want is what you got," a man shouted to dad. "Period," the man grumbled quickly. "Time for you to leave, asshole," he insulted my dad. Fuck you. Asswipe. Great, the Governor is the asshole and this guy must be the asswipe. Perfect pair. They can both go to hell.
"Look, I fought him before," Dad revealed, pointing towards the Governor this time. "And after, we took in his old friends. They've become leaders in what we have here," he informed them. Pointing to those of us behind the gates, clearly talking about Sasha and a few others that were once with the Governor. "Now you put down your weapons, walk through those gates...you're one of us," Dad said, pointing to the gates and then to himself.
"We let go of all of it, and nobody dies. Everyone who's alive right now. Everyone who's made it this far. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive," Dad said, relating to all of us who have survived through this fucked up world. We've all killed, we've all done worse things and some cases are more evil than others. "But we can still come back," Dad said, saying the same words that he had once said to Shane. "We're not too far gone," Dad repeated words Hershel once said. "We get to come back. I know...we all can change," Dad finished.
What surprised us, was the Governor slowly pulled the sword away from Hershel. His eyes first on Hershel, the blade and finally landing on my dad. For a split second, I actually believed he would forget all we did, everything that happened and I then knew I was wrong. In a flash, he raised the blade, swung and we all watched as he sliced down on Hershel's neck. The blood staining his clothes and showing us he was dying. Falling to the floor, I could hear my heart thundering, see the screaming coming from Maggie, the sobbing from Beth.
"No!" Dad screamed, time coming back to us and he quickly raised his gun. Firing a shot, he began to run back, towards the bus and that was when I saw him fall. He was clutching at his leg as he fell, unable to move and crawling towards the bus for cover. Gunfire echoing, screams filling my ears, I saw how both Carl and Daryl fought against the others. I need to go save dad.
"Dad!" I screamed the moment I saw him get shot and fall to the ground. "Carl, cover me and stay safe," I command of Carl, swinging my M4 over my shoulder, adjusting my bow and preparing myself to run towards the other end. "Do whatever Daryl tells you to do," I tell him, looking directly at him. He stopped his firing and stared at me confused. "Daryl, remember your promise," I spoke quickly, glancing up at him as I made sure my shoelaces were tight and done well for me to run.
"Yeah," Daryl agreed, side glancing as he would grunt and shoot towards the lines of people, of cars and the obvious threat. Dad was sat against the bus, fiddling with his gun and I had to make a quick route. Around the side. It will be less obvious and safer. Will take longer to get to him, but he can hold on for a little longer.
"Wait," Carl called to me, I was about to leave, fastening my hair tightly, I made sure none of it was in my face. His small hand gripped my arm tightly, pulling me back to look at him. "Where are you going?" Carl asked me curiously, worried for me and my safety.
"To save dad," I tell him honestly which made his eyes widen, his hold on me tightening and Daryl's body turned tense as I side eyed him. They probably think I'm crazy, but I won't let dad face the Governor alone. Not today. Not any day. Especially not with this amount of fire coming his way.
"Are you insane?!" Carl shouted at me over the sound of gunshots.
"No, now do as I say and cover me," I told him sternly, ordering him to do as I said and without a word, he let me go and allowed me to run towards the opposite end of the prison. Running past Bob, Tyreese, Sasha, Maggie and all the others. Dodging gunfire that flew past me, ducking and making my legs run faster. Focus Kat. Focus.
DPOV
"You got maybe about an hour of sunlight left," the Governor spoke, telling us as he pointed to the sun using his chin. "I suggest you start packing," he advised us and Rick. "The longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be for you to get out of here," he said as though he was giving us a heads up, pretending to be friendly in his evil nature. I want to kill him...so badly.
"We can all-" Rick began, his voice strained as he spoke towards the Governor and the others. "We can all live together," he said, giving them an alternative that didn't involve bloodshed. "There's enough room for all of us," Rick tried to make the others see another way to avoid all this firefight that could happen in seconds.
"More than enough," the Governor agreed with a nod of his head. "But I don't think my family would sleep well knowing that you were under the same roof," he said, trying to draw us out as the villans in this make believe play of his. What an asshole. None of us killed his sibling or friends, we didn't torture his people and we sure as hell didn't keep any of them as hostages.
"We'd live in different cell blocks," Rick suggested to them, trying to find a way around our barriers. "We'd never have to see each other till we're all ready," he tried to make them consider his proposal.
"It could work," Hershel agreed, turning to look at the Governor and give him this friendly reminder. "You know it could," he pointed out to the man who would never see sense. Take the fucking bait, let us be done with this and safe. Jesus...come on!
"It could've," the Governor agreed with a nod. "But it can't," he said, killing any chance of us convincing him to let go of it all and to change his choices so we could all survive. "Not after Woodbury. Not after Andrea," he listed off which made Kat glance away and breathe in sharply. Asshole.
"Look, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy," Rick agreed with his point. "Fact is, it's gonna be a hell of a lot harder than standing here shooting at each other," Rick said trying to make them change their opinions over it all. "But I don't think we have a choice," he said. We won't leave, but they can stay. Only if they want to cooperate.
"We don't," the Governor agreed with him, a single nod indicating that he believed Rick's statement. "You do," the Governor said which made me tense, my finger wriggling and ready to shoot. He's not going to agree, no matter what we say, is he?
"We're not leaving," Rick said with a shake of his head. "You try and force us, we'll fight back," Rick told them this fact threateningly. "Like you said, the gunshots will just bring more of them out," Rick said, refering to the walkers that could come out any minute now. "They'll take down the fences. Without the fences, this place is worthless," Rick told them honestly. "Now, we can all live in the prison or none of us can," Rick gave them this proposal, hopeful that everyone will listen and stop following the Governor. I doubt they know what kind of man he is.
Suddenly, the Governor jumped off the tank and walked to one of his men, pulling out the sword he walked to Hershel and placed the blade against Hershel's neck. Ready to hack his head off. "No!" I heard Maggie shout, Beth was sobbing at the new position their father was in. This man doesn't quit does he? Fucking psycho.
"You," Rick said pointing to one of the people in the Governor's group. "You in the ponytails," Rick described her briefly. "Is this what you want?" he asked her as he continued to point. "Is this what any of you want?" he asked the rest of them. Please let the answer be 'no'.
"What we want is what you got," the man in the tank shouted to Rick. "Period," he grumbled at Rick. "Time for you to leave, asshole," he spat. Fucker. No one disrespects us like that. If I get the chance, I'll gladly kill that fucker. Seems to me, Merle would call him the side bitch. Especially for the asshole king, known as the Governor.
"Look, I fought him before," Rick said, pointing towards the Governor who stood there, blade pressed to Hershel's neck. "And after, we took in his old friends. They've become leaders in what we have here," Rick said, refering to us in the council, pointing towards us behind the fences. "Now you put down your weapons, walk through those gates...you're one of us," Rick said, pointing to the gates and then to himself.
"We let go of all of it, and nobody dies," Rick offered them this new option. The Governor can stay there, being a stubborn prick. Everyone else can turn against him if they want. "Everyone who's alive right now. Everyone who's made it this far. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive," Rick informed them and tried to reach out to them. "But we can still come back. We're not too far gone. We get to come back," he spoke, sounding hopeful. "I know...we all can change," Rick finsihed.
I was surprised but curious to see the Governor contemplating, pulling the sword away and taking a long moment to think things through. Suddenly, his face grew angry, he raised the sword and swung down on Hershel's neck, slicing him and we watched the blood pour. His clothes stained as we saw Hershel fall and slowly die on the ground. Maggie screamed, Beth cried, the rest of us froze, our eyes wide and hearts stopped.
"No!" Rick screamed before he raised his gun and fired a few shots. This started the gunfire and screams, everyone fighting and Rick retreating from his vaulnerable position. Growling, I fired and shot as many people as I could, Kat didn't fire, only kept her eyes on her dad and watched him fall to the ground beside the bus. Shot. Fuck. Rick! I then saw him wriggle, showing us that he was fine and began to crawl for cover behind the bus.
"Dad!" Kat screamed out for her father. "Carl, cover me and stay safe," she instructed her brother as she slung her M4 over her shoulder, adjusting her bow and staring in the direction of her father. "Do whatever Daryl tells you to do," she commanded him while they looked each other directly in the eyes. "Daryl, remember your promise," she reminded me as our eyes connected for a moment.
"Yeah," I agreed, continuing to shoot at those who fired at us. She wants me to keep Carl safe, to keep Ass-kicker safe. I won't let her down. I'll keep them safe and alive, as she asked me to. Made me promise to do.
Kat was about to leave, glancing around for some sort of exit that wouldn't put her in the line of fire. "Wait," Carl interjected, taking hold of her and turning her to look at him. "Where are you going?" he asked her, concerned for her safety and possibly her mental health.
"To save dad," Kat informed us bluntly. Christ. Is everyone just wanting to die today?
"Are you insane?!" Carl asked her surprised she would do such a thing. She's smart, fast and strong. But man, is she wreckless. She doesn't think of the possible danger, she only thinks about protecting the ones vulnerable like her dad currently is.
"No, now do as I say and cover me," Kat told him, fixing up her hair and shoes for whatever she was about to do. The Grimes family are all crazy. Kat...she's got balls but...Christ. She needs to stop trying to be the protective hero. She'll get herself killed like that. Carl gave her a nod, letting her go, she ran off past the line of us. Towards the opposite end of the fences, towards the bus and the other route that would lead her the long way towards Rick.
"Don't worry kid, I'll cover her too," I reassured Carl quickly, firing shots towards the people and killing a few of them. There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna let anything happen to Kat, Carl, Judith or Rick. They're the most vulnerable right now.
"Thanks Daryl," Carl spoke softly, relieved that I too was going to keep an eye on her, protecting her and making sure that the assholes didn't get too close to us. This is more than war. This is life or death. The final battle for some of us.
CPOV
"You got maybe about an hour of sunlight left," the Governor spoke, pointing to the sun with his chin as he turned his head toward it. "I suggest you start packing," he advised us all. "The longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be for you to get out of here," the Governor said, as though he gave a crap about us and about this prison. He doesn't care.
"We can all-" Dad began, his voice strained for some reason. "We can all live together," Dad said aloud, making me become tense. Is he offering them to join us? Play pretend house? You've got to be kidding me. "There's enough room for all of us," Dad told them truthfully.
"More than enough," the Governor agreed with a nod of his head. "But I don't think my family would sleep well knowing that you were under the same roof," he said, acting as if we were the bad guys in this make believe story he possibly fed them through his lies.
"We'd live in different cell blocks," Dad suggested, trying to find a peaceful way to settle this. "We'd never have to see each other till we're all ready," he explained, trying to give them all comfort in knowing we could be safe and away from each other at the same time.
"It could work," Hershel said as he turned to look at the Governor. "You know it could," Hershel said, trying to convince him that this was the right way. I don't know...but if it means we can all be safe, then I don't know why we shouldn't try. If not, please...fall for the bait so we can kill the Governor later.
"It could've," the Governor agreed partly to what both Hershel and dad were proposing. "But it can't," the Governor said with a shake of his head. "Not after Woodbury. Not after Andrea," he mentioned. Kat looked away, her eyes shut and took a deep breath. What an ass.
"Look, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy," Dad agreed with the Governor's point. "Fact is, it's gonna be a hell of a lot harder than standing here shooting at each other," Dad pointed out the facts. "But I don't think we have a choice," he tried to make the others see reason behind his words.
"We don't," the Governor agreed partly once again. "You do," the Governor said sternly, a nod of his head directed to dad. Why is he so stubborn. Get the bait already. Stop being such an ass!
"We're not leaving," Dad told them firmly, shaking his head as he spoke. "You try and force us, we'll fight back," Dad agreed with the Governor's previous statement. "Like you said, the gunshots will just bring more of them out," Dad agreed with the Governor about the walkers turning up, drawn to the noise of gunshots. "They'll take down the fences. Without the fences, this place is worthless," Dad explained to them. "Now, we can all live in the prison or none of us can," Dad threatened in a light manner.
Jumping down from the tank, the Governor pulled out Michonne's sword and stormed up to Hershel, placing the blade against Hershel's neck. "No!" Maggie screamed, Beth was sobbing at the fact their father could die in any moment. Dad makes one wrong move or says one wrong thing, we could have a war on our hands.
"You," Dad pointed towards a member of the Governor's group, pointing to her and pacing around nervously. "You in the ponytails," he described her briefly. "Is this what you want?" Dad asked her as he continued to point at her. "Is this what any of you want?" he questioned the others as he held his arms out at either side of his body.
"What we want is what you got," a douchebag on the tank said to dad. "Period," he grumbed out to him. "Time for you to leave, asshole," the man instructed with an insult. What a dick. Seems he's the perfect match for the Governor. Both assholes.
"Look, I fought him before," Dad told them, pointing towards the Governor. "And after, we took in his old friends. They've become leaders in what we have here," Dad said pointing towards us, refering to those who were in the council. "Now you put down your weapons, walk through those gates...you're one of us," Dad suggested, pointing first to the gates and then to himself. "We let go of all of it, and nobody dies. Everyone who's alive right now. Everyone who's made it this far. We've all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive. But we can still come back. We're not too far gone," Dad said, making a speech and trying to convince them that there was a way back to who they were. That we could all live in harmony, forgetting all the bad we've done and starting a new, fresh page. "We get to come back. I know...we all can change," Dad finshed his speech.
The Governor slowly pulled the sword away from the Governor, thinking long and hard over what he wanted to do and if he was convinced or not. This, was when it all became slow. I couldn't hear anything, all I could do was witness what was happening in front of me. The sword was raised, the Governor's face changing to one of rage as he swung down and sliced at Hershel's neck. The blood pouring from Hershel's cut showed us he was dying, the blood coloring and staining his clothes as he fell to the ground. My eyes widened, my gun lowering slowly and my heart pounding from both fear and sadness. Hershel...
"No!" dad screamed, pulling up his colt, he shot and this as when we all began to fire at one another. Gunshots flying, screams filling the air and dad ran back, heading towards the bus. Shooting, I hit the Governor's arm and felt pleased I caused some damage to him.
"Dad!" Kat screamed when she saw Dad get shot and fall to the floor. Shit! "Carl, cover me and stay safe," Kat instructed me, preparing herself for something as she wasn't shooting. She slung her M4 on her shoulder and adjusted her bow to make it more comfortable. "Do whatever Daryl tells you to do," she commanded of me as she stared into my eyes. Blue clashing with blue. "Daryl, remember your promise," she said as she glanced towards him, looking past me and directly at Daryl.
"Yeah," Daryl agreed sharply, I watched as he continued to fire. Feeling my brows furrow and my confusion grow. Promise? What promise?
Kat was about to leave, but I quickly grabbed her and held her firmly in my hand. "Wait," I called to her, turning her to face me. "Where are you going?" I asked her, curious as to what she had planned and what she was going to do. I hope she's not going to do what I think she is...
"To save dad," Kat revealed to me, cursing internally as she was informing me of what I hoped she wouldn't do. She's going to get herself killed. Guess that's why she wants me to cover her. Crazy girl.
"Are you insane?!" I asked her surprised she was going to risk her life when she had no chance of getting to Dad safely. She has officially lost it. She's brave, but Jesus...she's going to die for us one of these days.
"No, now do as I say and cover me," Kat told me, trying to reassure me and all I could do was nod. She checked herself over, fixing her shoes and hair before she began to run the opposite direction. Towards the others and towards the bus. My heart pounding, I continued to shoot and tried to distract the others as the bullets flew.
"Don't worry kid, I'll cover her too," Daryl reassured me as we both fired towards those who were trying to kill us. I could see dad fiddling with his gun, looking around and clutching his leg. Christ...I can only hope we'll all survive this. I'm going to need to find Judith if everything else goes further south than it already is.
"Thanks Daryl," I thanked him as we both fought against the group of people who were clueless to what kind of man the Governor was. They should fight him, not us. Where the hell is Kat? God...save us all.
KPOV
Running towards the fence, I ducked and looked around, hiding behind a box and panting from the fear and adrenalin rush. Searching over my head, I looked for something I could use to cut open the fences, finding something, I picked it up and struggled to open the fences. Ducking and grunting as I cut it open, making a hole big enough, I slipped through and ran.
Moving in zig zags, I tried to make sure I wouldn't get shot by anyone, I saw a few fall and glanced over to see Carl had shot one of them. Nodding, I continued to run, I came across one of the men, he went to grab at me but quickly, I whipped out my machete and sliced down. Cutting him between the eyes, his brain splattered as blood covered my machete. Kicking him off, I hid behind one of the cars that was now parked.
Pulling out my M4, I popped my head up and began to shoot, getting in a few head shots, I ducked down once more and when I felt ready, I raised my head again. Checking out the cars, I shot a few of the drivers, some tires and ducked back down. I was about to make my way forward again, trying to manouver around the car and was suddenly grabbed from behind. He stood up straight, strong arms wrapped around me and pressing my back to his front.
Wriggling out of his grasp, I flopped around in his arms, trying to kick him and head butt him, but nothing was effective enough. Suddenly, his arms dropped and I fell to my knees, looking towards the one who fired, I saw it was Daryl, a dark look on his face and he offered me a quick nod. Raising his gun, as to move away from where he stood and signaling for me to keep moving.
Sneaking around, I looked over the side and saw that there was no one, running past, I slid and rolled away from the gun shots. The fences were down and the cars were already inside, hence my new found covers. Rounding a car, a woman jumped me, grabbing my gun, she tried to pull it off me. Tugging the gun back, I distracted her this way, quickly, I pushed it forward and hit it into her face. Knocking her back to stumble on her feet, I kneed her in the stomach as she curled forward and brought my elbow down, cracking her neck and ultimately, killing her instantly.
Aiming the gun, I quickly shot her in the head and rushed towards my dad. He was fighting the Governor, currently, the Governor was on top of him and punching the life out of my dad. Running towards him, I felt my heart thundering, my breathing faster, my palms sweaty and I was ready to rip this man appart. You're mine...
DPOV
Saving Kat from the man who had grabbed her from behind, I felt proud of myself in rescuing her like I did. Moving around, we faught as well as we could, keeping under cover and shooting as accurately as we could. Carl had decided to move to another area, defending us and protecting his sister. I was working on taking down the sons of bitches who came around, the tank parked up in front of me and a row of men firing at me.
This was when a walker came up behind me, taking me down and I struggled against him. His teeth snapping at me, but I quickly reached for my knife while I pushed him away from me. Driving the knife into it's skull, I glanced around and saw something that caught my eye...
RPOV
Waiting behind the bus, I could hear the Governor coming closer, I could hear him ordering the commands and telling the others what to do. When he came into my sight, I ignored the pain in my leg and waited for him to be alone, jumping out, I tackled him to the ground. Punching his face in with my bad hand, I ignored the stinging sensation in my fist and kept pounding his face in. Enjoying the blood that splattered out of his mouth.
Suddenly, his fist connected to my jaw and sent me flying off of him. Both of us struggling to get to our feet, we both looked at each other and when we were stood, we took hold of each other. Pushing each other against the bus, we threw punches, some connected to my stomach and most of them were to my face. The pair of us wrestling to get the most hits in.
Getting kicked where I was shot, it sent a rush of heat and pain. Groaning, I fell to the floor, the Governor climbed ontop of me and began to punch my face in. Making me bleed and I swore I had at least a busted cheek from the amount of hits I was taking. I was defenceless, unable to throw any more punches as I was slowly losing conciousness. His fist connecting to my jaw continuously, I felt my heart pounding and my mind spin.
His hands wrapped around my neck, he was chocking me and making my head roll back. Falling against the floor, unable to move and unable to fight back. I was vulnerable, I was dying under his hands. Struggling for air, I began to see a blurry figure above me and suddenly, a foot connect to the Governor's face sent him flying off me. Crawling, I was gasping for air, getting to my hands and knees as I coughed up the blood that collected in my mouth.
"Dad!" I heard a familiar voice shout, her hands reaching to take hold of my waist and to guide me to my feet. Katherine...
KPOV
Kicking the Governor off my dad, he fell to his side and groaned in pain. I called for my dad, seeing him cough out blood and gasp for air. He was badly beaten up, bruised and bloody. His eye was swelling and he looked busted up. On his hands and knees, I tried to get him to stand. Suddenly, I was punched in the face, I felt a sting and a sudden sharp pain in my jaw. Falling to the ground, I tried to get up, but at the same time, the Governor took hold of my neck, lifted my head and slammed it against the floor.
Screaming in pain, I then saw him punch my dad in the face once more and place one knee on my dad's stomach. Pushing him against the ground, then, he did the same to me and held my dad with one hand wrapped around his neck. Strangling him. This was when I saw his other hand reach down to his belt, pulling out his knife, I reached up to push him off me and suddenly, I felt a piercing, hot flash run through me. Making me drop my arms to hold onto his arm. "No!" I heard dad scream, my eyes wide and I could only feel the burn of a knife that dug into my side.
The blood pouring out of me, my struggle to keep myself awake from the pain and sudden deep cut. My mouth gaping, my head trying to lift up and I saw how he bared his teeth, his hair a mess and his lip busted. He dug the knife deeper, making me try to move but it only made it go in further. Stop. Moving. Shit.
"You know what it's like to want revenge Rick?" the Governor asked dad through gritted teeth, dad was whailing and looking at me, his head turned and his good eye focused on me. Tears streaming down his face. "What it's like to see your daughter die?" he asked my dad, slowly, I felt the Governor inch the blade a little higher, making me gasp and clench my stomach. The pain was too real, it was too much and I was struggling not to cry or give him any type of emotion.
Holding back screams, only able to gape and clutch his arm. "I'm going to gut your daughter alive," the Governor stated to him, dad's face going purple while the Governor tightened his hold on Dad's neck. "And you can do nothing about it, only watch her die by my blade," the Governor snarled above me, pleased with his work as he was about to move his hand to cut me open but that was when I saw something drive straight through his chest. A katana. Michonne.
"Ah," the Governor groaned, letting go of dad and his hold on the knife, he fell to the floor beside dad and revealed the samurai saviour I called 'my friend'. My hero. Always saving my ass. Dad curled to his side, coughing and spilling out more blood. I didn't know if I could move, feeling a little weak, I panted and tried to sit up. Groaning, I winced from the pain and saw how Michonne tried to get me to sit up better.
"Please," Dad pleaded, he got on all fours again, trying to crawl towards me and the pair of us were in a bad state. "Kat," he mumbled my name, tears running down his face and his hands reaching out to hold me. "Katherine," he cried out, sobbing and staring down at the knife in my side. Michonne, leaned down and examined me, without warning, she pulled out the knife and made me scream. Christ! She could have warned me at least!
"Dad..." I whispered out, feeling a little light headed from the sudden sting, I moved to carefully get up. Seeing Michonne walk off with the knife, she left me and my dad to do whatever she wanted to. Getting to my feet, I helped guide dad to get his own pair of feet.
"Carl?" Dad called with a small cough, his arm drapped over my shoulder, the pair of us supporting each other as we wandered towards the court. "Where's Carl?" dad asked me a little louder. My hand reaching down to cup my wound, adding pressure and trying to not lose the blood that seeped from it. Christ.
"I don't know," I told him truthfully, both of us continued to walk away while the Governor laid there, moaning, groaning and dying. Good riddance, you bastard. Have fun in hell. We walked towards where the tank was, it was now distroyed and we were ready to search for both Carl and Judith. To get us out of here, along with any other survivors that may be around.
DPOV
What caught my eye, was Kat was pinned to the ground, along with Rick and Kat suddenly got stabbed. Her whole body limp on the ground as she was gaping up at the Governor. "No!" I screamed, my heart sank and shattered. A fire building within me while I felt a few tears escape me and hit the ground as I laid there with the walker above me. "Kat..." I mumbled her name, quickly, I felt the anger boil inside me. They're going to die. Every single one of them.
Turning the walker to lay in front, I gradually got to my feet and used it as a shield. Walking toward the line of men, I pulled the pin and threw a grenade towards them. Killing a few of them that stood beside the tank. When they were killed, I dropped the walker and pushed through walkers that were getting closer, shooting them down as I reached the tank. Pulling out another grenade, I pulled the pin and threw it into the tube that would make the grenade fall into the tank.
The grenade rattling as it fell inside. "Grenade!" the man screamed before he climbed out, it was the same prick who called Rick an asshole. The same one who was the Governor's new bitch, watching him fall to the ground, he stumbled to his feet and turned to look at me. I had my crossbow ready, my eyes slints as I gleared at him. He raised his hand as though in surrender, I didn't care.
You pricks. You came in here, disagreed with Rick and took the Governor's side. You killed Hershel. You killed Rick. You killed...Kat. For all I know, everyone is dead because of you and your boss. Without overthinking it, I shot him in the heart and watched as he fell to the floor. That's for Kat. I honestly didn't know why I chose his heart out of things to shoot, but...it felt right.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps run towards me. It was light footsteps, ones I could identify as Beths as she ran up behind me. "I was trying to find the kids to get them on the bus," she told me while I looked around, seeing the walkers notice us and make their way towards us.
"We got to go, Beth," I told her, using her name and shaking my head. "We got to go," I repeated. Without another word, we turned and ran, escaping the prison and heading towards the woods. Leaving behind those we loved, those we saw as family and those that...I can't believe they're all...dead.
RPOV
Me and Kat were walking, during the fight and seeing Kat almost die, it was driving me crazy. It had me worried and I was pleased to see she was still breathing, it was only a cut and it could be easily stitched and fixed. She supported me as we wandered towards the court, looking for Carl and calling out to him. We had summoned a pair of walkers by accident, stumbling back, Kat went to reach for her gun and was aiming her gun. Suddenly, two shots were fired, but not from her gun. Carl appearing to us from behind all the smoke that was lifted from the fight.
Sobbing, myself and Kat walked by ourselves as we wandered to Carl. Carl joining us in the middle, the three of us hugging each other, blood pouring from my busted mouth and making me wallow in my sorrows. "Judith. Where is she?" I asked him.
"I don't know," Carl informed us, making my heart skip a beat. Lord...please let her be safe. I almost lost one child today, I can't stand losing another. With the support of Carl, he helped me to stay on my feet, Kat was stumbling beside us but she was stronger than I was. That bastard, almost cutting her up like a piece of meat.
We continued to walk, until we saw the baby seat we had got Judith on a run. Walking closer, I felt my heart sink and shatter into a million pieces. "Oh my God..." Kat whispered shocked to find what we had discovered. Blood splattered all over the seat, no sign of Judith and we knew that she was dead.
"No," I sobbed, unable to control the tears and how my body shook with overwhelming sadness. Suddenly, Carl turned his head to one side and walked ahead. The three of us sobbing and in pain over the loss of Judith. Carl walked towards the walkers and shot them down, he continued to shoot until he was out of ammo. "Carl," I called to him. "Carl," I tried again, this time, I came up behind him and hugged him from behind. Stopping him from shooting anymore, Carl too began to sob, Kat wandered over to us, the three of us hugging as Carl dropped the gun, turned around and clutched us.
"We've got to get out of here. We've got to go," I told them, my voice muffled from the blood that kept pouring out of my mouth. We've lost Hershel, we lost everyone. We've even lost Judith and we almost lost Kat. All because of one asshole.
"Shh. Shh. Shh. It's over. It's over. It's over," Kat spoke, her tone comforting as she held us both, her hands bloody and her fingers trying to smooth out our hair. Reminding me of Lori and how she would do that to us, her tone soft and caring. Without another word, we escaped and headed towards the woods, Carl supporting me as Kat followed behind.
"Don't look back, Carl and Kat. Just keep walking," I instructed, not wanting them to look back as we walked. Everything we worked so hard for, to protect and to maintain. All we had built out of it...destroyed in the matter of minutes.
CPOV
I heard faint calling from the court, where the fences used to be. A thick smoke clouding my vision, stepping closer, I saw dad and Kat, both of them a mess and injured from the fight. The familiar sound of snarling told me walkers were ahead of them, shooting them down, it then revealed Dad and Kat to me. Dad sobbed as he walked to me, Kat following closely beside him and we all met in the middle, hugging each other tightly. "Judith. Where is she?" Dad asked me.
We pulled away, Kat and Dad both staring down at me, my blue eyes flashing between the pair of them. "I don't know," I told them truthfully. Supporting dad, Kat limped beside us as we headed towards an entrance, to look for Judith. This was when I froze, seeing the car seat we had got her, empty and none of us dared to walk towards it.
Kat was the first to make her way to it, following her, we drew closer to the car seat and I felt myself freeze over. It was bloody, empty and there was no trace of Judith anywhere. "Oh my God..." Kat whispered in shock. My heart sank, the realization that I failed her made the pain worse. I failed to protect Judy. I failed mom. I failed everyone.
"No," Dad said, sobbing as Kat too sobbed down at the empty seat. Anger filled my veins, moving towards to stumbling walkers, I raised my gun and shot at them. I kept shooting even if there was no more ammo to use. "Carl," Dad called to me. "Carl," Dad called a little louder, heading towards me as Kat followed. Dad took hold of me, stopping me from shooting as I sobbed and dropped my gun. Kat hugging us, turning to face them as I sobbed into their chests. "We've got to get out of here. We've got to go," Dad said to us, trying to convince us to leave this place.
"Shh. Shh. Shh. It's over. It's over. It's over," Kat said soothingly, her voice thick from her sadness, we were all drowning in our tears, her hand resting on my head and her fingers running through mine and dad's hair. Reminding me of mom and how she would comfort me.
We made our way out, about to enter the woods, I stopped and helped to keep dad on his feet. Kat following behind. "Don't look back, Carl and Kat. Just keep walking," Dad told us, making me feel helpless and hopeless. Our safety, our family and everything we've fought for...gone. Vanished.
KPOV
Myself and Dad had reached the court, calling for Carl and trying to find him behind all the smoke. The sound of snarling startled us, raising my gun, I was ready to shoot but the walkers dropped to the floor after a few gunshots. Gunshots that came from Carl. Myself and dad were sobbing as we wandered to Carl, letting go of one another to meet halfway in a tight hug. "Judith. Where is she?" Dad asked Carl as we looked down at him.
Carl stared up at us, his bright blues light and sad. "I don't know," he told us softly, his eyes glancing between me and dad. Without another word, we walked forward and I felt myself become weak from the pain, seeing Carl guide dad and all while I followed beside them. Clutching my wound, adding pressure as to not die from bloodloss.
We continued to walk, suddenly surprised when I saw that Judith's car seat was empty. No one dared to move closer, so I decided to grow a pair and felt a pull lead me to the seat. My heart shattered when I saw that Judith wasn't inside, there was no trace of her and blood splattered all over it. "Oh my God..." I whispered before I began to sob uncontrollably. She's dead. I failed her. My baby girl...to think this morning she was happily with me, and now...she's...gone. No!
"No," dad said what I thought, sobbing as he stared down at the bloodied seat. Carl wandered towards two walkers that approached us, shooting them and continuing to shoot them. "Carl," dad called to him hoping to stop his sudden rage. "Carl," he tried again, walking towards him and restraining him in a hug. Carl sobbed as he dropped his gun, walking to them we hugged each other tightly. Drowing in our sorrows and in our loss. "We've got to get out of here. We've got to go," Dad said as he tried to motivate us to leave.
"Shh. Shh. Shh. It's over. It's over. It's over," I comforted Carl and Dad, my hand resting on their heads and my fingers running through their hair. My tone was soft, ignoring the snarling of walkers as we slowly pulled away. Carl supporting Dad as I walked behind, following them and trying to find some sort of exit.
"Don't look back, Carl and Kat. Just keep walking," Dad said as we stopped, reaching the woods and finished climbing up a small hill. Doing as he said, we kept walking and hid into the woods. All we were protecting, all the people we've lost and loved. It's all destroyed. So much death, destruction and I have no idea how I'm going to keep going if this is all that there is of this world...
What did you think of this chapter? I'll tell you one thing, it was intense to write. Hope you enjoyed it. Can I please get 10 reviews for this chapter? It will be a great help and would be amazing to see your responses to this chapter.
Now...first the questions and then replies.
1) What did you think of this chapter?
2) Top 5 moments?
3) What would you like to see next?
4) Was there anything you'd like to change about this chapter?
5) Do you think Kat will survive her new battle wound?
Now...replies!
redangel2463: Thank you for your concern! 1) Glad that was your reaction. 2) I just wanted to show the readers how unaware the pair are, but the others are clearly picking up their vibes towards one another. 3) We'll see! 4, 5, 6) Guess this clears up your thoughts? She's with family, and it shouldn't really surprise anyone...really.
Fangirl1510: Sadly, you don't find out what Kat does in that flashback just yet. Let's say...you'll find out when you find out.
EastDenise: I see your point, but...if you think about it. The most drama they'll get there is that people attack them again, people dying and walkers breeching the fences. The way I see it, I think they would of needed to leave anyway it would have turned out. The fences were caved in once, who's to say it wouldn't happen again?
boo1403: Thank you, hope you liked this chapter!
Panboa: First of all, thank you. 1) Here you have it then, hope it was satisfying enough. 2) I'm glad you liked those moments. I liked those too. 3) Glenn moment with Kat, done. Judith moment with Kat, done. 4) I understand that, but I have already decided to make a scene where there is a slight confrontation between the Grimes. They'll definately will be talking about their flaws, coming to terms with themselves and being open about it. Sort of like, self discovery if you ask me. I can see why you'd think she hasn't got any flaws but...she actually has many. Which...you'll see Rick telling her what they are. But as you've seen in this chapter, a flaw she has is, she's wreckless when it comes to her priorities and family. She does learn a lot from others, she's learnt most of her skills from Daryl and the way she acts is from both her mother and from her father. But, she tends to want to be herself, even if she has to adapt to the world that surrounds her. If you understand what I mean? 5) Oh, Negan? I know, but I doubt he'll be saying 'fuck' like he does in the comics. As for the Governor's attack...I hope this lived to your standards, maybe even surprise you? 6) No, I won't let Beth's lime light be dimmed or extinguished. I'm only tweaking some moments to show how Kat has captured Daryl's thoughts, how he tries to carry on and of course...Beth saves him in many ways. She's crutial for his development as a character. I'm creative, but I don't like twisting characters in ways that make them seem unlike themselves. For Daryl, it will be a silent internal war for him, facing his facts and trying to continue for Beth. It's sort of like a responsibility to her, himself and to Hershel.
Guest: 1) That makes me very happy. 2) I'm glad you liked those moments, I agree that moment was my favourite. She does care about Carol, but she cares about fair trials and also...I know how Kat works, so I know why she's so protective of Carol in the way she was. You'll eventually find out too soon. 3) Well done at pointing out the shift, but they bounce off each other. At times Rick will step up, not just as the leader but as the father. Kat has taken the role of a mother, which is how she acts with Judith and sometimes, even her father. She needs to keep them in track, just like they keep her in track too. They kind of bounce and reflect each other in different ways. 4) I'll take that into account. Thank you. 5) Sadly, neither of them will happen but...it's going to be good development for these three characters. Along with Daryl being seperated with Beth. 6) Glad you do.
Jojolyn: I hope Carl acted more like a kid to you towards the beginning, as for Kat and Daryl...nope. Sorry!
miller: Carl? Well, we all have our own oppinion. As for Kat and Daryl, I'm glad you like them but they won't be travelling together.
Until the 10 reviews...
Much love!
HeroJustInTime90 xxx
