hi guys, so sorry for long delay. Hope you enjoy this chapter. The upcoming chapters will be a lot more Richonne based.
Let the right one in
Chapter Three: Bargain
Daryl stood statue still in the watch tower, his tired eyes surveying the land like a bird of prey hunting.
The archer knew it was getting late from the slight chill in the air and occasional sound of bats in a near by tree. He was almost about to turn in for the night. His eyes felt heavy, exhausted, until something moved in the distance, snatching his attention sharply back to the present.
He grabbed for the binoculars still tied around his neck and peered through the lens, searching manically for the disturbance.
It was hard to make out at first in the darkness. At one point he thought that walkers had somehow made their way into the yard, that thought was short lived.
The silhouettes were of people, human people, moving urgently towards the gated fence. Daryl looked again, trying desperately to make out their faces but the darkness was beyond dominant. He decided to arm himself with the bullet proof attire that was kept in the tower for situations such as this, and move towards the fence, crossbow engaged.
When he reached the gate a familiar voice called out to him, it was Glenn.
"Did anyone follow you?"
Rick's tone was hard to make out as they stood facing each other in the canteen. There was definitely relief, although an undercurrent of worry was hard not to detect.
"No one followed us" Glenn replied, deliberately emphasizing his annoyance with the leader. He and Maggie had barely made it out alive, Rick's concern was not the best timed.
Rick obviously noticed the subtleties because he looked up and apologised, he meant no offensive.
"Sorry. It's just we've been told this Governor is bad news"
"Damn right he's bad news!" Glenn spat.
"We were lucky to get out"
That sentence hung in the air between the four of them, a divide in understanding of what the couple had been through at Woodbury. Rick was reluctant to ask, he wondered if now was the right time, Glenn seemed irritated rather than scared.
Only Rick and Daryl knew of their return. The rest of the group were in their cells, oblivious. Daryl had alerted Rick the moment Glenn and Maggie had ventured towards the prison, relieved to find the leader still awake.
"They'll be shearchin for us" Maggie stated, her voice jittery "I guarantee it"
"This Michonne...if she knows the Governor...can we trust her?" Glenn asked.
Rick looked to his boots as he thought over the question, unfortunately there was no right answer.
"I hope so" Was all he could manage.
This response hardly filled Glenn with confidence, he huffed in annoyance, taking Rick by surprise.
"Well you better know, because this town, this guy, they'll be looking for the prison and he won't stop"
Rick was disturbed by this information, he stepped closer to Glenn, closing the distance.
"Wait, they know of the prison?" he asked.
"He forced us to tell him. We had no choice. He tied us up and set walkers on us, he..." Glenn stopped mid sentence. It was almost as if the next words were too painful, too poisonous to speak.
Rick squeezed Glenn's shoulder in reassurance. "Hey, you did what you had to do. Your'e back here now, that's all that matters"
The next morning Glenn and Maggie were reunited with the others. Warm hugs of affection were passed between the group as they welcomed them back with much relief. Hershel was beyond relieved to find his daughter safe and unharmed. He couldn't put into words the gratitude he felt towards Glenn for protecting his eldest, although he could tell more had went down at Woodbury than the couple were letting on.
Michonne stood at length watching quietly, almost not there. A small hint of a smile flickered across her lips as she watched the group reunite. She was touched by how happy they were to see one another, a genuine respect for each member was apparent.
She wondered what her place within the group would be if she did happen to stay here for the long haul, she hoped she could.
Rick introduced Michonne to the returning members who greeted her with much suspicion. Glenn asked her if she had any intention of returning to Woodbury, to which she replied no.
Rick then wasted no time reminding her in front of everyone, that this set up was only temporary. His stare bore down into her eyes like an electric current. Sparks of heat flying off between the pair as their eyes met. Michonne searched his face.
His stance was aggressive, his body tense with certainty but his eyes gave him away. They were kind eyes, Michonne decided. Eyes which tired desperately to convey a message that the leader didn't quite believe himself.
Maybe he was trying to keep face in front of his group? Whatever his reasons, Michonne was not convinced just yet.
The next couple of days at the prison felt tense. A heavy atmosphere thick with worry had surrounded the building like an unrelenting fog, sapping everyone of their energy.
The group knew it was only a matter of time before the Governor would eventually find them.
Glenn had reassured Rick that the prison's whereabouts were still unknown to the Governor, that he and Maggie had managed to escape before those details were given.
Rick however was on the brink. His mind was like a pool of deep conflicting thoughts. One moment he was speaking coherently to Hershel about their situation and the next he was relapsing back into a fragile state where he chased visions his mind gave life to.
The group could see their leader unravelling before them. This new stress beat down onto Rick's shoulders like a crushing weight he couldn't shake off and his sanity was the price.
Everyone apart from Hershel was giving Rick the space he needed, too frightened of speaking out against the madness and making his situation potentially worse.
Hershel however did not see it this way. He was growing agitated, tired with the leader's reluctance to see sense and he chose his moment wisely.
Michonne was perched on her bunk in the holding cell, cleaning her boots when she heard the deep, male voices through the doorway. She stood up and moved towards the cell's door intrigued.
She pined her ear between a row of bars, the cold chill of the metal shocking her skin.
She could instantly tell the voices belonged to Hershel and Rick. The two men were engaged in a heated discussion. Hershel's voice grew louder as he made his point, refusing to back down.
"This needs to stop now!" The older man barked, his tone was far from sympathetic.
"Now we've all given you the time ya needed, the space ya needed but this has to stop now. No more runnin' off...or hidin' in the basement. There's a real threat now Rick from the outside that doesn't involve walkers. We need to fight for this place and we can't do it without our leader"
Michonne struggled to hear anything else. Her breathing slowed in an attempt to hear over the faintest noise, but nothing. Suddenly Rick stomped round the corner from the shadowy doorway, his face was pained with lines of annoyance.
He looked across from the passageway, meeting Michonne's eyes through the metal bars just as she retreated, hastily back to the centre of the cell.
Rick was silent for some time until a slight smile tugged at his lips. He tilted his head in her direction, blue eyes penetrating.
"Were you eves droppin'?"
Michonne felt like a child who had been caught red handed, butterflies raced in her stomach and she wondered why.
"Was kinda hard not to"
Rick sighed, running a hand through his mess of unruly curls.
"I need you to help me with somethang?"
It was more a question than a demand and Michonne was happy to oblige. Rick edged towards the cell, tugging the key from his pocket he unlocked the door, allowing her to step outside. Michonne found it odd how Rick requested help but didn't trust her enough to allow her freedom in the prison. He was becoming more relaxed around her, that much was true, but she couldn't help but wonder if keeping her locked up was somehow just for show.
"Me and Carl, we've been plantin' veg in the yard"
"I know" she responded.
"Anyway...we kind of need to get finished today and I was wonderin' if you could check the snares for me?"
Michonne was shocked, utterly shocked. Maybe Rick had lost his mind after all.
"Hold on a mintue...you want me to go outside the prison gates...on my own and check the snares?"
Rick nodded.
"Your'e full of contradictions aren't you? Aren't you worried that I'll run off?"
The leader looked up from the floor, hands perched firmly on narrow hips.
"You run now, makes no odds. We're already in trouble and least if you do I'll know where your loyalties lie"
He was testing her, giving her an opportunity to head back to Woodbury and confirm his suspicions.
Michonne's face hardened in the dim light, Rick was affording her the chance to prove herself. He wanted her to stay?
"I'll go now"
Rick watched her walk, the sway to those shapely hips had him fascinated.
Michonne searched for the snares located in the patch of forest outside the prison gates. Rick had told her to keep watch for walkers, but assured her the area had been free of them for days after he and Daryl had cleared it for hunting.
It was oddly peaceful in the forest. Only the sounds of crickets and chirp of birds surrounded her, no moans or wails from the undead.
She found the first snare with a rabbit held firm in it's deathly clutches, a fresh kill from this morning maybe. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the creature as she freed it from the trap, placing it inside the bag Rick had gave her.
Suddenly a sharp point dug into her lower back, the sound of feet crunching through dry leaves startled her and she knew without doubt she was in trouble.
"Well looky here"
That voice. She knew it.
The tone was anything but friendly, the manner patronising.
"Why don't ya turn round now, let me look at ya"
Michonne winched. She was unarmed and vulnerable, outside the prison yard with no way of alerting Rick and his group.
She turned slowly on the heels of her boots, imprinting marks through the dried mud until she was face to face with the stranger. Only he wasn't a stranger, unfortunately.
Merle glared into her emotionless eyes. His lined face soaked in sunlight pulled into a smug grin, revealing stained teeth.
"Well girl, what are the odds of findin ya out here"
She could now clearly see the knife attached like an extra limb to the contraception where his left hand used to be.
"Me and you have some unfinished business, don't ya think?"
Michonne wanted to run from him, turn and head back towards the prison but she knew he would follow her.
Without warning Merle grabbed Michonne's arm and pined her so her back was flush against his chest, the blade of the knife once again digging into her dark skin.
"Looks like I've found the two things I've been lookin' for"
Merle pushed Michonne towards the large gates of the prison, calling out for whoever to open them.
Rick was tending to crops in the yard when he heard the bellowing from outside, he ran towards the gates with haste, already sensing something was wrong. To find Merle standing there, still very much alive, knife to Michonne's throat with an equal look of shock, was the last thing the leader had expected.
"Officer friendly!?" Merle announced, his grip tightening around Michonne's neck like a python's coil.
"We have a lot to talk 'bout"
Rick and Merle sat facing each other in the canteen, the atmosphere thick with tension.
The leader wondered what this discovery would mean for the rest of his group, especially Daryl. Everyone had suspected Merle to be dead and he was bound to still be pissed off at the ex cop for handcuffing him to a roof, not one of Rick's finest decisions.
"My brother? He alive?" Merle was the first to break the silence, snapping Rick from his thoughts.
Rick nodded slowly, meeting the other man's eyes from across the table.
"Is he here?"
"Yeah"
Merle's shoulders seemed to relax, a genuine look of relief crossed his features momentarily before he hunched forwards on his seat. The mad glint to his eyes only reminded Rick of the live wire Merle truly was. Untrustworthy at best.
"How do you know Michonne?"
"That girl Michonne is one of the reasons I'm here. The Governor...a man who makes ya worst nightmare look like Christmas, wants her back"
"You work for the Governor?" Everything was starting to make sense.
"Yep. He put a roof over my head, makes a change from being handcuffed to one"
Rick held Merle's gaze, he wasn't prepared to apologise for their awkward history.
"And my baby brother must of known you did that...and still he stays by ya side like a loyal fuckin' dog"
"That's not my concern, why does the Governor want Michonne?"
Merle leaned in close to Rick's face, stale breath filling the air.
"Revenge" he sneered.
"That bitch killed something precious to him. Thing is, now I know where ya lil' hideout is and all it takes is one woman. One woman's life for all the lives in ya prison. Hand her over and all this goes away. Pizza boy and his girlfriend will be safe, ya'll be left alone"
Rick bit at his lip, the prospect of Giving Michonne up to the man she so obviously hated was not something he was prepared to do.
"And what if I don't"
Merle laughed, a sharp, ugly sound.
"You can kiss ya handsome ass and prison goodbye"
Rick snorted.
"He's got tanks, weapons, trained soldiers. Looks like all ya got is a few guns and a lost mind officer friendly"
"What will he do to her?"
Merle shrugged. "Play with her...hurt her...she'll probably be the sick bastards play thing. Hell, now Maggie's back here he'll be lookin' for a new one"
Rick rubbed his face, understanding now the trauma the couple must have gone through at Woodbury.
"How can I be sure he'll keep his word"
"You can't"
The leader thought over his options. The truth was he hardly knew Michonne, or where her loyalties actually lied. Even if Rick said no to Merle's sick proposition, the prison and his family would then be targets to a war they hadn't even started. If Rick did hand her over, at least he could say he tired to keep his family safe.
"Alright" his voice was quiet, hushed, almost in disbelief from his own cowardice.
"Well shit...your as cold as ice officer friendly"
Michonne was pacing her cell like a caged animal when Rick's silhouette startled her in the low light. Their eyes met through the bars and Rick had to look away.
The quilt was already too much.
Rick unlocked the cell, stepping inside he hooked long fingers through the loops of his worn jeans, feeling like something that had just crawled from a gutter.
"I'm sorry but you have to go back to Woodbury. You can't stay here"
Michonne's face was hard to read as she watched the leader fidget with his belt. He looked almost regretful, disappointed maybe?
"Why?"
Because I'm a fucking coward.
"This was only temporary. Thank you for your help but you need to leave. There's a car waiting for you. Merle will take you back"
Michonne felt like crying, the sting of tears already bubbling. She kept face though, how could she think that Rick would be any different when it came to his own safety. This world was nothing more that a survival game, where kindness could end up killing you.
She looked to the ground and nodded, her luck had finally run out.
It was quiet when Michonne made her way slowly towards the car where Merle waited. The other prison members were busy with their daily tasks to acknowledge her leaving. She wanted desperately to say goodbye to Hershel and thank him for tending to her leg with such kindness, unfortunately it was a missed opportunity.
Rick escorted her gingerly towards the car with not a word spoken. He opened the passenger door, deliberately avoiding her eyes. She slid in next to Merle who started the engine, the car roared to life.
"All the best Michonne" Rick said, this time locking eyes with her. She couldn't maintain the contact for long though, part of her wanting to kill him.
The car then rolled towards the gates where Daryl waited ready to open them.
Merle wound down his window, calling out to his brother as the gates opened.
"Ya sure you don't want to come back with me little brother?"
"Can't Merle, sorry, good luck brother"
Rick felt like a monster as he walked aimlessly around the prison, dragging his exhausted body from cell block to cell block.
He hated with a passion the person he was becoming. Someone so weak, someone who only cared what mattered to them. The more he thought about what could possibly be in store for Michonne the more he regretted his decision. He found Hershel outside in the yard. The old man was hunched over the pig sty, scattering a generous helping of food into the pen.
"I've made a bad call" Rick said from nowhere, startling Hershel from his position on the ground. He stood up to face the leader, who's eyes were glazed with worry.
"Michonne...I've handed her over to the Governor in exchange for our safety. God knows what he'll do to her. I can't...live with this. What have I done?"
"When did they leave?" Hershel asked.
"bout...ten minutes ago" Rick answered looking to his watch.
"There's still time to stop this Rick"
Michonne sat like a shell, her face emotionless and cold. The journey so far had been bathed in silence, neither attempting to speak to the other.
Merle however was finding the silence irritating, he turned to Michonne, studying her face with menacing eyes.
"Ya seem awful quiet there girl, you almost seem happy to be going back"
Michonne didn't answer, choosing to focus on the road ahead.
"Officer Friendly's a piece of work ain't he? sellin' you off to save his own ass, now you know where his loyalties lie"
"Just like you know where your brother's lie" Michonne mocked.
"Little brother's confused is all. That prick Rick wouldn't think of him when shit hits the fan, the bastard cuffed me to a roof for Christ sake"
"I can see why"
Merle turned to watch her, his annoyance growing be the second.
"Iv'e seen them together, Rick respects him, trusts him. Can you say the same for the Governor" Michonne asked, sarcasm evident.
"Why do you trust the Governor anyway? You really think he cares about you?" she added.
"The man put a roof over my head girl when I was down and out"
"I know, he did the same for me, but when we get back to Woodbury he will kill me. He changes like the wind. You think he respects you...he's using you like a lap dog, he couldn't give a shit about you or anyone else in that community, why don't you do want you think is right, rather than what he tells you to do"
Merle thought over her statement, the truth hurt and she knew it just as well as he did. There was still some sense of decency in Merle's tormented soul. He understood that handing Michonne off to the Governor like a pretty toy was just as bad as what the creep had in store for her. Merle knew who the Governor was. He had seen it. Like Jackal and Hyde the man could turn, a psychopathic leader intent on only serving his own selfish desires.
Throughout their troubled history Merle had always respected Michonne, he would even go so far as to say he liked her. Could he hand her off and let her rot under the control of the Governor, was he really that cold?
The car suddenly stopped to an abrupt halt. Merle reached passed Michonne to the passenger door, slinging it open while untying her bound hands.
"What are you doing?" She asked in confusion.
"Get out" he ordered.
"Ya on ya own now girl. That bastard can find a new toy"
He tossed her Katana from the back seat.
Michonne was shocked, she could only nod in apprehension as Merle smiled before winking, watching in disbelief as he continued on his way.
Michonne was heading slowly back to prison, the only place she knew to be even remotely safe.
The sound of a car's engine was heard in the distance and Michonne was not about to take any chances. She ducked into the bushes lined by the road, watching with dark eyes as the car rolled to a gentle stop.
The man who got out looked to be searching for something.
Rick.