Editors note: I hope you all are enjoying the story. Reviews are appreciated!
Rick, Tyreese, Glenn, Daryl, Michonne and Andrea left the prison at dusk armed and loaded. Jo couldn't stand to say goodbye to Daryl. She perched on the railing atop the watch tower as the truck pulled out. Daryl waved to her from the truck bed and hollered, "See ya soon!"
Jo trusted and believed in the group, but she was terrified for their safety.
Michonne, Andrea and Daryl had crafted the plan to hunt down the Governor. Michonne and Andrea knew where his quarters were and where Milton's research lab was located. They knew wherever Milton was, the Governor wouldn't be far behind.
"He's been doing research on walkers," Andrea had said. "I think the Governor was hoping for a cure for his daughter. Why else would he keep her?"
The group arrived outside of Woodbury at nightfall. They split into two groups – Michonne, Andrea and Tyreese were heading to the Governor's quarters, while Rick, Daryl and Glenn headed to Milton's research lab.
The streets were bare due to the curfew and after their last rescue their defenses were diminished. Andrea guessed the ones who survived were holed up with the Governor, protecting what they could.
Michonne used a tree branch to climb over the wall on the east side of the town. She landed lightly on her feet, her katana raised. She assured the alley was clear before whistling. Tyreese boosted Andrea up and followed her over the wall.
The group snuck into the main building through a side door. It was quiet, eerily quiet. Michonne motioned for the group to stop as she checked the room. It was all clear as Andrea and Tyreese entered. The room was a mess – dressers overturned, the bed thrown against a wall, broken glass on the floor.
"What the hell happened here?" Andrea asked.
"Looks like they've fled," Tyreese said.
Michonne moved quickly up the stairs. She approached the Governor's room stealthily. Leaning her ear against the door, she heard nothing. Slowly, she turned the doorknob and entered the hidden room where he'd kept Penny and found it sparklingly clean. Michonne snarled as Andrea and Tyreese entered behind her.
"Something is up. He'd never leave his kingdom," Michonne said.
Rick, Daryl and Glenn entered Woodbury from the west. The same as the first group, they saw no guards.
"We couldn't have injured their defenses this much. Where is everybody?" Rick said as they entered the building housing Milton's lab. They entered cautiously, but saw no one. The building was a mess. They stepped over upturned furniture and walked down the stairs. The lab was completely destroyed, all signs of life gone.
Daryl stepped over shattered test tubes and unknown liquids. "The fuck is everyone?" he asked.
"They're gone," Glenn answered
The group moved out of the building, meeting up with the other three in the street.
"The place is deserted. We should get back now," Rick said urgently.
"Where are all the people though?" Andrea said. "They didn't have enough cars here to transport them all."
Michonne strode toward a home and peeked in the window. A snarl escaped her lips. Rick and Daryl ran to her side and looked in. The bodies of two adults and three children lay in the living room. Bullet holes were sprayed into the walls, accentuated with blood splatter.
"Jesus Christ, they fucking killed everyone!" Daryl said, reeling backward. "We have to get back. What if they're going to the prison?"
Michonne had walked three houses down, checking each. Tears had sprung into Andrea's eyes and Rick braced himself, leaning on his knees.
"All the houses are the same," Michonne said as she approached the group. "They killed them all."
"Lets go! Now!" Rick yelled as they sprinted toward the gate.
"Fuck!" Daryl added.
They took out a few walkers as they ran to the truck. Daryl, Glenn, Tyreese and Michonne jumped into the bed while Rick and Andrea got in the cab.
Daryl banged on the side of the truck. "Lets go!" he yelled.
Rick peeled out. They saw no one on the road, but as they approached the prison Rick killed the headlights. A Jeep was parked a mile out. Daryl jumped out the back, inspecting the vehicle.
Jo remained atop the watch tower as the dust settled from the speeding truck carrying the team to Woodbury. She watched walkers amble outside the gates thinking about her future…if she had one. She sighed and descended the stairs. She thought about Daryl, fantasizing about a life she would probably never attain.
She imagined a quaint cottage atop a hill with the morning sun shining in the sky. A young boy with copper hair and blue eyes ran through the yard. Daryl approached her from behind as she held a chubby, green-eyed daughter.
Jo smiled, lost in her daydream as she exited the tower. A giggle escaped her lips as she closed the door. That giggle turned into a gasp as the barrel of a gun stabbed into her back.
The Governor's growl followed. "Walk."