Three weeks have past and there has intermittent rain and dreary clouds most of the time with the exception of a hint of sunlight here and there. Every abled body individual has been contributing to the fortifications of the cul de sac. There have been a couple of walkers wandering around the perimeter but for the most part everything and everybody has been very quiet.
The constant overcast in sky appears to be the proper backdrop for the post Terminus group after losing Carol a few weeks ago. Never taking anything away from Tara and Eugene but, Carol had been with Rick, Daryl and Glenn from the very beginning. In some ways the mood of everyone was that of waiting to die instead of the having the desire to live. Not survive …but live.
Rick had been taking Michonne's advice and staying close to home with his kids in the evening. Carl had stopped by Bob's and Sasha's a few times to see Michonne, but Carl was enjoying the company of his father and Judith. He wasn't even as freaked out as he used to be about Jane anymore, especially since his father had started sleeping on the futon in the living room downstairs. On occasion when the sun would peek out during the day, Rick would stop to take a break from the work to walk Judith around the front yard while Jane stood in the door way and watched.
Rick was able to see his people on a regular basis because they were all involved with fortifying the neighborhood. But he had to go to Bob's and Sasha's to see Michonne. When Rick would knock on the door she would tell him to either come back tomorrow or she just wouldn't answer the door at all. The only way Rick knew that she was alright was by asking Sasha or Bob if they had seen her that morning. Even then she would only let Bob or Sasha in her room in the morning. When she would let them come in to check on her they had to bring one day's worth of food because it was most likely she had no plans of coming out of the room unless it was to use the bathroom. Everyone knew "this" Michonne well enough to know that, this was the Michonne that would usually leave for a few days sometimes a week back at the prison.
But this actually wasn't the same thing; Michonne had been watching the day to day activities of the cul de sac from her window while she healed. She didn't like having to rely on people to take care of her…to look after her. During the first three weeks she laid in bed most of the time thinking about the prison group, Andrea, Hershel, Daryl and Karl, Judith and Andre', Mike and Rick. By the fourth week she had started to feel less pain in her ribs so she started a modest workout routine. By week 5 she was working out as though she was training for the Olympics again, 100 pushups here 75 sit-ups there. However, deep inside she knew that something was missing and she was aware that every day that she continued to stay locked away from the world it was going to be that much harder to locate. The night when the three men tried to rape her they took away the one thing that had been keeping her alive all this time.
One day there was a knock at her door first thing in the morning. "Michonne, its Sasha but I am not alone. I'm with Maggie, Rosita and Jane we want to talk to you for 10 minutes and then we will leave." Sasha says in a semi-low voice through the door. Michonne quickly opens the door and walks back over to the window, "So ladies, what's up?" She said in a bothered tone. Rosita closes the door behind her then follows the four women over to where Michonne standing. Sasha looks around at the women hoping that they would speak up but they were always nervous around Michonne.
Michonne stops looking out the window and looks at the four women still feeling bothered by their presence. But she furrows her brow and changes the look on her face when she observes the uneasiness in their faces. She pushes herself off the window sill and says, "What, what is it? Did something happen?" she says with great concern. "No, everything is fine." Maggie says with a jumpy voice. "Michonne we need…" Sasha starts off then she changes her words, "…We really want you to communicate with us more. What happened to you last month shouldn't have happened. We get it, you're complicated and you're a badass and you may not like being considered a 'woman' but you are one of us when it comes right down to it." Sasha's tells her pacing the bedroom floor. The room goes silent a little, then Rosita chimes in, "Yea Chonne' I mean, all of us should be able to find some kind of sisterhood especially since we have something that men will never have…a fucking period." All four women burst in to laughter at Rosita comment.
"Seriously, as women before all this happened we were always being hunted by men. There were some civility and laws that provided some security for us. But now it's just …" Sasha says with much regret, "us." Maggie touches Michonne's shoulder, "You know Daddy wouldn't want to see you cut off from the group like this especially cutting yourself off from the females now… that we lost Carol. Believe it or not we are the most prized possession in this group besides Karl and Judith."
Everybody looks at Jane to see if she will say something. "Michonne we get it. You have epitomized yourself as a warrior that is a match for any man or women. But you are still a woman. And just like men have their 'inside jokes' and chuckles we need that too." Jane tells her.
Michonne is surprised and hurt by her own actions, if she came off in an unapproachable manner that the four of them are speaking of. She walks to the middle of the room, "I am sorry if I made you feel like I was….standoffish. That certainly was not my intent. You're right, there is bond that we need amongst us that is a necessity to our..." She pauses momentarily, "…to our living that is vital." "I don't want any of you to be afraid to talk to me." Michonne walks over to the window on the right, "Listen, I promise I will communicate more with all you soon, it's just that…" Michonne looks at the four women then looks back out the window, "… I-I misplaced something and I won't be any use to the group until I find it."
This is something that all four women were relieved to hear. They kept thinking that she was on a level of power that they could never achieve. Her statement let them know that they were just as strong and just as vulnerable as she was.
"I have been working out like a gladiator but the one thing that I can't bring myself to do is leave this room" she says to her shame. Rosita walks over to her and says with empathy in her voice, "Your 'misplaced' item will never be found as long as you hide in this room."
Michonne collects her emotions and walks toward the bedroom door and gently places her hand on the doorknob and opens it, "I'm glad the four of you stopped by, and I will be out soon. 'Sisters', would make allowances for that with no questions asked…if need be."
The women walk out the bedroom, Jane being the last to leave stops by the open the door and quickly hugs Michonne and whispers in her ear, "You can always talk to me, whatever it is." Jane lets go of her slowly looking in her eyes as Maggie, Sasha and Rosita go down the stairs.
Rosita looks behind her because she doesn't hear Jane's footsteps so she turns around and sees Jane whispering something in Michonne's ear. Ever since the group left Terminus she never really cared for Jane. Jane reminded her of the street hustlers and scam artists that she used to keep company with in the old world. Rosita noticed that Jane was always smiling always too cheerful. She knew that anyone that happy all the time was fake and should never be trusted. However, now was not the time to address her issues with Jane, the main focus right now was to get Michonne out of that room and back in to world.
Michonne closed the door then sat back down on the bed and looked at her satchel and her trusted katana. She knew what Rosita said was right; she wasn't going to find what she was missing while remaining in hidden behind these for walls.
Michonne watched everyone leave the house for the day from her window while rubbing her forehead with her fingers. She turned around and began to stare at her satchel and her katana again. With an immediate sense of urgency she quickly walks across the room, puts her boots, grabs her satchel and katana and heads for the door. As she reaches for the door knob she felt a surge of panic and fear so she lets go. "Come Michonne", she whispers to herself, "there's too much at stake. If you don't find it you're as good as dead already." She slowly grabs the doorknob again but this time she opens the door and quickly runs down the stairs and heads for the back door.
Michonne opens the door a little to see if anyone is in the backyard, she sees that the fortifications haven't made it that far up the block and she can easily squeeze through chicken wired fence. She closes her eyes and inhales the moist morning air then she closes the door behind her heading for the open fields beyond the fence.
The next morning Tyreese goes to Michonne's room to bring her some food before everybody leaves for the day. He knocks on the door, "Michonne, can I come in I got something for you to eat while we're gone, Michonne?" Tyreese opens the door and walks in to the room. He looks at the around the empty bedroom then he sees that the bed is made up nice and neat. He leans his head back out in to the hallway, "Bob, Sasha come here quick!" He yells. Bob and Sasha come running up the stairs in a panic. "What's up?" Bob asks. "Look." When Bob and Sasha look around the room they see that Michonne has left. "Where would she go?" Tyreese says. Bob walks around the room and says, "Her bag and sword are gone too." Sasha presses her lips together and shakes her head then she goes back to the hallway and sits down on the top step. "Where do you think she went?" Bob asks the two of them. "Sasha does a quick chuckle then looks back at the two of them, "She went looking for something." "What?" Tyreese asks with a look of confusion on his face. Sasha looks down the stairs and says, "She went looking for her badass."
Sasha stands up and begins walking down the stairs, "Listen let's try and keep this to ourselves for a while. We don't want to upset everyone, especially Carl." "But what if Rick finds out or Daryl", Bob asks. Sasha get to the bottom of the stairs and starts to put on her jacket, "What the hell can we say, she grown would we have been able to stop her if we saw her leave?" Sasha opens the front door motioning the two to come on. "I know she'll be back as soon as she finds it."