The ground rumbled below Michonne's feet. She stepped away from Rick, spinning in the direction of the explosion. A large plume of grey smoke wafted from the south wall.
"No…" she said, in shock. Their world – their safe haven – was under attack.
"Michonne, we have to go," Rick said from behind her, though she hardly registered the words.
She felt a tug on her arm. "We have to find the kids!" Rick shouted.
Carl and Judith. The thought snapped Michonne out of her trance. She followed Rick back into the house. Daryl and Sasha were already armed and ready to go. Tyrese stood clutching a baseball bat, with a pistol holstered across his hip.
Daryl approached her. "You okay, 'Chonne?"
"Yeah, we're fine. I'm fine," Michonne corrected herself, focusing on Daryl to avoid Rick's eyes.
"Anyone get a look at the south wall?" Rick asked, checking the rounds in his Colt.
Rick had convinced Deanna to allow the constables to arm themselves since he had been reinstated and Michonne was especially grateful for that today. She grabbed her katana.
"From what I could see through the scope on my rifle, the south wall is on fire and a semi is backed into it," Sasha said. "Walkers are pouring out of the trailer…"
"Shit," Rick said. "We're gonna need ammo – lot's of it."
"What's the next move?" Tyrese asked.
"You, Sasha and Daryl can head to the armory. Hopefully the others are following the emergency protocol and have gathered there as well. Michonne and I are going to head to my house. We need to find Judith and Carl."
He looked her way for confirmation and Michonne nodded without hesitation. Her family was in danger, and unlike with Andre and Mike, she would be there for them, even if that meant joining forces with her least favorite person in the world.
"I'm goin' with you," Daryl said, standing beside Michonne.
"I need you to head to the armory with Sasha and Tyrese and make sure whoever attacked us doesn't get their hands on our weapons," Rick said.
"I'm not leaving Michonne's side," Daryl said.
Rick advanced, invading Daryl's space.
Michonne recognized the look on his face. Rick was on the verge of breaking. His meltdown was the last thing they needed, especially when their home was under attack. She placed her hands on both of their chests, pushing herself between them.
"Enough," Michonne said. "Daryl will come with us. Sasha and Tyrese work better as a team anyway. They are more than capable of reaching the armory. The others should be there as well, if they're following the plan." Michonne turned to Rick. "Plus we need all the help we can get to rescue Carl and Judith."
Rick's expression softened, the anger slowly falling away. "Fine, just keep him out of my way." He stomped over to a window and peered outside.
Michonne's heart wrenched at the thought of Rick and Daryl almost coming to blows. They had been best friends – brothers – before she had unintentionally wedged a wall between them. She and Rick had a very passionate and complicated history, while she and Daryl had grown closer since she'd moved into his house. His attempt to kiss her was a clear sign of his intentions and she may have let him do it, if Rick hadn't interrupted them.
Daryl had been there for her when Rick tossed her out like trash and she knew he would never turn his back on her. Michonne could see things developing further with Daryl, but Rick still had a hold on her heart and it was unbelievably hard to shake his grip.
"This area is clear for the time being, so we should move now," Rick said, rejoining the group. "It's getting dark out there, but we can use that to our advantage. Just stay low and move quick. And if you see anyone you don't recognize, take them out."
Sasha and Tyrese nodded, while Daryl just stood with his crossbow at the ready. His shaggy hair was pulled into a low ponytail, his leather vest tight across his firm chest. His strength and sensitivity had always appealed to Michonne. But she owed it to him to settle things with Rick first.
Rick cracked open the front door, sneaking a look outside. "It's clear. Let's go." He swung the door open and walked through, holding his Colt pistol at the ready. Michonne followed, scanning the surrounding area.
Tyrese and Sasha split off from the group, heading toward the armory. Daryl trailed behind Michonne.
All was eerily still. Screams and moans echoed in the distance, but Michonne stayed focused on her immediate surroundings; and on Rick sneaking forward and low in front of her. She tried not to notice how his fitted jeans embraced his tight behind.
They were only two houses down from Rick's place, which was bathed in darkness. She felt a tiny bit of hope at the thought that they might actually make it without having to kill anyone or put down any walkers. Her hope was short-lived.
A haggard man dressed in a dusty leather jacket and filthy jeans rounded the corner of the house to their left. He let out a battle cry as he spotted them. He charged, brandishing a machete, the light from the street lamps bouncing off his weapon.
Rick stood up straight and trained his gun on the crazed man.
"No!" Michonne said in a loud whisper. "If you shoot him, you'll draw walkers."
Rick holstered his Colt and waited. As the man reached them, Rick crouched and drove his shoulder into the guy's gut. He let out a loud grunt before Rick tackled to him to the ground. He punched the man once, rendering him unconscious.
Michonne had never thought someone as little as Rick could tackle a guy twice his size, but Rick was a sheriff's deputy. She tried to not be impressed.
Suddenly, someone yanked Michonne's locs from the left, her neck wrenching to the side. Tears stung her eyes.
"'Chonne!" she heard Daryl yell as she fell to the ground. The twang of him releasing an arrow from his crossbow vibrated in her ear. She looked up to see the outline of a woman standing over her, raising what appeared to be a baseball bat.
Two shots rang out and the woman collapsed to the ground – dead. Michonne wiped warm drops of the woman's blood from her face and sat up. Rick stood with his legs wide, his pistol aimed where the woman had been standing.
He ran over to Michonne, lifting her up by the arm. "Are you okay?" he asked, releasing her as she stood on her own.
"Yes, thank you," she said, massaging the side of her neck with her hand. She turned around to look at the woman who had almost ended her life. On her forehead was a "W" written in blood. "Who are these people?"
"I don't know," he said, "but we've got to keep moving before more of them show up. And the walkers won't be far behind."
Daryl joined them. "You alright?" he asked Michonne.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for having my back," she teased.
"Hey, I was busy takin' out two of those nutjobs," he said with a half-smile.
Rick had saved her life – which she both loved and resented him for – and yet she felt safer with Daryl in this moment than she did with him. Rick was sexy, exciting, complicated – and someone she felt she could no longer trust. Rescuing her from that madwoman had freed some of his emotional debt to her, but they still had a ways to go if he wanted to be anything more than her constable partner.
"We're almost there," Rick said, continuing toward his home.
Michonne and Daryl followed close behind. The sun had finally set completely and the light from the street lamps lit their way. Rick climbed the stairs of his house, walking quietly across the front porch. He reached the front door and inserted his key into the lock, taking a deep breath before pushing it open. Michonne and Daryl followed him into the dark foyer.
"Carl?" Rick called out. There was no response. "Carl! It's Dad!"
"Up here," Carl said from the top of the stairs. Lit candles placed along the stairs and in the foyer glowed and provided just enough light for them to make each other out.
"Thank God!" Rick said, running up the stairs to meet them. He hugged his kids, kissing Judith on the top of the head.
Michonne exhaled in relief at seeing Carl and Judith safe and sound. She smiled at the sight of the Grimes family reunited, wishing she was up there with them and not so far away, so distant. She tried to ignore the emptiness that rose at the thought.
"Rick!" Jessie squeaked from upstairs. She rushed out of the darkness, wrapping her arms around Rick and cradling her face against his chest. Her youngest son, Sam, trailed behind her.
Michonne's blood pressure rose, remembering the sight of Rick kissing her, and the anger flooded right back in.
Rick pried Jessie from his chest. "Glad to see you and Sam are okay. How did you two end up here?"
"This is the only place I could think to come when I heard the explosion. You're the only one who can keep us safe," Jessie said.
Michonne cleared her throat loudly. "We can't stay here. We're sitting ducks until we get our hands on some ammo."
"Michonne's right. We need to get to the armory ASAP," Rick said, stepping further away from Jessie.
"We can't leave," Jessie said, sniffling. "Ron is missing. He went to find his dad and isn't back yet. I couldn't stop him, Rick." She sobbed, her hands covering her face.
Rick put his hand on her shoulder, continuing to keep his distance. "I'm sorry, Jessie. But we have to go now. We can't afford to wait."
"No," Sam said, clinging to his mother. His cries mingled with Jessie's.
"What if comes back and no one's here? I can't leave him alone. I can't lose him." Jessie cried harder.
For the first time since she'd met Jessie, Michonne sympathized with the woman. She may not have been the most respectable or courageous person, but she was a mother who loved her children as fiercely as Michonne had loved Andre. Jessie wanted to protect her children but lacked the skills in this new world.
"I'll go," Michonne said. "Pete's place isn't too far from here."
"That's a bad idea," Rick said, descending the stairs. "Plus, we need you here with us."
"It'll take me five minutes, tops. If I'm not back by then, just head to the armory without me and I'll catch up."
"No," Daryl and Rick said in unison. They exchanged annoyed looks.
"Dad," Carl said. "If anyone can save Ron, it's Michonne. He's just a kid and has no idea what he's doing. He's going to get himself killed without help."
Rick looked back and forth between her and Carl. Michonne appreciated Carl's support and was proud of the man he was becoming – one who was concerned abut the well-being of others and not just himself. She imagined Rick felt the same pride that she did.
"Five minutes," he said. "If you're not back by then, I'm coming after you."
"Rick –" Michonne began to say, not comfortable with Rick risking his life for her, especially now that their relationship was more than a little rocky.
"It's non-negotiable," Rick said firmly.
Michonne could tell he had no plans to back down and she just wanted to get this over with. "Fine. Five minutes – no more, no less. I mean it, Rick."
He nodded in response, though she feared he was not in complete agreement.
"Be careful," Daryl said.
"I will," she said.
"Five minutes," Rick said. "I'm counting...beginning now."
"Thank you, Michonne," Jessie said, her cries finally subsiding.
Michonne nodded to her before heading out the door, not sure exactly why she had volunteered to find this kid in the first place.
Michonne made it to Pete's house in under a minute. She killed a few walkers on the way, but had yet to encounter any human enemies.
She crept up the front stairs, staying low and alert. She tried the door but it was locked. She knocked, not loud enough to attract unwanted attention but hopefully loud enough for Ron and Pete to hear. Light from the living room streamed through the front window.
Michonne waited a few seconds, but no one answered. She descended down the steps and rounded the corner to the back of the house. She reached the back door, which led into a laundry room, like all the other houses in Alexandria. She turned the knob and the door creaked open. She pushed herself through, quietly closing the door behind her.
"Ron?" she called out. No response. "Pete?"
And then she heard it – someone was crying. She made her way to the living room to find a dead body lying on the floor. It was a man in raggedy clothing, with a "W" painted on his forehead.
Ron kneeled on the floor, a pistol in one hand, and Pete's head resting in the other. Pete, lifeless and pale, had a machete sticking out of his stomach. A large pool of blood soaked the carpet underneath him. He was dead.
"Ron," Michonne said.
The boy continued to cry, unaware of her presence.
"Ron!" Michonne placed her hand on his shoulder.
Ron whipped his head in her direction, aiming his pistol directly at her chest.
Michonne raised her hands in surrender. "Ron, it's me…Michonne."
Ron looked at her as though she were a stranger; as though she were the enemy. Then his eyes filled with recognition. "Michonne?" His shoulders slumped and he lowered the gun, turning back to his father. "He's dead because of me. He saved me."
"I'm sorry about your loss, but your mother and brother need you. We have to go," Michonne said, very aware that her five minutes would soon be up. She pulled Ron up by the shoulder. "Stay back." She lifted her katana and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "You should turn around."
"You can't! This is my dad!" Ron said desperately. Michonne remained aware of the pistol in his hand.
"Your dad is gone. And the only way he's coming back is as a bloodthirsty monster that would kill you without a second thought."
Ron took one last look at Pete, grief raw on his young face, and turned away. Michonne brought her katana down swiftly, taking Pete's head off with one swing. Ron whimpered behind her.
"It's done, let's go," she said. She dragged him out the back door and they made it back to Rick's place without any encounters.
"Ron!" Jessie said as they walked through the front door.
Ron ran to meet his mother, breaking into tears as she embraced him. "He's dead," Ron said.
Michonne noticed Jessie's non-reaction to the news that her abusive ex-husband was dead. She rubbed Ron's back in tiny circles. "It's okay, honey," Jessie said.
She looked Michonne's way and mouthed the words, "Thank you." Michonne nodded in response. She was happy to have helped keep a family together.
Rick approached Michonne. "Four minutes. Impressive," he said. "Thank you for doing that."
"I didn't do it for you," she said, watching Jessie with her son.
She suddenly realized that her problems with Rick had nothing to do with Jessie. Maybe their relationship had been doomed from the moment they'd met in Atlanta. Their timing had never been right and their second try at love had her thinking that maybe it never would be. Rick had given her a beautiful son, maybe she should just be grateful for that and move on.
"Don't, Michonne," Rick said in a low voice. He leaned down and whispered into her ear, as though he'd read her thoughts. "Don't give up on us. I will earn your trust again, no matter what it takes."
Michonne sighed. "You only say that because you can't even imagine what it would take. Let's just focus on getting out of here alive." She walked away from him, even though a part of her wanted to stay by his side.
A heavy knock at the front door caught everyone's attention. Rick immediately approached, unholstering his Colt.
"It's Carol," a voice said from the other side of the door.
Rick holstered his weapon and let Carol in. She wore a dirty poncho and had a "W" painted in blood on her forehead. Michonne wondered whose blood it was.
"What are you wearing?" Rick asked.
"Their uniform," Carol said. She looked around at the others. "When I didn't see you at the armory, I decided to check your house. Why are you all still here?"
"We had a few loose ends to tie up," Michonne said. "We were just about to leave."
"Do you have any idea who's attacked us?" Rick asked.
"Lucky for us, they seem to all be unhinged maniacs, which makes it easy to take them out. From what I can tell, they only have handheld weapons, no guns. And of course, the 'W' on the forehead, though I'm not quite sure what that stands for," Carol said.
"What about the walkers?" Rick asked.
"There is a mob near the south wall, but I would guess there are less than fifty. If we can get everyone to the armory and armed, we could dispose of them pretty quickly."
"Let's get moving then," Rick said.
Michonne watched Jessie and her kids carefully. They were quiet and afraid, and appeared to still be in a state of shock from the attack. If it were just her people, they could make it no problem. But she wasn't sure how the Alexandrians would do if they encountered walkers up close.
"Maybe Jessie and the kids should stay," Michonne said. "There isn't much activity here and if they stay quiet and hide upstairs, they should be pretty safe."
Rick turned to look at Jessie. He seemed to be realizing what Michonne had – Jessie was not prepared for this. "I could use someone to stay with Judith and this place is probably safer for her than out there. What do you say, Jessie?"
Panic seized Jessie's face. "And be left here all alone? No, Rick. We would feel safer with you."
"Jessie, I don't think –" Rick said before Ron interjected.
"We're coming with you," he said. "You owe us, considering my dad is dead because of you. He never would have died if he'd still been living with us."
"Hey, don't blame my dad for that," Carl said.
"It's okay, Carl," Rick said. "We're all a little upset right now, but it's not the time to turn on each other. We need to stick together."
"Prick," Carl muttered under his breath, glaring at Ron. Michonne suppressed a smile.
Rick addressed Jessie. "Stay close and stay quiet. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep you safe. Got it?"
Jessie nodded quickly. "Yes. Thank you, Rick."
Michonne had a bad feeling about this and made a point to keep an eye on the harried woman. She obviously had no idea what they were about to face.
The group traveled in a single line, with Rick and Carol leading the way. Michonne and Daryl trailed in the back, making sure no one snuck up on them from behind.
"This is a bad idea," Daryl whispered to Michonne. "There're only a few Alexandrians I would trust to have my back and Jessie isn't one of them. She's gonna get somebody killed."
Michonne agreed but there was nothing to that could be done about it now. "She's doing fine, so far."
"Only 'cause we haven't seen any action yet."
And just as the words left his mouth, Rick stopped the line from up ahead. Michonne spotted what had stopped them – a group of walkers shuffled along, blocking the walkway that led to the armory. Fortunately, the walkers had yet to spot their group, who stood huddled in the darkness.
Rick waved his arm and pointed to the left. They all followed, changing direction without a word.
"Mommy," Michonne heard Sam whisper.
"It's okay, Sam," Jessie said, grasping onto this hand. "Just hold onto me."
"Shh," Michonne whispered in warning, as they all moved into the backyard of what looked like Aaron's house.
"Head's up!" Rick shouted from the head of the group.
To Michonne's horror, the backyard was full of walkers - at least ten - which quickly surrounded their small group.
"Ahh," Sam suddenly screamed, as a walker grabbed him by the shoulder and sank its teeth into his neck.
"Nooo!" Jessie cried out. "Sam!"
Ron raised his pistol and put a bullet between the walker's eyes.
"'Chonne, on your left!" Daryl yelled.
Michonne spun to the left, sinking her katana into the skull of the walker who was on the verge of attacking her. It crumpled to the ground. She turned back to Sam to find Jessie collapsed on the ground, holding him in her arms.
"My baby! No…" she wailed.
"Jessie, we have to move!" Michonne yelled, though her words fell on deaf ears, Jessie continuing to sob.
Ron shot at another approaching walker, but missed. The creature grabbed his arm and bit into it, ripping out a piece of his flesh. Michonne rushed to his aid, crushing the walker's skull with her katana. Ron grabbed his arm, his pistol dropping with a thud to the ground.
"Ron!" Jessie yelled. Another walker attacked Ron from the side, ripping through his throat with its teeth.
Michonne disposed of another walker directly to her right, while Daryl took out two more behind her.
She turned to Jessie to find the woman with Ron's pistol in her hand. She aimed it in the direction of the walker feeding on her son, which was also in the direction of Rick and Carl, who were busy fending off walkers. Rick had Judith strapped to his chest, the child screaming her head off at the commotion.
"Jessie, don't!" Michonne yelled, but the woman was driven by grief and fear and unaware of anything else.
A shot rang out and Michonne cried, "No!" She looked to Carl and Rick, and to her relief, they were both unharmed.
Jessie still stood with the gun aimed at the walker and Michonne knew she had to stop her before she killed someone. She attacked, stabbing her katana through Jessie's shoulder blade.
Jessie cried out, another shot ringing out before she dropped the pistol.
Michonne watched in horror as Carl sank to the ground, unconscious.
"Carl!" she screamed, as her world crumbled down around her.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating this one, but it was just in time for the season premiere tonight! I'll try my best to get another chapter up in the next couple of weeks. Michonne will definitely need to make a decision between Daryl and Rick sometime soon, which I hope to make happen in the next chapter or so. :) Thanks again for the faves, follows and reviews. Your feedback is so encouraging!