Chapter Forty Six
This was it, this is what it had come down to.
A bitterly terrified atmosphere loomed around the apparent empty prison. Unease, fear. Goodbyes had been said, tears had been shed. The group had parted off for what could potentially be the last time altogether. All alive. Now we were waiting, just waiting. Waiting for him to come, to stir up our lives again like he had been doing for so long. We had prepared all we could and if that wasn't enough then we would pay with our lives. The stakes were high, the tension was high, the fear was off the scale.
It felt like judgement day.
"It's odd isn't it, how we're supposed to be the safe ones and yet we're outside the prison." Michonne muttered, leaning against a tree nearby, her eyes scanning the area vigilantly. "Doesn't feel right, does it?"
Michonne and I had been designated to looking after Carl, Sophia and Judith. We had taken the green Hyundai which had now been fashioned with also a ghillie-suit effect to camouflage it - curtsy of Merle. The three children were all currently locked inside the vehicle, waiting impatiently for something to happen. It was surprising when Rick gave the orders for the pair of us to take full responsibility of the children, though he seemed at ease to know that we were and I took hold of that. I promised him I'd take care of them and guard them with my life. Michonne did also and the leader appeared satisfied with this promise.
We were the lookouts too, ready with a radio in hand to warn those inside of the Governor's approach. Rick, Glenn and Andrea all had radios too, all readily connected for the plan to be put into action. Glancing at my companion, I noted her katana ready in hand and her eyes wandering to the Hyundai we stood beside back to the prison and back again. Ever vigilant.
Our input into this plan also extended to ransacking the vehicles when the Governor and his group were inside the prison. It was put forward by Merle and then supported by others, though Lori mainly didn't like it. It was suggested for Michonne and I to wait with the children and notify the group when the attack approached, then when inside we were to move to the Governor's vehicles and take all we could get and attempt to immobilise them if we could - thus apparently preventing the easiness of another attack when they left.
A problem to this plan was that it would mean leaving the children unattended. It was argued back and forth for a long period, until Carl insisted that he would take care of the girls when Michonne and myself weren't with them. Rick, apparently seeing the need for his son to prove himself, supported the idea and granted this input of the plan. Lori, of course was beyond fuming, stating many times that Carl didn't need to 'prove himself' in that way. Of course, the boy didn't heed to her fussing and though I knew the mother was far from happy with the set up, she tried in vain to stop it. Her parting with her children was an emotional one and judging by her stare, if anything happened to either of them, she fully blamed Rick for it.
Of course, currently the wounded mother was locked safely away in the armoury with Herschel taking care of her, the room packed with plenty of food, water and medical supplies. The power was still on, though as soon as Michonne and I gave the warning, I knew that Andrea and Sasha would be waiting in the control room ready to cut it off. The pair were on hand ready to set the alarms off too when Rick ordered and had the escape route into the prison's garage - which had been made full use of - incase of an emergency. Glenn and Maggie were on hand, ready to launch a counter attack when the Governor's group came out, hopefully, screaming in a last attempt to strike fear into them. Thus leaving the main attack in the hands of Rick, Daryl, Merle and Tyreese who were all waiting in the corridors of the prison with smoke grenades, tear gas and ready to set walkers loose on the unsuspecting Woodbury residents.
"Still no sign?" Rick asked over the radio, the sound of his voice making me jump. Michonne sniggered at my fright and I sent her a half-hearted glare.
"Nope, nothing." I replied back. "The kids are fine too before you ask." I added quickly before the edgy father could ask.
"Thank you, Ruby. Keep us posted." The radio cut off and we were back to silence again.
I glanced back to the Hyundai, waving at Sophia and Carl through the windscreen when I caught their gaze. They appeared to be playing with some cards - Sophia had told me that they were a gift from T-Dog a long time ago - and seemed content enough at the moment, judging by the smiles I received from them. At least they weren't complaining again.
"So," Michonne suddenly began. I turned to the woman expectantly, though her eyes were still scanning the area around us. "Are we going to bring up the other day?" At her ambiguous question, I snorted.
"Are you ever going to elaborate?" I countered, raising the scope of my sniper to my eye so I could scan the prison, looking to see if either Glenn and Maggie were visible. They had apparently mastered hiding as I couldn't make them out.
"When you left." Her statement made me start and I slowly lowered the rifle before glancing briefly at the woman with an attempt of carelessness. Immediately, I felt my body tense.
Since that 'incident', Daryl hadn't brought it up and neither had Michonne - I gathered the woman would hound me immediately and I had forgotten about it after she hadn't. Apparently she was biding her time, finding the right moment. Rick and Merle both seemed too caught up with planning to really think too hard about it, because I knew if they did, they would see the flaws in Daryl's and Michonne's excuses. Sophia hadn't brought anything up, though judging by her clinginess afterwards, the girl was still sore about being left. This only disheartened me further and guilt overwhelmed me for my actions.
Michonne's eyes were now studying me hard and I couldn't hold her gaze long enough as she delved my expression, taking in my sudden tense stature no doubt and gathering her own conclusions from it.
"You went to hand yourself in." It wasn't a question, though I nodded regardless, unable to find my voice to confirm verbally. Michonne nodded slowly and her following reply startled me. "That doesn't surprise me." At this, I raised an eyebrow.
"It doesn't?" I asked with a frown. Michonne shrugged, smiling slightly.
"You're smart, Ruby, real smart." She began. "You wouldn't have gotten so far on your own otherwise. Though I think after your isolation, after being introduced to this group, you let your heart get caught up with these people. After being on your own in a world like this, I'm not surprised either." After a pause, she shrugged again. "You care about this group, love them even. I'm not surprised that you'd be willing to die for them, no matter how careless a thing it was to do." I breathed a chuckle.
"It was careless." I muttered in agreement under my breath.
"You sometimes allow your heart to get ahead of your brain, Ruby." Michonne continued. "That happened a lot back in the Governor's camp when we first met. You remember?" I nodded, unconsciously rubbing my nose at that - where it had been broken after I 'let my heart get ahead of my brain'. "No harm done though." She smiled. "You're still here and I guess we have to thank Daryl for that." At the mention of the hunter, I felt myself blush and I avoided the knowing stare Michonne was sending me.
Since that moment between us both, there hadn't been any repeats. Though I wasn't downhearted by this, we did have other priorities after all. The entire group had been so caught up with the plan for attack and defence that there wasn't much time for anything else to be considered. Glances were still shared across the planning sessions or at dinner time, sometimes I'd seek the hunter's gaze to find him already openly looking at me, causing me to blush and Daryl to smirk. We still shared some of the watches together - though Sophia had taken to accompanying us now, so most of the time was spent teasing and amusing the girl till she inevitably fell asleep, using our jackets as a makeshift bed. When we parted after our first watch after the 'incident', I had reached for Daryl's hand while Sophia had bounced off to our shared cell and had kissed it tenderly before following after the little girl. After that, it almost became a routine; I would kiss Daryl's hand, receiving myself a small attempt of a smile, before we would part from each other. A constant reminder of our affection perhaps?
Thankfully for me, Merle hadn't been able to hound me over my feelings for his brother and I had avoided all possibilities of being alone with the man. The same couldn't be said for Daryl and many times had he greeted me for watch with red cheeks and a frustrated look on his face. When asked what was the matter, Daryl would only reply with 'Merle' and said nothing more. Whether it was due to Sophia's presence or his unwillingness to tell me, I didn't know. Though whenever I would glance to where Merle stood nearby, I'd receive myself a mischievous wink from the man and even once a pout, followed by kissing noises, not unlike those I had received from Sophia in her teasing.
Taking in the smirk that fell on Michonne's face, I knew that Merle must have said something to her. Of course. She was unable to say anything more though as suddenly the sounds of approaching vehicles, distant but drawing closer, were heard. Immediately the mood was altered between us and Michonne's smirk dropped as she pushed herself away from the tree to observe the road that led off from the main gates of the prison - where it was coming from.
"Tell Rick." Michonne breathed and I obliged immediately.
"Rick, we hear vehicles approaching." I quickly informed the man.
"Everyone prepare yourselves, get into positions." The man hissed over the radio, his tone stern, though wavering with fear perhaps? "Have you a sighting of them yet, Ruby?"
"Not yet." I replied. Michonne crouched suddenly, shying into the cover of the high grass and I immediately followed her lead, kneeling beside her. "Hold up-"
Sure enough, a convoy of vehicles came into sight. A jeep led the way, with what seemed like a mounted gunning point in the back. Following it was a large, open-trailer truck that appeared to be full of people - great. And bringing up the rear was the same vehicle that Milton and Martinez came in, the day of the meeting.
"It's him." I finished, my voice trembling, before quickly providing a brief description of the approaching convoy. Michonne quickly rushed back to the Hyundai, informing the children and telling them to lock the doors and stay put. They obliged and Michonne quickly joined me in the long grass again.
The convoy neared the unhinged main gates, the gunner on the jeep quickly taking initiative and taking out walkers that mulled around the prison. This was to be expected and Rick didn't voice his concern over the sudden firing of bullets. Suddenly though, the gunning stopped and another figure rose to stand in the back of the jeep, raising a large weapon up and aiming it towards the first guard tower. Before I could question Michonne as to what they were doing, the person fired their weapon. An explosion echoed out across the area and the top of guard tower shattered into an array of bricks and glass, fire spitting out into the air. Both Michonne and I jumped at the resounding bang, eyes both wide with shock.
"What the hell was that?" Andrea shrieked over the radio. I found myself unable to answer as we watched as the second guard tower was aimed at and another explosion sounded out; bricks, glass and fire shattered everywhere again.
"Ruby?!" Rick hissed, enforcing Andrea's question.
"They've blown up the first and second guard towers, I'm not sure what with." I stuttered in response, my hands suddenly shaking. Confidence and hope of winning this fight was very quickly fading. The gunning started again as they dispatched all the walkers inside the grass compound. From the outside, it seemed to resemble a complete massacre, regardless of what they were killing. The sight was unnerving.
"We could do with one of those." Michonne muttered with distaste. I couldn't bring myself to agree.
"They're approaching the yard gates." I commented over the radio, making the others aware of the action outside.
Sure enough, they wasted little time in stopping to open our secured gates. Instead, the jeep only accelerated as they approached and ploughed through them with complete ease. They were unhinged like the main gates before them and swung apart for the convoy to move into the yard, where they all pulled themselves to a halt. Raising my rifle scope to my eyes, I observed their movements at a better distance.
The back of the truck was opened and a large amount of people all piled out - armed and ready. I noted the form of Martinez jump down from the jeep, discarding the weapon that he had used to blow up the towers and taking up a light looking machine gun. When the drivers seat of the last car opened, I found myself seething at the sight of the Governor exited the vehicle. Unconsciously, I found myself cocking back the rifle, ready to take a shot at him. Michonne's hand on the rifle, pushing it down, stopped me though.
"If you miss, then you'll ruin the whole plan." She hissed, eyeing me carefully. I nodded, seeing her logic. Satisfied, she turned back to the sight before us. "They're moving in." She noted. I quickly raised the radio to my lips.
"They're heading inside, Michonne and I are going to move in. Prepare yourselves." I muttered, getting to my feet and turning to the Hyundai, throwing the radio to Michonne to look after.
I opened the Hyundai door and eyed those inside. Carl was sat in the front passenger seat, Sophia in the back beside a sleeping Judith. They both eyed me with wide expressions and I quickly delved into the back for the bag that had been packed full of food, water and weapons incase of emergency. I handed it to Carl.
"You stay in the car." I began, sternly. "And I do mean it." I raised my gaze to Carl, eyeing the boy firmly. "This isn't the time to act stupidly, if you guys decide to wander off then you could ruin all that we've planned. This is going to be hard enough and we need you both to cooperate." At this, Carl nodded slowly and I took in his expression, thankfully that he seemed true. "This bag is full of everything you need, just incase."
"Incase we have to run?" Carl muttered, bitterly. I turned to the boy and nodded slowly.
"And you will run if you need to, you understand that?" I urged. "Your mother wanted you all out here, so you'd be safe. It's your responsibility now, Carl, to take care of Sophia and Judith. You keep them safe from walkers or anything else. You can't let anything happen to them, alright?" I took in the way Carl's eyes lit up with this responsibility that I was giving him and observed as he nodded firmly.
"I won't let anything happen to them." He promised me firmly. I nodded, knowing that our time was limited now. Glancing back to where Michonne was waiting, I gave the pair one final smile and kissed Sophia's head, stroking the back of Judith's sleeping hand gently afterwards.
"Stay safe." I urged one final time before closing the Hyundai door. I heard the sound of the car doors locking and felt minor relief wash over me. Quickly, I joined Michonne and after one final glance at the car, we set out into a sprint towards the prison.
The compound was completely clear from walkers so we hadn't the worry of them. Michonne was slightly faster and led the way towards the main gates, rounding the corner sharply and quickly cutting across the compound, myself at pursuit. Once we reached the yard, we took in the abandoned vehicles briefly before getting to work.
Michonne hauled herself up into the back of the truck, declaring that they had left a lot of spare ammo and weapons. She quickly set to work packing it into the large gym bag we had brought along to carry stuff in. I made my way over to the jeep, jumping into the back and taking in the minimal amount of ammo that was left - it was something. Next, I moved onto the mounted gunner and proceeded to take all the ammo out and disarm it. I was unsure if we could actually make use of it, but as long as they didn't have it, then that was good enough. What caught me eye quickly was the weapon that Martinez had left behind and quickly eyed the size of it.
"What the hell is this?" I called, holding up the weapon that had destroyed two of our towers. Michonne jumped down from the truck, heaving the bag over her shoulder before rushing to meet me. I threw my collected ammo into the bag along with the rest, delightfully noting how much Michonne had gathered, before thrusting the large, unknown weapon at her. She grinned.
"Looks like a grenade launcher." She informed me. I raised an eyebrow, unsure how on earth she knew that before allowing her to take it from me. "I'm sure we can find some use for it." I smirked in reply. "Get to work looting the last car and I'll try and immobilise this one."
"What do you plan on doing?" I asked as she turned to the bonnet of the jeep.
"No idea." She muttered in reply before getting to work. I decided to leave her in peace before making my way towards the remaining vehicle.
I urged myself into the drivers side, finding myself less lucky in the search for ammo or weapons. I scanned the glove compartments and all the sides of the doors, though still came across nothing. Apparently the Governor had been more careful in what he had left behind. In an unconscious act, I found myself pulling down the sun visor and a piece of paper suddenly fell down onto the passenger chair. I eyed it carefully before picking it up and feeling my stomach clench at what it was.
A photograph. A picture of a happy family of three; man, wife and daughter, all smiling happily and seemingly content. My stomach churned at the identity of the father - who else but the Governor, himself? Memories of his zombified daughter flashed into my gaze upon the sight of living, smiling Penny. It seemed odd to consider such a domestic setting when I thought of the psychopath in the picture and what he was now. In bitterness, I found myself wanting to tear the photo up, but couldn't bring myself to do so. My hands began to shake as I merely stared at the item in my hand, all thoughts completely gone from mind.
I was interrupted though by the blaring sounds of the alarm going off. I jumped at the noise and wondered why I hadn't heard Rick give the order to Andrea over the radio, only to remember that Michonne had the means of contact with the others. Quickly, I discarded the photo back onto the passenger seat and got out the vehicle. Leaving the photo intact.Making my way over to Michonne, I noticed she had the radio to her ear, listening to whatever was being said. Upon meeting my gaze, she made her way over quickly.
"The plan's working so far." She informed me. "I've only managed to ransack the jeep though." Though the plan to was immobilise all the vehicles so they'd be forced to return to Woodbury on foot - meaning that it would be harder for them to launch another attack at the same proportion - in the moment, it didn't matter and I found myself shrugging.
"Better than none." I replied, noting the filled gym bag and grenade launcher over her shoulder.
"We better make ourselves scarce." Michonne muttered. "Head to one of the guard towers, we can help Glenn and Maggie with the counter attack." She turned to head to the closest one, but I shook my head in panic.
"What about the children?" I demanded, frantically. Michonne glanced to the spot where we'd left them before turning back to me.
"They're smart kids, they'll be fine. We can't reach them in time, we'd be spotted and that would only make things worse." She urged, grabbing my arm and tugging hard. "C'mon."
I saw the sense, but I didn't like it. Staring longingly across the grounds of the prison towards where I knew the Hyundai would be parked, I allowed Michonne to lead us to the guard tower. I closed the door behind us and followed Michonne's lead, rushing up the steps of the tower. Half way up, the sounds of gun shots firing and what distinctively sounded like Glenn bellowing over the noise was heard.
Michonne wasted little time when she reached the top and joined Maggie and Glenn in the open fire on those fleeing from inside the prison. I joined her, though hesitated as I observed the scene. The people were in panic and rushed to the vehicles, some shrieking in fear. For a moment, I felt pity for them as I took in the genuine fear in them - the fear that we had caused. Upon sighting of the Governor though, the anger boiled within me again and I joined this counter attack with equal strength.
Most piled into the large truck, those that got into the jeep realised it was a lost hope when the vehicle didn't start and abandoned it to run on foot. Others chose this option too, not even considering the danger of walkers that they'd be more susceptible now. From our vantage above, I noted the Governor's frustrated expression as he observed his fleeing people. He shrieked some orders in Martinez's direction, who seemed to shy away from his leader's glare before the pair headed towards the remaining vehicle, a dark-skinned man following. In a moment of frustration, I took aim with my rifle and intended to fire a shot in the Governor's direction. At the last second, the dark-skinned man (who Merle identified as Shumpert later on) grabbed hold of the Governor's jacket pulling him back and my bullet imbedded itself into the hood of the car - where his head had just been.
The Governor's eyes turned to the tower and my eyes widened briefly in mild fear as instead of the expected smirk, the Governor set a hard glare in Michonne and my direction. It was infinitely more terrifying than his smirk.
"Now you've done it." Michonne muttered, halting her own shooting. Next thing we knew, bullets rained over the tower and we both hit the floor for cover. "Keep your head down!" Michonne shrieked over the chaos of noise.
The windows over our heads shattered and bullets clipped the railings close to our heads. I silently thanked the Michonne had the grenade launcher and the item wasn't in the Governor's possession as I knew he would be more than happy to turn the weapon on us in that moment. When the bullets stopped firing, Michonne and I paused before raising our heads. When we did, I watched in a numb triumph as the truck pulled out of the yard and left the prison, the Governor's car hot at its heel. As the convoy drifted away, silence fell over the prison.
"I think that worked." Glenn's voice crackled over the radio clipped to Michonne's belt.
We had done it.
Instead of wasting time celebrating, I was quickly on my feet and had set my destination to the Hyundai on the outskirts of the prison. Following footsteps alerted me that Michonne was following.
We bypassed the walkers that began to stagger towards the prison, alerted by the show of noises we had just created. Michonne took a few out easily with her katana, though we spoke no words or slowed our speed. Not until we knew the kids were safe. Everything in the attack may have gone to plan, but it wasn't over just yet. Skirting into the woods, I eyed the Hyundai and slowed my pace as we approached, thankful the vehicle remained intact. Though something on the ground suddenly caught my eye and my eyes widened in horror.
A body. Face first on the ground. It was unmoving. No-
"Oh no!" I hissed, rushing forward. Michonne got to the body first and I held my breath as she kneeled beside it and turned the body gently over. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it wasn't either Carl or Sophia. But another thought occurred to me then. Who was it then?
"He attacked us." A resounding voice spoke from behind. We both spun around and spotted Carl leaning against a tree, his eyes on the body, his gun in hand. I felt sick to the core when I added up the dots. Carl had killed him. Taking in the boy's attire and lack of rotting flesh, I knew he wasn't a walker either. Perhaps one of the Woodbury residents? Carl had killed a living human being.
"What happened?" Michonne asked slowly, her voice dangerously quiet as she rose to her feet. Carl moved his gaze to her and then glanced between the pair of us.
"I was protecting Sophia and Judith." Carl urged, eyeing me pointedly. "He came across us. Sophia told him to lower his gun but he was going to shoot us. I did what I had to do." His tone terrified me and I found myself unable to say anything in response. Carl had killed someone.
"Get in the car." Michonne muttered, strangely quiet. "We better head back." Carl pushed himself away from the tree and obliged to her command, getting back into the Hyundai. I met Michonne's gaze and found that we were both thinking the same thing. This wasn't right.
Wordlessly, Michonne raised her katana and effortlessly sliced it through the boy's - who didn't seem to be that much older than Carl and Sophia - skull. I was going to comment on her cruelty but knew it needed to be done. We didn't need him coming back as a walker. Michonne climbed into the drivers seat without another word and I in turn got into the passengers seat. As Michonne drove us back to the prison, I glanced back at Sophia to find the girl curled as far away from Carl as she could possibly muster, her gaze distant as she stared out the window. Judith slept soundly between them, unaware of all the action that she had missed. Carl, stared down at his gun, Rick's hat obstructing his face from view. Swallowing hard, I turned away from the scene, my mind racing with thoughts.
Once we made it back to the yard, most of the group were outside - save for Herschel and Lori - and had managed to find a replacement for the yard gates. A few walkers had made their way into the grass compound but once we were safe inside the yard, Tyreese, Daryl and Rick were quick on hand to put the replacement gate in place and shut the walkers out.
As soon as Michonne pulled the car to a halt, Carl climbed out the vehicle, making a beeline towards his father. Those that remained in the car were deathly silent for a moment as we watched the reunion through the car window.
"What happened out there, girl?" Michonne asked, turning in her chair to observe Sophia in the back. The little girl's eyes widened as she met Michonne's gaze before she sought my gaze. Instinctively, I reached my hand towards her and she took it eagerly in both of hers. Her hands shook and her eyes were wide with fear. "You can tell us."
"We had got out the car," Sophia began quietly. "I know we weren't supposed to but Carl said that we weren't going to go anywhere, he just wanted to see what was happening." She swallowed down her tears, seeking my gaze. I nodded reassuringly. "The boy came out nowhere, he was running away from the prison. I told him to drop his gun. He started to lower it but-" She paused and chewed her lip furiously. "Carl killed him." A tear trailed down her cheek. "He told me that the boy wasn't going to surrender, that he was going to kill us." I met Michonne's gaze briefly before attempting to smile at Sophia.
"Carl did what he did to protect you and Judith." I tried to urge, hoping my voice was strong enough. "Don't get yourself caught up with anything else. Just remember that. He did it to protect you." Sophia nodded slowly, the thought lingering as she processed it. Carefully, Sophia pulled her hands away from mine and scooped the sleeping Judith up into her arms.
"I'm going to take her to see Lori." She told us, getting out. Michonne and I left the vehicle too. I watched as Sophia cradled Judith close to her and I smiled faintly.
"Ask Sasha to take you back to the cell block. I'll come by later, I promise. I'll just help with some stuff out here." Sophia smiled back and nodded before quickly making her way over towards Sasha. I watched as the pair went inside before sighing and turning to Michonne, whose eyes were fixed on Carl and Rick. "What are you thinking?"
"That this should be kept between us." She muttered. "I don't think he'll be all for telling his parents what happened and I don't think we should be telling on him either. Rick especially doesn't need to know, he's got too much to worry about." I nodded in agreement, my stomach churning with worry as I joined Michonne in watching the young Grimes boy from afar. His even tone when he told us what happened terrified me enough and I felt a sickness wash over me.
"We keep quiet then."
After the initial cheer of victory, one that was very short lived, the group got to work on repairing the prison. We may have won this round, but the war wasn't over. It was one all now. The Governor would no doubt be seeking a round three and there was no time to celebrate as we now had the task of deciding the plan for that. This plan may have worked though it wouldn't work a second time. Herschel's words sprung to mind - "consider the other option". Unsure of what the group's next step was, everyone went about repairing without much of a discussion.
Glenn suggested lightly that we could replace the main gates to the prison with one of the prison buses, just to prevent walkers coming in. That way we had access to the grass compound again. While there only seemed to be a few straggling walkers in the compound, Tyreese and Glenn went to retrieve one of the buses and positioned it in front of the space the main gates once were as Michonne, Daryl and Merle made swift work in clearing out the walkers in the compound. When attention was turned to the ruined guard towers, any ideas of repairs were met with vain attempts. We had lost the pair of them in the attacks. Though thankfully that was all the losses that we had sustained.
"Could we use this?" Andrea asked, eyeing up the jeep and gunner that had been left behind. Michonne shrugged.
"Not sure if you'd get it working again, I'm not quite sure what I did to the engine." She admitted as Merle lifted up the hood.
"Wouldn't it 'ave been easier to slash the tires?" The older Dixon asked, eyeing Michonne with a smirk. In return, Michonne grinned and shrugged again. "Well, ya 'ave fucked up the engine pretty good, Micky. Nice work with that."
"Got ourselves a bunch of new toys too." I announced, nodding to the gym bag full of the looted weapons and ammo. Rick opened it and nodded in approval, sending us both smiles.
"Good work." He commented before lifting up the grenade launcher.
"Better be careful where ya point that, Officer." Merle sniggered, strolling over and reaching his arm out to take the weapon from him. "Not too heavy for ya, huh?" He added as Rick's arms buckled slightly at the weight. Rick narrowed his eyes at the man, but didn't rise to the bait and allowed Merle to take the heavy weapon from him.
"We should hit Woodbury again now," Michonne suddenly announced. "While they're weak." Her idea startled the group for a moment, no one had considered the next move yet. "They won't suspect us to strike now, we'll have the advantage."
"If we hit the town, we'll be risking the lives of lots of innocent people inside." Andrea pointed out, folding her arms across her chest.
"Didn't stop 'em from attackin' us." Daryl muttered.
"Baby brother's right," Merle agreed with a nod before turning to Andrea's scowl. "But so is Blondie. Woodbury is full of old folk 'nd kids. Ya sure ya want that blood on ya hands, Micky?" Michonne didn't reply and merely stared evenly back at the older Dixon. Rick looked conflicted by the ideas, eyeing the prison thoughtfully.
"What 'bout a scoutin' mission instead?" Daryl asked, suddenly. Rick turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "They 'ave eyes on us, why not return the favour? We don't gotta kill anyone, just see what they're doin', try 'nd figure out what they're plannin' next." At this suggestion, Rick contemplated it thoughtfully before nodding.
"Only a small group though," The leader agreed. "Four of us should do, the rest stay here and load up the vehicles. I want the cars full of fuel and any spare that you can siphon from the prison buses, I want contained and packed into the RV. All food and medical supplies are to be loaded up, everything needs to be ready just incase."
"Incase we're running?" Andrea asked, smoothly. Rick's eyes ran over her but he didn't reply.
"Glenn, Tyreese and-" A pause as the leader ruefully sighed. "Merle will take charge of these orders. Daryl, Michonne, Ruby and myself will be the scouting party." I found myself unsurprised by this order. Rick's eyes moved towards the three of us. "Get your stuff together, we leave as soon as."
We took the Hyundai as the vehicle was already ready to move. Rick drove, Daryl beside him. In the seat behind Rick, I eyed the side of Daryl's face and shied away when the hunter's head turned a fraction, as if sensing my stare. The air between us all was quiet and tense. Before leaving, Daryl had greeted me in my cell as I gathered up my stuff. He had stood for a long time in entrance, merely watching me as I tied my hair back, scraping strands away from my face. Carelessly, I pulled out another t-shirt, throwing it on the bed before turning to Daryl with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm going to change my shirt." I announced, eyeing him, my voice suddenly timid.
"Ya want me to turn 'round?" He asked, no trace of a smirk on his face.
I knew the memories of Woodbury and what the Governor had done to me lingered between us in that moment. I had never been the same and Daryl had seen the damage during the examinations I had had to endure, most insisting that I had to remove my shirt - an action that overwhelmed my body with fear. Daryl knew what I was going through, though I had never gotten around to telling the hunter everything that had happened between the Governor and myself, what had happened after Daryl was taken away. Despite both Rick and Lori urging that I should, I couldn't bring myself to strike the conversation up between us again.
I hesitated before answering, not wanting to appear weak in front of the hunter. As if seeing my confliction, Daryl turned slowly and as soon as his back was to me, I shrugged myself out of my old shirt. Keeping my eyes on the hunter's back, as if daring him to turn around, I pulled the new shirt over my head and straightened myself out. I took a moment to observe the strong stature of Daryl's back before announcing that I was done.
"What do you suppose happens now?" I asked, tucking my knife away into my belt. My sniper rifle was to be left behind, I knew there would be no use for it. I tucked my other gun into the back of my pants and shoved some spare ammo into my pockets. Daryl let out a sigh, hitching his crossbow higher up onto his shoulder.
"I don't know." He admitted, looking suddenly tired. "Don't suppose anyone does really." I hesitated before responding.
"I don't think I can just run away, Daryl." I murmured, receiving a raised eyebrow from the man. "I've run away from the Governor for too long, I won't do it again. I want to make this my last stand with him." Daryl studied me wordlessly. I sighed. "And I know Michonne and Merle will fight with me, I know that they want to finish it too." A pause. "I don't expect everyone else to hold the same regard, we'll stay and fight regardless. It's either him or us now, and I for one know that I won't stop till one of us is dead. Preferably him." I attempted to smile at the hunter, though it took a moment before Daryl smiled back, his not quite reaching his eyes.
"'Nd if ya die?" He asked, quietly. After a thoughtful moment, I felt myself shrugging.
"I gave up on my own life a long time ago, Daryl. I don't care about myself. I will fight to keep Sophia alive, to keep the group safe." I replied. "I know if I do die then Sophia would be in good hands."
"Ya should." Daryl breathed, shaking his head. I frowned in confusion at his comment. "Ya should care 'bout yourself." I shrugged in response and Daryl stared at me for a long moment before sighing. "Don't give up on yourself just yet, girl. Cos if the Governor thinks he can kill ya that easily, then he's got another thing comin'. He's gotta get through me first." A genuine smile crossed my face at his words and I found myself overwhelmed with happiness. "Plus Sophia will 'ave a few things to say to him. Shouldn't underestimate her, the little lass has got a pretty lethal aim with a gun."
I hummed in agreement before striding towards the hunter and wrapping my arms around his middle, longing for his contact. A second passed before Daryl's arms enclosed around me and he exhaled deeply into my hair.
"Don't give up on yourself, girl. Please." He breathed softly, only just audible.
I closed my eyes, relishing his being and warmth. I couldn't bring myself to respond to his plea and found myself pulling away to look up at him. At the softness behind his gaze, I couldn't stop myself reaching up to cup his face, letting my thumb trail across his cheek bones. He flinched upon contact, though I knew that me touching him was something he'd never get used to, he didn't seem to enjoy physical contact full stop. Hesitantly, I reached up onto my tip-toes and placed one lingering kiss on his lips. It took him by surprise, though after a moment he squeezed the top of my arms lightly before leaning into the kiss.
It didn't last very long, though we were both content with just standing there for a moment, after pulling apart, foreheads resting against one another.
"C'mon, Michonne and Rick will be waiting for us." I breathed, pulling myself out Daryl's grip. He eyed me silently for a moment and I was taken back by the fact the hunter seemed completely unembarrassed by this display of affection between us, his cheeks unblushing. Instead he nodded and stood aside to let me past. We headed to the Hyundai and the awaiting pair in silence.
Since that moment in the cell, not a word had been spoken between Daryl and I though there wasn't any bad air between us. The hunter seemed thoughtful and I knew he was no doubt mulling over what I had said to him. When I risked glancing up at the hunter again, he was inspecting one of his many bolts carelessly. As if sensing my stare again, his head turned but I didn't shy away and I met his gaze evenly. I smiled hesitantly, to which he returned it with a small one of his own and immediately I felt better. If Michonne or Rick had noticed the exchange, they both played dumb to it.
Rick pulled the car to a halt at the side of the road, announcing that here we would carry on by foot.
"Gather everything you'll need. Don't leave anything important behind. If they come by this, lets not give them something to loot." Rick ordered and the four of us got out.
"So what's the plan?" Michonne asked as we began to walk towards Woodbury.
"We're just seeing what they're up to." Rick muttered in reply. "See if we can gather any information on their next move." I glanced at Michonne and took in the odd look in her eye. One that confused me, though I didn't comment on.
"We could split up?" She suggested. "We could cover more ground in pairs." At her idea, Rick glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. Him and Daryl exchanged a glance and I felt anger brewing in me for a moment - did they still not trust Michonne?
"I think that's a good idea." I found myself saying, in the need to stand up for my friend. I knew my tone was bitter and quickly changed it when both men turned to me, in confusion. "It makes sense, really." I offered with a shrug. As the men considered it, Michonne nodded to me gratefully. With a sigh, Rick finally nodded.
"We'll pair up then." He agreed. "Daryl, you're with-"
"I'd prefer to go with Ruby, if that's alright with you?" Michonne quickly added. "No disrespect to you gentlemen, but I know that Ruby and myself work well as a team. I've never been given the opportunity to work with either of you two alone and I don't think this is the situation to start." A pause as Daryl and Rick exchanged another glance. "Plus, I'm sure the pair of you would work better together too." I eyed my friend for a moment, wondering what she was up to. The men seemed to be considering this too, but I nodded once when Rick met my gaze and I knew that they were forced to agree.
"Fine."
When we reached the outskirts of Woodbury, we split off into our designated pairs. Rick ordered for us to meet back in the same spot in exactly one hour, as well as firmly telling us to not enter Woodbury under any circumstances. We were here to observe the town, not cause any more trouble. Not so soon after the attack. I nodded in response to his order while Michonne remained silent, though Rick didn't seem to notice her lack of response. With one last meaningful glance, he and Daryl disappeared in the other direction. Michonne gestured for me to follow and I let her lead the way in silence.
Upon our search, we noted that the Governor and his men had returned back to Woodbury, though judging by their activity, no more attacks seemed to be imminent. That was reassuring. Some people lingered on the streets, some argued with the guards in demands to know what was going on. It seemed there was trouble in paradise - we were no doubt the cause. The Governor wasn't to be seen anywhere though. Making our way further along the wall, I quickly reached out and grabbed Michonne's arm, spinning her to face me.
"There's a reason you wanted to be paired with me." I stated with a hiss. "What was it?" Michonne eyed me carefully.
"Because I know you won't try and stop me. Because I know you'll understand." She replied slowly. At her response, my eyes widened and I frowned.
"Stop what?" I asked, carefully, unsure if I wanted to hear the response. Michonne hesitated again before replying.
"I'm going to find the Governor." She replied with a level of ease.
"What?!" I demanded, unsure if I had heard correctly. "Have you gone out of your mind?" Michonne glared at me.
"I need to do this, Ruby." She hissed, stepping closer. "I need to make him pay for what he did to us. Did to me."
Instantly, I understood what she was getting at. She wanted revenge for what the Governor had done to her when we were captives of Woodbury. She had come across as so strong after our return from the ordeal, apparently recovered from her torment. Though now I understood why she had kept herself so level, she was planning her revenge. I found myself unable to argue anymore as I knew that anything I said would prove useless. I knew Michonne and I knew that this was something she had to do. While she may appear strong, this would help her recover properly. Though I didn't like it, I couldn't argue or deny it.
"Will you kill him?" I asked, quietly. After a long pause, Michonne sighed.
"I want him to suffer." She replied, her tone terrifying, and that was as much of an answer she offered me. Swallowing hard, I studied my friend and though her reply scared me, she was still my friend.
"I'll show you where his apartment is."
(Author's Note): A quicker update than last time! And it's longer, not the longest, but hopefully the action makes up for that! Thank you very much for your response from the last chapter, I'm so happy that people are still sticking with this story, regardless of my useless updating skills!
Of course, this is adapted from the series finale, though it takes a different twist than the shows. I switched around some of the positions and of course, the Governor hasn't massacred all his people! Though, like Ruby said, there's trouble in paradise! ;) My actions writing isn't great, so you'll have to excuse this chapter if it's terrible. What did you guys think of my take on the finale? Like I said, I'm taking a different turn with this so everything hasn't gone the same as it has in the show and I'm not sure how much influence I will be taking now from it. The Governor will still be making another appearance, I'm afraid, he's not quite done with Team Prison just yet! Round Three is still to come!
Regarding Carl and the boy he killed, I really did think that was something very interesting to work with, so I kept it in. While in the show they've played it up immediately, especially with the relationship between Rick and him, I've decided that for the moment, Rick is going to be unwise of what Carl has done. My plans regarding Carl and his progression that he makes in the show hasn't been decided yet. I think a great deal of the 'maturing' that he does in the show has to come from two pivotal points in his life - Sophia's death and Lori's death. That's just my opinion. As neither has occurred, well he's not quite at the same stage as he is in the show. That being said, he's still wanting to prove himself, to prove that he's not a child. What are your thoughts on Carl? I understand that him killing the boy is a hot discussion point - was the boy going to surrender or not? - is a question I'll pose you guys. I, personally, think there was something very odd about the boy - why didn't he lower his gun immediately? I find myself swaying towards Carl's move, I'm afraid. What about you guys?
And of course, I ask you what do you guys reckon Michonne intends to do with the Governor? This has been something that I've planned right from when Ruby and Michonne were captured and taken to Woodbury. I'd like to know what you guys are expecting, or are perhaps wanting? I appreciate your comments, please tell me what you think of this chapter in general, I'd love to hear your criticism.
Thanks again to everyone, you guys are awesome! Hopefully my next update will be up soon! :)