AN: Here we go, another little chapter.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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Michonne had sent Daryl to pass along the information, without drawing too much attention to what he was doing, to the people that would be gathering at their house tonight to discuss what to do about Mercedes.
He would basically be informing everyone in their core group of what was going on and from there allowing them to decide who wanted to be present and who would pass.
And she found Lisette easily enough down in the fields.
"Can I have a word with you?" Michonne asked, leaning close to Lisette. "In private?"
Lisette looked at her with a great deal of concern on her face, something that would probably only be natural given her position in the group. But the woman nodded, offered a slightly nervous smile, and did her best to nonchalantly abandon her work with the same ease as if she were simply going on break.
And Michonne took her back to her house where she could guarantee that they wouldn't be overheard by anyone.
Once they were settled into the living room, Michonne did her best to offer Lisette a comforting smile. This wasn't about her…or at least Michonne didn't think it was.
"I wanted to talk to you about Mercedes…" Michonne started when she'd settled down to face Lisette across the sofa.
"What has she done?" Lisette asked, her eyes going a little wider.
Michonne shook her head.
"She hasn't done anything…not yet at least," Michonne said.
She hesitated for a moment, rolling the words she was considering saying around on her tongue to make sure they felt like the ones that she really wanted to put out there. The problem with the situation that they were facing was that it wasn't one that they'd been brought up to discuss…it wasn't one that you could say they'd been given a guidebook for in a past life.
"Lisette…have you ever noticed…" Michonne paused and finally sighed, deciding she had to say what she had to say and hope that it would come out with some of the grace that she wanted behind it, "have you ever noticed anything that's a little off about Mercedes? Has she ever done anything to anyone?"
Lisette looked shocked, but it wasn't the kind of shock that registers on one's face when you've thrown something completely out of the blue at them. Rather, Michonne got the distinct feeling that the shock on Lisette's face matched that of someone who has just been caught in a difficult situation or caught in a lie, even.
The shock faded a little after a moment of silence and Lisette shrugged as she wrung her hands and looked around the living room.
"I don't know…not for sure," Lisette said. She faced Michonne then, her eyes wide but darting around like she was revisiting a memory. "We were in a group once…well, we were in several groups…but in this one group there was an elderly couple…a man and a woman…and they found them, one day, and they were…murdered in their sleep, I guess."
Michonne nodded her head.
"And Mercedes?" Michonne got out.
Lisette shrugged and then shook her head again.
"I don't know that…I really don't," Lisette said. "We didn't stay with the group much after that…we assumed that it was someone in the group, but when no one confessed…we thought that maybe it had been passing people…"
Michonne was thankful that Lisette was one of those people with fairly clear facial expressions that went hand in hand with what they were obviously thinking.
"But you don't think it was passing people?" Michonne asked.
Lisette shook her head.
"They didn't take anything," she said. "It…wouldn't make much sense, you know? Come into a camp…a pretty well stocked camp…just to kill two old people who would have died on their own soon enough? Nothing was missing…and nothing was disturbed. It just never made sense to me that they would come in…not just to kill two old people."
Michonne felt her stomach churn.
No, it wouldn't make sense to break into someone's camp just to kill two old people…you could essentially be risking your own life just to take the lives of people who, like Lisette had pointed out, would die soon enough on their own, one way or another.
But it would make perfect sense to kill them if you were already there and you considered yourself, through your delusions, someone who was somehow allowed to make decisions about who was and wasn't necessary.
"Do you think Mercedes did it?" Michonne asked, deciding to be point blank at this point in the conversation.
"I think that she could have done it," Lisette said. "That's really all I can say…I think that she could have done it. We've never travelled well with a group because…"
Lisette broke off.
"Because?" Michonne asked.
Lisette chuckled ironically.
"Because she's always commenting…she's always pointing out to people which ones of them deserve to survive…it makes people uncomfortable…" Lisette said.
Michonne didn't respond because she wasn't entirely sure how to respond.
"And now it's making you uncomfortable?" Lisette asked.
Michonne chewed her lip a moment.
"Lisette…is it just Mercedes? Or is it you and Calista as well?" Michonne asked.
Lisette shook her head.
"It's really Mercedes…" Lisette said.
Michonne nodded her head slightly and swallowed.
"If you were given the chance to leave here…to leave the group today, with Mercedes, would you go?" Michonne asked.
Lisette dropped her line of vision to the floor and Michonne didn't say anything. She let the woman sit in the silence that she needed and think over what she'd said. She let her take her time coming up with the response that was best suited to her thoughts.
Lisette finally brought her eyes back up toward Michonne.
"I don't want to leave this group," she said. "And I don't want…to take Calista away from here. I'm not Mercedes' mother…but I am Calista's mother…"
Michonne nodded her head. Lisette didn't have to say words that were probably too difficult to hear coming from yourself. Michonne understood what the woman was trying to say.
And she got the strange sensation that the woman understood what she was getting at, deep down…and that she might even be a little bit relieved.
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"Turn her loose, alone, and she comes back…and we can guess what kind of people she'd come back with," Glenn said.
He was one of the people who had come to join the meeting about what to do with Mercedes, and though he was often quiet on a lot of things that took place around the community, he seemed to have strong feelings on the fact that Mercedes was not to be turned out of the community…she should be, for as much as they all hated to say it, executed.
"We've been attacked…in the middle of the night," Glenn said. "We've woken up to surprises and we've lost people. We don't need enemies out there who know about us…and who know about our weaknesses. If she's marking people as weak, she's noticed every other hole in the wall that we have…"
He looked uncomfortable with his own words and Michonne almost felt inclined to hug him simply to offer some sort of comfort for something he was saying…something he obviously felt strongly about…but that obviously brought him such a great deal of disgust.
"So what?" Daryl asked. "We just shoot a eighteen…nineteen…twenty year old kid? She ain't even done anything…we come so damn far now we can shoot her under suspicion?"
"If we wait for her to do something," Maggie offered from where she was sitting with Lela asleep against her chest, "then we've waited too long."
Daryl looked around the room at all of them.
"So you all think the same damn thing? We just put this girl down because we think she might be plannin' on killin' some damn body?" Daryl asked.
Michonne didn't look at him when she bobbed her head, but she did let her eyes fall over everyone else…everyone else who was taking that time to glance around, bobbing their heads sullenly. No one wanted to be the only one to agree. Everyone was horrified, even, by the thought that they agreed at all.
Carl straightened up from the wall where he was standing, having insisted on being there, and got everyone's attention.
"No one in our group is weak," Carl said. "The children need us…they need to be protected…because they're children. But we're not weak. I agree with Glenn, though. We can't just turn her loose. She knows too much about us. All she has to do is find someone…someone like the Governor…and she knows enough to come after us. It's not worth the risk."
"What do you think, Rick?" Daryl asked after a moment. Rick, from his spot on the fireplace beside Sadie had guarded silence throughout the conversation to this point.
Rick sucked his teeth and shook his head.
"I don't like the idea of killing her…not when we don't know she's guilty," Rick said. "But…I have to say that we've been burned before, so I don't like the idea of turning her loose. There are no easy answers."
"I've got a easy answer," Beau spoke up. "I'll do it…I ain't got no problem doin' it…but if she went after anybody 'round here it'd be a whole lot worse on me than knowin' I took a chance. Wouldn't be the first blood on my hands…"
Michonne turned her attention to Beau. It was easy to forget sometimes, since Beau's overall nature was so polite, so agreeable, so warm, even, that Beau had been out there on his own for a long time. There was a good chance that he had seen and done some things that none of them had ever really questioned. He was also fiercely loyal…and he knew what it was to lose everyone…he wouldn't take kindly to a threat to their group.
"What if we don't kill her just because?" Carol asked, shifting around in the chair she occupied while Tyreese rested against the arm of it. "What if…we wait until we know for sure that she would kill someone?"
"You mean wait until she possibly does kill someone?" Glenn asked, already shaking his head to go with his obvious opinion of the question.
"No…what if we give her someone to kill," Carol said. "What if we set it up for her? The reason she hasn't made a move could be that she hasn't had the chance…those of us…the weakest links…that she'd want to kill? We're always together or close to someone else…not so weak."
"You talkin' 'bout baitin' her ass?" Daryl asked.
Carol shrugged and nodded.
"Well…I suppose…I am," Carol said. "Make it easy for her to make a move…then if she goes for it, we know that's what she had on her mind…if she doesn't…"
"We just assume she's not crazy?" Maggie asked.
"Or we assume she's not crazy enough to kill…" Michonne said. "At least not yet…"
"It ain't a bad damn idea," Daryl said after a moment. "We could set it up…have some a' us go on a run a' some type…but we ain't on no run we hidin' some damn where ta watch…send her ass out with someone…let 'em drop they guard…an' we get her 'fore she gets them…"
"But we have to be quick," Michonne offered. "Otherwise it might backfire on us and we lose someone…"
"We pretty damn quick," Daryl said with a chuckle. "But we gotta let her get in close enough ta know that's what she was goin' for…have at least two or three of us out there…hell we ain't even gotta know who the hell it was hit the winnin' shot on her ass…"
"It could work," Glenn offered. "But who goes? Because it can't be one of the kids…it's got to be an adult to go outside the community…outside where she won't suspect she's being watched. Otherwise she won't take the bait just like she hasn't tried anything yet."
"Sadie?" Daryl asked, waving his hand at Sadie. "You in to be some live bait?"
Sadie looked at him, her mouth open showing that clearly she wasn't following along with everything that was happening. She closed her mouth after a moment, though, and nodded her head.
"Yeah…sure…" she said.
"No…it can't be Sadie," Carol said quickly. "If Sadie has to drop her guard…and she's really got to drop it to make Mercedes go for it…then she doesn't even have the benefit of hearing Mercedes approaching her. If she even pretends to drop her guard…her guard is all the way down. I'll be the bait."
Tyreese chuckled ironically.
"Hell no…" he said. "You're not being no damn bait…"
"I'm the best one to be it," Carol protested. "The kids can't do it…and Mercedes is a lot bigger than Muh…and Sadie's at a disadvantage if she tries to play the part. I can take my knife…and I can still hear Mercedes even if my back is to her…besides…I'm like super bait. If she doesn't go for me, she's not going for anyone."
Michonne felt her stomach churn, but she didn't offer any protest to the plan at the moment. She looked at Daryl who looked to be turning the whole thing over in his mind, gnawing absently at his cuticle.
"She's right," Daryl said. "She's the best damn piece a' bait we got for Mercedes…"
Tyreese started to protest again, but Daryl cut him off.
"We ain't lettin' shit happen…I'ma be out there…I'ma take others…ain't shit gonna happen beyond Mercedes maybe gettin' a lil' too damn close for comfort…but we gon' take her out quick as she makes her damn move," Daryl said. "Ya got my damn word on that."
Everyone fell silent for the moment and Daryl finally spoke again after taking another opportunity to think things over.
"Everybody alright with that shit?" He asked.
When no one directly protested, he nodded his head.
"Fine…tomorrow we do this shit…" He said. He looked at Carol and Tyreese both. "Carol…might go on up ta bed?"
Carol nodded, understanding apparently that Daryl intended to discuss something he didn't want to discuss in front of her. She clearly accepted it, too, because she got up from the chair she was seated in and pulled at Tyreese's hand to tug him after her.
"I'm staying down here," Tyreese said to her.
"Go on with her," Daryl said. "Ain't nothin' happenin' here I ain't catchin' ya both up on first thing tomorrow."
Tyreese hesitated, but he shot a look at Michonne and she nodded at him before she watched both of them mount the stairs. After the bedroom door had been heard to close, they waited another few moments before Daryl spoke again.
"We gon' be serious about this shit," Daryl said. "We let her get close enough to prove she's after killin' her, but we take her out before she does any real damage…I'm goin'…who else?"
"I'll go," Carl offered.
Daryl looked at the boy…the boy who was really more near manhood at this point than adulthood. He nodded.
"Fine, you a good shot," Daryl said.
"I'm going," Michonne offered.
Daryl looked at her and shook his head.
"No…ya ain't. You ain't goin' because you don't shoot well enough or fast enough. You'd have to get in there close and that could mess things up…and I don't want you balkin' and jumpin' in too early because it's Carol," Daryl said.
Michonne felt a slight sting at what he'd said, but it was really only because she recognized the truth in his words. Just thinking about it made her heart pound a little and she could imagine that it would be possible for her to react too early if she went out there…and she really wasn't a very good shot. She was much better at hand to hand combat.
"Beau, you neither," Daryl said quickly. "You too damn close to Carol and I don't want'cha balkin' early on. Gotta be someone who can wait it out until we got our proof."
Beau didn't protest any more than Michonne did. He seemed satisfied, simply, that they weren't turning the girl out.
"Rick?" Daryl asked.
Rick sighed rather loudly but finally nodded his head.
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah…I'm in…"
"Fine," Daryl said. "Then tomorrow we go out…we'll hide around the love nest area…there's lots of cover there. Pretend we're on a run somewhere in town. Then Carol and Mercedes can go out…make up somethin'…hell they going to get some shit for Muh or for cookin'…it don't matter. Carol lets her guard down…gets her damn back to Mercedes good…and we wait. Soon as Mercedes makes a move…we let it play out long enough to know what she's goin' for…an' if Mercedes is out there lookin' for murder…we give it to her."
Michonne swallowed at the thought of it, her throat almost dry from the conversation. It was harsh and it was cruel, perhaps…but it may be the only solution. At least this way, if everything went off without a hitch…they would know Mercedes' intentions and they could justify the death they'd given her. And, at least, by having three of them out there, they could avoid anyone really ever pointing the finger at the executioner if it came to that.