Chapter 11
(Later in the day; Episode 4)
Rick and I have found out that Daryl, Michonne, Bob, and Tyreese have gone out on the supply run. The food supply is running low and Daryl's group won't be coming back anytime soon. After we confronted Carol about the burnt bodies, Rick has decided to go on a supply run with her. He and I are in cell block C and have both changed from our bloody shirts to clean ones. I've changed into my black, long sleeve top and he's changed into his navy blue dress shirt. He and I have been moving our belongings in our cells from the top level of cell block C to the ones on the bottom level; Rick's taken Carl's and I've moved into the cell next to it. We really do want to be as close to the entrance as we can so that in case anything goes down, we can quickly head out.
Rick and I are sitting at the table near the inside of our cell block. I'm sitting to his right at the table, rearming my gun to make sure everything in it is set as well as my two holsters of ammo on my holster belt. I've just finished replacing the cloth on the cut on the left side of my forehead with a fresh one. Rick is wrapping a new medical bandage around his right injured hand. I watch him as he wraps the bandage around his hand in deep thought as I stick my gun in its holster.
"So what are we going to do about Carol?" I ask, breaking the silence.
"As I planned, I'm takin' her with me on a supply run to search a small town just some 8 miles north of the prison," he responds as he finishes wrapping the medical bandage around his hand.
He rests his right elbow on the table, holding his bandaged hand up next to his face. He gazes down at the table and lets out a slow, heavy sigh.
"I'd take you with me, but I just don't trust her…I don't wanna leave her here in the prison without someone keeping an eye on her…That's why I'm havin' you stay…to look after things…Look after Judith and Carl," he continues.
I can tell he's still devastated at the news of Carol admitting it was her who killed Karen and David. He closes his eyes and leans against his inured hand and sighs. I place my hand on his arm and caress it, trying to comfort him.
"I'm gonna have to let her go…" he finally says. "I don't trust her here, anymore…not with Carl and Judith here…No one's goin' to trust her once they find out…And Tyrese…he's goin' to kill her if I let her stay…But if I let her go, it'll still cause some problems in the group…"
Rick groans a bit as he continues to close his eyes and lean against his injured hand, obviously stressed about what's to come after he kicks Carol out of the group.
"I know it's not an easy thing to do…" I say. "But it has to be done…I know Tyreese will be angry that you didn't tell him that it was Carol and that you let her go…Daryl will also be upset that you kicked her out of the group…There's gonna be a shit load of tension amongst us…But no matter what, I'll be right by your side to support you," I say as I continue to caress his arm.
He opens his eyes and gazes at me while putting his arm down on the table. I place my hand on his left cheek, caressing his now trimmed down beard.
"Nice to see that you finally used the shaving razor that Michonne gave you," I say with a small laugh as I gently run my fingers along his beard.
I give him a reassuring smile and he gives me an appreciative expression.
"Come on…" I say as I stand up from my chair. "Let's go load the SUV so you two can head out."
Rick nods and stands up off the chair. I head to the exit of the cell block and Rick follows close behind me. We reach the outside and head to the SUV that's parked by the supply area.
"I'm goin' to give her some supplies, at least," Rick says as he grabs a container of fuel. "That way, she won't struggle on her own."
"That seems like the right thing to do," I say to him with a smile as I grab a bag of supplies and load it into the SUV.
Rick walks over to the fuel tank opening on the left side of the SUV and shakes the container of fuel.
"Are we running low?" I ask as I glance at him, walking to get some more supplies nearby.
"Yeah, but this should be enough for the trip to the town," Rick replies as he pours some fuel into the SUV's fuel tank.
I walk back toward the SUV with the last of supplies needed and load it in the back of the SUV. I notice that Rick is standing there staring at the ground in deep contemplation.
"What's wrong?" I ask as I stop a few feet beside him.
He continues to gaze at the ground, still holding the container of fuel. He then turns around and begins to head to the entrance of cell block D after placing the fuel container on the ground next to the SUV. I am a bit surprised and begin to follow after him.
"Where are you going?" I ask.
"Goin' to get a container of fuel," he replies as he reaches the door and heads inside of cell block.
I follow after him and we head inside down to the corridor where the trails of bloodstains are. Rick stops in front of the cell Karen was in and slowly walks to the doorway, deep in thought. I also stare into the cell at the blood stained bed, and then begin to imagine Carol stabbing Karen in the back of her skull. Rick and I look back down at the trail of bloodstains on the floor and follow it with our eyes around the corner. I picture Carol dragging one of the bodies around the corner and into the courtyard. Rick and I stay quiet, both imagining how Carol had done all she had with the bodies. We then walk down the corridor along the trail of bloodstains and head around the corner. Rick walks over to a table and grabs the container of fuel that's sitting on top of it. He and I continue to examine the scene of the murder in silence, still picturing how Carol carried on the act of killing David and Karen and burning their bodies. We stand there for a moment, deep in thought.
"Let's go…" Rick finally says as he walks past me.
I follow him down the corridor where we came from, back to the outside where the SUV is parked. Rick heads over to the open trunk door of the SUV and places the container of fuel on top of the supplies I've loaded in. I stand beside him on his right and we look at a rolled up pouch that belongs to Carol. Rick unrolls the pouch with his left hand and sees that it's full of blades. We stare at it with an air of uneasiness and Rick rolls it up closed. He begins to move all of Carol's belongings to the right side of the SUV's trunk. He then looks around with a pensive gaze and turns away, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his injured hand in distress.
"It's okay…" I whisper to him as I walk up behind him and rub his back gently. "There's no other better way…"
Rick and I close the trunk door of the SUV and then walk over to the gate in front of the SUV. He walks closer to it and places his left hand on it, gazing past it in thought. I stand beside him and watch him in worry, knowing that he's going through a lot of stress and pressure regarding the decision of kicking Carol out of the group. I, too, stare through the gate, thinking about all the things that could result after the other find out.
"Rick," we hear someone call from behind.
We turn around and see Carol walking toward the SUV.
"We ready?" she asks as she opens the front passenger seat door.
Rick looks away from her with a nod and gazes at the ground. I turn to Rick and stare at him, seeing that he's still thinking.
"I'll be gone for a while…" Rick tells me in a low voice. "Do what you can here while I'm gone."
"I'll be on gate-duty, killing off some walkers at the gates," I say. "I'll check in with everything and everybody else."
I look up at him and see his concerned gaze.
"Don't work yourself too much. You still have that cut on your head," he continues.
"It's been well over two hours. I'll be okay," I reassure him.
He stares into my eyes with an expression of care and leans slowly closer to my face.
"Not now…" I say as I gently stop him by placing my hand on his chest and looking down. "Just go quickly and get your ass back here as soon as you can," I say looking up at him with a small smile.
He returns the look and begins to walk to the SUV. I watch him as he opens the driver seat door and climbs in. He turns the engine on and begins to drive forward. I gaze in through his window and see him looking at me as he drives past me. He drives the SUV down the dirt pathway toward the main entrance gates. I walk quickly down the dirt pathway as I watch Maggie open the sliding gate and the two large doors outside. Rick drives the SUV through and Maggie quickly closes the large doors again. I reach the front gates and slow my pace down.
"Have you talked to your father?" I ask Maggie as she closes the sliding gate.
"Yeah, I went to see him earlier," she replies. "He's doin' all right."
"Good to hear," I say as I stop in front of her.
"And how are you and Rick?" she asks with a sly smile. "I saw that just now before he got in the SUV from the tower…"
"You have good eyesight."
"No…I just have good binoculars," she says as she holds the binoculars up with a sheepish smile.
I chuckle and she also laughs.
"So has everything been settled between you two?" she asks.
"No, it hasn't…" I say as I glance at the ground. "We've decided to wait until after this whole flu issues passes…I also want Carl's permission. I don't want to start anything official with Rick behind his back."
"I'm sure Carl will approve," Maggie says as she rubs the side of my arm with a smile.
I look up at her and return the smile.
"Let's get to gate duty to kill off some walkers," I say as we begin to walk up the dirt pathway. "How's Glen doing?"
"He's hangin' in there…He and Sasha are helping my dad with the sick inside cell block A."
"Has your dad told you how the sick are doing?"
"Some are better than others…"
We continue to walk to the fences and grab some crowbars that are hanging on a nearby gate.
"You think it'll be the same after we get past this thing?" I ask Maggie as we walk toward the group of walkers that's gathered behind the gates some 15 feet away.
"I don't know…" she answers looking down at the ground. "I hope so."
"Yeah…" I say with a nod as I stand in front of the gate and stick the sharp end of my crowbar into the walker's head.
After working on fence duty for an hour or so with Maggie, I've decided to go check on Judith and Carl. Maggie has gone to check on Hershel and the sick in cell block A and wants to see Glen. It's sad when going to see them, though; we have to speak through a window of an interrogation room in the prison to prevent the spread of the illness. It's really difficult to think that Maggie has to talk to her father and Glen with a glass separating them, not allowing any other sort of affection to be done.
I'm walking down the hallway of the administrative office in cell block C. I stare at the floor in deep thought as I make my way through the halls.
'I hope everything is okay with Rick…' I think to myself. 'It's a difficult thing that he has to do…kicking Carol out of the group…He couldn't have made that decision alone…not without asking someone if it was the right thing to do…I'm glad I'm here for him…for Carl and Judith…'
I gaze at the piles of paper that are scattered on the floor of the hallway.
'Would Carl accept me and Rick having a relationship?' I continue to think to myself. 'What if he doesn't? Will he hate me?'
Just as I turn the corner of a hallway, I halt at seeing Carl at the other end. He sees me and stares at me in surprise.
"Hey, Michelle," he says with a wave as he begins to walk toward me.
"Don't get too close," I say to him as I hold my hand out. "Remember, your dad and I don't want to risk you and Judith getting sick; he and I have been exposed when we went into cell block D to deal with the walkers…"
"I know…" he says but continues walking in my direction. "But that doesn't mean we can't sit down and talk."
He stops some 10 feet away from me and sits down against the wall. I watch him for a moment before I also have a seat and lean against the wall, being on Carl's right. We both lean back up against the wall and gaze at the wall across from us.
"How are you doing?" I ask.
"Fine…just walking around and checking the hallways," he responds.
"That's real badass of you, you know that?" I say turning to him with a smile.
"Yeah," he replies with a chuckle.
"How's Judie?"
"Doing well…she's with Beth inside their office."
"Good, good…and the others? Anyone sounding or looking sick?"
"Well, that's the thing…" Carl says as he gazes at the floor. "There aren't many others…nearly everyone is sick or has already died of being sick…"
I can tell he's bummed out about it all as I watch him stare at the floor.
"Hershel's doing his best trying to keep the sick from getting worse," I say. "He believes he can help them get better and save their lives…He's got hope and a strong mind. That's what we have to have. We have to keep our heads up and keep doing what we have to in order to get past this…If we give up and don't support each other, we won't pull through."
"I know what you've been through, Michelle…" Carl says. "About your husband…your daughter…your life. You've told me everything."
I am surprised that he's bringing this up.
"It's just…so incredible that you can keep going even after all you've been through," he continues.
"Well, that's just what you gotta learn how to do," I say. "It's not an easy road to go down, believe me…But after you've gone through it all, it makes you a stronger, better person. You may not realize it sooner, but it does. I didn't realize it and struggled to…I'll admit, I've hit rock bottom a couple of times…And that's okay. Just as long as you're able to come back and build yourself up again, that's all that matters."
"But how do I know if I'm able to?" Carl asks still gazing at the floor, taking his sheriff's hat off and placing it next to him. "How do I know if I'm strong? Can I come back when I hit rock bottom?"
"You have, Carl," I say facing him, causing him to look at me in surprise. "You've told me about your mom and about your dad and how it was before everything went to hell…I know you struggled a lot dealing with the strained marriage your mom and dad had. You had to deal with seeing your mother die and having to kill her yourself…I can relate to you in that sense of having to kill someone you love…Even after having gone through that, you're still here…Carl, you may not have realized it, but you are strong…You fell into the darkness before, but you came back. Your father's very proud of you…I'm very proud of you."
Carl stares at me with a surprised expression in silence for a moment, but then a warm smile spreads across his face.
"Thank, Michelle," he finally says. "That means a lot."
"I'm glad," I say with a warm smile.
"You know…sometimes I feel like my dad doesn't fully have hope and confidence in me…"
"Don't take it as a bad thing. He's just protecting you like any good father would."
"I know, but…I want him to realize that I can do stuff…to help him and everyone else. He just doesn't have the confidence in me…I just want to show him I can do more."
"Be patient, young cowboy. That time will come," I say as I smile at him reassuringly.
He returns the smile with a nod.
"You're an awful lot like a mother to me and Judith," Carl suddenly says. "And I'm sorry if this offends you after having lost your daughter and husband, but…I feel like you can be that mother-figure for me and Judith."
I gaze at him in surprise.
"I've noticed how you and my dad are with one another," he continues, making me a bit embarrassed. "You help my dad stay on his feet, literally and figuratively," he says with a slight chuckle. "I can tell you both care about each other a lot…I'd hate to have my dad be sad and alone…I want you to be there for him, for me, and for Judith."
I stare at Carl in complete shock.
"Actually…I've talked to your dad about this," I admit. "It's true…he and I do have strong feelings for one another; I'm sorry for not telling you sooner…But I made sure to let your dad know that I didn't want to start anything official without your permission. I don't want to barge into your family like that, and I want to respect your father's former marriage…I'm afraid you won't accept me into your family."
"But I've already accepted you, Michelle," Carl interjects. "And I do give you and my dad permission to be together…In fact, I actually want it to happen," he admits with a nod. "I know you two are good for each other and for me and Judith."
I gaze at Carl with as a warm smile spreads across my face.
"Carl…thank you," I say to him with an appreciative voice.
"You're welcome…and thank you," he says returning the appreciative smile.
"You have no idea how much I want to hug you right now," I say with a slight laugh.
"If we could, I'd hug you back," he responds with a chuckle.
Carl and I stare at one another with warm smiles.
"Well…I gotta go check on the fences," I say after a moment of silence and stand up. "Those walkers are bound to break in over the fences sooner or later."
"When my dad comes back, let him know what I said about you two," Carl says as he gets to his feet and holds his hat in his hand.
"I'm sure he'll come here and ask you himself," I say with a smile.
I begin to head to the other end of the hallway where I came from. Carl also begins to head back down the other end of the hallway. Before I turn the corner, I turn back to Carl.
"Carl," I call to him.
He stops and turns to me.
"Protect Judie and the rest…I have confidence in you, young sheriff," I say as I give him a wink and smile.
Carl gives me a smile, places his sheriff hat on his head, and gives me a nod.
With that, I turn back and begin to head down the hallway where I came from. I suddenly feel a lot of weight lifted off me as I make my way out of cell block C and to the outside.
'That boy is amazing…' I think to myself as I head toward the fence where the walkers are gathered. 'He's gotten rid of a huge load of worry that Rick and I have had for a while…I thank him for that…'
I reach the gate where the crowbars are hanging, take one, and head closer to where the group of walkers is gathered.
'I can't wait to see the look on Rick's face when he finds out,' I think to myself.
I hold the pointy end of the crowbar and drive it into the skull of one of the walkers. After a few minutes of killing some off, I turn and see Maggie coming over to help.
"It's still looking bad," I say to her as she walks over with a crowbar.
"We have to come up with something to do about this," Maggie says as she drives her crowbar into a walker's skull.
"We have to do it fast and soon," I add as I kill another walker.
We then hear the sound of an approaching vehicle. We look toward the main front gates and see Rick driving in the SUV toward the entrance. Maggie and I quickly make our way to the front entrance. She opens the two large front doors while I open the sliding gate. Rick drives in and stops some 10 feet past us as Maggie and I close the front doors and gate. Rick walks out of the SUV safely, and I sigh in relief. However, there is no Carol in sight. He walks over quickly to us.
"Carl, Judith…are they okay?" he asks.
"Yeah," I reply gazing at him.
"Where's Carol?" Maggie asks in worry.
"Glen, Hershel, Sasha…." Rick asks.
"Yeah, it's bad, but they're fightin' it. Daryl's not back yet," Maggie replies.
Rick stays quiet and looks away.
"Michelle, get in the SUV," he says. "We're takin' the supplies up to Carl and the others."
I nod and begin to walk to the SUV with Rick.
"Rick…Rick, where's Carol?" Maggie asks frantically.
Rick and I stop in our steps and turn back around to her. Maggie stares at Rick, waiting for him to answer.
"It was her…" Rick finally answers. "She killed Karen and David."
Maggie is shocked and stays quiet. I gaze at the ground, knowing how crazy this may sound to her.
"She was tryin' to stop it from spreading," Rick continues. "Tyreese is gonna be back here soon, so I didn't think she should be here….And I couldn't have her here," Rick says firmly. "She has a car, supplies…She'll figure it out…Go tell your dad. But don't tell anyone else yet."
"Okay," Maggie says with a sigh, still in disbelief.
Rick gazes around, and there's a moment of silence. I watch him as he looks frustrated and in distress.
"Would you have brought her back?" Rick asks Maggie.
"She said she did it?" Maggie asks.
"She did…" I interject looking up at Maggie. "I was there when she admitted it."
Maggie looks at the ground and nods.
"You were right to send her away," she says. "I don't know if I could've…"
"You could've, Maggie," Rick says. "You've done harder things. Don't doubt yourself…We don't get to."
With that, Rick and I turn around and head to the SUV.
"The walker group is gettin' bigger than the one that took the fence down," Maggie calls out. "We need to do something."
"We will," Rick firmly answers as he and I climb into the front of the SUV.
Rick drives up the pathway toward the cell blocks.
"I've got some news for you…" I say as I look out the window.
"What news?" Rick says as he glances at me for a moment.
"I talked to Carl…" I continue. "He's noticed what's been going on between you and me…"
Rick looks at me in concern. I place my hand over my mouth as I let out a smile. He turns his attention back at driving.
"He's given us permission," I finally say.
He turns to me in complete surprise. I laugh at his shocked expression.
"Really?" he asks in disbelief as he parks the SUV right outside cell block C.
"Yup…" I answer with a small smile. "I didn't even bring it up…he's the one who told me."
Rick stares at me with disbelief before he lets out a relieved smile.
"I want you to ask him yourself," I say as I exit out the SUV and close the door behind me.
Rick exits the SUV and we walk to the back of it.
"He just told you?" Rick asks with a small smile as he opens the back trunk door and takes out a bag of supplies.
"Why don't you just go and ask him?" I respond with a small smile as I grab a black plastic bag from the trunk.
Rick sighs with a smile as he closes the trunk door of the SUV. I follow him inside cell block C and we make our way to the area where the administrative offices are at.
"Good thing I found some food on the supply run," Rick says as we head down the hallway.
We turn the corner of the hallway and peer around.
"Carl?" Rick calls out as we glance around. "Carl!"
Carl quickly appears at the end of the hallway, causing Rick to sigh in relief.
"You okay?" Carl asks in worry.
"I was gonna ask you that," Rick responds with a smile.
"We're fine," Carl responds as he stops some 10 feet away from us.
"No one's sick? You didn't have to do anything?" Rick asks.
"Haven't had to use my gun, dad," Carl replies.
"And Judith?" Rick asks with a small smile.
"She's with Beth."
"Good…" Rick says as he takes off the large bag of supplies from his shoulder and slides it over to Carl. "Found some supplies. Some food. So you can take it back to the others."
Carl takes the bag and carries it over his shoulder.
"So I, uh…" Rick begins to say as he looks at the ground. "Heard that you talked to Michelle about what's been goin' on between me and her…"
Carl lets out a laugh which causes me to look down sheepishly.
"Are you…sure?" Rick asks.
"Dad…yes, I'm sure," Carl responds. "Like I've told Michelle…you and her need each other. I can tell you have strong feelings for each other, and I understand that. Michelle is part of our family, now."
Rick stares at him in disbelief as he smiles.
"You have no idea how much I want to hug you," Rick says as he rubs his chin.
"Michelle said the same thing when I told her," Carl says with a smile.
Rick turns to me with joyful expression.
"Thank you, Carl," Rick says as he turns to him. "It means a lot to us."
"No problem, dad," Carl says while nodding.
"Now, Michelle and I are goin' to take some supplies to Hershel and will have to start choppin' up some logs to hold up the fences," Rick says as he turns to walk away.
"Let me come," Carl pleads.
"No, you stay here and watch after Judith and the rest," Rick says as he turns back to him.
"Dad, when are you going to realize that you can't always protect me from this," Carl says.
I then recall what Carl told me about Rick not having confidence in him. I look at Rick and see he's gazing at the floor in thought.
"You know you can't always keep me from it," Carl adds.
"Yeah…but I think it's my job to try," Rick says as he turns around and begins to walk away and pats me on the shoulder. "Come on, Michelle."
Rick takes the black plastic bag of supplies from me and heads down the hallway. I gaze at Carl and see a disappointed look on his face. I give him a reassuring smile, letting him know to remember what I told him before. He nods and I begin to walk after Rick. We head out of cell block C and make our way to cell block A where Hershel is staying with the sick.
"Your son needs your faith in him," I say as we continue to walk. "And I know you know that…"
"He's my son. I can't risk his safety," Rick responds as we turn the corner of cell block A and make our way to the large sliding door.
"He's given us permission to start something we want," I say placing my hand on Rick's arm and stopping him in front of the door. "I think it's only fair you put your faith and confidence in your own son…He's proven himself…I'm not his mother, but I sure in hell will stand up for him."
Rick gazes at me with a curious look and a small smile spreads across his face.
"The time will come," he finally says.
He and I continue to gaze at one another for a few seconds before I go and open the sliding door and motion for him to go in first. He walks through and I close the door after us. We head down the corridor and into an interrogation room. Through the glass, we see Hershel standing with his back facing us. We see that there's a body of an unconscious resident on a stretcher. He stabs a blade in its skull. Rick and I stare at him for a moment through the glass.
"Hershel…" Rick calls out to him.
He turns around in surprise to see us. He walks up to the glass with a tired and sad look on his face.
"Third one we've lost…" Hershel begins to say. "We're burnin' them behind the blocks…Burnin'em…That's what it's come to…"
Rick and I stare at Hershel with concern as we notice how distraught he looks.
"Are you okay?" Rick asks him.
"I talked to him yesterday…" Hershel replies regarding the dead resident he just had to kill. "He told me a quote…A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ…That's exactly why I don't want'em to see what happens…I know they know…But I didn't want them to see it right now."
"They're seeing you, Hershel…" I say to him. "They see you keep going."
"Even after all the choices that keep gettin' takin' away," Rick adds.
Hershel looks at us in thought with a small smile and sighs.
"When we get past this thing…" Rick says after a moment of silence. "It's not gonna be like how it was…is it?"
"No," Hershel responds.
Rick sighs heavily at hearing his response and I gaze at the floor.
"Was that denial?" Rick asks. "Not seein' things for how they were?"
"No…you just got a break," Hershel replies. "You needed some time. You got some…You got lucky. We all did… I still think there's a plan. I still believe there's a reason."
"You think it's all a test?" Rick asks.
"Life is always a test, Rick," Hershel responds.
Rick and I stay quiet for a moment. We glance at each other, ready to talk to Hershel about what happened with Carol.
"Has Maggie come in to talk you yet?" Rick asks.
"No, why?" Hershel responds.
"We need to talk to you about Carol…" I say as I look up at Hershel.
He gives me and Rick a curious and confused look.
"She was the one who killed Karen and David," Rick finally says.
Hershel looks at him in surprise.
"She wanted to stop the spread of the disease," I add. "She figured that if she killed the only two who were sick, she'd prevent the flu from spreading…clearly, she was wrong."
"Where is she now?" Hershel asks.
"I took her out on a supply run," Rick replies. "I kicked her out of the group…"
Hershel stands there in disbelief, gazing at the floor.
"You did the right thing, Rick," Hershel finally says. "It may not feel like it, but it had to be done…Things could have gotten worse had you not done it."
Rick rubs his mouth and gazes at the floor while nodding.
"I'm gonna get back to the sick," Hershel says. "I need to continue helping them."
"We brought you some supplies," Rick says as he holds up the black plastic bag.
"Just leave it at the door to the cell block," Hershel says as he turns and walks away. "I'll pick it up when I can."
Rick and I then head out of the interrogation room. He walks over to the door that leads inside the cell block and leaves the bag in front of it.
"There are still some long logs on the bed of my pickup we can chop up later," I say as we head down the corridor. "Let's go check out the fences first and see what we have to do."
Rick nods. We make our way outside of cell block A past the large sliding door. Just as I'm continuing to walk, Rick stops, grabs a hold of my arm, and pulls me toward him.
"Rick, what the…?" I begin to say but am stopped by him kissing me on the lips.
We kiss for a few seconds until we pull away. I look up into his face with a confused expression.
"This makes it official, now," he says as he gazes at me with his blue eyes.
My confused expression turns into a smile. We then pull away from each other and walk toward the fences. We see Maggie killing off some walkers through the fence with a crowbar. Rick and I grab some crowbars that are hanging from the gate and head over to where Maggie is.
"We talked to your dad," Rick says as we begin to kill off walkers with the crowbars. "Looks good…all things considered."
"If Carl was sick, would you be up there with him?" Maggie asks.
Rick and I continue to stab walkers in the skull with our crowbars.
"If I thought I could help…" Rick answers.
"You don't think I can help?" Maggie says as she turns to Rick.
Suddenly, a walker reaches its hand through the fences and grabs a hold of Rick's ankle. It pulls on it and causes him to fall. I react quickly, take a nearby axe, and chop the walker's arm off.
"Damn…" Rick mutters as he pulls his leg away and stands up.
We look at the now armless walker as it snarls at us.
"We're just glad you're out here with us," I say to Maggie with a small smile.
She gives us a nod and we continue to kill off some of the walkers. After some minutes, I take some steps back and look at the fence that's bending in.
"We have to get more logs to help hold up the fence," I say. "There are too many walkers pushing up against it…Our efforts are kinda useless right now."
Rick and Maggie turn to me with a nod. We quickly head over to my pickup truck that's parked just outside of the cell block gate.
"Daryl and the rest are taking an awful long time," Maggie says as we begin to pull out some logs from the bed of my pickup.
"They'll be back," I say as we carry one log and place it on the ground nearby.
"Let's just hope they come back soon," Rick adds as we head to get another log. "We need a lot of help out here."
We carry the second log and place it a few feet next to the other one on the ground. Maggie takes the large axe and cuts through one of the logs, chopping it in half. Rick and I move the two pieces of log and pile them on the side as Maggie chops the other log in half.
"These should be long enough to stand against the fence," Rick says as he and I carry another log over to Maggie.
Rick and I place the third log on the ground in front of her. Suddenly, we hear a gunshot come from inside cell block A. We stop and turn our attention to it. Maggie glances at me and Rick as we wonder what's going on.
"Go," Rick tells her.
"The fence is more important," Maggie says as she continues to chop through the log. "We need to keep it standing."
"Michelle and I got this," Rick says.
Maggie stops chopping through the log and gazes at us.
"You guys can't do this alone…" she says.
"We know…go," I say to her as I motion for her to run. "We'll be fine."
Maggie looks at us for a moment before nodding and takes off running toward cell block A. I pick up the axe on the ground and quickly begin to chop up the third log.
"That should be enough," Rick says as he picks up a half log. "We need to take these to the fence and line them up against it."
I nod and quickly pick one of the logs up. We place all six half logs in a wheelbarrow and quickly take them to the fence.
"Come on," Rick says as he places the wheelbarrow on the ground and begins to walk back.
"Where are we going?" I ask as I follow him.
"This is the time for me to put faith in my own son," he responds.
I look at him in surprise but then nod as we run to cell block C. We make our way to the administrative offices and glance around the hallway.
"Carl," Rick calls out.
We stop and look around.
"Carl!" I call out.
Carl then appears at the end of the hallway.
"Carl!" Rick calls out to him in relief.
"I heard gunshots!" Carl says.
"We need your help," Rick says to him.
Carl looks at him and then at me in surprise but nods. We quickly make our way out of cell block C. It's already gotten dark outside.
"What's going on?" Carl asks as we continue to run to the fences.
"The group of walkers is pushing up against the fence," I reply. "We need to put up logs against the fence to keep it from giving in."
We reach the fence and we quickly begin to pick up the logs.
"Grab one so we can put it up against the fence," Rick instructs.
We carry one log up together and stand it up and put it up against the fence.
"Things were goin' bad and we heard a few shots," Rick begins to explain to Carl. "And Maggie went to check it out…Now we gotta do this."
"Let's do it," Carl says.
Carl picks up another log, but Rick quickly takes it from him.
"I got it," Rick says as he takes the log and leans it against the fence.
"Let me help," Carl says firmly.
I gaze at Rick and give him a reassuring gaze. He remembers what he and I talked about in terms of him putting his faith and confidence into Carl. He then nods and lets Carl help him. They put up the log and I watch them in awe. After they finish putting the log up, Rick and Carl gaze at one another in approval. They then look over at me and the three of us then pick up another log and stand it upright.
"Alright, set it down," Rick instructs as we begin to lean the log up against the fence.
We gaze up at the fence and see it bending in more and more. Rick and I lunge forward to try and push it up, but the fence keeps falling in. The logs are also bending and are breaking in half. After a few seconds, the fence finally gives in, and the walkers begin to climb over it.
"Run!" Rick yells as he and I fall back to the ground.
He quickly gets up and pushes a walker away from me. I get up on my feet and see a walker approaching Carl, so I quickly lunge forward at it and shove it to the ground. Rick sees another walker approaching me and Carl from behind, and he shoves it to the ground. Carl and I turn back around to help Rick get up.
"Rick!" I yell.
"Dad! Run! Come on!" Carl yells as he and I pull Rick up to his feet.
The three of us run to the small stone shelter that leads to the other side of the fence and run in, closing the door after us. The three of us stand inside the shelter and breathe quickly, trying to catch our breaths. We glance at one another to make sure we're okay and nod in confirmation. We run out through the other side door and see that the walkers are pushing up against the other side of the second fence. We watch in shock as we breathe quickly.
"What do we do?" Carl asks as we gaze at the group of snarling walkers.
"We have to put something up against the fence…" Rick answers.
"Will it hold?" I ask in doubt.
Rick then studies the bending gate and knows that the walkers will come through regardless.
"Come on," he then says as he motions for us to follow. "We're gonna have to take all the walkers down," Rick says as we run to cell block C and head inside. "Michelle, show us which weapons will be best to take down that group.
"On it," I say with a nod as I head to the locker of weapons inside our cell block.
I open the large locker of weapons and begin to scan it to see which guns would be best.
"Take these," I say as I hand them some MP4s. "These'll do best with rapid fire and are manageable to carry."
I grab two extra guns for us and an armful of magazines of ammo. I give them a few to carry and we head out of the cell block. Rick grabs a small table and places it about 15 feet to place the weapons and ammo on it. We glance at the fence that's some 15 feet in front of us and see that the group of walkers is bending it in. We then grab a hold of our own MP4s and ammo.
"You got it?" Rick asks as he hands two magazines of ammo to Carl. "Pockets."
"Yeah," he responds as he takes them from him.
"You good, Michelle?" Rick asks as he turns to me.
"Yeah," I respond as I grab the two magazines of ammo.
We then make our way toward the fence where the walkers are breaking in. I walk on the right and Rick on the left, leaving Carl in between us.
"Alright, listen to me," Rick says turning to Carl. "Magazine goes in here. Release it here. Make sure it latches," he quickly explains while showing Carl how to lock and load the MP4. "Pull back the operating rod, the rounds speed up."
"Squeeze in the trigger for rapid fire, okay?" I add as I lock and load my MP4.
"Okay," Carl nods as he has his gun ready.
"Hey," Rick says as he bends forward to Carl and looks him in the eyes. "You shoot, or you run…Don't let'em get close."
Rick stands upright and glances over at me. He and I nod and stand ready, aiming our guns in the direction of the walkers.
"Try your best to aim at the heads," I say to them. "It'll conserve ammo."
The walkers push through, causing the fence to fall in and dozens of walkers to pour in.
"Ready?" Rick calls out.
"Let's do this," I answer.
The walkers begin to approach us from 15 feet away. The three of us begin to fire our guns at them, shooting multiple walkers down together. The loud firing of gun shots is all we hear as we continue to shoot. Walkers collapse to the ground, one after the other.
"Let's go!" Rick says as we move back some feet to reload.
Carl reloads his gun and moves a bit forward from us toward the walkers, shooting them down. Rick and I watch him in surprise and gaze at one another. Carl is handling the MP4 so well. We then return to shooting the walkers. After about a minute more of shooting, we finally finish taking down the group of walkers. We glance around and see that there are some laying on the ground, snarling.
"Get a crowbar," Rick says as we walk over to the gate nearby. "Use it to finish off the last ones on the ground instead of your guns."
We place the guns on the table and take some crowbars that are hanging on the nearby gate and begin to spread out to find any walkers that are still alive amidst the scattered dead ones. We stab any we see that are still alive through the skull. I walk toward one that's laying face up on the ground under another that's dead. I crouch down and drive the crowbar through its head. I stand upright and gaze around the scattered dead walkers on the pavement. Rick, Carl and I walk toward one another in silence, the sound of crickets being the only thing we can hear. We gaze at one another for a moment, catching out breath. Carl gazes up at his father and gives him a hug, and then turns to me and gives me a hug as well. He motions for his dad to come join us. Rick stares at us for a moment, lets out a smile, and walks over and embraces the both of us. He plants a kiss on Carl's head and then on mine as he caresses our heads.
"We kicked ass tonight…" I say.
"Hell yeah we did," Carl adds.
We all let out a small laugh as we continue to embrace each other. The sound of an approaching vehicle then attracts out attention. We turn and see a minivan drive up the dirt pathway near us and see that it's Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, and Bob.
"Dad…Michelle…" Carl says as he glances at the group. "Everything's going to be okay.
We continue to hug each other a bit longer and we break apart from our hug to head over to Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, and Bob. They glance around the area and see all the dead walkers scattered about on the ground.
"Sasha," Tyreese asks us anxiously. "How's Sasha?"
"We don't know," Rick answers. "I'm sorry."
"You guys take a break," Daryl tells us. "We'll get in there. We got this."
Rick, Carl and I exhale in relief, finally seeing Daryl and the group back.
"Let's get some rest…" Rick says as he places his right arm over my shoulder and his left arm over Carl's. "We have a long day of cleaning up out here tomorrow," he says as he glances around at the scattered bodies of walkers.
Carl and I nod and we begin to walk to cell block C. We arrive inside the cell block, but I stop at the entrance and hold my hand to my forehead, feeling a bit light headed. Rick and Carl notice and look concerned as they stop beside me.
"You good?" Rick asks as he places his hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm good," I respond with a smile. "I just need some water."
"You go on to bed," Rick says to Carl. "I'll go take Michelle to get some water just outside the cell block."
"Will you be all right, Michelle?" Carl asks me.
"Yeah…I'll be fine," I say to him with a reassuring smile as I place my hand on his cheek. "I just feel a bit dazed with the wound to my head and with all that just happened…Now go get some rest…I can tell you need it."
Carl gazes up at me for a moment as I caress the side of his head. He then nods with a warm smile before heading into the cell block. Rick and I then turn and begin to head to the entrance of the cell block to go outside.
"How's your head?" Rick asks me as we make our way down a corridor.
"Fine, I just felt a bit rattled for a moment there," I respond. "A bit dehydrated, too…Didn't drink much water before the incident with the walkers."
"Well, we better make sure you get plenty before bed," Rick says as he opens the cell block door for me and we walk outside.
"How's your hand doing?" I ask as we make our way to the water container nearby.
"Not bad," he responds while gazing at his hand. "Can't wait for it to heal completely, though."
I then grab an empty cup from the table next to the large blue container of water and fill it up. As soon as the cup is filled, I take it and begin to chug the water down. Rick watches me with a slight smile.
"You really didn't have much water today, did ya?" He asks.
"Gave myself away," I say with a smirk as I wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt.
"You know you have to keep hydrated, especially with that hit on your head," he says.
"Yeah, yeah…You and Hershel keep nagging me about that," I say before chugging down another cup of water.
"It's for your own good," he says sternly. "I don't want you passin' out."
I finish the cup of water and gaze up at him as he stands less than a foot away from me to my right.
"Same way you're nagging me about my head wound…I'm going to nag you about that injured hand of yours," I firmly say to him with a small smirk.
Rick stares at me with a small smile and laughs a bit. I fill the cup of water again and hand it to him.
"Drink some…it'll help you cool down a bit," I say.
He takes the cup and chugs it down.
"Come on…" he says after placing the cup on the table. "Let's head to bed."
I nod and we head to the entrance of cell block C. Rick opens the door and motions for me to walk in first.
"I'm still surprised that Carl let us be together," Rick says as we head down the corridor. "It's surprisin' that he's the one who approached you first."
"I know," I reply. "He caught me off guard…He's a great kid…We owe him."
"Yes…we do," Rick says as we make our way into the cell block toward our cells.
I head to my cell and push the curtain open. I stop in surprise as I gaze into my cell and begin to laugh quietly.
"What?" Rick asks as he stands next to me.
"Look…" I say to him as I motion for him to peek inside my cell.
He peers inside and sees that Carl is sound asleep on my bed. Rick and I gaze at him as we laugh quietly.
"Guess he was too tired to notice he went into the wrong cell," I whisper to Rick.
"He's been workin' hard…especially after what we just dealt with," Rick adds.
"I don't want to wake him…"
"Then come sleep in my cell…" Rick says shyly, looking away at the floor. "We can…put the mattresses from the top and bottom bunks next to each other on the floor…to give us more space."
I stare at him while biting my bottom lip a bit as he gazes away shyly.
"As long as we get some rest I'm good," I finally say.
He looks up at me for a moment and then turns to walk into his cell.
"Let's get the mattresses ready, then…" he says as he pushes the curtain out of his way and walks inside his cell.
I follow after him through the dark grey curtain covering the doorway of his cell. After turning the lantern on, he reaches for the mattress on the top bunk and begins to lift it. I see him struggling a bit with his injured right hand so I quickly move to help him. We raise the mattress together and carefully place it on the floor. We then lift the mattress of the bottom bunk and place it on the floor next to the other one.
"We can place this large mattress pad over these so they won't separate underneath us," Rick says as he pulls out a mattress pad from under the bottom bunk bed. "Good thing I took it from one of the other cells."
I help him place the mattress pad over the two twin sized mattresses. Rick then reaches for a large, thick burgundy blanket and places it over the mattress pad. I then grab the two pillows from the bunk bed and place them at the end of the bed closest to the wall. We then push our new assembled mattress closer against the corner of the cell.
"We've made a king sized mattress," I say as I place a hand on my hip. "No bed frame, but it still looks comfortable."
"Yeah…it'll do," Rick says with a nod and small smile.
We begin to take our shoes off and place them together near the mattress on the floor. Rick walks over to the small bucket of water in the sink and begins to splash some into his face. After taking my holster belt off and placing it on the floor nearby, I climb on the mattress and get under the covers, laying myself down on the side closest to the wall. Rick dries his face with a small towel and heads over to the mattress. He takes his holster belt off and sits on the edge of the mattress with his back facing me. I notice that he's just sitting there in deep thought as he gazes at the floor.
"What's on your mind?" I ask him as I turn on my side, facing him.
"Carl…he was amazin' with that MP4…" Rick says as he stares at the floor.
"Young cowboy kicked some ass," I say with a small smile.
"It just surprised me that he handled it so well…" he continues saying in awe. "Part of me is proud of him…he did so well takin' down those walkers with us…But part of me is a bit concerned."
"Concerned about what?"
"I'm just worried he's becomin' a child soldier," he continues. "He hasn't had much of a childhood…All he's been seein' is killin' and shootin'. I don't want him to go down that dark road again."
I sit up and place my hand on his back, gazing into the very dim room being lit up by the weak light of the lantern.
"Carl isn't going to go down that dark road again," I say. "As long as he has us to guide him and be there for him when he needs us…he'll be fine."
He continues to stare at the floor.
"After tonight, I know I can trust my son with more serious tasks…" he says with a proud smile. "I have my full faith and confidence in him."
"And with that faith and confidence from us," I say as I place my hand on the side of his head, making him turn his face to me. "It's guaranteed he won't go down a dark road," I say as I caress the side of his head.
Rick looks at me with a happy and pensive expression.
"What?" I ask noticing his gaze.
"Shootin' those walkers…" he begins. "I felt it was us comin' together…becomin' a family."
"It was," I say in a soft voice, giving him a warm smile.
He gazes deeply into my eyes with those pensive blue ones of his as I continue to caress the side of his face. We continue to gaze into each other's eyes until we lean in and begin to kiss slowly. Rick turns his body toward mine and cups the sides of my face in his hands as I keep my right hand on his left cheek. I begin to unbutton his dark navy blue shirt as we continue to kiss. Once I've finished unbuttoning it, he quickly takes it off and throws it on the floor. He leans in and we continue to kiss as he is on his knees while unbuttoning his jeans. I begin to unbutton my jeans as well and we pull away to take our own jeans off. As soon as we hurl our jeans to the floor, we get back to kissing one another. We begin to breathe faster as we sit up and continue to make out. Rick reaches for the bottom of my black long sleeve shirt and we pull away for a moment so that he can take it off. He hurls it to the floor and goes back to kissing me. We're now only in our undergarments: Rick in his grey boxer briefs and I'm in my black bra and panties.
"Is it a good idea to do this?" I whisper in short breaths. "I don't want to risk getting pregnant…"
Rick stops kissing my neck and reaches for his jeans on the floor. He digs into his pocket and pulls out an unused condom packet.
"Where'd you find it?" I ask him in disbelief.
"While on the supply run with Carol," he answers. "I figured…it might come in handy…" he admits looking down bashfully.
I smile at him and place my hand on his cheek.
"You were hoping for this, weren't you?" I ask him with a smirk.
He smirks and looks at me with a seductive gaze.
"I could've just slept on one of the bunk beds…and you on the other," I say.
"And you knew it, too…" he says. "But you still went along with it. I'm not the only guilty one here."
I bite my bottom lip as I gaze at him with a smirk. He returns the smirk as we lean in and begin to kiss again. He slowly lays me down as me continue to make out. I run my hand up his chest as he caresses my right side. His hands reach for my panties and he tugs at them. I lift my hips up a bit to allow him to pull them off. Once he does, he throws them to the pile of our clothes on the floor nearby. I sit up and reach for my bra strap and unhook it. Rick comes closer and begins to kiss down my neck as he helps me take my bra off. I toss my bra to the floor as Rick continues to kiss down my neck. My hands slither down his crotch as I begin to pull his loose boxer briefs down. He feels this and pulls away to take them off, the condom still in his left hand. Once he's tossed his boxer briefs to the floor, he and I sit in front of one another and kiss slowly. We pull away for a moment and gaze into each other's eyes.
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Rick asks in a low voice.
"Yes," I reply in a low voice with a warm smile and nod.
He smiles warmly at me and slowly leans in to kiss me. I kiss him back as I place my hands on the sides of his face. He slowly begins to push me down on the bed, holding himself over me with his arms. I run my hands down his toned chest and caress his toned abdominals. He pulls away for a moment and turns his gaze to my torso; he studies the scar across my left side, remembering it was from the man who attacked me back in the town where he and Daryl found me. He sees another small scar from what he assumes is from my time in the army. He glides his injured right hand over those scars up my torso until he reaches the scar just above my left breast. He stares at the scar, recalling how I took the bullet for him after I was kidnapped. I notice his sad gaze as he leans in to kiss the scar just above my left breast, knowing that he's feeling bad.
"You don't have to feel bad, Rick…" I say as I cup his face in my left hand and make him gaze at me.
"I wish I could've done somethin'…" he says.
"You did…" I say as I glide my thumb through his beard. "You stayed with me."
He gazes into my loving eyes as I smile up at him. He then returns the gaze and leans in to kiss me. We continue to kiss for a while, caressing one another's bodies. His mouth plants kisses down my neck and to my breasts, causing me to close my eyes in pleasure as he massages them gently. I smile a bit at the tickling feeling from his beard against my skin. He then returns to kissing my mouth. I begin to kiss my way from his mouth to his neck.
"I'm ready, Rick…" I whisper into his ear.
He listens and pulls away, sitting up in front of me. I watch as he takes the condom packet, opens it, and takes out the condom. Waves of excitement run through my body as I watch him put the condom on over his erect penis. Rick turns his eyes up at me and notices I'm biting my lip in excitement as I watch him. This causes him to build up more excitement in himself as he finishes rolling the condom down his shaft. He spreads my legs open slowly, trying to build up the sexual tension, and glides his left hand over my clit. I shudder a bit from the feeling and he looks at me to see how I react as he continues to touch me.
"Stop fucking teasing me, Rick," I mutter.
He hears this and smirks. I smile at him and he sees anticipation in my eyes. He then positions himself in between my legs, takes a hold of himself, and slowly pushes himself inside of me. I lean my head back as I close my eyes, withstanding the bit of pain.
"Tell me to stop if it hurts too much," Rick whispers.
"Keep going…" I shake my head.
He listens and continues to push himself inside of me. After a few seconds, he's finally all the way inside, and I don't feel any more pain. He leans over my body, his face now in front of mine. He looks at me and I nod to give him the cue. He understands and begins to slowly pull a bit out of me and then pushes back inside. I place my hand behind his head and dig my fingers into his messy, dark brown hair as he quickens his thrusting pace a bit and we begin to kiss. Our breathing becomes faster and heavier the faster Rick thrusts. He places his right hand on my hip while using his left hand to hold himself up over me. I continue to hold the back of his head to deepen the kissing with my right hand as I place my left hand on his back. Our bodies are beginning to heat up and sweat. He is now thrusting fast, causing us to stop kissing and focus on our rhythm. I feel waves of pleasure and gasp quietly.
"Oh, Rick…" I moan quietly into his ear.
"Uh, Michelle…" he groans quietly as he continues to thrust.
After some moments of continuous fast thrusting, Rick and I finally reach our climax. He stops after his last thrust and stays inside of me. We breathe hard and quickly, trying to catch our breath. His face is close to mine on my right as I hold him close against my body. The only thing we can hear is the sound of our breathing.
"Haven't done that in a long time…" I say sheepishly.
"That makes two of us," Rick says with a smile.
We laugh quietly before kissing each other. He stares down at me while caressing my dark curls.
"I love you, Rick," I say as I gaze at him with loving eyes.
"I love you, Michelle," he says as he returns the gaze.
We gaze at other for a bit, smiling warmly.
"I think it's time we get some rest…" I say as I caress his face.
He nods and slowly sits ups, pulling himself out of me. He takes the condom off and tosses it into the garbage can near the mattress. I turn to my side, facing the wall as Rick lays down next to me and turns the lantern off. He turns to his side toward me and wraps his left arm over me, pulling me closer into him. I snuggle my head into my pillow as he fixes the thick blanket over our naked bodies.
"Goodnight," Rick whispers after planting a kiss on my left shoulder.
"Goodnight," I whisper back.