Chapter 7:
Michonne ran through the small group of dead with ease, the light bouncing off her blade as she slung it with purpose. The bodies dropped to the floor with a thud, and heads rolled away, still growling at her.
"Show off"
She looked back at Dwight, who had his gun pointed, in case of any stray always. She flicked her katana, ridding it of the fresh blood and made her way back over to him by the jeep.
"They should be here by now, right?"
She opened her mouth to answer him, when she heard the faint sound of engines approaching. She narrowed her eyes in the direction, and saw the RV, as well as another car in front of it.
The sun was setting, and she was hoping by the time they walked to the Sanctuary, it would be dark enough for them to go unseen.
"How long have we got?"
Dwight looked at his watch, "He should still be a few miles out. Rachel said she'd honk the horn when they're coming up close"
She nodded, looking back towards the vehicles.
"I'm sorry by the way"
Her eyebrow arched as she whipped her head back around to look at him.
"About hiding everything…", He rubbed that back of his neck, "He can pretty persuasive as you know"
"Oh", She sighed, her gaze dropping to his boots, "Yeah, can't say I blame you for that"
"We all preferred it when you were around more…"
"Looks like I should have been around more"
The both silenced as the vehicles parked up beside their own and the mixed community members appeared. Dwight made his way over to them, while Michonne hung back, switching to high alert as she knew it was a risky task.
They all spoke in hushed tones as she made her way around the jeep and over to the woods beside them. She realised visibility would be an issue when they headed back, so planned to mark the trees as they went along.
"Alright, let's go"
Dwight was behind her and she started ahead, purely to keep some distance between herself and the others, just in case.
Jesus had other ideas, as he was soon beside her, "So where does Negan think you are?"
She glanced at him, "I told him I was going out"
He nodded as he stepped in sync with her, "I only have to ask as we don't want a repeat of what happened last time…"
She flinched as she remembered what happened to his home, "Sorry about that… how is it?"
"Thanks… and it's coming along well. We're rebuilding the wall so… it's getting there"
She scanned the trees in front of her.
"I understand that you're in a pretty sticky situation…", His tone was lower, "But we appreciate that you're willing to put yourself in harm's way to help us… as I imagine he wouldn't be happy about this"
She smirked, "He would be very unhappy about this"
A little smile tugged on the edge of his lips, "So, how long is the walk?"
"Just over a mile"
"Alright"
She conversed with Jesus lightly as they made their way to the Sanctuary. She wasn't usually one for small talk, but it didn't feel forced, and she found herself feeling comfortable to talk to him, even making small jokes with him on occasion. It wasn't something she did with anyone besides Negan. Before the turn she was always smiling and laughing with most people she came into contact with and she missed that carefree side of herself.
While she kept her attentions to the front for most of the trek, she looked back when she heard a familiar growl, and saw Glenn take down the corpse that was trapped on a tree branch. It was then that she discovered how close Rick was to her, as he walked between Sasha and Dwight. She made eye contact with him for only a second before she turned back around, not in the mood for another staring contest with the man.
When they finally within range of the building, the sky was dark, and the evening lights were on. The low growls from the dead that were tied to the perimeter fence could be heard, as well as the odd movement from within the compound.
"This is it", Dwight whispered as they all lined up to look.
"How many on watch?", Rick hissed at him.
"Two every… thirty yards? We have two doing patrol on foot as well every twenty minutes to a half hour"
"This the only entrance?"
"Yeah, we bricked up the other one"
Rick sniffed, "Let's take a walk around it-"
"Then we split up", Michonne instructed, "Twelve is too many to be sneaking around"
"It's true", Daryl agreed as he shifted in his crouched position.
"Fine", Rick looked around, "Dwight will take Glenn, Abraham, Scott, Steven and Richard, the rest of us follow Michonne"
She didn't know why her eyes widened a fraction when he said he name, but she recovered and took the lead in one direction while the other group went the other way. She had to admit that It felt strange, sneaking around her home, but she knew it needed to be done. She led them to the back of an abandoned side building, crouching so they could all scan the area.
"Those top floors?", Rick questioned, closer to her than she expected.
She turned her head a fraction, "Homes, meeting rooms, look out spots"
"How many exits does the building have?"
"Three on the ground floor, the other floors have two that lead to stairs on either side"
He was hovering behind her, and she was all too aware of his presence. She informed them of the fences weak spots, as they continued around the building, as well as the best routes to take if they wanted to remain inconspicuous until the last minute, before they started to head back around to the front of the area.
"Get down!", Michonne hissed when she heard a car honk it's horn as it approached the Sanctuary, with four more cars following behind it.
Everyone crouched as low as they could in the bushes and behind the trees as a bright security light came on. Michonne listened to the gates opened, the vehicles were granted access, but her attentions were quickly drawn to that a close growl. She saw the corpse making its way over to Sasha, and she watched the woman take a knife to its head as swiftly as she could. She almost breathed a sigh of relief, until Sasha shoved the corpse away from her with such force that it fell into the bushes, making a rustling sound and a thud.
"What the fuck was that?"
"I dunno, hold on, hey! Caine! Shine the light over there for a sec!"
Michonne could have groaned. She straightened up and gave Sasha a nod for her to stay back, then turned and walked out in the open, "It's just me!"
"Oh! Never mind! It's Michonne!"
She quickly made her way over to the front gate, so they didn't see exactly where she had emerged from. The door opened, and she knew not to see surprised to see Negan stood there, as he often checked in with the people on watch when he arrived back. He eyed her as she approached him.
"Where the hell did you just come from?", He questioned as he walked up to her.
"Got separated from Dwight… is he not back yet?", She lied, her eyes darted behind him as if she was truly looking for the man.
"Nah, not yet", one the guards yelled down to her.
"Well he better get back soon. I've got a bone to pick with that son of a bitch", Negan muttered as scratched at his beard.
"What did he do?", Michonne frowned at him.
He shook his head, dropping an arm across her shoulders, "I'll tell you about it later. Come on, let's go have dinner"
She involuntarily tensed when he touched her, but tried to hide it by folding her arms as they walked to the building. It was proving difficult for her to behave normally towards him as the days rolled on and he wasn't trying to hide his dark side anymore, though, she questioned if he ever really hid it that well in the first place. She was coming to terms with the fact that she was foolish for just hoping he was on good behaviour when she was gone. The first conversation they had when he rescued her from Alexandria still haunted her and she found herself watching him, wondering how long she had being looking at him through rose tinted glasses.
She felt as if she owed him her life. He had done so much for her, carried her when she could barely carry herself, and in her mind, she was in debt to him for it all. She knew he could be a caring man, she had been on the receiving end of it many times before, and the more she remembered, the harder the task of stopping him felt.
"I found this"
Michonne almost shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts. Negan held out a thin gold chain, with a gold 'A' pendant hanging from the middle of it. She felt as if her heart had stopped.
"Here. Take it", He insisted, leaning across his desk to give it to her. They were in the room that was appointed as their office, and days had passed since she showed the other communities their home.
She straightened up as she took it, "You didn't have to"
"I know. But I did", He shrugged, sitting back in his seat as he watched her reaction.
She dropped it into her other hand and shoved it in the tiny pocket of her leather pants, "Thank you"
A knock at the door caused them both to look towards it, as Negan called, "What?!"
The door opened, and Michonne's stomach dropped. Dwight walked in, and she immediately noticed that half of his face was burned horribly. He kept his head slightly dipped as he walked further into the office to join them.
"What happened to you?", She breathed, her eyes scanning up and down the affected area.
"He was just a little clumsy, that's all", Negan answered, shrugging as he looked around the room aimlessly.
Her eyes narrowed at him, "What happened?"
Dwight seemed to be holding his breath as his gaze dropped to the floor.
"You did this to him", Michonne tilted her head at Negan to catch his roaming gaze.
He sighed, "He was fucking one of my wives. I had to teach him a lesson"
She looked to Dwight, who continued to say nothing at all.
"Now, what can I do for you, scumbag?", Negan asked, turning to face the scarred man.
"I want to take a group out tomorrow, go check out further west-", Dwight answered.
"Hey Negan! One of the collections was short, fuckers put a bunch of half empty shit in there!", Everyone looked at the Radio on Negan's desk as it barked out information, "It's from the kingdom!"
Negan slowly inhaled as he sat forward and snatched the receiver up, "Alright. Where's Wade?"
"We don't know! Haven't seen that piece of shit for like two weeks!"
Michonne only pursed her lips as little at the mention of the man they killed, while Dwight, stared at the Radio.
"For God's sake", Negan growled, running his hand over his mouth before speaking into the receiver, "Set up a group, tomorrow you get down there and bring me back somebody's fucking head"
Michonne's eyes widened at him, "What?"
Negan sat back, glancing over to Dwight, "Get out"
"Tell them that won't be necessary", Michonne instructed to Dwight before he could scurry away.
"Are you in a fucking dream 'Chonne? Did you hear what he just said-"
"You are not sending them to take off someone's head! We're lucky we even received anything at all, considering they aren't getting anything from this deal!"
"They're getting to wake up in the morning with their skulls intact", Negan smirked sinisterly. Dwight quickly backed out the room, closing the door gently behind him.
She looked into his dark brown eyes as they glowed from the afternoon sun, feeling as if a switch had just gone off in her mind, and she realised she was standing in front of evil personified, "Stop this or we're leaving"
His brow furrowed, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"If you don't stop this then we're leaving"
"Who is 'We'?"
"Everyone who is sick of this. Sick of you"
Negan's eyes darkened as he slowly stood, "You're included in that then?"
"I am", She bit at him.
"So you've decided otherwise?"
Her expression was stoic, and she took a step closer to his desk, "I told you I wouldn't support you with this"
He shook his head in a condescending manner before smiling at her, "Go ahead. Leave. Take whoever it is that has a fucking problem and leave"
Her eyes narrowed again, "You will let us leave peacefully-"
"I will let you leave", He corrected, "And I hope you know what the fuck you're doing 'Chonne"
She inhaled, rolling her shoulders back as she turned and marched out the room. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she realised this was the beginning of the end.
"It's time", Was all she said to Dwight as she passed him in the hallway.
He knew what she meant, and his eyes widened as he quickly followed behind her. They had prepared for this moment, and all those who were ready to bring him down knew what to do when she punched the fire alarm on her way to her room. An almost deafeningly loud beep rang out through the building, signalling for them to pack up and move out.
Michonne only grabbed her katana and her leather jacket from her room. She didn't need anything else for the moment, as she planned to return eventually. She slammed the door shut and continued to march around, as some people stood around confused, and others sprinted past them. She ran down the staircase, a small group forming behind her as they raced to the front gate.
She knew chances of them leaving peacefully would be slim, but she was determined to lead everyone out, and only checked over her shoulder at few times see who else was following her.
By the time they made it outside, the small group had turned into a large one, that poured through the open gate and beyond the walls.
She snaked her way to the front, but keeping her eye on the building, as she knew the longer they were out there, the longer Negan had to plan to stop them.
"Michonne! The buses!"
Dwight yelled to her over the crowd as two school buses emerged from the woods, as well as two cars that drove either side. She gazed around her, noticing they could have done with more transportation, but it was too late to wish for such a thing.
Everyone began to pile into the buses, and she stayed between the two watching the scene in front of her. Her attention was drawn to the building when she saw something flicker in the light, and before she could do anything else, a hail of bullets shot into the crowd and the vehicles. Negan had snippers lined up on the fifth floor of the building, shooting from the windows as residents scattered around.
"Into the woods!", Michonne screamed repeatedly from behind the bus. Some heard her and did as they were told while others still tried to cram themselves on to the bus.
She ran ahead to the first bus and yelled at the driver, "Go!"
The man didn't need to be told twice as quickly started the vehicle. She ran back down to the second bus and signalled for the woman to drive with her hand, "Move!"
The buses began to drive, despite the bullets bouncing off the side and the roof. Michonne was horrified to see the bodies that lay on the floor by the front gate, but she powered on, yelling for others to follow her into the woods. Bullets seemed to whiz past her in all different directions, and she knew they were missing her on purpose, as she should have been dead once the buses had drove out the way.
When she finally found coverage in the trees, she looked back at the Sanctuary, saddened by the scene.
"Come on!"
She turned to the direction of Dwight's voice and was surprised to see him ahead of her. He was bleeding heavily from his arm, but still hurried her along.
The two of them took the lead, running ahead of the group that made it out on foot. It was a mixture of men and women, most of them were young but all looked scared beyond belief. Michonne wanted to stop and check to see if anyone had any life threatening wounds but they couldn't stay in the area for too long.
They ran until they were sure Negan wasn't sending a group after them. No one knew how long they had been walking for, but she knew they were all tired as they slowed.
"We need to find a car or something", Dwight panted, adjusting the ripped shirt that he used to stop the bleeding on his arm.
Michonne glanced behind her, "We need more than just one car"
Dwight mimicked her move, "Your right, maybe five"
She smirked for only a second, as she was trying to conserve all her energy. She was both physically and emotionally drained, and she was sure they weren't even a quarter of the way to their destination.
"Let's get out on the road, we're making too much noise on the leaves", She breathed, already leading the way.
When night fell they all realised they faced a new challenge, as they had limited visibility and needed to rest, but they were effectively in the middle of nowhere.
"We can find a barn or something?"
She could hear the conversation going on around her but she was in no position to speak up. Her throat was dry, her body felt heavy and a headache was on the horizon. She figured it was because it was because of hunger and dehydration, and she doubted anyone had grabbed anything to eat in the mad dash to leave. She was running on empty, and her body would punish her for being so selfish.
"What is that?"
She squinted into the distance, trying to stay alert. She was sure she could see headlights up ahead, but her vision began to blur and her legs shook from exhaustion. She fell to her knees and took a deep breath, hoping to regain herself in such a crucial time.
"Shit!"
A hand hooked under her arm in a bid to keep her upright, but there was no use. She was crumbling to the floor in a heap, and truth be told, she found the cold tarmac to be quite comfortable. Once her eyes closed she felt as if she was drifting off to sleep, and it was a pleasant moment.
The moment didn't last as long as she would have wished, as she felt herself being lifted off the ground. A familiar scent filled invaded her air space, and she was tempted to fight back, to get away from him, but all she could muster was a weak groan.
"I got you".
Rick's voice was cool and calm. She found it strange that she could still recognise his step pattern as he carried her. He still stomped but not as harshly, and she let his movements rock her into unconsciousness.