Her eyes scanned everything quickly. It was the first thing she had learned when she started self defense classes. Pete put zip ties around their wrists before shoving them individually on the backseat. He smelled like straight liquor, so it indicated that he was nervous. On the edge.

And she didn't like that because it meant he was capable of anything. Rick had described him to be unpredictable and this was exactly it.

She looked at Carl who didn't show any emotion. He was like a statue, frozen next to her. The teen was probably in shock and she didn't know what to do or what to say. She felt helpless.

"So, now that we're all here, let's talk about how this is going to go." Pete had tossed his shot gun on the passenger side and waved around a smaller handgun as he drove, "If either of you try anything, I'll blow your brains out."

"I don't really care, " Carl bit back and looked outside, "Go ahead shoot her, I don't give a fuck."

Michonne could see him hold his fingers crossed and she immediately picked up on his tactic. He wasn't panicking at all. Like his dad would do, he was already trying to figure out a way out.

"You know your dad was right," She complained dramatically, "You're never going to be anything. Just a lazy bum like Negan, hanging around in that stingy garage and complaining about useless shit."

He laughed and looked at her, "Fuck you! you're the reason we're in this mess."

"Me?" She laughed back, putting on a show, "If you weren't such an idiot and once in a while looked around, you would have figured out someone was after you."

Pete just listened as they argued back and forth, pleased how they were not getting along. Michonne could see his smug smile and was glad Carl was smart enough to understand what could be his weakness.

"If dad hadn't met you we wouldn't be here in the first place," He seethed, "You know dad might be too blind to see it, but you're a conniving bitch."

"Ouch," Pete looked at Carl from the car mirror, "You really don't like her."

Michonne kept her hands down as she moved her wrists around, seeing how tight the zip tie actually was.

"What do you want from us?" Carl asked bluntly as he stared back at Pete, trying his best to distract him from Michonne as she assessed the situation they were in. They were working like a team.

Disheveled Pete smiled as he drove, "I just want to put the fear of God in your dad. He thinks he's got it all figured out and he seems to think he is untouchable. He's been nosy and now he has got to pay the price."

The man was a total loony, Carl thought. Michonne was still trying to move her wrists around, her skin probably burning up as she bit back any pain she felt.

Pete continued his rambling," You get it Carl, don't you? You boys need your fathers and I can't let them take away my boys."

"You shouldn't have involved Ron," He was testing the waters with him, "He's gonna be in trouble."

The man chuckled from the front seat, "He will be fine. Nobody is going to blame him."

They had driven now for awhile and Carl could tell he was heading out of town. The thought made him terrified. On the inside he was panicking, but he was determined to keep his composure.

"Where are you taking us?" Michonne spoke softer than usual, she knew he needed to feel powerful and in this situation it was important to just play along. She would act her ass off if she needed to.

"It's none of your concern." He cursed under his breath as he noticed that he was running out of gas. His fathers old car was maybe a bad choice for a getaway car, but it was an impulse decision on his part. He needed to solve this quickly and he made rough turn towards another road.

She could feel the nausea hit her again as the old car moved with an unsteady pace, gravel making it worse.

Carl looked at her then and offered comfort with a single look. He could tell she was off.

"You know if you just drop us off you might get away with this," She gathered herself and ignored the earlier sign of her messy life, "Rick is not going to be far behind."

"You think I care?" He snapped his head to look at her, "You think I expect this to end with anything other than carnage?"

He laughed as he waved the gun around.

Carl swallowed, the anxiety taking over this time. It felt like he couldn't breathe. He did not want to die this way.

Michonne leaned back, accepting the fact that if they didn't make the right moves now, they would probably not make it.

This felt like a suicide mission.


Rick drove towards the main road which led into the busiest streets this town had to offer. He had a hunch and it wasn't the good kind.

He tossed his phone to Negan, "Call Daryl."

"Aaron is going to be there in a few minutes, it's not going to change anything-"

Rick shot a look towards Shane, "I don't give a fuck. I need to know if she is there. If she is not then we have a bigger problem."

Negan was already on it, ignoring Shanes advice to being with. They waited patiently for Daryl to pick up.

Him and Rick sighed in annoyance as the phone beeped evenly. It felt like it took hours.

Negan was about to give up when the familiar raspy voice came through,"Yeah?"

"You're on speaker." Negan said to him and held the phone towards Rick.

"You home?" He didn't waste time, getting into it.

"We just walked in man, why?" Daryl sounded slightly concerned, he had a feeling it was going to be bad.

"Just look for Michonne, please," He explained the best way he could without getting more upset, "Petes idiot son tried to run her over earlier and now he is somehow involved with Carl being missing."

They could hear Daryls steps as he took off into the stairs and he grunted in worry, "She is not here, but her phone is."

Rick closed her eyes in defeat, "Yeah, that's not like her."

"Daryl," Negan jumped into the phonecall as Rick processed the news, "Get everybody. Glenn, Carol, Maggie, anybody you can get. We need to spread out and look for 'em."

"Yeah," Daryl said back without hesitation, "I'll meet you at the station."

They ended the call and hoped this wasn't a beginning of a nightmare. Rick felt desperate. He could feel it in his bones. This maniac got them. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late.

"Well find them."Shane offered his comforting words.

Negan didn't want to agree with anything this man had to say for himself, but on this one he could only nod along," And when we do, lord help that man."

"Amen." Rick grabbed on to the steering wheel and sped off.


She woke up as Carl nudged her awake. She had drifted off, her whole body and mind exhausted over the whole ordeal.

The road didn't look familiar, but she knew they couldn't be far away. Michonne saw Pete looking at the meter anxiously and guessed he was stressing about gas. That meant he had to stop at some point and that could mean freedom. It was important to take in every detail.

He finally reached the pit stop he didn't intend to take in the first place. They were just outside of town in a gas station.

"Listen up," Pete turned around as he stopped the car, "I'm going to get us gas and meanwhile you two sit here quietly like there is no care in the world."

Carl didn't think he was this stupid. What an idiot.

He could tell by the teenagers face the thought made him amused, "If you make a sound," He pointed outside at the car next to theirs, "I'll kill someone and you know I have nothing to lose. So if you want to play God and have blood on your hands be my guest."

Michonne and Carl sat back quietly and watched a family get out of the gas station, children eating popsicles and the parents just enjoying the sun. They were probably on their way to somewhere fun.

Michonne knew they couldn't risk it. They watched Pete put on a baseball cap to disguise himself and he tucked the handgun behind his back. He walked out of the car with the shotgun hidden under his coat, and then he carefully placed it into the trunk of the old car. Pete winked at them as he locked the doors and walked into the gas station.

"We don't have much time," She turned towards Carl, "When I give you a signal you put your head back and try to hold on to something. Then, when the car stops you run. You run and don't look back."

"What are you saying?" He was confused.

"I'm gonna crash the car," She explained fast as possible, "When I do that I need you to work your way out and run as fast as you can. No matter how many broken bones and how much it hurts, it's your best chance. You run Carl and don't look back. "

"No way that's insane," Carl was already protesting, "He's gonna kill you."

"Let him try," Michonne stared right back at him, "I know it's been hard and you probably feel like I've ruined your family, but I have to get you out. There's no other option."

"But you have Andre." Carl could tell soon as he said his name her eyes got teary.

"I know," She repeated, trying not to get choked up, "But I also know your dad would do the same thing for me. It's not about us when it's you guys involved. Our kids. Nothing else matters. You need to get out of here. It's not your time yet."

"It's not yours either." Carl argued back, stubborn as his dad.

Michonne smiled the best way that she could, trying to conceal her worries so that he felt confident, "Then trust me."

"What if the crash goes wrong and we both die?" He asked, his voice changing into a panicked whisper, "I don't want to die."

"Carl," She spoke very clearly, "That's not happening. I promise you."

He took a deep breath and nodded.

In reality she was afraid. She didn't want to die. She knew her son needed her. Andre was everything to her and she kept picturing his little face as they drove further. Michonne couldn't even think about Rick. The pain of being in this situation with his son was too much to bear. She knew he was trying his best to get to them right now. She had to be brave and buy time. If Pete managed to drive them into this unknown location he had planned to take them it was the end for them both. She had to intervene and get Carl out of this equation.

As they drove and her mind pieced together this plan it also made her come to terms with the fact that she was indeed possibly pregnant and possibly causing serious harm on this ball of cells when she crashed the car. She couldn't know for sure because the tests still remained inside that pharmacy. Her symptoms however caused her to even consider the option. It was horrifying. It was devastating. It was indeed her worst case scenario. So, it felt conflicting to go through this sorrow and worry over a stupid ball of cells that wasn't supposed to even exist. She had been on the same pill after Andre. She was precise with them and never had there been an issue. Go figure the cowboy changed that.

But, this possible baby was a part of Rick and if this was her end, in a weird way it was comforting that this soul would be with her. Her journey in this life has been filled with love Her son, her friends, her dear mother, and now Rick.

A single tear escaped her and Carl did his best to nudge her in a soothing way, "I promise I'll look out for Andre."

If she could have hugged the teen she would have, she smiled back, her lips slightly quivering, "I know you will Carl."


Rick was out for blood now. They drove to town and as they searched every single street and possible lead they came up empty handed. It felt like they vanished into thin air.

Thankfully, Aaron had good news. He found Ron and got him at the station. His body felt stiff with anguish as he barged in, familiar faces staring back with sympathy.

He didn't have time. He didn't have time to exchange pleasentries and made his way quickly towards the interrogating room.

Lori sat in the corner biting her nails. Shane sat next to her, consoling her and telling her how they would find Carl. She felt ashamed over the fact that her own personal life took her attention away from their kids.

Daryl looked towards Shane and then at Negan, "Why y'all running around with him?"

"It's a long story," Negan said quietly and handed his bat to Lucille, "You better hold onto this for me."

She shot him a look, "Really? The bat?"

He shrugged at his wife and smiled, "Don't worry, I didn't have the chance to use it."

Lucille rolled her eyes at her impossible husband, "Anyway," she looked at Daryl with glossy eyes, "What's next? What can we do?"

They were all equally upset. It was one draining situtation after another one.

"Connie and Carol are driving around in one car and Glenn is looking around in another one, " Daryl informed them quietly, not sure if Lori was strong enough to hear how bad the situation really was, "If he's got them, they ain't far."

"Well these shitbags haven't found them," Negan announced loudly, visibly on the edge. He was worried sick over the kid he would often call his best friend, "We need to go out there."

Daryl nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

Lucille took her husbands hand and comforted him, "I'll call Jessie. Find out if there is any place he could've taken Carl."

"It's not just Carl." Negan said and it caught Loris attention.

"What?" She got up, her eyes narrowed towards Negan.

Negan sighed deeply, he didn't want to hear any nonsense from her right now, so Daryl answered for him, "Michonne is also missing."

Lori looked at all of them, one by one, taking in their expressions, "He took both of them?"

Shane came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Looks like it."

In no means was she happy about it. It actually made her feel a little comfort that Carl wasn't alone. No matter what she felt for Michonne, right now she was grateful that maybe her son had someone to lean on to.

"Pete went after her because of the case," Lori concluded, the panic still in her eyes, "But Carl has nothing to do with it. I don't understand why he would take him."

"Well, Rick," Negan spoke up, "That fuck face somehow in that teeny tiny brain of his thinks this is all Ricks fault. He is the one who brought Michonne into Jessies life."

Lori clung onto Shane. Negan grimaced openly at public affection and Lucille in return nudged him with annoyance. Daryl had no idea what the hell was going on. He didn't want to know either. He walked off and wandered towards the hallway where Aaron and Rick stood. Their voices and postures mimicking each other. It was an intense conversation.

"You can't go there," Aaron stood in front of him, blocking his way, "I'm telling you as a friend it's going to be bad if you go there. So let Scott and Tara have a go at him first. He's just a kid."

Rick was shaking his head and it looked like that vein on his forehead would pop any second.

"What's going on?" Daryl asked Rick as he settled next to him.

"Aaron thinks I shouldn't interrogate Ron," There was pure anger in his demeanor, "It's bullshit. I need to talk to him."

Rick was pushing againts Aaron again who wouldn't budge. Daryl sided with Aarons point of view on this one and put a hand on his best friends chest, pushing him back.

"Hey," He caught his eyes, "Let them do their job. You know you can't go there scaring the kid. He won't talk."

Rick screamed out in frustration because he knew in the end they were right. He kicked the wall and wiped his eyes. Tears of anger and anguish were there now. He couldn't lose them. He wouldn't.

He needed more time with her. Michonne was supposed to be the one for him. This was supposed to be it. Carl was just beginning his life. He battled with the dark thoughts that formed in his mind. He was spiraling as the worst case scenarios wouldn't leave him alone.

"You should send in Lori." Daryl suggested to Aaron, "She knows them better than any of us. She can talk some sense into him."

Aaron thought about it and sighed, "I'll see how Scott and Tara are doing, if it isn't going anywhere, we'll prep her."

"We don't have time for that," Rick complained as he turned around, "I'm done waiting around. Call me if the kid opens his mouth! I'm going out there and finding them myself."

Daryl and Aaron exchanged looks. They both knew Rick Grimes was a dangerous man to be around when he was on a mission.


When they finally took off again Carls mind was spinning. He tried to figure out a plan that didn't involve anybody getting hurt, but he just couldn't figure out a way. He would nervously glance at Michonne who was moving her hands again, trying to loosen up the restraints. They were glad Pete was stupid enough to leave that shotgun back in the trunk of the car. It was one less obstacle on their way to freedom.

He hoped that whatever happened they would get the chance to talk more. The romance Michonne had with his dad felt weird at first but, now he understood. He gravitated towards her even when he disliked her at first. She was doing her best in an impossible situation and it reminded Carl of his dad. He could see why they fit together.

"You know Carl," Pete chewed loudly on some candy as he drove, his gun still firmly on the other hand, "I don't get your dad. He had a good family, sure, it's boring to lay down with the same woman year after year, but he just abandoned everything in a blink of an eye. He is supposed to be this straight up fella. Who the fuck does that?"

Michonne was inwardly rolling her eyes.

"Mom and dad weren't happy," Carl said honestly, and then cleared his throat as he remembered the facade that was important to keep up, "and she manipulated him well enough. He is weak."

Pete laughed, enjoying the bitter teen. He turned his attention on Michonne, who had finally loosened the zip ties enough to twist her other wrist around. She could slip them off if she wanted to. This was it. She just needed the moment to be perfect.

"So how did you bag him? Tell the kid." Pete kept staring at her from the car mirror. She hid her hands down and gave him the best side eye she could muster.

"Rick was easy," She figured she would give him what he wanted, "It wasn't really hard when the man was miserable as fuck with a boring wife and kids who are basic as this one."

"What the fuck?" Carl exclaimed, participating the show.

"Well it's not exactly a secret," She fired back, "That's why he is moving to Atlanta with me."

"No he is not." He raised his voice.

"Yes he is." She argued back.

Pete stared at them intensively from the mirror, not realizing or hearing Michonnes zip ties drop on the car floor.

"You know you're such a whore!" Carl shouted now, feeling the moment coming closer as he stared at Michonnes free hands.

"Fuck you Carl!"

She stared back at him with her warm comforting brown eyes and nodded. It felt like time slowed down as they looked at each other.

The commotion on the backseat caused Petes focus to blur and he turned his eyes on the road for a split second.

Michonne didn't hesitate. In that small window of opportunity she fastly clipped Carls seatbelt over him and then viciously attacked the driver side, climbing upwards to reach Petes face which she grabbed on to from behind and it turned into a battle.

His gun went off because he squeezed the trigger out of panic. He was yelling. It was chaos. She went for his eyes and kept clawing at him like a tiger who was feasting after a long break. He lost control of the car and they drove down the hill, going down into a dense forest. The car flipped on the way down and Carl could only keep his eyes shut tight. He tried his best to just focus on breathing. Finally as it crashed with huge impact, Michonne flew around like a rag doll.

Carl didn't lose consciousness for a long time, but enough to miss the point where they stopped. He was upside down, Pete was groaning and cursing. He couldn't see Michonne.

"You run Carl and don't look back."

Her words got him moving. He took off the seatbelt and crawled out of the broken window with his hands still tied up. He winced in pain and could feel blood dripping from his forehead. He finally managed to free his hands from the zip ties as he felt an adrenaline rush invade his body. He needed to survive.

His eyes darted around, trying to figure out where to head. Every direction looked the same. There were just trees after trees.

Carl finally saw an opening, where they had dropped from and figured it was his best shot to get to the road. As he was about to take off he could feel a hand on his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" Pete breathed heavily, his face bleeding as he pointed his gun at him.

Carl froze.

Out of nowhere he could hear out her scream, "Run!" he wasn't sure if it was his mind playing tricks or if she was real, but he took that word to heart and took off.

Carl closed his eyes. Any second now he could feel a bullet in him.

He didn't.

He looked back and saw Michonne on Petes back fighting him off again. Her other arm hang weirdly and blood was covering her shirt.

"Go Carl! Go!" Michonne kept screaming as she fought off Pete with everything she had in her.

She felt like a true warrior as she noticed the boy wasn't anymore in their view. He was gone out of Petes grasp. He was on his way to safety. A million thoughts ran in her mind as she fought back. She couldn't give up. The gun had flung out of her reach and he finally got the upper hand, throwing her aggressively on the mossy ground.

She felt like the wind was knocked out of her as she tried to catch her breath when she hit the ground. Her arm was definately in bad shape and her whole body ached as the result of flying out of the car as it crashed. It felt like a miracle to be alive at this stage. Everything hurt.

Pete had reached his gun and held it above her head, "You stupid bitch."

She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want him to be the last thing she saw. She pictured that lazy Sunday they had wished to have with Rick. Andre and Judith would be in the living room building their legos and probably bickering over who got to build the more complicated part. Carl would watch them and laugh as he secretly filmed them to his girlfriend. Rick would scratch his head as he tried to figure out how to use her fancy stove. She would show him and he would look at her with that captivating smile and blue eyes. Then they would be interrupted by a pitter patter of tiny feet.

Michonne smiled at the scenario her mind had managed to create. She felt peaceful. She couldn't hear Pete. She couldn't see him either. All she felt and saw was family.

The seconds streched out and she waited for the end. Suddenly a loud boom brought her back.

As she opened her eyes in panic, she noticed Pete wobbling over her. His gun dropping and his body hitting the ground next to her.

Michonne used her last strenght to look upwards and saw him.

"I told you. It's not your time either." Carl tossed the shotgun from his hands and dropped on the ground next to her.

They laid there catching their breaths, hand in hand while the sirens approached.


This one took a little longer sorry about that. Oh dear and sorry for causing possible heart palpitations as you read this!

We are headed towards the end y'all. But don't worry there is still seven chapters to go!