Surviving The New World (Book Six in the Surviving The Walking Dead Series)

Important Decisions

"Michaela, don't go," Elijah begged, sniffling back his urge to cry.

"Elijah, bud, it's okay," I reassured. "I gotta go. It's not because I don't like livin' here anymore, but Harper and I just need a bigger place; she's gettin' too big for us to share a room and I can't keep lettin' you and MJ share a room. You're twelve-years-old, don't ya want a room to yourself for once?"

"I'd rather share a room if it meant having you here." I gently rapped my arms around him and kissed the top of his head.

"Keep talkin' like that and you'll win all the ladies over," I teased and gently tousled his hair. "It ain't goodbye, Elijah, I swear it ain't. Another reason why I'm wantin' to go is to try and get Michonne back on board with allowin' our communities to visit more often. I had to literally beg 'er to let me train people over there how to hunt."

"Why is she being like this?" Elijah scoffed. "Just because her friend tried to kill her?"

"No, it's because her friend, someone she loved and cared about, kidnapped the children. She turned those kids into murderers, Elijah, she had to kill a bunch of kids to save not only you, but Judith and Gracie, too. I get her pessimism in lettin' new people come into the fold, but keepin' us from seein' one another? It's too much."

"Someone's gotta do the job," Elijah nodded. "Why is it always you?"

"I dunno, maybe people think I can be a great judge of character. That or I have a way of lookin' at things at a different perspective. She wasn't happy about the new people we brought back to Alexandra, but she listened to my reasoning and, for now, that's enough. Baby steps all the way. She'll get there one day, Elijah."

"And when she does, you'll move back?"

"When she does, we'll be able to see each other more often." Elijah lowered his head. "I'm still gonna come over, Elijah, I just won't live here anymore. No matter what happens, you're still my nephew."

"And you'll always be my aunt," Elijah gave me a reassuring smile and embraced me in one last hug.

"Got everythin'?" MJ asked.

"Sure do," I nodded as I pulled out of Elijah's hug. "Bed's made up, room's clean, ready for ya to move in and give Elijah his own space."

"It sucks seein' ya go."

"Ya like to watch me leave, " I teased.

"Yeah, I do enjoy that permanent waddle ya got from bein' pregnant, makes ya look like a damn penguin."

"I don't waddle!"

"Whatever ya say, shorty." MJ laughed and gave me a gentle hug. "Don't ever be a stranger, Michaela. I mean it. You're family no matter what happens."

"Thanks, MJ." I pulled away and turned to Harper. "Well, ya ready to go?"

"Where are we going?" Harper asked.

"Out there."

"Out there?"

"That's right, Harper," I smiled and pointed towards the gates. "Out there." Harper stared at the gate for what seemed like forever, even when I lifted her into the cart, she couldn't stop staring. "Tammy walked over to the cart and said her final emotional goodbyes and then, we were off. Harper's eyes lit up with wonder as we made our way down the dirt road. We stopped the cart once in a while so I could let her get down and explore the surroundings. We picked wild blackberries and some spring flowers for the house and I even made her a little crown of dandelions. As we got closer to Alexandria, a nervous feeling overwhelmed my stomach. We were turning over a new leaf in our lives, starting a new chapter, but how did it start? Was it the move, or was it the decisions that followed?