Rick and I are still sat together outside when we see someone walking up to the gate. We share a glance and walk down wondering which of our missing trio it is. "Lia?" I'm definitely surprised to see my sister, especially since she's in such a bad state.
"Are you okay? What happened?" The questions spill from my mouth the moment we get her through the gate. She stumbles and I'm quick to support her, Rick and I both sharing another look. She had dried blood, I'm assuming walkers, caking her face.
"The governor." My brows furrow as I take in her state, "what did he do? Did he hurt you?" Rick scoops her up with ease and carries her inside seeing as we didn't seem to be getting much out of her right now. She was in shock.
Once Rick sets her down, he's quick to leave and go on watch just in case she was followed or something. I sit with her, cleaning the blood from her face as Beth brings her over some food and water. "Thanks Beth." I tell the young girl who nods at me, "is there anything else I can do?" I shake my head. "She'll be okay." I'm trying to reassure myself that.
We stay sat in silence for a while, Aelia clinging to me as I thread my fingers through her hair, just like I used to when she'd have a nightmare and climb into my bed. "What happened Lia?" I whisper, afraid for whatever she was going to say.
"Andrea and I, we found out that the Governor was going to kill you all. He lied, he didn't want to leave peacefully. You were right Selene, he's a bad man, he's gone crazy. Andrea and I left to warn you guys, he came after us... I don't, I don't know what happened to her. We split up and I made it but I don't know if she's okay, if he found her."
"I'm sure she's okay, I'm sure she made it out or went back. Andrea is tough." I leave her with Beth for a minute as I go to find Rick to tell him.
"Michonne?" I'm pleasantly surprised to see her making her way inside. "You're okay?" She nods and tells me how Merle had a change of heart and let her go. I tell her that I'm glad she's back and she half smiles before continuing on back to the cell block.
"You feel better now that you've seen Michonne?" I ask Rick who nods as I join him. "How's your sister?" He asks, I tell him what she told me and he nods. "If we decide to stay what she knows will be useful, it could make all the difference in the vote."
When I get back inside I see my sister looking perfectly fine now and seeming to be getting ready to leave. "Where are you going?" I ask her, "I have to go back home."
"Are you insane? You just said he went after you, you can't back!" I could not let her just go back to this mad man. "I have to Selene, mom and au..." my brows furrow as she cuts herself off, "I can't leave mom there."
"Okay, okay then I'll go back with you." She shakes her head firmly, "you can't do that, he will kill you. I didn't see it before but I do now, he's not stupid he'll put it together that I found you here and then he will torture you and kill you."
"I can lie to him, I can say I went after Andrea to bring her back, say I agree with him fully and believe in him. He'll believe me." She sounds so sure but I'm still unsure. How could I just let her go back like that, not knowing if she'd be safe. What type of sister would that make me?"
"I'll be okay, I promise."
"Aelia, we might leave. I can't leave you and mom behind but if I can't come to Woodbury what do we do?" It just hits me that the vote may swing the other way and I couldn't just leave like that.
"Uh, I'll come back tomorrow and we can decide then." I shake my head, "no. There's no way you can get away with sneaking out twice, do not come back here."
We sit for a moment, then I instruct her to tell me the plan they had for invading. "Okay, I've got it. You come with him and the army. If we decide to leave I'll leave you a note in my cell, telling you where we're going. I'll leave it in my pillowcase, then you sneak mom out and the two of you meet up with us."
Happy with the plan, she decides to go back now before it's starts to get dark. "Stay safe okay?" I say as I walk her out to the gate, we'd tried to give her a car but she refused saying she could make it on foot and that a car would be bad for her. Instead Rick had offered to drive her out not too far, just to make sure she was safe for a bit.
"Love you Aelia."
"Love you too Selene, I'll be seeing you again soon, don't even worry about it." She assures me before hopping in the truck with Rick.
Forty Three
Start from the beginning
