𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 ➳ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬

Chapter 26 ~ I Fell Off The Bed

The African-American woman whom I'd met when she brought Rick's son to the infirmary offered me one of the bedrooms in the other house the group shared. When I accepted, she was nice enough to help me get me settled in. They were all still wary of me, of course but she seemed less so than the rest of them. She introduced herself as Michonne and then left quickly after as the sun was already going down. Tiredly, I walked over to the bed and flopped down on top of the blanket. I let out an exhausted sigh and pushed the covers down before snuggling under them.

I must have fallen asleep because just as I opened my eyes again, bright sunlight had filtered into the guest bedroom. Flecks of light sprinkled on my blanket, warming me. I blinked several times in an attempt to shake off the sleepiness. Today was my first day apart of this community. In the security of the small room, my thoughts wandered and my insecurities ran rampant in my mind. What if Rick had changed his mind?

What if they didn't want me here anymore? What if this very minute, they were coming over to kick me out? Or worse, just kill me? A sudden knock on the door made me jolt upright in bed. Unfortunately, I hadn't noticed that my feet had gotten twisted in the covers. One jerky movement and I had slipped off the bed in a pile of blankets with a loud thud! The door burst open then and Michonne stood in the doorway. Her mouth made an 'O' as she looked down at me where I had landed, my large brown eyes peeking out from underneath the blanket at her.

"Um...your sheets are pretty...slippery?" I said, ending in a question.

She bit back a smile and nodded.

"Yeah, they're...slippery..." she said, trying not to snicker. "Breakfast is ready if you want some,"

Just as she said it, the smell of bacon wafted in from downstairs. It made my stomach turn as I thought of the grease-soaked meat. Suddenly, I felt nauseous and I quickly untangled myself before sprinting to the bathroom that adjoined the rooms of the house. Lifting the lid of the toilet, I puked up the meal I'd had last night. I retched and sucked in a deep breath, still hovering over the toilet. Michonne stood in the doorway, one hand holding onto the door-frame.

"Are you okay?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

I nodded feebly.

"I'm alright... I guess it's cause I hadn't eaten in so long that...that my stomach just rejected it," I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my sleeve.

I walked over to the sink and washed my hands.

"Do you need some water or...?" she asked, trailing off.

I waved her away.

"No, no! I'm fine! Really. I just need some air." I said, walking out of the bathroom and towards the stairs.

Michonne said nothing but a concerned look was still plastered on her face as she watched me leave the house. My footsteps echoed on the pavement as I strolled through the empty town. No one was up this early, I suppose. A bell tolled somewhere and I looked around before spotting a small white church nestled in between some houses. They had a church here? I bit my lip.

Churches had always brought me a sense of peace. On a whim, I changed directions and headed towards the building. The crisp morning air blew my hair in my face as I made my way down the street and to the church. The door stood open, welcoming any visitors who'd like to come in. Slowly, I climbed the stairs and walked into the tiny building. A few people were seated on the first pews so I quietly made my way over to one nearer to the door and sat down.

Glancing up, I saw the cross in the middle of the room. This was one thing the apocalypse hadn't stripped me of - my faith. I clasped my hands together and began to pray - for the souls of the ones I'd lost along the way as well as for these people who had taken me in. Life was so different now than it had been just a few days ago. I'd lost Owen...but I had a home now. Suddenly, someone touched me gently on the shoulder and I flinched away instinctively.

Snapping my eyes to the person, I noticed it was a priest. His skin was dark and he wore all black except for a white clerical collar at his neck.

"I'm Father Gabriel. And you are? I don't think I've seen you here before," he said, smiling down at me.

I smiled slightly up at him before standing up.

"I'm new here actually...I'm Angel," I told him, still a bit wary of strangers.

He nodded and smiled.

"A very religious name." he beamed.

"Yes, well... I was just going actually...but it was nice meeting you." I smiled at him before starting towards the door.

"Oh, are you going to visit the graves?" he asked me, catching my wrist in his hand but not unkindly.

My eyebrows furrowed at him.

"What graves?" I asked in confusion.

"The graves of the ones we lost last night." he told me, matter-of-factly.

I pulled away from him then and ran out the door, ignoring as he called after me. Had they buried Owen? Or was he one of the bodies they had burned last night?