The crisp morning air chilled me to the bone as Daryl and I flew down the road. Andrea had stopped by three days ago to set up a meeting between the Governor and us—her way of preventing further violence. Rick and Hershel followed closely in the green Hyundai. I peered over Daryl's shoulder and saw the large shed Andrea had marked for us. There were six huge silos next to the shed, one bearing a large yellow 'x.' Daryl started to slow the bike; its engine cut off as he parked and kicked down the stand. I stood up, my hand flying to my gun clipped in its holster. Rick opened the passenger door and climbed out, motioning for Hershel to stay put and keep an eye out. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail, letting two strands fall in front of my face as we started to jog forward, weapons in hand.
Daryl led us around the silos and towards the back of the shed; his crossbow pointed as his eyes darted around the overgrown vegetation. Rick and I had discussed the two of us meeting this Governor, but I was curious if the Governor would feel comfortable with me there. He might feel as if we were ganging up on him.
Daryl stopped, his head down as he examined a freshly killed walker. Blood still oozed from the wound in its head, and flies buzzed around it. I looked at Daryl and gave him a curt nod, signaling that this was as far as he would go. I lowered my gun and looked at Rick, my eyes meeting his as we both set our mouths in tight lines. I understand the reasoning behind Andrea setting this up, but something tells me nothing will come from it.
I moved forward, pushing past Rick with my eyes on the large building ahead of us. The door was already open; a small light could be seen from here. With a hand on the small of my back, Rick pushed me in slowly, both of us on edge. We can be walking into an ambush. I clicked my gun, the bullet moving into the chamber, ready to fire if needed. A wooden table was set up with only two chairs, one at each end of the table. Andrea failed to tell him we were in charge of the prison – not just Rick. I slowly walked forward, my boots hitting the squeaky floorboards noisily, letting whoever was here know they weren't alone. A metal clanging from the darkness ahead of us caught our attention. My heart raced in my chest as the man's face came into view. He had a clean haircut, was clean-shaven, and wore an eyepatch. Michonne had told me she stabbed his eye with a shard of glass. Seeing him made it hard for me not to smirk at his appearance.
A big man like this probably doesn't take kindly to losing, especially to a woman. He examined us as he stepped further into the light, his face clean of emotion. A slight smirk spread across his lips as he held up his hands, showing us that he came with no weapons. I stood my ground and continued to stare at him, my face bearing an unamused expression as his smirk faltered.
"She didn't say there would be two of you," He began, his deep voice ringing in my ears as it pierced the silence, "We have a lot to talk about."
"You attacked us," Rick said, getting right down to business, "Makes things pretty clear." The Governor dropped his hands and looped his fingers around his belt holes, remaining rooted in place.
"I was trying to make things clear," He retorted with a slight smile, "I could've killed you all. I didn't." Are we supposed to thank him for 'sparing' us? Is that what he wants? What a joke.
"And here we are," Rick concluded, his eyes set firmly and filled with anger as he stared the man down. The Governor made the smallest of movements to his holster, prompting Rick and me to point our guns at him. The Governor lifted his hands back to the side, not attempting to reach for his weapon again.
"I'm going to remove my weapon. Show that I mean to negotiate in good faith. I'd like for both of you to do the same," he explained as he moved towards his gun again, "May I?" He asked as he started to unclip his holster. He held up his discarded holster and weapon and hung it on a nail sticking out of a wooden beam. "See? No trouble." I point my gun at the man, unsure if we should follow through with this. We have Daryl and Hershel outside, but he could easily have more than ten men out there. "Now you."
I shared a look with Rick, knowing it would be best for at least one of us to discard our weapons. I lowered my gun with a sigh and shoved it in my holster before unclipping it and tossing it onto the table.
"Thank you, darling," He said, making me bite the inside of my cheek in disgust at his words, and my hand twitched toward my knife hidden away in my waistband. I looked over at Rick and nodded, telling him that it was okay to put his gun away. He lowered his arm and shoved his weapon back into his holster, stalking our side of the table and waiting to hear what else the Governor had to say. The Governor sat at one of the chairs, his hand motioning to the empty one on our side. "If I had known it'd be two of you, I would've gotten an extra chair. Sorry."
I shook my head at the man, confused as to why he was trying to be so nice to us. He certainly wasn't like this when he shot us up a week and a half ago. The silence droned on as we all stared one another down. I know for a fact that I wasn't comfortable being here. I wonder how Rick feels. Is he on edge like I am, or is he ready for war to break out right here and now? A loud scraping noise caught our attention, and light from the outside started to flood in. Andrea looked inside, a questioning look on her face as she saw me.
"What's going on?" She asked. I wasn't sure if she was questioning the overall situation or wondering why I was there with the two men.
"Your friends aren't much for small talk," The Governor said as he leaned back in his chair with his eyes on Andrea.
"You're the one that wanted to talk, so talk," I scoffed at the man. We attacked him first, but he had our people and was ready to execute them. We had a reason as to why we attacked. He attacked because he wanted us out. He wants us dead. That much is plain and simple. Andrea stepped up to the table, her eyes darting between her lover and us.
"I wanted you to talk." She said, "Too many people have died for no reason." She walked forward, keeping in the middle as she leaned on the table. Is this her way of saying that she isn't choosing sides? "Let's end this and save the bullets for the real threat. We can solve this." I stood straight with my arms in front of my chest, unsure if she could talk her boyfriend into ending this. "That's why I asked you to come here." Is she that delusional? He won't keep his word, and that stupid smirk on his face confirms it.
"We know a lot about you," I spoke, "We know about the raids, the heads, Maggie." I watched as his smile turned into a frown. I struck a nerve, and I bet he's going to try pinning that on Merle to save face with his toy.
"Merle did that," He said immediately, confirming my hunch. I let a smile break across my lips as I realized how unhinged this man was. If he does take accountability, it just proves to him that he's a monster, and that's something he can't face yet.
"Sure," I laughed and looked at Rick, who remained stoic. "Cause Maggie violated herself, right?" Andrea looked at me, her eyes wide in surprise, "Stop playing stupid and stop trying to save face. You know what we're talking about." I watched the Governor's face go from angry to emotionless to 'happy.'
"You know all about me, and I know all about you." The Governor brushed me off, "I don't care about any of that. We're here to move forward." He finished and flashed me a smile. I felt my hand twitch as the urge to throw my knife at this man overwhelmed me. To fight the urge, I diverted my gaze onto Rick.
This man is a psychopath. He's trying to play us like a fiddle and give us false security. He'll try offering peace, making it sound like it's something he wants, and when we least expect it, he'll attack us again. Andrea stood straight and sighed as the gears in her head started turning. She's blinded. She was blind back at the farm, and she's blind here.
"I've known all of you at different times," She began, "But only after the world went to shit. And the three of you stepped up for the good of others at great personal risk. There's no reason—"
"Get to it," The Governor snapped, interrupting her. Andrea pursed her lips, her face red as she shook her head. Rick placed a calloused hand on my wrist as he grabbed the map from my back pocket.
"Woodbury takes west of the river. The prison takes the east." Rick explained as he threw the map down on the table. "No one crosses, no one trades." I nodded at him, proud of our plan—we spent most of the day coming up with a way to get equal amounts of land and a landmark that serves as a border.
"They're right," Andrea nodded, annoying me further as she tried to play mediator. "We should hammer out boundaries, then leave each other—"
"I'm sorry, what is this?" The Governor interrupted again, his eye on both Rick and me.
"It's a solution," Andrea snapped, her cheeks red again. This proves why no one looked to her as a leader – she's easy to walk all over.
"Absolutely not." The Governor laughed as he threw the map back at us. I let out another frustrated sigh and leaned against the table, bringing myself down to his level.
"Then what the hell are we here for?" I questioned, taking note of how his eye darted to my cleavage. If all else fails, maybe I can seduce and kill him in his sleep—he seems easy.
"You said—" Rick yelled, his eyes firmly on Andrea. The Governor leaned forward, his gaze still on me as he spoke to Rick and Andrea.
"Told them what?" He questioned, an amused smile on his face. I kept my face stoic as we continued staring one another down.
"You said he was willing to talk," Rick answered. His hands reached my arms, forcing me to stand straight. I guess he caught on to the looks this pervert gave me and didn't like it.
"I am, but the truth is Rick—" He looked at me and smiled, "What's your name, sweetheart?" Rick again grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, his angry blue eyes staring holes into the clean man before us. I noticed how his smile widened at the exchange between Rick and me. Uh-oh. That's not good.
"June," I answered. The Governor nodded at me once and leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable.
"June, sorry, Andrea didn't mention you would be here. But you see, Rick and June, she's in no position to make such an offer anyway." The Governor explained, ignoring the glare Andrea was shooting his way. "I'm here for one thing only—your surrender." I scoffed, my brows furrowing as I processed his idiotic statement. Surrender? Is this man smoking crack?
"You want a surrender?" Rick snapped, "Come get it. You think we hit Woodbury hard last time?" I watched as a smile spread across the man's face. It was apparent that he wanted to get a ruse out of us. I shook my head and grabbed Rick by his arm, forcing him back with me. He looked at me and breathed heavily as his anger came to an all-time high. I gripped his hand and squeezed it, trying to calm him.
"Calm down," Andrea snapped, "We're here to settle this,"
"You're right," The Governor smirked, seeming like he had the whole world figured out. I just gave him a new way to attack—that much is apparent to me now. "Would you step outside?"
"What?" Andrea huffed in disbelief. She arranged this, and now she's being asked to leave. Ouch.
"The three of us have a lot to talk about," Andrea shook her head, refusing to leave as she voiced her persistence.
"We came to talk to him," I spoke, my eyes finding the Governor again. Andrea gave a frustrated sigh and stomped away. The Governor pointed to the chair in front of him, requesting that one of us take a seat. I shook my hand and looked at Rick, a frustrated look on his handsome face. Reluctantly, he sat while I leaned against a wooden beam. The entrance Andrea had used slammed shut, leaving us alone with one another.
"So, you're the Governor?" Rick questioned, trying to get things started. The man smirked slightly and displayed his hands on top of the table.
"That's their term, not mine," He explained, shrugging.
"But, still," Rick said, "You're beholden to your people. You have a responsibility to them." The Governor nodded, cocking his head slightly before agreeing with Rick. "Wasn't Merle your lieutenant?"
"He was helpful, yeah." He agreed. Where is Rick going with this?
"But you knew he was erratic?" Rick asked, "You blame him for scooping up Glenn and Maggie in the first place?"
"Exactly," The Governor answered, "I was trying to sort it out when you attacked." I pursed my lips, trying my hardest to remain quiet. From what Glenn and Maggie said, they were preparing to execute them. The Governor had come in, told Merle to beat the lights out of Glenn, assaulted Maggie, and okayed the execution. I believe Maggie and Glenn way more than this man seated in front of us.
"So it was Merle's fault?" I questioned, trying to sort everything out. The Governor looked at me and smiled, nodding his head.
"He's a wild card, but he's effective." The Governor smiled, "He gets the dirty jobs done." Rick looked at me and frowned, knowing that this man was blaming everyone and refusing to take accountability.
"I thought you'd take responsibility." Rick pointed out as he looked back at the one-eyed man in front of us. The Governor smiled, a lone finger coming up as he huffed a brief chuckle.
"I thought you were a cop, not a lawyer." He chuckled. Rick looked down at his hands and sighed lightly. I bet he's as tired as I am of this. This man is trying to play a game with us. He thinks we're stupid and will fall right into his trap.
"Either way, at least we don't pretend to be a governor." Rick retorted, his eyes coming back to me. Why does he keep looking at me? Does he think this man is planning something? Does he worry that I'll be taken as a prisoner if shit hits the fan?
"I told you, I'm their leader." He defended. I shook my head and stepped forward, my hands firmly crossed in front of my chest as I looked at the man.
"You're nothing more than the town drunk who knocked out our fence and ripped up our yard. Don't get confused there, sweetheart." I boldly stated, sneering the sweetheart at him. I'm not going to play these games anymore. If we're going to war, then we're going to war. There's no beating around the bush.
"Didn't y'all ever misjudge someone?" The Governor asked. He leaned forward and smirked at the two of us. "Andrea told me about your baby," He was looking directly at Rick, the widest of smiles on his face, "That it might be your partner's." I stalked forward, ready to shut him up, when Rick touched my stomach, stopping me. The Governor glanced at me and continued, "But you're caring for her, and that I can admire. Restitution for your own lack of insight. For failing to see the Devil beside you."
"Oh, I see him, alright," Rick said, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. The Governor chuckled, amused by how he touched on a sensitive subject for Rick. With him pressing Rick on like this, he's trying to incite violence. The Governor drummed on the table and lifted his hands as the smile stretched further. Doesn't he get tired of all this smiling? Even my cheeks are hurting from how much he's doing it.
"I brought whiskey!" He exclaimed as he got up. He walked to the other side of the room and rummaged through his bag, giving me the perfect opportunity to speak to Rick. I leaned over the table and looked at him head-on; my lips turned downwards.
"Don't let him get to you, Rick." I whispered, "He's trying to get a reaction out of you. He wants us to make the first move so he can have a reason to start a war." Rick nodded at me and tapped my hand, letting me know that the Governor was already stalking back to us. I cleared my throat and straightened out, recomposing myself.
"I must admit that it was a fine view," The Governor smirked, "You sure you wanna waste your time at the prison?" I glared at him while he poured two glasses of the amber liquid.
"Don't talk to me that way," I ordered, forcing myself to stay put and not deck the man in the mouth, "I'm not a piece of candy to ogle at," The Governor let out a genuine laugh as he sat back down, his head lifting so he can look at the rotting ceiling.
"Are you sure about that?" The Governor smiled, "You seem not to mind Rick ogling at you." I opened my mouth to deny it, but Rick's hand on my wrist stopped me. Rick has seen me when I lose my cool; he's seen me fight his best friend and come out fine. Not to mention, he's preventing me from making a horrible mistake. The Governor sipped his drink and leaned forward, his hands folding on the table.
"I care about my people, and I don't take their deaths lightly, and I know you two don't either." He reached for our map and held it up, "This fight is a failure of leadership."
"Then leave us alone." I snapped as I grew more and more tired of the man.
"Well, now, that would be an even bigger failure," He took another sip of his whiskey and swished it in his mouth, "You've moved into our backyard. You shot up Main Street. If I let that threat persist, I look weak, and, well, the whole thing crumbles."
"Sounds to me that that's your problem. Your choice." I interjected, not seeing the reasoning behind his want to continue with us.
"Now, isn't that why we're here?" He asked, "Choice?" I stayed quiet and watched him take another sip, "If we choose to destroy everything we've fought for over the past year. We're going to kill everyone we know." Rick started to breathe heavily as he processed the words thrown at us, "At Woodbury. At your prison. People we love, Rick." He brought his drink to his lips once more as he pointed a finger at me. I tuned him out as he droned on about his life prior. I don't care enough about this man to learn his life story. I don't care what he lost before this and what he's lost after. He's trying to take away everything from us. He's threatening to end everyone's lives at the prison, and I can't allow that. Rick brought his drink to his lips and sipped, slamming the glass down. Silence ensued as the three of us stared one another down.
"You know," The Governor began as he rose, "I didn't want any of this. They chose me because there was nobody else around," He let out a dry, humorless chuckle and turned back to us, "And they still think that I'm the man that can keep them safe. They still think that I know what I'm doing." Does this man ever shut up? He goes on and on, dragging and wasting our time. He grabbed his holster, fastening it around his waist once more. "I know you got guns. That was quite a stash you brought back the other day." That proves that he's watching us. He's placing his goons all around the prison, and they're reporting back to him. He's not going to make this easy for us.
"Now, my people, they're not combat tested like yours are, but I've got more of them. This fight will go down to the last man." He took a menacing step towards us, his eye darting back and forth. "So let's end this. Today. Let's not do this. We can walk away." Rick and I exchanged a side glance before diverting our attention to this man. He wants something, but what? "You have something that I want." There it is! I bit back a smirk, "One thing that will make this all alright."
"We're not giving up the prison," Rick and I said. I stepped up to Rick, placed a hand on his shoulder, and watched as the Governor lowered himself back into his chair.
"I don't want your prison," He chuckled, "That doesn't sound safe at all. Rick lost his wife; you lost another man."
"We're not moving on," Rick added, his shoulders tensing under my touch. The Governor shook his head and smirked.
"It's best you stay where I can keep my one good eye on you," The Governor said with a faltering smirk. He looked down and brought his hand to his face. The black eyepatch he wore over his left eye slowly moved up as his breathing grew heavy. I grimaced as I saw the damage done to his eye. The eyeball was gone, and all that was left was a black abyss. There was a deep vertical gash that showed where she had stabbed him. She messed him up. It makes me want to give her a high-five.
"I want Michonne." I refrained from saying anything because it was a grisly sight, and I didn't want to offend the man even further. "Turn her over, and this all goes away. Is she worth it?" Yes, yes, she is. As long as we have a common enemy, she's a friend of mine. "One woman worth all those lives at your prison? Is she?" I felt my grip tighten on Rick's shoulder, a worried expression on my face. If we give her to him, what will that say about us? We'll be the monsters that sold her soul to the Devil to protect ourselves. I don't know if I can live with a decision like that. I don't understand this guy. He acts like he's the answer to everything—as if he's going to save us all.
"I don't get you," I spoke, deciding to voice my confusion, "You act as if you're going to save us all, so why focus on some lousy vendetta? With a bogus name like The Governor, you can fool your people and have a statue made in your name." I watched as he placed his patch back over his mess of an eye and shook my head again, "Killing Michonne is beneath you, don't you think?
"You could save the kids at the prison," The Governor stated, "Everyone you know. It's your choice." Rick sighed heavily and leaned forward, his blue eyes piercing the man before us.
"If we give you Michonne. How do we know you'll keep your word?" Rick asked. I know Grimes; he isn't going to give her up. He isn't.
"You can have everything you want. I don't want you." I looked to the ground and bit my lip. He says one thing, but how are we sure he won't do something else? He says he wants Michonne, but what if he still attacks? I've made up my mind. "I'll let you two think about it. Two days. I'll be here at noon." He stood up and walked away from us.
I grabbed my holster from the table and sighed as I clipped it back on. The sliding door squeaked loudly as the Governor pushed it open, letting the daylight pour in. Rick pushed me gently, his hand finding the small of my back. I walked into the sunlight and saw Andrea and two men I didn't recognize. One was a Hispanic-looking man, and the other was a nerdy white guy. Daryl approached me, grabbed my upper arm, and led me towards the bike. With wandering eyes, I glanced at Andrea. We exchanged a curt nod as the bike roared to life. I wrapped my arms around Daryl's waist and looked at the men from Woodbury as we passed by. There is no way in hell this man will keep his word, even if we give up Michonne.
The scenery sped as Daryl pushed the bike to its limits—rushing to get home. Peering behind me, I saw Rick speeding behind us, tailgating us. Within twenty minutes, the prison was within sight. He sped by and stopped the bike when we were safely in the courtyard, Rick and Hershel pulling in immediately after us. The car door slammed as Rick climbed out, his eyes combing through our people. I jumped off the bike and joined him, ordering everyone to get inside the prison so we could discuss what was going to happen. My heart hammered in my chest as I knew the unanimous decision we had silently made; there was no avoiding it. Rick grabbed my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles as we entered the cellblock. We waited for everyone to assemble around us before deciding to speak.
"So," I began, "We met this Governor."
"Sat with him for a while," Rick continued.
"Just the three of you?" Merle questioned. I nodded at him and watched as he muttered something to Glenn before sitting beside his brother.
"He wants the prison," Rick nodded, sparing a glance my way. I nodded alongside him, agreeing with him.
"He wants us gone," I added. I pursed my lips, being upfront with my family,
"He wants us dead," Rick said, his voice grave. I heard the beginnings of a cry from Judith and felt fear for the first time today. "We're going to war."