❛ Devil town is colder in the summertime. I'll lose my mind at least another thousand times. ❜
SEASON 3, EPISODE 5
say the word
━━━━━━ day 309.
WOODBURY WAS NEARLY a year old. It was hard to think it had only been that long. To Cal, it felt both like yesterday and centuries ago all at once. The town was having their monthly celebration of safety, five months in a row now, with ice to cool their drinks and a party in the Governor's front lawn. It wasn't often they used so much of their stockpiled energy, but using lots at one time rather than a little every day brought up the town's spirits. Plus, a party was always good to dismiss events the townsfolk should question like an entire army obliterated without any honest answer.
⠀⠀⠀Cal had to attend, being one of the faces of the town. He was awkwardly talking to Benji, a nice guy that Cal liked to talk to but had become increasingly apparent over the past few weeks.
⠀⠀⠀Benji was good-looking with dark hair and a sweet smile that made the heart skip a beat, but Cal wasn't interested. Maybe once years ago, he'd be the type of guy he would tell Bianca he thought was hot, and she'd agree, then they'd move on.
⠀⠀⠀Now, all he thought about was Bianca, holding out hope she was alive. In any case, he couldn't imagine himself falling in love with anyone again. His heart was in tune with Bianca's, and it felt like a betrayal to even think Benji was cute.
⠀⠀⠀Every once in a while, Cal was thankful to the Governor. Today was one as he called a toast, interrupting Benji's rendition of his morning working at the library. The Governor ran up the steps of his house, standing above the town with his glass raised.
⠀⠀⠀"First time we gathered, there was Cal, and I, along with seven others, holed up in an apartment with spam and saltine crackers. Well, look at us now!" the Governor cheered with a broad smile, motioning toward Cal as he said his name. The townsfolk laughed in merriment at the retelling, while a few around Cal turned to him and said one-line remarks in response. "We've built a place we can call home. May be held together with duct tape and string, but it works. It's ours. I'll take it. So, today we celebrate how far we've come. We remember those we've lost. We raise a glass to us."
⠀⠀⠀"Hear, hear!" Joseph cheered, and everyone followed after him, clinking their cups together, then returned to the party.
⠀⠀⠀"Cal, with me," the Governor called over the crowd, Cal thankful he had an excuse to leave Benji and headed over. "We need to get some more beer for these lovely folks!"
⠀⠀⠀Those close enough to hear cheered with excitement, and the two headed inside. Behind Cal, Milton scurried along with Merle beside him.
⠀⠀⠀"Governor, I would like to bring to your attention the situation with my experiments. I believe the events tonight will interfere with our progress," Milton explained all in one breath.
⠀⠀⠀"Nonsense!" the Governor retorted cheerily. "It's a party, a time to enjoy ourselves."
⠀⠀⠀"I understand that, sir. All I'm suggesting is we delay a couple of days. We can't wait. Everything's ready," Milton continued fretfully. "I love a party as much as the next fella. Trust me, I love a party! But we're using a lot of resources."
⠀⠀⠀The four arrived at the Governor's room. He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and allowed them in.
⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," the Governor said to show he was listening.
⠀⠀⠀"For instance, the generators—"
⠀⠀⠀"I thought you love a party," The Governor interrupted him with a smile, catching Milton off-guard. He gave a hearty chuckle. "C'mon, Milty, lighten up, for Christ's sake. Let your hair down, man. Have some fun for once."
⠀⠀⠀The Governor turned to Cal, nodding toward the dining room. Cal followed his direction to find the beer.
⠀⠀⠀"I like fun," Milton argued.
⠀⠀⠀"Then there's no problem," the Governor concluded.
⠀⠀⠀Cal picked up the beer box sitting against the wall, turning to head back but stopped as his gaze passed over something off.
⠀⠀⠀In the corner, Michonne stood staring at him like a wild animal. Her shoulders hunched toward herself, and her grip was strangling the sword in her hand. If he made one wrong move, he knew that knife would be plunged inside him without question. However, she knew if she did that now, the other three in the room would know she was there.
⠀⠀⠀Cal set the box down, then dragged himself up as slowly as he could so she would anticipate his movements before raising them in surrender. Her eyes pinned into him, waiting for him to strike first. Instead, he eyed the window near him but still within a blind spot of the rest of the group. Cal jutted his head toward the window forcefully.
⠀⠀⠀"Cal, everything okay in there? You get lost or somethin'?" the Governor asked with a laugh.
⠀⠀⠀"No, sorry," Cal assured them, his face contorting into a chummy expression. Then, before he walked out, he gave Michonne a pointed expression before returning to the three. "I was just shocked that Milton would suggest we postpone tonight."
⠀⠀⠀"Y'hear that, Milty?" Merle teased, chuckling darkly as he wrapped an arm around Milton's next. "Even this stick in the mud knows what's up."
⠀⠀⠀Cal rolled his eyes at Merle while the Governor stepped in quickly.
⠀⠀⠀"Hang on, hang on," the Governor said, raising his hands. "Let's hear Milton out. How long do you need?"
⠀⠀⠀"I don't need long," Milton assured him.
⠀⠀⠀"How long?"
⠀⠀⠀"Ten days."
⠀⠀⠀"No," the Governor said with a chuckle.
⠀⠀⠀"Six?"
⠀⠀⠀"No."
⠀⠀⠀"How about—?"
⠀⠀⠀"How about you enjoy yourself tonight and then begin the experiment over in the morning, huh?" the Governor asked Milton, but it was blatant that the conversation was done.
⠀⠀⠀"Uh, yeah, that could work," Milton muttered.
⠀⠀⠀The Governor left the room with a beer box in his hands while the other three followed him outside. Finally, with the beers distributed evenly between the cooler and parched townsfolk, Cal slipped away from the party.
⠀⠀⠀Michonne likely took his out to leave the apartment while she had the chance, but there was no doubt she would still be lurking around. Cal worried that she would end up like all the others with that curiosity.
⠀⠀⠀Cal found her standing by the walker cages, something Cal often avoided. He knew the walkers weren't human anymore, but if you stared long enough, he could see the people they used to be.
⠀⠀⠀Michonne heard him approach, unsheathing her sword with ease and spinning on her heel to rest the tip underneath his chin. Cal stopped himself from walking right through the blade and raised his hands.
⠀⠀⠀"I just came to talk," he assured her.
⠀⠀⠀"To blackmail me," Michonne corrected him.
⠀⠀⠀"No, to warn you," Cal rebutted, looking down at the sword with a frown. "I feel the same about this place, probably more than you can understand with the little you know."
⠀⠀⠀Michonne frowned, but she inched the sword down to his hover near his chest. Cal coughed slightly, swallowing to ease himself from her terrifying demeanor, then continued.
⠀⠀⠀"Look, I know the Governor, and I are all buddy-buddy or whatever. But that's just because I've been here since the beginning," Cal explained, relaxing his arms down at his sides. "This place used to be good. We used to be a family," he continued, his tone becoming harder as he explained where they had once been. "Now, I see all these unfamiliar faces that weren't here a year ago. They didn't join. They replaced the dead we've lost along the way."
⠀⠀⠀Michonne relaxed enough to sheathe her sword again. There was a pause between them as she did, then she rested her glare on him again, raising her chin to look down on him despite the height difference.
⠀⠀⠀"Why don't you leave?" Michonne asked, raising a brow.
⠀⠀⠀Cal snorted, "There's no leaving."
⠀⠀⠀Michonne didn't like that answer, her frown creeping further as she tried to assess his words. Likely wondering if it was a threat or the truth.
⠀⠀⠀"What do you mean?" she demanded.
⠀⠀⠀"I mean, I'm as stuck here as you are," Cal said, wanting to explain further, but the sun was in a concerning place in the sky. He checked his watch. Nearly one. Ernie would be out to feed the walkers soon. "Someone will be out here to feed those things soon. You should leave before he does. I can't be seen here, we'll talk again soon. Don't do anything stupid, alright?"
⠀⠀⠀Michonne held his gaze as he backed up. She gave him a slight nod. Cal wasn't sure if that meant she agreed or if she approved of him, but he couldn't ask. He nodded back, ran to the front of the building, and slipped back into the crowd.
CAL WAS GUARDING the gates, having relieved Adams from duty so he could spend the afternoon festivities with his daughter. It was quiet by the front gates, every once and a while, a walker might pass. The winter cold was beginning to fade out, and now a nice breeze passed with the sun warm enough so that he didn't have to put a coat on. Everything was fine and good until Merle started shouting.
⠀⠀⠀"Hey, hey, hey, girls!"
⠀⠀⠀Cal turned to see who Merle was yelling at. The blood left his face as Michonne and Andrea marched for the front gates, their gear on their backs. Cal cursed under his breath. He thought he told Michonne not to do anything stupid. Maybe she was just trying to play chicken with them, see if they would open the gates for them despite what Cal said. He didn't get a chance to explain that they would let them, only to hunt them down like sport where none of the townsfolk could question why they just killed two women for trying to leave.
⠀⠀⠀"Where y'all off to in such a hurry, huh?" Merle continued to shout as they passed. "Hey, come on, now! Come on. Hey, hey, hey. Y'all are breakin' my heart runnin' away like that!"
⠀⠀⠀"We're leaving," Michonne told him coldly, her voice only a whisper to Cal.
⠀⠀⠀"It's almost curfew. I'd have to arrange an escort. I mean, the party's still goin' on," Merle explained. He was trying to get them to stay, which Cal could tell annoyed Michonne, telling her Cal was right. When Michonne and Andrea stayed firm in their decision, Merle finally agreed. "Alright. Wait here a second."
⠀⠀⠀Merle walked over to Martinez, calling him down to talk. While they did, Cal caught Michonne's glare. He didn't know if she still didn't believe him or not, but she knew something was off. Cal shook his head slowly, telling her not to do it. Andrea noticed, glancing between them. She looked like she wanted to ask but bit her tongue. Instead, she turned her frustration over to Merle and Martinez and stormed her way over to them.
⠀⠀⠀"The Governor told us we were free to come and go whenever we liked," Andrea interrupted them with a scowl.
⠀⠀⠀"Sweetheart, nothin' personal here, but you're gonna have to step back," Merle told her with a distasteful look, shooing her back.
⠀⠀⠀Andrea did as he asked, a little put off as she returned to Michonne's side.
⠀⠀⠀Cal did like he was supposed to, checking to make sure the surrounding area was clear that the two women wouldn't be attacked in the radius around them or any biters might sneak in. He walked the wall, spotting nothing, then turned to the gate nodding at Martinez.
⠀⠀⠀"Clear!"
⠀⠀⠀The gates opened, and Merle held them open for the two.
⠀⠀⠀"Now, if I was y'all, I'd find some shelter before nightfall," Merle told them.
⠀⠀⠀Michonne stared at the gate, shocked it had been opened for them. She glanced up, skirting over Cal and then over to Andrea.
⠀⠀⠀"They knew we were coming," Michonne claimed. Cal knew she thought he had told them, but it wasn't the case. If only he had time to tell her. He should've made time. "This was all for show."
⠀⠀⠀"Do you hear yourself? How could you know that?" Andrea asked, looking at the guards and then back to her friend. "And why would they bother?"
⠀⠀⠀"Ladies," Merle said, growing impatient.
⠀⠀⠀"Close the gates," Andrea snapped at him.
⠀⠀⠀"No!" Michonne interrupted them.
⠀⠀⠀The two argued for a minute, Andrea explaining she couldn't live another eight months in the woods feasting on twigs and hoping for what they already stumbled across. Michonne wasn't swayed, though. Her mind made up a long time ago and set Andrea between two choices. Neither she didn't want to choose between.
⠀⠀⠀Michonne made the tough decision for her, walking through the gates. Cal focused on Michonne as she passed through the gates and down the street until she was nothing but a dot in the distance.
CAL HATED THE gladiator fights. They had been going on for a few months now whenever they finished their celebrations. However, he attended despite his dislike for the event.
⠀⠀⠀Cal could remember the first time the gladiator fights had started. The Governor had kept him in the dark on the big surprise and the rest of the town. He remembered watching, and that ball of fear inside him picked up. How the Governor tried to act like their friend, but one day Cal might be one of those biters, chained and played around with.
⠀⠀⠀A few weeks and, they held the gladiator fights again despite the lack of a celebration. It didn't need any electricity, just some biters and a cheering audience. Cal didn't show at that one, too distraught by the last time.
⠀⠀⠀His lack of appearance stirred a deal of uncertainty in the Governor. He had come knocking on his door the following day asking why he didn't attend. Cal explained truthfully, still a bit naïve to the Governor's true persona. He explained that he didn't enjoy the show, but since it seemed 'safe,' he didn't want to be the Debbie Downer.
⠀⠀⠀The Governor seemed offended by his expression, explaining that he understood killing men wasn't in Cal's job description, but these things weren't alive. Therefore, he shouldn't care if they tortured them or not unless he didn't believe in their cause at all.
⠀⠀⠀It seemed like the Governor wasn't just talking about the gladiator fights because it shouldn't have been much of an issue. He didn't enjoy it, and he wasn't making a big deal about it. There was something else causing the Governor to question Cal. So, Cal appeased the Governor that he now understood and would try to enjoy himself at the next one.
⠀⠀⠀Thankfully, that had gotten the Governor off his back.
⠀⠀⠀Cal found Milton in the crowd, sitting next to him. The man was a bit off, but Cal liked his company. Sometimes, when he grew overly zealous about his experiments, Cal could imagine Bianca was the one rambling his ear off.
⠀⠀⠀"Hello, Caliburn," Milton greeted, keeping his same tone of voice despite the raging crowd.
⠀⠀⠀Cal hated that he'd mistakenly introduced himself with his full name to Milton because it was all he called him. He wished he'd just call him Cal and not Caliburn like his mother. He'd tried to tell him to stop, but he was one of those guys who liked to drag out a full name.
⠀⠀⠀"Evening, Milly," Cal replied. Every time Milton called him Caliburn, he'd get him right back with Milly. Now, it was just an ongoing game of who would give it up first.
⠀⠀⠀"Glad to see you here. You know how I hate these things," Milton sighed, shaking his head with a frown.
⠀⠀⠀"Don't worry, man. I hate them, too," Cal muttered.
⠀⠀⠀"I heard Michonne left through the gates," Milton stated, glancing at Cal out of his peripheral. "Were you there?"
⠀⠀⠀"Yes," Cal responded.
⠀⠀⠀"Do you think they'll send out a team?" Milton asked curiously. "They haven't done it yet, which seems odd."
⠀⠀⠀"Probably in the morning," Cal told Milton with a shrug. "The Governor's been pretty invested in this party."
⠀⠀⠀"Certainly," Milton agreed, curling his fingers around his knees in annoyance. "I just wished I had more time—"
⠀⠀⠀The Governor walked through the seats with Andrea close behind him. She looked one edge from the cacophony of noise while the Governor was grinning ear to ear greeting everyone he passed.
⠀⠀⠀"Hey, Cal, glad you could make it," the Governor cheered, patting him on the back and then settled in a seat behind them. He clapped Milton on the shoulder in greeting, then the lights flashed on, and the crowd got even louder.
⠀⠀⠀Cal stood with the crowd but didn't join in on the cheering. Instead, he kept his mouth closed and arms close to his sides. The Governor had long given up on him participating. Cal played it off as anxiety keeping him on edged, which it did, and as an act of minimal rebellion to show he wasn't necessarily happy to be there.
⠀⠀⠀Martinez, Tim, and Merle stepped into the middle of the stage while the biters stood around them, growling and fidgeting restlessly. The crowd chanted for Merle.
⠀⠀⠀"I'm gonna kick his ass one-handed!" Merle screamed, pointing toward Martinez. "Oh, the hell with it. No handed!" he exclaimed, dropping into a push-up and beginning to do them with only his stump.
⠀⠀⠀The whistle blew, and Merle kicked Martinez right in the face. Merle got another hit in before they were one to one on their punches. Tim blew the whistle, stopping them mid-fight, and released the chained walkers further on their chains, so there was more risk.
⠀⠀⠀When they were put back in, Martinez was thrown to one of the biters. He was able to duck himself out of their hold while the crowd gasped in shock. Cal would've been worried if he didn't know beforehand that the biter's teeth had been plucked out of their skulls. One of the Governor's selling points for Cal.
⠀⠀⠀"Hey, hey! Where you goin'?" Cal overheard the Governor exclaim. He turned to see Andrea standing with a disgusted look on her face.
⠀⠀⠀"What the hell is this?" Andrea demanded.
⠀⠀⠀"It's a way to blow off steam," the Governor said with a chuckle.
⠀⠀⠀"Blow off steam?" Andrea blew up at him, her face turning bright red. "You go for a jog to blow off steam. This is—this is sick."
⠀⠀⠀"Look around. Everyone's havin' a great time," the Governor assured her.
⠀⠀⠀"It's barbaric."
⠀⠀⠀The Governor pulled Andrea back to him, and Cal turned away before the Governor noticed him prying.
⠀⠀⠀"It's staged," the Governor chuckled in Andrea's ear. "Yeah, we pull out the biter's teeth. It's just for show."
⠀⠀⠀"That's crazy. This is your reason for keeping walkers around?" Andrea asked him, still unimpressed.
⠀⠀⠀"People need entertainment," the Governor defended.
⠀⠀⠀"So, your solution is gladiator fights?"
⠀⠀⠀"We're reducin' these things. We're controllin' them," he said. "We're shinin' a light on the monster under the bed. It's fun. It makes people feel better about the whole thing."
⠀⠀⠀"It's a slippery slope," Andrea argued. "You're teaching them that walkers aren't dangerous."
⠀⠀⠀"We're teachin' them not to be afraid," the Governor assured her, the conversation ending with that.
⠀⠀⠀The Governor returned to the fights, enraptured by the tourney. Cal turned back again, catching Andrea's disturbed gaze. He knew Michonne had told her what he said. Now it seemed she understood. Unfortunately, Cal was right. The Governor wasn't as welcoming and warm as he appeared.
AUTHOR'S NOTE —
Hee hee, slowly creeping closer to Bianca and Cal reuniting. I'm very excited for the upcoming episodes. I promise it's coming sooner than you think but not TOO soon.
SONG: Devil Town by Cavetown
Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like. However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So even if you ghost read or comment every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come into this fic ♡ I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and until the next one.