WHITE FLAG
chapter forty-eight : this sorrowful life
{ season three - episode fifteen }
KNOCKING ON THE wall beside a cell Isabelle shared with Brianna, Kloe pursed her lips as she peeped around the corner, noticing the Marshel teen hadn't moved after many call outs to her. Kloe sighed, stepping inside the cell where Isabelle laid asleep.
A small smile sprouted Kloe's lips upon seeing the headphones her and Glenn had gotten for her at the record store. Her eyes moved down to the walkman beside her on the mattress, seeing the red coloring of the tape.
Isabelle had fallen asleep listening to the Heaven or Las Vegas tape. Kloe called out Isabelle's name in a sing-song tone, but she still never moved and stayed asleep, only shifted. Kloe shook her head as she chuckled, grasping onto Brianna's pillow from the top bunk.
With one swing to the face, the girl instantly jolted awake, sitting up and bashing her forehead against the metal from the top bunk. Isabelle let out a small yelp as she clasped onto her forehead, scrunching up her face with pain.
Kloe clutched onto her stomach from laughing, snorting at the way Isabelle jumped. Isabelle threw the headphones off her head, staring at the young woman as if she was crazy. "Kloe!"
As Kloe tried to speak, she was unable to as more laughs escaped her lips. After three seconds, Kloe pulled herself together and straightened her back. "Rise and shine, Isa," she joked, trying her best to keep hold of her laughter.
She couldn't help but let out another laugh at the look Isabelle was sending her. "What the hell was that?" she asked, trying to be louder than Kloe's laughs.
Once again, she managed to pull herself together, clearing her throat. "It's nine a.m., and I called you so many times. So I did what I had to do, Dr. Marshel," she explained, a large grin on her face. "You're the last one awake, we all got up hours ago."
"Did you?" Isabelle wondered, making Kloe's grin fall slightly. Since she and Glenn got saved by Rick and the others from Woodbury, she hadn't been able to have a good night's sleep. The only person she told about her nightmares was Isabelle.
She hesitantly shook her head. "No. They're still there... I'm surprised I haven't screamed when I wake up, but I have to use my inhaler since I'm out of breath all the time. Do you think it's...?"
Isabelle took a deep breath as she stepped out of her bed, grabbing onto her belt that held her weapons. "I think it's what you think it is - trauma," she answered, making Kloe's shoulders drop. "I'm not sure if it's PTSD or..."
"No, I don't think it's that at all," Kloe dismissed, shaking her head as she folded her arms over her chest. "I'm sure I'll get over it," she shrugged, waving the teen off as she watched her with sympathy.
"Hopefully," Isabelle added. A few moments passed, and a very active Brianna appeared in the doorway. Kloe spun around, her eyes landing on her sister.
Out of breath, Brianna nervously waved at Kloe before turning to Isabelle. "Jesus, Isabelle. Did you just wake up? Your hair is all over the place," Brianna commented, earning a snort from Kloe who watched Isabelle instantly attempt to fix her brown hair.
"Yes. You can thank Kloe here for waking me up," Isabelle gestured over to the young woman, who smiled triumphantly at the two teenagers.
"Alright, well, Beth wants to join us in training with the daggers. And she said whoever wins gets another pack of pretzels," Brianna informed the other teenager, earning a large smile from her.
...
"Good afternoon, Jayce," Kloe greeted as she entered the small courtyard, where she spotted the man sitting on the ground with a lit cigarette in between his fingers. "Wasn't expecting to find you here."
"'Afternoon," he replied, flicking his cigarette. "You alright?"
"Yep. Just thought I'd come check up on you since you're all alone," she answered, walking forward. She pressed her back against the wall, Jayce beside her legs. "I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what? I haven't done anything," he questioned confusedly.
"For saving my life in Woodbury," she clarified. "And you watched Oscar die too, and I know he must've been close to you since, like you said, you did spend ten months with him and the other lot. I'm sorry."
"Eh, don't worry about it," he waved her off. "The entire ten months I was always on the opposite side of the room anyway. Probably three months after it all started, I told the dickheads no one's coming for us, but they insisted we stayed until someone showed up. I had no hope. No hope until you and your pals showed up. That's when I started having hope."
Kloe looked down at the man beside her, who brought the cigarette to his lips and took a deep breath. "I don't know how you did it. How the fuck did you survive ten months with them, dude?" she inquired.
Jayce chuckled at the young woman's question. "Tell me about it. Had Tomas bossing us around more than my mother did, and Jesus Christ did she boss me around like I was a goddamn robot when I was a kid."
"Guess I'm happy to say I had chill parents, up until I was around sixteen anyway," Kloe said, lifting her eyes up to the sky. She looked back down after a few seconds. "Is there anyone you miss from before all of this? Like a friend or family member?"
He began to nod, pouting his lip as he nodded more profusely. "Sure do," he answered. "I miss my best friend, Jackson. He was hella funny. You would've liked him."
"That'll make the two of us. I miss my best friend, too," she agreed. "Her name was Norah. I'm not even sure if she's alive or not. I'm hoping she's somewhere safe and that she's not suffering."
"Let's hope so," Jayce added, rubbing the end of the cigarette on the pavement, putting it out.
"Change of subject, how are you and Maggie doing?" she asked, sending the Australian a one-sided-lip smile.
He nodded smoothly. "Doing great, actually. She's amazing-" he paused, shooting his eyes up to the woman who was smirking at him. "Jesus... Are you a psychic? Can you read my mind, Schmidt?"
Kloe tilted her head with a fake puzzled expression. "What makes you say that, Bryant? Last time I checked, I only had extraordinary ears, not an extraordinary brain."
He stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "How the hell did you know Maggie and I were a thing?" he asked. "She was the one that asked me not to say anything. And I haven't told a soul."
"Psh, Maggie tells me everything," Kloe shrugged, waving him off.
"Well I know now," a voice spoke up, making the two young adults shoot their heads over to the courtyard gate, where Daryl Dixon stood. Kloe's expression dropped upon the sight of the man, who watched the two.
"What do you want, Daryl?" Kloe wondered, dropping her shoulders.
"I wanna talk to you," he replied simply. "Zayn told me he saw you go in here."
Kloe stared at the man for a few seconds, staying in complete silence. "Well...talk then," she said, earning an eye roll from the man.
"Alone," he added. Kloe thought about it for a moment or two. She sighed heavily in defeat, pushing herself off the concrete wall and followed the man out of the courtyard.
She followed his steps with pursed lips, beginning to feel awkward. Daryl came to a stop, making Kloe do the same as he turned around to face her. "Look, I only wanted to apologize. I get it. I do. I just want to make things better between everyone again. I'll force Merle if I have to."
"Daryl, I honestly don't give a shit about Merle. I don't want to make things better with him. I don't think many of us do. He hates us, and you know it. He's only here for you because you're his brother," she explained, folding her arms over her chest. "Nothing will ever change, and I will never forgive him, ever."
Daryl nodded, briefly looking down at the ground. "I shouldn't've gotten snappy at you and Glenn, after what you both went through. I spoke with him earlier, and he made it very clear that he wants nothing to do with him."
"Well, neither do I," Kloe commented, agreeing with her boyfriend. "I'm guessing he already explained everything to you, right? Even though I already did just a few days ago?" He hesitantly nodded, making Kloe sigh again. "I forgive you Daryl, I was just mad. But you have to understand that I had every right to be. It wasn't good. And for most, probably unforgivable. But I guess I have to give my family second chances, right?"
She took a few steps back as she explained, beginning to make her way over to the group. Daryl nodded, watching her as she sent him a tight-lipped smile. She briefly waved, spinning on her heels and jogging toward the prison.
...
Zayn Schmidt stood outside beyond fencing, hammering planks of wood into it for when the Governor decided to appear if he wished.
An unexpected presence appeared from behind him though, making his narrowed eyes soften. "Oh, hi, Glenn," he greeted, setting the hammer down beside him. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, uh, yeah. Everything's fine," Glenn replied, his hands in his jackets' pockets. "Just wanted to stop by. You've been quiet."
Zayn's eyes went back to how they were, narrowed as he turned back to the fence to continue hammering it. "Been wanting to keep quiet to process my thoughts, that's all."
Glenn's brows connected with confusion. "Process? Process what exactly?"
The Schmidt man stopped what he was doing again, averting his eyes away from the fence and back to his best friend. "Has Kloe not told you anything?" he pondered, earning a shake from Glenn's head. "Well, you're gonna wanna hear this then. Might sound unbelievable, but the girl that threw that dagger at Kloe's head just so happens to be our little sister. Shocking, right?"
Glenn's eyes widened, and his lips parted as he tried to find words. "Brianna's your guys' sister? But how?"
Zayn exhaled. "Our dad went drinking one night and got Vickie pregnant while our mom was going through a hard time wanting another child," he answered truthfully. "Seems like Rick wants to let in all the people that tried killing us. Biggest mistake letting that douchebag Merle in with us, after what he did to you and Klo."
Glenn's mind was brought away from Brianna being their younger sister, and was now set on one of the men he hated most in the world. "I don't even wanna hear that bastard's name," he agreed, clenching his jaw.
"Guess we're gonna have to deal with it now," Zayn cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's not think about Merle. He's not worth our breath. Did you need something?"
"Uh..." Glenn started, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "No, uh, not much," he lied, stepping forward.
"Did Glenn Rhee just lie?" Zayn chuckled, telling by the way Glenn was acting that he was clearly lying. "Damn, the last time I saw you acting like this, dude, was when you were drooling over Kloe."
"Still am," Glenn instantly added, nervously laughing.
Zayn smirked, wiggling his brows. "Seriously though, what's up?"
"I- uh... Well, since Rick got back from his meeting with the Governor two days ago, something's been lingering in my mind since..." he paused, staring down at the ground. He turned back up to face Zayn, who watched him. "And I thought I should come to you, since you're...well, Kloe's brother and is smart."
"Right..." Zayn nodded along, growing confused at what Glenn's point was. "What do you need help with, lover-boy? Because I'm all in to help with whatever you need for Kloe."
Glenn sucked in a deep breath, finally gaining enough courage to speak what he wanted to say. "I want to marry Kloe," he gulped. "And we don't have to worry about any wedding stuff or anything. I don't even know if we'll last the week. I- I just don't know how or when to tell her."
Zayn watched his best friend with raised brows, and a very large smile. "That's something I was definitely not expecting. Okay, wow, uh. What approximate time do you want to do it by?"
"Within the next month or two," he responded simply as if he rehearsed his words already. "And I have no idea when I should. I feel like- I think I should tell her when everything's good again, you know? Like when everyone's happy. Settled down. When the Governor shit is over. It wouldn't be right doing it right now, not after everything she's been through. She still needs to work out the thoughts in her mind."
Zayn nodded, taking in the information. He stood still, deep in his thoughts as he thought about what Glenn had just told him. "I think you're right on that part. Isabelle's been telling me that Kloe hasn't been sleeping well."
"She hasn't?" Glenn asked worriedly. "Why did you not tell me?"
"Because she told me five minutes ago," he replied, rubbing his chin. "I'll tell Isa to keep me updated on everything. I'll let you know when she's good to go," he winked at his best friend, chuckling.
...
"Okay, I spoke to you literally fifteen minutes ago and now you're leaving to go where?" Kloe Schmidt questioned, approaching the Dixon man she had spoken to. Daryl, who was on his way to the gate, looked up at her.
"Merle took Michonne," he informed, examining his crossbow arrows before tossing them into the little hatch where they fit perfectly in the crossbow.
"What? Why did he take Michonne?" Kloe wondered, her brows knitting together.
Rick, who hastily walked up to the duo, sighed heavily as he caught onto Kloe's last sentence. "When I met up with the Governor, he told me he'll leave us all alone if we hand in Michonne."
Kloe stared at the Grimes man with slightly widened eyes. "Why am I only hearing about this now? Why have you not told anyone, Rick?"
"I was going to. I changed my mind about handing her in, but Merle seemed to have had another idea," he muttered, his jaw clenched as he shifted.
Kloe's head whipped back over to Daryl, who had finished inspecting his arrows. "And you're going after them?" she inquired, earning a firm nod. "By yourself?"
"You're not coming with me, Klo," Daryl dismissed, already knowing Kloe's exact words the second he would answer. "I'm going by myself, and myself only."
"Oh, come on," she threw her hands up exasperatedly.
"He's going on foot, and your leg is still healing," Rick added beside her. "You're not in the best condition to go on a hike to look for a man who tortured you."
Daryl rolled his eyes at his friend. Kloe pouted out her bottom lip, nodding in realization. What was she doing? Offering to Daryl that she would help find the man that tried to kill her and her boyfriend? Nevermind.
"Eh, you're on your own I guess, Daryl," Kloe gave in, taking a few steps back. "Good luck."
Daryl sent her a single nod before departing away from them, hurrying through the gate to get to the other side before any walker could reach out to him and chomp on him.
Both Rick and Kloe watched carefully, watching cautiously. Once they watched him walk into the trees outside of the prison, Kloe let out a breath of relief.
"What're you planning on doing?" Rick asked the young woman, beginning to walk away with her by his side.
"Well, I mean, since it is afternoon, I think I should give Carol a help-in-hand and look after Judith for a bit. It is kind of my job. Just been MIA for the last few days," she explained, gesturing over to C-Block.
"Alright. I'll be on watch if you need anything," Rick remarked, starting to separate from the young woman's side.
She stuck both of her thumbs up. "Got it, Officer Friendly," she smiled, fastening her pace over to C-Block. She pulled open the very gate that flooded her mind with unwanted memories of when she held Judith in her bloodied hands.
She shook the memory away, hurrying up the steps before pushing open the metal door to the inside. Within an instant, her eyes landed on Carol, who held a crying baby in her arms.
Carol whipped her head over to the Schmidt woman standing at the door. Kloe jogged down the steps, the door slamming behind her. Kloe sent the woman a polite smile, joining her side.
"Want me to stop her crying?" Kloe offered, her arms already out to take the baby. "I'm an expert at that."
Carol chuckled, not hesitating to put baby Judith in Kloe's open arms. Kloe smiled widely at the baby, instantly rocking her arms. Judith wailed, making Kloe grimace.
"Damn, she has some lungs on her," she muttered, earning a laugh from Carol as she sat down on the table to rest. Kloe stepped over to the side of the room, her eyes landing on a very familiar plush.
She carefully crouched down, wrapping her free hand around the yellow plush. She stood up, straightening her back as she looked back down at the crying baby.
"See this, Judith? This..." she raised the duck plush higher up so Judith could see it, "this is Doug. Doug the Duck."
Judith's scrunched up face soon softened as Kloe took a seat on a chair, shaking the plush duck around. Judith reached up to try and grab the plush, but Kloe knew she wasn't technically old enough to play with plushies yet.
"Nuh-uh," Kloe set down the plush on the table and wiggled her finger, making Judith smile widely. Kloe giggled as she continued wiggling her finger, Judith's beady eyes watching it.
Kloe's head snapped up toward the door to the actual cell-block, her eyes landing on the blonde teenager, who smiled at the baby in Kloe's arms. Beth Greene walked over to the young woman, setting herself on the seat beside her.
"Hi there, Judith," Beth grinned, gently booping the baby's nose. "I haven't seen you this happy in a few days." Beth averted her gaze away from the baby and toward Kloe. "She really likes you."
"Well, I'm glad," Kloe chuckled, earning a small laugh from the blonde teen. "You love me, don't you Judith?" Kloe carefully pinched her soft cheeks. Judith laughed loudly as she reached up to the woman. Kloe turned her head to Beth. "She loves me."
The blonde teen beamed, her eyes catching onto the duck plush on the table. She grabbed onto it, examining it. "Who's this?" she pondered.
"Doug the Duck. Isn't that right, Judith? He'll always be by your side," Kloe chattered, pointing over to the duck. Judith's eyes looked away from Kloe, and toward Beth and Doug.
"He's cute. He reminds me of my stuffed animal I had when I was three. I had one of a chicken," Beth explained, softly patting Doug on the head before placing him back down on the table.
Kloe snickered. "I had one of a hippo. I kept it until I was nine. I was devastated when I realized I dropped it in one of the lakes in Florida. I cried for hours."
"I lost my plush when I was six, and it didn't really bother me. But I did miss it every night when I'd go to bed," Beth described. "I never really gave it an actual name. I just called it 'Chick-Chick' all the time."
While the pair were talking, the baby in Kloe's arms slowly drifted to sleep. Kloe looked down at her, a small, soft smile growing on her lips as she watched her.
"I'm gonna go put her in her crib," Kloe stated in a low tone, not wanting to wake the baby up. Beth let out a small 'okay' before Kloe stood up, walking the baby over to the crib in the cell-block.
"Sleep tight, Judith."
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words: 3313
7th november 2022
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it's almost been a year since i first released the first chapter of this book. what a journey..
ANYWAY get ready for the next chapter which will be the the final chapter of season 3! then we'll be on season 4 (the last season for this book).
i'm gonna start working on the cover for the next book (i actually can't believe i've gotten this far). i don't even know how i managed to get over 40k reads in such a short period of time. it's like every day i wake up to people voting or adding this book into their reading lists.
i love all of you :))