**EDITED
My eyes opened, revealing a roof over my head. I half expected to see trees, the sun beaming on me, and my mother's cries in her sleep next to me. But then everything that happened yesterday came back to me. I got up from the bed, rubbing my eyes. I looked to my left to see my mother still in bed, sleeping safe and sound.
I couldn't help but notice she seemed so calm. The bags under her eyes were fading, while mine was getting worse. Although I was glad she was so relaxed, I was envious of her. I was envious that she was able to sleep without having two eyes open.
There was hushed voices just outside the door of the room we stayed in and I acted quickly.
I grabbed my knife from under the pillow (the soft pillow ironically didn't help my sleep at all). It was the only thing they didn't take from us.
I walked quietly to the door, knife in hand. I opened it just a bit to see the Governor talking to the archer, I put my ear to the door and listened closely.
"We saw smoke. Just a few miles out." The man with the bow said. "Don't know if it's still burning or not."
"We'll check it out in an hour." The Governor told him.
The conversation was quick. I turned my head to look through the crack and saw that the archer was gone, but the Governor was still standing there. He then looked in my direction and I moved away from the door before he could see me.
I tucked my knife in my jeans and hid it behind my shirt just as the door opened, the Governor on the other side.
He smiled when he saw me awake and looked behind me at my mother, then back at me. "Good morning. Or should I say afternoon. You two slept for quite a while."
"Ever heard of knocking?" I stared straight in his eyes.
He nodded, waving his arms in an I'm-sorry kind of way. "You're incredibly right. I apologize."
I said nothing, just continuing to look glare at him.
"Well, before I get out of your hair, you should eat. You're probably starving. The cafeteria should be closing soon." He said and when he realized I wasn't going to speak, he smiled again. "Well then, I should be going. Have a good day. Again, I'm so sorry about before."
He turned away and left and I slammed the door shut.
We need to get out of this place, I thought to myself as I made my way to the shower, looking over at my mother another time.
I stripped down and stepped in. The Governor said the water is limited but I didn't give a shit. (It's not like we're staying here long anyway.) I haven't showered in months.
I stood in the water for what felt like hours and I couldn't stop washing. Once I was done, I put my clothes back on and let my hair down so it could dry.
As I was gathering my stuff, I heard shuffling outside the bathroom. I picked up my knife and put my other hand on the doorknob. I counted to three in my head, and then I opened the door, pointing my knife right against their throat.
They gasped and then I realized it was my mother. I put the knife down and in my jeans.
"I'm sorry, Mom." I apologized, taking a towel and wiping the drop of blood on her neck. "Force of habit."
"It's alright, I'm okay." She said, gently putting my hands down when she saw I was concerned for nothing. I nodded, walking back into the room and pulling my bad from under the bed.
"What are you doing?"
I looked back to see my mother's confused expression as I packed some clothes. "We're leaving." I answered. "Today."
"What?" My mother exclaimed. "Why?"
"It's not safe here." I simply said, turning right back to continue packing.
"Not safe?" She repeated in disbelief. "What are you talking about? Did you see this place? Here is anything but unsafe."
"That's what they want you to believe." I told her. "The Governor can't be trusted."
"He a good man." She said. I opened my mouth but she interrupted me. "Honey, this place is safe. I can feel it. They have food, water, shelter, walls. They keep those things out. We're safe!"
"No," I insisted. "We are not safe. Tell me, Mom. Every where we've been these past months, has any of those places ever been safe? Have we ever been safe since the world's gone to shit?"
She stayed quiet. She didn't have an answer, but what she did say was, "This place's different."
I sighed. I couldn't argue with her right now. "We're leaving today. Get ready, I'll be back soon."
Having finished packing my bag, I slid it back under the bed and left the room.
* * *
As I walked through the town of Woodbury, I kept my distance from people by staying on the sidewalks instead of the streets, where most of them were. I watched as couples held hands, some gardening, and kids playing. It almost felt like things were normal, as if the world has not changed. Except it did. And there's nothing anybody or anything can do to change that.
"Hey!" A girl with a ponytail came running up to me, skidding to a stop when she caught up with me. She looked about my age. I narrowed my eyes, wondering why she was interacting with me. "It's Brenda, right?"
I stopped walking, her actions mirroring mine. After a few seconds, I nodded, but didn't speak.
"I'm Charlotte." She gave me a smile, to which I didn't return. But she didn't take it personally; she kept on smiling. I guessed she was one of those people who was just happy all the time. "I know you came yesterday, so I wanted to welcome you. See those kids over there?"
She pointed behind her and waved at four teenagers leaning against the side of the wall. They waved back and I swear you could see their smiles from miles away.
"Mike, Katherine, Finn, and Toby." She said to me, turning back. "We always hang out in that spot there, so if you ever find yourself bored out of your mind - you'd be surprised how much you want to smash your head through a wall in a place like this - just come over and we can talk."
I still had that confusing look on my face. I wondered what I looked like from her point of view (could she even tell I'm not interested in making friends?).
"But anyway, I'll see you around, Brenda!" She smiled one more time (or has she been smiling the whole time she spoke?) and then ran over to her friends.
I was dumbfounded at how...weak they were. Were they here since the beginning? Have they ever killed a dead one? I shook my head; I didn't want to know.
I continued in the direction I was headed once I left the room and went into the cafeteria. Once inside, the old lady behind the counter smiled at me and handed me two plates of food. I nodded at her, taking the plates and turning around to go back to my mother so she could eat, but I found her already at a table, waiting for me.
I went to the table with two plastic chairs and gave her a plate. She thanked me and started to eat. Once I sat down, the feeling of the chair reminded me of the times we held barbecues in our backyard. I remember talking to my cousins while eating a hamburger, sitting in a plastic chair just like this one.
It felt like a dream, like it didn't even happen.
We are our eggs in silence, and I tried not to let my mother see how much I enjoyed the food. Whether or not the food was good, we were leaving.
When my mother was done, she gave the dirty plate back to the old lady, and then left without saying a word to me. I sighed and finished my breakfast alone.
As I made my way back to the room my mother and I stayed in to make sure she finished packing, the gates toward the exit of the town opened and in came the Governor and his men. A few cars passed by, one of them drove right by me and I had a good look inside.
In the back seat sat three people. Two women and a man. The man had his head against the window that faced me; he didn't look so good. His eyes were shut and he was very pale. The dark woman looked concerned about the other woman, the one with the blond hair. She looked sick.
Other than the worried look for the woman sitting in between her and the man, the dark woman had another expression that I've had on my face one too many times; she was wary.
I started to question. Did the Governor take them without permission?
Everyone around me were either too busy laughing or they didn't care. I swallowed and followed the Governor.
* * *
The Governor and his men parked the cars outside the building that held the medic room and got out, followed by the three people. I hid behind one of the cars once it was abandoned.
The dark woman had her arm around the blonde. Now that I had a better look, it seemed she had been sick for a while. The man was unconscious so the archer, the man with one hand, and the other man with the baseball bat carried him in the building. The two women followed the Governor inside. I trailed behind.
The Governor and his three henchmen, plus the unconscious man, went inside the room next to where the doctor stayed. The two women went in the medic room.
I took this as an opportunity. I waited a few seconds until I trudged into the room where the two women had gone into, my hand on my head and a sick look on my face.
"Sorry, Doctor," I said, the doctor - who's name I didn't know - spun around. "I'm not feeling too good. I don't know what it is."
He gently put my hand down, replacing it with the back of his hand on my forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever. I'll check up on you in a few minutes, okay? Just wait outside for me."
I nodded and thanked him, catching the dark woman's eye before I left (did she know I was faking it?). Just as I stepped out, the Governor and the three men was about to walk in.
The Governor glanced down at me, a concerned look on his face. "You look sick, Brenda. Are you okay?"
"Fine." I said, - even giving him a small, fake smile - and walking straight past him and sitting on the bench right outside the door.
I didn't get a chance to look at him, but he shut the door closed. I knew he did it so I couldn't hear the conversation. He didn't want me to listen.
I let out a curse as I heard muffled voices through the wall but couldn't make out what they were saying.
There goes my plan, I thought to myself.
A few minutes passed and I was about to get up and leave when the door suddenly opened and the archer walked down the hallway, leaving the door open just a crack.
"Thank you." A female voice said (I wondered which woman it was).
"How you feeling?" I heard the Governor ask.
"We want our weapons." The other female spoke, and her voice was distinctly different. It had a demanding tone and, remembering the expression on the dark women's face earlier, I had a suspicion it was her talking.
"Sure." He said. "On our way out the front gates."
"Show us the way." The blonde - I'm guessing - said. "You've kept us locked up in this room."
"You see any bars on the windows? You're being cared for."
"Under guard." Blonde added.
"To protect our people. We don't know you." The Governor said.
"We know enough about you to want out of this place." Blonde told him. "We watched you drive a knife into the skulls of two dead men. What the hell was that?"
My mouth slightly fell open.
"They turned." The Governor told them.
"They weren't bitten." The dark woman said.
There was silence. Then the Governor spoke. "Dosen't matter. However we die, we all turn."
What?
"I put them out of their misery. It's not easy news to swallow at first, but there it is. You're not prisoners here, you're guests. If you want to leave, as I said, you're free to do so. But we don't open the gates past dusk. Draws too much attention. And you especially, you need a solid night's sleep. You wouldn't last another day out there in your condition. Have you brought over to my place in the morning. Return your weapons." He said. "Extra ammo, food for the road, some meds, keys to a vehicle if you want one. Send you on your way." The door opened, and I saw him come out out of the corner of my eye, saying under his breath, "No hard feelings."
He and the other two guys left the building. I was shocked. Could it be true? Does it matter now if you get bit or you get stabbed? Will you turn no matter what?
The doctor then stopped in front of me, "Are you ready to be checked up now?"
I abruptly stood up, making him jump back a little. "You know what, I'm actually good. Thank you, though."
* * *
I walked in the room to find my mother already in bed. She gave me such a quick glance that I wasn't sure if I was the one she wanted to see.
"We're not leaving." I told her. "Not today, at least."
There was silence. And then she asked, "Why not?"
"Don't worry about it." I said, settling in on top of the covers. "I'll just tell you when."
She didn't answer, but I understood she got it. I slid my knife under my pillow, tightening my grip.
I didn't get any sleep that night.
In the morning, I took a quick shower and left the room to her breakfast for both my mom and I.
I noticed that the Governor was gone for a while. His men and a few cars weren't there.
I spent my time after eating to watch the two women who came yesterday. It looked like they weren't leaving for a few days. I could tell that the dark woman wanted to leave as soon as possible, and I couldn't help but feel glad I wasn't the only one.
I was drinking a water bottle when the gates opened and more vehicles came in then the amount that left. My heart pumped fast as I was worried what happened (what he did).
The Governor stood on one of the trucks and everyone crowded around him. I saw that the dark woman was sitting alone, far away but close enough that she could hear what he was saying.
"We brought in three new people yesterday." The Governor spoke. "One was a helicopter pilot with a National Guard outfit. Even though he's clinging to life, he told us about his convoy on the highway, his men. I promised I'd bring them back here alive. But they didn't have our walls or fences. Biters got there before we did."
My fists curled so that my nails were up against my palms. I opened my fists once I felt blood. He killed them. I know it. I could see right through him and these people can't. It almost made me worried what would happen later after I'm long gone.
"Now, the men had trucks, the trucks had weapons, food, medicine, things we need." He went on. "Now, we didn't know them, but we'll honor their sacrifice by not taking what we have here for granted. Won't be long before dark, so go on home. Be thankful for what you have. Watch out of each other."
Everyone walked away. My heart hurt for those men who lost their lives, the men of the helicopter pilot who was promised they'd be back alive.
I looked back at the dark woman and I started walking towards her. I sat down in the chair next to her. She didn't pay any mind to me.
"I know you don't trust that this place. I know you don't trust the Governor. And I know you want to get the hell out of here."
She still said nothing, did nothing. I continued, "What he said over there, about the biters getting to the men before they got there, that's a lie."
She finally was interested.
"20 men. 20 men with heavy artillery. Got taken down by biters." I shook my head. "Impossible. Even if it did go down like that, some men had to survive, right? Thing is, this place it isn't safe. Especially not with the Governor running it."
"How do you know there was 20 men?" She asked me.
"I went to go see the helicopter pilot when nobody was watching him." I said. "I spoke to him. Right before the Governor came back."
"If you want to leave so bad, why are you still here?"
"Because of my mother." I told her. "She wanted to come here. We came two days ago. I wanted to leave last night, but when I found out you and your friend were going to leave soon, I thought maybe you wouldn't mind two more people."
"How do you know I won't kill you the second we step out?"
"I don't. But we have this in common." I sighed. "Look, I'm not asking for you to babysit me, alright? I can take care of myself. I just need you to get my mother and I well out of range of this place and then we'll be on our way. We don't ever have to see each other again."
She stayed silent for a few moments. "Can you fight?"
I nodded.
"Know how to use a gun?"
"Learning."
"And your mother?"
"She's not much of a fighter."
"She'll slow us down."
"No, she won't. You don't have to worry about her. She's my mother, my problem." I promised.
It was awkward waiting for her to come up with a decision but she finally sighed." Fine. But I need my weapon first."
"So do I." I said. "He took my weapons too."
She nodded. "Okay. We leave tomorrow."
I agreed and then stuck my hand. "Brenda. I'm Brenda."
She looked at me and shook my hand. "Michonne."
~~~~
um so i started a new book. hope you like it :)
**i'm going under some MAJOR changes. i'll make sure i let y'all know if the chapter is edited