CORY'S POV
After an abruption in the main room of the prison, I finally woke up. I rushed down the stairs, into the area that everyone else stood. I saw Glenn and Maggie gearing up, I assume to go on a run or something.
"Whats going on?" I asked, leaning against the concrete wall.
Rick turned over to look at me. And then I remembered, Rick had been throughout the prison for awhile, and this was probably the first he's been back in here since... Lori died and the baby was born.
Rick smiled slightly, probably happy to see I wasn't too upset. "Maggie and Glenn are gonna go look for formula. Daryl's gonna try and search for Carol too."
I nodded lightly, grimacing at the name Carol. "Sounds like a plan."
I looked around to see who was awake. Daryl and Carl seemed to be the only one's not here. Either Daryl left already, or I didn't see him sleeping in his bed.
"As for the rest of us, we're gonna keep getting comfy around here. This prison is ours, and it's staying that way. We may have lost people on the way to getting a safe place, but I'm sure those people would be proud of how far we got." Rick sighed, looking down. "Lori would be proud of us. Dale, Jacqui... they'd be especially proud. And if Shane could see us kicking ass... My point is... we made it so far. This prison is ours."
I wasn't expecting a speech so early in the day, but it was nice... up until he mentioned the people we lost. I had done well at ignoring the empty feeling each of them left, other than Shane of course, and he just kinda ruined my streak with that.
But I ignored the empty feeling, and walked up to Rick as the group dispersed.
"Hey... you alright?" I asked, pressing my lips together.
He shrugged, "About as good as I look."
I giggled a little, remembering the day Daryl got shot by Andrea, and I asked him how he felt. He said the same exact thing.
"Funny, Daryl said the same thing back at the farm."
He laughed a little too, then had a confused look on his face. "What's going on between you and Daryl?"
I furrowed my eyebrows, unaware of what he meant. I mean, there was something... but I didn't do anything in front of the group that would tell them... other than kiss his cheek... Dammit!
"What are you talking about?" I pretended that I didn't have a clue, but I knew exactly what he meant.
He chuckled, knowing I was acting. "Sunshine, you kissed his cheek. And on top of that, Glenn heard you talking to him last night. He heard Daryl's pure concern for you. And he never cared about anyone except Merle before you showed up. That tells me that there's something."
I shook my head, objecting against the statement he made. "We knew each other before this, and it just different between us."
"Yea... okay." He shook his head, a smile on his face.
I glared playfully, and turned around, heading up the stairs to my cell. Walsh was still asleep on my bed somehow, a light snore filling the quietness of my cell itself.
I had no idea what to do. I didn't wanna stay home. This is where I hallucinate, where Lori, T, and other people died, and where I realized my deepest fear, I was in love with two men, one being dead, and the other my best friend.
Man, I was such a fuck up. How so you decide that you love a man the same day he dies, and then start to love another man at the same time. But I think I made up my mind, I really loved Shane, and I was sure my feelings were leaning toward him.
I sighed, standing. I grabbed my duffel bag, placing my weapons in it.
I walked over to my notebook that sat on my table. I sat down, deciding to write before I left.
~Dear Diary,
I don't think I'm sane anymore, I swear I see Shane Walsh everywhere. I was out on a run yesterday, and I seriously saw him, and it was so real.
I found a dog on the run, and named it Walsh. I also found a house, Shane's parent's house. I found pictures of him, and came back to tape them up. Then Daryl walked in.
He thought I hurt myself when I got blood on my wrist from my bleeding lip. He also was pissed that I thought he'd hurt me. And then he said he was mad that I kissed his cheek in front of the group. But the thing is, he said that he was pissed I did it in front of everyone. He didn't say he was mad because of me kissing his cheek in general.
I'm going out on a run. I gotta go, before I see Shane again.
Cory Jenner~
Then I tried to whistle for Walsh, but failed. I never could seem to whistle, ever.
I pet the dog who slept on my bed, shaking his fur playfully. "Get up, ya lazy boy."
He opened his eyes, turning to me. He jumped up, and hopped out of bed. I giggled, leading him downstairs with me.
Walsh took of into the main room, probably hoping to see Carl awake. I kept in mind that Carl was probably only around 13 at the time, and would probably still be asleep, although Carl didn't act his age at all. I remembered the day I got shot back before the farm, when I was talking to him, and I realized how mature he was.
I shook my head, ignoring the past that kept entering my mind for some reason. I trekked toward the door, hoping to get out nonchalantly, but failed.
"Cory?" A boy's voice questioned, startling me.
I turned, acknowledging Carl standing feet behind me, a perplexed look on his face. "Where are you going?"
I stuttered, unsure whether or not to lie to him. I mean, I was kinda his 'mother' now, since I couldn't say no to Lori when she told me she had planned to pass her children to me.
"I... I was just gonna go out on a... run..."
He seemed disappointed. "Why do you keep leaving? We don't get to hang out anymore."
I didn't wanna say why I kept leaving. The real reason was something I didn't like to think about. It was hard to say why I couldn't hang around the prison much without feeling hurt and betrayed.
From my position next to the door, I sighed, walking over to him. I kneeled down next to him, a look of assurance taking over.
"We can hang out when I get back. I just gotta go try and find a few things." I wasn't lying about finding things, I was actually on a hunt right now. But I was confused on why Carl cared so much.
He nodded, and walked away without another word. I felt a little hurt, but ignored it and excited the prison quickly.
I soon reached the courtyard, and ran down the dirt trail as fast as possible. I then skipped to the cut part of the fence, which was my normal route. Even if there was a door out of the prison, I'd probably still go through the fence. It was more... unique that way.
I knew exactly where I was going. The Dixon residence/My neighborhood. I had to get things from the house, for reasons.
I remembered when I found out the apocolypse began, and I had tried to get to Daryl and Merle. They were gone by the time I reached their house. No truck, no motorcycle, no guns or crossbow. They had prepared, and they left before I could go with them.
But thinking about it now, I would've been with the group a month or two earlier, because it was only that much later that they came to the CDC. Not much would've changed, other than knowing the group longer. But Daryl and I wouldn't have been nearly as close, because the fact that we lost each other, then found each other, was what brought us close. Well that and the fact that I have romantic feelings for him.
Ugh, don't think about it now, Cory, just focus on your goal... finding your phone and the pictures of Daryl and Merle in their house.
*
I hadn't a clue where I was going. I knew where they lived, and I knew the prison was, but it was hard to determine the direction on foot. I prayed, literally, that I wouldn't get lost and lose the group now. Yes, I prayed, and I wasn't a religious person.
I walked cautiously with Merle's knife in my hand and my gun in my belt. I was prepared for the worst. The worst would be finding Phillip at Woodbury again, and I already knew I was in that area. I was currently on a dirt road, in between two sides of the woods that I knew so well from when I was the co-leader of Woodbury, side by side with Phillip.
Ugh, that name burnt my mind to even think of it. He really was a physco. Who the hell keeps geek head and a geek child herself? That's weird. I mean, I wouldn't say he was a bad person though. No one's a bad person, just misunderstood.
I sighed, afraid that I would come upon Woodbury whilst trying to find my old memories. Woodbury was a memory itself, and all the people there were memories too. I wondered if they had recruited any new people I knew. Some small part of me prayed that Andrea had made it here, and another part of me prayed Rick was lying about Shane's death, and he was there too. But I had no hope for Merle.
I continued walking, seeing a store in the distance. I walked a little faster, and realized I recognized the place. I had gone on runs from Woodbury to this store.
Just as I walked into the parking lot, a car took off down the road in the direction of Woodbury. I ducked down, hoping it wasn't Phillip.
When the car was gone, I hopped back to my feet, looking around. No geeks were around, so I went into thought.
So Woodbury survived this long... it had to. That meant Phillip was alive. That meant I was still in more danger than usual, because now that I was close to him, he'd find me, and I'd be fucked.
A loud footstep sounded off near me, behind a car. I pulled my gun and out, pointing it in thw direction of the sound. A woman walked out, a katana pointed at me.
"Who are you?" I asked, staring her dead in the eyes. "Who are you with?"
She didn't speak for awhile. Then finally, words trailed from her lips. "I'm with one other person. I used to be with a huge group, but Ieft. Leader's a physco."
I knew she was from Woodbury. She was cleaned up, other than her leg that had a bullet hole in it.
"Woodbury?" I asked, lowering my gun. She did the same with her sword.
"Yea, are you from there?" She asked.
I questioned whether or not to tell her the whole story. I mean, you can't trust people anymore. But we should trust people if they don't wrong you.
I shook my head. "I used to be the co-leader back in the first two months. Then I left. Phillip was fucking insane. I haven't been this close to Woodbury since."
She just stared back at me. "Are you Cory?"
My eyes widened, "H-how?"
"Phillip said stuff about you. Apparently you were in love."
I nearly laughed out loud, astounded that he thought I loved him. I mean, I almost did, but when I realized he was insane, it all disappeared. "Yea... No."
She slightly smiled a bit. "I didn't believe it at all."
I grin grew on my face. Reality hit me. There were still people like me with a slight sense of humor. No one in my group has that anymore.
"Do you have any idea what that car was here for?"
She nodded. "It was a guy from Woodbury. There were two people in the store, a korean and a pretty girl. He took them back to Woodbury. I think they knew each other."
I realized, Glenn and Maggie were just abducted by a man from Woodbury. They were screwed.
"You said you were with another person, where are they?" I asked, looking around.
"He heard the two people were from the prison, and he's heading there now. I'm taking the supplies they needed there. He's scoping out the area first."
Shit... they know about the prison. These people could end up fucking us over.
I rubbed my face, "Dammit..."
The woman was probably confused. "You okay?"
"I'm from the prison. They took Glenn and Maggie... to Woodbury. I thought I escaped that place."
She breathed in, "If you help me get to the prison and get the stuff there, my friend and I will help get your people back, and you won't get caught."
This trip suddenly got so stressful. All I wanted to do was go to Daryl's fucking house for pictures. But no, now I have to go into Woodbury again.
"Okay... Deal."
She nodded, looking off into the distance. "I'm Michonne, by the way."
*
We had been walking in practical silence since we left the store. She was limping from the injury, and I carried the basket.
We came upon the prison's fence, and Michonne was beginning to lose too much blood. She was breathing heavily, and we were covered in blood and dirt, and not a single geek sensed us. We walked up to the gate, myself handing the basket to Michonne.
"Rick will come down and help you in. I'm heading back to Woodbury. Don't object against anything he asks, unless he asks where I'm going. Tell him everything, and tell the little boy that I'll see him soon."
She looked at me, unsure what to say. "I will."
Rick stood at the top of the courtyard with Daryl. As soon as they saw us, they started running down the trail toward us. I breathed in deeply, prepared for Daryl to screech at me.
They made it to the fence, as I realized Michonne was nearly on the ground, passing out. I ran to her and placed her arm around my shoulder, holding her up.
"What the hell is going on?!" Rick yelled, looking in between Michonne and I.
"I found her, she was shot. I gotta go." I simply informed him, as he and Daryl opened the fence and ran through.
Rick looked at me deeply, a begging look on his face. "Sunshine, you have to come inside, now. You need to come see-"
I shook my head, interrupting him. "I'll be back, whatever it is can wait."
Rick was about to stop me again, but was interrupted by Daryl.
"Wait, where the hell are ya goin?!" Daryl grunted out, as I turned and jogged away.
"I'm going back to Hell, see ya later."
I didn't turn to see his reaction. It would be to hard. I had the strongest feeling that I wasn't coming back tonight, or even tomorrow. Or possibly the next day.