Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

|43|

I sat in the common room, sharpening my knife and making small talk with Michonne. Two days have passed since we met with the Governor, and as far as I know, we were planning on going to war with Woodbury. The atmosphere has been tense these past two days; we're walking on eggshells around one another, unsure if today will be the last. Silence ensued between us. The only sound came from my knife scraping the sharpener. I jumped at the sound of the loud squeaking of the cell door, smiling with Michonne at my jumpiness. Daryl walked in with Hershel, his face set in his signature scowl as he sat beside me. Hershel gave me a sad nod—his smile that he usually flashed me nonexistent.

"What's up?" Michonne asked, glancing at me as she noticed both men's suspicious demeanor. Daryl shook his head and folded his arms on the table, his eyes glued down to the metal. What's up with him?

"What's the plan for today?" Daryl asked, changing the subject. Seriously, what's up with this man? What's he hiding? I stopped sharpening my blade and examined it, deciding to shove his weird behavior aside.

"Well, I want to set some spike strips in the field," I explained, "Maybe have Glenn look at the fence to make sure it's still holding up." We had cleared the yard about two weeks ago. While it was a significant win, I was still on edge about the chain not holding up. What if walkers pushed against it, and their dead weight busts it open? "Maybe have some people taking out the walkers so their weight doesn't topple our fence over."

"Sounds good," Michonne nodded, her hands playing with a few flyaway strings of her jacket, "We can't forget about the threat the walkers impose because of the Governor." I nodded as I put my knife back in my holster.

"Daryl, Michonne, I want you to take Glenn and set up those spike traps," I started, "Tell him to check on the fence for me, will you?" I got up and started walking towards the cells, looking around for two people. I paused in front of one, my eyes peeking in to see if they were there. Maggie noticed me right away and smiled, her jacket buttoned up all the way. Glenn sat up from the bed, his eyes looking tired as he did so. "Hey," I greeted as I stood in the cell entrance, "Glenn, do you mind helping Daryl and Michonne?"

"Sure thing," He responded. He bent down and slipped on his boots before sweetly kissing Maggie and leaving us alone. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my lips at the two. They're so sweet together.

"Maggie, I want you and Carl to kill some of the walkers by the fence. There's a group, and I'm scared they'll knock over the fence." She nodded at me and grabbed her holster before passing me. I let out a sigh and started my search for Carl. Ever since we came back two days ago, he's been quieter. I don't know if he's scared or preparing for what's to come. Either way, Rick and I know he won't have a hand in the fighting. He doesn't need to take part in all that; it'll only be ugly. I climbed the stairs and paused at my cell, checking in on Judith. Carl sat on my bed, his eyes glued to the sleeping baby. I cleared my throat lightly, not wanting to wake her up, and motioned for Carl to join me. He gently rose from his position and approached me, his deep blue eyes on me. "Hey, kiddo."

"June, I'm not a kid anymore." He protested, his voice cracking. In a shocking development, Carl's voice started to get deeper as the days passed. I first noticed the day we returned from our meeting with the Governor. He has his regular voice one minute, and the next, it cracks and deep. Puberty is scary stuff. I sighed heavily and wrapped an arm around him, leading him downstairs.

"Just 'cause you're 13 now doesn't mean you're grown," I teased the boy. I looked down at him to catch the eye roll and frowned. So much has happened this past year, and I don't expect him to be alright. It's too much in such a short amount of time. "Anyway, I would like for you to go down to the field and help Maggie with the walkers at the fence,"