Deadland

Chapter 109- Cell

We put the masked girl in the cell in Hilltop. She's still just as shaky as she was, just as genuinely terrified. 

"Daryl?" We hear Henry from the other cell. Daryl pops into his view and he asks "What's going on?" 

"Jesus is dead." Daryl informs him. 

Michonne nods to a wooden chair and Tara grabs it, Michonne and I practically throw the girl onto it and rip her blindfold off. "No more bullshit!" Michonne yells. The girl stares at us in horror, her chest rising and falling heavily with each whimpered breath.

I was never close with Jesus though, Damien and Cato were practically a trio with him. They loved him like a brother, so instead of feeling grief, I just feel anger. Anger for them, anger for Hilltop, and anger for Jesus. 

"How many more of you are there?" Michonne asks angrily. 

"I already told you-" 

"How many more of you are there?!" Michonne repeats. 

"They're all dead. My family's dead. Please just stop." She sobs, avoiding our eye contact. 

I can practically see red flags rising from behind her. I remember interrogating people like this in the gang- just with...blades and burning things and shit. I shoot Michonne a glance saying "I've done this before." 

Tara is the next to speak, "Not until you start answering our questions." 

"Easy start, your name." I grunt, narrowing my eyes. 

 "I told you, I don't have one. None of us do." 

I tilt my head towards Michonne but don't move my eye contact away from the girl, "'Do.'" I repeat almost completely silent. Though, not silent enough because the girl quickly switches up.

"None of us did. That's not how it worked." She's very obviously exhausted, her voice is raspy and tired and she's slouching heavily in the chair. 

"How did it work?" Michonne interogates. 

"Why do you wear their skins?" Daryl interjects from behind the metal bars. When the girl doesn't respond, he yells "Answer!" 

For some reason, seven years later, I immediately get a flashback to Nick doing this shit to me. However, I just rub my eyes and try to focus on the task at hand while the flashback plays in the back of my mind like a background show.

"They were...They were good people." She sobs, looking around. "We were good. It's what we did to live. That's-That's all we wanted to do. Live." The girl says. 

"Oh, you're saying you had to do this?" Tara hisses. 

"You wouldn't understand." I grimace at her words and lean in close to her, putting my hands on her knees. 

"Then you better make us fuckin' understand what the hell you were doin'." My voice is like ice, not loud, not quiet, but scary. The same voice Rattlesnake used. I straighten up and allow the girl to speak. 

She stammers for a moment, looking between all of us, "We...We were just trying to see if they were good people, too. But then you attacked us, and now they're dead. They're all dead. And I don't have anything." 

I dig my nails into my palm to refrain from slapping the spit out of her. Michonne leans in, "What did your people know about us? Do they know about this place?" 

"I don't know." The girl mumbles. 

"Huh?!" Michonne projects. 

"I don't know. They didn't tell me anything. Please stop asking me." She sobs. "Just leave me alone, please. Please just leave me alone."