𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝟐𝟔 | 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬.

Sweat beads from my forehead trickled down the side of my face adding to my frustration. My body heat being trapped under this burlap sack wasn't bad enough, there were two men on each side of me as they each took an arm. Guiding me, more like shoving me forward as I tried to pull from their bruising grip.

Even though there were two men, one however, kept dancing on my last nerve. I counted how many times he'd forcibly toss me out to stumble. Six— the number of his fingers I'd break if I got the chance.

With more men than bullets our efforts to take as much heat off the others as we could worked, just not how we had hoped. Daryl and I were surrounded just as Rick made it over the barrier.

"Fight, fight, fight." The roaring crowd chanted out in perfect harmony. Town's people used their bodies to form a tightly knit circle keeping us at in the center of their hatred.

The Governor had called us terrorists. Daryl was placed on his knees off to the side along side his brother, Merle. Our death sentence was signed when the Governor left our fate up to the people.

My arms were fidgeting as I tried to break through the restraints that held my wrists together behind my back as he spoke.

"We make Woodbury as safe as possible so that we together can live without fear of our children dying, our mothers, fathers, our brothers and sisters." The Governor's speech added gasoline to the fire. "But tonight we lost sixteen of our own."

That's when my legs gave out underneath me. I was sent crashing to the ground as my knees made a rough landing into the dirt. If I had to place money on the man responsible I'd say we're up to seven fingers.

"We took you in, fed you and provided medical care that you needed in order to live. We asked you to help defend our home that we welcomed you into and you turned it down." The authoritative tone was harshly directed towards someone close by. I didn't have to guess who because with his words the hood was lifted.

Once my eyes adjusted to the dimness of my surroundings I could see him clearly from where he stood twenty or so feet away.

His body language changed in a mere few seconds as he studied my facial features, shocked to see me. His reaction mirrored mine as he cut across the distance between us. The weight of two men pushed down against my shoulders keeping me in place before I could stand.

"Get off him." Bryson hissed before turning around to address the Governor. "I told you I'd still be loyal to Woodbury regardless of what job I had here."

The Governor looked over to me with his one good eye. His dry expression unchangeable. "This is where you prove it. Both of you." His attention turned to Merle. "Brother versus brother seems to be a common theme tonight."

Miller earned an outcry from the audience as he removed one of the men who held me down. Shoving him to kiss the dirt beside me. "You don't have to do this. I'm grateful—"

The governor wouldn't allow him to speak. "Grateful and loyal have two different meanings, Sergeant Miller. You said you wanted to be here. This is how you show not just me, but everyone just how much."

"I've killed plenty of times. Killing him doesn't prove anything." His tactics were a lost cause.

"Anyone can kill a man but a family member however, that's a different story." The restraints that once bound my wrists were cut with the Governors signal.