#michone

The feeling was unreal. Just this morning everything was okay, everything that you knew was fine and you had the life and the family that you always wanted. It was a steep price to pay for what you had, the death of people that you loved and others that threatened to get you there. Now that you’re there, in this perfect place that you only spoke about in the early months of the outbreak. 

You weren’t ready to be woken up at dawn. You’d planned on sleeping in for once in your life, being safe at home and in bed. Then came Judith, “Mom?” her voice came in a whisper. Small hands nudge your shoulder, trying to shake you awake. “Mommy,” she whines and you fight back the urge to smile. You could hear her small giggles as another pair of footsteps enter the room. 

“There you are.” Rick’s voice came with a small chuckle, no doubt at the sight of his daughter trying to “wake” you up. “Come on, let her sleep in.” Rick walks further into the room, picking up Judith and moving to leave, but not before he places a kiss to your forehead. 

This morning was so far away from now. You’d taken on the role of keeping the peace. You and Rick wanted everything to be safe and perfect. Carl saw that future that you so badly wanted to carry on for him. You lost people for him and now you nearly lost your “brother” for him and his future. Now you run beside him, trying to stop what you want to believe is not your reality. You two were ahead of the rest that followed you, your “sisters” follow you though you had your doubts about them coming with you until now. 

You smile, turning your head to look at the small girl who was hanging upside down on the couch. “What are you doin’ monkey?” You question, walking up to the small blonde girl. She giggles when you sit down beside her, hanging the same way as her with your feet propped up on the top of the couch. “How are you doin’?” She continues to laugh, especially when she looks ahead to see Rick walking into the room, raising an eyebrow at the two of you.

“What are you two doing?” He asks, walking up and crouching down in front of the pair. 

You give him a toothy smile. “We’re being monkeys.” You tell him, making him laugh. “Right monkey?” You reach a handover, tickling the stomach of the girl. She bursts out in laughter, nearly rolling off the couch. 

When your brother stopped running you knew it was real. You knew that what was in front of you was real and for a moment you hesitated. “No.” You breathed out, running past your brother and towards the end of the bridge where it met with the land. Your sisters followed close behind you. It was the army of walkers that made you go faster, it was the army of walkers that made you hesitate at first. 

Smiling from the porch, you watch as Rick chases Judith, who was now running through the grass of the front lawn. It was a sight that you never thought you’d get to see, almost unbelievable that it was here and it was yours. The slight tick of the unknown and danger that scared you wasn’t present as you stood, watching the man that you'd fallen in love with and the girl that you’d sacrifice your life for. 

Tears stream down your face when your sisters hold you back. The man that you’d fallen in love with was about to sacrifice his life for everyone, for his family and you couldn’t do anything. You curse the Gods in that moment, screaming the name of the man that you’d love till the end of time. “Rick!” You pulled at Maggie, Carol, Lynne, and Michonne, cursing them for holding you back. Daryl was a ways back from the group, shooting bolts at the walkers on the bridge that neared him. 

The blast went off and hurt more than you thought. The world seemed to freeze, a high ring in your ear came from the noise. The bridge was not up in flames, walkers dropping into the river, being taken away from the flash flood. Where Rick once stood was now blown up, in the river. You collapse into Maggie’s arms with the weight of everything falling onto you. Maggie held onto you as you cried to the Heavens and back.