Chapter Text
"Maggie and Glenn are taking too long.. They don't ever take this long on a run." It hadn't even been that long since they'd left, probably a day and a half. But that was enough for Blessing to worry, because besides Daryl.. They were her favorite duo. After all the death they'd been dealing with recently, Glenn and Maggie weren't people she could lose. She just couldn't.
She'd already started mentioning something about them taking too long a few hours ago, even though the baby still had some food to hold her over for a few days.
Oh, that was something else. The baby was a girl.... No one was sure what to call her since Rick was too busy slaughtering walkers in the deep end. SHe hadn't even seen her glance the babies way, too busy grieving over the wife he was so angry at before she died. He probably didn't want to see Lori in her, or maybe he didn't want to see if he'd see Shane instead of himself... It was a wicked mind game.
"I'll tell Rick so we can gather some shit and go look for 'em... Don't got much of a choice." Daryl grumbled, looking a bit grumpy as he tossed some bolts in the holder that was hanging off of his back. He'd been whittling a lot more recently, maybe because he'd ran out of the bolts that had the bright feathers on the back.
It was his favorite kind of ammo because it was easier to track his kills. Not just to keep count of walkers, but also to follow animals if a single bolt didn't take them out. It'd helped him time and time again keep track of a deer that took off with a bolt stuck in its hind leg or its ass.
It was starting to get warmer now, so he didn't have to wear that heavy ass poncho he had to wear during the winter. Now he was just in the angel winged vest that Carl had found for him. Blessing liked it the most because he usually didn't wear a real shirt under it, so it was a good gun show. He didn't try to keep it open, but kept the zipper low enough for his collarbones to peek out from beneath the collar of it. Collarbones that were usually littered with love marks that were left by her.
"Do you think they're okay?" Her voice shook when she asked it even though her eyes were filled with hope, like she was clinging onto it. Daryl knew that if he said no... That hope wouldn't last very long. So even though his stomach was turning with anxiety and he'd had a bad feeling since they left.. He nodded his head. Lips twitching into a barely there smile that couldn't even reach his eyes.
"Yeah, they always are."
And with that, they headed out of their tower to find Rick to do exactly what he'd said he'd do. But when they were nearly to him, Carl called out from one of their other towers that people usually stood watch at. Pointing towards the tree line with his face twisted in seriousness.
"Someone's out there!" He called out to everyone below him, and Rick was the first to follow his finger with his eyes. His chest was heaving with adrenaline before they even did anything, but then he took off and Blessing understood why. He was fucking ready.
The people who were on the ground followed after him like a group of sheep following its leader, weapons in hand. Daryl was one of the fastest, and ended up close behind Rick with Blessing flanking his side and Carl on the other. When they reached a few feet into the trees they found exactly who Carl had seen. A dark skinned woman with long loc, clutching one leg with a hand and a katana in the other. A basket hanging off her arm that was clutching her leg, occasionally smacking against it and making her grimace in pain.
Although they could tell she was in pain, her face was still stoic. Besides the wound on her leg and the slight discoloration in her clothes, she looked well taken care of. Like she'd been surviving quite well alone. But they all knew that may be too good to be true.
"Come with me." Rick snarled, grabbing her arm quite harshly and pulling her along with them. She resisted as much as she could with her wound, her locs flying about when he thrashed at her to stay still. Daryl walked behind, crossbow pointed at the back of her head and everyone looked ready to attack if need be.
They dragged her into the prison, none so gently throwing her to a chair in the middle of the common room that Carl had set there just for this moment. Like he'd run down that watch tower ready for some type of confrontation, eyes hard and jaw set. When the woman tried to swing her katana to get people to back away from her, but Blessing had the same thought process and had launched forward to snatch it out of her hands and toss it to the side.
"Stop resisting or I will shoot you." It was so calm it sent chills down Blessing's spine, and she straightened her stance to hold her hands on the woman's shoulders to keep her in place. Briefly, they made eye contact when the woman peeked over her shoulder after said what he said. Her skin was warm to the touch, but tense and hard like cold stone.
Blessing almost felt bad.
"Who're you?"
"Michonne." Her voice matched her well, it was steady and a bit raspy. Low, like she tried not to speak often... Only when it counted.
"Where'd you get that basket?" Daryl asked, gesturing his crossbow towards the basket she'd dropped as she was being dragged in. With the blanket that was over it to cover it's contents pulled back they could see all the baby formula, clothes and baby toys that were inside. All things that Maggie and Glenn had left for. Blessing's finger's squeezed at her shoulders just a bit. Heart racing and concern leaking into her eyes at this, she hadn't even noticed it.
That was Maggie's favorite basket to use because they always said it made them look like little red riding hood. It was cute, whimsical even. Michone didn't say anything though, and Rick stepped forwards with a tilt of his head. Pointing his python right at her forehead as if her life being under threat would get her to open her mouth. ANd it usually did get people to talk, but she didn't seem very phased.
Her brown eyes focused solely on Rick, seeming agitated by him. Maybe holding eye contact wasn't a very good idea, and it seemed to be pissing Rick off. That along with the fact that she was tight lipped when they asked about Glenn and Maggie. He didn't drop his gun from her head when his free hand rushed to her injured leg to force a finger into the bleeding hole in her pants, making her let out a strained cry.
"Don't touch me!" She barked, trying to push him away but it didn't help. It did get him to get his finger out of her wound, but it still throbbed painfully.
"What is that? A bite?" Blessing whispered down into her ear, a fearful curiosity brewing in her. It was a good question, one they should've asked as they were dragging her in. But with a mentally unstable leader and some missing links, they weren't thinking too much. Not all of them..
Michone shook her head, swallowing the pain she felt. "I was shot. By the man who took your friends."
"Someone took Glenn and Maggie? Who? Which way did they go?" Blessing wasn't whispering anymore, she was asking frantic questions now. Daryl had to saunter over and clap a hand on her shoulder to steer her away from Michonne because she had to lean away from Blessing being in her face.
Michonne didn't say anything yet, and Rick sucked his teeth as he fought the urge to throw something. Maybe her for not opening her fucking mouth and tell them where his people had gone.
"She's askin' you questions!' He barked at her, pushing the tip of his barrel into her temple to push her to answer. She sighed at that, eyes becoming down cast before she finally opened her mouth to give some answers. Answers that no one was really happy with.
"The Governor...He runs a small town not too far from here.." She began telling her story, and people gave one another weary glances before giving her their full attention. The only one who was moving was Rick, who kept pacing back and forth with his crazed blue eyes on her. Watching her every move as if she'd magically heal her leg and go on a rampage. Everyone knew it was him being paranoid, but they couldn't do much about it. He was right to be paranoid, after all.
"He's got your friends locked up... Probably has people looking for me too."
"Oh my God, Maggie and Glenn got kidnapped." Daryl cringed when Blessing breathed out the words, it looked like her knees were too weak for her for a second. Because they'd shook for a moment before she used Daryl's arm to lower herself to sit on the ground. "Oh my fuckin' God.."
Michone sucked her lips into her mouth, it was hard to hide the fact that the reaction caught her off guard but it wasn' like she wouldn't have said or done the same thing too. Sinking to the floor is something people usually did when they couldn't control their bodies with a large onslaught of emotions, learning that your friends were kidnapped..? That would get a big emotional reaction from anyone. Her face was riddled with shock, luckily not crying though.
"Do you know where they are?" Carl was the one to ask, eyes occasionally flying from Blessing back to Michonne. Without his mom, with Carol... Blessing was the next big thing he had when it came to a mother figure. To something that was normal and related to life before. She didn't even know them before the apocalypse, but when they'd been in camp those first few weeks she made things seem so normal.
For him.. That was her role. He couldn't call her mom when he already had one, he could definitely call her the name she was given. Blessing, because that's exactly what she'd been to him. Even when she teased him and tripped him up, he enjoyed everything about her company. ANd one thing he knew?
He didn't like seeing Blessing upset. It wasn't something he could control, he knew that now. He wasn't that young. He didn't have his mom to protect anymore, or his dad to rely on. He just had a baby on his hip that was without a name, and a group of what was once strangers beside him ready to take on the load of life with him..He needed them to be okay.
"I could take you to them.. I have unfinished business with the Governor.."
"You want him to shoot you again?" Blessing asked incredulously, making Daryl nudge her side with his leg since she was still sitting on the ground instead of standing like the rest of the group.
"If I die, I die.... I got his eye before I got out. He had fish tanks full of walkers' heads and a cage with a child walker.. I couldn't stay in a town run by a man like that." Her eyes became darker than they already were when she shook her head, sounding almost reminiscent. Like she was thinking to what it'd been like when she'd first discovered that town, before she realized it wasn't a place that was going to save her and the world she was living in. Before she realized it was all just some man's lie.. Again.
"The more you tell us, the more I wanna throw the fuck up." Carl agreed with her, but he couldn't laugh at a time like this. No one could. She wasn't really trying to be funny though, her face was actually turning green and she held a hand to her chest as if it'd stop anything from coming up past that spot. That trick never worked though, he knew because he'd used it before when he was sick and didn't want to throw up anymore....
He just kept throwing up.
""You'd show us where it is? Been in there?" Rick was much too serious, but thankfully he wasn't pointing his gun in her face anymore. Instead, he was standing in front of her with his hip cocked and shoulders wide. Taking up as much space and energy as he could, looking the broadest he'd ever looked. But maybe it was because Blessing wasn't used to him bucking like this. He hadn't done it when Shane was around, why do it with this random woman?
Unless.. Rick was that kinda guy that could only get big with women... But she'd never seen him disrespect Lori in any way so that wouldn't make any sense.
"I'll take you there.. I know their schedules and routine... Give me time to heal and I'll-"
"Herschel's gonna wrap you up and then you're gonna show us exactly where they are. I don't care about your leg or about your backstory. I care about my people." Rick interrupted her to say it proudly, practically sneering at the way her eyes narrowed on him for interrupting her. While that was rude, Michone understood to a certain extent that these were their people at the end of the day.
They weren't trying to treat her this way because they thought she was the danger. It was because they didn't have their people and because of that they had to assume everyone was the danger.
"...Fine."
~*~
Word Count : 2,335
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June 8th, 2025