𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 , the walking dead

[15] MIA

MIA
———

     THERE WAS NO WAY TO BREAK THE NEWS GENTLY. With Maeve, Milo, and Glenn all missing, there was bound to be some heartache. Michonne just hated that she had to be the one to do it, but she knew there was no one else she'd rather have tell them.

She had already spoken to Maggie and Rosita, telling them that Glenn had tried to save everyone while Milo decided to run off at the last second to save him. Neither of them were surprised by their actions, but that doesn't mean they weren't completely devastated. Maggie had her husband and one of her best friends out there, and Rosita had two of her really good friends out there. Most of them were hurting.

Now it was time to tell Louis, Kai, and Rory. She was truly nervous about them because she didn't know them that well. Rory has spoken to her a bit here and there, but since she arrived, they haven't had a chance to just get to know each other. So yes, she was nervous, she knew they were going to see her as the bearer of bad news.

Michonne stood there, she could feel the tension building up in her heart as she hated every second of this. She doesn't know Maeve. She doesn't know Elliott. She doesn't know them, and here she is telling them news none of them want to hear.

"It's about Maeve," Michonne started, maintaining eye contact with them as best as she could.

"Is she dead?" Rory deadpanned.

This is the only thing Michonne couldn't answer, "I don't know." She said it truthfully.

She watched as Kai's eyes started to get glossy, but he was doing everything he could to stay composed, and Michonne thought that he was even holding his breath. Rory quickly and subtly reached for Louis' hand, interlocking their fingers without sharing any words.

"What happened?" Louis asked, his voice cracking unexpectedly.

Michonne cleared her throat. "We were in an overrun town. Glenn had this idea that if he set one of the buildings on fire, it would stop the herd from coming here."

"What does this have to do with Maeve?" Rory interrupted.

"The fire never got lit. The herd was coming, so we had to run for it, but Milo couldn't leave Glenn behind, so he went after him... and Maeve went after Milo." Michonne explained.

Michonne let her words linger in the air for however long they needed to. She wasn't going to walk away after just springing this on them, she knew they'd need a minute to process it. She'll give them as long as they need.

Kai looked away from everyone else, his eyes finding their way to the front gate. The urge to go out there, the urge to look for her and bring her back, was overwhelming. Just the thought of her stuck there, alone, or dead made him feel physically ill, to the point where he thought he was going to be sick. Louis seemed to notice this first, he took hold of Kai's arm and gently turned him around. Then Louis wrapped his arm around his brother, pulling him into a side hug.

"She's okay, you hear me?" Louis tried to reassure him, even despite his own doubts, "She's too stubborn to die, you know that."

Kai remained silent.

Rory wiped her tears away with her hand. She didn't want to cry—not here or like this. She was trying to remind herself that they weren't even sure if Maeve was dead, but all she could do was think about how she felt not knowing if her parents and brother were alive. That feeling came rushing back to her. The worry, confusion, hope, and devastation hit her like a brick wall, and she was fighting the urge to sit down on the curb and cry into her hands.