I gave Maggie a quick hug and she left. I still sat on the step, staring into the, now pitch black, sky. I wasn't thinking of anything, necessarily. Things came and went from my mind, but they never stayed long enough for me to ponder on or take seriously. So I sat there, tapping my shoes against the aged wood of the steps. I continued to stare into the plain sky. I hadn't realized just how quiet it was. It was strange, was silence in this world a good thing or a bad thing? The only noise was the slight rustling of leaves on trees as the light wind ran through them. It was comforting.
It's not real.
I turned around to lay my eyes on the front door to the house, slightly opened. I sighed and walked up the remaining stairs, opening the door and closing it quietly behind me once I was inside. Michonne and Rick were probably asleep, and the noise of a baby crying had stopped.
I walked slowly down the hall and discovered a few rooms, to which the doors were closed. I decided it was best to not open them. I heard a slight, high-pitched giggling. I narrowed my eyes and followed the noise to a room. The door was halfway open, so through sheer curiosity, I peeked through.
It was Carl and a baby. It was Carl and Judith. My jaw hung open a little. Carl was holding Judith in his arms carefully, making silly faces to make her laugh. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. A baby. I hid behind the door more to be sure he couldn't see me. He slowly lowered Judith into her crib and turned around to start walking towards the door.
Shit. You can't have him know you were watching, that's so creepy.
Without thinking twice, I dashed away from the door and down the hall. I slid behind the half wall that led to the end of the hall and crouched down. Footsteps. A door quietly closing. Silence. More footsteps. Another door closing. I peeked around the corner down the hall. Carl was gone.
I let out a deep breath I didn't even know I was holding in. I stepped out from my hiding place and trudged to the living room. I looked at the couch and fell into it, landing on my back. I stared at the ceiling. I heard footsteps, maybe imaginary, but I sat up anyway. A dark figure stood in the hallway.
Dreadlocks. Dark skin.
It was Michonne.
She walked slowly down the hall, her head tilted slightly. Her mouth was pursed into a straight line, her eyes true. I blinked a few times to be sure my vision wasn't failing me.
"Hi..." She said, stopping in place once she reached the entrance of the hallway.
Blink. Blink.
"I wanted to...see how you were doing..." She added. Her choice of wording was timid, but the voice she spoke them with was bold.
Blink. Blink. Blink.
She stared and waited for my reply. Why did Michonne care? We had really only talked once.
"Um," I started. "Yeah. Yeah, I-I'm good," I stuttered, still unsure how I could answer her question. It was silent.
Noticing my confusion, she broke the silence. "I heard about what happened. With Mikey," She clarified, her voice wise and insightful.
That explains it.
"It wasn't that big of a de-"
She interjected. "It was," She said so bold and prominently that I forgot how I was going to finish my sentence she had interrupted. "What happened with him..that's not normal here. That's not what this place is like," She tried to reassure me.
She was probably in the same boat as Rick. Knowing that I'm Maggie's sister, she wants me to stay. For Maggie.
She started again. "Mikey's dad died not too long ago. Since then he's been messed up. It's no excuse for what he did, but, I guess that's why..." She paused.
I awkwardly nodded slowly and pursed my lips, tapping my hands to my sides. "Yeah..." I mumbled under my breath.
Another moment of silence occurred.
I cleared my throat. "So, uh, goodnight," I rushed, obviously tired and done with this conversation.
She nodded. "Goodnight."
I turned away as she did the same. I sat down on the couch.
"Quinn?" Michonne called, halfway down the hallway.
"Hm?" I half-replied, my voice in-evident.
"You're safe here. Just know that," She said, yet again very wisely. We stared for a while. She walked down the rest of the hallway to a door which she opened, entered, and closed behind her.
She's trying to make me want to stay here. I thought I already established that I was staying. Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't leave because of what happened with Mikey. I was fine.
The Next Morning
My view turned from pitch black to beige colored walls and decent lighting with the opening of my eyelids. My ears adjusted to the sounds that surrounded me. People faintly talking in the next room. I lazily removed my body from the couch, but my mind was still in different places. I got dizzy as my brain couldn't catch up with my body's actions. I balanced myself with my arms outstretched to my sides. I held my forehead and rubbed my eyes. I was awake now, maybe.
I followed the noise of talking to the next room. An unfamiliar man sat at the circular table. He had long hair, covered at the top with a gray beanie. He had an average beard and wore leather. Some members of the group sat around the rest of the table.
The man with the beard spoke.
"Your world's about to get a whole lot bigger."
YOU ARE READING
afraid | the walking dead
Fanfiction"What are you so afraid of?" He half-yelled in a voice so sharp it could cut steel. I looked at him doubtfully. He would never understand.
