Surviving Terminus (BOOK TWO IN THE SURVIVING THE WALKING DEAD SERIES)

Damned

     "Rick, can I talk to ya for a minute?" I asked Rick as I entered the dining room. The room was booming with laughter and chatter as everyone dished food out onto their plates.

     "It can wait. Come, sit." Rick smiled as he pat the seat beside him.

     "Rick, I don't think it can." I said quiet enough where only he could hear me. "It's important." I looked down at the table and saw a half empty glass of wine in front of him. "Have you been drinkin'?"

     "Yeah, but I'm still sober."

     "It doesn't matter, Rick." I quietly hissed. "Drinkin' slows your motor skills."

     "Why do I need my-" Rick paused as I gently pat the journal in my pocket. Rick took one more drink and began to stand up from his seat.

     "I'd like to propose a toast." Abraham announced. Rick let out a sigh and leaned in close to me.

     "After dinner." I gently nodded and took my seat between Rick and Carl, avoiding eye contact from Daryl who sat across from me.

     "I look around this room... and I see survivors." Abraham continued. Each and every one of ya has earned that title." Abraham smiled as he raised his glass. "To the survivors."

     "Survivors!" Everyone cheered as they raised their glasses.

     "Is that all ya wanna be? Wake up in the mornin' fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat? Because you can do that. I mean, ya got the strength. Ya got the skill. Thing is, for you people, for what ya can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the livin' will have this world again. And that's not a bad takeaway for a little road trip." Abraham turned to Eugene. "Eugene, what's in DC?"

     "Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude." Eugene answered. "That means food, fuel, refuge... restart. "

     "However this plays out, however long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for that little one." Abraham said as he looked at Rick. "Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there... who don't got nothin' left to do except survive." Everyone sat in silence. I glanced up at Daryl's foot gently rubbed up against my leg, his eyes locked with mine.  His touch sent chills down my spine. I missed his touch, I missed him, but he made his choice back at the farm. I slowly pulled my leg away, earning a sigh from him.

     "Ah-eh." Judith cooed.

     "What was that?" Rick asked Judith, everyone chuckled. "I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in."

     "Yeah!" Tyreese cheered as everyone clapped in excitement.

     "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a second." I interrupted. "Have y'all forgot what the hell we're doin'? We're lookin' for Beth, and I sure as hell ain't seen one goddamn sign of 'er."

     "Michaela, please-" Gabriel began.

     "Back off, Gabriel." I hissed.

     "Michaela-" Michonne began.

     "Don't 'Michaela' me, Michonne. I can't believe y'all would even consider leavin' one of our own behind."

     "We ain't leavin' anyone behind-" Rick argued.

     "Like ya did Merle?" Rick's brows furrowed. "Ya left 'em behind and went back for 'em-."

     "And look what happened."