Surviving Alexandria (BOOK THREE IN THE SURVIVING THE WALKING DEAD SERIES)

Love and Menthols

MARTINEZ'S POV
One year ago

"You know he's dead, right?" I asked as I took aim with my golf club.

"Shumpert?" The Governor asked.

"He was never the same after Woodbury." THWACK! I took a swing and my golf ball whistled as it went flying through the air. "Not after what he saw back on the road, not after he heard about what you did to Michaela." The Governor didn't respond. "He got reckless. Biter took a piece of him right over there." I motioned off over by one of the biter pits. "I swear, he didn't even try to get out of the way. I put him down myself." I turned to The Governor who handed me my bottle of tequila.

"Sorry."

"There's some things you can't just come back from. They become a part of who you are. Either you live with them or you don't." I pressed my lips to the bottle and took a drink.

"Well, ya seem to be livin' with 'em pretty well."

"So are you." I chuckled before handing him the bottle. "That family you came here with, they brought you back. You're lucky. I couldn't- I couldn't do that again. I couldn't risk it. Couldn't sleep at night knowing I was gonna lose them."

"I'm not gonna lose 'em."

"Yeah." I scoffed. THWACK!

"What, ya don't think you can keep this place safe?"

"I'll try. Hopefully we'll be prepared for whatever comes. Now you're here, maybe we can share the crown a little." THWACK! "I mean, we still got enemies, you still got enemies. Hope you haven't forgot that."

"I haven't forgot, but they won't find me."

"After what you did to Michaela, I wouldn't doubt that they're out there looking for you as we speak. Then again, they attacked when she was still alive, maybe she made it."

"Maybe."

"She was a good person."

"She betrayed the community."

"One she didn't want to be a part of. She wanted to be there for Merle, she wanted to be there for you, too, but she saw right through you. She's too smart for her own good." The Governor didn't respond. THWACK! "Either way, alive or dead, her people are looking for you, and we gotta be prepared for an attack on our people. If we don't, then you will lose that family."

"I won't lose them."

"If and when Rick and his friends show up, as soon as one person opens fire, it's all fair game. They will kill everyone and anyone to get to you. If they show up, you won't be able to keep them safe. You'll lose them, just like you lost Michaela." THWACK! "Oh, Jesus." I sighed. "I should've taken some golf lessons before the-" THWACK! "GAH!" I instantly collapsed to the ground, holding my head in pain as blood poured onto my hand and the roof of the RV. I looked up at The Governor as he walked over to me, kicking me over the side.

The Governor quickly climbed down the RV and stormed over to me, grabbing me by my jacket as he dragged me along the ground. "C'mon, let's go." I tried my best to fight him off, stop him from dragging me through the dirt, but he held his grip. "I don't wanna do it!" The Governor dropped me along the edge of the biter pit, pushing my head into the pit as biters reached up at me.