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Solace

Chapter 12

"So how do we want to do this?" Glenn asked the group uneasily.

He, Maggie, Rick, Daryl and Tyreese were hiding out in the woods that surrounded the storage unit facility. Like Rick had done earlier in the day, they parked less than a mile away and continued the rest of the way on foot to remain unnoticed.

Rick passed Glenn one of their guns with a homemade silencer.

"You and I will take out the four men standing in the front. Daryl and Tyreese - you take the bolt cutter and go in the entrance on the left side. Maggie - you wait here with the rifle and be our eyes. You, Daryl and I will carry the battery operated walkies. Keep the volume low. Only use it if you're in serious trouble or you've found Michonne or the Governor. We'll plan to meet back here after. If we get separated, we'll meet at the cars instead. Got it?"

Everyone nodded. Maggie got into position while Daryl and Tyreese circled around to the left side of the building. Rick and Glenn got as close as they could to the front door while staying out of sight at the edge of the woods. They agreed on which two guards they would each take out, because a miscommunication would be the difference between life and death.

Quickly, they shot the first two men and then fired upon the other two before they could even react. Rick moved forward and checked the bodies carefully to make sure they were dead. Silently, he indicated to Glenn that they were clear and then confiscated two of the assault rifles. It wasn't part of the plan to use them, because they wanted to keep the whole operation as quiet as possible, but they were good backup if everything went to hell.

After scanning the front perimeter of the building, they discreetly opened the outside door. The facility seemed to be running off a backup generator because only the emergency lights were on. Their shadows looked dramatic in the dim lighting as they moved slowly down the quiet hallway.

They were startled by a sudden ruckus of laughter from somewhere inside. Rick glanced around the corner and found the continuing hallway to be clear. He signaled to Glenn as they neared the source of all the noise. A large two-way window allowed them to get a glimpse into the room. It appeared to be a former office or break room that was now being used in a similar manner. Six men sat around a circular table which was topped with a scattered deck of cards and assorted liquor bottles. One of the men made an obscene gesture to the man across from him and they all burst into another fit of laughter.

Rick placed his back against the wall and blew out a tense breath. Six men?How the hell were they going to take care of that problem? He and Glenn could try to sneak by and just keep looking for Michonne, but a small part of Rick knew these guys would shoot at them sooner or later. Why not catch these assholes off guard while they had the upper hand?

Rick glanced at Glenn and nodded. Glenn returned with a look that slightly resembled a teenager finding out that he's still grounded – his shoulders dropped and he closed his eyes on a grimace.

Using his hands while silently mouthing the words, Rick explained that he would stay low under the window and shoot first through the open doorway, guaranteeing at least one kill. After that, any strategy was probably out the window. Out of habit, Rick almost turned to Glenn to say, 'Don't get dead, Jack,' but stopped himself. It was a quote from the movie Speed that he and Shane had exchanged on more than a few occasions while on the job as Sherriff's deputies. Just thinking about it made him feel ill. He pushed away the unpleasant thought and focused on the task at hand.

After reloading his clip and taking a deep breath, Rick crouched down and moved under the window. He took a quick look through the doorway, acquired his target and fired.


Back at the prison, Lindsey was under orders from Hershel to rest her leg for a few hours between watch shifts. She decided to make the best of it and clean her gun. As she leaned her back against the wall behind her cot, she couldn't help but remember the first time someone had shown her how to clean a gun. About a month after leaving Atlanta, her small group had connected with a couple in the Macon area. The man, whose name was Andrew but insisted on 'Andy', was a retired police officer. He had treated her like a daughter and shortly before his death, had given her his Glock and wealth of knowledge that accompanied it.

As she removed the magazine from her gun and ejected the round in the chamber, Carl appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Carl. What's up?"

He shrugged and looked down at the floor. "Not much. Is it okay if I come in?"

"Of course. Take a seat." She gestured to the empty space at the end of her mattress. He walked in and plopped down. Fine dust particles flew up into the air and floated in the single ray of light streaming through the prison block windows. He fidgeted and then sat in silence. Lindsey dry fired the gun at the ceiling, removed the slide and then glanced at Carl. "Something on your mind?"

He hesitated and then directed his question at her. "How did you and my dad get away from those men? Did you kill them?"

Lindsey continued to disassemble the gun as she answered quietly, "Yes, we did."

"How many did you kill?" he asked.

"Three."

Ignoring her obvious uneasy feelings toward the topic, he pressed on. "Are those the first people you've had to kill?"

She cleared her throat. "No." After setting down the pieces to her gun, she leaned forward and gave him her full attention. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

Now he appeared to squirm under her scrutinizing gaze. "I killed someone. A boy a little older than me. It was before you got here." She waited for him to continue but he was looking at her expectantly. "Well, aren't you going to lecture me or ask me why?"

She shook her head. "Why would I do that? I'm sure you had a good reason."

Carl nodded adamantly. "I did."

"Okay, so I'll just ask you one question: Would you make the same choice if you could do it over?"

"I would," he answered, his voice confident.

"Then leave it at that. Don't question yourself. What's done is done," she stated.

"Does it get any easier? Knowing that you have to do it and following through?"

Lindsey looked at him sadly. "No. It never gets easier, and if it does then you are probably doing it for all the wrong reasons."

He seemed to be processing what she had told him. After sighing heavily, he stared at the cell wall. "He left again. He is always leaving."

"Are you worried about him?" she asked.

"No. He always comes back. I just don't know why he has to go every single time. They can handle it without him," he answered somewhat angrily.

Lindsey moved to sit on the edge of the cot next to him. "Your dad likes to help people. It's just part of his nature. If he hadn't found me in that pharmacy, I'd have bled out and turned into one of those shambling corpses. He's a good person to have around in a bad situation."

"Well, it would be nice to have him around to watch his children grow up. If not me, at least Judith. She'll never know her mother. He should stay for her," Carl argued.

Lindsey nodded sadly. He was absolutely right. She knew Rick had gone this time because the Governor needed to be dealt with, but after that he should stay for good. Even though it wasn't her place, she decided she would talk to him when he got back.

"Are you and my dad together?" Carl asked suddenly.

She raised her eyebrows slightly as she glanced at him. "No...what made you ask that?"

"He looks at you funny sometimes. At first I thought he was just curious about you because you were new, but I've noticed that he still looks at you differently than the other women."

Lindsey tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach from his statement and felt her cheeks turn pink. She rubbed her face uncomfortably, as if she could wipe away the color from her embarrassment.

"Maybe he doesn't like me and that's why he looks at me funny," she countered.

"No...it's not that. I think he thinks you're pretty," Carl said so simply that it caught her off guard.

She spoke slowly, "Does that bother you? The thought of him being with someone else after your mom?"

He shrugged. "I guess not. I know he's sad, so I wouldn't mind if it made him happy."

She didn't know she had been holding her breath until she felt it quietly expel from her chest. Smiling, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him lightly.

"You're a good guy, Carl. Try to stay that way."

Rick and Glenn were huddled under the now shattered window, which they considered an advantage except for when Glenn had lost his balance and got shards of glass in his hand. Rick had managed to kill two men initially and Glenn got one more. The last three were randomly firing off rounds into the concrete wall behind and above them, for whatever good that would do.

"Now what?" Glenn hissed.

"Just keep getting shots in when you can," Rick said, out of ideas at this point.

Quickly, they stood and fired through the open window. The Governor's men were hiding in various places around the room, but none were visible. They got down again and waited. A couple more shots sent chunks of concrete flying from the wall across from them. They exchanged a glance and got ready to go again. Rick fired once and turned his head just slightly as he heard the click of Glenn's gun jamming.

All of a sudden, he felt a burning sensation at his temple and then he was on his back. The ceiling wavered and went black for a second. His vision returned and he saw Glenn point his gun down the hallway away from the direction of the men. Quickly, he lowered it and gestured to Rick. Daryl and Tyreese appeared then. They each grabbed one of Rick's arms and hauled him to his feet. He was horrendously dizzy and the pain radiating from the left side of his head was excruciating. Tyreese continued to support him as he tried to find his balance. Daryl removed the bandana from his back pocket and after spinning it into one long strip, wrapped it around Rick's head and tied it tightly. Rick gingerly touched below the burning spot on his head and his hand came away soaked with bright red blood. It was hard to say if he had actually been shot in the head, but he figured that since he was still breathing, it was most likely a graze. He watched Daryl take a shot at one of the men with his crossbow and then pull back to reload. Glenn was now using the assault rifle he had picked up outside. He fired three times and then lowered the weapon. He nodded at them and Rick took that as indication that their targets were eliminated.

The four of them moved swiftly down the hallway, Rick still being supported by Glenn and Tyreese. Daryl took point. He stopped abruptly and they almost ran into the back of him.

"What the hell, Daryl?" Glenn snapped.

Daryl didn't reply. He just pointed at something on the ground. They looked down and saw a dark red smudge on the concrete floor, along with dusty boot prints. Silently, he took the bolt cutter from Tyreese and popped off the padlock. As quietly as possible, he raised the shutter door. The dark room was flooded with light and they stood in disbelief when they saw what scene was waiting inside.

Michonne was slumped in the middle of the floor, her arms chained to either side of the room. Her pants and boots were missing. Every part of her body looked bloody and bruised. Daryl rushed forward and set down his crossbow. Kneeling in front of her, he softly tapped her cheeks with his hands.

"Come on, Mich. Open your eyes," he whispered.

She wheezed suddenly and then jerked back from his touch.

"Shh, it's Daryl. I'm not gonna hurt you. Hold still, I'mma get these chains off ya."

He pulled out the bolt cutters again and cut the chains, leaving the cuffs around her wrists. She fell against him and as he held her up, he pointed to a darkened corner of the room. "Glenn, get her clothes."

Glenn picked up the pile and hurried over. Daryl straightened out her pants and started to pull them up her legs but she slapped his hands away.

"I'll do it," she mumbled past her swollen lip.

Daryl blinked and stood up. "Suit yourself."

Michonne slowly finished getting dressed and ignored Glenn's offered hand as she stood up. She winced as she took the first couple steps, but regained her footing and took off down the hallway.

"Hey! The exit is the other way. Where are you going?" Glenn exclaimed.

"I'm not leaving without my baby," she fired back as she turned the corner and out of view.

Glenn looked around at the others, his face a look of exasperation. "What?"

"Her sword, you idiot--," Daryl grumbled, but was interrupted by the sound of a distant door slamming shut. Immediately after, their two radios crackled to life.

"The Governor is on the move. Left side exit." Maggie reported.

"Shit! I'll make sure she gets out, you three, go!" Daryl shouted. He grabbed his radio and fired back, "If you can, take the shot! We've got Michonne."

They heard the sound of exchanged gunfire and then silence.

"Oh God," Glenn whispered frantically, fearing the worst.

They burst through the side door and found Maggie standing over the Governor as he writhed on the ground. She kicked his gun away and patted him down. As they got closer, all three guys cringed when they saw that she had shot him in the groin. Maggie looked relieved to see them. Naturally, she stepped away to hug and kiss Glenn.

"I'm done here. He's all yours," she declared before spotting their bloody leader. "Wow, Rick. What happened?"

"Got shot…again," he mumbled with a weak smirk.

"You have got to work on that," she replied as she put his arm over her shoulder.

Tyreese approached the Governor, his face a reflection of intent. At that moment, Daryl and Michonne walked out, sword in tow. Tyreese watched the Governor roll onto his side and groan in pain.

"Rick, what's the plan? Do we need him for anything else?" Tyreese asked.

Rick moved his bottom lip in almost a small shrug. "Not that I can think of."

"Good," Tyreese replied, and with that he pulled out his pistol and shot the Governor between the eyes.

Notes

Thank you for the lovely feedback! It made my day. I'm glad you're enjoying the slow buildup between Rick and Lindsey. I think you all will enjoy the next chapter. ;)

Comments

@Corall
Aw thank you so much!! :D

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
5/18/16

I just finished reading this story :) and its the most amazing story ever :D

Corall Corall
5/17/16

@Kandy
No worries. I actually used Paint, haha. I just figured out what size the banner needed to be (by trial and error) and then cut the image down until it fit.

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
4/13/16

@bluecrush611

Also, Another Annoying Question. Where did you make that Banner of Lauren And Andrew? I need to get a good Banner place thingy and i need advice xD

Mother Dick Mother Dick
4/12/16

@Walker Witch
Thank you so much for the kind words and for following along!

@eventualprocrastination
Thanks for all of your comments! I actually just published a book, so that's the direction I'm taking for now, but who knows. Maybe I'll post something here and there. :)

bluecrush611 bluecrush611
4/10/16