FOURTEEN. WE'LL TAKE ON THE WORLD

The sun came up and everything was okay. Those who were sick were healing well and those in quarantine were free to go back their cells. Glenn was resting in his cell with Maggie. Mia stopped by to see if he was okay. His skin was pale but he alive and well. She was grateful to see another day.

After the multiple deep conversations and the time spent together, Mia and Carl couldn't seem to stay away from each other. From the minute she woke up,  Carl was there. They talked like usual but they walked closer together. Their smiles were bigger and more genuine. Their laughter was real. It was like they were normal teenagers again. Mia didn't know what it was about the boy but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She liked his ability to listen and the way he put others before himself. Carl gave her a sense of reality that she seemed to have lost when she was in the woods on her own.

Lucas would have liked Carl. They would have been best friends. But Carl was her best friend and that's how she wanted it to be.

Mia sat in the dining hall with Beth reading V For Vendetta. She felt someone sit down beside her. The oversized cowboy hat appeared from the corner of her eye. He placed Little Women on the table and opened it. She smiled at him. He smiled back.

A faint blush dusted her cheeks. Carl tried not to notice.

The Greene sisters looked at each other and smirked. A loud explosion went off and shook the room. Mia gasped and looked around them. "What was that?"

"Something's wrong." Said Maggie and she stood from the table.

When they got outside, the bright sunlight burned her eyes. Rick and Daryl came running out of cell block C. They met in the middle. Everyone stood by the fences and looked out the prison yard. From there, Mia saw. Line up of cars and a tank. "Rick! Come down here. We need to talk." A man's voice echoed from the distance.

Mia looked at the back of Rick's head at the mention of his name. "It's not up to me!" He shouted back roughly. "There's a council now. They run this place."

More people from the prison came out from hearing the explosion. "Is Hershel on the council?" The unknown man questioned.

Mia furrowed her brows.

He motioned to one of the females. She walked out of sight to one of the nearby cars which had the car door open. Mia audibly gasped when she saw the woman pull Hershel out of the vehicle. His hands were tied around his back.

Maggie covered her mouth with her hand and the Greene sister's stood both in shocked and fear. 

"What about Michonne? She on the council too?"

Michonne was also pulled out of the vehicle and her hands were tied behind her. By now, they were all panicking. "I don't make decisions anymore!" Rick shouted again, his face red from anger.

"You're making decisions today, Rick. Come down here and let's have that talk."

"Who is he?" Mia whispered to Carl, still feeling extremely confused.

"The Governor. He was the leader in Woodbury, where all the kids are from."

Silence and high anticipation grew over the prison.  Hershel and Michonne were placed on their knees and two people guarded them with guns. Mia could hear Maggie start to breathe heavy and she slipped away from Carl. Her arm wrapped around her and Maggie instantly wrapped the small girl in her grasp. They both needed to feel some sort of comfort.

Rick's eyes fell on Daryl and the two men stared at each other, contemplating on what to do. Daryl gave him a small nod. Rick blinked and turned around,  looking at his son. His large hand fell on the side of his neck and squeezed it lightly. The father and son nodded at each other.

When he walked away, Carl walked forward and stood next to Mia. Rick pulled the squeaking gate open and walked out. Gravel crunched under his boots and he walked down the trail to the group of people. The palm of his hand rested on his gun that was in the holster. 

Storm and ocean eyes met and Mia nodded at him,  letting him know everything was going to be okay.  Even though Carl wasn't convinced, he nodded back. 

The prison group watch anxiously as Rick talked to the governor. Mia's grip tightened on Maggie and her heavy breathing rocked the young girl's body. Beth stood on the other side of her sister and held her arm tightly.

Daryl nonchalantly walked backwards to the barrel that contained all the guns. He grabbed some and handed one of them to Bob. He stood behind Maggie and touched her back with the butt of the rifle. She let go of both Beth and Mia and held the gun tightly.  Daryl continued to hand them out and gave one to Mia. She eyed the heavy artillery with a nervous stomach. No matter how many times she used one,  her stomach was always unsettled. Her body tensed up as she balanced the rifle the opening of the gate. Her small hands could barely wrap around it. It felt heavy as it rested on her shoulder.

"We gotta do something." Carl whispered.

Mia narrowed her eyes just in case she had to shoot.  Daryl stood on the other side of him. "Your dad's got it." He grumbled.

"They're talking. We could kill the governor right now." The stubborn boy continued. 

He scoffed. "Yeah, from fifty yards?"

"I'm a good shot. I could end this right now."

"You are. But we can't take that chance." Mia whispered. She glanced at him and quickly back to the target.

"She's right. You could start something else. You got to trust him." Daryl agreed.

"It's okay. Your dad can handle anything."

Carl pulled his eyes away from the far away group and looked at her. Her blue grey eyes held hope. It glimmered in her irises. He felt himself relax very slightly and he nodded.

Mia felt overwhelmed by the amount of anxiety around her. Even her own anxiety radiated. She shook with her nerves and she found it hard to keep grip on the heavy gun in her hole. Her finger balanced on the trigger hesitantly. She glanced at the Greene sisters.  Their faces made her want to cry. Their father was in a life or death situation and there was nothing they could do.

She wished she could hear what Rick was saying. She could see his body move and his head shake but she couldn't see his face. She couldn't see his lips. It made her grow more and more nervous. Would they make it out of here alive?

That's when Mia remembered what she said to Carl.  She glanced at the boy again and he felt it cause he looked at her too. In their heads, they simultaneously said If this is the end,  just know you're my best friend.

Mia's eyes widened when she saw the governor hop off from the top of the tank and grab Michonne's katana. He strutted up to Hershel and placed the katana at the base of his neck.

Maggie and Beth let out silent cry and moved closer to the fence. Mia gripped tighter on the gun. The stress increased even more and it made her feel dizzy.

It seemed like the world went by slowly. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her heart started beating out of her chest and her finger pressed slightly on the trigger. It went silent and then it went to hell. The governor brought the sword back and flashed forward, cutting through Hershel's neck. Blood shot out of the wound and his head leaned to the side, blood pouring and staining his neck and clothes.

The Greene sisters screamed in agony and Mia felt it in her core. Rapid fires went off and she wasted no time pulling the trigger multiple times. The sound of the bullets echoed loudly in her head. This was war.

"Daddy." Beth cried while Maggie let out a tortured scream and shot multiple rounds of bullets.

Fire after fire after fire, it never stopped. The pain and suffering would never stop. They just had to get used to it. Mia had seen so much death. When would it be the last time? Then, nausea rose on her throat when she watched the governor slice the sword through Hershel's neck until it was completely detached from his body.

She kept firing. The bullets imitated the rage that bloomed in her. Red blocked her vision. She didn't feel like herself in that moment. She fired for Hershel, her mother, her father, her sister, and her brother. Everybody she loved and who had died. The cries from Maggie and Beth brought her back to when she saw her father and sister's mangled bodies in the side of the road. When Lucas's screams pierced her ears and the walkers ripped through his body. When his body laid in her arms and she pushed the knife through him. Hershel Greene was a kind man and a father. They would have justice.

The tank pushed forward and plowed down the metal fences. Mia stopped firing and grabbed Carl's arm. "We have to go!"

"I have to find my dad!" Carl shouted back.

He gripped her hand and dragged her with him. Their feet ran faster than their bodies could catch up and they searched high and low for sight of Rick Grimes. An explosion went off and went through one of the windows. Mia let out a terrified scream and it made Carl pull her into him to keep her from the falling glass.

Mia's eyes roamed around in search for Rick but she couldn't see him. Her body tensed up as more bullets flew by and she got scared. She called his name but got no response. Carl grabbed her again and pulled her away. When realizing that they weren't going to find Rick, Mia sighed in defeat.

But Carl wasn't giving up. He ran around the prison shouting for his father. Rick was all he had left. Debris flew above their heads as more shots blew through the walls of the camp. Mia let out another scream. She ran forward and gripped Carl's hand. "Carl, we have to go!"

"I can't leave without him!" He shouted back with fear in his voice.

"I know, I know! But we can't stay here!"

Carl stated at her, ultimately feeling defeated. He allowed her to pull him away with her out of the firing range. Together, the teenagers ran through the prison camp grounds. The snarling of walkers and sound of bullets mixed together along with the putrid smell of blood and smoke. It was a war zone.

"Carl!"

Mia's eyes widened at the voice. "Carl, is that your dad?"

Adrenaline pumped through his veins. "It is!" He shouted.

The two of them ran quickly u til they faced the backs of two walkers. Carl lifted his gun and shot through the bodies of the undead creatures. When they fell, they made eye contact with Rick Grimes. His face and clothes were covered in blood and he was limping but he was alive.

Tears formed in Rick's eyes and the father and son ran toward each other, meeting in the middle. Mia followed closely behind but stood back and let them have their moment. Rick gripped onto his son tightly and cried. When he pulled away, his saw Mia standing in the back and reached forward, motioning for her to join.

She immediately ran forward and crashed into him. His arms wrapped around the kid's necks tightly in fear that if he let go, they wouldn't be real. But they were real and they were together. When Rick pulled away, he gripped onto Carl. "Judith. W-Where is she?"

Realization gleamed in Carl's eyes. "I don't know."

Rick leaned on them for support as his body was begging to fall to the ground. Mia gripped his arm and waist tightly. The three of them walked through the disheveled and destroyed prison. When they came past a corner, Mia spotted a baby carrier a few feet away. Helping Rick, the three of them walked forward in hopes that the tiny baby was strapped into the carrier.

Mia felt sick as she stared into the empty carrier, seeing the blood splattered everywhere. A ghost of the tiny baby lingered.

"No." Rick repeated multiple times under his breath and choked on his sobs. His arms loosened on the kid's and he bent over. A loud cry escaped his lips.

Tears filled her eyes and Mia reached behind him for Carl's hand. He closed his eyes and tightened his lips together to keep from crying. Then he heard the walkers. Carl turned around and cocked back the rifle. He shot at it over and over again, releasing his anger and devastation on the creature. Anger comes as a part of the fine stages of grief, something Mia knew all about.

Rick marched up to him. "Carl. Carl!" He shouted and wrapped his arms around his crying son.

Mia covered her mouth as she watched them, her eyes red and burning from crying and the smoke around them. Carl hunched over and agonizing sobs escaped his lips until they became silent. "We move got to get out of here. We've gotta go." Rick cried as he looked around the smoking and destroyed prison yard. Everything he worked for to keep them safe and alive was ruined.

He reached for Mia and she immediately took his hand. She cried with them. Her arms went around Rick's waist to steady him. They headed for the woods. The smell of smoke and nature from the evergreen trees filled her nose. The familiar sound of crunching leaves below her feet haunted her. The shakes turned into shudders and she felt sick. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to go through it again.

"Don't look back kids. Just keep walking."

When she stepped into the woods, she was suddenly back to square one. No home, no bed to sleep in, and no water. The prison was gone. The first place she thought of to be a home was gone. The people she grew attached to were gone. Maggie, Beth, Glenn, Daryl, all of them. Loss was an all too familiar feeling to her. Her family was gone and she was the only Jones left standing. Mia ventured off into the woods with Carl and Rick attached to her and they left behind the lingering ghost of the horrific tragedy.