Malaya had insisted to Rick that she was present for Michonne's interrogation, and reluctantly, he'd agreed

As she waited for Michonne to speak up, her mind wandered to Woodbury, whether they were the reason Michonne was injured or if they were looking for her. May sat on the table, Daryl stood beside her, crossbow at the ready, "We can treat that for you. Give you a little food and water, and then send you on your way," Rick offered, but it wasnt out the kind of his heart — He needed information in return, "But you're gonna have to tell us how you found us, and why you were carrying formula."

Michonne sat still, hand holding a rag to her leg, "The supplies were dropped by a young Asian guy with a pretty girl," it all clicked, everyone around stirring around at the mention of Maggie and Glenn, who had been out for longer than expected

"Were they attacked?" Hershel asked, dread washing over his face. May watched as Kat reached over and rubbed his shoulder

"They were taken," Michonne responded, gaze flickering to Malaya as her worst fears came true. Woodbury was infact looking for her, and kidnapping others as they did so

"Taken? By who?" Rick pressed, leaning closer to the woman

"By the same son of a bitch who shot me," the Blake girl felt sick to her stomach. She was certain it was none other than Merle, most definitely the only soldier skilled enough to shot Michonne and kidnap what seemed like two other skilled fighters

"These are our people. You tell us what happened now!" he warned, digging his nails into the wound on her leg

"Rick!" Kat shouted as Michonne grunted in pain

"Dont you ever touch me again!" Michonne warned through gritted teeth, finger pointed at Rick

"Then you better start talking," Daryl backed Rick up, slowly approaching with his crossbow raised at Michonne, "You're gonna have a much bigger problem than a gunshot wound."

Michonne's face relaxed, "Find 'em yourself," she said calmly, Rick immediately responding by pushing Daryl's crossbow down

The Grimes man moved to the side, standing inbetween Michonne and Daryl, "You came here for a reason," he said matter-of-factly. Michonne sighed, eyes finding Malaya's, before turning back to Rick

"There's a town. Woodbury," she told him, Malaya's stomach dropping at the mention of the dreaded place, "About seventy five survivors. Bet they were taken there."

"A whole town?" Rick said in disbelief

"Run by this man, Philip Blake. He calls himself the Governor," from across the room, Kat's brows furrowed at the man's name. She looked over to Malaya, who avoided eye contact by hanging her head low, "Pretty boy, charming. Jim Jones type."

"He got muscle?"

"Paramilitary wannabes. Pretty much useless," Michonne established, "But they have armed sentries on every wall," Malaya knew all this, and whilst the soldiers were pretty much useless, the defenses weren't — The town was a fortress

"You know a way in?" Michonne didnt say anything but her eyes told Rick what he wanted to hear. However, he scoffed, more questions to be asked, "How did you know your way here?"

"They said there was a prison. This direction, straight shot."

"This is Hershel," Kat told her, standing up and tucking her gun in her waistband, "Father of the girl who was taken. He'll take care of your leg," she didnt stop though, now face to face with Michonne, who was slightly shorter, "If you're lying to us, I swear to go, I'll slit your wrists and feed you to the walkers. Got it?"

Malaya knew Michonne wanted to fight back, but she bit her tongue, measly nodding — Honestly between them, May wasnt sure who would win in a fight. Kat was stronger but Michonne was more skilled, especially with her sword

May followed Kat out of the room as Hershel approached Michonne, "Hey Kat!" the redhead stopped, turning to look at May impatiently, "I'm coming with you," Kat laughed humourlessly

"No way in hell."

"What? Come on!" Malaya spluttered, clasping Katrine's arm to stop her from walking away, "You know I'm capable!"

Kat wanted to argue, but she didnt have a valid point to prove. Instead, she placed her hand on May's shoulder, "You are capable Malaya, I know. But I want to keep you safe, and I trust you can keep these guys safe," she told her, gesturing to the group, "Beth isnt a fighter. Carol and Hershel arent in the greatest state right now, okay? They need you."

Malaya desperately wanted to return to Woodbury, to beg her family to stay away, but she knew it wasnt smart. It would end horribly. Kat said the group needed her, and for the first time in forever, Malaya felt she had a purpose. A smile appeared on her lips, looking up at Kat, "I'll keep them safe. Promise."

Kat nodded in gratitude, turning to the group who were packing up, ammunition and other supplies stuffed in the pack. Michonne looked to Malaya, head tilting before moving over, hand around her wrist and pulling her into the corner of the room

Her face was stone cold, eyes boring into Malaya's skin, "They know who you are?" she put it simply and straightforward, May looking around cautiously. Luckily, no one was paying attention to them

"What?" the girl hissed, slipping into her innocent act almost seamlessly

"You heard me," Michonne spoke with authority that she didnt have, "Their friends get kidnapped by your uncle and no one says a thing? I dont believe it!"

Malaya gulped, "They know who I am, okay? Everything that I told them is true!" Michonne raised a brow at her unfinished statement, "I just left out a few minor details! In all fairness, I didnt think it would matter."

The woman folded her arms over her chest with a sigh, contemplating her response, "I wont tell them, okay?" Malaya's face lit up with a grateful smile, "But you're going too when we get back."

Malaya rolled her eyes, trying to hide the dread that washed over her — She couldnt tell them the truth. Especially not now that her family had started a war

But even from her short time with Michonne, she knew there was no use arguing with her unless you had a gun in hand. Which Malaya did not,"Fine whatever. Just- bring Maggie and Glenn back safely, alright?"

"Okay, itll be our little secret for know," Michonne glanced to her right, Kat gesturing for her to get a move on, all her supplies already strapped to her back, "Got to go save the farmer's daughter. Stay safe," she told the girl before taking her katana from the table and following the group outside, Kat hanging back to wave to Malaya

The prison was eerily quiet with most of the group gone, the quiet and helpless ones being the only ones left. They all stayed huddled in the recreational area, passing around the newborn, which was now officially named Judith, courtesy of Carl

Malaya sat upon the table, sharpening her knife in case of emergency, keeping an eye on everyone as she'd promised Kat

May wished she'd gone along with the others, as her special mission wasnt turning out the way she'd hoped — She felt tricked like a little kid on Christmas

The girl pushed herself off the table, readjusting the top she'd taken from Kat's things, the blue and red stripped top tightened at the back to prevent it from falling below her knees. She smiled at Beth, who was brushing through her hair, as she left the room, wanting to properly explore the prison

She came across the final room on the top floor of cells, door closed but obviously not locked. It looked lived in, with old clothes scattered on the ground, and less dirt than the rest of the prison. However, Malaya couldn't remember seeing anyone sleeping inside, or even entering the cell. The girl pulled the door open and stepped inside

Apart from the clothes on the floor, nothing much was unusual about the cell. It looked the same as Malaya's did when she first moved into it. Well, there was no box tucked under the bed

The Blake girl crouched down, leaning onto her stomach and waving her hand around under the bunk bed, catching and reeling the box out before sitting back against the bed

The box had a crow engraved into the wood of the lid, and the lock was long wasted away. At first glance, nothing important was in the box, only a few necklaces and a blue journal. Opening the journal, Malaya began to read through the dozen pages filled with cursive

After a few pages, she caught sight of a figure entering a cell, looking up to see Carl, cowboy hat still intact, "What are you doing?" he asked with distaste, arms crossing protectively over his chest

"Just looking around. Never seen anyone in here so-"

"You're not allowed to be in here!" he interrupted, voice firm as he jumped down her throat, "No one is."

Malaya didnt say anything, continuing to stare at Carl. She watched as his hands balled into fists at his side, and how he dropped his head to hide his watering eyes before she came to the realisation, "This was your mother's room."

Carl nodded meekly, not daring to look at the new girl and reveal his crumbling demeanour. He did, however, shuffle over to bed and took a seat beside her. Malaya kept quiet not wanting to upset him anymore, closing the journal and placing it on his lap

"I didnt meant to snoop," May told him after what felt like hours of awkward silence, watching as he flipped through the pages, "I was just curious, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Carl responded, not looking up from the pages

"She seemed like an amazing mother. Whole lot better than mine," she joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit, but the Grimes boy didnt even make an effort to fake amusement, "She died during childbirth right?" Malaya wanted to know more

"Not exactly. She-umm, she lost a lot of blood, too much Maggie said, and," Malaya's mouth fell agape, already knowing where the story was heading, "she was going to turn. So I-"

Carl's voice cracked, hand rubbing away the tears that fell down his cheek, unable to continue the story. Malaya felt bad, continuing to pry despite it clearing being a sore subject to the boy — Still a fresh one too, by the look of baby Judith

"Shit Carl, I'm so so sorry," May gasped, twitching in her spot, unsure if she should console him or not

The Blake girl wasnt very good with emotions, her own or anyone elses. Her family was more of a 'don't speak of the problem and it'll go away' type, so she'd never really gotten the hang of her empathetics

Carl couldnt stop the tears which were falling faster than he could wipe away. In frustration, he pushed the sheriff's hat off his head, May watching it clatter onto the ground

Malaya gulped, hand finding Carl's free one, the old that held the open journal, squeezing it softly in support, "She'd be proud of you. You're brave and care about your loved ones," he sniffled, "She'd be proud of you," the girl repeated

After consoling him for a while longer, rubbing his hand gently, he finally stopped sobbing, looking to Malaya, blue eyes still glistening, "You're not as bad as I thought," he told her, lips itching upwards, Malaya scoffing at his comment

She rised to her feet, swiping the hat up from the ground and tossing it into Carl's lap, "I still think you're a freak Grimes. Walking around in a cowboy's hat," she teased, noticing a blue checkered flannel beside her foot, bending down to pick it up aswell, "Can I have this? I'm a bit low on clothes."

He rolled his eyes, adjusting the hat on his head, "Okay one, its a sheriff's hat, not a cowboy's one. It belonged to my dad," Malaya raised a brow, as if to say 'same thing', "And sure, go ahead."

Malaya thanked him, folding it over her arm as Carl placed the journal, along with the jewellery, back into the box neatly, standing up and following Malaya out of the cell, "Hey wait," he called out, May freezing at the staircase, and turning back to the Grimes boy, "My mom, she would've liked you. You're like, super cool!"

May felt herself go red, trying to cover it off with a cough, "Thanks Carl. You're pretty cool too."

"You wanna meet Judith? Like officially?"

"Yeah sure!" May accepted his offer, following him back to the cafeteria. It was then, that she allowed herself to smile, finally beginning to feel like she belonged with her new group

It had been hours since Kat had left, but atleast May was feeling more content. Judith was sweet, giggling cutely everytime she came into contact with the Blake girl, like she'd known her her whole life — Then again, in retrospect, Judith was a mere two days old

The click of Hershel's crutches filled the room, overcoming the silence Beth, Carl and Malaya had fallen into, "Finally put Judith to sleep," he informed, moving to lean against the wall near the stairs where they sat

"How are we with formula?" Carl asked, Malaya smiling at his care for his sister's wellbeing

"We have enough to last us another month," the old man replied

"I'll take Carol for some more at the end of the week," the cowboy said with a nod

"I'll come too," May offered her support, which the Grimes boy accepted with thanks

"Your dad and the others will be back by then," Beth spoke softly, leaning across Malaya to look at Carl. The boy looked up at the blonde, trying to hide the anxious look on his face

"We don't know that. Right now, Judith's the only family I got," his words hit Malaya hard

Despite leaving them, she couldn't fathom not having a family, losing a loved one that way — Sure, her father and brother were gone, but she knew they were alive

Malaya was about to reply to Carl with some words of encouragement, but a woman's agonizing scream cut through the prison before she could, Judith now probably awoken, "What was that?" Beth asked, as if any of them would know

"It came from inside," Hershel said tonelessly, seemingly not shaken by the screams

"Maybe it was Carol?" Malaya suggested

"She's out keeping watch in the guard tower with Axel," the old man informed, both May and Carl racking their brains for anyone else it could've been

"What if they came back for something? What if they're in trouble?" Beth said tremulously, Carl loading his gun in his lap in case of danger. Malaya patted herself down, trying to find her knife before remembering its hiding place — She leant forward, pulling her left converse off and pulling the blade out

"We can check the towers-"

"How could anyone else get in?" Beth cried, interrupting her father, hands shaking. Malaya placed her hand on the blonde's arms to soothe her

"It's okay Beth. You're safe, I promise."

"The tombs are filled with walkers that wandered in from outside," Hershel told the three, silently thanking Malaya with a nod. Before he could continue, another shriek came, both teens jumping to their feet, respective weapons in hand, "Someone else could have done the same thing."

"That's reassuring!" Malaya scoffed, looking back at the man, double taking after seeing his expression, "How are you so calm?"

Carl shoved past Malaya and Beth, "I'm going!" he declared, but didnt get far, stopped by Hershel outstretching his left crutch in front of him

"I cant let you go down there alone."

"I'll go with him," Malaya volunteered, the girl also getting stopped by Hershel

"Let me rephrase. You're not going," he repeated sternly

"My father would go," Carl spat, and Malaya knew he only had his mind on keeping his sister safe. She could tell Hershel wanted to disagree once again, but the third scream came, and that was enough for the Grimes, striding away from them

Malaya was quick on her feet, moving beside the boy in an instant, knife held out in front of her to appear menacing, "That's not gonna protect anyone," Carl snickered humourlessly, side-eyeing her weapon of choice

"You'll see!" The Blake girl fired back, taking one of the flashlights while Carl took the other, following the cries into the tombs

The teens moved cautiously, ready for any advancing threats, so far finding nothing but dead, well properly dead, walkers. Carl's breathing grew heavier as they rounded the corner. May could still hear the shrieks, now accompanied by the groans reapers made as they snacked on their prey

The cowboy froze infront of the boiler room, the door slightly ajar, before a walker rounded the corner, snarling as it approached the boy. Luckily, Malaya had caught sight of it, blade piercing into its neck and then its skull. It dropped to her feet, Carl's eyes wide, "Take back what you said about Beatrix?" she said smugly, twirling the blade in her hand

"You named it Beatrix?" Carl scoffed in disbelief

"Yeah, after Kill Bill!" There was no more time for joking around, Malaya now leading the way through the tombs

She stopped at the door, a woman inside screaming 'no' repeatedly, the teens rushing to help. There was a man cradling the crying woman in his arms, whilst the other three tried to fend the dead away. However more and more emerged from the darkness, swarming the five. Carl raised his gun, shooting the walker who was wrestling the woman down, all four turning to him in relief

"Watch out!" Malaya called, sprinting to the man and driving her knife into the reaper that was grasping at his leg

"Come on!" Carl ordered, leading them out of the tombs. Malaya stayed behind the group, careful to not tread on the walkers. There were about halfway out when one of the men dropped to the ground, the crying woman alongside him, "Hurry, come on!" Carl repeated, whilst the grounded man urged for them to continue

They wouldn't however, moving the injured woman into another's arms, as Malaya and the girl with the shovel took down another three reapers

Malaya caught sight of the wound of the woman's arm, clearly by a reaper, and she knew there was no saving her. That didn't stop the group from carrying her, all five now pitching in to move her

They all re-emerged from the tombs, Malaya leaning over and resting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath before bolting up the door, not taking any chances of being overrun. The newcomers carefully laid the woman onto the crowd, muttering words of concern, "Donna, baby, you okay?"

Carl rushed over, as did Malaya, heart dropping to find that Donna was infact not okay, eyes wide and empty as she stared at the ceiling. The rest of the group began to wail, Carl cocking his gun, "I'll take care of it," he told them, gun pointed to her forehead

Malaya gulped at how normal it was for Carl to kill. Sure, she was already dead, but he was too young to be able to do it with such ease — Hearing about his mother, and what he had to do to her, made it ten times worse

The man in the beanie raised his hand slowly, moving Carl's gun away from Donna's forehead, "Whoa, kid. Wait a minute."

"She doesnt have that long!" Carl said, exterior not faulting whatsover

The woman with the shovel stepped forward, "Who even are you? How'd you get in here? Who are you with?" she rambled, desperate for answers. Which, Malaya wasnt jumping at the opportunity to give

"Think we should be the ones asking the questions lady! Since, you know, we saved your ass and this is our home," May snapped, still armed with her knife

"We can help you," the Grimes told them, ignoring Malaya's mini monologue, "But, we do things our way. First things first," he went to pull the trigger, before the man in the beanie stopped him once again

"We take care of our own," he murmured, taking his hammer, and despite the pleads of his other group members, he went to thrust the hammer down

However, he was stopped by the keys jangling, Carl having pulled Malaya out, and locking the newcomers inside. May's heart broke for the two boys, engulfed in each other's arms as they sobbed, but she knew the rules, "Did you just lock us in here?" the man, Tyreese, said in disbelief

"Open the door!" the woman demanded, raising her shovel

"This room is secure. You'll be safe," Malaya repeated to them what Rick had told Michonne hours prior — She began to wonder why she didnt get the prison welcome wagon

The woman sighed heavily, scampering towards the teens, including Beth who had approached, squeezing Malaya's hand comfortingly. She gripped the bars, "Let us out, please."

"We cant."

"Come on, man! We're not animals. Dont do this," May's eyes flickered to Carl, wanting to know what his next action was, but he stayed emotionless, leading the new group to grow more and more frustrated, "You cant just leave us in here!" she fought back, rattling the cage door, "Open this door! Open it! Open it! Now!"

"Sasha!" Tyreese grasped her arm, pulling her away from the door, "Back away, and let the kids go. Look around. This is the best we've had it in weeks," he looked back at the other two boys, still embracing, "We got other things to do. We dont want any trouble."

'Finally, a reasonable man,' Malaya thought as she watched Sasha walked away, followed by Tyreese

"Shouldn't we help them?" Beth asked, still hand in hand with May

"We did," Carl said, walking away, followed by Malaya. She continued behind him until reaching his cell, the cowboy leant over the basinet, playing with his baby sister. He stopped when Malaya entered the room, turning to the girl, "Thanks for your help," he glanced down at her knife with an amused grin, "Thanks Beatrix."

Malaya giggled, tucking Beatrix into the back pocket of her jeans, "You're welcome. From both of us."