The Great Pretender

A couple of days had passed since the Governor's little surprise visit. We were doing better in terms of securing the fenced walkways, while also taking out the few walkers that stretched their arms through the gate closest to our courtyard. We would stick any sharp object we could find through the links, stabbing them directly in the forehead. Although, we still couldn't muster up the strength or numbers to reclaim our field. For all, we knew the Governor had snipers just at the outskirts of the woods waiting for one of us to walk too far out into the open.

Most of us stayed within our cell block or the common area, with only two people switching out for watch every hour or so. I was currently curled up in my little single-cell bed, reading an old book that had been left behind, 'The Dos and Don'ts of Prison' by Gerald Macklebie. I was surprised an inmate actually carried this book around, from the stereotypes in old television shows you would think he would get beat up just for having this book. It kept my mind busy though, which I was grateful for.

"Andrea is outside!" Carl's little voice carried through the cell block, alerting everyone. I shot out of bed, grabbing my gun from beside the bed and racing down the steps to see what was going on. I followed close behind the group as Rick led us outside. They all looked nervous, thinking that Andrea brought the Governor along with her. We had no idea why she was here.

We ran down the steps in a single file line, our guns raised in defence. Rick ran up behind one of our cars and we ducked behind him. He turned around, waving his hand at Merle to push forward. He willingly did, running around to duck behind our truck parked closer to the gate.

"Clear!" He called out after peering through his scope.

We all ran up behind him, keeping our knees bent to stay low. I could see Andrea walking up through the field, approaching our main gate to the courtyard. She has a walker attacked to a snare pole, its two arms and jaw sliced off. It seemed to help deter the walkers away from her, but as soon as she walked past them they followed her scent. We now ran down towards the gate to meet her there.

"Are you alone?" Rick shouted to her.

"Open the gate!" She yelled back. The walkers from behind her were closing in.

"Are you alone?!" He repeated himself. At this point, we didn't trust her. Or more so, we didn't trust the Governor who she was associated with.

"Rick!" She squealed, helpless.

Rick looked at Daryl for a moment before nodding his head and tossing him the keys to open the gate to let her in. Daryl pushed it open just enough so she could squeeze through and as soon as she did he was yelling at her.

"Hands up! Turn around!" He grabbed her, throwing our once friend against the fence to pat her down.

"What!?" She said in a state of shock from the welcome home she was receiving.

He patted her down thoroughly against the fence. Lincoln and I remained with our guns pointed at her for backup. He was just reaching her legs when a walker threw itself up against the fence she had been pressed against. She screamed out in terror before Rick grabbed her and placed her on her knees.

"Get down, now!" He said as he ripped her bag over her head. "I asked if you were alone."

She breathed heavily in fright, her bleach blonde hair falling out of its ponytail and covering most of her face, "I am," she finally answered. She stared at all of us like she was confused, almost as if we were different people to her now. We were all on high alert scared to be outside and she took notice of that.

"Welcome back." Rick greeted her angrily, grabbing her by the arm and leading her back inside.

We retreated to the prison, feeling safe again. Andrea took one step in, taking in our new home before Carol entered the room. They ran up to one another, embracing each other for the first time in over a year. I sat down on the table beside Daryl, waiting to hear what Andrea had to say, why she was here in the first place.

"After you saved me, we thought you were dead," Carol said as she hugged her. It was like she was apologizing for not looking for Andrea once the farm had been overrun.

"Herschel, my God," Andrea exhaled heavily, letting go of Carol when she saw his leg. I can't believe this." Andrea finally took in her surroundings of the prison, like she was shocked that we lived here. "Where's Shane?" She then asked, she was the only one to ever accept Shane for who he was. No one said a word, Rick simply shook his head before looking around the rest of the group. That was enough of a response for her to figure it out. "And Lori?" She asked.

"She had a girl. Lori didn't survive," Herschel answered her.

"Neither did T-Dog," I added in.

She sighed, "I'm so sorry," she nearly whispered. Her eyes then landed on the boy, "Carl," she shook her head like she was trying to give her condolences. He just stared back at her, staying quiet. "You all live here?" She changed the subject, she had been gone for so long that you could see it on her face that it was a lot to take in.

"Here and the cell block," Glenn answered.

"There?" She pointed to the door, he nodded. "Well, can I go in?" She asked, walking towards it.

"I won't allow that," Rick stepped in front of her.

"I'm not an enemy, Rick."

"We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up," Rick explained. She certainly wasn't an enemy, but she was sleeping with one. That made her untrustworthy.

"He said you fired first," she responded, shocked.

"Well, he's lying," I told her, "he killed an inmate who survived in here."

"We liked him. He was one of us," Daryl said like he was trying to guilt-trip her. She placed her hand to her mouth like she was going to be sick.

"I didn't know anything about that. As soon as I found out, I came," she defended herself. "I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shoot-out."

"That was days ago," Glenn called her out.

"I told you, I came as soon as I could." The room was quiet, you could cut the tension with a butter knife. Andrea whipped around towards Michonne. "What have you told them?" She was beginning to grow angry with us now.

"Nothing," Michonne responded like she was amused. I don't know what happened between the two of them when they were in Woodbury together, but Michonne very much carried an I told you so attitude towards Andrea.

"I don't get it? I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?"

"He almost killed Michonne and he would have killed us too," Glenn explained. She was the odd man out now, she was here trying to defend a psychopath like she was pretending this was one huge misunderstanding.

"With his finger on the trigger!" She pointed at Merle. "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you?" She was growing angrier before she took a breath and calmed herself down. "Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out!"

"There's nothing to work out," Rick cut her off, he was angry. "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will."

Andrea shook her head no, "We can settle this. There is room at Woodbury for all of you."

Merle chuckled, "You know better than that," he sounded entertained by her suggestion.

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" Herschel asked, his tone calmer than the rest of them. "Did he say that?"

"No," Andrea spoke softly, holding her head low.

"Then why did you come here?" Rick pressed.

"Because he's gearing up for war." Andrea finally let the truth slip. That was enough to make my breath get caught up in my throat. "The people are terrified, they see you as killers. They're training to attack."

"I'll tell you what. Next time you see Philip, you tell him I'm gonna take his other eye," Daryl threatened. From where I was sitting next to him, even though I wasn't touching him, I could feel how tense his body was.

"We've taken too much shit for too long. He wants a war? He's got one," Glenn agreed.

Andrea now turned back to Rick, her last resort, knowing that he still called the shots, "Rick. If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna happen. He's got a whole town." She tried to reason with him, he stood tall, looking down on her. "Look at you, you've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."

"You want to make this right, get us inside," I spoke up, giving her an option to do what's right for us.

"No," she glared back at me.

"Then we got nothing to talk about--" Rick said before she cut him off.

"There are innocent people in there!" She called after Rick as he stormed away. He was finished listening to her, the conversion was done.

"There's the right side and a wrong side in every situation," I said to Andrea, getting up from the table to follow Rick back to the cell block, "And you're on the wrong side."