The Sound

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Chapter 95 - The Sound

Woodbury Town

Michonne and Janet had been brought to this town by the Governor's people, and now they were sitting at a table with him and Milton. As she looked at the food in front of her, Michonne couldn't help but feel increasingly uncomfortable.

The Governor, helping to serve and warm up the food, apologized in a tone that tried to sound friendly.

"I'm really sorry. I don't have much to brighten up the mood."

Janet, with a kind smile, waved her hand and pointed to the food in front of them.

"This is perfect! It's been a long time since we've eaten this well. Really, we appreciate your hospitality."

Michonne, on the other hand, didn't say a word and chose to remain silent. The food was basically packaged rations. According to what the Governor had said, they'd been living in Woodbury for several months.

Michonne ate slowly, but she was already thinking to herself that if they were relying solely on scavenged food, they wouldn't last long in this place. She had the sense that the shelter had no self-sustaining system.

It was strange, she thought, that over a year had passed since the end of the world began, and they were still depending on what they could scavenge from the city. If they didn't build a system of their own, these shelters wouldn't last. Eventually, all those camps would become raiders, bands that stole from smaller groups of survivors.

Now, Michonne was beginning to suspect that the people of Woodbury weren't far from becoming that. Maybe they already were. Maybe now they were the monsters that preyed on others.

During the meal, Milton kept asking questions about the two walkers that accompanied Michonne, as if they were pets. Michonne simply glanced at him now and then, not offering much in the way of explanation.

Anyone who knew the story would understand that those two walkers were more than that. One had been her boyfriend, the other a close friend. And she didn't feel like talking about them, much less explaining what had happened.

Seeing that Michonne wasn't interested in conversation, Milton eventually fell silent, realizing he wouldn't get anything else out of her.

The meal ended quickly. After finishing, Michonne and Janet asked for permission to retrieve their weapons and leave. At first, they thought the Governor would deny their request, but they were surprised when he agreed without hesitation, as if it were no issue at all.

"Alright then, get ready, and we'll hand over your weapons at the exit. If you need more weapons or a vehicle, just ask and we'll find something suitable for you." The Governor said to both women with a relaxed expression, as if they were just stepping out for errands and not planning to leave for good.

Neither Michonne nor Janet wanted anything from the Governor. Seeing his overly friendly attitude, they declined his offer. They took the weapons they'd arrived with and decided to leave as soon as possible.

At the gate, the Governor insisted one last time:

"I still think you shouldn't leave. I don't need to remind you how dangerous it is out there. Even though our resources are limited, it's easier to survive together."

Michonne, who had remained silent until that moment, finally spoke before walking away.

"Thanks for your kindness, but we'd rather take our chances out there. I'm not used to the kind of life you lead here."

After saying that, she didn't want to explain further. In the original story, she didn't talk much with Andrea before leaving either. Only at the end did Andrea approach her and warn her that the Governor was planning to attack her—but even then, Michonne didn't lose her composure, something she'd always admired about herself.

Seeing Michonne's determination, the Governor had no choice but to give up. With a helpless gesture, he raised his hands. In his mind, he had already marked them as dead. Yet, his face returned to a neutral expression.

As they reached the gate, Martínez stopped both women, preventing them from passing. Michonne thought the people here had changed their minds. She turned her head to look at the Governor behind her, but he only waved his hand toward the city wall.

Then, gunshots rang out from above, followed by dull thuds as bodies hit the ground on the other side of the gate.

At that moment, the Governor signaled to the men atop the wall, and someone quickly moved to open the gate without hesitation. As Michonne and Janet stepped out, the Governor made a gesture, touching his neck, and directed it toward Martínez.

Martínez understood the signal, nodded, and walked back toward the town.

Now in the forest on the outskirts of Woodbury, Michonne and Janet walked while discussing everything they had experienced inside that place.

"To be honest, I think we might be making a mistake by leaving. Don't you think life in that town wasn't so bad? The people there seem pretty well off."

After a pause, Janet showed a regretful expression and, looking ahead, voiced what she had been thinking since they left the shelter.

"I know the Governor has issues, but… who cares if he's a good leader?"

Michonne let out a bitter laugh and replied to Janet, who still seemed to cling to the hope of a better life in this hell.

"Let me tell you something—there's a serious problem in that place. If we stay there, we'll definitely regret it. With how things are going, it's only a matter of time before that place falls apart."

Janet didn't give up and said:

"What's so wrong with it? I just think the Governor is a bit off, but the rest of the town seems like normal people."

Michonne shook her head, unwilling to go into detail. In the end, it was all just her own suspicion, so she didn't feel like explaining any further. Instead, she said:

"Maybe not all of them, but I know those people are bad."

The idea of ignoring what was happening inside that shelter, of immersing herself in that fake sense of normalcy when something was clearly wrong, was something Michonne couldn't fully explain in words. So she chose to stay quiet, quicken her pace, and continue taking down the walkers that appeared around them.

A while passed in silence until Michonne finally spoke:

"Let's hurry. I suspect the Governor will send someone after us."

Soon after Michonne finished speaking, Martínez appeared with several people, catching up to them in the woods. Michonne and Janet quickened their pace and finally emerged from the forest. Just as they were hesitating on which path to take, they heard a gunshot behind them.

Bang!

Michonne reacted instantly. Upon hearing the shot, she threw herself to the ground, making the shooter miss the target. However, when she looked at Janet, who remained still by her side, Michonne realized something was wrong. She crawled over to her—not far away.

When she reached her, the sight horrified her. Janet lay on the ground, her abdomen soaked in bright red blood. Her clothes and back quickly became drenched. A few seconds later, Janet coughed up blood.

Michonne's mind went blank. Shaking, she grabbed Janet's arm and cried out in a broken voice:

"Janet! Hold on, please!"

But Janet, barely able to look at Michonne's face, said nothing. The truth was, she no longer had the strength to keep fighting. The blood continued to pour from her mouth until, little by little, life left her body.

At that moment, Martínez and the others had already reached them.

Michonne and Janet had been together for more than half a year, sharing every day, taking care of each other, and supporting one another.

Seeing Janet coughing up blood sent Michonne into a panic. Tears streamed from her eyes as she touched Janet's body in vain, trying to stop the bleeding. But all she managed to do was get her hands covered in blood.

As Michonne desperately tried to save her friend, a group of people surrounded her—led by Martínez and Crowley.

She felt a figure pass in front of her, and the sorrow in her heart instantly turned to rage. She reached for the sword on her back, but in that moment, she felt someone pressing a gun against the back of her head.

She tried to get up and resist, but a strong blow to the head knocked her to the ground.

Martínez quickly stepped forward, took the sword from Michonne—who lay motionless on the ground—and stared at Janet's lifeless body.

Martínez gave the others a wink, then approached the two fallen women. He looked at Michonne, dazed, staring at Janet, who was now gone.

But the rest of the group didn't pause to consider Michonne's pain. Martínez picked up the pistol Janet had dropped, turned around, and they all started walking back into the forest.

"Michonne, that's your name, right?" Martínez asked with a voice full of reluctant apology.

"I'm really sorry, but we're just following orders to survive."

No one understood better than him what it felt like to lose someone you love. He wouldn't wish that pain on anyone—but failure wasn't an option.