29. clear

QUINN

     ONCE MICHONNE AND CARL HAD LEFT SHE knelt down between the many weapons and started loading them up. As soon as the man had woken up and Rick had his talk with him, she wanted to leave. It wasn't safe to stay out here for too long, especially not with the Governor around.

'Why'd you stay?' Rick suddenly asked, making her turn around to look at him.

'What?' She replied while putting a box filled with bullets in the bag.

'When you found out your brother was alive,' Rick explained. 'Why didn't you just leave, find some place safe instead of fighting the Governor.'

Quinn took a deep breath as she put the bag down, standing up from the ground. 'Andrea's with him and Michonne wanted to fight. I wasn't gonna leave them behind. Believe it or not they are the only friends I have.'

Rick nodded slowly, seeming to want to say something else but he never got a chance to because movement behind him made her scream. 'Watch out!' She yelled, making Rick spin around just in time to push the man away. He had been running straight at him but Rick threw him on the ground.

Quinn pulled out her gun, pointing it at the man's head as he lay there.

'Do you know me?' Rick asked the man. 'Do you see who I am?'

'People wearing dead people's faces,' the man screamed making Quinn tighten the grip on her gun.

'Morgan, listen to me,' Rick said. 'I'm not wearing a dead man's face.'

'No, I don't know you!' Morgan screamed.

'You do know me!'

'I don't know you!' He screamed again while jumping up and throwing himself at Rick.

Rick however, caught him in his arms and pushed him against the wall, keeping a tight grip on his arms to prevent the man from hitting him. 'You know me Morgan, you saved my life.'

Quinn walked forwards, the gun still raised, pointed at the man incase Rick wouldn't be able to hold him.

Morgan kept struggling against Rick his grip as he screamed in his face.

'Morgan, look at me,' Rick kept saying but it was useless as the man seemed to have totally lost it. Suddenly he managed to break free, throwing Rick on the ground and pulling  out a knife. Quinn stepped forwards but he kicked at her legs, making her fall down on the ground, a pained yell escaped her lips.

'You know me!' Rick screamed desperatly.

'I don't know anyone anymore,' Morgan screamed back as he pushed the knife down, despite Rick trying to stop it with his trembling hands.

Quinn pushed herself up, jumping at the man, shoving him away from Rick. They rolled over the ground, him on top of her as he screamed in her face, his knife now pointed at her stomach. She screamed with effort as she struggled against the man his grip.

Suddenly his weight was gone as Rick had pulled him off of her. She gasped for air as she watched Rick struggle with the man and her eyes widened as he cried out in pain. Only then she noticed Morgan had pushed his knife into Rick his shoulder.

'You're not clear!' Morgan yelled, insanity on the edge of his voice.

Rick kicked him in the stomach, throwing him against the wall and pulled his gun out, pointing it at the man's face. 'You crazy son of a bitch!' He screamed.

Her eyes widened in surprise as Morgan took a told of Rick's hand, pulling the gun towards his forehead. 'Please,' he begged. 'Please kill me.'

Rick pulled his hand free, stumbling backwards, staring with wide eyes as Morgan started crying. The cop turned to Quinn offering her his hand, she took it, letting herself be pulled up. Rick nodded at her, which she figured was his way of saying thanks. 'Help me with him,' Rick said as he walked over to the man.

They pulled him up by his arms and placed him against a fallen table, binding his hands to the table. All his fight seemed to have disappeared because all he could do was sob.

'You're losing too much blood,' Quinn said, pointing to Rick's wound and he nodded. She turned and looked around the room, her eyes falling on a medkit. She took it and smiled when she saw bandage inside. Handing it to Rick she watched as he carefully took his shirt off before placing the bandage on the wound while she made sidenotes in her head about wrapping a wound.

While he was wrapping it Morgan started mumbling, making Quinn turn to look at the man. 'Please kill me, please, please,' he kept on repeating the words, almost like a prayer and honestly, it scared her.

'You found me last year, in my front yard, Morgan,' Rick said, putting his shirt back on. 'You fed me, you told me what was happening, you saved me. My name is Rick Grimes, you know me. I'm not wearing a dead man's face.'

Quinn watched as he walked forward, picked up a walkie from the ground and showed it to Morgan. 'I gave you this. I said I would turn it on everyday at dawn so you could find me.'

Morgan stared at the walkie as something seemed to flicker behind his eyes. His gaze went to Rick his face, scanning the man's features before quietly whispering his name. 'I know you,' Morgan said making Quinn exhale slowly with relief. 'Oh man, damn, I-I know you, I know who you are.'

Even though he seemed to finally recgonise Rick, he still didn't seem at all sane. It was like something had snapped inside of his mind that couldn't be mend again. 'You said you'd turn yours on, at dawn,' Morgan said, nodding at the walkie. 'That's what you said. I mean I hadn't...worked up to it yet but then I did.'

Quinn frowned, trying to make sense of the man his ramblings.

'On the roof, every morning, for days, for weeks me and my boy,' Morgan said and suddenly he laughed but it disappeared as soon as it came. 'And then...me.'

Her heart crumbled in her chest as she turned her gaze away. They had all lost someone or something but everytime the dead were mentioned, it still hurt. And it hurt even more when she realised she hadn't really lost anyone, she had only found more people.

'Just static though, nothing but static and then nothing but nothing.' Tears rolled down the man's cheeks as he stared at Rick. 'You weren't there. You were never there.'

'I was,' Rick mumbled quietly.

'No, not when I tried! You said you would turn on your radio everyday at dawn! You said you would turn on your radio everyday at dawn and you were not there!' He was screaming loudly by now, spit flew from his mouth as he did and Quinn took a step backwards, her hands reaching for her dagger. The man scared her to death and it seemed like Rick didn't know what to do either.

'I-I kept being pushed further out,' he finally said. 'I had to, I didn't have a choice. I found my wife and my boy. I had people I-' he cut himself off walking around while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Despite the whole situation Quinn felt herself growing curious about his story.

'I had to keep 'em safe,' he continued. 'We kept getting pushed back deeper into the country. I swear to god. I didn't have a choice.'

Morgan kicked the radio over to Rick making her wince as she suddenly felt like she had walked into something very private.

'Well, you can have your radio back because looks like I finally found you,' Morgan snapped. 'You found your wife and your son. That's what happened right, you found them?'

Rick didn't reply, instead nodded quietly as he seemed almost unable to look at his friend in this state.

'And did they,' Morgan struggled to say the words. 'Did they, did your wife did she turn?'

'No, she died,' Rick answered, his voice numb.

'So you didn't have to see that then?' Morgan asked. 'Of course not, not like me.' Suddenly he laughed again making Quinn jump. 'Not like me, not like my wife. You remember what happened to her? You remember what she was?'

Rick nodded slowly.

'You gave me the gun, you tried,' Morgan said.

'What did I try, Morgan?' Rick asked him. 'What did I try?'

'You tried to get me to do it because I was suppose to do it. I was suppose to kill her, my Jenny. I knew I was suppose to but I let her go. Let her go like there wasn't gonna be a reckoning.'

Quinn bit her tongue as she listened to the man talk, trying to swallow the lump that had appreared in her throat.

'We was always lookin' for food, you know? It always came down to food and I was-' he cut himself off to take a deep breath. 'I was checking out a cellar and I didn't want Duane to come down there with me. And then when I came up she was standing there, right in front of him. He had his gun up and he couldn't do it. So I called to him and he turned and then she was just...just on him.' A sudden anger appeared on his features. 'And I see red, I see red, everything I see is red and I do it. Finally.' He stared at the ground. 'Finally was too late.'

Quinn took a shaky breath. She didn't know the man but she couldn't stay untouched by his story. She watched it happen in front of her as he told it, played it out like a movie. It wasn't fair.

'I was suppose to do it. I was selfish. I was weak,' Morgan whispered. 'And your boy? Is he dead?'

'No,' Rick whispered, his voice hoarse.

'No? He will be,' Morgan replied. 'You see, 'cause people like you, the good people, they always die and the bad people do too but the weak people...' He swallowed as his voice was shaking heavily. 'The people like me. We have inherited the earth.'

Rick sighed deeply before standing up and walking towards the window. He stared outside before turning back to Morgan. 'I'm not gonna kill you. That's not what's suppose to happen. I think you're suppose to come back with us.' He walked towards Morgan, taking out his knife and cutting loose the ropes.

Quinn immediately reached for her gun but Rick looked at her, shaking his head. She tilted her head before sighing and putting it back behind her belt.

Morgan chuckled lifelessly. 'After all that? After me trying to blow your head off we're just gonna live happily ever after together?'

'You couldn't kill me, I couldn't kill you, I'll take that as a sign,' Rick responded.

'Huh,' Morgan simply said, rubbing his red waists.

'We found a prison,' Rick told him. 'The fences can keep them out.'

'Is that where your wife died?' Morgan asked the man.

Rick didn't reply, sighing as he searched for words.

'Just go,' Morgan said and then nodded at Quinn. 'And take your friend here with you.'

'Look,' Rick said, sitting down on his knees in front of Morgan. 'I can help you. Come back with us, you can heal.'

'You're taking a lot of guns Rick,' Morgan told him. 'Now I'm just saying that's a lot of guns. Why do you need the guns? Cause if you got something good that just means there's someone who wants to take it. And that is what's happening, right?'

'We're gonna win,' Rick said roughly.

That just made Morgan chuckle.

'You can be there, you can help,' Rick tried again.

'You will be torn apart by teeth or bullets,' Morgan hissed. 'You and your boy. Your people. But not me. Because I am not gonna watch that happen again!' He jumped up walking towards the cot they had placed him on making Quinn take a few steps backwards. 'Man, you take the guns.'

'You know there's a chance!' Rick spat, standing up and pointing at him in anger. 'That's what you can't stand. That's what hurts. You know there's a chance!'

'I don't think you heard a damn word that I said!' Morgan screamed, turning back around to look at Rick and Quinn felt her hand closing around the hilt of her gun once again.

But the man didn't attack Rick. Instead a silence fell as they both seemed to catch their breath, considering each other's words.

'We both started out in the same place,' Rick finally said. 'Things went bad for you. Things went bad for me. But you're not seeing things right. I don't blame you, what you've lost, what you've been through.' Rick walked closer to Morgan. 'But you're wrong, you can come back from this. I know you can! You have to. This can't be it.' He took a deep breath. 'It can't be.' Then he pointed at the man's chest. 'You gotta be able to come back from this.'

Silence lingered as Morgan his eyes drifted around the room. 'No,' he said quietly.

'Morgan please-'

'No!' He screamed. 'I have to clear. That's why I didn't die today. That's the sigh. I have to man, I have to. I have to clear.'

Rick studied the man's face before sighing and nodding. Then he turned around, walked towards one of the bags and lifted it off the ground, throwing it over his shoulder and taking two in his hands. He nodded at Quinn before making his way outside.

Quinn looked at Morgan, who was staring out of the window and she took a shaky breath. 'I'm not gonna say that I understand, because I don't.' Morgan turned back to look at her. 'Just know that I believe you can come back from this.' She walked towards the other bags, taking one in each hand. 'Just like Rick believes that.' Then she turned around as well, leaving the man to ponder.

She made her way downstairs with the bags in her hands. Outside she went to stand next to Rick. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered.

'Don't be,' Rick replied, making her nod.

'You said you found your wife and son,' she said, swallowing, not sure if she was gonna get an answer to her question. 'Weren't you with them when it all happened?'

His gaze went to the ground as he took a shaky breath. 'I was shot, lying in a coma in the hospital. When I woke up...' he didn't seem able to finish that sentence.

She could hardly imagine what that would be like, waking up to find the world had ended with no idea what happened to your loved ones and with no way of finding out.

'Your brother,' Rick suddenly said, making her look up at him, 'did he...was he...how did he end up in prison?'

She frowned, wondering what he was getting at. 'He killed someone to safe my life,' she whispered, 'there was a car chase with the police, one cop got shot by his boyfriend I think.' Suddenly her eyes widened, realisation for the reason of his question setting in. 'You were that cop?'

He nodded, keeping his gaze focused on the ground as he seemed to be far away with his thoughts, thinking back to that day.

'Did you recognise Milo?' She asked.

'Not immediately,' Rick replied, 'but after a while.'

Footsteps sounded from behind them before she could respond and they turned around to see Morgan stepping outside. He didn't even look at them as he walked towards the walkers that were stuck on the spikes. He started taking them off, putting them on a stretcher.

Quinn looked away, not able to look at the broken man, instead she looked back at Rick. 'Does my brother know?'

Finally he looked up at her. 'I don't know.'

She nodded, her eyes fell on an approaching Carl and Michonne, carrying a crib and she pointed at them, making Rick turn to them.

'Hey,' Rick greeted. 'I was just about to go look for you.'

'Sorry,' Carl said.

'It's alright. You're here now.'

The two walked closer and Quinn noticed Carl his gaze going to the spot of blood on Rick his shirt. 'It's nothing,' Rick said.

Michonne studied him before stretching out her hand, mentioning for Rick to hand her one of the bags. He did so, muttering a thank you before they started making their way down the street, back towards the car. Michonne threw a glare at Morgan. 'Is he okay?'

'No,' Rick replied, 'he's not.'

They walked on but stopped when Carl quietly told them to wait. 'Hey,' he called out. 'Morgan.'

The man looked up from the corpses he had been carrying and his eyes fell on Carl.

'I had to shoot you,' Carl said. 'You know I had to right?'

Morgan nodded slowly, something hidden in his eyes that Quinn couldn't understand.

'I'm sorry,' Carl added.

They were about to walk away when Morgan walked towards them, making them stop in their movements. 'Hey son? Don't ever be sorry.' Then he turned around and went back to whatever it was he had been doing. And Rick walked away without so much as a second glance.

They reached the car without accidents and started to load the weapons, the food and everything else inside.

Michonne walked around the car to step inside, followed by Quinn, she stopped however when she heard Rick talking to Carl from behind the car.

'Everything okay with her?' Rick asked.

Michonne looked at Quinn and they held each other's glare as they awaited the kid his answer.

'Think she might be one of us,' he said.

Quinn felt herself smiling at Michonne, who was shaking her head but the corners of her lips were tugging upwards.

'What?' Rick asked.

'Quinn too, dad,' Carl continued, 'they helped us. They're with us.'

Rick didn't answer straight away but it was enough for Quinn. She knew with Carl trusting them, Rick was only a few steps away from doing so too.

A U T H O R 'S  N O T E

So, Rick finally figured out who Milo is! I was really excited to write this conversation between him and Quinn as they realised this. The question now is, will Rick tell Milo about this? I also loved introducing Morgan into the story and of course him and Quinn meeting for the first time.

Also, it seems like Carl is starting to trust Michonne and Quinn. Let's just hope Rick will be able to do the same soon.

This was a long chapter with a lot of stuff happening so I hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts in the comments or leave a vote!

Much love,

xXx

UYM