33. the end and a new beginning

QUINN

     QUINN LEANED HER HEAD AGAINST THE WINDOW of the car as they drove down the road. She had been hesitant to go to Woodbury, but at the same time she was eager to end it. The endless feeling of a threat hanging over their heads was exhausting and after the Governor killed Merle she wanted nothing than for him to be gone. Yet she had a horrible feeling in her stomach that she couldn't shake. She had no idea where it came from, or what it was trying to warn her for. All she knew was that getting rid of the Governor was probably the only way for her to truly feel safe again.

The loud sound of Daryl's motorcycle echoed through air and her stomach tightened. He had barely even looked at her since Merle died. They had walked away from Merle's body in silence, neither of them saying a word until they reached the prison. None of the others had been saddened by the news, not that Quinn had expected them to be. They felt sorry for Daryl but couldn't give a shit about losing Merle.

Maybe that's why she thought Daryl would've wanted to talk to her. Since she was the only one who cared as well but he hadn't. In fact it almost seemed like he was avoiding her. She hadn't tried to talk to him, figuring he needed his space and knowing he didn't like talking all that much anyway. She didn't understand anything the man did but had secretly hoped to find a moment to talk with him about what happened. To explain to him that somehow Merle meant something to her and that he wasn't alone in trying to give his death a place in his life.

But something told her Daryl wouldn't want to hear it and that's why she hadn't said a thing. She had kept her distance and figured that if he ever felt the need to talk to her, or stare at her angrily at mumble incomprehensible, he would come to her.

Suddenly Rick stopped the car, making her frown and shift in her seat to look out of the front window. One of the Governor's vehicles was parked in the middle of the road before them and another one was parked beside it.

'What the hell?' Milo mumbled.

Rick opened his door, stepping outside, followed by the rest of the group. Quinn looked around carefully as they walked forwards, her eyes falling on a walker that was eating from a dead body lying on the ground. Daryl shot it down as Michonne walked up to behead another and it was only then that she noticed the entire road was filled with bodies. They lay scattered across the asphalt as walkers teared the flesh from their bones.

'What happened here?' Quinn whispered as she looked around.

A sudden thud against a window made her jump as she turned to look at the vehicle behind her. A woman sat inside, alive, her hands pressed against the glass.

Rick immediately took out his gun, pointing it at her as Daryl threw the door open, his knife tightly in his hand.

'Start talking,' Rick said, his gun pointed at the woman her head.

Her entire body was shaking as she held her hands in the air, her eyes wide as she stared at the dead bodies of her people on the ground. 'H-he,' she started slowly but couldn't seem to bring herself to say much more.

'Talk,' Daryl snapped, his knife still raised.

Her entire body was shaking as she finally whispered a reply. 'He just shot them all down.'

'The Governor?' Milo asked, making the woman nod.

A shaky breath escaped Quinn her lips as she looked around at all the bodies on the ground. She had always known he was insane, but this was beyond insanity. Shooting down his own people, who stood by him and look at him for guidance was something so cruel she had no words to describe it.

Her eyes met Michonne's glare who was looking at the scene with the same horror in her eyes. And Quinn knew her friend regretted not killing the Governor when she had the chance.

'We gotta go,' Rick said curtly, putting his gun back behind his belt, gesturing for the woman to start walking towards the car.

They all got in the car and continued their way towards Woodbury. Quinn threw a glance over her shoulder as they drove away from the horrific scene, a shiver crawling down her spine. Those people could've just as easily been her own friends but instead they were strangers who had died because of one man. One man they had to stop before he would cause anymore damage.

It was dark by the time they reached Woodbury. They walked up to the gates with their weapons raised, as suddenly a gunshot echoed over the street, hitting the ground beside them. Immediately Rick and Milo started firing back at the people on the wall while they found cover behind a car. Bullets flew over the street as Quinn stood up from behind the car to fire her gun at the people on the wall, before quickly kneeling down again.

'Tyreese!' The woman they'd saved on the road called out. She stood up with her hands raised. 'It's me! Don't-' 'Get down,' Rick said roughly, grabbing her arm and pulling her down.

Just for a moment everything was quiet when suddenly a deep male voice called out over the street. 'Karen? Karen are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' she called back, ripping herself free of Rick's grip as she held up her hands again and stepped out from behind the car.

'Where's the Governor?' The same male voice asked.

'He fired on everyone,' Karen replied. 'He killed them all.'

Silence filled the air, painfully quiet after the loud gunshots from just before. Clearly the man had a hard time letting that fact sink in and Quinn couldn't blame him.

'Why are you with them?' He asked.

'They saved me,' Karen told him.

Quinn shared a nervous glare with Milo, awaiting the man's response but none came. Instead Rick yelled. 'We're coming out!' Daryl shook his head at him but Rick didn't listen, placing his gun in its holder and stepped out with his hands in the air.

Sighing deeply Quinn did the same, followed by her brother and Michonne and finally Daryl, though that last one not without an doubting glare at Rick. Their leader ignored this however and walked forwards, keeping his eyes fixed on the wall.

The gates were opened, revealing a tall brown man wearing a beanie and a brown woman with curly hair. They both held a shotgun in their hands as they scanned their group carefully. 'What are you doing here?' The man asked.

'We were coming to finish this,' Rick replied, lowering his hands. 'Until we saw what the Governor did.'

'He,' the man started slowly, swallowing his emotions. 'He killed them?'

Rick nodded, breathing heavily. 'Yeah.' Then he took a deep breath. 'Karen told us Andrea jumped the wall going for the prison. She never made it. She might be here.'

Tyreese nodded and gestured for them the come inside. They did so without saying a word and Rick immediately headed for the cellar where they found Glenn and Maggie. Quinn followed him, her dagger in her hand, as she clenched her jaw to prepare herself for anything they might find.

'This is where he held Glenn and Maggie,' Rick explained to Tyreese as they hurried through the halls.

'The Governor held people here?' This one questioned, disbelief echoeing through his voice.

'And more,' Rick stated before pulling out his gun, raising it and holding it steady.

They walked around a corner, towards the room where Glenn had been held and Quinn felt her entire body freeze up. A puddle of blood came floating from under the door. Her heart started beating faster, her mouth drying up as they walked up to it. Rick turned to look at them, his eyes wide, a hidden fear coming out.

'Will you open it?' Michonne asked quietly as she held her katana at the ready.

Rick nodded as he reached out to the door. Daryl raised his colt 15, pointed straight at the door, Milo doing the same behind him. She took a shaky breath, bracing herself for whatever might be behind that door.

'One,' Rick counted quietly. 'Two, three.' He threw the door open, raising his gun after he did.

A body was lying on the concrete floor, spots of blood coloring its shirt. It was a man. Quinn squinted at him as she realised who it was. Milton, the man they'd shared a meal with the first day in Woodbury. She shared a glare with Michonne whose eyes were focused on something else. Quinn turned to see what she was looking at and noticed a pair of feet, just beside the door.

'Andrea,' she whispered and ran inside.

Michonne followed her closely, her katana slipping out of her hand, the sound of steel hitting concrete echoing through the room like a bomb but both women barely reacted to it, kneeling down next to their friend. Michonne reached out and held Andrea in her arms. Blood was covering her cheek and her coat and her skin was pale. Quinn took the woman's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly as Rick, Milo and Daryl made their way after them into the room. Rick knelt down in front of her, but Daryl kept his distance. Milo came standing behind Quinn and she was thankful for his presence.

'I tried to stop him,' Andrea said, her voice weak.

'You're burning up,' Michonne whispered, a concerned frown on her face as she looked at their friend.

Andrea sighed as she reached up and pulled away her coat, revealing a bite in her shoulder, fresh blood streaming out of the wound as she winced in pain.

'No,' Quinn breathed, her voice shaking. It felt as though the ground was disappearing from below her, as she was drowning in an endless nightmare.

'Judith, Carl, the rest of them...' Andrea asked in a small voice.

'Us,' Rick said, putting his hand on her knee. 'The rest of us.'

A small smile appeared on her face as she nodded. 'Are they alive?'

'Yeah,' Rick breathed. 'They're alive.'

Andrea turned to look at Quinn and Michonne. She could feel Michonne shaking next to her as she stroke Andrea's hair. But Quinn could barely move, she felt numb as she watched her dying friend sitting in front of her. Holding Andrea's hand tightly in her own as tears gathered in her eyes.

'It's good you found them,' Andrea whispered.

Michonne nodded as Quinn tried to give their friend a reassuring smile but failed as a tear rolled down her cheek.

'No one can make it alone now,' Andrea said as she turned to Rick, almost as if she was telling him he couldn't send Michonne and Quinn away. That he had to take care of them, like he took care of his own family.

'I never could,' Daryl mumbled.

Andrea turned to look at him and smiled before looking back at Rick. 'I just didn't want anyone to die.' Then she shifted, letting go of Quinn's hand she tried to sit up straight against the wall. 'I can do it myself.'

Those words seemed to hit Quinn like a bomb. Her body started shaking as her stomach tightened inside her. She clenched her hands to try and calm herself but her body didn't seem to stop shaking no matter how hard she tried. This couldn't be happening, it wasn't real, she could wake up any second now...

'No,' Michonne whispered.

'No, I have to,' Andrea said, turning to look at her friend. 'While I still can.'

Quinn reached out and put her hand on Andrea's leg, making her blue eyes drift to her brown ones. 'I'll stay with you.'

'I'm not going anywhere either,' Michonne said.

Andrea nodded slowly before turning to Rick. 'Please,' she said as his eyes drifted to her face. 'I know how the safety works.'

Rick swallowed as he reached behind his belt and pulled out his gun, handing it to Andrea.

'I tried,' she whispered.

'Yeah,' Rick said quietly. 'You did.' He stood up, giving her one last glare. 'You did,' he repeated firmly before walking out of the room. Quinn looked up to see him leave, her view clouded by her tears. Her eyes met those of Daryl, a shiver crawled down her spine and she looked away, unable to look at him without being reminded of Merle's death. She didn't know if she could handle that same pain again but she had no choice. She had to be strong.

Milo placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it before exiting the room with Daryl, who closed the door behind him.

Andrea took Quinn's and Michonne's hands in her own, as Rick's gun sat in her other hand. The three of them sat there together as the winter they spend together flashed through Quinn's mind. She had never liked people very much but Andrea had proven her wrong. She had been kind to her while barely knowing her and she had shown Quinn that fighting wasn't always the right way. And Quinn could hardly believe she was about to lose one of her first real friends.

Tears streamed down her cheek as her lips trembled too much for her to say any last words to her friend but she knew that she didn't need any words for Andrea to understand.

Andrea raised the gun, putting it against her head, a small smile on her lips as her blue eyes were focused on her friend's faces. She squeezed their hands, making Quinn look down at their entangled hands just as Andrea pulled the trigger.

The ride back to the prison seemed to last hours. Her entire body was aching from the stream of tears that had been flooding down her cheeks until just minutes ago. She had her hand in Milo's as they drove through the gates and up to the courtyard.

She stepped out of the car, holding on tightly to Milo his arm as they walked up to the others. She felt numb as she watched them, the entire world seeming to spin around her.

Her eyes trailed to the school bus that had driven up behind them unto the courtyard. The people of Woodbury stepped outside, looking around at the prison surrounding them. It would take some getting used to cold old dungeons when you had been living inside cozy houses for a while.

'What's this?' Carl asked, turning to look at Rick.

'They're gonna join us,' Rick replied.

Quinn watched the people walk inside the cell block, being greeted by Hershel and Carol. Taking a shaky breath she turned to Milo. 'I need a moment,' she whispered. He nodded and she stood on her toes to pull him into a hug. When she let him go she noticed his eyes were focused on the people of Woodbury. 'I'm gonna go help them get settled,' he said, looking back to her, smiling before patting her shoulder and walking away.

She watched him leave before walking up to the car where Michonne was already waiting for her. They got inside, Michonne sitting behind the wheel, driving them unto the meadow and towards the graves. The two friends stepped outside, each of them taking a shovel in their hands.

Taking a deep breath she put it down in the grass, starting to dig. Michonne stood next to her, helping her remove the dirt to create a hole to bury their friend in. They had covered her body with a blanket and taken it back with them to bury here. Quinn couldn't imagine leaving her there in that cellar to rot.

Soon her hands were hurting from the heavy lifting but it was satisfying to do at the same time. It felt good to be busy while her heart was aching inside of her. She couldn't sit still right now, she had to move to get rid of the bottled up emotions inside of her.

The sun had already risen again when they were done. Quinn put down the shovel and walked up the car, opening the trunk where a body wrapped in a white sheet lay. She was glad she couldn't see Andrea's face, knowing for sure she wouldn't be able to handle that. Exhaling slowly she took her friend's feet. Michonne came walking up to her and took Andrea's shoulders. Together they lifted the body out of car, walked up to the grave and lowered her down.

Then she picked up the shovel again and started to throw the dirt back into the hole. When it was finally done they took a moment to stand in silence. She started at the little pile of dirt in the grass and took a shaky breath before turning around and walking back to the car. Michonne followed and drove back up the courtyard, parked the car and then they both stepped outside. Quinn looked around, a feeling of safety settling inside of her as a small smile appeared on her lips. Humanity had never been kind to her, not until the world had ended and maybe now she had finally found a reason to be kind to humanity.

A U T H O R 'S  N O T E

And that's it, the end of season 3! What a ride it has been. I really liked writing this season, the prison truly was one of my favorite settings and I just loved writing about everything that happened. 

BUT I'm even more excited about season 4 because we will finally get more scenes with Daryl and Quinn. They will both struggle with Merle's death and other things that will finally start to bring them closer together. Though, knowing Daryl, it's still going to be slow.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please give it a vote and leave a comment if you did. And I will see you all wednesday!

xXx

UYM