The Bargaining Chip

It was almost two months, Rick estimated, that his wife and their friends went on a supply run, but only one came back. Merle, Daryl and Abe left to recover Glenn's remains. They buried him in a field that was far away from the animals and crops, and Hershel fashioned a wooden cross in honor of his "son." Andrea had given birth to a baby girl, cursing the baby for causing her so much pain. Sasha took over the duties and the care of the baby.

Rick was at a dead end with who took Lori. Shannon described the room in which she was held captive, but had no idea where it was. He would take care of the six young children during the day, then ask Carol to keep an eye on them after he tucked them in. Judy kept asking for her mom, and the only thing Rick could so was say "soon." He'd find solitude in the office at the guard tower. That is when he fell apart. The cold wind was able to muffle his cries as he thought about his wife. The first time he saw her, in biology class, sophomore year. She was stunningly beautiful, but her eyes hinted at a lifetime of emotional pain.

Part of him knew Lori was gone.

His wife was gone and that was the only thought that Rick could focus on. It was all he could do to get out of bed every morning. He took every breath knowing it was him, not Lori who should have died. Every second of the day he saw and felt Lori's body in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to wake up and discover all this was a terrible nightmare. He wanted to wake up again in the hospital bed. He even started to pray, asking God to somehow send her back. They have six young children, and he needed her more than anything else.

Michonne spent most of her time going from house to house, trying to get anything to eat or drink. She had removed the nails that penetrated her skin, but was left with the pain from holes in her muscles and a possible infection. At one home she found some antibiotics, but vomited after she took them. She was holed up in one small house, studying a map she found. One day she grabbed her stomach and had to muffle the sound of her screaming, as she suddenly passed a clump of blood and tissue. Her baby. Her baby with Ty. She needed to get back to the prison, and save Maggie. She was studying the map, and located the street she believed she was on, and how far away the prison was. She thought she could get there in a few hours. The house had an attached garage, and she slowly cleared the area, then looked for the car keys in the kitchen. She found some stale cereal and a few bottles of Gatorade, and put them in the car next to her Kantana. She could hear the groans of the hungry walkers outside the garage door, and knew that she couldn't opened it safely manually. She started the engine, put it in reverse, and drove out of the garage, breaking down the door and running over several walkers. She looked at the map, and prayed her friends were still alive as she drove back to the prison.