▎SAFE HAVEN ▎ 
»»————　act three. prison time
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX ━━ merle bonding

Josie stood beside Michonne, watching as Rick sent Maggie and Riley to the lookout tower. "Fields filled with walkers." Rick told them as Daryl walked down the steps, moving towards the small group. "I didn't see any snipers out there, but we'll keep Maggie and Riley on watch."

"I could get up in the guard tower, take out half them walkers, give these guys a chance to fix the fence." Daryl suggested, hands in his hips as he nodded at Rick.

"Or we could use some of the cars to put the bus in place." Michonne voiced up, Josie turning to her.

"We can't access the field without burning through our bullets." Hershel pointed out as Josie turned her attention to the older man.

"So we're trapped in here?" Glenn asked, shaking his head. "There's barely any food or ammo."

"We've been here before, it'll be alright." Daryl uttered, but Glenn shook his head.

"That's when it was just us, before there was a snake in the nest." Glenn narrowed his eyes, referring to Merle.

Daryl scoffed as he turned to Glenn. "Man, we gonna go through this again?" He asked Glenn. "Look, Merle's staying here. He's with us now. Get use to it. All y'all." He told Glenn and everyone before walking back up the steps.

Josie's eyes followed Daryl as Glenn turned to Rick. "Seriously, Rick. I don't think Merle living here is really gonna fly." Glenn muttered as Rick breathed out.

"I can't kick him out." Rick shook his head. If they kicked Merle out, Daryl would soon follow. And they needed Daryl if they were going to fight against the Governor.

"I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you!" Glenn hissed as Josie's heart dropped, looking up at Glenn with furrowed brows.

"That's completely different." Josie uttered, shaking her head as she walked past them all. "I'll be with Judith and Tiffany." She told them, walking out of the cell block and unintentionally slamming the gate behind her.

She breathed out, heavily. There was no need for Glenn to bring up Shane like that. She couldn't fault Daryl for not wanting to leave his brother. Merle was his blood.

Shane was Josie's blood. But he put the group in danger, putting her family at risk because his love for Lori had literally driven him to insanity.

Sometimes Josie wished Shane was still alive, that he hadn't tried to kill Rick. Maybe things would be different. Maybe she wouldn't have to go through the things she had if he was alive...

In the worst moments of her life, sometimes, she needed her big brother by her side, telling her everything was okay and she'd be safe and he'd look out for her.

But Shane was dead. And he had been for a while....

"What's up with you, Jo Jo? Come to pay Merle a visit?" Josie groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as she heard Merle's voice, the man wrapping tape around his stump.

"Shut up, you hillbilly." Josie hissed, sitting down on one of the tables, her head in her hands. "I don't want to have to hear your voice."

"You know where the door is." Merle smirked, shrugging his shoulders as Josie turned to him, her gaze narrowing.

"This is my home, Merle." Josie scoffed, shaking her head. "You'll be the only one leaving, maybe as a walker, maybe alive if you're lucky."

"Damn, when did you get so cold. I remember you being all happy and full of joy." Merle stood up, walking towards the bench she sat on. "Hell, you were even nice to me?"

"That was before I had to watch people die, my brother die, and before you kidnapped me and Glenn." Josie pointed out, shrugging her shoulders. "You didn't need to, you could have listened to us and we would have brought Daryl to you."

"I know, Jo Jo." Merle nodded his head as Josie rolled her eyes at the nickname. "I've done some things I'm not proud of. And I knew that when the governor walked out with you..." Merle gestured to her as Josie narrowed her eyes.

"Is this a way of you sayin' sorry?" Josie raised a brow. "Because if you are, it's a shitty excuse of an apology, Merle." Josie breathed out, standing up. "Just don't do anything stupid, for Daryl's sake." Josie told him, making Merle frown. "He needs his brother. You don't realise it until it's too late." She muttered, giving him a half smile before walking away.

Andrea was here.

Carl had come and told everybody, making everyone grab their guns, watching as the blonde walked in, a walker in front of her as she walked towards the gate. "Are you alone?" Rick yelled at her, leaning on the barbed gate.

"Rick!" Andrea yelled as the walkers behind her grew closer. Josie looked up at Rick, her hands squeezing her gun as she looked at Andrea.

Rick threw his keys towards Daryl, the man catching it as Merle opened the gates, then quickly closed it.

"Hands up!" Rick told her, grabbing her and pushing her against the fence. "Turn around, now!" Rick nodded over to Josie, the Walsh girl throwing her gun around her shoulder, moving over to Andrea and checking her for any weapons, throwing her bag on the floor.

A walker pushed itself again the fence, making Andrea scream as Josie moved her to the ground. "I asked if you were alone." Rick hissed as he grabbed her bag.

"I am." Andrea breathed out, looking at them all with wide eyes. Josie moved away from her, looking down at her with a frown. Why had she come here? It was clear she was with the governor, and it made Josie's blood boil.

"Welcome back." Josie said, dryly, grabbing her arm and pulling her up. Rick told her to bring Andrea into the prison, so Josie did.

Rick opened the gate as Josie let go of Andrea, walking down the steps and walking towards Tiffany, putting her gun down.

Carol pulled Andrea into a hug, the two sharing words as Andrea looked around, pulling out of the hug.

"Where's Shane?"

Josie looked up at Andrea, her eyes narrowing as Rick turned to Josie, then back to Andrea. "Dead." Josie spat, Andrea's face dropping.

"And Lori?" She then asked as Josie closed her eyes, moving closer to Tiffany to seek some sort of comfort.

"She had a girl." Hershel spoke up as Andrea turned to him. "Lori didn't survive." Josie sucked in a breath as she looked back up at Andrea.

"Neither did T-dog." Maggie added from beside Riley.

"I'm so sorry." Andrea muttered as she turned to Josie, her eyes apologetic as Josie looked away from her. "Carl." He looked towards the boy, who didn't say anything. "Rick, I—" Andrea shook her head. "You all live here?"

"Here and the cell block." Glenn told her, nodding his head towards the cell block as Andrea turned to him.

"There?" She pointed to it as Glenn nodded his head. "Well, can I go in?" She asked as she moved towards the door, but Rick moved in her way.

"I won't allow that." Rick shook his head, ignoring the frown Andrea gave him.

"I'm not an enemy, Rick." Andrea shook her head as Josie titled hers.

"You're sleeping with the enemy." Josie uttered as Merle let out a quiet laugh, lowering his head as he shook it. Andrea looked surprised by Josie's words, unable to speak back to that.

"We had that field, courtyard, until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up." Rick added, giving Josie a look as she shrugged her shoulders.

"He said you fired first." Andrea frowned as Tiffany scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That one of you shot him."

"Shame Josie missed." Tiffany breathed out, nudging Josie, who bit back a grin. At least she got to put a bullet in him, but he deserved much more than a dam bullet in his shoulder.

"You shot him?" Andrea pointed at Josie, who, proudly, nodded her head.

"He deserves more than a bullet to the shoulder." Josie simply said as Andrea frowned. "He's not all that, Andrea. Clearly, you don't even know your own boyfriend."

"JJ." Rick looked over his shoulder, giving her another look as she let out a defeated sigh.

"He killed an inmate who survived in here." Hershel added as Andrea turned to him.

"We liked him." Daryl spoke from the table. "He was one of us." He grunted, Andrea turning to him before looking around at everyone.

"I didn't know anything about that." Andrea shook her head, hand over her mouth as she turned to Rick. "As soon as I found out, I came." She added as she turned around. "I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until the shoot out."

"That was days ago." Glenn reminded her as Andrea breathed out, trying to find the right words.

"I told you I came as soon as I could." She defended herself as she turned around to Michonne, who had moved to lean on the fence. "What have you told them?"

"Nothing." Michonne uttered, tilting her head.

"I don't get it." Andrea shook her head. "I left Atlanta with you people, and now I'm the odd man out?" She looked all around the room, at every single person.

"He almost killed Michonne, and he would've killed us." Glenn pointed out, nodding at Michonne.

"With his finger on the trigger!" She scoffed, pointing up at Merle, who looked offended at her words. "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you?" Josie tilted her head at her words as she spoke to Glenn. "Who beat you?"

"Andrea, you don't know half of the shit that happened back there, so don't act like you do!" Josie scoffed, shaking her head at Andrea, her face twisting with anger.

"Look." Andrea breathed out, turning to Josie. "I cannot excuse or explain what Philip had done—"

"No, you really can't, Andrea." Josie uttered, eyes narrowed. "So don't even try to defend him."

"I am here trying to bring us together, Josie!" Andrea spoke in a pleading manner, making Josie roll her eyes once more, looking at Tiffany, who looked like she had, had enough of Andrea. "We have to work this out."

"There's nothing to work out." Rick told her, walking towards Andrea with a pointed glare. "We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will." He nodded his head.

"We can settle this." Andrea told him, slowly nodding her head. "There is room at Woodbury for—for all of you." She looked at everyone. Josie wouldn't want to step foot in there unless it was to kill the Governor.

Merle let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "You know better than that." He told the blonde, making her turn to him.

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" Hershel asked, tilting his head as he leaned on the wall. "Did he say that?"

"No."

"Then why did you come here?" Rick asked her, hands in his hips.

"Because he's gearing up for war." Andrea told them all. "The people are terrified. They see you as killers." She sighed as Josie shook her head. "They're training to attack."

"I'll tell you what." Daryl spoke to her, making Andrea turn to him. "Next time you see Philip...tell him I'm gonna take his other eye." Daryl grunted as Josie bit down on her tongue. Damn right.

"We've taken too much shit did too long." Glenn then said, the blonde turning to him. "He wants war? He's got one."

"Rick." Andrea turned to him, walking towards him. "If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna happen." She breathed out. "He has a whole town. Look at you." She turned to them. "You've lost so much already." Josie narrowed her eyes once more. "You can't stand alone anymore."

"You wanna make this right, you get us inside." Rick circled around her. She shook her head. "Then we have nothing to talk about."

"They have innocent people." Andrea yelled towards Rick as he walked out and towards the cell block.

Andrea scoffed as she turned to everyone else, Josie rolling her eyes as she glared at Andrea, her and Tiffany walking away.

"Fucking bitch." Tiffany uttered as the pair walked into Josie and Glenn's cell.

"You're telling me." Josie scoffed as she sat down. "I mean, how could she walk in here, praising this Philip dude, not knowing what he has done!" She said in a hushed whisper. "What kind of man he is and what he did..." Josie breathed out as Tiffany sat down beside her. "Did to me." She muttered as she lowered her head, Josie frowning.

"Phinny..." Tiffany titled her head as she turned to Josie. "What happened back there?"

Josie ran her hand over her face, placing them over her mouth as she cleared her throat. "I can't, Tiffany. I physically..." She breathed out, swallowing thickly. "I have to get over it, I need to help protect this group." She breathed out, lifting her head up.

"Josie." Tiffany frowned as she pulled Josie into a hug. "I'm sorry." Tiffany held her close as Josie shook her head.

"Don't be." Josie sniffled, running a hand through her hair. "I don't blame anyone but him. And I want him dead."

"Makes all of us." Tiffany uttered as Josie nodded her head.

"I killed someone." Josie admitted as Tiffany frowned. "I had to...I had to kill a random man. So me and Glenn could survive..."

"You had to, Phinny." Tiffany told her, shaking her head as she squeezed Josie's hand. "That is not your fault, don't let it affect you."

"I'm not." Josie shook her head. "I don't want to have to kill anyone else..." she admitted. "Only the governor."

Josie watched as Andrea passed back Judith to Carol, walking down the steps of the cell block. "Leaving so soon?" Josie piped up, leaning on the cell as Andrea turned to her. "Back to your little boyfriend and your new perfect life.

"Josie..." Andrea breathed out as she walked towards her. "I don't know what's happened to you—this group in the last couple of months..." Andrea watched Josie's reaction. "And I'm sorry. About everything. Your
broth—"

"Don't." Josie quickly said, shaking her head. "I'm sick of people bringing him up." Josie narrowed her eyes. "He was my brother, and now he's dead. He put our group at risk. He had to be put down." Josie said. "Do I miss him, yeah. But I have to get over it and help this group survive. And your boyfriend is making that very hard." Josie breathed out, looking at Andrea.

"Look, I'll try my hardest to talk to Philip." Andrea said with pleading eyes. "I know, I don't know what happened in Woodbury, what happened to you and Glenn."

"Merle beat the shit out of him in the room right next to me." Josie quickly said as her face twisted with anger. "And the Governor..." Josie let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Made me take off my top and bra or he'd bring in Glenn's hand."

Andrea's eyes widened at her words, a look of sympathy written all over her face. "Josie..."

"No." Josie shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. "No, but, oh, this Philip is so perfect in your naive eyes."

"Josie." Josie looked over her shoulder, Andrea turning around to look at Michonne. "Rick needs you." Michonne sent Josie a nod, Josie sending her a smile as Michonne turned right back around.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Andrea." Josie said, sarcastically, before walking past her and following Michonne.

Andrea had left, gone back to Woodsbury. And everyone else was on the lower layer of the cell block.

Beth started to sing, Josie smiling softly as Tiffany watched the blonde sing, a smile adoring her face. Josie rolled her eyes, a knowing look on her face as she stared at Tiffany.

She looked up when Rick was walking down the steps, Judith in his arms as Josie smiled up at him, Rick squeezing her shoulder as he walked down the final steps and towards Daryl.

Josie turned back to Beth, leaning her chin in her hands, listening to the younger Greene's singing.

Josie looked up as she heard footsteps, seeing Glenn walk towards her, cup in his hand as he sat down beside her, looking over at the Greene's.

Glenn held out the water for Josie, which she took with a small smile, looking back over at Tiffany. "Look at Tiff." Josie mumbled, pointing a finger at her as Glenn looked at the younger blonde. "You see her face, how she's looking at Beth."

Glenn slowly nodded his head, clearly confused. "Yeah?" Glenn turned to Josie, who rolled her eyes. "What about it?"

Josie breathed out a chuckle, shaking her head as she turned to Glenn. "She likes Beth." Josie bit her bottom lip, biting back a smile. "How can you not see that?"

"She's just looking at her." Glenn shrugged his shoulders as Josie turned to him.

"Damn, you really are oblivious." Josie chuckled, looking at Tiffany. "It's obvious she likes her. Tiffany has a little crush." Josie raised her brow, turning to Glenn.

"I'm not oblivious." Glenn defended himself as Josie tilted her head. "How am I?"

"Okay, 'It was just a drunken kiss between two friends.'" Josie rolled her eyes as Glenn frowned.

"You were oblivious, too." Glenn turned to her as Josie frowned.

"Shut up." Josie shook her head, smile on her face as she turned back to Beth, the blonde still singing.

Josie leaned her head on Glenn's arm, her eyes staying on Beth and Josie as Glenn held her hand, squeezing it.

Everything was okay, right now. They all had each other. And they were going to war. Josie didn't want to loose any more people, she'd make sure they didn't. She would do anything—anything to make sure everybody was safe.

And if that meant killing people, she'd have to. But she only wanted to kill the governor...

— madeleines notes.

IM SO IN MY TWD ERA

currently writing a Daryl Dixon fanfic! If you wants dts reply here >>

But I'm so ready for season four, it's so funny at the start tbh. Jo just wants her Oreo's man.

SCHOOL NOW END ME

25th April 2024
3106 words babies!