Junebug • TWD

43. The Governor.

"But what about Glenn and Maggie?" I ask, my voice wobbling up and down.

"That's who you're people are here for, right?" Momma asks. I raise my eyebrows and Momma goes quiet for a second, realizing the thing she forgot about. I'm missing, too, to my people. Not just Glenn and Maggie. "They're here for you, too. Right."

"We need to go with 'em now." I cross my arms, trying to make sure she knows I mean it.

Mom scoffs, shaking her head. "You're not goin' out there with bullets flyin' in every direction. I just found you, JJ. I ain't losin' you to a stray bullet."

"But Daddy's out there!" I shout out at her, gesturing out the window.

"And he wouldn't want you out there right now, either. I'm your mother and you're gonna listen to me. We're waitin' until it's safe, Juniper Jo Dixon. Ain't no buts about it," Mom says very sternly.

I don't like it when she's stern. I like it much better when she paints my nails and lets me have what I want. I guess that's just not how real moms are supposed to be like, though. She's just usually extra nice to me because she feels bad for how much she's missed. But she can't be that way forever.

The gunshots are getting less and less frequent every second. They're escaping. They're leaving. Without me. They've got Glenn and Maggie, but they don't got me, and they're leaving, anyway. Dad's leaving. Rick's probably leaving, too. Maybe someone else came with them, too. I don't know who. But they're leaving without me.

"Mom, what if we can't find 'em when we leave? I don't know how to get back there," I tell her.

Mom looks at me and I know she can read my mind like how Dad does sometimes. She can tell how worried I feel. How sad I feel. "I know how to get back there," she tells me. What? How does she even know where there is? She reads my mind again and answers the question. "Glenn told 'em. He had to. I tried to stop 'em- Merle, the Governor, and all of 'em- but they don't listen. Not to women. Those pigs get to do what they want with no repercussions."

"Glenn and Maggie are okay? You found 'em?"

"They're hurt, but your people have 'em now. They're okay."

The gunshots are gone, now, which means they are, too. Maybe they'll come back for me.

"How 'bout we, uh," Momma takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second. She then looks around the room, her eyes landing on the book on her bedside table. "How 'bout we just sit and read for a little bit, huh? Wait an hour or so. Leave when it's all calmed down. Wanna grab that book?"

She gestures to it and, even though I want more than anything to leave right now and get to Daddy and everyone else, but I know that isn't a choice. So I grab the book, and when Mom sits on the bed, I sit with her.

I lean into Momma's side, and for almost an hour, I listen to her read to me.

And then we're interrupted by a knock on the door. Mom freezes for just a second, and then the knock comes again. She puts the book down and gets off the bed. "Stay here, baby."

When Momma goes to answer the door, I climb out of bed and peek my head out the doorway so I can see her and whoever is at the door. She swings the thing open and a man is standing outside. One of the guys I saw at the gate earlier today. One of the ones who took Maggie and Glenn away.

He can see me- I know because he gave me a little wave- but he knew I was here before he saw me. Because Merle loves to tell everyone all sorts of stuff that ain't their business.

"We've got a late-night show goin' on. You and your kid are invited," the man says to my mom.

"We're good," Mom says, her tone tense.