Following their earlier conversation, Rosita did not waste any more time and made one final adjustment to the boat. She wants to leave this place as soon as possible and doesn't want to find out if whoever is out there is brewing some trouble for them.
"It's starting to get cold." Michonne mumbled to herself while carrying a box of canned food inside the cabin.
Rosita finished her final inspection and stepped back from the engine compartment, wiping her hands against an old rag.
"Fuel's topped off. Oil's good. Bilge pump works. Both engines are running." She looked over the boat one more time. "I think we're ready."
Jack climbed aboard with the last gas can and secured it inside the aft compartment.
"That's the last of it."
Michael glanced toward the dock, then back at the others.
"Everyone ready?"
Michonne was already seated near the bow, her katana resting beside her. She adjusted the collar of her jacket and looked at him.
"Yeah."
"Good to know." Michael climbed aboard last, checking the mooring lines before Jack cast them off. "Keep your jackets tight because this is going to be a cold ride from here."
Jack zipped up his jacket. "I would've preferred somewhere warmer."
Rosita laughed quietly. "You knew it's winter, right?"
"I know. I just didn't expect the trip to Florida to start with freezing my ass off on a boat."
"You weren't complaining when we were driving up here."
Jack didn't want to argue and sighed. "Just don't sink the boat, man."
"I won't."
Rosita moved inside the cabin and toward the helm before settling into the driver's seat.
Michael followed her and stopped beside the console.
"Are you sure about this?" Michael asked, watching her hands settle onto the controls.
"I fixed her. So I get to drive her." Rosita didn't look over. "Sit down before I change my mind and make you do it instead. That is, if you can."
Michael raised both of his hands and sat down without another word. If she wanted to drive the boat, he would leave it to her.
"Hold on."
The engines caught easily this time and both settled into a low, steady growl that carried out over the still water. Rosita eased them away from the dock slowly and carefully, giving the hull time to find its balance before she pushed the throttle any further.
Behind them, the dock shrank from their view — the empty boat slips, the tree line where they'd found the boot print two nights before, all of it folding back into shadow as the distance grew.
Nobody looked back for long. Whatever waited for them in Florida, they were already committed to the journey.
"How long will it take to clear the coastline?" Jack asked, bracing himself against the rail as the boat picked up speed.
"In several minutes, the coast is not far from here. Can't you smell the sea breeze?" Rosita's eyes stayed on the water ahead, scanning for anything half-submerged that could tear the hull open before they'd even gotten started. "After that, we'll move through the ICW."
"ICW? What's that?" Michael asked as he settled into the seat beside her, watching the surroundings slide past. The longer the boat traveled, the farther they moved from land.
"Intracoastal Waterway," Rosita replied.
Somewhere not far from them, a house sat near the dock. It was partially hidden behind a wall of pine trees and overgrown brush. Its faded exterior blended into the surrounding woods, the paint long since worn away by years of weather. From the outside, it looked abandoned.
But there was someone watching.
"They're gone," the younger voice whispered.
The man standing behind him didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the dock where the boat was slowly moving away.
The boat continued farther into the water, its wake spreading behind it as it disappeared beyond the trees.
"I wonder where they're headed," the older man replied in a gruff voice.
"Who cares? But..." The younger voice hesitated. "Shouldn't we have done something to stop them?"
"And risk getting ourselves hurt? No way. Besides, we're not going to use that boat anymore. Let's just hope that they won't come back after this."
"Should we prepare just in case?"
"Yeah. It's not a bad idea to prepare for the worst."
Michael noticed Jack deep in thought while gazing back from where they came from.
"Everything alright?" Michael asked, catching the look on his face.
"Yeah." Jack turned back toward the open water. "I'm just thinking about what fate Florida has in store for us."
"Probably more walkers."
Jack chuckled. "Probably."
Michael stood and stretched. "Come on. Let's head inside. It's cold out here, man."
Jack nodded but remained where he was for another moment, gazing toward the horizon.
"This cold makes me want to have a drink." he muttered before following Michael inside.
"Hey, you think those people will be fine without us?" Jack asked, settling into the seat behind Michonne.
"They'll be fine. There's nothing in the nearby areas strong enough to threaten them anymore." Rosita replied.
"I'm talking about those officers who were brought from the hospital. I don't really trust most of them. They're fishy." Jack said while looking at Michael.
Michael gave a small smile. "They're gonna be fine. We have a lot of people capable of keeping them in check."
"You're not talking about Rick, right? That guy is soft and too distracted right now." Jack shook his head. He had little faith in the man right now, especially with everything he was dealing with.
"We'll see." Michael gave him a knowing smile.
Back at the prison, a commotion was already taking place.
Just as Michael and Jack were discussing them, a situation inside the prison was beginning to escalate.
"What's happening? What did you do to him?!"
"Oh him? I just stumbled upon a beast trying to assault someone. So I just did what a sane man would do, beat him up. He's lucky he's still breathing after what he tried to do." Merle chuckled as he held Gorman by the hair. The man's face was bloodied and swollen.
He then threw him onto the ground like a dirty rag.
"H-help me.."