The Pack moves quickly, taking out the Walkers. Rick, Daryl, T-Dog and Carl go through the front door and start clearing the first floor of the house. Carl checks the kitchen while Rick checks the pantry. The Prime shines the flashlight on a door inside the small closet and goes to open it, throwing the door open and finding an arrow in his face. Daryl stood on the other side with his crossbow level with Rick's eyes. He lowers it with a chuckle and pulls his Alpha in to scent his neck before moving on. Rick purrs and watches Daryl go into another room, his stomach swollen with their cub.
This was the last house in the area, their last stop before they go looking for the prison. Seven months pregnant, Daryl was past due and they needed to get him in a secure place before he gave birth to the baby. T-Dog follows Daryl upstairs and they hear the others whistle. Down stairs was clear, and the rest of the Pack would be moving in.
Carl opens the door and whistle for the others, Glenn and Maggie being the first ones through. Both Alphas were baring Mating Bites now, the result of a frantic panic from a close encounter with a herd a few weeks before. Next was Sophia and Carol; Carl scents the young Omega with a purr. Soon he would ask permission to court her; she was his best friend. Hershel and Beth follow afterwards, and they close the door. T-Dog comes down empty handed but Daryl had an owl he was plucking and sticking the feathers in a pillow case. No one says anything to him about his obvious nesting instincts, especially when he starts throwing away all the bloody ones. There wasn't enough meat on it for everyone, so they would have to hunt for more later and mix the meat.
They had barely settled down when T-Dog whistled for Walkers, sending everyone back outside to the cars and back to the back roads they'd been driving the last month. They pile out of the cars and make a perimeter while Glenn, Maggie, Daryl and Rick look over the map.
"We have nowhere else to go." Glenn sighs, "When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We won't make it any further south. That takes out three more schools we can't get to."
"The food in the schools are only getting us so far. Most of it, if not all, has already gone bad by the time we get there. We need to find another source, or we make for the prison now. Winter's over for the most part, we can plant when we get walls." Maggie says.
"We head to the prison." Hershel come up to them. "I know you don't like it Daryl, but your past due. We need a place for you to nest and feel comfortable to give birth or we could lose you both."
The Theta hums, looking at the map. "How many did you say there was? 150 head?"
"That was last week." Glenn leans over the map. "Could be twice that now."
"Then we make for the prison." Rick says.
"Mind if we hit the creek. We need to fill up on water and we can boil it later." T-Dog says, gesturing for the Alpha couple to come with him.
"Knock yourselves out, just stay within hearing distance." Rick chuckles.
"Hey." Daryl notches an arrow in his crossbow, "While the others wash their panties, let's go hunt. That bird ain't gonna be enough."
The couple make their way into the trees, both stopping to scent Carl where he was helping Carol and Sophia clean the weapons. They get out far enough to hear if they're needed but still have privacy. Rick is ready when Daryl kisses him, a purr in his throat. They didn't have time alone on the run and hadn't been able to scent each other properly since the night Lori was banished all those months ago. Rick and Carl had both felt it when she finally died and had both felt sad when it happened, even though they felt guilty for it. The Beta hadn't been the best mother or Mate, but the bond was still there, however weak. Rick and Daryl were going to wait to exchange Bites until after the cub was born and they had a place they could stay for a while. They didn't know if it would send Rick into rut or Daryl into another heat.
They simply kiss and scent each other until both of them smelled heavy of the other, then they started hunting. After a few squirrels and a rabbit or two, they found it; the prison. There were Walkers in the fields they would have to clear out, but most of the building was still standing. At the very least, a cell block was.
"That's a damn shame." Daryl looks it over from the hill.
"We can make it work." Rick purrs. "We clear the courtyard first, make camp. If we need to push further, we can. But that's plenty of room for us to live and farm. Let's get the others, see if we can't find a way to get the cars up there from the road."
"Find the tracks." Daryl kicks one of the rails they were walking on.
"I'll follow this down there." Rick nods to the rails, "Go get the others to circle round and try to find them. I'll meet you there." He kisses his Omega again and they split up.
Rick gets to the road and manages to push one of the cars blocking the way to the prison off the road by the time the others meet up with him. Rick grabs some bolt cutters and cuts a hole in the fence, getting everyone through and the hole closed with a wire and metal clasps just as a Walker hits it. The Walkers in the prison yard, and on the outside, follow the Pack while they run to the gate.
"It's perfect." Rick says looking out into the yard. "We need to shut the gate to the inner yard, prevent more from filling in. We could have this place by nightfall."
"How do we shut the gate?" Hershel asks.
"I'll do it." Glenn volunteers, "You guys cover me." Rick almost purrs at how much the Alpha had grown, even just in the month he'd been Mated.
"You, Maggie, T-Dog and Beth, draw as many as you can along the fence, pick them off there. Daryl," Rick turns to his lover, "go to the other tower down there and take point. Carol, Sophia, you two have become good shots. Take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste. I want you two up in this tower. Carl, you and Hershel, are in that one up there. I run for the gate. Go."
Everyone splits up and Glenn grabs the fence for cars to go through, waiting for Rick's signal. The Prime makes sure he has another pair of cables with metal clasps with him before nodding for the Alpha to open the gate.
He moves fast, taking out Walkers as he goes. Daryl shoots one that gets to close, and Rick rumbles his thanks even though his lover can't hear him. Carol attempts to help by shooting another one that gets too close to the Alpha and ends up putting a bullet in the ground between his feet.
"Sorry!" She calls out to him. The others pick off Walkers, making sure each one is a headshot. Rick gets to the fence and kicks one of the Walkers back, closing it and locking it up. He opens the door to the tower inside the yard and shoots a Walker, closing the door before more can get close enough. The Pack waits until he's upstairs before Daryl gives the signal.
"Light 'em up!" Soon it's a free for all, everyone shooting anything moving in the yard without worrying it's one of their own. When the last of the Walkers fall, everyone makes their way to gate. Rick waits for Daryl to join them, the Omega panting with one hand on his hip from running, before opening it up for the Pack.
"OH!" Carol laughs, "We haven't had this much space since the farm!"
Carl and Sophia laugh and run around chasing each other and taking their knives to all the Walkers heads, making sure each one was a kill shot. Rick purrs at the sight of them doing that; as sad as it was that it was a game for them to see how many things they could stab so it didn't come back to hurt them. Glenn finds a Walker trying to get up and kills it, making a fake lunge at Sophia as she passes. The Omega squeals and runs to her mom, laughing. Glenn chuckles and wraps his arm around Maggie's shoulders, purring loudly. Everyone was.
"Let's get our vehicles in and set up camp." Rick calls for their attention, "We need to get all the bodies together and piled up, we'll burn them tomorrow."
Everyone gets to work pulling the cars in and getting their supplies out. Sophia takes one for the team and has Daryl show her how to gut and skin the animals they were going to eat that night, so he wouldn't try to help move the bodies. From the glare he gets from him, Rick can tell the hunter knew the real reason behind the Omega bonding and he wasn't impressed. The Alpha had to laugh.
They have everything set up by dusk and the smell of food has everyone coming together around the firepit. Rick leaves them to it while he walks the fence again; he wanted to make sure they wouldn't be in any danger through the night. Everyone deserves a good night sleep for once. Daryl was on top of the bus, pacing. His cub was kicking up a storm and he needed to do something, so he was guarding the gate. Rick had come by three times by now, doing his walk of the perimeter.
"Here." Carol places a platter of meat on top of the overturned bus and pulls herself up. Daryl helps her keep her balance, then picks up the food. "It's not much, but you need food for your baby and if I don't bring you something you'll try to not eat at all."
While Daryl eats, Carol starts rubbing her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"The rifle, the kickback." Carol shrugs, "Just not used to it."
"Here. Let me." Daryl puts the empty plate down and licks his fingers clean, then presses on the pressure points to loosen up the muscle. "Better get back."
"I don't know. This is pretty romantic." Daryl rolls his eyes at the other Omega while she grins at him, "Want to screw around?"
"Phftt." Daryl blows a raspberry, making Carol laugh, "I've got an Alpha."
"Some like watching Omegas play with each other, pookie." Carol grins and tries to hold in her laugh.
The woman had really come out of her shell, especially since her and Daryl had gone on a run together and the Omega had fought with a street dog over a poncho because the material was soft and warm. Daryl hadn't understood why he wanted it so bad, until Carol explained that he was gathering stuff for his nest for when he had the baby. Carol had watched him kill the dog and take it with them for dinner to gain some of his street cred back, but it was ruined by the dog's tag in his pocket with the word 'Pookie' on it. The damn woman hadn't let him live it down since.
Daryl shake his head and starts making his way down, "I'll go down first."
"Even better." Carol laughs.
"Stop." Daryl huffs out a chuckle of his own. They make it to the group just as Rick does. Daryl nods to his Alpha and goes to see Hershel.
"How are you feeling?" The Elder asks as the Omega sits by him.
"Fine." Daryl grunts, "Little Asskicker going to restless all night, I can tell."
The group laughs. Daryl had taken to calling the baby Asskicker because every kick seemed aimed at his bladder. Carl had been the first to feel the pup, just like they wanted. Daryl had taken to sleeping in Rick's tent with the two of them and Carl had been curled up with them after Lori died, silent tears in his eyes. Daryl was grooming the pup's hair from where it was resting on his stomach when the little Alpha had bolted up with a chirp. It sent both Rick and Daryl on guard until Carl explained he felt like something had hit him in the face. The Omega took his hand and placed it on his still small stomach and wait for another kick. Rick wished they still had cameras to capture the look of pure joy on Carl's face.
"Let's get a good night sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Rick tells his Pack, "I know we're all exhausted, but we just have to push a little more. These Walkers are prisoners and guards, which means their supplies may still be in tack if this place fell early. An infirmary, a commissary."
"An armory?" Daryl asks.
"That would be outside the prison itself but not too far. Food, medicine, weapons; this place is a gold mine. We have to go in and get it though." Rick looks at Daryl, "This place could be made safe enough to have the baby. You're a month overdue because we haven't found a place safe enough for you to nest, not to mention the stress. This could be it."
"Then let's get some sleep." The Theta gets up. Carl follows him to their tent. Rick makes sure everyone was settled before going in and laying down next to them.
…
"I'm going!" Daryl snarls with black eyes. The Pack was watching silently while the Theta and Prime argue.
"You're pregnant Daryl, please." Rick was pleading for the Omega to stay behind in the cleared yard and Daryl wasn't having it.
"You going to make me." Daryl rumbles low.
"No!" Rick glares, "I'm asking you not to."
"I'm going." The Omega glares.
"Fine." Rick snarls, pulling Daryl to him and resting their foreheads together. "But you stay with one of us at all times."
Daryl's eyes soften as he looks at his Alpha; the man was fighting his every instinct to keep him and their cub safe and still respect Daryl's boundaries and the Theta wasn't making it easy. "I'll stay right next to you; hell, you can put me in the middle if you want. But I have to be able to protect our Pack, just like you. How would you feel if I wasn't pregnant but was taking Carl in there, and was trying to keep you on the other side of that gate?"
"Like hell." Rick deflates, "I'm sorry."
"Silly Alpha." Daryl kisses him. "Let's go."
T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie, Rick and Daryl all go through the gate into the inner courtyard, keeping in a tight circle and killing all the Walkers. The others stay on the fence and kill as many as they can through it. They get the first part clear and when they go to turn the corner, Rick pulls them up against the wall with a curse. A smaller fenced in courtyard was filled with Walkers and open.
A few Walkers come out with riot gear and they have to break to take them out.
"DARYL!" Rick knocks a Walker over and pulls the gate close, the Omega right behind him with the cable and clasps. Once it's on they kill the Walkers in gear, pulling the helmet up enough to reach the brain.
"Stop." Rick tells Glenn before he can open the gate for the others.
"But it looks secure?"
"Not by the look of that courtyard it ain't." Daryl points to the fence with the Walkers behind it. "And that's a civilian. Means there's a breach somewhere."
"The inside could be swarming with Walkers from the outside." T-Dog groans.
"What do we do?" Glenn asks, "If there's walls down, we can't rebuild this place."
"We have to push in." Rick moves for the door to the neck cell block while Maggie runs over to inform the others.
When she meets them at the door, Rick opens it. The first few feet are empty of anything and passed the second door is a small rec center. Maggie goes to check one of the doors leading further into the prison, while Glenn checks the one to the cell block. Both are locked. Daryl and T-Dog check for Walkers and Rick goes up to the guard shack. He finds a man who had opted out and pulls off his keys, showing them to his Pack below. They open the door to the cell block first, checking all the cells for any Walkers. Rick checks the door in the back and finds it locked then makes his way up to the second landing to check the cells with Daryl. They find two Walkers locked in the last two cells and are quick to get rid of them. They throw them over the railing and have Glenn and T-Dog remove them while the others come inside.
"It's secure?" Carol asks, looking around.
"This cell block is." Rick purrs, happy to provide his Pack with a new home.
"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asks.
"In the morning we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary."
"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asks, horrified. She was looking at one of the cells that had a dead inmate still in it, blood splattered on the walls and mattress from him opting out.
"I found some keys on some guards. Daryl has a set too." Rick says.
Everyone starts looking for different cells to claim as their own. Carl puts his stuff in one of the cells and looks up to see Carol and Sophia in the doorway. The Omega smiles up at her mom and puts her stuff up on the top bunk. Carl looks at the Lambda in shock.
"I'll let Rick and Daryl know, ok?" Carol just smiles and nods before moving into the next one. Sophia pats the bottom mattress and Carl sits down while she pulls out some cards for them to play. Carl purrs and takes his cards from his Mate-to-be.
Glenn and Maggie chose their own cell and check each other over for bites or scratches. Rick goes up to the second level and finds Daryl cleaning his bow and knives in one of the last cells. He sits next to him and kisses his neck, causing the Omega to huff. He pushes the Alpha away and then sighs. "This is it."
"What do you mean?"
"This is where I'll nest." Daryl looks at the cell, "I'll hang some sheets or something up on the bars for a bit of extra privacy when I go into labor. The door closes but the lock is weak enough for me to push it out if I feel too cooped up. You can't open it by just pulling on it from the outside though, already checked. Got a view of the whole block from right out the door, and I can even see most of the courtyards too. It's perfect."
"That mean-?"
"Our baby could be here tomorrow." Daryl smiles.
….
They go out and find the armory later that day, as well as pulling off anything they can from the Walkers. They would need anything they can get to help them while they check the inner tunnels of the prison. Glenn brings spray paint so they can map their way back. Carl stays behind with Carol, Beth, and Sophia. Daryl pushed to come again, not wanting to stay locked in the cell block while Rick could be facing a herd.
Daryl opens the door and locks it behind them and Glenn makes the first arrow before they make their way down. They turn a corner and run into a herd. Maggie and Glenn get separated and when the herd passes, Rick and the others double back to look for them. Hershel passes a Walker that hadn't moved before when he thinks he hears Maggie, and the Walker comes alive, biting into his leg. He trips and screams, alerting the Pack. Rick comes back with a roar and shoots the Walker drawing the herd back on them. T-Dog and Glenn grab Hershel and Rick grabs Maggie who had started wailing at the sight of a bite on her dad's leg. Daryl kills a few Walkers to buy the group time to get away, and they're chased into the Cafeteria. Daryl and T-Dog block the door and barricade it with T-Dog's crowbar.
"Hold him down." Rick pulls off his belt. Daryl sees where it's going and puts all his weight in keeping the man's legs still, instructing Glenn to do the same. The Prime uses his belt as a tourniquet then grabs his hatchet. "Only one way to keep you alive. Look away Maggie."
He brings the hatchet down on the man's leg multiple times, severing it above the bite and making sure it was completely cut off.
"He's bleeding out." Rick says. Hershel had passed out from the pain and shock, and the Prime wanted to howl his pain and fear.
"Rick, down." Daryl stands up with a flashlight and his crossbow ready, shining it on the figures in the kitchen window. The Omega could smell four Alphas and a Beta and was suddenly extremely glad he was wearing a baggy shirt to cover the swell of his stomach. Rick's growl and red eyes when he faces them sends all five men away from the window.
"Holy fuck."