Silence was a rare thing in the prison these days. Even early mornings weren't sacred anymore. Since the population boom of the Woodbury residents seeking sanctuary a month ago, space and quite was a dwindling commodity. But despite this, the prison residents were happy. For the first time in a long time, peace settled over them.
Rick lifted his hand and rubbed his temples, keeping his tired eyes closed in the vein hope of falling back asleep. The cell he slept in, while sparsley furnished compared to the others was barren except for his weapons, his meager supple of clean clothes and a small photo tacked to the stone wall. A wooden table that had been savaged from the lower levels a few weeks ago held his weapons in various stages on deconstruction for cleaning.
Next to the table was an empty cot. Judith slept here when she wasn't in the arms of her protective brother Carl or adoptive and doting family. Though they weren't related they were family in every sense except for blood. And Judith had a loving family.
Screams and cries of children filtered from the kitchen area next to the cellblock. The prison wasn't small in any sense, but the stones walls and metal bars did nothing to stop the noise from travelling. Rick had got off from patrol only a few hours ago but he knew that it was all the sleep he was going to get.
With a sigh Rick slowly sat up, massaging his neck as his bare feet touched the cold floor. Glancing to his left, he saw the faint light filter through the off white sheet that he placed over the metal bars for privacy. It was a trend with a lot of the residents where privacy was a scarce. It was a prison after all.
Getting dressed in his battered but clean clothes, he put together his dismantled gun and pulled aside his curtain. Sliding the door open he barely stepped one foot out of the door when a small boy cut him off running past, trying to get away from a frazzled mother.
"I'm sorry Rick," she said breathlessly rushing past trying to catch her young son.
"S'alright," he replied with a small smile watching the kid get cornered and went squealing into her arms. Stepping out, he looked down at the cellblock floor to see people get ready for the day.
While most of the adult have various jobs, the children would be in school. Or what passed for a school. They managed to clean out a sizable room that used to be a break room for the guards with Carol taking the teaching position.
As he walked down the balcony, he eyes unconsciously darted into the empty cells. Every one was taken in this block with plans of clearing and securing another block close by. Catching the eyes of a few stragglers, each smiling and say good morning, Rick replied in kind and headed down the stairs and into the kitchen area.
"Is everyone here? Does everyone have their buddy?" Carol called out clearly over the mass of fidgeting children.
"Yes, Mrs. Carol," the children replied in unison.
The youngest child, apart from Judith who was sucking her fist in Beth's arms, was sixteen months old. The eldest was Tony, who was fourteen. The younger kids were easier to keep in the school but the ones over a certain age were harder to keep interested. Espically Carl. Who, as Rick looked over the children, was nowhere to be seen.
Carol who spotted Rick standing off to the side, smiled but shrugged her shoulders lightly when she noticed his expression. She didn't know where Carl was either. Carol with the help of two of the woman from the Woodbury group walked the children out of the room. Their noise slowly disappeared until it was almost silent in the block.
"Morning."
Rick turned to see Beth smile up at him. Rick smiled in return and looked down at his beautiful daughter. Carefully, he lifted Judith out of Beth's arms and gently rocked his baby girl who crooned and smiled up to her father.
"How was she last night?" Rick asked.
"An angel," Beth smiled, looking at Judith lovingly. "Like always. Slept through the night and woke up an hour ago. Raising a baby is nothing like my mama always said it was. All I heard growing up was horror stories about sleepless nights and projectile vomiting."
"It's early days yet," he replied, "We might still have that in years to come. Are you heading into the playroom?"
"Yeah," Beth replied, taking Judith again as Carl passed her over. "Olivia and Rollo are already there. Apparently they didn't give their mothers the best nights."
Olivia and Rollo were the other babies in the group. If the baby's had rough night they would be taken to the playroom, next to the school room, that had cots and beds available for the mother and child. It kept the noise away from the sleeping families in the cells. They both walked out of the kitchen area down the corridor.
"Has Carl been around?" Rick asked.
"I saw him heading off with Daryl at dawn," Beth said carefully.
It was clear to everyone that Carl was having issues. Not only of his attitude was directed at the Woodbury group.
"Maybe he just needs time," Beth suggested carefully.
"He's had time," Rick replied. "They have been here a month and his attitude hasn't changed. I don't think he's been to school all week."
Beth didn't say anything. What could she say?
"Are you going salvaging today?" Beth asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," Rick replied. "We'll have to take the vehicles further. We've cleaned out the towns near here."
"I guess that's what happens when we have more people to feed."
"You sound like Carl," Rick said.
"I'm sorry," Beth said pulling a face. "I didn't mean-"
"It's okay," Rick interrupted. "I know taking them has made life a lot harder. Hell, we were struggling with just our group. But would you have done it another way?"
Beth paused for a few seconds before replying quietly, "No. I don't think there was another way."
They walked in companionable silence as they reach the open courtyard door.
Rick said goodbye to Beth and Judith as they continued down the corridor to the playroom and he headed out into the Georgian morning heat. The yard was nearly empty with the exception of an elderly couple pruning the boxed herb garden and a group of people building the playground and benches.
Walking up to the fence, he looked out onto the grass. After the fight with The Governor, this area wasn't secure. Walkers and their rotting corpses littered the lawn. But the weeks following they cleaned into up and secured the area enough that the residents were planting crops. It would be months before they saw anything grow, but it filled Rick with pride to see it in this new world. It was still early days but they were building a comfortable life here.
But he was still careful. Gunshots could be heard in the next field. A line of people, both young and old were aiming rifles, shotguns and handguns at a line of tin cans sat on a makeshift wooden ledge. Everyone over the age of thirteen was trained in both weapons and self-defense. Although they had carved out a new life for themselves, there was still a sense of threat hanging over the prison. Rick doubted whether it would ever leave them. He only allowed 30 minutes of practice with a certain amount of ammo to be used. He wanted people trained to protect themselves, but they just didn't have the ammunition to waste.
Usually Rick, Michonne, Glenn or Tyreese would be teaching them to handle weapons. But days when they go on runs, Sasha and Maggie took over. Maggie could handle herself fine on runs, and would take over from Tyreese if it were a medical run. But today was all about supplies.
Even though he was early, everyone was already ready. Run days had a way of exciting people. Walking over to the vehicles, Rick saw Daryl preparing his motorbike with Glenn checking under the jeeps bonnet. Since Dale had died, he became the unofficial mechanic. A job Glenn still felt under qualified for.
"How's it lookin?" Rick asked Glenn as he approached.
Rick looked into the engine. Glenn tightened up something in the bowls of the grimy car and straightened up.
"It'll run," Glenn said heavily, not enthusiastically. "But I can't stress how much we need a new belt. We pushed this one to fit and it's wearing thin already."
"Alright," nodded Rick, and clapped Glenn on the shoulder. "Hopefully this new town will have something usable."
"How much do we know about this town?" Tyreese asked walking out of the outdoor storeroom turned armory carrying the runs weapons. Michonne followed behind, her katana on her hip, she gave Rick a small nod.
"Not much," Rick admitted. "Just it's location on the map."
"I went there in school once. It has a lame natural history museum."
Rick turned to see his son, Carl, walking out of the armory carrying his silenced handgun hanging from his loose holster on his hip.
"Speaking of school," Rick said turning to his son. "Isn't there somewhere you should be?"
"What I'm I going to learn there that I can use?" Carl replied.
"We had a deal. You could come on runs if you went to classes. Beth told me last night you'd hadn't been all week."
Carl looked down at his feet, Rick's old sheriffs hat shielding his eyes from his fathers view.
Glenn interrupted the awkward silence by slamming the car bonnet closed. Rick sensing the tension walked up to his son and pulled he to the side. Maggie and Sasha called a halt to the gunfire in the distance and things went silent.
"Why should I let go you on this when you have broken our deal?" Rick asked bending down to look Carl in the face.
"I don't see why I have to go to school. It's just something to keep the kids from getting under the adults feet. I'm not like them. I'm useful."
Since his mother's death something in Carl had died. Whether it was his innocence or something more serious, Rick didn't know. But it scared him. And the look Carl had in his eyes was far more knowing than a child's eyes should hold.
"That doesn't change the fact we had a deal," Rick said. "If you want to be treated like a adult, fine. But you honor the deal otherwise why should I?"
Carl gritted his teeth, but nodded his head quickly, conceding to his father.
"You can come today, but it's the last time you will be leaving here until I see you in the classroom," Rick added. "Okay."
"Okay," Carl replied.
Rick breathed out heavily as he looked at his son. Shaking his head, he stood straight and put his hand on Carl shoulder as they walked back to the jeep and car. The vehicles were all lined up, facing the closed gate ready to go.
"Everyone set?" Rick asked, watching Carl climb into the seat behind the passenger seat of the jeep which was currently seating Michonne.
"Yeah," Glenn replied with a nod and walked over to the car, where his fiancé was stood waiting to say goodbye. Tyreese was already in the car, turning the ignition.
"You okay leading?" Rick asked Daryl.
"Ain't I always?" Daryl replied gruffly.
Rick smiled at him as Daryl shifted his crossbow onto his back.
"Let's hope this town is better than the others, huh?" Daryl said getting onto his bike.
"Let's hope," Rick agreed moving to the jeep's driver's door.
Carl didn't say or look at his father as he got in and started the car.
"Are you gonna put your boy down? Or do ya want us to keep watchin?" Tyreese said from the drivers seat in the car as he pulled on Glenn's top. Glenn was stood in the open passenger door kissing Maggie goodbye, ignoring the tugs on his shirt.
"I'd thought since he put that rock on 'er finger, things could have cool'd down a touch with 'em," Daryl said through the jeep's open windows to Tyreese.
Rick shook his head and watched as Glenn got into the car and shot everyone a look that said it all. Daryl snorted and moved to the front of the cars. Maggie slid the gate open and Daryl slowly led the way. With Rick behind him and Tyreese following behind. Rick's eyes automatically went to the rear view mirror to watch Maggie close and lock the gates.
Heading down the sloped drive, Daryl slowed to allow Sasha to open the bottom gate. Rick watch as Hershel got up from his seat at the gate and hoped to the roadside. Once Daryl was through, Rick stopped the car besides the old man.
"I don't think I need to tell you to be careful," Hershel said softly. His warm eyes locking onto Ricks.
"Doesn't hurt to hear it every now and then," Rick replied with a warm smile.
Hershel smiled and stepped away from the car.
As the convoy made their way out of the prison, people from the fields halted their work to watch them leave. Like every time they go, the atmosphere was mixed. Apprehensive because the main fighters were leaving, but also hopeful. That maybe this haul would be better than the last.