Rick was silently looking at the view with his binoculars. Nothing in sight apart from a couple of walkers spreading out on the field. Everything seemed so…normal. If you erased those few walkers, you could swear it was a casual morning at home. He liked to take those moments to be alone and to recollect his mind after losing his wife in the most horrible way. As much as it was a tragic event for him, he had to stay strong for the sake of Carl and Judith. He wanted to see them grow into a nice community where they could all start over and build a life for each other. As much as he liked this idea, he knew the group would probably shrink eventually and that the prison could not remain safe forever. The governor was going to come back and it was only a matter of time before he would destroy everything in his sight. They were far from being safe at all and he had to admit that. As he sighed, he heard little steps behind him and turned around to see Carol standing at the door.
"Hey, Carol. Are you okay?" he asked her with a worried face.
"Maggie and Carl found a sick person in block B. He was contaminated by the water that Glenn brought yesterday. "
"But…wouldn't we all be sick by now if it was the case?"
"Maybe something contaminated the water yesterday. I don't really know. We'll have to figure it out sometime. I came here because we are really short on water and it would be the right time to do a run and loot some water bottles at a supermarket."
"Well…, Sasha is supposed to take watch after me. We could go there together. It would give you a chance to get out of this scenery a little bit as you are always at the prison."
"Sure. I'd really enjoy that." she responded with a little spark in the eyes.
"Alright then. Let's meet up at the gate in 30 minutes. Make sure everyone knows about the contaminated water. "
Carol waited a few minutes by the gate after making sure she had everything in her bag. It was the first time she was going on an actual run. She was beyond excited and thrilled to finally contribute in that way for the group. She didn't mind having to keep watch on kids and making food for the group but she liked to believe she could be even more useful if given the chance. Today was finally the opportunity to show why she was still alive after all those months being in the apocalypse. Yes, she has been saved numerous of times before but the truth was that she was tough as nails and she wasn't going to abandon life so easily. She was a survivor in every little way possible.
As she waited, she took a quick look at the job Tyreese and Daryl were doing by the fences. It seemed pretty difficult and asking for a lot of muscles. Carol knew how much work Daryl had been doing around the prison ever since they first arrived. He never spent a day laying around and watching the others do the dirty jobs. Actually, he didn't seem to find time to sleep at all. If he wasn't helping around the prison, he was out doing runs, chasing animals in the woods or keeping watch in a tower. He was always really busy but he didn't seem to complain at all. He liked to feel valued by the others. It was also his way to show he cared about them. He wasn't the most expressive person in the world but he showed his affection in every little thing he did to protect this group. Carol acknowledged that and was really thankful for his constant efforts to keep them safe. If it wasn't for him, she would have died at the farm along with Patricia and Jimmy. She owed him her life. If he was going to be in a dangerous situation one day, she'd like to think she could be the one to save him in return. Daryl looked at her for a split second and returned to work as soon as he noticed she was staring back at him. Carol knew he was probably a bit worried that she was going out there to do a run for the first time. He was always so protective of her ever since she got lost in the tombs. He wanted her to stay safe because he couldn't afford to lose her again.
"Ready?" asked Rick after making sure his colt python was fully charged.
"As ready as I can be." she responded with a little smile.
"Alright. Let's get to the car. Glenn will open us the gate."