NOTE: about this chapter – with the prison fall's everyone's team up and following scenes would be the same from the show. The only difference is that Merle and Hunter end up with Judith. Ty only has Lizzie and Mika (so crazy scenes still ensue – with the Lizzie/Mica/Flower business and Carol).
Chapter Two – About This Life
"Daryl, Michonne made it back to us before you, we thought that…" Rick's voice trailed off. He, Hershel, and Carol were standing with them outside the compound.
"Nah. Merle took out the Governor. He found her." Daryl was cleaning his new bolts, for his crossbow. He looked up and nodded towards Hunter.
"Why would Merle do that?" Carol asked.
"To prove he was one of us." Hershel surveyed the three around him. "To prove he was playing on our side. You did ask him where he belonged, didn't you Carol?" Carol nodded.
"What about the girl?" Rick asked.
"She just needed some help, is all. That's why we are alive, helping others." Daryl mumbled under his breath. "Couldn't let another little girl die." He looked Rick in the eyes, then walked away towards Hunter and Beth.
"Beth is going to give me some clothes, so these can get washed. Thanks' for bringing me back here. It's been a long time since I felt safe. I've been on my own for a couple months now…" Hunter smiled at him, genuinely. He shivered slightly, then moved away from her.
"Come on, Hunter, you can help me with Judith and I will get you some clothes together." As they entered into C Cell Block, Rick was sending Glenn and Daryl along with Michonne to Woodbury to let them know what had happened and to take in anyone who wanted to return with them.
Merle was resting in the lookout, where Daryl normally slept. He nodded at Hunter when he saw her enter and she smiled back at him. Beth shot her a weird look. "He didn't have to save me, if he had kept walking he would have ran into Daryl later down the road, and I would be dead." Hunter informed Beth smiling. "He is scary though."
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Several members of the Woodbury community had decided to return to the prison with them. Among those who came to Woodbury were Zach, Patrick, David, Ryan Samuels, Lizzie Samuels, Mika Samuels, Henry, Chloe, Norris, Caleb Subramanian, Luke, Molly, Sasha, and Ty. Beth soon started a relationship with Zach, her first read dating since the turn. Both Merle and Hunter pretty much stayed away from the group, doing what was needed as it was needed. Most days were spent reinforcing the chain length walls. The sickness broke out, Merle fell sick. Daryl found Bob Stookey on a run for supplies. As the sickness grew worse and worse, Hershel implored someone to go to the veterinarian hospital about 80 miles away to get medication to help the sick feel better. Rick took Carol on a run with him for supplies and forced Carol to leave the camp, once he discovered that she had killed the first two sick, including Karen – Rick had not returned when Daryl decided to make a push for the vet hospital. Hunter cooked and prepared food for the well and the sick in C Block, while the children remained locked away. Hunter washed clothing, and gathered what was needed for Hershel, even helping Hershel dispose of the bodies as needed. Mostly she was by herself, neither sick nor well. Watching a true family cope and work together.
As Daryl prepared to make the run with Bob and Michonne, Hunter fixed a quick lunch they could enjoy, even preparing extra incase Ty decided to join them after all. She packed the lunch carefully, including extra waters and exited the first set of gates to meet them. Daryl gave her an almost smile "Look after Merle while I am gone." She nodded.
"I will, I will look in on him, I promise. I will help Hershel in any way I can!" Hunter threw her arms around him in a quick hug, then backed away knowing he didn't like human contact.
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Once inside the prison once more she checked on Carl as he was keeping watch over the children. "I'm going to give Hershel some help. OK? Do you know where the food supplies I packed up here are?" Carl nodded.
As she turned to walk away Carl called after her, "Hunter, thank you. Thank you for taking care of us… With the adults all freaking out."
"No problem, it's just what I do!" Hunter waved him off then slipped into the quarantined cell block. "HERSHEL!" Her voice echoed, then she slipped in, securing the lock behind her.
"Over here Hunter." Hershel was working with Merle, keeping him comfortable, and secure.
"What do you need doctor?" Hunter asked, smiling.
"Could you lock all the doors? I think Glenn, Sasha and I should be fine." She smiled at him, locked up the cells with everyone resting. She made her way into the fresh air, smiled as she saw Rick return. The resumed her time at the wall, stabbing Walkers with the pikes they had created. Keeping watch as needed. Maggie dedicated herself to the guard tower OR stabbing walkers. Daryl returned in due time with medicine for those who were sick. Hunter continued helping Hershel where she could, and she moved the cars around to where Rick wanted them, stocked them with gas, and worked on keeping the graves tidy. She was not sure yet where she fit in.
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Hershel and Michonne decided that those who died from Woodbury from the sickness should be burned before being placed in the ground. So they loaded the bodies with Hunter's help, and she let them out the front gates. She locked it behind her and waved at them. She moved back up the hill and found Daryl, he was talking to Rick, heatedly. Clearly it was about Carol, she planned to turn away from them and pretend she didn't hear anything, but Daryl angry took off down the stairs and slammed into her, it knocked her on her butt. He grunted "Sorry." Then continued on in his path.
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Martinez saw his moment and seized it. He grabbed Hershel while Michonne was digging and carried him backwards into the wood and into a small truck. "You help me, I'll help you." When Michonne turned around she noticed Hershel was gone. She looked all over, even calling his name. She radioed to Rick to let him know that something was not right.
"We should tell Ty and let him decide." Daryl screamed at him.
"We will, ok, we will. First we need to figure out what happened with Hershel." Rick stood with Carol, Daryl, and Maggie.
"Someone took him." Maggie growled.
Hunter bounced Judith on her hip, smiling and cooing at her. It was nice to be forgotten, you could listen in on everything. Daryl was displeased "First we talk to Ty, then I will track Hershel. He can take care of himself."
The whole prison shook, violently. "What was that?" Beth cried out. Everyone started panicking, racing around. Rick ran from the cell block out into the yard. Hunter wasn't sure what was going on exactly, she just held Judith to her and walked to a window. There was a man screaming at Rick, with Hershel on the ground on his knees in front of him. The next few minutes seemed like slow motion. Rick standing there trying to make things work with this man. From nowhere the man showed Michonne's blade which had been taken from her, he rested it on Hershel's neck. The moment seemed to stop, the blade came down, then across, Hershel's head leaving his body. Merle had joined her perch, recently feeling well enough to leave the quarantined section. "We got to go, sis." He whispered to her. "That's Martinez, governor's handyman." She recalled briefly being told about who the governor was. He was tugging on her, she followed him, grabbing a go bag of Judith's things in case of emergency. Merle drew his pistol, she grabbed her own smaller crossbow as she ran after him.
Into the courtyard, then across the grass. Judith tucked tight to her, they saw the bus leave and in the distance they could see Beth and Daryl. Merle tried to motion to them to no prevail, he pushed her into the woods, moving quickly. "Go!" He barked at her. They were running, hard in the woods, moving past walkers as fast as they could, only killing the ones they needed to. The prison was ablaze, and with it, the walkers were moving towards the flames.
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"Climb." Merle barked at her. She climbed the steep latter, into a tree house near an abandoned farm they had found. "You alright?"
She nodded as he climbed up to join her. "Judith should be good."
Merle looked angry. "Little lady she is a fucking liability. She's going to get us killed crying. Best to kill her now."
Hunter cut her eyes at Merle. "NO." She looked somewhere between pissed that he would even think about it. "We will return her to Rick, find our family."
"Little sister, they aren't ours. Only Daryl has any reason to keep up around, and we have no clue where he went." Merle rested his body against the tree. Hunter laid down, away from him, with Judith infront of her, she laid the small frayed blanket she had found in the pack over the little one.
"That's not true. We have Judith. We just got to find one or two of them." She snuggled to the baby, wrapping her body around Judith. "If you leave me Merle Dixon I'll kill you." She closed her eyes.
Merle looked over the little girls. Leaving them behind wasn't really an option he had thought about. He would need both, alive, to prove to Officer Friendly that he could be trusted and could be valued in the group.
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Travel with Judith wasn't easy and often they seemed to be a step ahead of the walkers, barely, and a day behind the tracks they had found. They had been alone for seven days. They were running out of food for Judith. They had found rail road tracks, which brought them to a intersection with a sign "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive, Survive. Terminus." Hunter read the sign aloud. "They would go there. All of them. Rick is going to look for somewhere safe. They all should."
Merle nodded. "Yeah, little sis." He thought for a moment. "Let's keep off the tracks and follow the road. Don't know who they are. Don't wanna be seen before we want to be." Hunter nodded, following him as he curved off the road.
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Daryl ran all night, all night. Chasing after the car that took Beth. He screamed, dropped to his knees and screamed. He found himself surrounded by a group of men.
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"Look. Tracks!" Hunter was relieved. They had scavenged what they could but Judith was weak, she and Merle were forgoing food at this point to keep Judith alive. Merle wasn't always the happiest about it.
"They are not from Officer Friendly's group. Too many boots." Hunter nodded at Merle, he chose to follow the tracks anyway and she followed after him. They made camp that night near two hollowed logs. Merle and Judith slept while Hunter took watch. She had got the chance to sleep the night before. They both heard the shots, up ahead in the distance, but knew they couldn't make it to where the noise originated.
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"Look, this is Carls!" Hunter nearly squealed. There were several dead men litered around a car. "It's his knife, I know I cleaned if for him several times."
Merle examined her. "These are bolt holes, not bullet holes. Daryl was here with them."
"Walkers." Hunter breathed, there were walker's all around them. "They must be headed for whatever is burning." Above the tree line there were plumes of smoke, white, and puffy.
"Move." It was an order she was getting used to at this point.
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They were still about a day behind the others when they stumbled upon a building. With Ty standing guard outside it. "TY!" Hunter whispered as he hugged her and Judith.
"What's in there?" Merle asked.
"A man, in a group that Carol sees as a threat. She think's Rick and the others are in there." Ty told them. Bouncing Judith.
"Ty, there is no one in there." Hunter told him peaking though the windows. Panic showed on his face, he looked in himself only to see it empty.
"I got it." Merle entered the cabin, looking for his exit. "I'll do my best to track."
Hunter looked at Merle, "I'll go with him. You keep Judith here with you, ok?"
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"Damn good man." Merle muttered under his breath. They were looping back towards the cabin because he had lost the tracks they were following.
Ahead they saw Carol and Daryl embrace, tears on both their faces. Merle took of running, enveloping both in a hug. Hunter ran after him, smiling when she saw the others. "Judith is with Ty, we left her with him. I did my best." She hugged Rick, his arms tightened around her relieved that one of the children other than Carl was ok.
"Did you do that?" Rick asked as he hugged Carol.
Merle was still talking with Daryl, when Hunter hugged Daryl from behind. He stiffened, thinking of Beth instantly, his breathing increased, and he felt sick. She let him go, and smiled at him. "You're the reason Merle helped me!"