For Those We Remember
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Hello every one! I've gotten some really positive feedback from the last two chapters. So I'm glad to put out this next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.
"Talking"
Thoughts
*****Seven Months Earlier*****
I avoided looking at the flames as I put my scope on the group of men. I was at least fifty feet away in between the trees and hidden under a grey sheet. I monitored my breathing carefully as my finger squeezed the trigger. As always the shot came as a shock to me as my rifle softly gasped and the bullet found its mark. I watched and heard as one of the men shout in pain as he collapsed onto the ground and grabbed at his knee. The other men paused in their actions as they looked at their downed companion. One moved to help and I placed my scope on him and fired, the bullet caught him in the stomach. The rest panicked as they ran for their vehicles and I managed to pick off three more men before the rest jumped into two cars and sped away leaving a lone car in a field full of wounded men.
I stepped out of the tree line and began walking toward the downed men. They screamed and groaned in pain as most of them were still alive. I ignored them as I stopped at the feet of two girls. Both had been gagged and been stripped naked, their abused bodies laid out bare amongst the night sky. One of them was older, perhaps sixteen and the other was a girl of ten. The older girl was in a bad way. One of her legs was bent wrong and she was covered in blood, semen, and piss. Both girls were passed out so I took out my pistol and shot the older girl first. The silencer kept the gunshot to a whisper. I turned and trained the pistol on the younger girl and paused as her one good eye looked at me.
Come on. Just end it.
Without knowing why I holstered my handgun and walked toward the side of the girl and sat next to her unworried about the filth on the ground. With care I lifted her head and placed it on my lap and untied the gag. The corners of her mouth were scabbed over and rubbed raw, evidence of her attempts to either scream or bite through the leather belt. She rasped something out and I nodded. With care I opened my canteen and poured some water into her open mouth and she swallowed gratefully.
Coward.
"I knew—you'd come for us. Oh dad." She whispered in a broken voice as tears came to her eyes but refused to fall.
You're not her father.
"It's alright love. I'm here." I said as I brushed my fingers through her hair.
No you're not.
"Are the bad men gone?" She asked.
Maybe in ten minutes.
"All gone." I promised and her breathing became unsteady.
"I didn't cry. Like you told me…I'm a big girl now, right? I'm a big girl." She repeated as she let out a chocked out sob.
She cried. You know she did. Stop it. Kill her. End her.
"I know you are. You are such a big girl. You are my special girl. I'm so proud of you." I whispered to her reassuringly.
Proud? I can taste the bile on the back of your tongue. Her weakness is sickening.
"Lindsey…is she okay?" The girl asked.
She's dead. You killed her.
"She's sleeping now. I'll have to fix her leg and she needs her strength before I can do that." I lied as the girl nodded.
Liar.
"Dad…dad I hurt." She whimpered.
The weak will never inherit the Earth.
"I know. I know baby girl. Just close your eyes and try to sleep. It'll be better in the morning. I'll keep you safe. No one is going to harm you anymore. I promise." I watched as she closed her eyes obediently.
Sheep. They are all sheep. Do what you do as a wolf.
With practiced ease I pulled out my pistol and held it half an inch away from her head and yet I hesitated.
What are you doing?
"I don't want to." I whispered and almost dropped my gun, I was so unused to my voice.
"Daddy?" The girl asked.
It doesn't matter. You'll do it.
I squeezed the trigger and watched as her face jerked away and saw the blood, bone, and brains sprinkle along the grass. In the fire light it looked black. Black as my heart, black as my soul, black as the rot in my brain. I laid the girl's head down and saw a few of the men had grown still. I pulled out a screwdriver and stabbed each of them in the head. As I finished the last of them off I heard the tell-tale rasping of a walker. I turned and saw it was the older sister, Lindsey, who was pushing herself onto her feet only to fall almost comically as her broken leg could not sustain her weight.
"I missed the brain." I said numbly as I watched Lindsey try to stand.
You said you'd help her. Help her.
I followed the voice's direction and walked over to the down sister. With little thought and a lot of muscle memory I knelt next to her and stabbed the screwdriver into her eye finally giving her the rest she deserve. I couldn't bring myself to stand and I sat on my ass just looking at the corpses in the fire light. With nothing left to do I rubbed my eyes with the back of my wrists.
Take your time boy.
"Fuck you." I whispered and brushed the phantom of my father away with my mind.
I pushed my emotions to the back of my chest. I stood up and quickly searched the bodies finding a few lighters, some ammo, and taking what I could. I piled everything I found in the trunk of the car that was left behind from my attack. With nothing else to loot I turned back to the field and spat on the ground.
"Let the dead have this place." I whispered and ducked inside the car.
I put on the seat belt and put the keys into the ignition. Within seconds I was on a road leading nowhere. I didn't look back.
*****Present Day*****
I gasped as I sat up and raised my pistol to the door way. I tried to focus my breathing and slow my heart rate with little success. Seeing no immediate danger I pressed the length of the barrel against my temple which was dripping with sweat. The coolness of the metal grounded me and I could feel my lungs finally listen to my orders and I breathed in slowly and exhaled. My heartbeat slowed soon after and I remembered where I was.
I was in a small family feed store. The entrances had all be boarded up and I had slept on a floor covered in hay. I looked up at the wall and counted the lines I had etched there with a knife.
Two hundred and twenty six days. Nearly a year since I've seen anyone from my group. Probably dead.
"I can't think like that." I reassured myself as I pulled my backpack toward me and pulled out a map from the side pocket.
I tracked them from the C.D.C to the highway. Then I had to run to avoid that huge pack of walkers. That costed me. Maybe cost me too much. By the time I had out ran the herd, ran into those fucking animals, and managed to pick up the scent, all that was left was a burnt down barn, death and walkers.
I folded the map carefully despite the frustration that rose in my chest. I replaced the map and shoved my hand into the bag before pulling out a glass mason jar pulled of preserved peaches.
Got to love the country.
I carefully opened the glass jar and was about to dig in when I heard the sound of a car outside. Without a sound I closed the jar and crept toward the boarded up windows. I peeked through but it seemed like the car had already taken a turn and headed back toward a town I had just cleared out. Without thinking I grabbed my bag and quietly slipped out.
Hopefully no one stumbles across this place.
I thought as I slipped out and followed the direction the car had been heading in.
*****An Hour Later*****
"There's nothing in there. God." Maggie sighed morosely as she and Glenn exited the abandoned food store.
"It looks like someone got here before us. Recently too." Glenn spoke cautiously as he scanned the small town.
"How do you know?" Maggie asked as she too felt for her pistol.
"There's dust all over the shelves but anything that was still in there and taken has left a clean spot. A clean spot in the apocalypse? I don't trust it." Glenn said assuredly.
"We need to get back from the prison. Tell them that there might be other people around here." Maggie said as she placed her hands on her hips.
"It's going to be a long ride back. I'm supposed to be better at this. I'm supposed to find things." Glenn said more so to himself than anyone.
"Hey, hey. It's not your fault. Don't beat yourself up too much. They'll understand. At least you got that one thing right?" Maggie asked and Glenn sighed as he picked the only thing that was in his shopping basket.
"Yeah. Rick will be happy I brought this back." Glenn eyed the can of baby formula.
"And where is it you good people call it home!" The raspy voice called out as the familiar sound of a hammer cocking back froze both Glenn and Maggie before they pulled their guns and turned toward their aggressor.
"Merle?" Glenn asked in disbelief.
In response to their reveal Merle paused before shaking his head in disbelief. A guffaw escaped his body as he lowered his pistol to the ground and raised one hand and the other some sort of metal protective cap with a blade attached to it.
"Wow." Merle exclaimed as he took a few steps forward.
"Hey! Back the hell up!" Maggie threatened as she stepped forward with her pistol in front.
"Okay, okay, honey. Jesus." Merle said as he took a few steps forward.
"You made it." Glenn said although his tone could be interpreted as disappointment and not relief.
"Can you tell me? Is my brother alive?" Merle asked as he wiped some of the blood away from his nose.
"Yeah." Glenn answered bluntly and Merle seemingly nearly folded in on himself.
"Hey, you uh, take me to him and I'll call it even on everything that happened up there in Atlanta. No hard feelings huh?" Merle offered before he noticed Glenn eye his right arm nervously.
"Oh this? I found myself in a medical supply warehouse and fixed this up myself. Pretty cool huh?" Merle asked as he gently moved his right arm around.
"We'll tell Daryl you're here and he'll come out here to meet you." Glenn finally said.
"Woah. Hold up now, hold up." Merle took a few more steps forward and only stopped when Glenn cocked back the hammer.
"Listen, the fact that we found each other in itself is a miracle. Come on now. You can trust me." Merle pleaded.
"You trust us. You stay here." Glenn threatened.
"No!" Merle yelled out as he shot sending Glenn for cover as he tackled Maggie and grabbed her from behind.
A second later Glenn ran from around their car and pointed his gun at Merle who had his knife at her throat and a gun pointed at him.
"Hold up buddy! Hold up." Merle warned.
"Let go of her! Let go of her now!" Glenn yelled as his eyes went wild looking for any way to turn the tables.
"Put the gun in the car right now. Put it in the car now son." Merle ordered and hesitantly Glenn dropped the gun in through the broken window.
"There we go. Now we're going to go for a little drive." Merle said.
"We're not going back to our camp." Glenn said shaking his head.
"No. We're going someplace else. Get in the car Glenn! You're driving." Merle ordered and despite himself Glenn walked around the car and got into the passenger seat.
Merle quickly dragged Maggie to her feet and pushed her into the back seat and then himself, all the while his gun was trained on the side of Maggie's head.
"Turn the car around and keep driving." Merle ordered and Glenn carefully turned the car and put it back on the main road.
Unbeknownst to them the drama had unfolded with one audience member in attendance. Michonne carefully came out from around the car she had been hiding behind. With a few pained footsteps accompanied with some grunts she walked over to the shopping basket with the can of powdered formula still in it. She stooped to grab it and as she stood up she felt a barrel tap against the back of her head before hearing footsteps take four steps back. Out of range for her katana even at full strength.
"You're bleeding badly from your leg. There's no way to try and get me with your sword. Just turn around slowly." A male's voice ordered and despite her urge to disobey she found her body moving without her consent.
When she turned around she saw a young man dressed in army fatigues. A hunting rifle was hanging from his back and it looked to be fitted with a makeshift silencer same as his pistol which was currently pointed at her. He was had a bandolier draped across his chest. One with a multitude of bullets for his hunting rifle and a gun belt with magazines securely lined on his waist. Whoever this man was, he was dangerous, only further proven as she looked into his eyes. They cut deeply into her and she felt that any threatening move would result in him shooting her with no remorse while doing so. Still she couldn't die here. She had to save Andrea.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"I need to know what you saw. I heard the name Glenn. I might know him." The man explained.
"Might?" Michonne hissed out.
"We've been separated. It's been nearly a year. My family might still be with his group. Now either I shoot you now and try to find my own way or you tell me what you know and I'll clean your wound and stitch you up. Now what's it going to be?" The man asked and Michonne paused carefully weighing her options.
"The man. Merle. He showed up and took your friends." Michonne answered and she almost let out a sigh of relief as the man across from her lowered his gun.
"Anything else?" The man asked.
"Glenn. The Asian kid. He said they had to go back to the prison." Michonne gave up without a fight.
"Prison…oh Rick. You smart some of a bitch. Fuck I knew I should have checked there." The man said as he holstered his gun and smiled at her.
"Let's go inside the supermarket and I'll take a look at your leg. I'm Isaac." Isaac said as he introduced himself only to pause as Michonne frowned at him.
"Hey, it's not like that. Trust me. I'm not an animal. I'm not one of them." Isaac said.
Maybe it was the way he said animal or protested being one of them but Michonne found herself slightly trusting the young man.
"You touch anywhere you're not supposed to and I'll cut your head off." She threatened and Isaac simply smiled and nodded.
With that they both went into the small food store and shut the security gate behind him. Michonne leaned against an abandoned registered as Isaac set up a small camping light. The natural sunlight came in through the windows but direct light made visibility better in the dimly lit store.
"I'm going to tie the belt around your thigh to slow the bleeding while I clean the wound. Is that alright?" Isaac asked and Michonne nodded as she grabbed the handle of her sword.
With practiced ease Isaac looped the belt around her thigh and tightened it almost painfully so causing Michonne's legs to tremble as she let out a pained grunt. With that taken care of Isaac pulled out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and several cotton balls.
"This may hurt." Isaac warned before dabbing the treated cotton ball onto her wound.
"This is a gunshot wound. A graze. We're you running from somewhere or from someone?" Isaac asked and Michonne found herself surprised by how accurate his question was.
"A place called Woodbury and someone." Michonne grunted out.
"Huh. Someone's popular." Isaac poorly teased before coughing, half of it was in embarrassment and half of it was in the simple overuse of his voice.
"Sorry. I haven't talked to many people in a long time." Isaac admitted as he pulled back and dropped the third cotton ball finally cleaning the wound on Michonne's leg to his satisfaction.
"Me neither." Michonne admitted as she looked on in dread as Isaac pulled out a needle, thread and a lighter.
"This is going to hurt. Here. Bite on this." Isaac offered a roll of cloth which Michonne took and placed in her mouth as Isaac finished coating the needle in flame.
*****Three Hours Later*****
Rick felt the comforting weight of his daughter in his arms and smiled as he looked at Carl.
"She looks like you." Rick said and Carl chuckled slightly with his dad.
Rick looked up at his place, their place, with renewed hope. The events of the last couple of hours seemed to melt away as he glanced at the reestablished safe zone of the prison. It had been a risk coming here. While it had cost Herschel a leg, T-Dog his life, and his wife her's, he couldn't imagine being on the outside of the fences any longer than they had. The place he had once sent criminals had now become a new home for his family, for his group, still a lingering doubt flickered through his mind but he quickly banished it away. Something though caught his eye as he looked at the fence. Carefully he handed Carl his sister.
"Hey just—you got her." Rick said trying to find an explanation for what he was seeing.
"Yeah." Carl said.
"Right. Okay." Rick said as he walked down the gravel road.
Rick watched as a black woman and a familiar looking man took down the last four walkers along the outer gates of the prison. Michonne simply grabbed the fence nearly collapsing as the man reached out and helped to steady her. Rick stared across the empty space and saw that familiar grin. Like a wolf.
"Hey Rick, how about you let us inside." Isaac said, his grin getting wider as he raised his hand and slammed a can of baby formula against the chain link fence.
*****Ten Minutes Later*****
"I have a million questions." Rick admitted as he sat across from Isaac.
"I would too." Isaac said as he drank from his canteen.
"How'd you survive the attack on the camp? How'd you survive by yourself for the last year? How—how'd you find us?" Rick asked.
"I was down the hill from the camp. That night I was by myself with fifty walkers heading straight for you all. I had to lead them away. Had to take them out or they would have ran straight into the camp and killed everyone there. I killed them all but I was too tired to get back. I fell asleep. When I woke up and made my way back to the camp everyone was gone. I tracked you. To Atlanta. I watched as the C.D.C blew up. When I got to what was left all there was, was a few skid marks and a whole city's worth of walkers. So…I booked it out of there. Followed the roads I thought you all would take. I was tracking you along the interstate when a huge herd of walkers came at me. I had to run. To evade the dead…and the living." Isaac answered truthfully.
"I saw it…what you were talking about. That night that you killed Jacob." Rick said as he looked down.
"Animals." Isaac remarked with some bite and Rick nodded.
"Animals...we were hold up at a farm. One night a herd came through. Took it all apart." Rick said.
"Is that where you found them?" Isaac asked looking at the one legged old man and a blonde woman who were hovering over Michonne's leg and examining Isaac's handy work.
"Yeah. They had managed to avoid most of it. There were more but, they didn't make it. We lost Shane…" Rick paused unsure how to continue.
"Are they both dead?" Isaac asked and Rick sighed heavily.
"Sophia…she got separated from the group on the highway. I tried everything to keep her safe and took care of the two walkers that chased her. I told her to keep the sun on her shoulder to head back. She never made it. We searched for a full month but found nothing but her doll. Daryl did his best. He didn't give up until we finally found Sophia. Herschel didn't know. He and his friend Otis rounded up the walkers and put them in their barn—Sophia was in that barn. A bite was on her shoulder. I had to put her down." Rick breathed in deeply to catch his breath all the while making sure to keep an eye on the possibly unstable man across from him.
"I should have been there but I can't change the past. Thank you for showing her mercy." Isaac spoke and Rick could tell by how emotionless Isaac's voice had gotten that the weight of the world was crushing Isaac.
"Your mother…we haven't found her yet. One of the surviving prisoners opened a gate and let the nearby walkers in. They stormed the prison and we lost T-Dog, and Lori. We just put them all down before you came here." Rick explained and Isaac nodded.
"Hey Rick—Isaac." Daryl exclaimed in shock.
"Daryl." Isaac stood up and extended a hand which Daryl numbly took.
"Thank you for trying to take care of my family…Sophia was my responsibility. My sister. Thank you…for not giving up on her when other's did." Isaac said with an air of seriousness that filled the room.
"I-I tried. But come on. You gotta see this. Rick, everyone." Daryl called out as he pulled back and began jogging back toward the cell block with Isaac quickly following behind.
Isaac stopped as Daryl gestured toward a cell. Isaac looked in and watch as his mother's worn out visage appeared from under the shadow of the bunk. Both Carol and Isaac looked at each other in surprise. Almost cautiously Isaac walked into the cell and kneeled down in front of his mother. In a move that surprised everyone; Isaac leaned his head onto his mother's lap and began to sob. Rick quickly pushed the group back to let Carol and Isaac have their moment. They deserved it.
Rick and the rest of the group quietly made their way back to the entrance of the cell block and saw Michonne calmly cleaning her katana from the gore from the walkers outside. Carl with his sister in his hand and Beth quietly went to one side of the room as Herschel and Rick approached the sword wielder.
"The wound on your leg is amateur work at best but it held. Did you do it yourself?" Herschel asked.
"It was Isaac. He found me and patched me up." Michonne said as she wiped her blade once more.
"Yeah. About that. Where did he find you?" Rick asked as he placed his hands on his hips.
"A small town a few miles south of here." Michonne said as she placed the katana in its sheath.
"The baby formula. Isaac had it but how did he know to bring it? We sent two of our own out there but they haven't shown up. I suspect you know." Rick said and Michonne sighed.
"There was an Asian kid. Glenn. A girl was with him too. Short hair. White. Young. Pretty." Michonne recalled.
"Maggie?" Herschel questioned.
"I don't know. They were taken." Michonne replied.
"Taken? By who?" Rick asked.
"By the same son of a bitch who shot me. There was a white guy but I didn't catch his name." Michonne answered vaguely.
"These are our people. We need to know. There must have been a reason you came here. After Isaac patched you up you could have gone your own way but you didn't. Now why did you show up here?" Rick asked with steel in his voice.
"There's a town. Woodbury. About seventy five survivors…I think they were taken there." Michonne stated with a tight grip on her sword.
"A whole town?" Rick asked somewhat surprised.
"Yeah. Run by this guy called the Governor. Pretty boy. Charming. Jim Jones type." Michonne described.
"This guy got muscle?" Daryl, who had kept quiet up till now, asked.
"Paramilitary wannabes. They have armed sentries on every wall. " Was her clipped response.
"You know a way in?" Rick asked.
"It's secure from walkers but…we could slip our way through." Michonne said thoughtfully.
"Rick." The voice of Isaac called out and everyone turned toward him.
The man looked like he had been through hell and back. His eyes were red from tears but his face was dry and he stood firmly.
"What?" Rick asked.
"You can't attack a nation like this." Isaac said as he strode forward.
"A nation ? It's barely a town." Daryl rebutted but Isaac shook his head.
"Maybe before the end of the world, but now? Seventy five people is a nation. Let's for the sake of argument say that a third of them are old or are kids. That puts at least fifty people that are combat ready or at least can point a gun and shoot. What are we? Just seven people without Glenn and Maggie? Isaac asked.
"Nine." A white man and a black man entered the room wearing prisoner uniforms and Isaac glanced at their uniforms but didn't say anything about them.
"Nine. But Herschel can't fight, Carol is too weak, Beth isn't a fighter and Carl isn't right for this type of attack. That just leaves six people against fifty men and women." Isaac stated and Rick grunted in anger.
"We sneak in at night. They'll have guards out but we can bypass them easily without making a sound. We don't kill but we will get our people back. No matter what." Rick argued.
"What happens when we get discovered?" Isaac asked.
"We'll shoot our way out." Daryl answered.
"And you'll start a war." Isaac said angrily.
"They started it when they took our people!" Rick yelled as he slammed a fist onto the metal table.
"No. It was one person. One guy. We can talk this out. Rick, this isn't the Road. We can't just rush in there and see what happens. At best we get out without a scratch with Maggie and Glenn but at worst, we'll all be killed. Then they'll come here and take this place. Is that what you want?" Isaac asked and Rick despite his anger cooled his head by taking a deep breath and sighing.
"So what's your suggestion?" Rick asked.
"We trade them for Glenn and Maggie." Isaac suggested.
"With what? We have no bullets, no food, we ain't got shit." Daryl stated.
"That's where you're wrong." Isaac said as he pulled a map from the side of his pack and laid it in front of Rick.
"I've scoured the surrounding twenty miles around here. I've taken things from crates of food to a rocket launcher and brought them here." Isaac pointed to just outside a tiny town.
"How are we going to transport it? We don't have a car." Rick said.
"I have a truck with a U-Haul container attached to it. I have food, medicine, ammo, knives, and guns. I also have it wired to some C-4 in case anyone tries to steal it." Isaac said proudly and the rest of the room seemed quite surprised at the revelation except Michonne who scoffed.
"Don't bother. The Governor will just kill you and take it. I've seen his handy work." Michonne whispered.
"What did you see?" Rick asked turning toward her.
"A military convoy. A surviving one. It had been attacked. Bullet holes and fresh blood. I could smell the gun powder on the dead bodies. Only one person has the fire power in this area to do that and that's the Governor and his people. They killed them all and took everything. That'll be you." Michonne said warningly.
"Fine. Then I'll go alone." Isaac said sounding resolute.
"You? Ha, what can a scrawny kid like you do?" The white prisoner asked.
"This." Without warning Isaac pulled a small wooden tube out of his pocket and showed it to the people in the room.
"What's that going to do?" Daryl asked.
Without saying anything Isaac pulled a string from the side and a small pop was heard coming from the wooden tube. Almost immediately the tube began gushing red smoke and quickly filled the area leading to the occupants panicking and yelling. Within seconds each one felt a slight pressure on their necks before they could fight back and after a minute the area was clear again with Isaac sitting calmly behind the white prisoner.
"What the hell was that?!" Rick asked.
"There's a mark on your neck." Herschel pointed out and Rick quickly touched his neck and pulled it away to see a red substance on it.
"It's lipstick. It's on all of your necks." Isaac called out as everyone watched as he fiddled with a cardboard knife.
Without a doubt each one touched their necks and looked at their fingers and were shocked that it came away with the same red lipstick.
"How? I didn't hear you at all." Daryl said as he rubbed the red off on a spare rag.
"I've been out there longer than you all have. By myself. You think the road changed you and it has. But not as much as it's changed me. I could have killed you all if I wanted to. Could have done it back at the camp ground. You think you and Shane got the best of me at the Camp?" Isaac asked as he tsked and sheathed his cardboard knife in its custom container.
"You let us." Rick stated somewhat surprised that he could only see that now.
"Of course. I let myself be taken down and handcuffed." Isaac admitted and once more everyone looked at Isaac unsure what to make of him.
"I say we let him go on his own." The black prisoner said with a tinge of fear and wonder in his tone.
"Yeah." Rick paused as he reevaluated Isaac.
"You can't be serious. One trick and that's all it takes for you?! I have someone I need to get out of there too." Michonne said fiercely.
"And who might that be?" Rick asked.
"A woman. I found her a few weeks before winter set in. I helped her survive. Her name is Andrea." Michonne said and paused as most of the men in the group paused at the name.
"Blonde hair? White? Kind of mouthy?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah." Michonne answered.
"Isaac will get her too then. She was part of our group before you found her." Daryl explained and Michonne was surprised that they knew her.
"Yeah…I guess. It'll be a pain in the ass. I'll need someone to be my getaway driver." Isaac stated.
"Getaway driver? I thought you could do this by yourself." Rick said.
"Well, I could if it was just one or two people but three? Nah. That's too much noise. I'll attract every walker in the area. Plus I don't know what kind of condition they're in. If what Michonne said is true I don't think it'll go well for Glenn and Maggie." Isaac said bringing into the open what everyone was trying not to think about.
"I'll go." Daryl and Michonne both volunteered.
"I'll take Daryl. But I will need at least one of two people to drive the truck back to the prison. Can't just leave all that hardware out for some lucky bastard now can I?" Isaac asked and Rick sighed.
"I'll go and I'll have Michonne watch my back." Rick said.
"Great. If things go to plan, I'll have everyone back before breakfast." Isaac clapped his hands happily but everyone watched as the grin of his revealed some teeth.
*****That Night*****
You dumb son of a bitch. You volunteered yourself for a suicide mission?
The voice in my head asked but I ignored it as I slipped past the wall and the guards. Woodbury was nicely fortified against walkers but Michonne was right. The living could easily bypass it but that wouldn't be for long and not after tonight. I quickly ducked into an alley way as I spotted a light coming from the opposite direction of me.
Just turn back. No reason to die for these people.
I watched as a man came into view and I pulled out my knife and waited to make sure he was alone. The man shined the light into the alley but didn't see me behind the dumpster. With a shrug the man turned and I quickly stepped behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into the alley with me.
"I won't hurt you if you don't struggle and be quiet. Answer my questions and I won't kill you." I whispered and pulled the knife I had on his throat slightly back when he stopped struggling.
"Who are you?" He whispered back.
"Just a concerned friend. See I heard your people caught two of my own. I want them back. Now I don't want to harm anyone if I can help it but I will if I need too. Starting with you. So tell me where Glenn and the girl are and we can let bygones be bygones." I stated.
"I know Merle came in with a car and two people in it. I didn't get a good look." The man spoke rapidly.
"Where did he take them?" I asked.
"I don't know. Just please don't kill me. I have a wife. A family." The man begged almost hysterically.
"Please. Please. Just let me go and I won't tell anyone-" I cut him off as I wrapped my right arm around his neck and grabbed my left bicep.
The man struggled and clawed at my protected forearms but I just leaned back and took away his leverage. After ten seconds he went limp and I placed him softly on the ground. He wasn't dead but he'd be out for a good stretch with one hell of a bruised throat.
So they're here. Maybe. But you still don't know where they are.
"He'll have them secluded. Somewhere far away from the average survivor. Somewhere only the top leaders and trusted members can go too." I whispered harshly out loud.
Oh Isaac. Starting to crack. Starting to show a little weakness.
I didn't bothering answering but I grabbed the man from under his armpits and drag him behind the dumpster. I contemplated throwing him in but that would make too much noise. I turned off the flashlight he had with him and pocketed it. It wouldn't be long before he would be missed. I had to hurry. I noticed a heavy pipe leading all the way to the top of a two story building and without a second thought wrapped my hands around it and began climbing. It didn't take long before I reached the roof and pulled myself onto it. I quickly took a survey of the land and spotted a group of three men walk out of building. A tall handsome man and two tough looking bastards were following him.
Come oooooon. Let's just go wild. Fuck subtly. Let's just shoot up the place and burn it.
"Shut up." I growled out before standing up as the three men quickly moved into a nearby building.
The great thing about Woodbury was that the buildings were close together. I deftly jumped from rooftop to another and although I had a few close calls I quickly found myself on the rooftop of the building the three men went into. I leaned over the edge careful not to be to visible as I peeked into the window from above
"-done something that you told me couldn't be done." The handsome man spoke.
"It couldn't have." One of the tougher men rebuked.
"They did it. Your brother might be out there right now searching for them. Blood is blood right? Makes me wonder where your loyalties lie." The handsome man said candidly.
"Here." The man said and I figured that this one was Merle, Daryl's brother.
"I want you two to get a small group together and scout this prison." The handsome man, I assumed to be the Governor, ordered and the other tough guy nodded.
"You got it." With that both him and a bookish man walked out of the room leaving the Governor and Merle alone.
The Governor looked out the window and I pulled myself up just in time to avoid his gaze. I heard the ruffling of blinds before The Governor sighed.
"Andrea's coming back. Get out of here. We'll talk after I get rid of her." He said and I heard Merle leave the room and another lighter pair of footsteps enter.
"You kept your promise. You came back." I heard the Governor say.
"I promised." Andrea's voice was soft like someone talking to a lover.
I didn't bother to stay longer. Soon The Governor would kill Maggie and Glenn. I had to get them out before that happens. As quietly as I could I jumped back over the rooftops over to where a warehouse looking building was. I quickly found the nearest drain pipe and climbed down off of it. I looked both up and down the alley and saw nothing. With silent footsteps I walked toward a small stair way which led to the basement of the building. The same basement that the Governor, Merle, and that other guy came out of.
I quickly descended the stairs and frowned as I spotted a five dollar lock on the door. Still it was to be expected and I came prepared. I quickly pulled my backpack over my shoulders and unzipped it. I took out a small bolt cutter and squeezed it tightly over the metal band. With some effort I snipped it and took off the lock. With that out of the way I returned the bolt cutter to my back and placed it on my back. I pulled the door opened slightly and moved in when I saw no one was around. Quickly I navigated through the basement and came across a room that was bolted shut. I walked up to the door and knocked softly on it.
I pressed my ear to the door to make sure there were no walkers and pulled back satisfied as I didn't hear the usual sounds of a walker infested room. I grabbed my silenced pistol and deftly pulled the bolt back to unlock the door. With practiced ease I entered the room to see Glenn and a girl I assumed to be Maggie sitting on the floor. Glenn was beaten pretty badly and was shirtless but he seemed fit enough to walk and Maggie looked shaken but unharmed.
"Isaac?" Glenn asked in disbelief.
"Glenn. Remember when you saved my ass in Atlanta? Well I'm saving your ass in Woodbury. Come on." I turned back down the hallway and looked for anyone coming our way.
"Glenn, who is this?" Maggie asked.
"No time to explain. We got to go. Now." I whispered urgently and Glenn nodded as he stood up with a pained grunt and walked oved to the dead walker on the floor.
Glenn reached down and with a grunt of effort pulled the walker's arm off before stepping on it's arm. Within seconds he peeled the flesh off the bone fragments and handed one to Maggie and kept one for himself. They both looked at me and Glenn nodded.
"Handy trick. I'll use it sometime. Hopefully we won't have to. I'd like to avoid a war if I can help it." I said half-jokingly as I moved down the hallway.
Glenn and Maggie weren't as quiet as me but they did their best in their current condition as I led them out of the basement. I raised a hand and pushed them back into the shadows. Within seconds two distinct footsteps came from the corner we were about to turn and walked past us.
"They are coming for you guys. We need to move it and get out of this place now." I said seriously and they both nodded.
With that we made our way to the entrance of the basement and I saw the door knob begin to turn. There was no time to do anything else as the door opened and a guard saw me. Before he could shout an alarm I rushed him and grabbed his legs. With a grunt of effort I lifted him off his feet and onto his back with a heavy thump. I quickly threw a punch in his face for good measure. I grabbed his rifle and handed it to Maggie as I lifted the ammo I could find.
"Where the hell are they?!" I heard Merle yell out it surprise and anger.
"Fuck it. We got to run." I quickly led them onto the street and pulled a few of my special smoke bombs out.
I pulled the cord on each one of them and threw them one after the other in varying distances. Immediately Woodbury was filled with white smoke and I quickly grabbed Maggie and Glenn's arms as we ran through the panicked fill street. Guards and normal civilians were running about with no organization. In the chaos we looked like everyone else. We quickly came to a bus which was a major part of the wall before we came under fire.
"Get out of here!" I yelled as I pulled a few more smoke bombs out of my pocket and threw them immediately after I pulled the cords.
I pulled out my pistol and ducked low as I fired to at least force our pursuers back into cover. Without warning I felt something hit my straight in my chest with the force of what seemed like a sledgehammer. I felt myself be thrown against the bus as two more hit me.
"Isaac! Come on!" I heard Glenn yell from over the barricade.
With no further prompting I pulled myself onto the hood of the bus and then onto the roof. I felt another bullet hit me in the back and I fell over the edge and slammed heavily onto the ground. My vision blurred but I felt someone grab me and begin pulling me.
"Sons….of…bitches…." I felt myself slur out as I shot back at the barricade.
I felt myself being thrown in the backseat and a few seconds later felt the familiar sensation as the car began moving.
"How's he doing back there? Is he bleeding? Did he get shot?" Daryl asked but his voice seemed far away.
"There's…wound….Isaac…stay awake." I heard Maggie say as my vision once more faded black.
"Do you see…."I heard Glenn say before cutting out.
"Isaac!" I felt a hand slap my face a couple times as the world came into focus and I saw Maggie leaning over me.
"You have to stay awake. You have a concussion. Stay…" I heard her say but I felt tired and closed my eyes.
*****The Next Day*****
Breakfast consisted of Oatmeal from Isaac's cache of supplies. It was the most filling thing Rick had eaten in weeks. More and more he felt indebted to Isaac especially as Glenn and Maggie took a seat with their bowls. With their arrival morale had instantly soared but it was somewhat dampened by Isaac's condition. He had been shot three times but luckily the bullets had hit his bullet proof vest. The major injury he suffered from was a head wound when he took a dive off a bus. He was unconscious but alive. The second dark spot had been Michonne's reaction to Andrea not being among the rescued. Glenn and Maggie had no idea why Andrea wasn't with them leaving only Isaac as the sole source of information. She had taken to sitting in his cell and waiting for him to wake up. As Rick took another spoonful of the apple cinnamon flavored oatmeal he felt that life couldn't have been better. Life decided to prove him wrong.
Suddenly a random group of people ran inside their living area and Rick saw Carl close the gate and lock it as a black man, the biggest in their group laid down a bleeding woman. Rick counted five before he had his gun out and Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, and Carol followed his lead and had their own weapons pointed at them.
"Carl." Rick called out and immediately the other group who had just arrived noticed they were being held at gunpoint and raised their hands.
"Listen. We don't want any trouble." The black man said.
"Carl. Get over here now." Rick ordered and Carl obediently came to his father's side
"They were in trouble dad. I couldn't leave them." Carl explained.
"You could have." Rick said not caring that the other group could hear them.
"Are you this boy's father?" The black man asked.
"Doesn't matter. Who are you?" Rick asked.
"I'm Tyreese. This is Sasha, Ben, Allen, and…and…Donna" Tyreese looked down at the dead body.
"Why did you come here?" Daryl asked.
"We saw this place from far off. We thought we could use it for shelter when we saw that part of the building had collapsed. We ran into walkers. Dozens of them. The boy saved us and now we're here." Tyreese explained.
"How'd you get in?" Rick asked.
"Fire damage to the administrative building." Tyreese answered honestly.
"That sides completely overrun with walkers." Rick muttered.
"They got lost in the gyms." Carl inputted.
"Listen, we want to stay. It's clear to us that you have food, water and shelter. We'll work hard, help keep this place safe. If you have a problem with another group we'll help with that too. We won't take any of your food. We'll take care of ourselves." Tyreese promised.
"Rick…they might be able to help with our problems." Herschel offered.
"We all talked about it. Herschel's right." Carol seconded him.
After a few seconds though Rick made his mind up.
"No." Rick found himself saying.
"Come on…you can't push out there again. It's like the ten little Indians. It's just us now." Sasha said desperately.
"No." Rick said with a shake of his head.
"Let's talk about this." Herschel stated.
"We've been through this before. With Tomas and Andrew. Look what happened." Rick said accusingly.
"Oscar and Axel weren't like that." Carol interjected and despite himself Rick found he had nothing to say to that.
"I can't be responsible." Rick said but he himself could feel he was grasping at straws.
"Come on Rick. What's the harm?" Isaac's voice asked and Carol gasped in surprise before she rushed over to him and helped Michonne prop him up.
"Herschel." Rick gestured and Herschel calmly gestured for Carol and Michonne to guide Isaac down onto one of the chairs.
Quickly Herschel pulled out a small flash light and waved it over Isaac's eyes. After a few more tests Herschel nodded.
"He's fine. Still a little dizzy but that'll go away soon." Herschel promised before sitting down on a nearby stool.
"See. Fit as a whistle." Isaac joked as he scratched against the gauze on his head.
"Isaac. Look at them." Rick ordered and stepped back as Isaac stood up and made his way over to them with Carol's help.
Isaac leaned forward and looked Tyreese up and down. Then he looked at Sasha who looked at him strangely as he inspected her. Then he did the same for both Allen and Ben. With a tired sigh he limped toward a stool which Carol helped to lower him on. Isaac grabbed a nearby cup and drank the water inside before lowering it onto the table.
"Are we seriously going to let some half dead guy decide our fate?" Allen whispered to Tyreese.
"This half dead guy has good hearing too ass." Isaac called out and Allen demurely shrank back.
"What's your take on them?" Rick asked.
"They're fighters. I believe them. If they're good to their word I say we keep them. If not we kill them or let them go." Isaac said as if he was commenting on the price of grain.
Rick looked from Isaac to them. After a few minutes he shook his head before sighing. You'll be bunking up in the other cell blocks with Oscar and Axle. They'll tell me if you're working out right. If you are we'll see where we go from there. If you have a problem either tell Carol or Herschel or come to me." Rick relented and Tyreese and his group let out relieved smiles.
"Thank you Rick." Tyreese offered his hand and Rick hesitantly shook it.
"Let's set some ground rules. Everyone does their fair share of work. If you have to come through our cell block announce yourself. If you become aggressive toward me or my group I'll kick you all out." Rick promised and Tyreese nodded.
"This is the safest we've been in weeks. We'll do whatever it takes to stay." Tyreese promised.
"Hey assholes. You missed one." Isaac said as he grabbed a knife from the sheath on his calf and tossed it at the walker behind them.
The knife struck true and hit the reanimated corpse of Donna in the eye and she fell heavily onto the ground.
"You're welcome. I'm going to bed." Isaac stood up and Carol was once more at his side and Michonne followed them as they walked together back to the cell block.
"Don't fuck with him." Daryl said as he and the others lowered their guns and went back to their tables to eat.
"What he said. Now get some food. We got a long day of work ahead of us." Rick said and went back to his table.
Tyreese and his group carefully took care of Donna's body and wrapped it in a spare blanket they had. Silently each one went to Axel who handed them bowls of oatmeal. The four quickly found their own table and began eating. None of them talked as they savored their tastiest meal in weeks.
*****In the Cell Block*****
"It was good that you stood up for them." Carol whispered to her son.
"I didn't do it for them. Tyreese and Sasha look like they can do some damage. I rather them be on this side of the line than on the other." Isaac answered honestly.
"That's not the only reason right?" Carol asked as they turned into a cell.
"Mom…there's a war coming." Isaac stated as Carol lowered him onto the bed.
"I didn't kill anyone at Woodbury but I guarantee that The Governor will use my raid last night as an excuse to attack us. They know where we are. I heard them talk about us." Isaac explained.
"You have to tell Rick." Carol said urgently.
"I'm…too tired now. I told you. Tell him what I said later. He'll understand why I stood up to him then." Isaac said tiredly.
Without a word Carol stood up and looked down at Michonne who was staring intently at Isaac. Silently she stepped back and around Michonne before walking toward the living area as the words her son had said ran through her mind.
"I know you want to hear about Andrea." Isaac stated and Michonne only nodded.
"She's alive. Unharmed." Isaac explained.
"Why didn't you bring her back?" Michonne hissed out.
"Yeah…I did didn't I?" Isaac asked and Michonne closed in on him and grabbed the front of his shirt.
"You said you'd bring her back!" Michonne yelled.
"And you didn't tell me she was fucking The Governor!" Isaac answered defiantly.
They both stared at each other before Michonne finally backed off and retreated to the opposite wall as Isaac swung his legs off the bed and sat up. Both of them stared at each other but it was Michonne who broke eye contact.
"I didn't know it had gotten to that point." Michonne admitted.
"But you knew things were happening?" Isaac asked.
"I suspected." Michonne said as she crossed her arms.
"She's in deep. I couldn't risk Maggie and Glenn's life for a woman that can't even see the danger she's in. Andrea's your friend. I get that. You feel responsible for her and I get that too. But you've been out there and you've seen it! You know…at this point it's us versus them. We are us and they are them." Isaac laid out and Michonne frowned.
"This group is better than that." Michonne whispered.
"No. No we are not." Isaac said firmly.
With that said Michonne tried to think of something else to say but Isaac had already swung his legs back onto the bed and fallen asleep. With nothing left to do Michonne exited the cell quietly and went back to the living area to get something to eat.
Breakfast came and went and Rick began assigning the duties for today. Daryl, Glenn, Maggie were on perimeter watch with Tyreese and Sasha. Allen, Ben, and Michonne had volunteered to bury Donna's body and join up with them afterward. Oscar and Axle had volunteered to begin tilling the open area of the field. Beth and Carl were to take care of the baby while Rick, Carol, and Herschel were going to discuss more on the current situation. After each of them were given a task the group and the newcomers went off to do their tasks leaving only Herschel, Carol, and Rick at a single table.
"I'm glad you changed your mind Rick." Herschel started off.
"Well…I figured I owed Isaac something. The man is like a miracle worker. We have supplies, food, and weapons thanks to him and after what he did for Glenn and Maggie…I don't know if we could have done any better." Rick openly admitted and Carol nodded.
"Isaac said there's a war coming. It's why he challenged you on the decision." Carol explained.
"Impossible. From Woodbury?" Herschel asked.
"Yes. Isaac said that The Governor will just use the raid as an excuse to wipe us out." Carol said leaning forward slightly.
"The man's built a community. He won't risk it for us." Herschel denied.
"Wouldn't you?" Rick interjected.
"If a small force of well-trained and dangerous people entered your backyard wouldn't you try your best to eliminate the threat? Despite Isaac's best efforts we've shown our hand. They now know that we can get into their place and get at them. They won't trust us and all that'll breed is fear. The Governor is going to use it." Rick stated firmly.
"We can still try and negotiate with them. They know we are dangerous but they don't know who we are. Maybe we can set up a trading system or something. Something to stop this." Herschel defended.
"And who would you send? Maggie? Glenn? Daryl? You heard what they did to Maggie and you've seen what they did to Glenn. Is that the kind of people we want to make ties with?" Carol asked.
"Yes they've done that and I am angry but we cannot go to war with them. We are too few even with the four new people, Isaac, and Michonne. We can't lose more than we've already have." Herschel rebutted.
"Alright. Here's what we're going to do. I'll have Daryl and Isaac approach them from a distance. They'll leave a walkie talkie on the gate and their group will open a dialogue. Maybe if we're lucky we can avoid this whole mess. At the same time we'll have to start building up our defenses. A prison was intended to keep people in. Not out." Rick said and Carol and Herschel agreed.
"What are we going to do?" Carol asked.
"I want to start grabbing sheets from nearby cell blocks and hang them along the secondary fence. Hopefully it'll help to keep the walker numbers to a minimum. Too many and that fence will go down. Next we'll grab whatever's solid and line it along the secondary fence. This is phase one and it's going to take a while." Rick explained.
"What's phase two?" Herschel asked.
"I want to start to dig a moat." Rick suggested.
"A moat? Really?" Carol asked in disbelief.
"Maybe not an actual moat but something like it. Deep and wide. So that if the gate does come down we can limit the walkers or whoever is attacking us to the areas we want them to be." Rick explained.
"That's a hefty project. We're going to need a lot of bodies Rick." Herschel warned.
"Well we got them now don't we?" Rick asked.
"What about the dirt? Where are we going to put it?" Carol asked.
"We'll put it between the outer fence and secondary fence. It'll reinforce both fences and give us a five foot wall of solid dirt between us and them. When we can I'm hoping to board up both sides and make a permanent wall between us and the outside world." Rick said causing Herschel to whistle.
"That would be something. It's amazing you've even thought of it." Herschel said in wonder.
"I probably wouldn't have. It was Isaac who said something similar back when we first met. He was talking about what he would have done if he had known the Earth was going to hell." Rick chuckled at the memory.
"It's possible. We have the people. If Daryl and Isaac set up a trading system with Woodbury…maybe we can even set up a home. For the rest of our lives." Carol said in wonder.
"We still have to do it. We won't know until then." Herschel said and although it brought the mood down somewhat everyone at the table felt something they hadn't felt in a long time.
"Hope." Rick mused aloud and Carol and Herschel eyes widened in surprise.
"It feels like hope." Rick said as he covered his eyes with his hand.
*****Woodbury*****
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!" The Governor shouted out causing everyone in the room but Merle to flinch.
"So-so-someone managed to sneak inside." One of the men said.
"I know that you idiot but who was it? Who did this to us?" The Governor questioned and nobody in the room had any answers.
"Maggie and Glenn were taken." Merle spoke up.
"Was it your brother who did this?" The Governor asked.
"No. My brother's quiet but he ain't this quiet. He ain't this good. I talked to the guard that was found unconscious and he said that the man had only asked about Maggie and Glenn before knocking him out." Merle reported.
"And?" The Governor asked expectantly.
"And, the man could have killed him but chose not to. The man could have caused a distraction by setting fire to something but he didn't. He snuck around all of us and we didn't even realize how close he was. This man is skilled. Maybe military. But he only came for two people and asked for Glenn by name. There's only one place he could have come from where he had heard that information." Merle deduced.
"The Prison." The Governor whispered before slamming his hand onto the table.
Well that's the new chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed it.
