When Things Fall Apart

by Phoebe Dillard

Imogene Adeney's mother used to tell her as she grew up that she was the kind of person who'd walk straight through hell with a smile. At the time, Imogene didn't think having that quality would ever help her as she made her escapade through her teenage years, or throughout her life for that matter. She never could've guessed how wrong she'd be. Carl Grimes/OC

3. An Important Moment

The great moments of your life won't necessarily be the things you do, they'll also be the things that happen you. The day Carl Grimes met Imogene Adeney, things hadn't been going well for him. It didn't seem like a day that he would be looking back on fondly.

Carl didn't know it yet, but meeting Imogene would arguably be the best thing that ever happened to him. Only at the time, it sure didn't seem like it.

---

Carl Grimes

I should've known better than to go walking around in the woods alone at night. Honestly, I don't why I was even expected this midnight rendezvous to go well. Lately, the universe seemed to have some type of personal vendetta against me.

My dad's going to be absolutely livid when I get back. That is if he was even there. He wasn't even suppose too know that I ever left. The plan was to sneak out the Prison unnoticed and to take a midnight stroll to blow off some steam. Now, I was going to show up there with an unconscious dying in girl in my arms, covered in blood. What a way to arrive unnoticed Carl.

I walked through the forest with a fast pace which was difficult considering the fact that I carrying a teenage girl along with all of her stuff. Crimson had already began to seep through Imogene's gray hoodie causing me to get blood on my shirt. I looked down at her face. Her striking facial features were deathly pale against the silver light of the moon. Her white blonde hair almost matched her face at this point.

My pace quickened. She didn't have much time and I was not about to let her die. Imogene might've been a complete stranger to me, but she saved my life. I owed her this much.

I didn't even bother trying to walk light on my feet because with all the weight I was carrying, it would've been impossible. I was lucky enough to not have run into any walkers yet. I had no way of defending myself, much less Imogene and I.

I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing when I left the Prison. It was really stupid of me to just leave without telling anybody, or without bringing a weapon, but I just had to get out of there in order to process what had happened.

My mom had died giving birth to my sister. I had to shoot her in the head. My dad was going crazy.

It seemed as if I was all alone in the world.

I could hardly stand to look at my gun, much less use it. That's why I didn't bring it with me. I'd get over it with time but as for now, I didn't see myself using it anytime soon.

I was shaken from thoughts when I finally broke through the tree line. I stepped out into the open, and there it was, the Prison. There weren't that many walkers around thankfully but I still had to get us in through a crack in the fence. There was no time to waste. I was not about have another person die in front of me today.

I broke into the fastest sprint I could manage, weaving in and around walkers. My thunderous footsteps on the dead leaves attracted every walker in the near vicinity, though I tried not to dwell on that. I kept my pace up until I reached a familiar part of the fence.

Though it was difficult to recognize in the dark, I was able to locate the red wire that sewed a piece of the cut fence together. It was the same place we originally entered the Prison through. Kneeling to the ground, I placed Imogene gently on the grass and dropped her bow beside her. I kept her backpack and quiver on while my fingers went to work untying the intricately weaved wire.

The growling and groaning of the walkers were getting increasingly closer. I took one moment to glance over and saw that they closer than I anticipated.

"Shit," I whispered to myself as I went back to untying the wire, quicker this time. What the hell was I supposed to do?

I snuck a peak at Imogene who was laying on the ground next to me completely defenseless. She looked so vulnerable and peaceful while she slept and from the brief minute or two I spoke with her, she seemed to be neither of those things.

Finally I finished unweaving the red wire. I threw it on the ground and stuck one leg through the slit in the fence to open it up. I grunted as I picked up Imogene with one arm supporting her head while the other went under knees, and maneuvered her limp body through the crack. I gently laid her on the ground, picked up her bow, and brought it inside with me with one hand holding my hat on my head.

I needed to re-secure the fence but there were at least a dozen walkers pressed up against it. I somehow needed to find a way to kill them, or drive them away. Deciding that it was easiest just to kill them, I reached my arm behind my back and grabbed and arrow from Imogene's quiver. Since I couldn't use a bow and arrow effectively, I stuck to just stabbing the walkers' heads with the arrow through the holes in the fence.

Once they were all down on the ground dead, I started to reweave the red wire through the fence. I didn't do it as intricately as it was before I undid it because Imogene was running out of time. I finished and deemed that I did a sufficient job and proceeded to once again pick up Imogene and her bow.

I raced around the circumference of the courtyard and entered through the gate leading up to the Prison. My legs burned in protest as I ran up the grassy incline of the hill. I propped Imogene up using my knee in order to free one of my hands. I opened the gate at the top of the hill and passed through it using my leg to kick it shut.

"Carl, who the hell is this?" a deep voice asked from beside me. I whipped my head to the side and saw Daryl standing next to me with his arms crossed. He must've been in the guard tower working his shift.

"Her name is Imogene and she's dying. We need to help her," I let out breathing heavily. Daryl stared at me with a blank expression. "Please," I whispered desperately.

Daryl sighed before replying in a gruff voice. "Fine. Give her here," he commanded holding his arms out, one grasping his crossbow.

I walked closer and handed Imogene over to him while taking his crossbow into my hand that wasn't holding Imogene's bow. He took her securely in his arms and followed me as we made our way to C Block.

"Why did you go out there by yourself kid? At night of all times?" Daryl asked me, not sparing a glance. Our footsteps echoed throughout the concrete walls of the corridor. It was eerie down here at night considering that the lights weren't even on. We were navigating ourselves by memory.

I picked up my pace to keep up with Daryl's long strides. "I just, needed to get out of here. Even if it was just for a few minutes. After what happened this afternoon, this place seemed suffocating," I explained trailing off at the end.

Daryl nodded in understanding. I knew he was good at hiding his emotions, but I could still see sympathy in his eyes despite the darkness. It radiated off of him like a pungent odor.

"That blood on your shirt-" Daryl paused looking me over. "That's hers right?" I nodded in response. "Good," he said shortly. "I know it doesn't seem like it now kid, but your dad loves you ya know. He just has a different way of dealing with grief. Rick will come around eventually, he just needs some time. Until then, I can't have you running around in the forest at night picking up half dead chicks. Your dad just lost his wife, he doesn't need to lose you as well."

I was shocked by Daryl's words though I tried not to show it. "Understood," I stated simply smiling to myself. "Speaking of my dad, has he come back to the cell block yet? Or is he still wondering off god knows where?" I wondered.

"Last time I checked he was still AWOL. Sorry kid."

It was quiet after that. Neither of us spoke. The only sounds to be heard were our footsteps and my heavy breathing from exhaustion. My body was fatigued beyond compare but my mind was wide awake with adrenaline.

Finally we reached the entrance of C Block. The large cell door creaked loudly as we entered, probably waking up the lighter sleepers of the group. Daryl and I walked into one of the cells on the ground floor and placed Imogene on the bottom bunk bed.

I grasped Imogene bow and drug it back and forth along the cell door creating a loud, constant banging noise to wake everyone up. "We need some help down here!" Daryl shouted.

I could hear the creaking of metal doors as people exited their cells. Footsteps raced down the steps and I watched as Maggie and Glenn appeared first looking frazzled. Maggie had her hand wrapped around the hilt of her knife while Glenn was holding a crowbar.

Maggie's eyes widened as she took in my appearance. "Carl what the hell happened to you?" she asked, a look of fearful concern upon her face.

"I'm fine, it's not my blood," I answered shaking my head.

Both of them looked confused until Daryl spoke up. "In here guys!" Glenn and Maggie turned their heads to the sound of his voice and entered the cell he was in.

"Who is that?" Glenn asked staring at Imogene. Maggie rushed passed him and over to her side. She started looking her over while Glenn stood in the doorway of the cell gob smacked.

"Her name is Imogene. I found her in the woods," I explained glancing over at her.

More footsteps could be heard going down the stairs so I exited the cell to see who it was. I watched as Hershel hobbled down the stairs slowly with the help of his youngest daughter Beth. Though he was able to move decently with his amputated leg, Hershel still hadn't become completely self-reliant.

"I need some light in here!" Maggie ordered. "Also some gauze, tweezers, and any other supplies ya'll can find."

"I'll go get what I can find," Beth offered. "Carl can you come help?" she asked nodding her head towards Hershel.

I squatted down and placed Daryl's crossbow and Imogene's bow on the floor. I stood up straight and walked over to them, meeting them halfway down the stairs. I grabbed Hershel's left elbow and let him lean on me as we made our descent. Beth let go of his right elbow and rushed off to one of the many supply rooms. Glenn and Daryl excited the cell to make some room as Hershel and I entered. Glenn drug a chair in and placed it near Imogene's abdomen so Hershel had a place to sit.

Maggie grabbed the hem of Imogene's blood soaked hoodie and gently tugged it over her head, leaving her in only a sports bra and what looked like to be a button up shirt wrapped around her waist. I couldn't tell what color it used to be because it was dripping in blood from what I could tell in this terrible lighting.

Once again the sound of clambering footsteps echoed throughout the cell block. Beth rushed in with a container of supplies. "I got a little bit of everything and some flashlights," she breathed out placing the container by Hershel's feet.

Maggie and I both muttered a quick thank you and grabbed one flashlight each. We kept the light directed at Hershel's hands as he went to work examining Imogene's wound. Everyone else stood back silently watching his every move, awaiting his verdict.

"Looks like the poor thing was shot," Hershel announced to us, not sparing a glance. "Her abdomen doesn't seem to be distended at all which is good. There's no exit wound and the bullet is still intact. I need to get the bullet out and stitch her up. At this point the risk of infection is her biggest problem besides blood loss."

I let out a shaky breath. "She'll be okay though right? As long as she gets blood and stuff?" I asked for confirmation. Everyone looked at me as if they forgot I was there.

Hershel paused and turned around to look at me. "Carl, you and I both know I can't promise anything," he spoke gently. I merely nodded in response, looking at my feet. "Look son, in a few minutes I'm going to have to take this bullet out of… Imogene is it?" he asked for verification.

"Yea," I mumbled.

For the first time I was in a position to get a good look at Imogene's face. With the light from the flashlights illuminating the room, I was able to see the freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose and cheek bones. They stood out against her deathly pale skin though I knew that was from blood loss.

Her eyebrows were a light brown color that contrasted greatly with her platinum blonde hair. The roots of her hair were the same color so I knew it was natural. It's not like people went out and dyed their hair in the middle of the apocalypse anyway. She had a prominent jaw line and cheek bones with a nose that had a slight crook beneath her eyes. Her parted full lips were tinted a rosy pink and her bottom lip had a freckle in the middle. I didn't know this girl at all, but the name Imogene seemed to fit her.

Hershel's calm voice broke me from my trance. I looked away from Imogene's face and turned my attention back to him. "I'm going to be taking this bullet out of Imogene in a few minutes. Now you of all people know how much that's going to hurt her."

My mind flooded with vague memories of the time I was shot. I don't remember much because I was passed out a majority of the time, though I do remember the agony unlike anything I'd ever felt. Pain ripped through my stomach and throbbed with the erratic beating my heart. It never ceased and only got worse when Hershel went in and retrieved the bullet fragments. Thankfully, Imogene's bullet was still intact so she wouldn't have to endure that.

"After what happened to your mother today, I don't think you should be in here while I work on her," Hershel concluded.

I gave him a look of disbelief. "What do you mean I shouldn't be in here? I brought her here I- I need to see this through," I stuttered out though I knew he was right.

Maggie and Hershel shared a glance. She looked back at me and held her hand out. I sighed in defeat and gave her my flashlight. She pointed both of them to Imogene's wound as Hershel went back to work.

After examining the wound for a moment, he leaned over and reached into the container by his feet. Maggie redirected the flashlights as he rummaged around looking for something specific. He pulled out a 4 foot tube with a needle attached to both ends.

"Do any of ya'll have type 0 negative blood?" Hershel asked sitting up.

We all looked around at each other. "I do," Daryl piped up from the doorway. He walked forward and held out his arm. "Go ahead," he grumbled quietly.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Glenn standing next to me. "C'mon Carl. We need to look through her backpack," he spoke gently nudging me out of the cell. I knew he was just trying to get me from what was about to happen so I obliged, nodding my head in agreement.

On the way out I stopped and picked up Imogene's bow in which I had put on the floor. I followed Glenn to the staircase and followed in suit as he sat down on the steps. The thin metal step was cold through the fabric of my jeans. One of my hands rested on the railing which was rusted over and very rough, peeling with old off white paint. The silver light from the moon streamed through the dirty windows overhead giving us a decent amount of light.

I leaned over to my left away from Glenn and slid Imogene's backpack off my shoulders along with her quiver. I placed the quiver on the ground in front of my feet and sat her backpack in my lap. My fingers played with one of the zippers as I hesitated to open it.

"I feel guilty snooping through her stuff," I admitted looking at Glenn.

He smiled grimly. "I don't like doing this kind of stuff either, but it's what your dad would do in this situation. We need to know if she's threat to us."

I looked down at the mentioning of my dad. I knew that this is exactly what he would do though I didn't always agree with his methods. I understand why he does what he does but that doesn't mean I like it.

"Yea, I guess," I whispered with a sigh of relinquishment. My fingers took hold of the zipper and pulled open Imogene's backpack.

Glenn and I both held our breath as if we were expecting something to jump out at us. I slowly reached my hand in and blindly pulled things out, listing it off I went.

"Let's see here we have a composition notebook, a lighter, a hair brush with some hair ties wrapped around the handle, and holy cra guns," I said stunned.

Glenn placed the notebook and hair brush on the ground by his feet. He took the guns and opened up each one to look them over. "They're in good condition and fully loaded as well. I wonder where she found these. These days fully loaded guns are as good as gold," he marveled. Glenn checked to make safety was on all the guns and placed them by his feet as well. "Is that it?"

"No," I answered turning my attention back to the backpack. "There's also a toothbrush, a box of granola bars, a bag of kale chips… gross, 2 water bottles, a container of bobby pins, a pocket knife, this weird sword thing, a pencil, and a-," I paused as I took out the last thing. I turned it once over in my hands to make sure I was seeing things correctly."

"And a what?" Glenn asked, urging me to continue.

"A math textbook," I replied in disbelief handing it over to him. "Who the hell carries a math textbook around in the middle of the zombie apocalypse?"

Glenn laughed slightly and opened up the book. He flipped through the pages with a delicate touch, savoring the normalcy of it. "She must like doing math I guess. It's filled with writing. She must've been solving the problems in the book for fun."

I scoffed. "For fun? Wow." It was silent between us for a moment until Beth walked out of the cell Imogene was in. We both looked over at her and sat up straight in anticipation.

"Dad got the bullet out. She didn't wake up at all when he was taking it out or stitching her up," she informed us. I had almost forgotten that I was supposed to be hearing agonizing screams. "Her face has some color in it now thanks to Daryl's blood transfusion. Right now they're just putting a bandage over her stitches. From what we can tell, it seems like she'll be perfectly alright."

I smiled and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I tilted my head back and covered my face with my hands. "Oh thank god," I said in relief.

I could feel both Beth and Glenn's eyes on me as I leaned back. I uncovered my face and sat up straight looking between the both of them. "What?" I inquired shrugging my shoulders.

They shared a look then turned back to me. "I'm sorry but I have to ask. What happened Carl? We all go to sleep and your still here. Next thing you know, we wake up to screaming and yelling, only to see you covered in blood carrying some half dead stranger," Beth let out sounding worried.

I looked down and played with the hem of my shirt. My hat fell forward a little bit obscuring my vision so I was unable to see neither Beth nor Glenn.

"I had to shoot my mom in the head today," I stated looking up at them. I reached my right hand up and repositioned my hat. "Carol is in the tombs of the prison somewhere probably dead. T-Dog is dead. My dad is AWOL, and I now have a sister that I have no idea how to take care of. This place was suffocating me," I whimpered gesturing around me. "All the looks filled with pity, the sound of a baby crying with no mother to comfort her. It was too much so when you all went to sleep I snuck out into the forest. I needed to mull things over alone in peace and I thought that was the only way I could get some."

At this point Daryl had exited Imogene's cell as well as Maggie assisting Hershel. Daryl looked flushed which probably came from donating blood. The front of Hershel's shirt had blood splatters on it while Maggie's had a miniscule amount as well. I looked over at them for a split second before continuing.

"I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice a walker that had been trailing behind me for who knows how long. I looked up from the ground and saw Imogene standing there with a notched arrow pointing directly at my head. She had the fiercest expression on her face which looking back on it I'm impressed by because as it turns out that whole time she was actually bleeding to death slowly from a gunshot wound. We stared at each other in silence until she told me to duck in an unwavering voice. I listened and the next thing you know there's a dead walker behind me with an arrow in its head and a passed out girl laying in my lap."

It was quiet after I finished my story. Glenn was the first to break the deafening silence. "Well she doesn't seem to be a threat to us at least. I'm just curious as to how she got shot in the first place."

We all nodded in agreement. "Yea but she seems to be pretty badass. No telling what she's capable of at full strength," Daryl voiced his opinion.

I chuckled and reached down to floor in front of Glenn's feet. "She may be a badass but she carries around a math textbook in her backpack so Imogene seems to be a closet dork," I divulged picking up the textbook and holding it up for everyone to see.

This elected a laugh from everyone, lightening the air around us on this very eventful day. I smiled at the ground and placed the textbook in Imogene's backpack. Glenn handed me her notebook, pencil, hairbrush, food, water, bobby pins, pocket knife, and lighter. I placed it all back in her bag with the textbook. Glenn picked the guns off of the ground and looked them over.

"Are those hers?" Maggie asked.

I looked over at her and nodded. "They're fully loaded too."

"Should we keep them?" Daryl wondered.

"Rick would want us too," Glenn added looking up at him.

Hershel spoke up. "Look just because my Rick does something, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. He isn't even here right now so ya'll can make this decision on your own."

"After what happened today, having 3 more guns wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," Maggie admitted. Daryl and Glenn nodded in agreement.

The sound of a crying baby pierced the air receiving the attention of everyone. "I got it," Beth piped up before racing up the stairs.

Maggie yawned. "Look guys, do whatever you think is right but it's really late and I'm ready for some sleep. Plus I have watch duty in-," she paused to look at her watch. "4 hours," she finished with a groan.

"I'm going to turn in too. I'll come check in on the girl in the morning," Hershel added. "But like Daryl said, we have no idea what she's capable of. I think we should get a pair of handcuffs out of Rick's cell and secure her to the bed. It's not that I think she'll kill us in our sleep, but I don't think we should take any chances."

"I'll throw a pair down," Maggie informed us. With that she turned around and started walking up the stairs, Hershel in tow.

The sound of my sisters crying faded away and was replaced by the soft melodic voice of Beth. I wasn't able to recognize the song she was singing because it was pretty muffled, but it was soothing.

"Think fast," a voice said from above. I looked up the see Maggie leaning over the railing holding a pair of handcuffs. She let go of them and Daryl reached out with one hand, catching it effortlessly.

He twirled them around with his finger. "I'll cuff her to the bed but I need to get back outside for my guard shift. I've been gone a while."

I reached into Imogene's backpack and rummaged around looking for her box of granola bars. I pulled one out and stood up, holding it out for Daryl. "You should eat this so you don't get lightheaded and pass out," I advised. He took it from my hand and muttered a quiet thank you before heading into Imogene's cell to cuff her.

Glenn stood up from his seat on the steps. "Do you think we should keep her guns?" he asked looking me in the eyes

I was albeit a little astonished that he was including me in this decision. I knew that I was young so when I was left out of group choices before, I didn't get mad. My dad saw me as a child and didn't trust me to make influential judgements on my own. Eventually he's going to have to start seeing me as someone who is somewhat responsible enough to handle himself, though I didn't see that happening anytime in the near future.

"Honestly, I think we should let her keep them. From what I can tell, Imogene seems to be all on her own. Not that she can't handle herself, but she probably needs them more than we do. Like you said before, fully loaded guns are as good as gold nowadays," I voiced my opinion. Glenn nodded his head in response, mulling it over.

Daryl walked out of Imogene's cell and bent down to pick his crossbow off of the floor. He stood back up and held it by his side, walking towards the exit of the cell block. He opened the door and paused in the door way. Daryl turned around and waved goodbye before disappearing into the pitch black tombs of the West Georgia Correctional Facility.

I looked away from where Daryl once stood and turned my attention back to Glenn. He held the guns out to me, two in one and hand and one in the other. I raised an eyebrow at him and he nodded his head in reassurance. I smiled and put the guns into her backpack, zipping it up once I finished.

"You should stay the night in her cell and watch over her. I trust that you'll be able to handle it. Just don't let her kill you in your sleep," Glenn said as he turned around and started walking up the stairs. He stopped halfway up and turned around to look at me. "Next time you're having problems Carl, you can come talk to me and Maggie if you want. We'll listen. There's no need to go walking around in the woods at night. I know it seems like the world is falling down around you right now, but it'll get better. I'm sure of it," he assured me with a gentle smile. With that he turned back around and continued his ascent up the stairs.

Glenn disappeared into his and Maggie's cell. Beth's singing had stopped. It was just me now.

I stood on there on the ground floor of the cell block all alone. My shirt was covered in blood. What to do now.

I found my eyes peering into Imogene's cell. I picked up her bow and quiver and made my over. I walked in and dropped her stuff by the entrance of the cell. I left the cell door open behind me. There was no reason to shut it.

I pushed the chair that Hershel was sitting in away from Imogene's abdomen. I made sure that it was far enough away that if she were to wake up and go crazy, she wouldn't be able to grab me.

Imogene was still passed out on the bottom bunk. Her right hand was handcuffed to the metal bed post that helped hold up the top bunk. Her hair was splayed out across the white pillow beneath her head. Her hair was almost the same color as the pillow though it had a little bit more blonde tint to it.

She looked a lot healthier than she did when I last saw her. Her face had some color in it and her cheeks had a tinge of pink. She looked completely relaxed and I noticed that the corners of her lips were tilted upwards. Her resting face was a slight smile.

Imogene was still wearing only a sports bra which allowed me to see the thick bandage that covered her gunshot wound. I figured that she would get cold so I stood on my tip toes and grabbed a somewhat clean blanket from the top bunk to cover her with. Her hoodie and shirt were both ruined so we'd have to find her some clothes when she woke up. Until then however, I took off my jacket and placed it over her underneath the blanket. It was relatively clean because it was unzipped while I carried her to the Prison so my shirt underneath got most of the damage. She needed it more than I did.

I stepped back away from her and took a seat in Hershel's chair which now sat in front of the far wall. I leaned back and rested my head against the wall. The adrenaline from earlier had worn off leaving me very sleepy. I closed my eyes to rest for a split second but before I knew it, I was drifting off into dreamless sleep.

Hours later I woke up to sunlight streaming through the dirty windows of the prison and onto my face. I stretched my arms out yawning and opened my eyes, only to see that Imogene was gone. The handcuffs on the bed were undone while my jacket was nowhere to be seen. Her bloody shirt and hoodie were still by the container on the floor full of medical supplies.

I stood up quickly and looked by the entrance of the cell. Her backpack, quiver, and bow were gone as well.

"Shit," I whispered to myself. I rubbed my face with my hands trying to wipe away to grogginess from not getting enough sleep. I took a step forward towards the bed and heard a crunch. I lifted my foot up and saw something strange.

At closer inspection, I noticed a piece of paper had fallen onto the floor by my feet. I leaned down and picked it up with one hand while the other gripped my hat to my head. It was folded in half and on the front the word 'Cowboy' was written in neat handwriting. The left side of the paper was rigged which lead me to believe it was ripped out of a notebook.

Imogene's notebook.

My fingers fumbled with the paper as I unfolded it quickly, overcome with curiosity. I flattened out the paper with my hands and started reading.

Dearest Cowboy,

Next time you decide to hand cuff a chick to a bed, make sure she doesn't have any bobby pins in her hair. Actually scratch that, anytime you handcuff anyone to a bed who has longish hair, make sure they don't have any bobby pins in their hair. I'm not here to judge, boys can have long hair too.

Bobby pins are excellent for picking locks so maybe ya'll should invest in some. I've found them to be very useful in my experience. Just separate the teeth a little bit and jiggle it around in the lock until you hear a click. As simple as that.

Also, you guys should start patting people down for weapons. I had a screwdriver in my boot the whole time and if used correctly is a deadly weapon.

I just wanted to say thank you for helping me. I know how much of a risk it can be to take in a total stranger nowadays so I appreciate what you and your group did for me (I'm assuming you don't live in this huge Prison by yourself).

That being said, though ya'll did help me, you're still total strangers (to me at least) so I hope you can understand why I had to leave. I'm not in a position right now where I can begin to put blind faith in people I don't know. You guys seem like good people but I've had some run in's lately with people who aren't. Hence the gunshot wound.

As a token of my gratitude, I'm going to leave you five gifts.

The first gift is the best gift of all. Words of wisdom. Though I may only be 15 I feel like I've accomplished enough to be able to give this advice. Don't be stupid and go out alone in the woods alone at night. If you have to however, be smart check your surroundings every once and awhile. I probably won't be there next time to save your ass.

Gift number two is an ally. If you or your group is ever in a situation in which you need help and I'm available to assist, I'll have ya'lls back. I'm a pretty good shot with a bow and arrow if I do say so myself though I can't shoot a gun to save my life.

That leads me to gifts 3 4 and 5. If ya'll were smart then you probably checked my backpack to see what I had, which means you probably saw the 3 guns I had in there. If you didn't know that well, SURPRISE! Anyway, like I said before, I can't shoot a gun to save my life so if you check under the pillow on the bottom bunk, you will see the 3 guns I had, fully loaded with ammunition. I have no use for them and they shouldn't go to waste so go nuts.

Well that brings me to the end of what I hope was an informative note. It was nice meeting you Cowboy even if we only did speak for about a minute.

Best of luck from your friendly neighborhood Katniss Everdeen,

Imogene Adeney

P.S. I took your jacket because it's hella cold outside and well, as you probably know my jacket and shirt are both ruined.

I finished reading the note smiling to myself. I folded it back up and put it in the back pocket of my jeans. I walked over to the bottom bunk bed and lifted up the pillow and sure enough, there were the 3 guns. I checked them all to make sure the ammo was still in them, which it was.

I grabbed the guns and walked out into the cell block laughing to myself. "Isn't she something else."