Chapter Three

On the slow drive back to the prison, just as it was coming back from any supply run, Rick was notably anxious to see his children. Not that anything had actually happened to them before when he was away, and it wasn't like Carl really needed his father to look after him, and Beth had devoted all of her time to lovingly babysitting Judith. He knew that they were relatively safe, but in the world that they were currently living in, there was always that tiny chance that something could go very wrong. And as tiny as it may be, that worry always sat in the back of his mind.

Pulling up to the prison gate, it took only mere seconds for Rick to realise something wasn't right, Just as it was during this time of the day, Carl and carol were always there to open the gate, only this time, he was met with the rather concerned face of Glenn, standing beside Daryl, looking even more glum than usual.

Feeling a surge of apprehension, before the car could even come to halt, Rick jumped out of the passenger door, leaving an oblivious Michonne, in much confusion, as the man eagerly marched his way up to his two friends,

"Where's Carl" he immediately demanded

"Rick, something happened" Glenn replied, in a nervous tone

"What? What happened? Where is he?"

Glenn tried to form a sentence that could gently explain the teenager's current condition, only for it to come out as a string of stutters. Daryl cut the younger man off "Carl, was attacked by somebody in his cell not too long ago, we don't know who it was, but it's pretty bad" the redneck explained, choosing not to sugar coat it.

Without another word, Rick descended towards the building at a particularly fast pace, still comprehending what he's just been told.

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"Where is he? Where's my son?!" came the deep, and loud voice of Rick Grimes as he quickly ran to the cell, where Hershel, Carol and Tyrese were gathered.

"Rick, Calm down, he's stable" Hershel replied

Still with no peace of mind, Rick rushed to the boys' bedside, gasping at the sight of his child, he covered his mouth with a shaking palm, muffling a sob.

The sight he was met with was certainly far worse that he had expected, his son had been brutally beaten, with only his arms, head and shoulders not being covered by a blanket, all were severely bruised, scratched and even cut. Trying to focus as Hershel listed his many injuries; Rick did all he could not to break down.

"Y You found him like this?" he asked quietly, running a trembling hand through his sons blood matted hair.

"Me and Glenn, I was looking for Beth, and then I heard somebody calling for help" Maggie stated.

"He was awake?!" Rick asked shocked. "Did he say anything?"

"Not much at all, he did ask for you, but then he was out"

"Did anybody see anything? Somebody must have seen who had done this?" His voice became louder, his anger far more prominent. He knew somebody was responsible. This was the work of a person within the prison, all of which Rick thought he could trust.

"Nothing, we're sorry Rick, we're still asking people, but this area is pretty empty during the afternoon, people doing their jobs and what not" Carol added to the conversation.

"He won't be awake for many hours, there's nothing more I can do, I suggest we leave Rick to be with his boy" Hershel advised to the others, "If that's what you want Rick?"

"Yeah, ummm thanks" he murmured, clearly trying to control his anger. Continuously carding his fingers though Carl's hair, his mind was clearly too absorbed in he's son's well-being.

What he felt was indescribable, it was a mixture of rage, fear and heartbreak as he thought of just terrified Carl must have been. With nothing more to hold him together, Rick did everything he could not to let his emotions get the better of him, as he grasped his son's hand.

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"How do we find the fucker who done this?" Daryl demanded ideas from group who had now come to gather outside the prison hallway.

"The truth is, the person who did this could have taken off, I mean, the bastard didn't Kill Carl, so why wait around for him to wake up and tell us?" Tyrese explained. "We have a list off everybody living within these prison walls, so I think we should go around and make sure everyone is accounted for"

"Okay, then, we can each take different parts of the prison" Maggie added, "I'll go find Paul, bout time he helped us"

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Paul quietly walked with Carol through the courtyard, having just heard that not a single person in their camp had seen him near Carl's cell; the man was feeling particularly confident that he could actually get away with his brutal attack.

"But why would anybody suspect me?" he thought to himself smugly, it was true though, people in the prison trusted him just as much as they did Rick. And having made it pretty clear they it would be more than Carl who would pay if told anybody it was him, he was sure the kid wold keep his mouth shut. Sure, there was always the possibility that Carl would ignore that factor, but Paul was confident that having threatened the life of his father and sister, the kid really wouldn't take that risk.

Sorry, that took a little longer to update than I had initially intended. of course am still continuing, if there's one thing I can't stand, its people who totally abandon their stories without even an author's note explaining that it's the last chapter. Plus, I'm really enjoying writing this story, and look forward to it. Oh, and thankyou so much for all the faves/follows and reviews. As you can see, I'm not the best writer, especially with the short chapters, but I'm working on that especially, the readers have been so nice. Next update will be within days.