Chapter Three

"It's nice outside," I said, looking up towards the stars. "If you bug me with small talk, I will lock ya in my cell."

"Sorry." I pulled the elastic out of my hair and started to unbraid it so that I could re-do it. It was always so hard to untangle all of my amazingly unruly curls without a mirror, but I could feel it starting to mat. If Daryl didn't want to talk, I'd have to occupy myself somehow.

"How in the hell do you get all of that into a braid?" he asked as soon as all my hair was free. I shook my head to loosen it and it only got bigger. "Impressive, huh? The perks of having an Italian grandmother."

Daryl looked me over while I finger-combed my hair. "You gonna tell me what happens in them bad dreams of yours, or did you come out here to bond or somethin'?" I had actually gone outside to try to avoid thoughts about my nightmares, so I sent Daryl a glare to try to convey that. I finished braiding my hair before answering him.

"If you really want to know, it's about the baby we had with my group. His name was Jordan. He wasn't much older than a year. His parents said he had some kind of disease, but I couldn't pronounce the name of it if my life depended on it. All I know is that it shortened his life span. One day, he just died. Like I said the other night, I wasn't there."

The only recognition Daryl gave me was a nod, so I continued. "I'm sure you've heard Judith pitching a fit when she's hungry, right? Screaming her head off. And I know you've heard walker noises. But imagine those two together. A baby screaming, but not like a high pitched wail like a baby should make. Like a walker noise, but longer and louder. That's what I hear in my dreams."

I started shaking just thinking about it, so I wrapped my arms around myself carefully to avoid my bandages. Daryl sat looking out at the walkers bumping into each other and going nowhere while he chewed on his thumb nail.

"We should go in. Glenn will be takin' over for me soon. I'll walk ya in, get the cell door shut real good again so no one'll question it." Daryl went down the ladder first and then waited at the bottom for me. When I slipped on one of the last rungs, I felt his hands wrap around my hips to steady me.

"Easy. I don't know what in the hell you were thinkin', climbin' up a ladder with cracked ribs." With his hands securing me, I carefully made my way back down. "Thank you," I said when I had my feet on the ground. Daryl moved his hands away and grunted.

Back inside the prison, we all but tiptoed so as not to disturb anybody. Daryl moved so quietly at all times, like a ghost. Once I was back in the cell and the bars were closed, Daryl all but sprinted back down the catwalk to make it back outside. Not even a minute later I heard Glenn's sleepy, heavy footsteps.

I had been at the prison for a little over a week when Andrea showed up. Her arrival disrupted a routine of helping with chores, attempting to make friends with the group, and sneaking out during the nights that Daryl had duty. She came around noon. I had just had my first shower in a long, long time after Hershel had carefully covered the tape on my side with plastic.

I was sitting in the grass with Beth and Judith to let my hair dry when the sound of tires on grass and walker bones caught everyone's attention. Carl, who had been shooting hoops on the basketball court, was suddenly alert with his gun in his hand like a tiny child soldier. Beth scooped Judith up and I helped her get back into the prison quickly. Carol aimed her gun from the guard tower as Beth tore inside, yelling for Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Glenn, and Maggie.

As the others marched outside, Rick pressed my gun into my hand and motioned for me to come with them. "We need all hands possible." Even Merle was with them. Carol called down to us from the tower after looking through her binoculars. She sounded dumbfounded.

"It's Andrea. Guys, it's Andrea!" The shock on the faces of the group was immediate. I had no idea who this person was, but it apparently meant a lot to everybody else. Carefully, Daryl and Rick opened the outer gate so that she could drive through. "Hot damn, Blondie came back," Merle said, shaking his head.

I watched as Rick first checked the car the blonde woman had driven into the outer area and then hugged her. When I looked back at Michonne, she was smiling. It wasn't like a full on, toothy smile, but it was a grin and it was the first time I'd seen her look even a little bit happy.

"What is she doing here?" Carl asked, seeming to be the only one not pleased with the arrival. Andrea was ushered into the prison yard and everyone started talking at once.

"Milton helped me get out," she said to Merle. "I should have gone with you guys when y'all came for Daryl." Andrea squeezed Michonne's arm when she finally reached her. It seemed the two were friends. Michonne was so quiet and kept to herself so often that the idea was almost foreign, even though I liked her.

"You should have come with me when I left." Michonne said in a tone that implied gentle scolding.

Somehow, for the first time I'd ever been there, everyone ended up inside with no one in the guard tower. Everyone seemed happy and free, which was also new. I was used to this group's extreme cautiousness, and this sight was entirely new. With everyone seated in the mess hall, Andrea finally noticed something was different about her groups of friends.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Where's Shane? And Lori? And T-Dog?" The names quieted everything instantly. Rick excused himself to find Beth and the baby. I figured Lori must have been Rick's dead wife I had heard about in passing, but I had no idea who Shane and T-Dog were.

"They're all dead." Carl said without missing a beat. That kid could be sweet one moment and unsettling the next. "And her name is Livy." With that, he too left the room. Carol wrapped her arm around Andrea; she was visibly shaken.

Rick returned with the baby in his arms and Beth in tow. I had noticed that Rick liked to have Judith with him when he was feeling stressed or upset. "This is Judith," he said. It seemed that was all the explanation Andrea needed as to what had happened to Lori.

"Livy joined us not long ago. She lost her group." Rick didn't mention the part where I could be asked to leave soon. I didn't know if this was because he'd decided I could stay or because he wanted the group to appear as big and strong as he could.

"I see," Andrea was looking around the prison. "I came here to warn you. The Governor wants this place. He wants to meet with you, Rick. Says he wants to do this 'peacefully' if possible. Work out a fair trade of sorts."

Daryl was standing behind me, mumbling. "That fuckin' psycho don't know how to play fair." I heard Merle clap his brother on the should. "Don't worry 'bout it, baby brother. We'll make him sorry he ever messed with us Dixons."

"He's not having the prison. I got Judith and Carl to think about. Hershel's only got one leg now, and besides that he has Beth. We've built a life here. We have too much invested here, and your Governor isn't going to take it from us."

"He isn't my Governor," Andrea asserted. Maybe she was some kind of spy for this group? I still didn't understand what had caused the bad blood between the two groups, but it seemed like this Governor was nothing more than jealous and selfish.

"Maybe y'all will be able to work something out. There are a lot of people in Woodbury, and it's getting harder and harder to keep them safe. The town just isn't up to it. Maybe they could come here and-"

Rick cut her off by slamming his palms down on the table in front of her. "There is no fucking way I'm letting that lunatic around my children! I'll die before I let him take this place from them."

Andrea was visibly stricken. There was nothing she could do, though. Rick gave Judith to Carol and left the room. It seemed that his decision was final. Without Rick there to give the information to, she directed her attention to Daryl and Hershel.

"He wants to meet with Rick, in a little barn about halfway between Woodbury and the prison. Phillip said he thought it would be best to do it on nuetral ground. If Daryl's willing to go with me today, I can show him the location, but then I have to leave. I have to get back to Woodbury before he notices I'm gone."

"I'll come," Daryl said. "But I'm taking Merle with me. I ain't about to walk into one of his traps. We better get goin'. We don't want this kindly Governor of yours to rough you up too bad for disobeyin' him."

Daryl grabbed his crossbow and then took the liberty of giving Merle a gun. "What're you waiting for?" He asked Andrea as he walked off.

Those of us remaining were a little unsure what to do with ourselves after Merle and Andrea scrambled to follow Daryl. Glenn offered to take over Carol's shift so that she could watch the baby. Beth said she was going to go find Carl. Maggie stood to help her father and Michonne left without a word.

I walked the halls until I found Rick in a side room of the prison. He was pacing back and forth, and his face looked stern. I knocked a bit on the door frame to get his attention.

"Oh. Livy." He said. He had pulled his gun from its holster but hadn't quite raised it to a reasonable level to shoot anyone. Or thing.

"I wanted to give this back to you," I said, holding out my own gun. "And to tell you Daryl and Merle went with Andrea. She said this Governor man everyone has been talking about wants to meet with you tomorrow. She took them to show them the building."

Rick too my gun from me and nodded. I knew he was young, maybe in his mid thirties, but his graying hair and stubble made him seem older, as did the bags under his eyes. He didn't speak again, so I nodded in return and left.

I didn't know what was going on with this group I had found myself in, but none of it seemed very good.