setting: episode 1 "Seed"
Damnation
Chapter 7 - Home Sweet Home
St. Patrick's Day, 1997
Connor was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. The blonde rubbed his left eye with a giggle and turned his head to look at his twin, who was laughing just as hard. Murphy buried his face in the crook of his arm, which he was resting on the bar counter. The older of the two brothers laughed even more at the sight and patted twin's back.
"I swear ta fucking god, she was as dumb as a fuckin brick. She seriously believed me when I said that those tongues were bull cocks."
The whole group of friends started laughing again, and Connor obviously enjoyed being at the center of attention. Murphy looked up and grinned and laughed with his brother, since he already knew what was coming next. Connor rubbed his nose and wouldn't stop giggling. He then wrapped an arm around Billy, one of their friends who was standing right next to him.
"So she was like 'Seriously? Have you ever tasted them? What do bull cocks taste like?'"
The whole group howled with laughter and the blonde twin raised his hand to signalize that he wasn't finished yet.
"Sh sh sh. Wait fer it. So I wrap an arm around her shoulder like this and I proceed ta show her around and I'm like 'Well sweet Sharleen, I don't know, but I'm sure m'brother can help ye. He's quite the expert there, I bet he can show ye what bull cocks taste like if ye need any further private lessons."
The group of friends already wanted to laugh again, but Connor hushed them once more.
Murphy wouldn't stop laughing though, as he lunged out to hit his brother, face now burning red.
"Fuck ye!" he exclaimed but his twin ignored him and went on with his story.
"And she goes, in all honesty!, she goes 'oh that's great! I like cooking and trying out new recipes! I can bring herbs from my balcony!"
And once again the whole pub was howling with laughter and Connor wouldn't leave Murphy be just yet.
"And so it came ta pass that my dear brother finally got laid over a bunch of cow tongues."
"Shut up!" Murphy protested and punched his brother's arm multiple times, but he was still laughing just as hard as all the others.
The blonde twin chuckled and then started ruffling his younger half's hair, because he knew that Murphy hated that just as much.
The dark-haired MacManus was just about to punch his brother again when someone spoke up.
"Hey, MacManus!" they heard a friend yell and automatically turned their heads at the same time.
A flash blinded both twins, making them curse and blink multiple times.
"Jesus, Liam!"
"Fuckin hell ye idiot!"
They both complained and the man with the camera chuckled. Connor got up from his stool and grabbed his Guinness.
"No no no, hold te fuck up. Let's take a proper pic, come on" the older MacManus demanded and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder.
Murphy got up as well and started hopping up and down while clapping with his hands. It was obvious that he was very drunk, and that amused Connor even more.
"Come on brother, smile" he muttered and patted his twin's shoulder, and Murphy finally stopped moving about and wrapped an arm around Connor's waist with a grin.
The blonde started toasting Liam with his pint of Guinness and both brothers posed for the upcoming picture.
"Whay! Say bull cocks!" Murphy yelled and raised his glass as well.
Seconds after the flash blinded their eyes they started laughing again and nearly fell over, spilling Connor's beer all over the place.
Connor massaged his aching cheek and jaw and followed the group with a growl. Daryl wouldn't wait for him or talk to him, he was walking right next to Maggie instead. The Irishman shook his head. "Fucker" he murmured and could taste some blood in his mouth. He had bit his tongue when Daryl had punched him. Glenn was on his way back to the others when Rick called out. "Stop" he demanded and Glenn turned around to look at them. Their leader scanned their surroundings for a moment.
"Well, it looks secure" Glenn murmured and Connor turned around to have a look himself.
He could see all the dead bodies on the ground. None of them were moving. He nodded and put his hands on his hips.
"Aye. Always went fer the head."
"Nothing will lead to that courtyard over there. And that's a civilian" Daryl said and pointed at the female walker he had stabbed earlier.
"So the interior could be overrun by walkers from outside the prison" T-Dog concluded and leaned against the wall. Connor rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Oh, Jesus.."
It was going to be a long day.
"Well, if there's walls down, what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place" Glenn said and looked at Rick.
"We can't risk a blind spot. We have to push in" their leader said and started walking.
The entrance to the cell block wasn't too far away. They made their way up the stairs and Connor moved his fingers over the fences to their left and right. He remembered his time in prison with Murphy, how much they had hated all the bars and fences and locks. He had been excited when they had found the prison yesterday, simply because they would be protected from the walkers behind those fences. He had been inside for only half an hour now and he already hated it again. Daryl placed himself in front of Rick so he could be the one to open the bloodstained door. "Well doesn't that look inviting" Connor murmured with a sigh and placed himself right next to his friend. He looked at Daryl, but when their glances met the younger rewarded him with an angry glare. Right. So he was still pissed. The Irishman rolled his eyes and positioned himself in case a walker was right behind the door. Daryl pushed it open.
It was pitch black inside and their steps echoed through the dark halls. Much to their surprise the smell wasn't too bad, which was a good sign. All they could smell was the stench of rotting wet furniture and paint. Rick moved in front of Connor and Daryl. Glenn closed the door in the meantime. They made their way down the small flight of stairs in front of them. The hall that had once been the dining hall of cell block C was nothing but a dimly lit mess now. They could see papers, towels and clothes lying all over the ground, as if there had been some serious rioting going on. They could see a guard tower right in front of them, and there was blood on the window. The whole group scattered around the hall, and it was Connor who made his way up the tower to check for walkers.
When he reached the very top of the stairs the Irishman turned around to give the waiting group a nod. He took a deep breath and entered the tower, only to find the body of a guard sitting on the chair, with his head thrown back. There was blood on the window right behind him, so Connor figured that he had been shot in the head. He poked him with his knife just to make sure. "Clear" he said and relaxed. He searched the tower for anything useful and froze when he saw a bunch of keys, which were attached to the guard's belt. Connor eyed the undead once more, then he grabbed them. "Well, today's christmas" he murmured and showed Rick the keys through the window. Their leader smiled and nodded approvingly. Connor made his way back down the stairs and threw them at the policeman so he could open the door to the section with the prison cells. The Irishman positioned himself next to Daryl.
"Thanks fer the punch by the way" he growled and Daryl glared at him.
Connor looked back at him for a while and shook his head with a snort.
"Oh come on now, don't give me that shit."
"Shut up, there could be walkers everywhere."
"So what, we can take them on."
"Yeah sure, how about we just lock you up with them, hope for the best and rely on fucking assumptions."
The Irishman frowned.
"Assumptions? There ain't no fucking assumptions, it obviously worked. It always works. Don't get yer panties in a bunch you whiny baby."
Daryl shoved him hard.
"Don't you.."
"Hey!" Rick called out and Daryl let go with a growl. Their leader was standing next to the door he had just opened and pointed at them. "Pull yourselves together!" he hissed and the hunter moved to come closer. He knew that their leader was right, and he most certainly didn't want to talk to Connor right now. He entered the section first, with his crossbow in his hands so he could shoot any possible walkers right away. They had heard the distant growls of walkers every once in a while, so he was sure that there were some inside the cells. Connor followed him right after and went straight for the cells to check them. Rick, T-Dog, Maggie and Glenn were right behind them. Once again the whole hall was a complete mess, but what surprised them the most was that they could hardly see any blood or guts or body parts lying around. There were a few bodies inside the cells, but each of them had been shot in the head.
Connor reached the very end of the section and checked the door on the other side. It was locked tight. He sighed and turned around to let his gaze wander. The block wasn't too big, the Hoag had been a lot bigger. He looked up at the ceiling and checked the windows to see if there were any holes or broken walls, but it looked like the building was intact, which was a big bonus. When he saw how Daryl made his way up the stairs to the upper cells he decided to follow and help him, despite their current dispute. This was the one thing they were good at. No matter how much they hated each other sometimes, when it came down to this they were still a good team, which was why they were still alive after all.
Most of the upper cells were clear, apart from a few bodies. A loud bang to their right startled them both. Connor and Daryl looked at each other. The Irishman nodded and pointed at a cell to their right. The hunter nodded as well and placed an arrow in his crossbow. Connor gave him signs to let him know that he was going to go first and grabbed his knife, and with a final nod they both started walking. When they reached one of the cells that were further up front they could see how two pairs arms were fighting thin air through two of the cell doors. Two prisoners, who had obviously died and turned in their prison cells, were still locked up behind bars. "Jesus" Connor murmured and just looked at them for a moment. He didn't really know how long they had been in there, but if Rick was right and the prison had fallen early then it would mean that they had been locked up for almost a year. He sighed and shook his head.
"Looks like you've served yer sentence, buddy" he said and stabbed the walker in the head. Daryl did the same with the walker in the cell next to him.
The Irishman wiped the blood off his blade and turned around to look at the rest of the group downstairs.
"Everything's clear" he said and put his knife away. Rick nodded.
"Alright. Let's get the bodies out of here, we're gonna burn them tomorrow. Looks like this part of the prison is clear for now. We'll move the others in here. Rest for a bit. Tomorrow we're going to look for the cafeteria, infirmary and commissary. Glenn, Maggie, T, you're going back outside, get the others and our things. Connor, Daryl, you're gonna help me with the bodies."
Connor nodded and let his gaze wander once more.
"Home sweet home" he murmured and turned around to face Daryl. His friend just glared at him again, which made the Irishman snort.
"Wow, don't look at me like that, Darylena. What do ye wanna do with that look, kill me?"
Daryl narrowed his eyes at him and didn't say anything for a while. Then he shook his head and walked past him.
"Fuck you" he growled and bumped into Connor on purpose.
Once Rick had unlocked all the prison cells Daryl and Connor got started on moving the bodies. They were quiet at first, avoiding both eye and body contact. They were cleaning out the cells upstairs when Connor had enough. They were carrying another body out of a cell and Rick had just left the cell block when the Irishman finally looked at Daryl and sighed.
"Oh come on now, stop it with yer fucking moping. Just because you lost this competition. Don't be a sore loser, ye idiot."
Daryl looked up and glared at his friend.
"Besides, I was just getting ye started on it t'make it easier fer us for christ's fucking sakes" Connor went on and they threw the body over the railing. Daryl went straight for the next cell to get the next body. His friend followed him with an angry growl. The hunter knew all to well that it was driving Connor crazy when no one was talking to him, when he wasn't talking to him, which was why he was doing it in the first place. He wanted his friend to suffer, simply because a simple punch in his face hadn't been punishment enough for what he had done.
It wasn't even the fact that he had almost had a heart attack when Connor had run off and fought all these walkers. It certainly wasn't the first time his friend had scared the shit out of him, and he hated to be scared. More than anything. No, it was the fact that Connor had done it so easily, had sacrificed himself as if it was the easiest thing in the world, like it was still so easy for him to get himself hurt, even worse, killed. Even after Daryl had asked him to never do that shit again. But now that his friend got an audience again it felt like the Irishman was trying anything to impress people with whatever was going on with him because of that bite. They carried the body to the railing again, and Connor wouldn't stop glaring at Daryl, he was still waiting for an answer after all. They threw the body over the railing and the blonde leaned against the wall for a moment. Daryl turned around to leave again, but then changed his mind and turned on his heels to glare at the Irishman.
"Yah really think this is about yer fucking competition?"
Connor folded his arms and snorted.
"Well, it obviously is. I tell ye how many walkers I killed and you punch me in the face fer it. Just admit it, you can't fucking lose. Yer all 'oh look at me, I'm Daryl fucking Dixon with my crossbow, I'm so tough, I can hunt and track and I've got my motorbike, I'm so fucking tough'. And as soon as someone's better than you, and damn right I was fucking better than you, then ye lose yer shit and go all punching bag on me again."
Daryl frowned.
"I ain't some giant five year old like you dumbass. And I certainly ain't crying over some pathetic competition I lost."
He turned around to get the next body.
"Then what te fuck's yer problem, man?!" Connor spat and glared at his friend's back.
Daryl turned around and looked at him for a while, then he made his way back to him again.
"I am done with yer suicidal bullshit all the time. You promised you wouldn't do that shit again!"
Connor frowned.
"Suicidal? Are ye stupid?"
"So what do you call this then, huh? Letting yerself get locked up with three dozen flesh eating dead freaks is perfectly sane t'yah?!"
The Irishman snorted.
"Well someone had ta fucking do it, they were all coming outta this building, and someone had ta lock it up. And it worked last time I did it, didn't it? And since they ain't interested in.."
"You don't know that for sure!" Daryl spat and shoved his friend. "Yer just assuming this shit, man. And running in there and relying on that just because it worked once is fucking stupid!"
"It obviously fucking works no matter how many times I do it! I' got bit over half a year ago, Daryl! And they never attacked me again ever since. Fuckin hell, some walker literally bumped inta me and just looked at me and went away, we were face t'face for a whole minute right before I ran in there!"
"So what, yah some sorta doctor now, you dumb fuck? You know for sure that they're never gonna attack yah again?"
"Well do ye know fer sure that they're gonna attack me again? Same fucking thing! And even if they do, who cares?"
"I fucking care, you asshole!" Daryl yelled and clenched his fist.
He was just about to punch his friend in his face again, but when he saw how Connor tensed he relaxed his hand.
"It's just cos they've never seen it, huh? You finally got your stupid audience back. Is this really how you thank us, thank me for everything I've done for yah? By throwing yerself at every possible danger you can find just so you can be some stupid show-off with your immunity crap?"
"Fucking aye, because I saved yer asses out there. No one would've been able ta do this shit. I was just helping and protecting you people, this isn't about me running in there showing off or hoping t'get myself killed. If I wanted that I'd just put a bullet t'my head."
"Yeah, and I'm supposed t'believe you. Cos you never tried to get yerself killed before."
Connor glared at him.
"This was months ago, don't get started on that shit again."
"Well, I obviously gotta, cos yer still doing the same stupid mistakes over and over again. Because you always run around like a headless chicken with yer stupid ideas and plans that get people killed and that end with you getting bit. Why do yah think they managed t'turn yah into such a freak, huh? Because of your stupidity!"
As soon as Daryl had spoken it out he regretted it instantly. Connor just looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Daryl thought that his friend was about to punch him in his face for that, but Connor just walked past him. "Let's get those things outta here. We ain't got all day" he growled and disappeared inside a cell.
They were throwing another body down so T-Dog could carry it outside when the other remaining members of the group came in.
Daryl and Connor had fallen quiet again, especially now that there were others with them.
"What do you think?" they heard Rick, who made his way down the stairs, ask and looked down to see what was going on.
"Home sweet home" Glenn said and made Connor chuckle.
"My words, boy" he murmured and checked all the remaining prison cells to see if they had forgotten any bodies.
"It's secure?" Carol asked and Rick nodded.
"This cell block is."
Connor made his way down the stairs as well so he could help the others with their bags. He took some blankets from Lori and smiled at her.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded and handed him the blankets.
"Is it really secure?"
The Irishman nodded and took a look around.
"Aye. Triple-checked it. Don't worry. We're gonna keep ye safe."
"What about the rest of the prison?" Herschel asked and Rick and Connor looked at him.
"In the morning we'll find the cafeteria and the infirmary" he explained and the Irishman nodded.
"Aye, places like this should be well stocked with food and medical supplies."
"We'll sleep in the cells?" Beth asked and they nodded once more.
"Don't worry. They're quite comfy. Way safer and better than sleeping outside with no real cover. And ye get t'pick. Isn't that some great news" Connor said and looked at Rick who nodded.
"I found keys on some guards. Connor has a set, too."
"I ain't sleeping in no cage" they heard Daryl growl upstairs and looked up. "I'll take the perch" the hunter went on and started walking to get his things ready. Everyone started moving to get their cells and Connor chuckled softly. Truth be told, after being locked up in a prison before all this had started he didn't exactly fancy sleeping in a cell either, but at the same time he really missed sleeping in a real bed. Not that you could call the hard and uncomfortable prison bunk beds real beds.
He helped Lori and Carol to get their stuff upstairs, and once he had made sure everything was alright he decided to choose his own cell. He picked one not too far away from them and close to the stairs, just so he could be right there in case of emergencies. For a moment he just stood there and eyed his cell. He could see some blood on the walls and it was dirty as hell, but he had seen a whole lot worse during the past year. The Irishman sighed and put his bag on the table to get his things out. He still couldn't stop thinking about what Daryl had told him. Your stupid plans that get people killed and that end with you getting bitten. He sighed and scratched his arm again. Connor knew that his friend had only said this because he had been angry, and even he had to admit that the hunter was right. He knew that his plans were stupid and dangerous. He knew how much trouble they had caused the last couple of years.
Connor let go off his arm and searched his bag until he found the small and dirty piece of paper. Even after all these months he still had a hard time looking at it. The Irishman sighed and just stared at the photo in his hands. There he was, his twin brother, grinning at him, his arm wrapped around his waist. Connor was glad he still had the photo, no matter how much it hurt. He had seen and been through so much that sometimes he had almost forgotten what his brother looked like. What his voice had sounded like, his accent, his laugh. What he had smelled like, what he had felt like. Funny how something as gloomy and gray as this prison could remind him of his brother. Because the last time he had been inside a prison had been with Murphy. Connor looked at the bunk bed to his right. He was pretty sure that if his twin were there with him then they would have been fighting over who would get to sleep on top by now. Dear god, did he miss his brother...
"Looks like yer finally back t'where you belong."
Connor turned around and saw Daryl standing there by the entrance to his cell. He snorted and turned around again to get his bed ready.
"Cells sure look better than ours at te Hoag."
Daryl frowned.
"Ours?"
Connor froze and sighed.
"Right. I forgot. Sorry" he murmured and went on without looking at Daryl.
They were quiet for a while and the hunter just watched his friend moving around for a moment.
"Hey" he finally said and Connor looked at him.
"Sorry 'bout what I said earlier."
The Irishman shrugged.
"Well, maybe you were right 'bout a few things there. Besides, we were all a bit on edge cos of all the walkers, aye. No hard feelings.
But still, next time ye punch me in the face be prepared t'get yer ass kicked in return."
Daryl snorted.
"Just don't do any of that insane bullshit again and I don't have t'punch some sanity into yah."
The Irishman frowned.
"So what, are ye my mother now?"
"Fuck you, someone's gotta say it."
"Yeah, whatever, Ma."
They fell quiet once again but Daryl wouldn't just leave yet. He wanted to speak it out, but at the same time he just didn't have the guts and still didn't want his friend to know. I really care about you asshole, please don't ever do that again, he thought but would not dare speaking it out, so he just stood there and watched, completely lost in thoughts. Connor would look at him every once in a while, confused because his friend was still there. He smirked after a while and stopped moving his things around.
"So what about ye? Top? Bottom?" he asked and nodded towards the bunk bed. It was a peace-offering. Daryl snorted and shifted.
"I ain't sleeping in no cell. Especially not with you. I ain't no fag" he murmured and turned around to leave.
"Besides. There ain't no debate. I'm a top. Obviously."
Connor snorted louder than intended.
"Did yer really just say that?"
Daryl couldn't fight a smirk either.
"Fuck you" he murmured and kept walking so he could get his own place to sleep ready. He could hear Connor chuckling in his cell.
"Well, you certainly wanna do that."
