A/N: A much lighter chapter… as they are going to get quite dark very soon….
Chapter 9
The prison was starting to get more and more fortified by the day.
Daryl, Andi and Michonne had decided to scout around the outside of the prison to see what they could scavenge from the rubble of the main entrance and building but still ensuring that it would not leave them exposed at the front of the prison.
"Couldn't we have just driven the car around to check it out" Michonne said as they made their way through a couple of walkers that were always on the outside of the prison.
"Hadn't really givin' it much thought" Daryl said, in all hindsight just to check out the area it would have been a good idea at least they would have known what was around here and how many walkers they might come across.
"This is more fun though don't you think" Andi laughed slicing at a walker's head with her bowie knife "get some practice in, get out of the prison, take a nice quiet walk in a forest?"
The last comment made even Michonne smile.
"Quiet walk in the forest" Daryl grinned under his breath looking over at Andi shaking his head, heaving up his crossbow and taking out a walker that Michonne was striding towards. She spun around to glare at him.
"Gotta be quicker than that" he shrugged with a mischievous grin across his face. Daryl felt most comfortable around these two women, maybe it was because out of everyone except possibly Carol these two were the most damaged, like him. He knew that he could trust them in a fight and that was something he held in high regard, he didn't even mind when Michonne had offered the day before to accompany him on a hunting trip. They barely spoke for the whole day but he felt it was nice having someone with him who knew not to get in his way and understood what exactly was involved in tracking a buck.
"Oh I sense a bit of a competition" Andi raised her eyes brows up and down challenging them both with a grin.
Michonne looked at the pair, she knew that Daryl had a bit of a thing for Andi, the whole group knew it. The way in the last week he would spend all of his time with her in the tower or the way he would straighten up when she walked into a room. It was really quite sweet. Michonne had always had respect for Daryl; he was a hunter and a damn good hunter at that. And then there was Andi, she had been here a week and already felt like a trusted member of the group. Michonne had liked her straight away, her attitude and confidence seemed to rub off on other members of the group and that could only be a good thing and advantage to the group. Plus with her military training she was making the prison not impenetrable but difficult for people to take let along get into.
"Ok" Michonne finally said "but no crossbows" she pointed at Daryl "unfair advantage, blades only. The person with the most kills by the time we get back is the winner."
"What d' we win?" Daryl asked slinging his crossbow and pulling out his hunting knife.
"The knowledge that you are a better walker killer than the rest" Andi said putting her knife away and pulling out her two machetes from their sheaths on her back.
Maggie and Glenn meanwhile were taking a stock count of all food, water, amo, guns, everything. They had also gathered and cleaned the remaining armour from the walkers they had killed when they had first taken the prison, if anything it would offer them some protection to Beth, Carol, Herschel and Carl.
"Seems it was a good idea to bring her back" Maggie said to Glenn as she scooped a hand full of vile smelling rotting flesh from a helmet that belonged to one of the guards, she had to stop herself from throwing up the lunch they had just eaten.
"Yeah I think it was" Glenn agreed. People seemed to feel safer knowing she was around, not that they didn't before but she had such an authority about her. Both Glenn and Maggie were nearby when she spoke to Rick about Carl, something they had all wanted to do for a long time now. They both also knew the history between Andi and John, they had heard about groups of testosterone filled men killing and raping anything that moved but none had dared to believe it until the problem was at their door.
Each and every person in that prison hoped that the group would just believe that the three men were taken by walkers and would not come looking for them, but as Rick had said to them all, they could not risk being caught off guard.
"What do you think will happen?" Maggie had to stop from cleaning the helmet as she started getting overwhelmed by the smell.
Glenn looked over at her, she was so beautiful he thought and it was the thought of anything happening to her, like what had happened to Andi that made him want to protect this woman even more, maybe even leave the confides of the prison. But in doing that he could put them both at even more risk, there were fowler things out in the open, living and dead.
"I don't know" he said finally said looking down at the guns in front of him. He hoped they would not have to use them. "I hope this just passes by and nothing comes of it, but then what do we do with the three guys in there" he said pointing towards the cells "I just don't know, Andi will kill each one of them given the chance and if it is for the protection of the group, I support it."
Maggie looked at him, eyes wide "you support killing the living?"
"I support protecting my family" Glenn replied sitting down at the table next to her, taking her hand in his "you, Beth and Herschel. You are my family now and I will do everything I can to protect you, even if it meant I had to kill them myself."
Maggie smiled weakly and kissed him lightly on his cheek "thank you" she said simply before getting up and to try and finish the cleaning.
Andi, Daryl and Michonne's adventure had been a successful one. Not only had they found a lot of great materials that can be used to strengthen their side of the prison but Daryl had managed to kill a buck that had been on the outskirts of the forest. It was a huge one that would feed the group for a few weeks at least.
"Plus" Daryl said with a grin as he hauled buck onto the table for Carol and Beth "I won the walker killing competition" he said triumphantly "Twelve to their nine each. Plus I got the buck to, that's gotta count as another in my reckoning."
"You just got lucky" Michonne said as she rolled her eyes at the man "you ran into that five walker herd."
"Did you actually find anything?" Herschel asked bemused at this side of Daryl and Michonne he had never seen before, in fact he had never heard this many words come out of Michonne's mouth before. He wondered if this was Andi's influence on the pair and if that was the case, he was glad she was sticking around.
"Yeah, we found a lot of stuff that will be good to bring 'round here" Andi answered smiling "Bricks, huge wooden beams and some heavy duty metal doors that I think will be bullet proof, or at least provide a hell of a lot more protection that the tables and wooden pellets your using at the moment."
"We should look at start bringing them round first thing tomorrow" Daryl said "we can use the truck out back, I fixed it up, it's sluggish but it runs, it'll carry those beams at least."
Andi finished her glass of water "Herschel, where's Rick?" she asked "I got some unfinished business I think needs to be cleared before we all get into this."Andi wanted to finish the conversation about Carl, some serious things may go down at the prison and that boy really needed to know that when he is told something he must listen and do it, it could mean someone dies of he didn't.
"He's with Judith" Herschel pointed up to the cells before touching her arm before she could walk off "now we all agree with you about Carl, he needs to be bought into line but you have to tread carefully with Rick, he has lost a lot in a very small space of time" the older man said. Andi had a lot of time for Herschel, he was a stable rock amongst the group, a father figure and a trusted confidant.
"He could loose a hell of a lot more if he someone doesn't tell him how it is" she said simply before walking away from the group and into the cell block to find Rick.
A/N: Like I said this was a much lighter chapter... Next chapter will come very soon.
