Author's Note: The chapter we have all been waiting for! I had a lot of fun writing the battle part! As always, I hope you all enjoy.

Chapter Eleven: The Day We Fell Apart

"Meet me on the battlefield
Even on the darkest night
I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage
And you will be mine"

Meet Me On The Battlefield - Svrcina

Vicki's heart hammered in her chest and the adrenaline surged through her veins at the sight of the fight before her. The walkers were crowding the quad and Tyrese, Victoria, Michonne and Hershel could be seen. Carol, T-Dog and the others couldn't be seen at all. She felt her chest constrict as Rick yelled for his kids and Carl and Maggie started yelling at Hershel, who was fighting his ass off. Walkers were everywhere. They were going to have utilize every person here to take them out. Why the hell were gates left open? She couldn't ponder these questions for too long. The only thing she could do was protect the others. Kill the walkers. Kill them all. Vicki didn't even look back to Daryl, she had to keep moving and she trusted Daryl was on her heels. Rick and the group came upon the quad and a group of walkers started to turn around as they probably heard and smelled their presence. There were six of them and everyone launched their assault at once. Rick shot one in the head and Daryl was already popping an arrow into one and removing it quickly. Vicki pushed off the concrete and lunged at a walker woman in her mid-twenties who was moaning terribly. Her sickle hit the brain and she was out cold upon the concrete. Maggie and Glenn finished the rest with swift blows. "Carl, Judith!" Rick's voice rang out among the crowd and she grabbed at Glenn and Maggie who had finished off the rest of the small group hovering near the gates.

"We have to get gates locked back up before more come." Vicki looked towards the woods and a good ten more were already pushing past the forest line and heading their way. Glenn wasted no time back tracking and locking the gate. "Cover him and we'll keep clearing." Rick shouted and Maggie nodded bravely. Maggie hung back to cover him as he was defenseless with his back turned. Rick turned to Daryl and Vicki and shouted, "Clear this area, we have to get these before they enter the prison!" She nodded dutifully and Rick continued on forging a path and clearing walkers as he could. Vicki heard a shout and saw that Tyrese had fallen upon the ground and one of the walkers had fallen with him. She ran, Daryl yelling after her, and came upon the walker as it mashed its teeth at Ty's face. "I got ya'!" She yelled as she jammed her sickle into the side of the walker's head. Tyrese quickly climbed out from under and she helped him to his feet. Tyrese gave her a curt nod before saying insistently, "We can't find Lizzie!" Vicki clapped his back and said, "We'll find her Ty, let's keep moving!" They both split up to take on more of the walkers and Vicki felt bottom lip tremble at the thought of the kids getting bit. It then turned into rage and she used the rage to propel her along the fight.

She heard a gunshot go off and not a split second later she felt the breeze that blew by her hair and the walker that was inches from her back was taken down. Vicki jerked her head towards the watch tower and saw Sasha with her sniper rifle. She quickly gave Vicki the thumbs up. She turned back towards the quad and the sounds of gunshots could be heard intermittently from Rick's revolver and Sasha's rifle. There was no way out of this other than using fire power mixed with their weapons. She ran back into the fray and sliced and diced her way towards the prison doors and she noticed Rick was nearing them as well. Vicki's limbs were burning, but she continued her assault. This was what she trained for, all the lunges and running back and forth across the quad. It was what they all trained for. She ducked quickly under a walker as he tried to wrap her in a not so friendly bear hug. She turned on her heel to stab it in the back of the head. Except her sickle got stuck. No, she messed up! She hadn't hit him in the temple! Vicki knew from her training that temple shots were easier for the blade to slice through. Her adrenaline shot through the roof and she started to jerk at his head as the sickle was caught. Hard headed son of a bitch!

Another walker came up quickly in front of the walker she was wrestling with and he didn't stop, he just ambled along and bumped into his dead walker buddy. The force of being pushed had Vicki tripping backwards, who was behind the dead walker. All three went down and she was stuck on the bottom of a walker sandwich. She screamed out as she continued to wrestle her sickle free while she used her other hand to try and swipe at the walker who was alive on top of the dead one. He was mashing his teeth in a terrifying way and trying to get to her free arm that was whipping about to try and stab him. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Her heart beat wildly and she started to just try and shimmy her way out from underneath them, but they were literally dead weight. An arrow landed in the live walkers head the moment she thought she wasn't going to be able to get up and out of the situation. Daryl. She tried to crane her head on the ground to see where Daryl was, but he was already beside her. He kicked the walkers off of her as he pulled her to her feet. She grabbed the sickle now from the dead one and pulled with all her might. It released with a sickening sound. She looked to Daryl with relief.

For the briefest moment she saw pure terror in his eyes as he scanned her body and she shook her head vehemently, "No, I'm good Daryl. It's okay, Let's find the others and keep goin'!" He nodded and she saw him take a relieved breath. The two of them continued into the fray closer to the cellblock door that led to their cells. The walkers were so close to that door..too damn close for comfort. They were right outside the place they rested their heads. Rick was clearing a path with Michonne and Tyrese was now using his automatic rifle to take out the others while his girlfriend, Victoria, was stabbing heads back to back. Vicki ran to Michonne and Rick and started to launch her assault against two that were coming too close to the cellblock doors. Daryl shouldered his cross bow and started to use his hunting knife. He nudged her quickly and pointed towards the gates that were now locked. Glenn and Maggie surprise attacked some of the walkers that had their backs turned to them. Glenn grabbed Maggie's hand and they made their way towards the watch tower Sasha was in. "COVER THEM!" Vicki yelled up to Sasha. She wasted no time in sniping a few stray walkers that came close to Maggie and Glenn.

Hershel was breathing heavily, but for an old man he was holding his own. Vicki watched as one came behind Hershel at a threateningly fast pace. "Hershel!" She screamed out and he turned quickly just in time to jab his knife into the walker woman's head. Vicki looked to Michonne, "Carl and the others?" Michonne sliced a head off of one before looking to Vicki, Rick and Daryl. "Inside! Judith is with Carol and Carl." Vicki narrowed her brows and noticed she didn't mention T-Dog, but before she could holler out and ask her attention was turned back towards the quad. The walkers were falling rapidly and the gunshots rang out now from above. Vicki fist pumped the air as Maggie, Glenn and Sasha took to the tower to take them out with headshots. All three were a force to be reckoned with and that gave the ground crew time to clean up the strays.

Michonne motioned for Vicki to follow her, so she did. A few walkers started to round the corner on the far right side of the prison and Daryl nodded towards them as he started running that way. "I got these guys!' He shouted as he disappeared from view. Vicki saw the small group that Michonne was talking about and while Michonne cut their heads off and stabbed, Vicki was making sure her sickles hit the temples. She was breathing heavily now, but continued on. Michonne's back was to Vicki's and they squared off against a few remaining ones while Rick was using his machete to take out the last ones with Tyrese and Victoria. Vicki swiped at an older walker and her sickle accidentally connected with his throat. Dirty, old blood poured from his neck and she grimaced before aiming for his temple. Her sickle hit the softest point and sunk in perfectly. She was able to pull it out quickly and when she looked back up to a woman that was coming near her, she dropped before Vicki could hit her. Behind her was Hershel with a small little smirk on his lips at his kill.

She smiled back and noticed that all the walkers were now dead. They actually did it! Her smile was bright and triumphant and the door to the cellblock opened carefully as Carol stepped out with a haunted look upon her face. "Carol!" She shouted as Rick turned towards the door with a relieved look on his face as she held Judith in her arms and Carl was beside her. Carl had a gun in his hands and Rick was already crossing the expanse towards the three of them with Michonne and Vicki in tow behind him. Rick hugged them all tightly and Carl looked to Rick and smiled gently before saying, "I protected them." It didn't go unnoticed to Vicki and Michonne that Carol looked like she had been crying. Vicki immediately enveloped Carol in a hug as Rick had taken Judith, "Carol, what happened?" She sniffed and looked towards the kids and then looked back towards Rick, her and Michonne. "T-Dog, he-he saved us." Vicki's face fell at the use of his name in past tense and the fact that she was tearing up. Michonne and Rick gave each other looks and Rick looked away with a deep sadness in his eyes.

Daryl! Vicki looked back towards the corner that he had rounded and she realized he hadn't come back. She was about to rush over there, but the next voice stopped her in her tracks, "Where's Lizzie?" Tyrese and Victoria were now ambling up to Carol and the others and Tyrese's eyes were wild as Sasha and the others were climbing down the watch tower. Carol shook her head and said, "Tyrese, I'm so sorry. I lost her through the chaos. She ran off down the cellblock and I didn't even know what way she went-" Tyrese made a deep guttural cry as he started to head into the cellblock to look for her, but a figure came rounding the corner of the prison and Rick grabbed Tyrese's arm and jerked him back. "Daryl's got her!" Rick said and everyone watched as the Daryl now carried Lizzie. However, as Daryl got closer it was apparent he was trembling and her body was lolling like a rag doll. Like she was..dead. Vicki's eyes widened and Tyrese, Victoria and Sasha were already running to Daryl who stopped in his tracks carrying her. His head was hung low and Vicki could have sworn she saw Daryl was crying. He looked away as he handed her body to Tyrese who gently laid her upon the ground. "Couldn't get to her in time.." Daryl's voice broke off.

Everyone started to walk towards them slowly, but Carol gasped and pulled Carl back towards her as the sight shocked everyone. Rick handed Judith to Carol gently. Tyrese's wails were the only thing that could be heard now in the silence of their victory. Not one, but two people had been lost. That wasn't really a victory, it was a defeat. Vicki felt her chest constrict and Daryl walked towards the far wall and slid down so that his face was buried in his hands. Vicki followed Rick as he and Michonne hesitantly walked towards the group huddled around Lizzie's body. She had a giant gaping wound in her neck and on her shoulder. Vicki felt sick, but kept it together. Rick looked at Tyrese and started to say something, anything, but his girlfriend snapped her head back towards the group and glared daggers at Vicki, of all people. "It's your fault! Those people, they found us! I just know it. They probably unlocked our damn gates or tampered with them. It's your fault!" That was when Daryl looked up from where he was and got up from against the wall. Rick shook his head silently before answering, "We don't know that. You can't go-" Tyrese now got up and started towards Vicki, but Rick and Daryl stepped in front of Vicki as a shield. Tyrese stopped in his tracks. "I do know these gates were locked and then they were tampered with. And because of it..Lizzie is dead. Someone is gonna' pay." The situation was tense and Michonne had her hands on the hilt of one of her swords, readying herself for if things went south.

It was done though. The seed of doubt was planted into everyone's minds and everyone looked around now with leery and concerned expressions. Vicki shook her head back and forth and the thought of Daniel doing something like this wasn't exactly too far a stretch. He wasn't a fighting type of guy..he was a calculating guy that did malicious things. He wasn't a full on war type of guy. Unless you pushed his buttons, but this..what had happened with the walkers getting in and the gates getting tampered with was something Daniel seemed like he would do. She felt her face flush white and her stomach turned as she realized this might have been her fault. Indirectly, but still. What if Daniel had found them? Glenn stepped up now with Rick and said, "Why now then, huh? I mean, who was on duty when this happened?" It was then everyone quieted before Rick gave Tyrese an exasperated look as no one answered. Until Carol spoke up, "It's because there wasn't anyone on duty, right? It was Tyrese and Victoria's turn.." She trailed off and Rick craned his neck to Tyrese sideways. Oh, shit.

Tyrese looked panicked and guilty as charged. "Alright, Alright. We weren't up here when we should have been, but that don't change the fact that they were tampered with! I know it in my bones that it was those men and it's all her fault! None of this would have happened and they wouldn't have found us if ya' hadn't of brought her back." His fists were now clenched and Rick didn't take the notion lightly. He stepped up to Tyrese and whispered something to him that no one else could hear. They faced off for what felt like minutes, but it was only seconds. Tyrese stepped down and he went back to Sasha and Victoria who were crying over Lizzie's body. "I'll do it. Just give me a minute." Sasha murmured as she took out her knife and her body convulsed with sobs. Lizzie would come back and they wanted to take care of her before she did come back as something else. Vicki stood there numbly. Her mind kept telling her something was off about the story, but she could not shake the feeling of dread at the the fact that it very well was a decent theory.

Michonne spoke up now as Rick and Glenn fell back while Tyrese and the girls wanted time with Lizzie for a moment. "I locked that gate, Rick." Her words were fierce and Rick nodded, knowing she locked them up and trusting her. He looked to Vicki and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly as he noticed her body shaking. There was nothing to say, but his eyes told her she was not responsible. However, the doubt was planted amongst the group and her body lip trembled. If this was his doing, what came next? Daryl was hovering nearby, but as Vicki looked to him she noticed he was staring down at Lizzie and it broke her heart. She knew in that moment he was thinking of the girls he had lost before, Sophia and Beth. She tried to get his attention, but he didn't look at her, he just walked past her silently and back towards the cellblock. He looked over his shoulder at Rick with dark eyes and said, "I'll get the shovel." The anguish in his voice was apparent and Vicki saw Daryl retreat to a dark corner in his mind. It was useless to try and reach him in this moment.

Rick nodded grimly and Glenn and Maggie both looked sick. She realized Daryl meant he'd get the shovel so he could start digging holes for the two they had lost. The group stood there for a brief moment before people ambled inside and Carol told Rick she would show him to T-Dog's body. Vicki couldn't shake the feeling that it was her fault. If Daniel had done it, this was all on her. At least, that was how she looked at it. These people didn't deserve this and she looked to her bloodied sickles grimly before sheathing them. Glenn came to her and searched her eyes, but she was unreachable. He hugged her and then she felt Maggie's hand take her own and squeeze as Glenn hugged her. They all went inside to clean up and prepare to bury their fallen.

Everything moved in slow motion and Vicki just sat in her cell, staring at her hands. A short time later, after Daryl had dug the holes, Vicki and the others had shuffled out to pay respects. There wasn't much to say, but somehow Rick found the right things to say as everyone sniffled or stood by mutely. Once they were done, Tyrese left with Victoria and Sasha and he didn't even look her way. It was as if she did not exist to Tyrese. In the moment, Vicki stepped up towards Daryl and put a hand on his shoulder, but he wrenched away from her. A few others looked to them now as the scene unfolded. "Daryl-" She pleaded with him, but he whipped around on her faster than she had expected. He was staring down at her and his eyes were void of emotion. Grief and loss had completely consumed him and the Daryl she knew was no longer there. It was clear during his time alone digging the holes he'd had time to stew on his feelings. "This gonna' be on yer ass if we find out that freak came and messed with the gates." There was a collective gasp from Maggie and Carol as Daryl's words lingered in the air. She shrunk back from his venomous words and she shook her head at him in a loss for words. Rick stepped up now, "HEY!" His tone was a warning and he glared at Daryl. Daryl's grief from Sophia and Beth was plain as day. He started to walk away and muttered, "Can't take this shit.."

Glenn looked like he was about to speak up in defense of Vicki, but Vicki beat him to the punch herself. Daryl, please-" But, she didn't even have time to finish before he whipped around to her again, his eyes like daggers through her heart, "Stay tha' hell away from me.. 'Fore you get me killed too." His words hit her like they were an arrow straight to her chest. She stopped in her tracks and her breath hitched in her throat. "That's enough!" Rick bellowed and this time he moved to stand beside Vicki like a protective dad. Daryl lingered for a moment, watching her fall apart with cold blue eyes. He turned around on his heels and headed back towards the prison without another word. Carol retreated a few minutes after Daryl, but Vicki stood rooted to the spot she was in until her legs buckled and she landed on her knees with her face in her hands. The full extent of what had just happened hit her. She felt the tears coming down her face as she realized T-Dog and Lizzie would never get to see the light of day ever again.

End note: Ahhh! Chaos and sadness! I always imagined when this happened Daryl would be an asshole and channel his grief and pain on others. He didn't get to Lizzie in time and he hates himself for it. I know, I know ...I killed off some of the characters, but I promise you it had to happen in order for things to go the way I'm planning this story out. Now, I know people keep wondering about Daniel and his men..did they do this? Or is this all a big misunderstanding? We will see. I promise you Daniel and his men do come into play at some point, but when or how I won't say. ^^ Just will have to stay tuned to find out! :)