Outside the walkers' growls grew louder and louder, Daryl grabbed his and Carol's bag from upstairs, Rick helped her to the car he had parked a few feet away, and they drove back to the prison. Ty and Glenn were working on the fence, Beth was concerned that Hershel wasn't back yet, and Carl and Lizzie were picking the last of the tomatoes, laughing.

Maggie ran and opened the gate, and the happy environment stopped. Carl went to greet Rick, Beth ran over to them to see if Hershel had come back with them, and Glenn saw the third person in the car and so did Ty.

"Rick!"

"Dad!"

"Hell no!"

"Ty, don't!"

"Daddy? Daddy?"

"Carol!"

All of the voices sounded at once, Daryl got out of the car and slammed the gate shut, locking it to keep Ty away from Carol. Lizzie bolted over to Carol right behind Carl, Maggie closed the gates and Beth whimpered when Hershel wasn't in the car. She so hoped they'd gotten him.

Rick and Carol got out, Carl hugged his father, worried when he hadn't been there this morning. Carol was tackled by Lizzie, who cried into her shirt, and Carol held her tightly. Maggie pulled Beth behind her protectively, taking her gun out and keeping it on Carol. Daryl saw it and stepped in the way.

"Move, Daryl," Maggie demanded.

"Hell, no. You get that thing outta my face!" He knocked it away.

"Daryl, she has the right," Rick said.

"Why in the hell is she back here?" Tyreese roared, gripping the chain-links. "I thought she was gone!"

"Well, she's back now," Daryl shot back. "Get used to it."

"She is not back!" Rick shouted.

"Man, it ain't up to you!" Daryl got in his face. "It ain't up to you."

"I'm standing right here." Carol held Lizzie close. "And we have bigger problems."

"Like what? Gettin' water?" Ty hissed.

"Phillip's back." Rick moved Maggie gun from Carol. "He's got Hershel."

Beth whimpered again, and Maggie went numb.

"Oh, no," Glenn breathed. "How? He was in the prison."

"He went out for herbs." Rick eyed Beth as she gripped her stomach. "He grabbed Hershel then. Beth, why was he pickin' herbs?"

Maggie turned to her little sister. "Beth?"

The young girl looked up at the accusing eyes. "Bobby was ill. I had to help. Carol didn't want me to, but I had to."

"Bobby?" Maggie shook her head. "Who?"

"He's a friend of mine," Carol answered. "He's from my camp."

"He a killer too?"

"Ty, back off!" Daryl glared. "Been seven months, and you didn't give a shit 'bout her whereabouts til now."

"Well, the snake is in the nest now."

"Enough!" Maggie met Beth's eyes. "Did you know?"

"I found Carol when we went on a run five or so months ago." Beth felt trapped, and Carol wanted to hug her, but Maggie would never let her get close. "She saved me, fed me, and I had to repay her. I woulda died if she hadn't found me." Beth went over to Carol. "I want her to stay."

"Beth was the thief?" Carl asked.

"You stole from us and gave it to her?" Tyreese was stunned. Carol was a killer, Beth was thief. The world does to shit and takes the good ones down with it. Karen, David...Damn, and now the Governor's back.

"Yes, but only the stuff we weren't usin'," Beth assured them. "Like the iron pills."

Rick stared at her. He didn't know either of these women anymore. Who was next? Maggie? Sasha? Michonne? He felt like he was in the funhouse from hell. He didn't want any more surprises. He couldn't handle anymore.

And just then, the Governor rode up in a tank with six armored cars.

"Oh, Christ."

––

"Rick, come down here," he called. "We need to talk."

"Get the others ready," Rick told Beth. "You know the plan. You get on that bus, and you don't look back. Do not look back. Go!" He pointed to Maggie and Carol. "Keep the others safe. Daryl, Glenn, Tyreese, be my back up."

"Rick! We ain't got all day!" Phillip shouted. "Get down here!"

Beth went inside as smoothly as possibly, Daryl nonchalantly grabbed the cart of guns and handed them out, and Ty wasn't pleased when Carol got a gun. Carol put it over her shoulder and slowly backed away as the others watched Rick and the Governor talk. She went inside and went to see how Beth was doing with rounding everyone up. This wasn't going to end well. They needed to getaway from the prison now. The Governor would never accept any deal that Rick had to offer, and there was no way they could live together without being at each others throats. This would never end well.

"Lizzie." Carol bent down and handed Lizzie her handgun. "Remember what I taught you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Protect yourself and your sister, okay?" Carol wondered why Lizzie looked so sad. "Get on that bus. Go. Beth." Carol found her helping the sick toward the Tombs. She helped them and then went around and got the medication and needles and breathing equipment and shoved it in a duffel bag. She handed it to Jeanette as she went to check C block. She found Beth in her room.

"Beth?"

"Gettin' Judy's stuff."

"Isn't that—"

A loud crash sounded, the building shook, and they fell over. Carol grabbed Beth's hand and hauled her out of the cell, another crash sounded and they ducked as bites of debris fell down on them, causing Beth to drop the bag. Carol grabbed her and hauled her up, guiding her out of the cell block.

"Where're we goin'?" Beth asked.

"To here." She handed Beth a piece of paper. "Go here. I need you on that bus. Go."

She nodded and ran toward the Tombs.

Carol went outside as the Governor's men broke through fences, everyone was scattering and she saw Hershel had a neck wound. Phillip was wielding a blade, and Bobby was nowhere to be seen. Carol saw Daryl and Carl at the fence, and Carl took the shot Daryl told him not to, and the bullet shot through Phillip's hand, causing him to drop the blade.

Michonne slipped out of the fence to get Hershel back, knocking out one of the Governor's men, and she saw Hershel worming away. She grabbed the gun beside her and helped Hershel stand up, leading him away from the gunfire toward the woods. She cut her sweater and applied it to the neck wound, he was going to pass out from blood loss.

"Hold on, Hershel." She ducked down and looked for an opening to slice that rat bastard in half, like it needed to be. She saw one and went for it.

Everyone got separated on the field, Carol managed to get out of the gate, and she saw Lilly holding Meghan, blood on her shoulder from a bit. Phillip went over to them, took the young girl from Lilly's arms and shot her in the face, causing both Lilly and Carol to jump.

He dropped her little body like it was nothing and went into the gates, going after Rick.

"Lilly." Carol ran over to her. "Lilly?"

Her brown eyes moved to Carol's. "They got her... My little girl." She wasn't upset. She was still numb to it.

"Get down. Over here." Carol crouched down behind the car Lilly had driven over there. "I'm so sorry about Meghan, but we need to go. We have to."

"I know." She exhaled, tears in her eyes as watched the battle play out in front of her eyes. "Go get your people to that mall, I'll be right here. We'll go together."

"Are you sure?" Carol searched her eyes.

"Yes. Now go." Lilly pulled out her gun and checked the clip.

Carol stood up and shot the man who was coming over to them. She ran back to the prison, Lizzie and a few of the girls were out in the yard, arguing. Lizzie wanted to stay and fight, but they wanted to run. Carol was so proud of her.

"Get one the bus!" Carol shouted over the gunfire. "Lizzie, protect them."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lizzie waved to them. "Go!"

Beth ran over to them and got Judith. "We gotta go!" She hurried to the bus and noticed Lizzie wasn't with the kids. "Lizzie!"

"Beth!" Maggie helped Bob onto the bus, Sasha got in the driver's seat, and Maggie started to get out when Glenn grabbed her waist and dragged her into the seat with him. "Glenn, I can't. Daddy was injured. He needs me."

"No. He's lost." Glenn held her as tightly as he could. "I'm sorry."

Her eyes burned. "He needs me. Let go, Glenn, I don't wanna hurt you."

"I can't do that. I'm protecting my family too, Maggie."

"Daddy?" Beth fell into the seat beside them. "He was hurt? How bad? I mean, we gotta get him. We need to get him. Sasha, let me off the bus."

"No." She started it, looking over as Ty and Lizzie ran toward one of the cars. Follow your baby sister right now, Ty. "We gotta go." She started the bus and pulled out. "Sit down, Beth."

Beth sobbed into her hands, hysterical, and Maggie set her hand on Beth's shoulder then Glenn released her, and Maggie sagged onto the floor, crying with Beth as the prison fell behind them.

––

Carol saw Daryl was pinned down by men and walkers, her heart nearly stopped when a walker got too close him, but it was Daryl. He used the walker as a shield and took out the tank and Mitch. He saw Carol taking out walkers, Lizzie was behind her with Ty, and he hurried over to them.

"Get to the car," Daryl told her. "Go to the mall."

"You aren't gettin' rid of me that easily." She shot another walker. "Rick and Carl? Where are they?"

"Rick was out in the yard last I saw," Ty replied, no longer caring that she was murdering bitch. Right now she was another arm between them and the dead. The Governor's men were all being chewed on, and they needed to an escape plan. He saw Michonne stab Phillip and help Rick to the prison.

"Carl!" Rick shouted.

Lizzie looked around. "Carl? Carl? Where is he?" She ran toward the back. "Carl!"

"Lizzie!" Carol started to go after her when Daryl grabbed her arm. "Let go of me."

"Ty, get that car," Daryl told him.

Rick fell over, Daryl went over and helped him up, leading him to the car, and Michonne grabbed Carol and hauled her toward the woods. Daryl shouted after her, but Michonne wasn't letting go. He cursed and closed the car door, but they could handle themselves.

"Dad!" Carl ran over to them, holding Lizzie's hand as the a pack of walkers stumbled over to them.

"Get in!" Ty turned. It was getting overrun with walkers from all the gunfire. "Daryl?"

"Damn it!" He couldn't see Carol or Michonne, but he trusted her to get to that mall. He got in the car and started it.

"Dad?" Carl looked over his many injuries.

"Ju—Judith?" Rick stammered.

"I don't know."

"She's on the bus." Lizzie ripped her sleeve off using the knife Carol had given her. "Move." She climbed over Carol and added pressure to the gunshot wound, Rick winced, gritting his teeth, and she felt warm blood sock through onto her fingers.

Daryl drove out, going to the mall, knowing Carol got to the others and told them where to go. She was tough and wanted to protect them all. She told them. That's the kind of woman she was. They know, and he would see them all there.

––

Hershel was barely conscious when Michonne and Carol found him, luckily no walkers were close enough to bit him. Carol saw Lilly walking back to her car, so she and Michonne led Hershel to the car, Lilly went to shoot them but Carol grabbed the gun and lowered her arm.

"They're good people, and we need to leave here. Lilly?"

"I killed him." Her eyes filled with tears. "Bastard's dead."

"Good." She led Lilly to the passenger side and sat her down, Michonne started the car, and Carol got inside and tended to Hershel as best she could. She told Michonne about the mall, but Michonne argued with her about going to the coast. Carol argued back, and Lilly went off about going to the mall, because it made sense, and they didn't want to push her to the edge. Michonne knew what Carol did to people who were a threat, and she knew Lilly killed the Governor without a second thought. She saw that little girl, and the dots were easily connected.

We harden, Michonne thought as they drove to the mall. Cut our ties to our loved ones and we become ice cold. Michonne had found people to care about, and she was returning to herself, but Lilly and Carol had lost their ties. They needed to find them again. If not, they were would more bodies, and Michonne was tired of hauling bodies.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.