Ch. 11

"Let me see the baby," Hershel ordered right away.

Carl took the baby from Maggie and gave her to Hershel. Behind them, Rick was still on his knees, no one was able to break him from the trance he had entered after he had learned Lori was dead.

"What're we gonna feed it?" Daryl asked Hershel. "We got anythin' a baby can eat?"

Hershel examined the baby. "The good news is she looks healthy. But she needs formula. And soon, or she won't survive."

"Nope, no way. Not her. We ain't losin' nobody else, I'm goin' on a run." Daryl said.

"I'll back you up," Maggie offered quickly.

"Okay, think about where we're goin'." he told her before he grabbed Beth from Sam and spoke to her quietly.

"Rick!" Maggie called out. The rest of them turned and saw Rick grabbing an axe off the floor before he ran into C block with a crazed look.

"C'mon, we're gonna lose the light!" Daryl shouted, mounting his bike and bringing the engine to life. Maggie hopped onto the back of the bike and the two of them rode out of the gates quickly.

"Glenn," Sam spoke up, "find Rick, now. Oscar, Axel, you're with me, we're gonna make sure C is safe for us to be in. Carl, Sophia, Beth knives out, stay out here until we give you the all clear. Got it?"

Carl's eyes were still cloudy and downcast but he seemed to register what Sam was telling him and so he nodded. He and Beth pulled out their knives while Hershel drew his sidearm.

Sam grabbed his machete and handed a knife to Oscar and Axel. "I know you two haven't used knives to kill 'em, but it's simple-"

"You gotta put your forearm under the chin, press up then jam in the knife and twist," Beth explained to them.

Sam smiled at her but quickly turned back to the inmates. "Like she said. You two ready?"

When Sam, Axel, and Oscar had entered the block, all they had found was a trail of Walker bodies that Rick had left in his wake.

The three of them had moved the bodies to the other end of the block, near the entrance to the tombs. The blood would have to be cleaned another time. At that moment all they cared to think about was how they would undo the damage that Andrew had caused.

"Axel, let 'em in. Oscar go and lock the gate at the back of C-block," Sam ordered the inmates as he went to the tomb entrance.

The barred door was wide open, but upon closer inspection, Sam saw that it could still be locked.

The sound of footsteps behind him caused his hand to hover over his pistol before he turned around and saw Carl, Sophia, Hershel, Beth, and Axel entering the block. Their knives were still drawn and Carl still looked shocked. At least that was what Sam
thought he was feeling. He had felt the same way after he had put down Michael.

When Glenn returned he informed them that Rick was out of it. All he had been doing was killing Walkers, and that when he had tried to all he did was growl and move on to kill more Walkers.

Sam knew what he was doing. He was killing out the grief. He had seen it. Robert had done it after he had lost his girlfriend Grace. It took everyone in his old group to stop him from running into a whole herd of Walkers and getting himself killed. Good
news was that the infestation was rather small in the prison. Bad news, Rick was batshit crazy, Daryl and Maggie were gone, and Glenn had decided to take it upon himself to go and dig graves. Oh, and there was a newborn that they had to take care
of.

Sam sat down and sighed. It would, without a doubt, be a very long day.

After an excruciatingly long day, Sam was sitting in the guard tower, watching the Walkers patrol the outside of the gates. He smiled at them, the Unintentional Sentries he called them. Guarding the gates without even knowing it.

When Daryl and Maggie had gotten back the had fed the baby and the new temporary, and official nickname, had been given by Daryl. Little Ass-Kicker. Sam knew that no matter what would happen, they would call the baby that.

But Little Ass-Kicker's chances of survival were now higher. She had formula, people to protect her, the high walls were a big plus as well.

Rick though, he hadn't returned. No one was sure on how to feel about that. If Rick wasn't there, then who would become the leader. Daryl was at the forefront of Sam's mind. He was capable, and a survivor, after him it would most likely be the joint leadership
of Glenn and Maggie. But what would happen if they died or couldn't lead like Rick at the moment.

Sam wouldn't. He refused to. The last time he led a group with someone they had killed people and taken their things. Sure, it was in the name of survival and keeping themselves fed, but it was a slippery slope. As soon as you let something like that
slide, how soon before you kill someone for disobeying you, or let your men do what they wished to others, particularly the women. How long before things became anarchy?

No same refused to do that, to lead. He didn't trust himself enough to lead anymore.

"Sam?" he was broken out of his thoughts when Carl came into the guard tower. He had taken off his hat. "I can take over if you want."

Sam shook his head and turned back toward the darkness. "I'm good, Carl. To be honest, the darkness is kind of calming. You can barely see any of the Sentries, the moon and the stars, it's kind of perfect actually."

Carl stood next to Sam and looked to the stars. He knew that the kid wouldn't cry. He was trying to play the badass. The feeling BAMF. And to see a kid trying to do this, to see a kid that had shot his own mother in the head to keep her from returning
from the dead. It was just one of the many things that made him hate the new word with a passion.

"Did I ever tell you 'bout my first kill?" Sam asked him. The boy perked up a bit but didn't say anything. "It was just, something that happened. My group and I, we hadn't eaten in ten days. We were snapping at each other. Arguing about our next move.
It was Michael who spoke up next. He told everyone to shut up. That he heard something. So, we listened, and sure enough, we heard someone shouting in the distance. I forgot what they were arguing about. But by the time we found 'em, they were hunched
over a map, trying to figure out where to go. Michael was the first to say it. 'We can go in, take their shite, and be gone.' So, we did. The woman went for a gun, Michael wasn't looking at her, he was going through their shite, so I aimed
my gun at her, and shot without a thought. Right through the head… and the first thing to go through my mind after that, was wondering when we were going to eat. After a month on the road, I had just been completely desensitized to the horrors of
the world. After the amount of time we've been on the road, and what you've seen, I can only imagine Carl. But don't bottle it up, that's bad shite, bottling it up. Let it out, even if it's just you."

Sam, walked away, leaving the young boy alone in the guard tower. When he reached the bottom, he could hear the faintest of sniffling coming from the tower.

Sam woke up with a stiff neck and a throbbing right arm. Sleeping on concrete and your arm were always the worst. Especially when you wake up early because you can't sleep in. But Sam couldn't complain out loud, it annoyed him to no end when people complained
about something they could fix or was their fault, and if there was one thing that annoyed him as much as that, it was hypocrites.

"What are ya' doing on the floor?" Beth asked him as she rolled over on the bed that they usually shared.

"You sprawled out on the bed and I didn' want to disturb you," he smiled, " 'sides, sleeping on the floor is good for character, keeps me humble."

Beth rolled her eyes and got out of the bed. "You're an idiot."

Sam smiled again and stood up. "I never said I wasn't."

Breakfast was a simple affair, as if was most days. People chatted absentmindedly, others were still trying to wake up. Sam spotted Sophia sitting by herself towards the end of the table, stirring her cereal and water around in her bowl. Sam tapped Beth
on the arm and told her that he was going to try and talk to the girl.

"Hey Sophia," Sam said gently as he set his plate down next her hers. "You doing alright?"

She continued to stare at her bowl and shook her head.

"You, know your mom's gonna be fine, right? She's out there. We're gonna find her."

She wiped her eyes and nodded. Sam was about to speak to her again when she got out of her seat and walked back into the cell block.

"Everybody okay?" Sam almost jumped at Rick's voice.

"Yeah, we are," Maggie answered him, the conversation amongst the survivors had died and everyone was now looking at the leader with concern and weariness.

Rick slowly walked towards the table, a grim and glazed look in his eyes. He had obviously not gotten any sleep and he was moving through the block sluggishly.

"What about you?" Hershel asked him.

"Cleared out the boiler block," Rick said in lieu of an answer.

"How many were there?" Daryl asked him.

"I don't know, a dozen, two dozen. I have to get back, just wanted to check on Carl," he patted his son's shoulder and started to leave.

"Rick, we can handle taking out the bodies, you don't have to," Glenn tried to stop him. Sam didn't bother. It was the same with Robert.

"No, I do," he said slowly. "Everybody have a gun and a knife?"

"Yeah, we're running low on ammo, though," Daryl reported.

"Maggie and me were planning on making a run this afternoon. We found a phone book with some places we can hit, look for bullets and formula," Glenn stood when he addressed Rick.

"We cleared out the generator room. Axel's there tryin' to fix it in case of an emergency. We're gonna sweep the lower levels, as well," Daryl informed Rick.

"Good," Rick nodded and then as quick as he entered, he left once again.

"What are we gonna do?" Glenn spoke up after waiting a few minutes after Rick left. Sound traveled in the prison.

"Nothin' we can do," Sam told him. "I've seen it before. He needs to kill the grief, figuratively and literally."

"We can't just let him go and kill Walkers by himself!" Glenn argues.

"Why not? Rick, knows what he's doin' when it comes to Walkers. As for his grief, let him work it out himself."

"And if it doesn't work?" Maggie asked.

"Well I don' know about you guys, but I don't think interventions are really an option nowadays. Especially with someone as unstable as he is."

Sam hated, hated, being on guard duty. Sure, at night it was alright because you had the stars and the moon, but during the day? There was absolutely nothing but the heat and looking at all of the Sentries. But he was the only one available for
duty. Glenn and Maggie off on a run, Daryl, Oscar, and Carl out clearing a Block, Axel not knowing which end to aim a gun, and Rick of course losing his fucking marbles. So, it was Sam's turn for another watch, lucky him.

He looked through the scope of his rifle toward the Sentries, his gaze landing at those along the fence. Carl and Rick were there. And saw was a Walker with what looked like a sword. Now that would make Sam's day better. A sword for his troubles. But
then he looked at the Walker.

She was black, rather tall, but what stood out was the way she stood, how she was still. Usually Walkers were incapable of being still. They would move any way that they could no matter what. But she was still, and holding something in her hand.

And that was when the Sentries began to notice her.

AN: So a bit shorter than usual, sorry couldn't be helped, I felt like I hadn't posted in a while so I needed to get it out there. Moving on, hoped you guys liked it, please leave a review, I don't like begging (Bad for the knees) but I really like reviews.
Please forgive any spelling errors and grammar problems. I'll see you all next time! ~Pacco1