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"I expected better from you." Rick scolded quietly. Sam just rolled her eyes at the adults each giving her their own brand of reprimanding glares.

"Did you though?" she smirked smally, keeping a hold around Rocket whose curiosity was going to get them all caught if she wandered too far. "Come on, you could use all the help you can get," Sam expressed as she gestured widely toward the high wall and bright lights just a few yards away from where they were huddled together. "We're talking about the people that captured our people. Of course I'm not gonna just stand by and not be part of the rescue team that stole Lacey from me- from us." she glanced to Daryl and Michonne, both of them giving a sort of motion of agreement. She looked back to Rick, "Now what's the plan?"

"You're not any good with a gun." Rick stated.

"Hey, ouch." Sam faked wounded, but continued on, serious, "I'm good enough. I know the basics, now put something in my hands that you know I know how to handle and let's go. 'sides, we'd never go in guns blazing. Guns are back up, right?"

Michonne had placed a hand on Sam's shoulder while she was speaking and snuck around the car they were shielded by, scurrying away from sight. Sam was used to this sort of behavior from her, having dealt with it for eight months. She didn't question it but the others did.

"Hey-!" Rick hissed, "Where the hell is she goin'?" He shot a glance back to the Woodbury wall and sighed. Looking to Sam he saw she had an expectant expression, and he finally sighed, giving in, "Alright..." he took the pack from his back, Oscar and Daryl following his example when he said, "We need to downsize."

"Ain't no way we're checkin' all them buildin's. Not with all them guards there." Daryl said, feeling an uncomfortable pang in his chest when Sam took the Beretta Rick passed to her.

There was a rustling from behind them and they all reacted, but relaxed when they saw Michonne press a finger to her lips and waved for them to follow. Sam whispered for Rocket to stay put, stay quiet, and that they'd be back soon, and they trailed after the swordsman to where she'd found a defect in the wall that allowed them to gain entrance without detection.

They successfully breached Woodbury.

Now came the hard part. Finding Glenn, Maggie and Lacey.

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"He thought I was a lesbian because of my hair." Carol chuckled quietly. Amy's eyes widened as she stifled a laugh and covered it up with a cough, unlike Jo who let out a delighted bark of laughter.

Carol had encouraged Axel to accompany her to the tower to relieve Jo and Amy from watch. And while Axel passed up the 20 something's on the stairs, muttering a cheerful, 'See ya, kiddos', Carol was at the bottom, rifle hanging from its strap on her shoulder, her arms crossed with a smirk on her mouth, as she started explaining what had happened in the block just ten minutes ago.

"Wow." Jo laughed again, "Well, have a nice time with that. We'll switch off in say... three hours?"

Carol affirmed that sounded just fine and started up the stairs in the tower while Jo and Amy headed back toward the prison. Firearms hanging off their shoulders and their fingers were laced together as they walked at a leisurely pace, soaking up a minute or so of peace together before they snapped back into reality again...

The block door groaned loudly when Jo closed it, and Beth was at the gate with the keys, unlocking it before they were there.

"Where's Carl?" Jo asked when they entered the cell block and Beth locked the gate after them. Looking around there was a candle lit in two of the cells, where the girls were sleeping, Sophia, Erin, Honey, and Judith. Jo nodded, "Go ahead," to Amy, who was absolutely exhaused, to get some rest too before they had to shuffle back to the tower, bright eyed and attentive.

"He went to investigate some screamin', sounded like it was comin' from inside." Beth explained with a cautious tone, wringing the ring of keys in her hands.

Jo turned to her with an owlish expression, then glanced to Hershel, "And you just let him go down there by himself?"

"He's not a boy anymore, you know that just as well as I do." Hershel said. And Jo sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before his fingers sifted through his curls.

"Yeah." he mumbled, then walked over to the steps and sat down, legs a wobbly mess, splayed out in front of him, "Sometimes all I want to see is that little boy again. That happy, wild eyed toddler I used to play with when Lori would ask Lacey to babysit." he chuckled at the memory.

Beth and Hershel smiled at the distant look that took over Jo's face, memories distracting him momentarily. Jo had been Carl's age when he met him. Ten or eleven years old meeting a squishy, whining, crying baby that only laughed when Jo made faces or played peek-a-boo with him. Such a long time ago, and somehow longer now than it seemed... Jo's dreamy expression was wiped away when he stated, "He's got seven more minutes before I go after him."

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The five made their way into the first building by Michonne's direction. But the room was bare - no Maggie, no Glenn, no Lacey.

Sam stuck close to Michonne, gazing all around them. It felt strange; there was a twist in her gut, a feeling that told her this wasn't right. Like they were somewhere they shouldn't be. Sure, they'd scavenged through the remains of hundreds of abandoned homes, but this... this didn't seem right. Getting caught by walkers, they could handle. Getting caught by other humans... The gun suddenly felt much heavier tucked snuggly against her belt. Killing walkers was one thing, killing humans... She wasn't... She couldn't do that... Maybe if-

Her thoughts were disrupted by Rick asking Michonne, "This is where you were held?"

"I was questioned." she answered.

"Any idea where else they could be?"

Daryl peeked around the curtains of one of the front windows, "I thought you said there was a curfew." he grumbled. And scurrying over to his side Sam could see there were quite a few people out there, walking around, like it was... just an easy evening walk... Like- How the hell could they not be on their guard? They weren't even armed! How-?

"The street is packed during the day. Those are just stragglers." Michonne said.

"Anyone comes in here we're sittin' ducks." Rick muttered, turning away from the windows, "We gotta move."

"They could be in his apartment." Michonne offered, eyeing the men carefully as they approached. And Sam was quick to cut off their path to her friend, shielding her, just in case. Sam trusting her apparently wasn't enough for them to trust her as well.

"Yeah? What if they ain't?" Daryl snapped, giving Sam a look like 'What the fuck are you doin'? Don't gimme that look, you little shit'.

"Then we'll look somewhere else." Michonne stated, fully aware of what Sam was doing, fully aware that these people didn't trust her even though she'd led them here, led them in to find their friends (and to deal some payback and expose the Governor for what he was, but they didn't need to know that she had her own agenda. The priority was the Asian kid and the pretty girl). So she made one wrong step and she was the enemy all over again, but she had Sam on her side. She knew that counted for something. Sam was just as lethal as she was, just as quick, just as clever.

"You said you could help us." Rick sneered.

Michonne was somewhat startled, "I'm doin' what I can."

"Then where in the hell are they?" his response came out close to a snarl, and Sam's hand took hold of the crook of Michonne's elbow.

The three men gathered a few paces away, talking in hushed tones, but not enough so. Sam could still hear them. She heard Rick say if things went south they were cutting her lose, even if she wasn't leading them into a trap (which she wasn't), it was basically the blind leading the blind, and this whole rescue mission would be for naught if they didn't start searching the next probable place where Glenn and Maggie were being held.

Sam tried not to narrow her eyes in their direction, but Michonne caught the twitch of her eyelids and whispered, "This is the guy you were so anxious to get back to?" in reference to Rick.

"We've all changed over time..." she mumbled back. She looked toward the windows again, the flickering torch lights lining the street, the silhouettes of the townies. She gnawed on her bottom lip before she spoke up, "What if one of us went out there? A group of us will cause suspicion; dirty, unfamiliar faces. But just one of us? I could go out there and search-,"

She was cut off with four sharp, serious responses of, "No." all at once. Even Michonne? What the hell? Sam scoffed, raising and flopping her arms at her sides.

"I'm not a kid, you know. I've seen, heard and done shit that I shouldn't-," Sam's hisses were cut short (again).

The sound of knocking on the door made them all freeze. Michonne grabbed Sam before Daryl could as they scattered to find hiding places. They were all concealed from sight when the lock slid and the door opened, then closed. The person who entered the building took a few paces in before they spoke, "I know you're in here. I saw you movin' from outside."

Sam shot a glance to Michonne, eyes incapable of conveying all the things she wanted to ask. Michonne was here before, was this a man she'd encountered? Was he dangerous? Was he the Governor? What should they do?

"Alright now," the guy spoke again, his steps coming closer toward the back of the room, where they were all nestled in the dark corners, wound tight and ready to pounce. "You're not supposed to be in here and you know it. Who's in here?"

Rick sprang first, slamming the man against the wall, a hand firmly pressed over his mouth, the muzzle of his gun at the man's temple, "Shut. Up. Get on your knees." he ordered and shoved the guy for added measure. The guy complied, staring up at Rick, unaware of the four others behind him. "Hands behind your back." he ordered, and Daryl was there behind the Woodbury townie. Rick nodded to him, "Tie 'em."

He crouched in front of the man, "Where are our people?" he asked.

The guy was shaking his head, "I don't know!" Genuinely terrified, as he should be.

"You are holding some of our people, where the hell are they?!" Rick demanded. Zip ties secured around the man's wrists, Daryl stood up, crossbow now aimed at the back of his head. Sam looked an inch away from horrified, this guy really didn't know anything, they weren't really going to kill him just because he didn't know, were they? She'd shot a man, with an arrow, once, in the ass, but he was trying to steal Lacey (and he succeeded). It was justified. This though?

"I-I don't know." the man stuttered.

Rick could tell he was telling the truth, there was that at least. He wasn't blinded enough by his rage to miss that. All the same, they were in unfriendly territory and this guy could destroy their entire operation, "Open your mouth."

The guy wasn't all that compliant then as he was before, but as he tried to make his pleas Rick shoved a filthy cloth into his mouth, effectively muffling him. He stood and nodded to Daryl. And the crossbow came down heavily across the back of the man's head. He toppled over, face first into the floor.

Sam winced at all the sounds, rubbing a hand on the back of her skull, "Jesus."

"Sam, now's not the time for a lesson on morals standards. You wanna find ours or not?" Rick said as he made his way to the window again, carefully, making sure no one else was waiting for this man they just incapacitated.

"Yeah, but consider a change in policy." Sam muttered, and Rick was coming back their way, "What happens when that dude comes to and-,"

Gun shots. Not too far away. Not from the wall, either. The men stationed there were handling rifles and snipers. What they heard sounded like it was on full-auto, submachine gun?

"I think we found them..." Sam said with wide eyes...

Following the direction of the shots wasn't easy, but they found the warehouse. Weapons primed. They were sure they had the right building this time, who else would they be speaking to so forcefully? Guiding Glenn and Maggie with, "On your feet! Move! Let's go, come on!"

Crouched against the separating wall, Rick and Daryl searched through the one backpack they brought with them. A flash bang and tear gas, a couple gas masks. Daryl made a motion with his hand to Sam- stick close to Oscar. The flash bang went out first, and Oscar pulled Sam away from direct sight of the flash before it went off. Then the gas was tossed out. With the Woodbury men coughing, swearing, and blindly shooting, Rick and Michonne grabbed Maggie and Glenn without a hitch.

They blended in with the minor chaos in the streets. People leaving their homes to see what the big deal was, why so many gun shots, gun shots that sounded like they were coming from inside the walls.

Michonne brought them along the sidewalk and into an empty building, opening the door and ushering them in. And once they were all in, she shut the door. It was her turn now...

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"Ain't no way out back here!" Daryl called from the back portion of the room they were led into, and now most likely trapped in.

"What the hell kind of building doesn't have a back exit!? That's a fire hazard and a half!" Sam wailed quietly as she fussed over Glenn and Maggie, looking over their injuries. It appeared that Glenn had received the bulk of the beatings.

"Rick, how did you find us?" Maggie asked while Sam fished around the bags for an extra shirt. She helped Maggie ease Glenn into carefully, wincing when he winced and hissed.

"How bad are you hurt?" Rick ignored Maggie's query, stepping away from the window he was looking out of. People were scrambling through the street. Their only exit was the way they came in, they'd surely be spotted if they tried to go over the wall in a clump, but they needed to stick together.

"I'll be alright." Glenn croaked.

Maggie whipped her gaze around the dark room, "Where's that woman?"

"Mich?" Sam stood up and looked around, "Mich isn't here? Where'd she -?"

"She was right behind us."

"Maybe she was spotted."

"I gotta-," Sam was already dropping the gun and starting for the door. Not again. Not. Again.

"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl offered, barring Sam's path, which she huffed at and tried to move around him, but then Rick was blocking her too.

"No, we gotta get them out of here. She's on her own. Sorry, Sam."

Sam's jaw slackened, "But-," she's my friend... No, don't worry about it. She can handle herself. She'll be fine.

"Daryl, this was Merle. It was. He did this." Glenn bit out, trying to help Maggie button up the shirt, but he was in bad shape, and apparently Merle was to blame.

"You saw him?" Daryl asked, and the look on his face. It was nearly like the look Sam saw when she'd slumped onto the prison gates little over a week ago. Recognition, disbelief, relief. But with Merle's mention there was an added pinch of fear.

"Face to face. He threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us." Glenn affirmed, and Sam moved forward to help Maggie stand him up.

"My brother's this Governor?"

"No, he's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or somethin'." Maggie said and handed Sam her gun back.

Questions were rolling through Daryl's mind. He had so many more to ask, but what came from his mouth was, "Does he know I'm still with you?" He wanted to ask if Lacey had been with him too. If Lacey had been with them at all. Did Merle lay a finger on her, because god fucking damnit if he did. But he wouldn't, would he? Merle wasn't a woman beater, no.

"He does now." Glenn said, then looked to Rick, "Rick, I'm sorry. We told him where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

Rick approached Glenn as he shushed him, "Don't. No need to apologize."

"They're gonna be lookin' for us." Maggie said.

Rick was back at the window, looking between the street that was less crowded now and back to his people, back to Glenn and Maggie, "We gotta get back. Can you walk? We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good." Glenn nodded, shuffling toward the door with Maggie's assistance.

"Wait! If Merle's around, I need to see him!" Daryl's outburst stalled everyone's movement, he's eyes were pleading, along with his words.

"Not now, we're in hostile territory." Rick stated.

"He's my brother, he ain't gonna try-,"

Rick cut off Daryl's reasoning in a hushed strict voice, "Look at what he did! We gotta get outta here- now."

But this was his brother, his brother he thought he'd lost. But he was here? Alive? And so close? "I gotta talk to him, maybe I can work somethin' out-,"

"No, no, no." Rick shushed him, "You're not thinkin' straight. Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers and this Governor catches up to us? I need you." Rick said, and Daryl remembered the brotherhood kindled over the past eight months. Along with the past few days Rick wasn't exactly in the best of shape, or in the right of mind. Daryl was his backup, in more ways than one. "Are you with me?" Rick asked.

Daryl briefly looked to Sam - Little Sister - before he nodded, "...Yeah."

They all huddled by the door with two smoke grenades ready and guns with safeties switched off, Rick looked to each of them as he said, "On three. Stay tight."

The first grenade was thrown. Then the second. The smoke created a thick veil for them to work with, but it caught the attention of every guard near that area of the town.

"1, 2, 3!" Rick and Oscar moved out first, Maggie and Sam kept a hold on Glenn with one arm each, the other with a gun, trigger finger ready. And Daryl brought up from behind.

"There they are!" was called and soon they were exchanging bullets through the thick smoke coated air. There wasn't anyway to get a clear target, it was all just shooting blindly and hoping something hit. They were half way across the street, no place to hide for all of them.

"Take cover! In there!" Rick shouted over the gunfire, and led the way to a brick archway that was enough to cover them for a few moments. The occasional bullet bounced off the edge of the bricks and Maggie and Sam would return fire.

"How many?! I didn't see!" Rick asked.

"It doesn't matter, there's gonna be more of 'em." Daryl said, hands busy reloading, "We gotta move."

The smoke screen was lifting, clearing, Rick made note of that.

"Any grenades left?"

"Uh huh."

"Get 'em ready. We gotta gun it to the wall."

"You guys go on ahead, I'm gonna lay down some cover fire." Daryl stated.

"I'll stay with you." Sam said. And before Daryl could deny her Maggie swung on the both of them.

"We gotta stay together!"

Daryl shook his head, "It's too hairy, I'll be right behind ya." he took up the grenade and looked to Sam, "You stay by me, but you move when I say, got it?"

Sam nodded. And the grenade was sent out.

With just one grenade they didn't have as much smoke as a minute ago, but it was enough to get them moving. Rick crowed above all the noise, "Go! Keep going!"

Glenn, Maggie and Oscar were climbing up the front end of a bus that acted as an added barrier against the wall. There was a cry of pain and then Maggie was screaming for Rick. Sam peered through the smoke, trying to get a target on the dark outlines of bodies, aiming for legs, arms. Maggie's name was called. And Rick was screamed for again and then he was rushing toward the wall.

Maggie and Glenn were up and over the wall, and Rick was headed there next, calling for Sam and Daryl. Rick caught the teen, in the middle of reloading, around her arm and tugged her back while Daryl kept shooting, calling over the reports, "Go!"

Sam struggled against Rick's grip as grabbed her hips and hoisted her up onto the hood of the bus, "Daryl!" she screamed and moved to jump back down but Rick was up beside her, hooking his arms around her while she shrieked.

"Do as I say, sis! Go!" he shouted back to her, and she just barely heard it, her heart stuttering and shattering in her chest.

She screamed and squirmed all while Rick took them over the wall, "No! NO! Daryl!"

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Michonne broke into his apartment just as easily as she did the first time. She had a small hope that Lacey might be there. She doubted the Governor would let her go with just a slap on the wrist after she jumped the wall, while making off with those guns and all that ammunition. But she wasn't anywhere within the dark apartment.

Her eyes landed on the Governor's desk, and like an unsolved puzzle she found she couldn't ignore the annoying itching in the back of her mind that revived the mystery that was Lacey's schedule. She rifled through the notebooks, searching through schedules, looking for patterns. Nothing synced up!

But then-

Merle... Whenever he was scheduled for watch shifts during the night... Away from the house...

It made sense now. Oh, the sick sense it made, it-

There was a thumping, an insistent noise, and Michonne couldn't help but think, Oh, god, Lacey?

She investigated further. Breaking down a door, discovering a whole new room of confusion and unhealthiness. There were a couple of familiar faces within the fish tanks that lined the wall, stacked and glowing with an eerie, filthy green light.
But Lacey's head wasn't among them, and Michonne felt a brief moment of relief. The thumping continued. And revealing the source, it wasn't Lacey, but rather-

God... A little girl. Chained, arms bound, and a hood over her head. But in unchaining her and taking the hood from over her face-

God.

She turned the girl to face away from her, about to purge the world and release her from this existence, but then-

"NO! Don't hurt her... Please."

There was no longer any doubt about the Governor's questionable sanity as he pleaded for his dead daughter's 'life'...

The tanks didn't stay lined against the wall long after Michonne shoved her blade through the back of Penny's skull. The Governor was ruthless, fueled by heartbreak and rage, the two fought all around the room. Michonne was lucky to escape with her life when she caught a piece of glass off one of the shattered tanks and forced it into the Governor's eye.

She would've finished the job too, but then Andrea was there. And after all the time they'd spent together, all they'd been through, after all that she'd been told and seen, Andrea still chose this psychotic over her, over Lacey, over her group which still contained her little sister...

Michonne left, battered, bleeding and bruised, but she still managed to get on the outside of Woodbury without being detected again.

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"Hey! You can't just leave us in here! Open this door!"

Jo startled. He might have dozed alongside Amy for a minute or two, accidentally, as he waited for the time he allowed Carl to be up. He sprang up from the ridiculously small bunk and shot out of the cell. "What in the hell!" he breathed and leaned over the railing on the second level to peer down. That voice wasn't familiar, and it was very aggressive, what the hell was going on? He bolted down the steps, pistol drawn as the woman's voice continued to screech. This chick's behavior, it just- she'd wake the girls, and that was of the utmost importance.

"Open this door! Open it! Now!"

His aim was level with the new woman's head where she was behind the bars separating the block from the common area, he took a stand beside Carl, "Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down and step away from the bars."

"Woah, woah, man." another stranger emerged and presented himself, with hands up, surrendering, he looked between Carl and Jo, "It's cool." he assured them calmly.

"Is it?" Jo squinted and nodded toward the woman who was still fuming, chest heaving, eyes blazing hotly.

"Sasha! Back away from the door and let the men go." the man took the woman by the arm and guided her away, mumbling, "Look around you. This is the best we've had in weeks." he continued on in a whisper, too low for Carl and Jo to hear, but it appeared to lull the woman into a placid disposition.

The man looked back toward Jo, shaking his head, "We don't want any trouble." and Jo gave a nod back, lowering his gun and putting it away into the holster under his arm. The group Carl contained disappeared from sight, but their quiet grumblings echoed into the block.

"You're becoming a regular Lacey Black, picking up strays." Jo chuckled.

"I couldn't just leave them-," Carl started to reason, but Jo was shaking his head, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I know. I know, it's alright. I was just worried about you." he smirked tightly, and Carl mimicked the look.

Then Jo was glancing all around. His brow scrunched and before Carl could ask what was wrong, Jo said-

"Where's Sam?"

"Last thing she told Carol she was going on watch with you and Amy." Hershel said from the doorway of his cell.

Jo inhaled sharply through his nose, eyes widening a fraction, back straightening, "She told me she was keeping things ship shape in here..." he brought his hands to his face and sighed out, "Fuuuck."

"Alright." he said, taking his hands away, and grabbing for his gun again, "If Rocket's gone too, then we don't have anything to worry about... probably."

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"Get down!" the warning was hissed as Rick, Maggie, Glenn, Sam and Rocket (who was very relieved to see them all in one piece after all that noise within the town) scurried along the broken down cars and looked up toward the barren wall. The spot lights still blared brightly, but the guardsmen had abandoned their posts at the sound of gunfire. They would be coming back soon, and who knows, maybe the Governor would send some men out to try and track them down and finish them off. But they couldn't leave, they were missing one. And the gunfire had ceased for over five minutes now. Something was wrong. "Come on, Daryl. Where the hell are you..." Rick mumbled timorously.

Sam was shaking her head, this was taking far too long, he should've been with them by now, they should've been miles from this place and preparing for the inevitable violent rebuttal from Woodbury. She bumped her shoulder against Rick's, "We gotta go back for him. And Mich."

"Sam-," he started, but then there was a commotion from behind them. And it was a force of habit by now to reach for their weapons and take aim as they spun around to the possible threat.

Once again, it was only Michonne. Sam deflated and dropped her aim, letting out a sigh of relief, but was startled upon closer observation Michonne looked exhausted and... and beat up. What-?

"Put your hands up. Turn around- turn around!" Rick ordered harshly, his gun pointed at her, as well as Glenn's and Maggie's too. And Michonne listened, turning around so her back was to Rick. He nodded to the teen, "Sam, take it."

She gave a heavy sigh, but took the katana. Michonne was a valuable ally, and even after all her help- Sam just didn't understand, maybe she was still too trusting of people, or maybe Rick wasn't giving people enough of a chance. "Get what you came for?" he asked when Michonne turned back around and dropped her hands to her sides. She had cuts all over her face and arms and hands, and that was just what they could see in the scarce light from the spot lights.

"Where are the rest of your people?"

"They got Oscar." Glenn spoke through the swelling inside his mouth, keeping his aim on the weaponless woman.

"Daryl's missing, you didn't see him?" Maggie asked, slightly frantic, her aim slowly falling. And Michonne responded with a shake of her head.

Sam side stepped in front of Rick as he moved forward to crowd her friend (yet again), she didn't raise the sword in a threatening manner he was anticipating, her eyes gave enough warning, though. But he still spoke over Sam's head, "If anything happens to him-,"

"I brought you here to save them." Michonne nodded to Glenn and Maggie.

And she did just that. Without her they would have never known what happened to them, known that they were taken rather than attacked and devoured by walkers, which they would have assumed. Without her they wouldn't know how to get to Woodbury, they wouldn't have made it out of that cabin with that nutjob that would've gotten them all killed, they wouldn't have been able to get into Woodbury under the radar. Her imaginary debt, or whatever it was that was making her do this, was fulfilled.

"Thanks for the help."

Michonne nudged Sam aside, appreciating her protection, but she needed Rick to see and hear her without a barrier, without him feeling almost betrayed. Because Sam had stood between Rick and Michonne more than enough times to warrant a question of loyalty. "You'll need help to get them back to the prison, or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way- you need me."

Rick looked around at his group, what he had to work with, and it wasn't much. Maggie was the only able bodied one besides himself, and he sure as hell wasn't taking Sam back into that. He inhaled slowly through his nose, nodding, and on his exhale he murmured, "Alright. Let's go."

Michonne plucked her sword from Sam's hands as the girl's eyes widened. She scurried up to Rick's side, whispering, stuttering, rushed, "We can't leave him! We can't! I won't let them take another one from me! Please! Rick, please! I-i-if you don't do something then I'll-,"

They were making their way away from Woodbury, into the trees.

"Sam, listen to me. Take a couple breaths. Calm down. We aren't leaving without him. I want you and Rocket to go with Glenn and your friend, make sure they make it back all right to the car," Rick explained. They were far enough among the trees where they could speak louder than a whisper. He paused in walking, looking to the others who had heard him, making sure they understood what was happening, what the plan was. He put his hands on Sam's shoulders, "I promise you I will bring him back."

"W... Well- What about Lacey? We didn't find her, there wasn't enough time, do you think-,"

"Lacey's in that place?" Glenn's alarmed wondering cut Sam's words short.

"If she's there Maggie and I'll get her too. Just trust me, Sam." Rick said, and jutted a nod in the direction of Michonne and Glenn, letting go of her, "Go with them. And don't sneak after us, please. Promise me you'll stay behind."

And Sam was nodding, frantically, and waved her hands at them in a shoo-ing motion, "I promise. I promise! Just go- hurry!"

There was an argument from Glenn, but it was quickly shushed when Maggie said she was fine and they'd be back soon. And Glenn couldn't really say or do much after that, throbbing and aching almost all over, and with Sam tugging him along, they were headed back to the SUV two miles out on the road. Maggie and Rick headed back to rescue the Dixon's, and they would be more or less correct in their retrieval objective, they just had a short, blonde Dixon in mind rather than one of the missing appendage variety...

.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing I don't have a handle on."

"Oh, yes. Obviously. Judging by the state your in. You had your ass handed to you by a woman. And she took out your goddamned eye. Christ! You said we were going to get rid of that group living in the prison and let the biters take it over again! What the fuck has been happening since then? The town is terrified, some of our own are dead in the street-!"

"Now, listen, Grady-,"

"No, you listen! You're not the only one who has power here. This place wouldn't be what it is without me. Sometimes I think you forget that. Now, you tell me just what. The fuck. Is going. On."

"I've got something I think you'll enjoy..."

The Governor paused, but Keenan's bitter expression didn't waver aside from an unimpressed upward tilt of a brow. The Governor continued-

"The other Dixon..."

.

The citizens of Woodbury were all gathered at the arena, seated in the bleachers for a discussion about tonight's events. An explanation. And to witness the state their dear leader was now in because of what happened. They were chattering among themselves, confused and scared (as they should be), but when the Governor walked into the center of the arena a hush took over. Some gasped at the bandage wrapped around his face, the pad of gauze slowly tinting red as he looked over them and waited for complete silence.

"What can I say...?" he finally spoke, raising his arms and shrugging them down in despair. He continued, making a slow circle around the arena, taking his time to look at each and every citizen, "Hasn't been a night like this since the walls were completed. And I thought we were past it. Past the days when we all sat huddled scared in front of the tv during the early days of the outbreak. The fear we all felt then, we felt it again tonight..." his gaze fell to the dirt beneath his feet, "I failed you... I promised to keep you safe." A bitter chuckle left him as he looked up again, "Hell, look at me! I... I should tell you that we'll be okay, that we're safe, that tomorrow we'll bury our dead and endure, but I won't, 'cause I can't. 'Cause I'm afraid..." murmurs and whispers came from the crowd. Surely, no, their fearless leader that delivered them from the horrors outside their walls wasn't- "That's right..." he nodded, "I'm afraid of the terrorists that want what we have. Want to destroy us!" there were gasps at his unadulterated exclamation. But then his tone grew grave, "And worse, 'cause one of those terrorists is one of our own- Merle."

The Governor raised an arm as he swung onto Merle and pointed an accusatory finger. The crowd grew a little restless at this information. Merle didn't make any move to defend himself against incrimination, didn't fight off the guardsmen he considered... acquaintances (at best)... as they stripped him of his guns and the knife fitted into his apparatus. The townspeople were buzzing with disbelief, chattering and gasping. And the Governor continued as Merle was ushered with a shove toward the center of the ring toward him.

"The man I counted on, the man I trusted. He led them here! He let them in. It was you!" he spat, "You lied! Betrayed us all!"

From outside the darker edges of the arena there was movement. A body, hands bound, hood over head, was escorted by two men as they thrashed and squirmed, trying to get away, but all attempts proved fruitless. They were brought into the light, into the center, nudged none too kindly toward the Governor.

"This! Is one of the terrorists!" he called and grabbed at the stumbling hooded man, and brought him closer so he could yank the hood away. The younger Dixon was revealed, wincing at the sudden harsh light, a cut on his cheek that had ceased bleeding.

"Merle's own brother..."

The Dixon's stood near each other when the Governor dropped Daryl's arm and pushed him toward Merle. Merle's shock was plain to see.

"What should we do with them, huh?!" the Governor addressed his people.

And the answer was unanimous, "Kill them!", screamed and spat and cheered and yelled. Even the children were crying out for death to the terrorists...

When Daryl's eyes adjusted to the light he combed the crowd for Lacey, and more than once he got his hopes up when he saw something blonde, but it wasn't her. She wasn't anywhere in the crowd, but maybe that meant she was somewhere else. Somewhere safe? Not among the sea of people surrounding the ring with him and his brother in the center howling for their deaths, the Governor would've no doubt included her too if she was there. But she wasn't here, so anywhere away from here had to be safe, and he was put at ease, slightly, at the thought of it. Though that ease disappeared when there was a particularly rabid man near the edge of the ring, tall, skinny, dark haired, bearded with pale blue eyes, and a hateful stare burning directly at him as he viciously bawled, "KILL THEM!" What the hell-? His attention was torn away from the man when the Governor approached Merle saying, "You wanted you brother, now you got him."

From the sidelines Andrea emerged, struggling, putting up a fight and calling for the Governor, "Phillip!" But she was held back, restrained. She tried to reason for Daryl, "He's my friend!"

But the Governor just stared on at the two, in a gravelly deadpan, "It's not up to me anymore. The people have spoken."

And it was then, it seemed, that Andrea had realized her mistake. Maybe Lacey was right, maybe Michonne was right to believe Lacey, because- "What..." She was made to stand by, just a spectator like the rest, no way to intervene.

The bindings around Daryl's wrists were cut, and though he tried to put up a fearless farce it was obvious he was shaken, on unfamiliar ground without any weapon or ally around. With his brother at his side whose feelings toward him were... iffy, to say the least. But he was glad it was him rather than someone else who'd been caught. There was always the possibility, and it was 'better me than her/him'.

"I asked you where you loyalties lie. You said here." the Governor addressed Merle, circling the brothers as he spoke, "Well, prove it. Prove it to us all! Brother against brother! Winner goes free! Fight! To the death!"

And the crowd roared in excitement. What. The hell.

Merle and Daryl were left in the center. Daryl was shit out of ideas, and as previously mentioned, he wasn't sure where he ranked in his brother's good graces. Though they'd gone back for him in Atlanta, he obviously didn't know that, so he probably assumed Daryl abandoned him too. And Merle's loyalties were among the Governor and these people, apparently, so-

"Ya'll know me!" Merle spoke to the audience surrounding them. He wasn't necessarily a people person, but in general he was much more confident among people, others, strangers, than Daryl was. Daryl couldn't woo these people, definitely not with his words. He was fucked. And Merle went on, "I'm gonna do what ever I gotta do! To prove!"

The punch was half way anticipated, knowing one was coming, but where, he wasn't positive. Daryl staggered away, curling in on himself - stomach and insides flaring with pain, aching - falling to the ground from the force of the blow.

"My loyalties!" Merle bellowed and dealt his brother a kick. "To this town!" he grunted with the next kick, and the next one, and the next one.

Daryl didn't and couldn't do much in the way of fighting back, not yet at least, not when Merle just kept kicking him and kicking him. But it was when walkers were being wrangled into the arena when Merle leaned down and Daryl uncurled enough to let his fist fly and land heavily across his brother's face. Merle stumbled away and Daryl found his moment to spring up and try and get the upper hand while he was trying to recover. But it was the same as it always was. Merle was older, Merle was bigger, Merle was stronger. All his life he'd never won a fight against him, and that didn't change now. Merle threw him back to the ground, and Daryl's hands flew up to his throat, Merle's doing the same.

"You really think this asshole's gonna let you go?!" Daryl barked with what breath he had, with the breath his brother wasn't choking out of him as enthusiastically as he expected.

"Just follow my lead, little brother." Merle wheezed out through clenched teeth, "We're gettin' out of this. Right now!" he tugged Daryl up to stand, and back to back they faced the walkers that circled them now. The walker handlers weren't careful with how close they guided the flesh eaters either, putting them close enough that their hands could've caught on fabric, or hair, or skin.

Keenan took hold of one of the wrangling sticks, shoving the handler away and leading the walker in his control nearer to Daryl. He wasn't entirely sure which Dixon he'd like to see end up on top, he honestly could do without either of them (and it didn't matter, they would both die, regardless of who was the victor). Both Dixon men had stolen Lacey from him. Daryl had stolen her heart, somehow made her fall in love with him, love him enough to wear a ring he presented her, and display an unshakable devotion to him even when there was no hope of ever seeing him again. And Merle, he became her guardian while she was in Woodbury, her protector, almost like a shadow, and the way they were together... God... He was pleased he'd never have to suffer through seeing Daryl and Lacey together. But still, even if she was already gone, that didn't mean he still didn't want to murder this hick who'd stolen her from him...

Daryl punched at the walker, making it stumble away, but the bearded guy was relentless, looking like he was fueled by a different kind of hatred than the rest. But then the walker crumbled. A bullet through its skull had ceased its animation. Another gun shot, then another. People were screaming in their seats.

A smoke grenade was sent into the ring, and more gunshots filled the air, from unseen sources and from the guardsmen who were carrying. The stadium lights were exploding, bullets shattering the bulbs, the arena became dimmer and darker. With the safety of light escaping them and smoke in the air, the townspeople broke into hysteria and started to flee. Walkers on the loose, smoke clouding the air along with screams, it was chaos in Woodbury, again.

Daryl urged his brother to follow him, swerving through the smoke and crowd toward an exit. On the way, the guardsman who had relieved Daryl of his crossbow took down a slow ambling walker, once the walker fell Daryl snatched the bow from his grip and Merle slammed his apparatus up against the man's skull, knocking him down for the count alongside the dead walker he'd just taken down.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Daryl caught sight of Rick crouched by the edge of the arena, and along with Maggie, the four of them ran along Woodbury's streets toward an empty wall.

"They're all at the arena, this way!" Merle called, disappearing toward the sheets of metal and chain link fence that made up most of Woodbury's walls.

"You're not goin' anywhere with us!" Rick said.

Merle shot back, "You really wanna do this now?!" Daryl, Rick and Maggie were on high alert as Merle shoved and shoved at the seam of the wall, grunting encouragement toward it until it finally gave and groaned as he pushed further and slipped through.

"Rick, c'mon, man, we gotta go." Daryl called and they were all outside the wall, looking on as Merle literally beat the brains out of a walker with just the device covering his stump.

"Little help would be nice!" he howled as more walking dead were closing in, attracted by the noisy chaos within the walls. They took down a few more until Merle was standing up from the ground and started away from Woodbury, claiming, "We ain't got time for this!"

Maggie shot Rick an uneasy look, but he just nodded, "Let's go!"

They were free from Woodbury again, but now came the task of evading the walkers wandering among the dark trees as they moved toward the road where the SUV was, and hopefully where Glenn, Michonne, Sam and Rocket were too.

"Where's Sam?!"

"She's safe! Keeping goin'!"

Traveling in the dark wasn't smart. Traveling on foot wasn't smart. Traveling on foot in the dark through the forest?
They were more or less a mile out when they finally stopped, but they didn't rest. Their muscles taut, eyes wide and alert.

They wouldn't have time to rest once they got back to the prison either. That night, after all that had taken place, what started? People taken and found. Lines crossed. Blood drawn... There wasn't any way out of it. It was the beginning of war.

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Note: What would I be without my beta? A shittier (yes, an even shittier) writer.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.