Chapter 11

The men didn't want to get out of the car, which was understandable given they were slowly being surrounded by more and more walkers. But at the same time Rick was reluctant to just open the gates and let in people he knew were dangerous. He didn't know if the rest of the group was behind in the forest just waiting for the signal to rush the four of them.

Blake opened the sunroof of the car and stood up in the centre of the vehicle, he pointed his gun at Rick and then holding it at Daryl. Andi could take the shot, a clean head shot, it was right there but she knew that if she did that Rick and Daryl were sitting ducks to the men in the car, she counted five through the scope in all including Blake.

The tension rose as they all stood silently sizing each other up, Blake looked at the two men in front of him, one had a sheriff issued colt python and with the authority that he held said to Blake that this used to be a man of the law. The other man was holding a crossbow, a grubby redneck by the looks of him and then there was a katana welding woman, fierce looking. If he wanted it to be, they could take this prison now, but something held him back. Was there more hiding around the yard, behind them?

"What d'ya want?" Rick asked, not moving from his position, never breaking eye contact with the man or lowering his gun.

Blake was tempted to say 'your prison' but he held back, he held up his hand and lowered his own weapon "only to get in, we don't mean no harm, we're lookin' for three of our group, they were down this way. Wondering if you might have seen 'em?"

"No-one's come this way for a good few weeks" Rick answered "and when they did we moved them on" he paused "which is exactly what you're gonna do, move on."

Blake grinned "really" he said tilting his head to one side and folding his arms "and who is gonna make us? Five of us, three of you I'm sure you can do the math. Rest of our group isn't too far away, they hear gunfire, they'll come a runnin'" he stopped and looked at the three people in front of him "look, all we want is to find our friends, one of 'em is my brother, now I'm sure you can appreciate me wanted to find my kin."

Rick and Daryl looked at each other "yeah, that I can" Rick said slowly "they ain't here and we ain't opening that gate so you may as well turn around and go back the way you came."

Another moment of silence and Blake gave a small nod and disappeared back in the car, closing the sunroof. After sitting there for a few seconds the car reversed, hitting a number of walkers before speeding off back down and out of the grounds.

"What we gonna do?" one of Blakes passengers asked "they ain't lettin' us in" he said looking back at the prison, Rick and Daryl not moving from their spots.

Blake smiled pulling out his gun, checking his bullets "we gonna take it" he said simply "they're hidin' something, whether it's a massive haul of supplies or my brother. So we sure as hell gonna find out."

Andi stood up after she was sure the car was well out of sight, slung her rifle over her shoulder while Daryl took her hand and helped her down from the rubble.

"Thanks" she smiled brushing the dust off herself "they'll be back" she said as she and Daryl walked back over to Rick and Michonne.

"You sure?" Rick asked, a little surprised as he expected a fight there and then after everything that Andi had told them "he seemed happy enough."

"No" Andi shook her head "you telling him he can't do something, he will come back on pure principle that you can't tell him what he can and can't do."

"That seems pretty petty" Daryl grunted, he just wanted this all to be over, it was bad enough they had to protect themselves from the dead but the living as well and all over a pathetic principle?

"Yeah" Andi nodded "it is but that's Blake" she shook her head again "he's like that kid at school who would eat the crayon just because the teacher told him not to."

"So I should have let them in?" Rick asked exasperated.

"No, this was always going to happen Rick, if they came by this way there would be nothing you could do to stop what is going to happen" Andi said looking out over the grounds "now, we have to get this place set up and ready. Plan B."

They all nodded, knowing exactly what that meant.

Michonne went into the tombs to bring the others back up to help while Rick, Andi and Daryl made their way down to the holding area to secure and fortify the gates there. They would lock the walkers on the inside and clear the walkway in-between the outside and grounds, as they had it before. Across each gate they put two of the massive oak beams, if anything it would slow down the cars and damage them enough to stop them just inside the gates. They would then have to contend with the walkers in the grounds themselves, which will give Rick and the group some time to take some of them out and even out the numbers.

Andi and Daryl would take high positions so they could use some of the long distance rifles that Andi had rescued from her camp those few weeks ago. Andi already had her rifle and she and Daryl shared the ammunition between them and took them up to the positions.

Andi followed Daryl to his position which was where Andi had been when Blake first came up to the gates, "it has a silencer on it" she explained to him "don't get in to a dark spot or they will see you, the flash" she was saying quickly "that spot over there" she pointed to the bridge between two cell blocks "is your Alamo, that's where you go when this spot is discovered."

Daryl nodded and looked over to the bridge, he knew how to fire the gun but having a planned route out of there if needed was a good idea. He looked over to where Glenn, Michonne and Rick were working on putting traps in the grass, they had already dug a number of holes in the grass, some were deep others not quite so much so but deep enough to slow a man down or bog a car.

"Daryl?" Andi asked, she had been telling him about different options he had but trailed off when she realised he wasn't listening "ok" she said "you know all this, just be careful ok?" she said touching his forearm "if this all works and we fight these people off, kill them, whatever we do" she paused and looked down at her rifle and bit her lip "just, be careful Daryl" she glancing up at him before nodding and walking away from him to take up her position before he had a chance to say anything more to her.

"Damnit Daryl" he thought watching her walk away from him "that was your damn chance" he shook his head, kicking himself he should have said something really profound to her, maybe even how he really felt. "If we make it through this" he muttered to himself "you are gonna tell 'er how you feel."

Rick and Daryl went back in to check on John, Tyler and Wayne, they were awake now and they could tell the men had been struggling against their bonds. Daryl knocked each one out again and the pair ensured that their bonds were still tight and true.

Maggie and Glen this time would be ready for the fight; they dressed themselves in the newly cleaned riot gear and waited in the yard, hiding behind some of the huge barrels that were left.

"God I just want this to be over" Maggie said clutching her semi-automatic gun. Glenn nodded; this was not how he wanted to go out. They had survived walker herds and a year on the road only to be killed by humans, living humans. It just didn't seem fair.

"Maggie?" he said not looking at her but out to where Rick and Michonne were standing "if we get through this, let's get married."

It was more a statement than a question but a huge smile erupted across her lips "I think I'd like that" she said, the feeling of fear momentarily leaving her as she glanced over to her future husband and for that second she felt free and happy. For that moment she felt normal again.

"You think this is going to work?" Michonne asked Rick as they watched Andi stalking her way down to the bottom of the grounds, still within the fences though. They had watched as she took down two walkers and then covered her in its blood, camouflaging herself from the other walkers. She then dragged both bodies to her position and got down, no longer in view.

"I think we have a chance" he said "I really do, the plan works on paper. Herschel, Beth, Carol, Judith and Carl will be safe in the tombs and if anything happens out here and we fail they can get out through the front" they had made an escape route for the five non-fighters, leaving a car at the front of the building hidden in the ruins with supplies for them if they had to make a run for it. Rick had told Carl that it was his responsibility to protect the group; he hoped this would be the making of the boy to a man.

Andi had to stop herself from gagging from the stench of the walker she was now covered in, it was necessary though. She didn't want to have to contend with walkers as well as Blake and his group. She had concealed herself with grass and the body of the walker, just in case they came up behind her all they would see is a dead walker and a bundle of grass. She had herself set up with the rifle and ammunition right next to her and her radio just under her chest, it was turned down as low as she could leave it and still hear. She stilled herself as a walker came close to her position, holding her breath she watched as it stumbled passed her, unaware that she was even there.

She tried to clear her mind and prepare herself for battle, no distractions. But she found herself thinking of Daryl "God I hope he lives through this" she thought, she hadn't thought of anyone the way she thought of Daryl since she had first met Blake and his band of men. And it was a feeling she never thought she would ever feel again. She shook her head, trying to get Daryl out of it.

Everything that had happened over that two month period was about to come to a head, all the pain he had caused, the anger that he had made her feel as she watched the people she loved be wiped out. And for what? "Nothing" she thought.

This man was about to pay for his crimes; his crimes to her, to her husband, her family and every other man, woman and child he had hurt. Vengeance was about to be dealt.