I do not own the Walking Dead.

Previously:

"Great, let's go." Rick said as he made his way to the door and the two children followed behind. Just before the man followed his team, he tapped Faye on the shoulder. "Hey, our favour still stand?"

Faye frowned a little before realising Rick was talking about their chat back at the farm. Smiling, she replied.

"You got it."

For a while, the cell block was relatively peaceful. More peaceful than it had been in a long time.

Then suddenly, everything was not peaceful and an unconscious Hershel had no leg. There was shouting, blood and through the panic, Faye snuck out.

Because Daryl was arming himself. Because something was coming.

Before T-Dog locked the cell door, Faye slipped through unnoticed and walked up behind Daryl, footsteps loud enough to not surprise the man and earn herself an arrow through the eye.

Hand on her gun, Faye murmured to him, sensing she shouldn't be too loud. "What's coming? Walkers?"

Daryl shook his head slightly. "Nah. Prisoners. What you doin' back here, go back to the others."

Oh, she was going to be so smug later. So, so smug. But, that could wait, there were more pressing matters.

Pulling out her gun, Faye gave what she hoped was a tough look. "I can handle myself, I'm a good shot. I'm helping defend the prison."

The man looked annoyed at her answer as he pulled out an arrow to load into the crossbow. "That's just tough, ya ain't. Them guys are probably murderers, in for assault, fuck, could be paedophiles. You think I'm letting them near a little girl?"

Faye bit back the 'I'm not a little girl!'. "I think you're gonna except that I wanna help for once. They make a move against us, then they're just a bad as the walkers, and I'll be fine with shooting 'em."

Daryl looked reluctant, but Faye stopped the grin as he gave her a chance. "How much ammo you got?"

"Half." Faye replied once she checked the magazine.

"They ask, tell 'em you got full. 'N stand up straighter, ain't no use lookin' weak. Anything happens, you go back when I say, got it?" With a firm nod from the girl, the two raised their weapons when voices were heard down the hall. "Let me do the talkin'."

Before Faye could nod again, the first prisoner walked in.

The muscles on his arms were large and he had long black hair pulled back on his head. What Faye was most concerned about, however, was the gun in his hand. A smaller prisoner walked in behind him, and then, as almost to contrast him, a very large man walked in after that. To her relief, none of them had guns. The girl hoped it didn't show on her face, which she was trying to keep neutral.

Then, voice unwavering, Daryl stopped them. "'S far enough."

The first prisoner spoke as the final two walked in. "Cell Block C. Cell Four, that's mine. Let me in."

"Today's ya lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the State of Georgia, you're free to go." Daryl continued, ignoring his request.

The black haired man pressed on. "What you got going on in there?"

"Ain't none of your concern."

Faye tensed as the man pulled out his gun, raising her own a little. "Don't be telling me what's my concern."

"Chill, man." The larger man spoke. "Dude's leg is messed up. 'Sides, we're free now. Why we still in here?"

He had the right idea. Apparently, Daryl thought this too. "Man's got a point."

"I wanna check on my old lady." Another said.

"Group of civilians, breaking in to a prison you got no business being in?" When said out loud, that did sound a little strange. But, hell, it was the apocalypse. A lot more stuff's normal that would never be before. "Got me thinkin' there ain't nowhere for us to go."

Yeah, he had a point. Yeah, he would have to deal with it. Faye felt more confident when Daryl was there too. "Why don't ya find out?"

A blonde prisoner spoke up nervously. "Maybe we'll be going then."

"Maybe we ain't leavin'!"

"Maybe you ain't comin' in, either!" T-Dog came storming in through another passage, gun aimed on the prisoners. It was good to have another person against the gang of five prisoners.

It was also good that T-Dog saw that she had been right. Faye liked being right.

"This is my house, my rules, I go where I damn well please!"

Well, tough! That wasn't the way things were anymore!

Unfortunately, Faye wasn't yet confident enough to say that to the man's face. She might next time she was about further behind Daryl, rather than by him. She didn't want to back away though, she needed to look tough, just like Daryl told her.

The men's voice level rose until they were shouting at each other for dominance. In between it all, Faye saw the small prisoner stared at her, either intrigued or confused by her presence.

Either way, Faye made a point of pointing her gun in his direction, one foot sliding forward slightly. Daryl seemed to notice the movement and give her an approving glance before continuing his shouting match with the prisoners.

Then, Rick came running, stopping the fight about to break out. "Hey, hey, hey! Everyone relax, there's no need for this!"

If there had been time, Faye would have admired the fact that Rick alone could stop even the prisoners shouts. Well, he had been a cop before, she summarized.

"How many of you in there?" The black haired prisoner's gun was still raised.

"Too many for you to handle."

"Oh yeah? 'Cause way I see it, you've had to bring a little girl into ya ranks."

Rick looked over with a frown, and the look he gave meant she was in trouble. He'd given that look to Carl plenty of times.

Luckily, Daryl came to her rescue. "She's here 'cause she's a damn good shot. Don't mind havin' someone like that 'round."

Hoping to further his point, Faye glared at the apparent 'prisoner-leader' and shifted her aim to him - or, more specifically, his head.

"What you guys do? Would of thought you'd robbed a bank if ya don't got kids. Why don't you take him to a hospital?"

The group exchanged glances before Rick spoke calmly. "How long you been in that cafeteria?"

"I dunno, like ten months." The man flexed his grip on the gun.

The big man added to the conversation. "Riot broke out, never seen anything like it."

The blonde and tiny prisoners added. Faye could have laughed at the thought of the walkers being just cannibals. No, cannibals could be locked up, controlled, imprisoned for life. They could die normally without a shot to the head. Faye doubted walkers could ever be controlled.

They carried on talking before Rick talked again. "There is no army."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone."

Faye knew this fact. They all did now, it had been accepted for a long time. It didn't make it any easier to hear out loud, no way. Not for her at least.

The prisoners protested a little, asking to ring their families. "You just don't get it do you?" Daryl said.

No, they didn't. It was horrible to watch a man realise his family was all dead.

"No phones, no computers. As far as we can see, at least half the population's been wiped out. Probably more."

She hadn't thought about her computer in such a long time. She used to love the video games she and Andy used to-

No. That time was all gone. All gone. Faye refused to think about any of it. This conversation was bringing back too many memories for the girl's liking.

"Ain't no way." Yes, there was! This was life now!

"See for yourself." Rick gestured towards the door.

"The hell you think your doin', coming out there?"

Faye had been right, she was in trouble. "I was being useful."

"Go back, now." Rick tried to use his authoritative voice, but Faye had heard that too many times.

"No. I can handle myself just fine. S'not like I've jumped into the middle of them, is it? 'Sides, Daryl said I could."

The leader obviously wasn't pleased at this answer. "We don't know how dangerous these people are, you think I'm going to let a kid come alon-"

Faye interrupted him, she'd also heard that speech before. She was stubborn and determined. She was going to help. "Daryl said that. Then I said if they tried to kill us, they were just the same as the walkers. I'm fine with shooting them, they've probably killed people anyway. Besides, what Daryl said was true, I'm a good shot, give me a chance."

Rick sighed and ran a hand over his face before seemingly submitting. "I'm hoping it won't come to that. If it does, you stay behind Daryl, T-Dog and I. You will do as we say."

Hoping to assure the man, Faye nodded firmly.

For the moment, Faye was ordered to stick by T-Dog. As they walked back outside, Faye lightly nudged the man with his elbow and whispered to him. "When we get back, I have permission to be really smug." Faye would have grinned, but she was still trying to look tough. So, she smirked. Smirking was more badass than grinning, anyway.

The sunlight hit them as the cell block door creaked open, the prisoners basking in the light. Faye looked around at the dead bodies on the floor. How many were there, forty? Fifty? If she had walked over, the girl could have selected the few that she killed, more of them in the field.

Hell, she probably had more blood on her hands than those prisoners did. Well, unless any of them were mass murderers. Faye doubted that they were though, the blonde one with a moustache seemed to be a nervous wreck.

Still didn't trust him, though.

The big man poked a body. "So, what is this, like a disease?"

"Yeah." Rick answered. "We're all infected."

The moustache-man spoke up. "What do you mean, infected? Like aids or something?"

"If I was to kill you," Daryl said. "Shoot an arrow in your chest, you come back as one of these things. 'S gonna happen to all of us."

Walking round the bodies, Faye frowned. These people were stupid, they'd never last long if they didn't know this information. How had they survived for ten months with walkers banging on their door?

Problem was, though, they were stupid and violent. That was a dangerous combination. No amount of looking nervous could change that.

The leader looked unimpressed. "Ain't no way this group killed all these freaks. Must be fifty bodies out here. With kids too? No way."

Daryl was about to open his mouth to defend her when Faye moved her own. She'd had enough of being silent and underestimated today. "I'm more than capable of killing 'em. Shot plenty out in the field, killed a few here too. Got one twice my size-" That was a complete exaggeration. "-Stabbed him right through the eye once I knocked him down. Wasn't quite deep enough, had to twist, wasn't a pretty sight. Want me to drag him over for you to see?" Faye glared the whole time.

"Damn, girl's got guts." The tiny prisoner sniggered. "Got Daddy issues, eh, little lady?"

"Something like that." Faye spat out. She could practically feel the other's eyes on her. Once she started talking, it all came out. "My Dad came at me and got too close, so I shot him down. Just like that, through his whole head."

Faye made a shooting motion below her chin, pointing upwards. "With that blood on my hands, I don't think Daddy issues covers it. I ain't a little lady."

Giving the prisoners hard glares, attention was finally brought away from the girl. Faye blanked out most of the adults conversation as they fought for dominance and ownership of the prison. Eventually, it was decided that half of the prisoner's 'small' food supply would be given up in exchange for a cleared out cell block.

As the group made their way back to the cafeteria, Daryl gave Faye a light pat on the back. "Nice job, ya shut 'em up. All that, uh, really true?"

Faye knew he meant the part about her Dad, but she ignored that bit.

(That was completely true.)

"Nah, that guy wasn't twice my size."

Author's Note:

Enter the prisoners!

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