Jacoby didn't have a chance to find us. Before he could even round the corner, they were upon us. The thickest herd of Biters I'd seen in my entire life. More than any of the cities we'd passed. It seemed like they poured in from every corridor. Before I knew it, they were within a few feet.

"Get up," I told Rick, but he didn't have the will or strength to move. That left Michonne and I to cover him, and keep each other alive. And God only knew it wouldn't be easy. I took the left, she took the right, and try as we did, we kept getting separated, causing either of us to have to dive back to Rick, just to keep him alive.

"How…long…can…you…go?" She gasped, both from the effects of the gas and the exhaustion brought on by trying to keep the Biters back while trying to keep Rick alive.

"Not much…longer," I said truthfully. I was covered in blood, my heart pounding in my chest, my lungs screaming for air. The only thing keeping me going was knowing that I had two kids waiting for me outside. I could only hope that Mayhem made it back to them.

We kept fighting, until there wasn't much more we could do. Michonne gave me a single nod, before she tore off. It had been the plan. Fight until you can't, then go. No one was to die for anyone else.

Except I couldn't follow that. Having been in the army, and the wife of a solider, it wasn't in my blood to leave a fallen ally behind. I collapsed next to Rick, and prayed to whoever was listening that we wouldn't die. I begged for mercy, in a world where mercy was meaningless.

"A few more steps, we're almost there," Carol said softly in my ear. I knew she was doing it to keep me goin', but it was pissing me off. I wanted to curse her out, but I just couldn't. I was getting weaker and weaker from the damn blood spilling outta my arm.

I still don't know how that happened. No one told me nothing since I woke up.

"They're dead! They're dead!" a panicked voice made us all stop short. Over my shoulder, I saw Maggie running at us. Naturally, that was when Glenn's stupid ass let me fall to the fucking ground. I sat there staring up at them as Maggie ran into his arms, tears running down her face. Jacoby was walking behind her, his eyes wide, his face as white as snow.

"They ain't dead," he said, his tone emotionless. "I know my ma, and she ain't going down without a fight. Michonne neither. I'll put money on it that they found themselves a nice store closet to hold up in."

"You sure kid?" I asked. I felt a weird feeling welling in my chest. Not your normal feeling neither. Was I actually worried about the damn girl?

"I know my ma," he said again. His knees gave way, and had that dog of theirs not been there, he would have fallen on his face. Instead, he buried his face into her fur, his entire body shaking.

That was how I knew it was really, really bad.

"Rick, we're gonna die today," I said as I stabbed another Biter in the head right as it tried to take a bite at us. The only thing working for us, was that Michonne had taken out all the ones to the right of us. The corridor was so narrow, only one or two Biters could get through at a time, which worked in my advantage for the most part, but the gas was slowly killing me. Both of us, really.

"Yeah," he said with a slight nod. "Think it was worth it?"

"What…do you mean?" I asked, struggling to breathe.

"Think…we made…a difference?"

"Naw…Not in this world…" I said truthfully. My vision clouded as my breathing became shallower and shallower. I knew there was no hope. None at all.

I didn't want to go along with the plan in the first place. It was stupid to wage war against each other. They weren't bothering no one, so why'd we have to go after them anyway? I couldn't help but hate him, The Governor, for what he made us all do.

So the moment his back was turned, you bet your ass I took off as fast as I could. I wasn't letting them people die. Not like this.

I didn't know the corridors near as well as I'd like, but I managed. I knew where he had us put the Biters, and I knew how long one could last in the gas before it'd put 'em down. The Biters went down after 30 minutes, a normal human? Probably a few more or less. I had to move fast if I had any hope of finding them.

I kept my light trained on the floor in front of my feet as I made my way through the darkness. Maybe I'd get to them in time. Maybe I could save a life today.

I could tell by the looks on their faces, that today, God wasn't watching over us. I could tell, that today, hearts would break and tears would fall. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

I heard the sound of shuffling feet before I saw them. The Biters were falling, one at a time, their brains dying from the gases we so eagerly pumped into the prison. It was a bitter sweet moment, because as they fell, I saw them. A man and woman, sitting motionlessly against the wall, their faces sheet white.

"No," I whispered as I rushed forward the moment the last Biter hit the ground. I first checked the man, then the woman. Both had a slight pulse, but I knew it was drawing to the end for them both. The man had blood covering his chest, and once I could keep my hand steady enough, I saw why. His throat was bitten open, blood spewing all over the place. The woman, on the other hand, was not covered in her own blood. Not from what I could see. She was weak, her lips nearly blue, but she was alive. Her glassy eyes looked at me pleadingly. That was when I made up my mind.

I pulled her into my arms and quickly stood up, protectively wrapping my arms so she could not fall. There was no telling how long those two had been down in the tunnels. Minutes? And hour? More? If I couldn't get her outside, and fast, she could die. I was grateful for the needles in my pocket that symbolized life. They would counter activate the gases and save a living person if injected soon enough. Even if it was just minutes before brain death, it could work.

I made quick work of the tunnels, following a trail of blood left by someone else. It was easy enough. There was a light at the end, and I knew we were close. I had to get her out. I had to.

"There's Michonne," Carl said, pointing out the window of the van. We had all agreed that it was wiser to stay put, since there were no Biters in the yard yet. Though shaken up, Maggie and Jacoby both recovered from the gas quick enough, though neither wanted to talk about whatever horrors they saw.

I opened the van door and rushed to Michonne's side. She fell into my arms, breathing heavily, her skin drenched in blood.

"Andrea…it's bad," she moaned. I'd never seen Michonne weak before. She was the warrior, the dark warrior princess. She would fight to the death if she had to. For her to seem so fragile, it was a first.

"How bad?" I asked, half carrying her to the van. Carl slammed the door behind us, then handed me a bottle of water for Michonne.

"I don't think they're gonna make it," she said truthfully. I shot a look at Daryl, who's expression showed of concern. Hershel had stopped the bleeding in his arm, and though he was still weak, he was alert and focused when we divided up. I was in the van with the kids, him, Carol and now Michonne and the rest were with Hershel in the minivan.

"Let's give them another half hour," Daryl suggested. "Don't wanna speed away 'fore they get a chance to make it out."

"I'm telling you, there's no way they lived through that," Michonne argued, her breathing already steadying. Whatever gas they poured into the prison, even a few seconds of clear air could make all the difference.

We all stared out the window, hoping and praying that they're come out. What happened next, will stay with us until this world finally claims us.

The second we hit fresh air, I threw myself to the ground, careful not the drop the woman. She was barely breathing, her heart beat so faint and it was nearly undetectable. I reached into my pocket and produced a needle, careful not to lose a single drop; I stabbed it into her wrist, the needle digging deeply into her vein. It would take at least 5 minutes to take effect, I knew that. But would that be too long? Would she die before it could save her? I surely hoped not.

I heard a car door slam, and when I looked up, a gun was trained on my head.

"Hands where I can see them," the kid shouted. He looked maybe 10 or 11. Not much older than that. His hands were steady, despite his shaking legs. "I said hands where I can see them!"

I slowly raised my hands, the empty syringe falling to the ground.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

"Jayson Smith," I said loudly. "I'm not here to hurt you," I decided to add for good measure. It was the truth, afterall.

"There was a man with her, sir, where is he?" A new voice came. An older woman came out, placing a gentle hand on the child's shoulder.

"He…he didn't make it, ma'am," I said politely. "I got to her just in time. If the antidote works, she'll make a full recovery."

"Antidote?" she asked, eyeing me curiously. "Where are you from?"

"Woodbury, ma'am. If you give me just a moment, I can tell you everything. But first, I need to see that she survives. I must," I said softly. That was when I realized why the woman looked familiar. The dog tags that hung from her neck read "PVT SMITH, KAYY" and I knew instantly who she was.

"Oh god, Kayy, tell me he's not dead," I whispered. Of course he was. Otherwise, he'd never have let her end up like this. He never would have let her go on like this. I knew him so much better than that. Even the years overseas couldn't break the kind, protective man he was. Of course, my brother was dead.

"Jay?" a familiar, high pitched voice chimed. I looked up and saw my niece standing beside the boy, and then it all clicked together.

"Lucy…Jacoby," I whispered, looking at my nephew and niece for the first time in almost a year. It seemed so impossible. So utterly and truly impossible.

"Uncle Jay?" Jacoby lowered his gun, his eyes widening, before he ran over to me, his arms clinging to my neck as I pulled him into my arms, tears streaming down my face.

I never in a million years thought I'd ever see them again. When word hit that the lake had been over ran, I thought for sure that they were all dead. I was so sure, I didn't even bother trying to find them.

But my brother was dead. My brother was dead.

a/n - Sorry, had to throw another OC into the mix, don't worry, he doesn't last very long. ;) Oops, I did it again, huh?

Anyway, here's the 13th chapter. Only 7 more to go before the finale! Well, 6 technically. Unless I end up deciding to drag it out some more. ;) I haven't decided yet. I might.

Anywho, as always, love your feedback!

~ K