Harli tied her hair up in a ponytail and tightened the laces on her boots, shouldering her bow and quiver tightly. She leaned up and looked to Rick, gripping the handle of her hatchet and walking towards the rest of everyone crowded around the front gate that lead into the prison. Stopping next to Glenn and Maggie, she looked over to her fellow female, "You ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. I just want to get this over and done with."
"Just think, as soon as we get everything cleared, that's that. Over and done with for good." Harli smiled and Maggie could help but catch the contagion of smiling as well,
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She grabbed her machete and stood up, Rick's voice booming through the air,
"Everyone ready?" His eyes passed around to everyone, as well as everyone looking to each other, and they all nodded, "Stay and don't leave formation for any reason. Our success is only imminent if we stay together!"
Daryl, T-Dog, Harli, Glenn, and Maggie all crowded behind Rick, readying their weapons as Rick's hand latched onto the clip that held the gates together. Hershel had his fingers tied into the fence, "You ready?"
Rick nodded, and in one quick motion, he unlatched the clips and swung the gate in, tackling the first Walker down with a machete to the head.
Harli's pulse throbbed in her ears as her adrenaline sky rocketed, seeing the large horde of Walker's beginning to crowd around them. With one deep breath, her ears cleared and she lunged forward, shoving her knife through the eye of a Walker, while turning and swinging her hatchet, slicing off the head of another. Her eyes darted back and forth, seeing another three approaching her side quickly. She shoved her leg into the chest of the Walker, its body crashing to the ground below it, the other two closing in. She gritted her teeth and hustled forward, reaching her hatchet back, and thrusting it into the Walker's brain, splitting its head in two. Daryl rushed up behind her and plunged his knife up through the jaw of the other Walker, glancing over at Harli and nodding before the two returned back to formation.
"Stay in formation! T!" The two looked over their shoulders, seeing T-Dog had broken rank and grabbed a riot shield, gripping it tightly and rushing a stray Walker, knocking it to the ground. Maggie ran forward and slammed her machete into its head, the two quickly returning to formation, "We're almost there!"
The small group moved quickly and quietly through the courtyard, Rick stopping and opening a door to the inside, seeing nothing through the darkness, he proceeded to round the corner to the gate that they were aiming for, but came to an abrupt halt and retreated behind the safety of the wall.
The group's bodies instantly sucked against the wall as Rick threw his hand up, signaling more Walkers. All Harli's ears could pick up were everyone's panting, as well as her own, and her heard leaned over, her eyes widening when she saw two Walkers, clad in riot gear, stumbling out from behind a nearby dumpster. Two more emerged from the side of the building they clasped against, raising the alarm for the survivors as they were spotted.
Daryl darted forward and pulled the trigger of his crossbow, sending one of his bolts whirling into the face mask of the Walker's helmet. The bolt bounced off and fell to the ground in defeat and Daryl glanced over at Rick. Rick then rushed forward to attack a Riot Walker, the others following in his wake.
Harli rushed past Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog to the two slowly approaching Riot Walkers. Wanting to buy the other times while Rick handled the gate situation, she gritted her teeth and shoved her shoulder into the bulletproof vest of the Riot Walker, knocking it to the ground. She turned her attention to the other, who reached its arms out in attempts to grab her dirty skin. She jumped back and caught her grip on the hatchet before lunging forward and slamming the hatchet down onto the Walkers helmet. To no avail, the sharp blade could not penetrate the riot helmet.
She heard Rick shout Daryl's name, glancing over for a moment during her standoff with the Walker, seeing that Rick was rushing towards the gate. She heard grumbling behind her, seeing that the Walker she knocked over was recovering quicker than she thought. Thinking fast, Harli felt the hands of the Walker gripping on her arm. She turned and her hand flung towards the helmet, grabbing onto the face shield and shoving it upwards. The face shield broke off the hinges and clashed onto the ground, Harli taking the opportunity to shoving her knife into its eye.
With a gurgle, the Walker fell backwards as Harli yanked her knife out of his decaying flesh. Panting, she returned her attention to the Walker on the ground, kicking it in the head and watching as it fell back to the ground once again. She grabbed its vest and flipped it over on its back, stepping a foot to the other side of its body and hovering over the Walker. It snarled and moaned at her, its jaws chomping at her like a horse with a bit. She stared down at it for a few seconds before gripping the handle of her knife tightly, raising it over her head and stabbing it in the face so hard the knife went completely through its skull.
Tearing it out, she huffed and turned around, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead while leaving a small trail of blood in its wake. Her ears were flooded with the lustful growls coming from the large mob of courtyard Walker's, slamming their bodies up against the gates in attempts to get at the small group.
Everyone stared at each other for a few minutes, some examining others to make sure there were no bites or scratches hiding from their gaze. Seeing the other members of their group crowding around and waiting for their return to the gate they entered, they each began to walk back towards the entrance to the prison yard.
"Wait." Their feet seized against the concrete as they looked too Rick, seeing him staring around the entrances to the inside of the prison. Glenn walked up to him,
"It looks secure."
"No from the look of that courtyard over there… and that's a civilian." Daryl pointed to the female Walker he had killed, the others looking over as well,
"So the inside of the prison might be overrun by Walkers from the outside…" T-Dog said while sighing. Glenn looked to Rick,
"Well what're we gonna do? If there are walls down we can't rebuild this place by ourselves."
"Best thing we can do is get inside and check it out and fix whatever we can for the time being. There are different areas of the prison guaranteed to be secure. We just have to find them."
"Harli's got the idea… we can't risk a blind spot. We have to push in." Rick turned towards a fenced door and corridor, Daryl following after. Harli and the others glanced at one another's already fatigued faces before proceeding towards the door and following after their leader.
They readied their weapons as Daryl opened the door and Rick raised his machete in waiting for something to pop out. After seeing nothing on the approach, Rick stepped in and the others followed, hearing the intense silence washing around them. For the first time in her career history, the innards of the prison were intensely quite in Harli's ears. There were no prisoners howling, shouting, and slamming their bodies up against the prison doors. The barred door creaked loudly as Rick opened it, making memories flood into Harli's clouded mind. Her feet found the stairs as her and the rest of the group descended into the cellblock.
Harli stared around as the others spread out, this cell block being oddly unfamiliar to her. Only being here a few times during her employment of the extended prison and its branches, the unfamiliarity of this area made her a bit skeptical about her surroundings.
Harli heard footsteps and saw Rick walking down the stairs from the lookout tower, a ring of keys jingling in his hands. Harli whistled over at him, nodding her head towards an iron door while walking over towards it. He followed her over and stuck the key into the lock, unlocking it and opening the door with a loud screech.
The group moved into another large area and Harli looked around, finding the door leading into the actual cell block. She walked over with Rick once again and stuck his arm through the bars, unlocking the door and opening it with yet again, another squeal. Harli pulled her hatchet from her belt and squeezed its handle, ready for anything to happen at any moment.
Cautiously, she and Maggie walked through the quite corridor, looking into the cells in case of Walker inhabitation. The area seemed almost too serene for its worth, but alas it was rather empty. Harli walked back towards T-Dog, hearing snarling of a Walker up above them and looking up, seeing Daryl and Rick standing on the floor in front of the cells,
"You guys alright up there?" Harli asked quietly, only for her voice to sound louder than expected. Rick looked over the railing,
"We're just fine, just a couple of caged Walkers." Harli saw Daryl's hand fling forward and one of the Walkers raspy voice seize. Rick walked back down the stairs,
"Maggie, Glenn, go get everyone and the gear. This cell block is secure. T-Dog, Harli, help us get whatever bodies that are in here and drag them out."
T-Dog and Harli soon got to work dragging out whatever bodies they could find.
"Here Harli, put that one over here." T-Dog directed and Harli nodded, grabbing the Walker's ankles and dragging it out of the cellblock. She slid it up next to the others in a messy line, the two walking back into the cellblock,
"How many more are left?" Harli asked while looking up at Daryl. He shoved his foot against the corpse and it dropped with a loud thud next to Harli and T-Dog,
"That's the last one." T-Dog grabbed its legs and began to pull it out, Harli's head tilting over when she heard many footsteps flooding into the cellblock. The group entered, sleeping and duffle bags in their hands,
"What do you think?"
"Home sweet home." Glenn said in exhaustion as he passed Rick into a nearby cell,
"For the time being."
"It's secure?" Lori asked while looking around as if it were too good to be true. Rick stared at his fellow survivors,
"This cellblock is…"
"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked and Rick turned his attention towards the older man,
"In the morning, we'll find a cafeteria and infirmary."
"We sleep in the cells?"
"I found some keys on a guard. There's two sets, I have one and Daryl, the other." Rick pointed towards Daryl as the keys sat clenched in the backwoodsman's hands,
"I ain't sleepin' in no cage… I'll take the perch." Daryl's raspy voice echoed, as well as his footsteps as he walked over to the honing that the stairs led to.
Harli found her backpack and sleeping bag and walked into an empty cell, dropping them to the ground. She glanced at the blood painted walls around her, but quickly ignored them when the mattress of the bed seemed to call her name. Dropping her tense shoulders, she leaned down and crawled onto the lower bed, feeling the surprisingly comfortable cotton pad flexing under her weight. She lied her head down against the taller part of the mattress like a pillow.
She let out a long sigh of relief and closed her eyes, her muscles finally relaxing after a tough morning. She turned and lied on her back while putting her hands under her head, staring at the bed above her as her eyes glazed over with tranquility.
o.o
Harli's eyes fluttered open, still a bit sleepy from her ideal night's sleep, something she hadn't had in months of sleepless nights on the run. She rolled over and groaned in slight bliss, hearing scattered footsteps walking about outside the cells. Harli leaned up and rubbed her head, standing to her feet, her boots still on, and poking her head out from her cell. Upon seeing Daryl, Rick, Hershel, and T-Dog standing about and speaking in hushed tones to avoid waking the others, she walked out and towards them.
"How'd you sleep last night?" Rick asked when seeing her approach and she smiled rubbing her arms as goose bumps rose on her tan skin,
"Better than I have in a very long while. What are you guys doing up so early?" She glanced out the window above, seeing the morning sun flaming in through the glass,
"We're gonna head out and find the armory before tryin' to go clear out what we can of the prison today."
"Armory, huh? I think I might be able to help." She replied to Daryl and then looked to Rick,
"This is the West Central Prison; I've only been here a handful of times because I worked mostly out of the main branch in the North. If it's anything similar to it, I might be able to lead you to the armory. It should be close to the first room we came in yesterday and where you found the door keys."
"That sounds like a plan. Go get your weapons and we'll get to it then." Rick said with much haste in his voice. Harli nodded and returned quickly with her bow, hatchet, and knife,
"So back to the first room?" Daryl asked while they left the cellblock, locking the door behind him,
"Yeah, the armory should be a few rooms away from there in the door adjacent to the one that leads here."
They all found their way back to the room with benches and the guard tower, stepping more carefully after walking from their safe zone, cautious of stray Walkers that may have found their way in. Harli led Rick to a steel door and ran her hand across it, yanking on the handle. With it being locked, Rick pulled the keys out and tried out a few before finding the right one, unlocking the door.
Harli pulled out her knife as Rick opened the door, ready for anything to approach her with bloodlust. But the large room was dark and quiet, no one and nothing occupying its dorms. Slowly, they made way in and looked about, seeing that it was a room for the officers to ready themselves in. Stray riot gear was tossed about the room and a few corpses were strung about here and there. Harli spotted a cracked open door and walked towards it, gripping her knife as her free hand latched onto the handle, pulling it open with a loud squeal. She dropped her hand back down to the side, seeing no dangers ahead of her,
"Find anything?" Rick asked while walking up behind her. She walked forward,
"Well, I think this is the armory… or what's left of it…" Her disappointment radiated through her words as she walked in, seeing the room practically empty,
"This is the armory?"
"We don't know that for sure." Rick replied to Daryl as the two walked in, Hershel and T-Dog not far behind. Rick looked around, not with disappointment, but with slight satisfaction,
"It's alright if it's not the armory, there is plenty here we can use for now. We can push through the prison later on while we try to find the cafeteria, maybe we'll find something more. But for now, let's try to gather up whatever's left in this room."
"I brought a bag just in case." Hershel pulled a bag off his shoulder and dropped it on the ground, the five sprouting around the room and grabbing anything useful they could.
They found their way back to the tower room and placed the bag down on a table. T-Dog went back to the cellblock to check on the others, soon coming back to see the goodies that they had found. One by one, Rick and Daryl pulled out the items they had achieved and placed them on the table. Harli, T-Dog, and Hershel studied the array of weapons and riot gear.
T-Dog grabbed an assault rifle and stared at it as if it were too good to be true, before setting it down. Hershel pulled out whatever remained in the bag and placed them on the table. Daryl nodded his head as he looked at the array of weaponry,
"Not bad."
"Flash bangs… CS triple chasers… not sure how they work on Walkers but we'll take 'em…" Rick raised the handheld bombs in his hand. Harli studied the pistols on the table, taking them in her hands and pulling out the clips,
"Already loaded? That's weird." She raised it and aimed at a wall as if she were going to fire. She spotted a switch on the side and curiously flipped it, her eyes drawn to the red laser shooting off the bottom,
"Laser sights…" She smiled and flipped the switch off, placing the loaded pistol back down on the table carefully. Daryl grabbed a riot helmet off the table and held it upside down, seeing an unknown liquid dripping from the hard plastic. He grunted in disgust and snarled,
"I ain't wearin' this shit."
He wiped his hand on his pant leg and tossed the helmet back on his pant leg. T-Dog held a glove upside down, watching the stinking, decaying liquids dripping from the lip of the glove. Harli coughed and tilted her head to the side, putting her hand over her nose, "Oh god..."
"We could boil 'em." T-Dog said and Daryl's disgust persisted,
"Ain't enough firewood in the whole forest, no!" He grabbed a police baton, "Besides, we got this far without 'em." He said while swinging the baton like a baseball bat.
"Hershel?" They all looked up to see Carol nodding towards the door,
"Everything alright?" Rick asked and Carol smiled and nodded,
"Yeah, nothing to concern yourself with."
Hershel moved from the table and followed after Carol back towards the cell block. Rick looked back to the other four before returning his attention towards the newly found weapons. Harli handled the flash bangs, her fingers tracing over the unknown features. She saw Daryl's hand grab a grenade and watched as he shook it, stared at it for a moment, then shook it next to his ear more vigorously,
"I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you didn't shake a grenade in here."
"What're you talkin' bout? Don't undermine me woman." An unknown object fell from the Daryl's hand and clang like a ring against the table. All eyes darted to the object as it spun to a stop, seeing the grenade ring staring back at them menacingly. All eyes went to Daryl as he continued to stare at the ring,
"Aw shit…" Everyone stood frozen and stared at Daryl's their eyes wide and frantic. But before they had a chance to run from the room in fear of the explosion, Daryl smirked to himself and snickered, putting the grenade back on the table, ring still intact,
"All ya'lls faces were priceless!" Everyone let out their held breaths and Rick shook his head while wiping his face, looking back to Daryl with daggers in his eyes. Harli balled a fist and punched the redneck in the shoulder,
"Daryl! That was so not funny!"
"I thought so." He laughed to himself.
o.o
"Alright then, let's get this show on the road." Rick helped T-Dog put on a bullet proof riot vest, Harli, Glenn, and Maggie all readying their weapons, even their pistols just in case. It was time to head out into the heart of the prison, clear out Walkers, and find the necessary areas that they would need in order to survive. Harli yanked the slide back on her pistol, loading it, and placing it in the leg holster she found in the small armory, the belly of her pistol full with bullets for the first time in months.
"Harli," She turned, hearing Daryl's voice calling her name. He tossed her a small flashlight and she caught it quickly, nodding,
"Thanks."
"You won't need that." Harli looked over her shoulder, seeing Carl holding a riot helmet. She returned her attention to loading her backpack,
"I've loaded pistol ammo in case any of you need it."
"Good idea, never know if we need the back up." T-Dog said and Harli smiled while tossing her bow strap over her shoulder, as well as her quiver. Making sure her knife and hatchet were secure, she turned to Rick, as well as everyone else, as he handed Carl the keys,
"Great, let's go." The group flooded out of the cellblock and waited for Rick as he took position in front of them to lead.
Slowly, they wound through hallways and through new doors, Daryl sticking his hand through the bars of one door and unlocking it. The darkness began to slowly consume them as they walked through the door and into the dark, windowless hallways. Everyone turned on their flashlights and shined them to light up the corridors.
They trekked through the cold air and over the damp concrete below their feet cautiously. Daryl and Rick were up front, Maggie and Harli in the middle, and Hershel and Glenn taking up the back. Their weapons were ready for the attack for any stray Walker's to show their grotesque faces. No one said a word, or even breathed a loud breath in hope that they wouldn't attract any of the infected.
They turned another corner, facing barred fencing with the doors wide open. The intense smell of decaying bodies wafted through the air, making Harli cough as quietly as she could, wrinkling her nose in protest. Even as long as the world was in downfall, she still couldn't overcome the distinct smell of decaying flesh.
They each stepped over and around the corpses on the ground, unaware if they were alive or dead. Water cascaded from the ceiling and Harli and Maggie dodging it as they pursued after the others. Glenn pulled out a can of white spray paint and began to paint arrows for their return on the walls. The hissing of the spray was the only sound, besides dripping water, which occupied the air around them. As Glenn finished spraying the arrow onto the dark wall, her turned and bumped into Maggie, who screamed from being startled.
Everyone turned to her and she only walked forward to proceed. Rick turned and motioned for everyone to follow after him. The flashlights darted back and forth, searching for any sign of movement and everyone's ears searched for a sound.
Only stopping for a moment so Glenn could paint on another arrow, Rick came to a stop at a dead end corner, looking back at everyone. They all gripped their hands tightly around their weapons and Rick looked to Daryl, who nodded for him to proceed. Rick jumped around the corner and shined his light down to the end of the hallway, but only saw nothing.
Another crossroad of hallways and Glenn painted another arrow, Rick and Daryl looking down each of the hallway ends to make sure there was no danger. Harli heard a loud clank behind them, turning quickly in the direction. Her flashlight flickered back and forth, but she could find no source of the loud noise. She turned back around and followed the rest of the group as they moved back down another hallway.
Suddenly, upheavals of snarling echoed through the air, making chills go down Harli's spine,
"Go back…" Rick whispered hastily and Harli, Maggie, and Glenn jumped back,
"Go back, go back!" Rick shouted and they all turned, quickly jogging back the way they came. Daryl and Rick quickly made their way back to the front of the group to guide the rest out of the dangers path,
"They're getting closer!" Harli shouted upon turning her head and flashlight over her shoulder, seeing them gangling after the group quicker than they expected. Harli turned and quickly caught up with the group, following up behind Glenn and Maggie, who were beginning to lag behind as well.
"This way!" Rick's voice bounced off the concrete walls and Maggie, Glenn, and Harli struggled to catch up with them. They rounded a corner and Harli crashed into a Walker, knocking it to the ground and almost her own self in the process. Glenn grabbed her arm and yanked her and Maggie into a nearby closet.
They jumped when Walker's slammed themselves up against the door in attempts to get in. Harli panted and ran a hand through her moist hair, Glenn shining the flashlight in her face,
"You alright?" He whispered. Harli squinted her eyes against the intense light and nodded in response, Glenn letting out a sigh of relief, "Maggie?"
"I'm fine, just shaken…"
"Do you think the others made it out?" Harli whispered back. The couple looked back at her, and then to each other before their eyes settled on the floor below them, fearing that they had been left behind. Harli looked around the rather large closet, shining her flashlight towards the back, but only seeing janitorial gear.
"The banging… it stopped." Maggie said while looking to the door. Harli and Glenn glanced at each other before looking to the door as well,
"Should we go try and find them?"
"I think that's the best choice we have at the moment. We can't stay cooped up here all night, our chances will dwindle." Harli whispered back to him. Glenn nodded and looked from one woman to the other,
"Alright, keep your eyes open and let's try to find the arrows." They all stood up and Glenn slowly opened the door, a slight creak coming from the hinges, making their hearts leap in fear. Upon hearing no Walkers nearby, their flashlights darted around the cold corridor, looking for a way out,
"Rick!?"
"Daddy!?" The two whispered loudly and Harli kept her eyes and ears open for any Walkers. They slowly crept around a few corners, eagerly waiting for a response from any of their comrades.
A blood curdling cry came out of nowhere and Harli's heart dropped when she diagnosed the shouts. Hershel's frantic cries echoed through the hallways, but the young adults didn't find it hard to find their way back to each other. A loud gunshot fired through their ears and their legs only moved quicker as they rounded a corner, seeing an array of struggling flashlights through the darkness,
"No! Daddy!" Maggie's voice cracked and she began to cry, falling to the ground towards her father. Rick and Glenn grabbed Hershel's arms and hoisted him up,
"Rick! Walkers!" Harli shouted while seeing as they had come out of nowhere once again. Rick looked up quickly and he and Glenn wrapped Hershel's arms around their necks,
"Daryl!" He darted forward and pushed Harli back,
"Go! Quick!" He pulled the trigger of his crossbow, taking down the leader of the horde that vastly approached. Harli grabbed Maggie's arm,
"Come on!" She drug Maggie through the hallways, following Rick and Glenn as they carried Hershel to an exit, and at this point, any exit that crossed their path.
"Run! Get back, get back!" T-Dog shouted while Walkers came out of the hallway in front of them. The group backtracked towards Daryl and went down the last available hallway.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
"T!" Rick shouted as they stopped at a door that had been handcuffed shut. T-Dog shoved through everyone and slammed his stoke down through the chain, yanking back and snapping it in half. T-Dog shoved the doors open with his shoulder,
"In! In quick!" Harli grabbed onto the other door as Daryl ran through, T-Dog and Harli shutting them behind him. The Walkers slammed against the steel doors, T-Dog and Harli lurching forward to the point where they almost got in after them. Daryl growled and slammed his body against the doors with his brute strength, T-Dog and Harli following. Harli pushed all her weight into the door as the Walker's slammed up against it once again.
"Daryl! Go!" Harli shouted and he glanced over at her for a moment, seeing that she had the situation somewhat controlled. Daryl ran forward and fell to his knees next to Hershel, ripping off his pant leg and exposing the grotesque wound.
Harli's body lurched once again from the upheaval of the Walkers, glancing over at T-Dog, whose face was riddled with struggle as well. Her mind grew chaotic from the painful cries of Hershel, the snarling of the Walker's behind the door, and the overall frenzy that conquered the air around them.
She watched as Rick tore his belt from around his waist and hastily wrapped it just above Hershel's knee as tightly as it would go. Daryl leaned all his weight down on Hershel's lower body to keep him from thrashing, Maggie codling his head like a newborn child, her tears staining her cheeks and falling onto Hershel's,
"Harli! Throw me your hatchet!" Harli stared at Rick's determined face, and wasting no time, she yanked her hatchet from her belt and leaned down towards the ground, sliding it towards him. His fingers struggled to catch the hatchet on the cold ground, but ultimately, he picked it up and looked at Hershel's leg, not taking the time to think,
"Only one way to keep you alive!" He raised the hatchet over his head and slammed the blade down onto Hershel's leg. Harli gritted her teeth and spun her head to the side, closing her eyes, and wishing she could close her ears. Hershel's screams were just about unbearable, and the sound of Harli's sharp hatchet breaking Hershel's skin and bone was just as horrid.
Quicker than they appeared, Hershel's screams subsided as he began to lose consciousness. With one more swing of the hatchet, Rick severed the rest of Hershel's leg, dropping the hatchet and staring down with horror at the chore he had to perform.
"He's bleeding out…" Rick's voice struggled to say. Harli's eyes looked back over to the severed leg, her stomach turning over, and a dry vomit lifting up through her throat. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw movement and looked over, Daryl jumping up and pointing her crossbow at the gated window. The flashlight docked under the sights of his bow shown into the eyes of the intruders as they stared in.
"Holy shit…"
This time, the intruders were alive.