Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Her Angel, His Strength

25 When the Dead Come Knocking

The mysterious woman pressed her hand to her leg, and when she raised it again, it was covered in fresh blood. The scent must have made her noticeable to the walkers, as they were finally going after her.

"Rick!" Lily screamed, going around to the alley that Carl had already opened. "Come on, we gotta help her!"

Carl, who had the key, waited until his father's sign to open the gate, though he did fire at the walkers who were too close to the now unconscious woman.

The three of them walked outside, with Lily and Carl keeping the walkers away as Rick examined the woman.

"Is she bit?" Hershel asked from inside.

"Gunshot." Rick answered, picking her up. Lily went to help, and together, they walked back inside the prison.

"Carl, get a blanket." He asked his son. "Beth, water and a towel."

"All right. Here?" Carl asked, placing the blanket on the floor. Lily helped Rick lay down the woman.

"She's not coming in the cell blocks." He said, dipping water on her. She opened her eyes, though still seemed out of it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Steady now. All right. All right. Hey, hey, look at me. Look at me. Who are you?" She did not answer and went for her sword, which was laying a few steps away from them. Rick kicked it, sending it close to Lily's feet. She held it eyeing the woman. "Hey, it's all right. Hey. Hey. No. We're not going to hurt you unless you try something stupid first, all right?"

"Rick." They all turned at Daryl's voice. "Who the hell is this?"

"You wanna tell us your name?" When she just glared at him, Rick asked more forcefully, "you wanna tell us your name?"

When he didn't get an answer, Daryl said:

"Y'all come on in here." He motioned with his head towards their cellblock.

"Everything all right?"

"Ya're gonna wanna see this."

"Go ahead." Rick told the rest of them. "Carl, get the bag. We'll keep this safe and sound." He told the woman, taking the sword from Lily's hands. "The doors are all locked. You'll be safe here. And we can treat that." He pointed at her leg.

"I didn't ask for your help."

"Doesn't matter. Can't let you leave."

When Daryl led them to a cell, Lily could not believe her eyes. All this time they had seen more than they would like to count of the dead coming back to life, however, this time, the sight that greeted them was so much more welcome, Lily was afraid to breathe and wake up.

"Oh, God. Thank God. Thank God." It was Carol. She was alive, looking worse for wear, but alive. "Thank God. How?"

"Solitary." Daryl answered Rick's questions just as Lily pulled the woman into a tight hug. "Poor thing fought her way into a cell. Must have passed out. Dehydrated."

When she saw the baby on Beth's arms, she smiled looking at Rick, but seeing the expression on his face, her smile turned to tears. She embraced him again, this time in sorrow.

"I'm sorry. Oh, God."

Their reunion was cut short due to the woman waiting just outside, so while Hershel, Rick and Daryl went to see her, Lily went to grab something for Carol to eat.

"You have no idea… Seeing you back from the dead… I'm so glad…" She said to the shorthaired woman who was holding the baby. While her relationship with Carol was not the best one there was, Lily knew with all her heart that Carol and her were family and no amount of jealousness was going to change that.

"You can't be happier than me. I thought I was going to die there."

"You didn't." Lily said, grabbing the woman's hand. "You're here now, that's all that matters." They smiled at each other when they heard the baby coo.

"Y'all". Daryl called and the women went to see what was going on.

"That woman says Glenn and Maggie were taken."

"What?" Lily whispered looking at Rick's face, waiting for him to tell it was just a sick joke.

"Taken? By who, what do you mean?" Beth asked.

"She says there's a whole town called Woodbury ran by this guy. They have heavy artillery and guard the town on every wall."

"How do you know we can trust her?"

"This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debating?" Beth asked and Lily nodded her head vigorously.

"We ain't. I'll go after them." Daryl said.

"Well, this place sounds pretty secure. You can't go alone." Rick said.

"I'll go." Lily voiced, not wanting to wait another minute.

"Me, too." Beth said.

"I'm in." The prisoners agreed. Therefore, it was decided Beth and Axel would stay, while Rick, Daryl, Oscar and Lily went with the woman Hershel was tending to Woodbury.

Grabbing everything she thought they'd need, Lily helped load the cars with the others.

"Bring them back." Hershel asked when they were ready to go.

The car ride was tense; Lily kept fidgeting with her hands, imagining what they could be doing to Glenn and Maggie.

"Why would they take them?"

"The governor is a sick man. Wants control. Pretty boy and girl walking around, looking clean and rested, he'd want them." The woman answered. Lily frowned, not understanding why this man would kidnap people just because.

"What do you think he's doing to them?" Lily asked her, biting her lip, but before she had a chance to respond, Daryl did.

"Stop ya worryin'. We'll get them back. Safe." Lily kept looking at the woman though, but she didn't respond.

"Judith." Rick said suddenly. "My daughter. Carl named her Judith." Lily smiled at him, remembering the little girl back at their home. She missed the appreciated glance Daryl sent their leader.

"What's your name?" Lily asked.

"Michonne." Rick frowned, not understanding why she had answered Lily's question but kept quiet when he did. Michonne though, understood the other woman need to distract herself from her friends' situation.

"My name's Lily." She tried to smile at the woman; however, her face seemed incapable of doing that. "And that's Rick and Daryl. This here is Oscar." Michonne nodded at her, but didn't glance at the others in the car. Daryl rolled his eyes at his girl, who didn't seem to learn her lesson in not being so friendly with strangers.

"Stop the car." The woman, after a while. "They have patrols. We're better off on foot." She said, after they exited the vehicle.

"How far? Night's coming."

"It's a mile, maybe two."

They started to walk on the direction the woman pointed.

"You know, what you did for me, for my baby, while I was... Working things out- thank you." Lily head Rick said to Daryl.

"It's what we do." She smiled to herself, not noticing the look Michonne gave her. "Rick." Daryl whispered a warning.

"Down. Get in formation. No gunfire." Walkers were ahead of them. While they battled them, more kept coming from the trees that circled the group. There were too many for them to fight. "This way." Rick pointed. "Through there. Come on."

They saw a hovel, and entering, Lily made a sound between gaging and moaning.

"Keep it down." Rick hissed.

"The smell, it's loud." Daryl defended her.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's got to be a fox or what's left of one. I guess Lassie went home."

There was a bed on the corner of the hovel. Rick carefully started to push the blanket away when a man jumped and screamed.

"Ah! Who the hell are you?" He demanded with a raised riffle.

"We don't mean any harm." Rick tried to placate him.

"Get outta my house!"

"Okay, okay, okay. We will, but we can't right now."

"Shut him up." Michonne growled looking outside the door where the walkers had gathered.

"Get out right now!" The man was screaming.

"There are walkers outside."

"I'll call the cops!" Lily frowned then, the man had lost his mind. It was a wonder how he managed to stay alive this long.

"I am a cop." Rick said. "Now I need you to lower the gun. Don't do anything rash. Everything's fine." He started to lower his gun, the others following suit. "Let's just- let's just take this nice and slow, okay? Look at me."

"Show me your badge."

"All right. It's in my pocket. Now, I'm just gonna reach down nice and slow." Rick dived for the gun, which fired, creating a hole in the door. They fought for dominance for a while, and when the man started to run towards the door, Michonne killed him with her sword.

Lily gasped looking at the man.

"Help me with the door." Rick asked after a while.

"You've gotta be kidding." For a criminal, Oscar was taking this death almost as bad as Lily was.

"He's dead. Check the back."

"It's clear!"

"One, two, three." Rick and Daryl threw the body out the front door, giving them enough time to escape the now feeding walkers.

"Hey, ya good?" Daryl asked her, once it was clear.

"Yeah. Just… Poor man." She sighed. "I don't want to be used to death, Daryl."

He nodded and stopped them for a moment to give her a kiss.

"I'm sorry, baby. Some things don't give ya a choice."

It was nighttime when they reached Woodbury. Lily looked around in wonder, asking herself just how they were going to take Glenn and Maggie back. Michonne was not kidding when she said the walls were guarded.

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English is not my mother tongue, if you find a mistake, please let me know.

Thank you,

Mel.