Georgie

When Georgie looked back on that moment later, she re examined it in minute detail obsessively, before T-Dog eventually told her that nothing she could have done could have prevented the disaster. Even so, she kept wondering if there was anything she could have done differently.

Should she have shot one of the men when they started to mess with the zombies in the first place?

Should she have gone down there herself?

If she hadn't turned when she heard the gunshot, would she have noticed the fence begin to give?

Every detail was examine and processed, but it still didn't change the fact that one minute, the group of men had been laughing, and the next, they had been screaming as the fence buckled and gave, and zombies poured through the opening, tearing at flesh. Georgie had instantly started to shoot at the mass-the undead and alive alike-most of whom were bitten and infected anyway. The fire alarm had started to ring, probably set off by Dale and Carlos, and she had started to hear the panicked shouts of inmates. Somewhere amongst the chaos, she had ran down to the main complex.

It was pure madness. People were running everywhere. Most men had completely lost their heads and were running out the front door, apparently thinking they could make a break for it. She started to scan the crowd manically, looking for her friends, her group. She spotted Ben and Adele running towards the cell that Rick and Lori had been occupying, and Carlos and Dale were coming out of the tower. She made a frantic dash there too, jostled and bumped by terrified men. T-Dog and Tyrese were running from the opposite direction. To her overwhelming relief, they were herding Carol, Maggie and Maio from the kitchen. T-Dog held a whimpering Sophie in his arms, and as soon as she saw Georgie she reached out for her. She had never forgotten that Georgie had saved her from a walker, and she obviously felt she could protect her again. Georgie took her from T-Dogs arms and tried to comfort her.

As they entered the cell, she was relieved to see Billy and everyone else from the camp present and safe. No, not everyone. Daryl was missing. She was concerned for a moment, then figured if anyone was out doing damage to walkers, it was Daryl. She turned her attention to the rest of the group-Daryl would turn up sooner or later. Rick looked in bad shape, like all the life and fight had gone out of him. She turned to Adele and saw with shock that she looked the same. She didn't know what to do-everyone was looking at her, waiting for a plan, the men were going to shit outside and the world was pretty much ending. She stepped backwards panicking-she couldn't think of what to do. She turned to Billy, who looked just as freaked out as she did. She breathed slowly and then something clicked in her head. She felt a flood of relief hit her and a plan formed.

"We need to close the gate. We need to get armed. We need to get to the garage and we need to get out." It was as simple as that. The prison wasn't safe anymore. Now was the time to leave. "The gate is the priority. T-Dog, Tyrese, Billy. Let's go."

The four of them sprinted down the stairs. Men were still struggling to get out, apparently blind to the danger outside just needing to get outside. This was a blessing for those still together enough to remain inside, as the undead wondering outside were busy eating those who poured out of the gates. However, some were starting to make their way to the gate. The four of them fought their way to the front and started to slide the gate shut. As it clanged closed, Georgie felt a fist grab into her hair and jerk her back. She reeled around and broke the nose of the man trying to drag her away. To her right, she saw Tyrese point a pistol at the head of a man trying to get past. It was like the men had gone insane in their desperation for freedom. Their bodies pushed against the door and Georgie felt herself being crushed.

"I'm going to die," she thought hysterically. "I'm going to suffocate here, I won't even get a punch at a zombie. They won't even find anything of me to eat. I'm going to be ground into the floor by a stamping herd of men."

Just as she thought she was about to take her last breath, a hand grabbed her arm and jerked her onto a step. As she caught her breath, T-Dogs voice blasted across the prison.

"ALL RIGHT LISTEN UP!"

Georgie stared. She wasn't the only one. Every man stopped and turned, the crisis outside momentarily forgotten. She had never heard T-Dogs voice carry so much power and authority, it was like listening to a totally different person. Everyone stood, waiting for his next words. He paused and looked around the complex floor.

"We are in a whole load of shit right now. But going out there-" he pointed at the gate. Outside, the screams of the men who had run out could be heard, along with the growls and snarls of the zombies-"that's suicide. God dammit we have guns. We have bows and arrows. We have knives. Most importantly, we have training. We lose our cool now, we're dead. Or worse." Georgie watched the men. Some were nodding, seeing the light. T-Dog continued, his voice getting more and more confident. "There are prison buses we can ride to safety. But that gate will only hold so long. I don't know about you men-" here his voice became animated with passion "but I would rather go down fighting, taking my share of undead mother fuckers with me, then waste my life like a moron."

"What about the Governor?" A lone voice echoed from the crowd. "We should wait for his orders. T-Dog snorted derisively.

"The Governor doesn't give a shit about any of you people, don't you get that? Where the fuck is he now? Where was he when the alarm went off? Who the fuck says we need him? We got guns, right."

A murmur of agreement went around the complex

"We got training right?"

A louder rumble of agreement echoed around the hall.

"And we got each other to rely on. No stinkin' rottin' stupid ass walker is going to beat this complex down. You know why? Because we're not backing down. The world belongs to the living. Who's with me?"

A huge roar went up from the crowd. Billy, who had somehow struggled out from the crush, started to shout orders, as did Tyrese. T-Dog stepped down from the step, but before he could disappear, Georgie grabbed his arm. He turned to her, and she beamed at him.

"That. Was. AWESOME. You went all Morgan Freeman in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves!" She looked back at the men, who were being directed by Billy and Tyrese. She felt a slow grin creep over her face. "You know what T-Dog. Thanks to you, we actually stand a chance of getting through this alive."