The Walking Dead: Hearts Collide
Death had always been unavoidable. People live, and people die. It was just something everyone would eventually come to terms with. In reality, no one was ever really ready for the end. Even when people embrace death, there is that moment of hesitation because the urge to continue living rests within everyone. That is why people fight for their lives. It does not matter that the dead now roam the Earth; people still want to be alive. That is why there are survivors. Survivors faced the hell and managed to endure the hardships. But, death is still unavoidable. Soon, everyone's time is up.
Lori Grimes felt every muscle in her body tense up. Her body reacted before she would register what was happening. She shielded Carl from the sight of the small herd of walkers approaching. Normally walkers were slow, but with such a fear ignited within Lori, the walkers moved at an almost superhuman speed.
"Lori!" Rick shouted. The woman looked past her shoulder seeing her husband running from the prison yard. Maggie and Emma were already inside the outer prison walls. She was about to open her mouth to reply when the prison alarm blared. Lori flinched at the deafening racket.
"This can't be happening! This place was supposed to be safe. This was our safe haven. We would never have to run again." Lori thought. Remembering where she was, Lori pulled out her gun. She fired the first shot killing the nearest walker. Carl followed her action taking out his own gun and shooting. Maggie, Emma, and Addison were soon at Lori's side.
"Where the hell did they come from?" Emma yelled over the gunfire.
"There must be an area we didn't check!" Addison replied.
"That alarm is going to draw every walker from miles here!" Maggie stated.
"There's too many right now!" Carl added. There was an never ending ocean of dead just before them.
"We need to get Lori somewhere safe." Maggie ordered.
"I'm fine!" Lori protested. Maggie ignored Lori grabbing her arm and practically dragging the woman with her. Emma, Addison, and Carl followed closely behind killing any walker that was too close for comfort. Maggie entered the prison, her grip tight on Lori's arm. Emma kept close to Carl following Maggie's lead. Addison secured the prison door. The pounding of the dead sent a chill down Lori's spine.
"This way." Maggie led running into the tombs. Groans sounded in the distance. Even within the prison walls, no one was safe.
"Stay alert." Maggie whispered. The five crept through the prison tombs. The groans had disappeared leaving a complete, eerie silence. Lori felt her heartbeat racing. She was sure the others could hear the thumping. The halls seemed miles long, every corner was a test of courage, every step just inching towards their end. Her breathing was forced; her instinct was to hold her breath until she was safe. Her mind felt boggled, the fear striking her very core. Too many thoughts swam in her head. Every few seconds she looked behind, partly to check on Carl but also to confirm the dead were not stalking her. The gun felt slippery in her hand. Her palms were drenched in sweat. The anticipation was almost too much. No one spoke a word. Lori listened closely for any sort of noise. Silence. She could not even pick up on Maggie's breathing. The quiet made Lori feel even more unnerved. It made the whole situation a thousand times worse. The walkers were normally loud. Not being capable of hearing a single moan meant the biters could be lurking anywhere. The attack would be a surprise; one that Lori was not too sure would result in anyone surviving.
"The cellblock is just up ahead." Addison noted. Maggie nodded slightly quickening her pace. Lori knew Maggie was always brave, but she also knew Maggie wanted to be in a safe area just as badly as the rest. The cellblock was within sight. Suddenly, walkers swarmed the area.
"Move!" Maggie instructed shoving Lori in front of her. The woman ran holding onto Carl. Gunshots rang trailed by the thuds of dead bodies dropping. Against her instincts, Lori looked behind her. There were not as many walkers as she had thought, but even one walker was dangerous. The metal door slammed shut just behind Maggie. Only, Emma and Addison were on the other side. Maggie almost punched the gate. The alarm was too loud for Lori to overhear what Maggie and Emma were saying.
"What are they doing?" Carl asked.
"I don't know but we need to get moving." Lori felt her hand shaking. Whether it was due to fear, anticipation, anxiety, or all three she did not know. Maggie eventually joined the Grimes again.
"Where are they going? Lori questioned.
"They're keeping those walkers off of us. We need to get to the prison yard again." Maggie replied.
"But the yard was overrun!" Carl objected.
"If Rick and Daryl are out there then the place is cleared. Even if it's not that's our best bet." Maggie continued.
"We don't know if anyone else is alive!" Lori realized. Unexpectedly, a sharp pain ripped through her body. Maggie looked down frozen still. Lori comprehended what had happened the same time as the younger Greene.
"Oh, god." Lori mumbled.
"Lori…" Maggie started.
"What? What's wrong?" Carl panicked.
"My water just broke." Lori told. "We need to get going." Maggie nodded leading the way. Carl held his mother's hand, his other hand tightly held his gun. Lori grunted, the pain becoming overwhelming already. This was the worse time to be in labor. If her contractions were anything like when she was pregnant with Carl, her sounds of agony would attract the dead. As Maggie led the way, the three were forewarned of walkers around the corner as their figures casted shadows along the walls. The growls of hunger echoed.
"Through here." Maggie hissed gesturing towards a door. Maggie pushed but with no result of entry.
"Shit, it's locked." Maggie said. She kicked at the door, still no outcome.
"Here." Carl volunteered. He lifted his gun that had a homemade silencer. The locked instantly popped out.
"Good job, kiddo." Lori praised smiling. Carl smiled back, opening the door. Maggie pulled the pregnant inside. A pain rippled throughout her being once more. Lori grinded her teeth as the torture begged to be voiced. Carl joined his mother, rubbing her back. Her son was hardly one to show emotion, but the small effort to comfort her earned a small smile.
"Lay down here." Maggie instructed placing her gun down. Lori did as told with the assistance of Carl.
"You're going to be okay." Carl promised smiling.
"I sure hope so." Lori muttered.
"We can hold out here for as long as it takes." Maggie spoke. "Just be strong."
"The doctor's performed a C-section when I had Carl. They said if I ever had another child, I would most likely need another one performed." Lori stated, her facing falling. She had completely forgotten that conversation. The memory resurfaced at the worse possible time.
"We don't know that yet, Lori." Maggie said.
"Whatever happens, you make sure that baby lives." Lori demanded. "No matter what."
"Lori-" Maggie tried.
"Promise me!" Lori shouted. She could see the internal struggle within Maggie's eyes. Lori knew she was putting the woman in a terrible position, but it needed to be done.
"I promise." Maggie eventually settled.
"Mom…" Carl trailed off.
"It'll be fine sweetie." Lori calmed. "You're going to be the best big brother anyone could ask for."
"Don't talk like you're already dying, mom."
"I'm just preparing myself for the worse."
"Prepare for the best then! Because you're going to live!"
"Carl-"
"No, mom. I'm not losing you." Lori stared at Carl. Tears formed at the ends of his eyes. Seeing her child in such a state made her eyes begin to water.
"Okay." Lori managed to let out. She nodded once pulling Carl down into a hug.
"I love you, Carl." Lori whispered, running a hand through his hair.
"I love you too, mom." Carl replied tightening his hug. The prison alarm finally ended.
"Someone shut it off." Maggie said.
"But who turned it on in the first place?" Lori asked. Another contraction.
"Is it coming?" Carl asked flustered. Just then, the door they had entered was pried opened.
"They're inside!" Maggie yelled.
"The door wouldn't shut!" Carl told. Lori screamed as the contraction worsened.
"No!"
Emma Townsdale came to the conclusion just as quickly as she acted. Without a moment of hesitation, she slammed the gate shut separating herself and Addison from the others.
"What are you doing?" Maggie asked, clear panic in her voice.
"Keeping you three safe. Addison and I can find another way to go but with the walkers here, they would catch up in with the condition Lori's in." Emma explained shooting another walker. The number was lessening.
"Find your way to the prison yard again, Rick and the other should have that area cleared by now." Maggie requested. "We'll meet you there."
"You got it!" Emma agreed patting Addison's shoulder and nodding the direction they would take. With one last look, Emma and Addison ran off. A few walkers followed the two, the others pounded on that gate.
"Where do we go?" Addison asked once they had lost the walkers.
"The cafeteria is down this way. Besides that, I don't know where anything else is." Emma suggested leading the way.
"I didn't even see the others when we left. Do you think they're okay?" Addison worried.
"To be honest, I don't know." Emma admitted. "We could survive for thirty years and the walkers will still be just as deadly since day one."
"Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and T-Dog were in the yard with you. Axel and Oscar were locked out in the yard, right?"
"Yeah, then Hershel was outside with Beth and Patricia."
"Hershel can't run like us! What if he's-"
"Addison, stop." Emma stilled her pace turning to face Addison. "We don't know where the others are. But imaging the worse that could happen is not helping. We need to get to the yard to and from there we can check the causalities if there even is any."
"Sorry, it's just…last time I was overrun, hardly anyone lived." Emma nodded her head realizing why Addison seemed so doubtful.
"That's not going to happen this time. We're survivors, we can handle this." Emma assured lightly pushing the younger female forward. If her sense of directions were correct, the two may be out of the prison in minutes. They passed the cafeteria. Stains of blood was scattered throughout the prison. A shadow of a walker crept along the wall ahead.
"Do we kill it?" Addison asked.
"Its too risky. There could be more that we don't see." Emma replied. "Let's go back, there has to be another way." The females retraced their path. Emma started thinking about the others. Maggie was completely capable of protecting Lori and Carl. The Grimm child could even offer some support. Lori was in no condition to be running or killing. Rick could defend himself perfectly fine, but she knew he would push himself to save everyone. Emma tightened as Daryl crossed her mind. She knew he was strong and the most likely to survive. Hell, Daryl would be the last man standing. However, death could easily welcome anyone. She knew that just as well as everyone else. She could not think of Daryl at this moment. Her priority was to keep Addison alive. They progressed down the tombs silently. A dark, gloomy feel wrapped around Emma warning her. The dead sounded near but also far. Her mind stayed clear. Her worries would distract her resulting in her possible death.
A small herd of walkers rounded the corner.
"Shit!' Emma cursed grabbing Addison and spiriting away. More walkers came from the opposite direction trapping the two. Addison fired her gun taking down an undead. Emma turned around realizing where she was. Addison came to the same conclusion kicking the door open. Emma ran into the cafeteria followed closely by Addison. The teenager pressed her back against the door.
"It won't close!" Addison yelled.
"I'll find something to block it. Just keep it-" Emma was knocked to the floor. A sharp pain spread across her head. She rolled herself onto her back just in time to stop the foot trying to stomp her head. She grabbed the attacker by their ankle and yanked them down. The groan sounded male. Emma then locked eyes with the man. It was Andrew, one of the prisoners. That's when it all clicked in her head. The walkers and the alarm were all from Andrew.
"Little bitch!" Andrew shouted locking his hands around Emma's throat. Her air was instantly cut off.
"Emma!" Addison cried. Emma signaled for her to stay put. If she were to move the walkers would have a feast. Emma reacted quickly sending her right hand into a hard punch against Andrew's face. The man cried out in pain releasing Emma. She took the opportunity to pin his forearms to the floor with her knees. She delivered multiple punches feeling her own pain as her knuckles began to bruise. Andrew's strength was greater than hers. He easily unpinned his arms smacking his hands together, Emma's head being in the middle. A loud pop sounded in her ears followed by a sharp pain from a punch against her right eye. Andrew took the moment of weakness and shock to pick Emma up and throw her against a wall. Her vision was blurry. The killer began kicking Emma in her ribs. The darkness that occurred from the pain begged to overtake her. The kicking finally stopped but the pounding continued.
"Get away from me!" Addison screamed. Emma squinted trying to make out her friend. She was still holding the doors shut. Her gun fell when she had rushed into the cafeteria. Her instincts took over her thought process. Emma was a protector, she always had been. Everyone she cared for went before her own needs. All the pulsing doubled in pain as she stood. Andrew picked up Addison's gun, Emma found her own. They aimed, and fired.
Rick Grimes pulled out his pistol killing the nearest walker. His thoughts were tossed away as he focused on clearing the prison. A bolt shot through the skull of another walker. Daryl Dixon was at Rick's side aiding him. More gunfire sounded. Glenn Rhee stood opposite of Daryl making well of his limited ammo. Just a foot away was Jacqui assisting the trio. It came off as a surprise but they needed all the help they could get. T-Dog joined in followed by Oscar and Axel. Rick held the urge to aim his gun at the two prisoners and fire. He did not trust those two assholes. Seeing them struck a thought. Perhaps those two played a factor in this attack. But how would they have called upon all the dead? How the hell were the dead even inside the prison? There was an answer somewhere, but Axel and Oscar did not hold it.
"How the fuck did this happen?" Daryl hollered killing a walker.
"Just concentrate on the walkers!" Jacqui shouted over the moans of the undead. Rick nodded doing just that. His mind was cleared. His sole focus rested upon the walkers before him.
Kill these fuckers.
Suddenly, a scream sounded above all the gunfire and dead groans. Rick stopped shooting looking around. Jacqui continued shooting. Daryl heard the scream as well, looking over his shoulder. Glenn was still in tact aiding Jacqui in clearing the area. Axel and Oscar were still alive. T-Dog seemed to be damage free.
"It was further out!" Beth told Rick. The former sheriff looked towards the sound of her voice. He had not noticed Beth and Hershel Greene locked into a corner of the prison. Liquid splattered along Rick's back and neck. He spun around as the walker collapsed to his feet. He looked to Jacqui, She nodded her head acknowledging she saved his life.
After what felt like hours, the zone was finally cleared. Sweat drenched Rick's clothing sticking to his body. He wiped the sweat from his forehead using the back of his hand. The smell was terrible. Rick remembered his first encounter with a walker. He wanted to puke from the scent, but his fear of the unknown held the sign of weakness back.
"You said the prison was secured." Jacqui accused.
"It was." Daryl grunted looking towards the two prisoners. "These fuckers must've done something."
"Mr. Dixon, we didn't have a part of this!" Axel pleaded. "Were as scared of those things as you are, sir."
"Where are the others?" T-Dog asked noticing the absence of members. Rick felt a sense of panic ripple through his core.
Lori. Carl. The baby.
"Someone's dead." Glenn said. "That scream, someone was bit."
"Daryl, T-Dog, with me. Glenn, take Jacqui and search around the other side. Take Axel with you, I'll take Oscar." Rick instructed.
"You trust these assholes?" Daryl growled. The redneck clearly intimidated Axel as he practically cowered in fear lifting his shoulder and bowing his head.
"I'd rather prefer if they were with someone then running loose around the prison. Just keep a close eye on them and do what you have to do." Rick replied.
"You try throwing us out and now your allowing your friends to kill us." Oscar observed. "What kind of fucking group are you?"
"Shut the fuck up and walk." Daryl demanded shoving Oscar forward.
"Beth! Stay where you are until we say it's all clear!" Rick shouted for the youngest Greene.
"Sure thing!" Beth replied. The blonde had an arm clutched to her father's forearm. Hershel carried a frown. He looked pitiful with his crutches, missing leg, and facial expression. Hershel was an example of what the world had come to. The walkers may be an obvious notice, but Hershel was a reminder of what it takes to survive. People go to extreme risks for safety and life. The man lost his leg, a trail of a miracle outcome of success. Yet, he seemed somewhat fortunate. He suffered the pain of the chopping, but in the end he was alive and able to be around his two remaining daughters.
The walkers were cornering Carol as she tried fending for herself. Her plan of distracting a couple of biters backfired when a dozen followed her. All ammunition had been used leaving her to her hunting knife. Her lifespan seemed to be thinning with every step taken backwards. Before her were the hungry dead she alerted. Behind her was a fence with even more of the undead eager to tear through. If she were pinned against the metal barrier the chances of her being bit were nearly impossible. Carol's heartbeat sped, the thumping echoing in her ears. She scanned the area for an escape route but none was found. Her death seemed evitable.
Sophia, I love you baby.
Dots of red landed on her cheeks. The nearest walker dropped to the ground followed by another. The clicking of an empty pistol sounded.
"Shit." Someone mumbled. Carol looked past the lurkers. There stood Jimmy with a gun in his hands. The sight would have terrified Carol, but in the current situation she was in it was almost a blessing. The gunfire had drawn the attention of a few more walkers.
"Move!" Jimmy yelled signaling for Carol to run. She nodded running through the small opening of walkers. Carol made it safely to Jimmy's side.
"Let's move." Carol said. Jimmy led the way rushing towards an entrance to the prison. Neither were familiar with the layout of the prison. Finding the bunks would be difficult for both. Carol watched their backs. The walkers were moving slowly enough to not be an issue. Then a scream pierced the air. Carol turned around. Jimmy stood with the prison door wide open. A walker was biting into his shoulder. The younger male continued to scream as the walker tore flesh. Carol's heart stopped. This was it for Jimmy. She inhaled deeply, lifted her knife, thrusting it forward feeling it slide through brain, and heard the squishy ooze. The screamed ended. Everyone fell silent. Even the walkers just behind her seemed to halt their noises. Carol knew she had to kill Jimmy. No one should experience that type of pain or live the limited amount of time knowing they were going to turn. It was best to end the life right away so the suffering and thinking and depression would just stop. Killing Jimmy was the correct thing to do. But, she could not bring herself to practically murder him. Her intention was to send the knife through Jimmy's skull. But instead she went for the walker. Her sense of humanity took over in the last second.
"No." Jimmy whispered. "No, no, no, no, no."
"Jimmy…I." Carol tried. She realized they were still in danger. She pushed Jimmy inside the prison slamming the door behind them.
"This…it's…no…it can't…" Jimmy croaked. Carol felt her heart break. Jimmy had begun crying, the tears slid down his cheeks and created small dots on the floor.
"Jimmy, we can end this." Carol offered. She did not know if she could bring herself to commit to this, but suggested the idea was the right thing to do. Jimmy looked up at the older female. His bottom lip was out; a frown had formed, his eyes lowered showing defeat.
"I don't want to die, Carol." Jimmy cried. "Cut the fucking thing off!" Carol examined the bite. It was directly on the shoulder blade. The injury was flooded with blood, the red liquid was streaming down his arm and dripping.
"I can't." Carol said.
"Don't let me die Carol! Help me out here." Jimmy shouted.
"Jimmy, the bite is in a bad spot. I can't cut it off." Carol explained holding back tears of her own. "I…I can't fix this." A sob ripped through Jimmy's throat.
"I don't want to be one of those things." He wept. "I…we need to get you back to the cellblock."
"You shouldn't be moving so much. It'll just drain your energy and fasten your…" She cut herself short.
"Death? There's no escaping it now…" Jimmy wiped the tears away. "We can get you back and…and maybe the others will be there. Someone can put me down, and I can say goodbye to everyone. I can tell Beth how much she meant…means to me, and I can tell Addison how great of a friend she was…is."
"You might not make it that far. The bite affects everyone differently."
"Carol, I can do this. Give me a chance to finally be the hero."
"I-" Carol started.
"I messed up. I could never do anything right. When Shane offered me a chance to leave the group and start something new, I hopped onto that train. I finally felt like someone believed in me. I no longer was the teenager that fucked everything up. Shane saw potential in me. Then I went along with it, and I knew it was wrong but when someone has faith in you, you do whatever they want. So I tried killing Emma and Daryl. I sat there for five minutes just watching them. I had the gun pointed at Emma. For some reason, the thought of killing Daryl first terrified me. I don't know if it was because Daryl was a hell bent asshole or because no wrath is worse than a woman's. But then, something in me just clicked and I made my move. Since then, my life has only gone downhill. And with Otis…that's what I regret most. He helped me get away from the gym of walkers. We even made it out of the school. But, there was a fence to climb. He needed help but I ran faster than him and climbed over that fence without thinking. I turned around and saw Otis. He was a few feet out. He was yelling for me, but I was frozen. He tripped over some military duffel bag and that was it. The walkers were all over him within a second. He was screaming in pain, he even yelled for Patricia. His lost word was…Jimmy. I fucked everything up. Beth stopped loving me, the group made me an outcast, and everyone wants me dead." Carol was left speechless. So much was admitted. There was no proper reaction. Something told her to slap him senseless, but she also felt the urge to just hug him tight and tell him everyone would be all right. But nothing would be right. Jimmy was dying. He was bit and every passing second was wasting him away.
"You tell me when your feeling weak. And if you want me to end it, I will." Carol told him. "If you don't make it, I'll tell Beth and Addison myself. I'll make sure Beth knows you loved her and that Addison was your closest friend."
"Thank you." Jimmy agreed. Carol nodded in reply.
"Let's go." She said walking away.
The two kept close together. There was no sign of other members in their group. Blood smeared the walls. Whether the blood was from the early stages of the outbreak or recently, the two did not know. There concern rested solely on finding their cellblock and not analyzing the blood. The two rounded a corner. Carol stopped her pace seeing three walkers just ahead.
"Walkers." Carol noted.
"We can circle back around." Jimmy suggested turning around. Carol followed, knife in hand. A groan echoed down the tomb.
"Shit, I think there's more." Jimmy whispered.
"Maybe we can take our chances with the others?" Carol recommended.
"Give me the knife. It's better the person with less to use takes the risk." Jimmy said. Carol hesitated. As scared as she was, her knife brought a sense of safety. The walkers appeared. There were five. Jimmy tore the knife from Carol's grip and pushed her back guiding her.
"Whatever happens, you keep going, alright? You find the others, you get to safety, you stay alive." Jimmy instructed.
"Don't do this. Just kill those walkers and we can keep going!" Carol begged.
"I was already dead to you before I was bit."
Jimmy sprinted pass Carol pressing the walkers to the wall. He killed the biter as another tore into his arm. He shrieked in pain.
"Go!" Jimmy demanded. Carol ran down the tomb stopping just a few feet away.
"Tell Beth I love her." Those were his last words. The third walker bit his neck and tore the flesh away. Carol backed away slowly. She felt as if she were running. The other walkers had emerged. They too went for Jimmy's neck. The sight sickened Carol. She gathered her nerve and ran away. As she turned the corner, the screaming had stopped. Jimmy was dead.
Author's Note
Yay! A new chapter! So sorry for the wait, life is crazy as always and the time was just nonexistent. But, I promise another update that won't take five months like this one did.
I will be answering reader questions in the next chapter. I have received a few questions and will be answering all in the next chapter's author's note. Feel free to private message me any questions you have! Examples could include whereabouts on characters, reasoning behind choices made, regrets about the series, favorite characters, etc.
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