Some parts of this chapter seem a bit rushed to me since I didn't want to spend too much time on minor details. Anyway, next Saturday is my college graduation! Hello, real world lol.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything pertaining to The Walking Dead.
It was hard to believe, but we successfully completed phase one of operation take prison. By nightfall, we successfully cleared the outer field surrounding the prison. Despite our exhaustion, we were elated as we sat around the warm, glowing camp fire. The outer fence protected us as we consumed our small supper, but a watch would still go throughout the night since the chain link fence may have hidden weak spots.
A small smile formed on my lips as the fire's warmth caressed my face. This was the safest we had been in quite a while. However, two people were missing from the circle: Daryl and Rick. Daryl was atop an overturned bus with his trademark crossbow in hand as he kept watch. I decided to visit him to get him to come eat his supper.
As I approached him, I called out to him. "You better go grab your plate before the crazy, hormonal Lori eats it."
He gave a humored grunt before jumping down from the bus. "It's actually a quiet night for once."
"I know," I replied as he stood next to me. "I wonder what the plan will be for tomorrow."
"I'd say Rick already has a plan. However, he needs to get back with the group so he can tell all of us. He's gone 'round the perimeter more than enough times."
I watched as Rick continued to walk along the perimeter before returning my gaze to the group around the fire. Lori intently watched her husband with a glint of sadness in her eyes. The emotional distance between her and Rick was obvious to everyone.
"I'll go talk to Rick," I abruptly stated, "while you go grab a bite to eat."
"Alright," he slowly agreed, "I'll see ya in a bit."
As Daryl made his way back to the group, I jogged over to catch up to Rick.
"If you keep making rounds like this you're gonna wear a path into the ground," I called out to him.
I successfully gained his attention, and he stopped to allow me to catch up to him.
"Evening, Elise," he replied with an almost invisible smile.
"I'm not trying to seem rude by cutting to the chase, but your supper is waiting for you."
"I know," he sighed. "Besides checking the perimeter, I've been thinking about this place. It seems too good to be true, but I want to make sure it's true. This is what we need. What we've been waiting for. A safe place for the group, the baby, and Lori."
I found it intriguing that he mentioned Lori last, but I dismissed my curiosity for once.
"If it was too good to be true, there wouldn't be walkers for us to deal with," I pointed out. "This place isn't being handed to us on a silver platter. We're gonna have to fight the dead for it."
"You're right, and that's what I need to discuss with ya'll."
Upon returning to the group, everyone noticed Rick's authoritative stance. I sat down beside Daryl, and I was eager to hear what Rick had planned.
"Better all turn in. We've got a big day tomorrow," he announced. If he didn't have the group's attention before, he certainly did now.
"What do you mean?" Glenn asked as if on cue.
"Look," Rick continued, "I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win, but we gotta push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards or prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. Could mean the supplies may be intact."
The idea of supplies sounded like a promise that would be hard to keep. Some of the group was apprehensive of the idea, and Hershel was the one to voice the concern.
"We're dangerously low on ammo. We'll run out before we make a dent."
"That's why we gotta go in there. Hand to hand. After all we've been, we can handle it. I know it. These assholes don't stand a chance."
"He's right," I agreed with Rick. "After everything we've been through this winter, we can take out the walkers one by one. Best of all, no snow or cold to slow us down in the process."
"Once again, Elise has a point," Glenn commented. "I'm in."
"I'll go, too," Maggie chimed in.
"Ya already know Elise and I are in," Daryl stated to Rick.
"I say we take them out as soon as we can tomorrow," T-Dog stated.
With that it was settled, and all that was left to do was rest and mentally prepare for our most important walker battle yet.
Walkers approached us from all angles as they emerged from various nooks and crannies. It seemed as if they were continuously clawing their way up from the pit of hell due to the number of them. Their raspy hisses and gurgles along with their decaying stench heightened our awareness of them. As we took turns killing the walkers and returning to our tight formation, their signature sounds were rapidly replaced by the grotesque, slick sound of metal slicing through decaying flesh and muscle tissue.
However, our formation was not a permanent strategy. Despite Rick's commands to return to rank, we had no choice but to separate. As thick walker blood exploded into the air from each attack, the formation broke apart like a firework with everyone going in different directions.
My next target appeared to be a former inmate: a lanky man dressed in a blood and dirt stained orange jumpsuit. He strained his voice in order to hiss at me as he lifted his taunt hands. Tendons and bones were exposed as the skin continued to stretch over his knuckles. Without hesitating, I slammed my machete down onto the top of his cranium. The blade easily sliced through the delicate scalp, through the softening skull, and into the vital brain.
Simultaneously, another prison walker shambled up to me on my left side. For the moment, my machete was held captive in tissue and bone. I hurriedly grabbed my ebony dagger from my left leather sheath to hastily stab the walker in the temple while pushing the walker in front of me with my boot. The force from the push helped to free my weapon.
Since my attention was focused to my left and in front of me, I didn't notice the walker shuffling up behind me. I noticed it when I heard the whizzing of an arrow slicing through the air until it impaled the walker through the forehead. I turned on heel to see Daryl lower his crossbow as he silently inquired if I was alright. I nodded in response, and continued to push forward at Rick's command.
The next walkers we encountered were dressed in complete riot gear. The armor protected them from our violent blows. They also had the advantage of a protective helmet with clear face shield. T-Dog used his aluminum bat to attack one of the protected walkers. He swung the bat with the form of a baseball player in order to hit the walker's helmet. After a few tries and close calls, the helmet and mask finally tumbled off. The face's skin also peeled off with the helmet, which revealed blood and muscle tissue. Muscle tissue was pulled off in the process near his right eye, and his sinus cavity was partially visible. With the helmet out of the way, T-Dog was able to slam the bat into the back of the walker's head, which completely obliterated his skull.
However, the multiple attempts at knocking off the helmet were too risky, and there simply was not enough time to go through that process. Luckily, Maggie stumbled upon an easier way to deal with the riot gear walkers. She shoved her weapon up through the walker's neck, piercing the esophagus, pushing behind the nasal cavity, and straight into the bottom part of the brain.
"Did you see that?!" She exclaimed, and we quickly used her technique on the remaining walkers.
Once Daryl found two sets of keys, the first area we entered was a small cafeteria. The room held a couple of long cafeteria tables with attached plastic stools. Some of the plastic was cracked, perhaps due to lunch brawls among inmates. A few other tables were folded up and resting against the block wall. A few round wooden tables with metal folding chairs spread out in the room.
The jingling of keys grasped my attention, and I turned to see Daryl unlock the bar doors separating this room from a cell block.
The hallway of the cell block was clear, but we could hear the low moans of the walkers behind the bars. Their hungry moans echoed in their cells as if they were the ghosts of inmates haunting the place. Rick and Glenn went to the second level to annihilate the dead while Daryl and T-Dog dealt with the ones on the lower level. Maggie and I were on guard for any possible stray walkers.
The cell block had barred windows up high to allow the Georgia sun to shine in. Dust danced in the rays of light like miniscule butterflies.
"C-Block," Glenn read from the block wall as he descended the stairs. "Home sweet home."
Once the cell block was clear and secure, the group filed in to inspect their new safe haven.
"We still have a lot of work to do with this place," Rick announced, "but here is the start. There's plenty of room for us to spread out and have our own spaces. We'll work on settling in for the rest of the day. For the next few days or so, we'll work on exploring the place and clearing it out."
"There should be an armory around here somewhere," I stated. "Depending on how the jail is set up, more weapons can be found in evidence lockup. A garage area may have some police vehicles if needed, along with gas and parts."
"There should be an infirmary somewhere, too," Hershel added.
"Since we came in through the smaller cafeteria, food storage should be close by," Maggie inferred.
"We'll be pretty busy the next few days," Rick said. "So, go ahead and find your room."
Everyone shuffled around with belongings in tow to find a cell. Having our own space was a luxury we were without for quite a while. I shouldered my duffel bag as I stepped up to the top level. I glanced inside each dark cell only to see the same expected furniture. Each cell held the same dusty atmosphere as prisoner, and each cell once contained a criminal like the ones I helped to put behind bars. Some of the ones I played a role in locking away were locked away for good: for life with no chance of parole.
"This is just too uncomfortable," I said to myself. I was grateful to be in a building and safe from the ravenous walkers, but that didn't ease the situation of sleeping where a vile murderer once called home. "I've never been on the other side of the bars."
"Then don't start now," the familiar gruff voice stated.
I turned to see Daryl at the base of the small final flight of steps. His belongings and crossbow were against the block wall, and he picked at the cuticle surrounding his thumb nail with his index finger. It was proof he was previously engaged with his nervous habit of biting at the skin before speaking to me at times.
I scrunched my face in confusion. "Huh? It beats sleeping outside near the walkers, though." I would just have to work on dealing with it, which would take a little bit of time.
"I ain't sleepin' in some cage like a damn bird. I'm takin' the perch, here," he replied as he stepped by me to retrieve a mattress from one of the cells. "You can too if ya want."
His cerulean eyes darted around the cell to see if he needed anything else. However, it was more like he was avoiding eye contact with me as if he was a child caught doing something wrong. Although I was just as surprised at his offer as he was surprised to verbalize it, I was happy with it nonetheless.
"I'll take you up on that," I answered in a calm tone to let him know it was alright.
"Alright," he said replied as he grabbed a second mattress before I could.
He dropped the twin mattresses beside one another, and they landed with a gentle thud on the cement floor.
"Just cause ya ain't exactly an investigator anymore doesn't mean ya have to be on the other side," he commented while going through his duffel bag.
"Just seeing the cells and imagining who may have been in there gives me chills," I admitted.
Living in the cells would feel as if I would be metaphorically sleeping with the enemy. It would feel like the criminals were present while I attempted to sleep. A breeze wafting into the cell would feel as if the former occupant was caressing my face, leaving a revolting chill in its trail. If I was having a pleasant dream, it would slowly transform into a nightmare as the vile breeze wrapped around my neck to choke me.
"I know it sounds silly," I abruptly added, "but some things are hard to forget and hard to unsee."
"Don't sound silly to me," he replied while analyzing me. He appeared to be trying to figure out if the only reason I accepted his offer was to escape my inner demons associated with my old career.
However, that was not the complete case. It would be nice to sleep by him. While on the road, all of us would tightly cram into the vehicles or whatever shelter we were lucky enough to come across. Although it was a small, simple gesture, the smallest gestures held the most meaning, especially if they were from Daryl Dixon. He was slowly revealing his true self, and allowing himself to show emotional gestures.
Daryl's POV
Everyone worked on settlin' into the cell block for the rest of the day. It was nice to be able to relax for a bit. At supper, everyone was in a good mood, and it had been a long time since we all were. Hershel and Beth were laughin' at somethin' T-Dog said, and Glenn, Maggie, and Elise were discussin' random things they wish they would stumble across in the prison. They all agreed it'd be nice to have a small library of books. Carl seemed slightly interested in the idea, but he never said anything.
On the other hand, Lori and Rick weren't in the good mood. Rick barely paid attention to Lori, and Lori, though she'd look to Rick, would always look away in shame. She had it comin', though, messin' 'round with Shane, hidin' it from Rick for a while, havin' Glenn run her secret errands, puttin' Elise in danger, and not supportin' Rick when he explained what happened with Shane. More or less, it looked like the two were divorced.
Elise and I didn't have watch tonight. As it was time to hit the hay, I immediately remembered that Elise and I were sharin' the same spot. It was easy to tell she wasn't fond of bunkin' in a jail cell, so I offered for her to bunk with me. Also, as long as she was by me, I knew she was safe.
As I made my way up the steps, Elise was already ready for bed. Her machete was against the wall beside my crossbow, and she was currently hidin' her dagger under the mattress.
"Glad I ain't a snorer. I'd be afraid you'd use that on me," I joked to cover my nerves.
"Ha, ha," she replied in a smart ass tone. "Just a habit I have now. While on the road, we never knew when a stray walker would surprise us."
"I know. That's why I have my knife nearby," I said while pointin' beside my mattress.
"We shouldn't need them tonight," she said while I took off my leather vest and jacket. I was left in my only shirt with long sleeves and ripped jeans.
"You're right," I replied while takin' my place beside her.
Though it was dark, we were still able to see one another.
We were quiet for a minute as we looked at one another. It wasn't an awkward silence, but the strange feelin' I grew use to when I first realized I cared for Elise returned since this was somethin' new. I'd thought Elise only agreed to stayin' here with me at night to avoid the cells and what bothered her 'bout 'em. It took me a bit, but I was able to fight that off, 'specially with the look in her hazel eyes. By the look in her eyes, Merle didn't even get a chance to speak in my head.
"Goodnight, Daryl," she softly said as sleep crept closer to her.
"'Night, Elise," I replied as I still hesitated 'bout whether or not to kiss her goodnight. Since we had been at a bit of a stand still, I was still a bit nervous to make such moves, although I have gotten to know her even more.
Well, what the hell. I need to get over all this.
Without givin' my head a chance to go through all the negative thoughts or for Merle's voice to enter my mind, I leaned forward to kiss her. Without hesitatin' she kissed me back, puttin' the negative thoughts that threatened to enter my mind at ease.
Durin' the night, I woke up at some point out of habit. While on the road, I'd wake up and check the area even if I wasn't on watch. At some point durin' the night, Elise had moved closer to me in her sleep. She was on her left side facing me. Her left hand was tucked under her pillow, and her right hand was angled towards me. She looked at peace while asleep, and she was far away from the damn nightmare outside the prison's fence. Slowly, I reached out to move the small section of loose curls away from her face and behind her ear.
She talked 'bout how she believed we all would have still met if the world hadn't gone to shit. Whether it was how things were now or back when I was a mechanic and she was an investigator, I still didn't completely understand what it was she saw in me.
Elise's POV
After a beef jerky breakfast, it was time to prepare to explore and clear out more of the prison. In the process, we hoped to find food storage, infirmary, and armory. The section Rick wanted to clear first should contain at least one of those rooms. More than likely, the evidence lockup and garage would be in a different section. Glenn and I started to refer to the unexplored sections as the tombs. They were unknown areas, and we were the courageous explorers willing to venture through them. We would have to fight against the forgotten walkers, but we were willing to take that chance.
Glenn was examining the riot gear he recovered from a couple of walkers. "This stuff could come in handy," he commented, "I consider it walker proof."
He picked up one of the durable gloves, and slick flesh slowly seeped out from the inside of it. It slid out in a huge glob. Once gravity and the weight of it merged together, the flesh fell to the table with a sloppy thump, causing Glenn to grimace in disgust.
"I wouldn't use that until you thoroughly clean it and drown it in Lysol," I remarked, only to find Glenn glare at me in response.
"I ain't usin' that shit at all," Daryl said upon entering the room.
"I think I'll use it later on," Glenn replied.
Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and I were geared up and ready to start our journey. Maggie decided to stay behind this time to help Beth clean the cell block. Rick and I could combine our knowledge of typical prison layouts in order to find certain areas, and my investigating skills could possibly help, too.
As Rick unlocked the barred door to the unexplored hallway, the echoing clank of the lock concealed the sound of approaching footsteps.
"I'll be going with you all," Hershel stated as he stood beside T-Dog.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Rick replied. "Lori may need you."
"Maggie and Beth are here if something comes up. If you find the infirmary on this run, you won't know which meds and items I will need for Lori. You also don't know what medicines can replace others, how to tell which ones are long expired, or can still be used. You need me on this."
Rick glanced at me with raised brows. "Don't look at me," I responded, "that's a different field of science."
"Alright," he reluctantly agreed. "We already know you're good with a shotgun."
The tombs were dark, dusty, and chilly due to the painted block walls and the eerie knowledge of what led the prison to its downfall. Although we stepped as silently as possible, our footfalls echoed through the halls as if they were deadly alarms meant to warn the nearby dead. The flashlights illuminated signs of conflict when the prison succumbed to the dead: droplets and trails of blood decorated the floor and painful scratches were etched into the walls. Rancid decay attacked our noses as we closed in on decomposing bodies that were, thankfully, dead. We encountered single walkers, and one of us would silently kill it as if we were skilled assassins lurking in the dark hall. Now would be an excellent time to have the assassin's hidden blade that Glenn and I once discussed. As we twisted through the different turns, Glenn would spray paint an arrow on the wall so we could find our way back.
Rick opened a heavy door which led into another hallway. In the middle of the hall, a small group of walkers abruptly noticed us due to the loud noise of the door shutting. There were only five, so we took them out easily. As we turned right at the end of the hallway, we were immediately bombarded by a large group of walkers.
"Shit," Daryl said as he shot an arrow into the closest walker.
"Head back to the door!" Rick commanded.
T-Dog was the first to reach the door, and he quickly jerked on the handle. Once. Twice.
"It's stuck!" He stated in panic.
"We have to go down the other hall," I informed everyone, "we'll have to fight them off as we go."
While battling the starving walkers, we bolted down the hallway. I gently pushed Hershel ahead of me even though I knew he could hold his ground with the shotgun.
A bloated male walker clasped his molded hand around my arm. His greasy grasp sent a disgusted shiver up my arm. Before he had the chance to pull me toward him in a deathly embrace in order to sink his yellowed teeth into my shoulder, I shoved my blood stained machete straight through the center of his forehead. His grotesque grip fell away as he collapsed to the floor.
We continued to run and fight. Hershel tried to avoid shooting his shotgun unless absolutely necessary by ramming the butt of the gun into the walkers' temples. Their skulls were softer since they had turned long ago, which was a good thing for Hershel. Rick and Glenn fought with their respective weapons while T-Dog swung his now dented baseball bat. Daryl's trigger finger fired off bolts with extreme accuracy. They zipped through the air, fueled by Daryl's fierce determination to survive and protect.
Finally, Rick reach a door, and he forcefully open it as he commanded us to go inside. Once we were safely on the other side, Rick closed it. We could hear the walkers shamble up against the door. Their scratches, groans, and hisses seeped from under the door's crack as their shadows danced with the darkness.
"It looks like this one is clear," Glenn observed between raspy breaths. "Except for that poor soul."
I spotted the body that was sitting against the wall about ten feet from us. He was slouched over, and his arms were limp at his sides.
"Since he's actually dead," T-Dog said, "I'd say he's a lucky soul instead of a poor one."
Point taken. However, most of us simply preferred to be living souls.
"There may be a hall linking back in the direction we want to go," I said, "especially since this is a pretty big prison."
"She's right," Rick stated, "the one back in King County was small, but did have another small connecting hall. This one should have at least one, too."
We walked down the hallway with Rick in the lead shining the light while having his machete ready. Daryl was slightly behind him with his crossbow ready with a bolt loaded. I followed behind him as I intently listened for any possible walkers. Hershel, Glenn, and T-Dog followed behind me.
After walking a few paces passed the dead body, we learned it was not truly dead.
It was a walker.
As Hershel was stepping over him, the former inmate latched onto Hershel's leg and sunk his teeth into the center of the calf. Hershel screamed in horrified agony as he collapsed to the ground. At the same time, Glenn reacted quickly and shoved the metal rod through the side of the walker's skull.
Icy terror filled my veins as I watched T-Dog and Glenn help Hershel to his feet and to walk. Before we had the chance to react, we could hear the groans emitting from a nearby room as more walkers slowly emerged.
"Let's move!" Daryl barked as he shot one of the close walkers.
Everything was a blur of survival until we were safely inside another room. T-Dog and Daryl tried to hold the doors closed while Glenn shoved the metal rod he used as a weapon through the door handles. Rick and I were by Hershel, and Rick examined the wound. The bite was deep into the meaty tissue of the Hershel's calf. Blood pulsed from the punctures. Rick hastily removed his belt, and looped it around a section of Hershel's leg. I automatically knew what Rick was going to attempt, so I moved behind Hershel's head in order to hold him down.
"Only one way to keep him alive!" Rick exclaimed at Glenn's mortified expression, but he helped me to hold Hershel down nonetheless.
The sight of the leg disgusted Rick, but he managed to use an axe in the room to cut off Hershel's leg. With each swing, blood splattered into the air, and I could hear the axe pass through the bone. Hershel passed out from the pain, but that was probably a good thing.
Glenn rolled a wheeled table over to Hershel so we could get him out of here.
"Holy shit!"
Simultaneously, we turned to see five men. Prisoners.
As I tried to stop Hershel's leg from bleeding the slightest bit, I noticed from the corner of my eye one of prisoners, the one with long hair, staring at me. I paid no attention to him as I worked on Hershel, but I noticed Daryl glared at the long haired prisoner.
In another blur of survival, we finally returned to the cell block. Hershel was rushed to one of the cells to be treated by his daughters and Lori. Daryl slammed the barred door closed and locked it. He had his crossbow aimed directly between two of the bars, and his trigger finger hovered near the trigger. I was also ready with my machete in hand. Although the locked door separated us from the prisoners, we would show them that we meant business.
Daryl's POV
I kept my breathin' steady despite bein' pissed there were still some livin' jail birds here. Years of huntin' gave me plenty of practice to control my breathin', and I was on a hunt right now as I waited for my prey to show.
It instantly made me uneasy how that one guy eyed Elise. It seemed more than just a guy eyein' the first woman he'd seen in however many years. I could sense Elise felt uneasy 'bout it, and she seemed a bit confused 'bout it, too.
"That one guy looks familiar to me, or like someone I've seen before," she whispered to me as we waited. "Maybe he just has the type of look to automatically make people think they know him or someone like him."
"Maybe," I replied, "wouldn't be the first time."
As Rick joined us, the prisoners rushed to the door. I immediately lifted my crossbow a bit higher.
"It's far enough," I warned them.
The one with the long hair, same one who eyed Elise, spoke first. "Cell block C. Cell four is mine. Let me in."
"Today's your lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go."
"What you got going on in there?"
"Ain't none of your concern."
That was when the idiot pulled a gun from his pocket. One of his buddies warned him to back off with the gun, and this led to a back and forth with me and Rick and the prisoners. T-Dog also joined us once Hershel was bein' taken care of.
"And you," Thomas, long hair, said while gesturin' to Elise, "I never thought I'd see you again."
Elise scrunched her brows as she racked her brain 'bout who he could be. "Where have I seen you before?"
"You didn't see me much," he answered, "maybe a glimpse or two, but you saw some evidence. I saw quite a bit of you, though. You were the lethal weapon in my case."
I hope Daryl was still in character during that "fluff" scene. As always, reviews are highly appreciated! :)