Curative

By Kaimaler


Review replies are at the bottom!

We covered a few "Deadly Sins" last chapter... time to see how many more we can cover this chapter. ;)

Also, we're going to have a few more bits of jumping around this chapter. I'll be sure to but breaks and headliners to help ease the transitions so no one is confused.


Road to Woodbury...

Michonne was beginning to dislike traveling in cars with these people. They always stuck her in the middle seat, a person on either side squishing her into the smaller seat. On one side was Oscar, already a rather large man and the other was Markus. Micheal finding himself a strange seat in the far back of the SUV. He was glad they did not take the pickup with the shattered back windshield. Glass clean up would have taken too long and they were bound to miss some of the smaller shards.

They pulled the SUV to the side of the road, killing the engine. One by one they all stepped out and began gearing up. Taking out packs with weapons and ammo out the truck behind handed out by Micheal. He jumped out the back and shut the trunk door behind him, holding his hatchet tightly in his right hand.

Michonne was to direct them where to go. "They have patrols. We're better off on foot." She straightened out the strap of her katana, looking around the area for said patrols and walkers.

"How far? Night's coming." Rick came around the SUV, still not to sure about this woman.

"A mile, maybe two." Michonne turned to the woods, a path through she knew would lead them back to Woodbury. It was not the exact path she used to escape the town or the group chasing her, but it was close enough so she could easily walk parallel to it.

There was a old, overgrown dirt path through the trees they opted to take. Just barely clear enough to fit the group through, but with everyone on watch out here and the walk ahead of them they took it at their own pace. No one wanted to run the next mile to reach Woodbury, not in the hot, humid weather.

It also gave Rick a chance to speak to Daryl. Things were complicated, not between them, but with them both. "I know what you did for me, for my baby while I was..." He struggled, tossing a few descriptive words out. "... working things out. Thank you." There was some awkward air from Rick and Daryl. Only due to the complicated loss and grief pattern Rick displayed after Lori's death. He was still not ready to face that loss head on yet.

"It's what we do." Daryl's response was simple and explained more than Rick could really ask for. He fell more into the group mindset than anyone else did, even though getting him there took a lot of work. Rick was grateful Daryl was there for him, for the group, and now for his infant daughter.

Micheal and Markus pointed to something up ahead, going off to kill a pair of walkers nearby. They stayed low and handled the couple with ease. Rick watched them carefully, studied them as best he could out here.

"What do you think? About them." Rick's voice was quiet, almost hard to hear over the crunch of dried leaves beneath their feet. Micheal and Markus too far away to hear them, only Michonne and Oscar could if they strained themselves to listen in. Michonne was curious, but Oscar did not much mind if they wanted a moment to speak about this new group.

Daryl looked at Markus wiping his machete on his pant leg and making sure to remain close to Micheal. He eyed Micheal, remembering what Laura had once said to him about both the men with them.

"Elizabeth and Markus, a brother and sister. That leaves Micheal. He was a charmer and laid it on me early. Damn good at it too." Daryl was a bit jealous, but rationalized it as protectiveness over Laura. However he did recall Laura telling him Markus had a sister. When the group arrived there was no Elizabeth to be found. He took note of that for future.

"No problems with 'em yet. Helped out finding formula, supplies. Offered a trade, guns for food and water." He knew that wasn't what Rick wanted to know. Rick gave him a sideways glance before refocusing on the woods around them. "They did have more guns than us. If they wanted the prison when they found us they coulda' just taken it. Don't mean I trust them, but they ain't done us wrong yet."

Rick tilted his head, "Jury's still out."

Daryl nodded, "Not for long. Gonna find out soon enough."

The two men shared a mutual leering glance. "You mean Laura? I don't think we'll get answers out of her about this group anytime soon." Rick was a bit less hopeful seeing how she reacted when he tried to dry the water she had spilled. He was not blind, just like back in the quarry he realized her reaction to being touched was a product of an event that happened while she was separated from the group. It was still a point to be made if she was willing to attack him, a friend she often confided in.

"Girl just needs time. People need to give her some damn space." Daryl adjusted the crossbow in his hands, "She ain't never liked crowds anyways. Probably just nervous." Rick furrowed his brow, but before he could reply Daryl heard the unappealing growls of a walker. He put up his hand to stop Rick before he said anything, "Rick."

"Down." Rick crouched, the others following his lead. Micheal and Markus looked around, realizing the walkers were beginning to appear from behind every tree. They had their weapons ready, back to back. Glenn stood by Oscar, watching his back as he noticed a few walkers heading towards them.

Rick cut down one, cleaving the skull in two. Daryl using his crossbow to put down one getting too close to Oscar and Glenn. Oscar turning to hack the leg off one and kill it while it was down. Glenn covering him by slicing his machete straight though another walker's skull. Micheal and Markus working in tandem to cut two at a time, watching each other's backs closely. They all worked together smoothly, beginning to clear the immediate area of walkers.

The hissing and growling of the dead grew louder as the fighting began to attract more in the area. Rick, Daryl, and Oscar stayed tight together. Micheal and Markus returning to the group while Michonne was prepared to run if this group was stupid enough to try and clear this many walkers out in the open. She was not sure if they would dare attempt it, but she would not stick around to die with them.

Oscar hacked down another walker that neared Glenn and Rick sunk his hunting knife into the skull of yet another walker. There were already quite a few surrounding them, but another six appeared from the trees and bushes around them. It was beginning to get tense and Rick knew they could not handle all these walkers with the underbrush possibly hiding even more.

"This way!" He pointed behind Michonne, the only clear opening and she was standing there for a reason. The group passed her and she intentionally waited to follow up the rear, her katana better suited for fighting walkers out here. Glenn running to catch up with Rick and Daryl in front.

They tried to remain as quiet as possible to reduce the amount of walkers attracted to the rush just behind them. Rick took point, searching for the best and clearest path ahead of them. He took a few sharp turns, trying to keep the group with him and not run into more undead.

As they quickly made their way through the trees, walkers began to creep out. The leaves dead dry and crunching loudly, effectively ruining their try at a quiet escape. Michonne's katana made easy work of two nearing walkers and she kept up with the group. Acutely aware of her previous injures when Laura had attacked her. They hurt, that's for certain, but she could handle that when they returned to the prison.

Micheal paused to pull Michonne along. He waved her up, trying to keep everyone together. Unfortunately, this action broke their formation and left a gap in their group. Between the gap was Markus, standing entirely alone. Approach of more walkers began to bear down on him without any additional support. A rotting hand grabbed Markus, yanking him towards the gaping jaws of a walker.

"Markus!" Micheal hissed, trying to hurry to catch the walker before it sank its teeth into his friend. The walker had pulled Markus just barely off balance and directly to its mouth. Before the jaw closed down on his shoulder an arrow pierced its skull. The body crumpled to the ground and Markus stumbled backwards, quick to regain his footing.

Micheal's hatchet cracked the head of the walker in front of Markus. Markus pulled the arrow out of the walker's head and kept it with him. Glenn reached out and grabbed Markus' hand, pulling him to the rest of the group just ahead. Michonne less than three feet behind them, watching their backs as they rushed to regroup.

"Come on, come on! In there." Rick gestured them along, no walkers ahead so far. Once the trio was back with the other half of the group Rick and Daryl started to run towards a cabin nestled inside a small clearing just between the curtains of dense woods. It looked fairly intact, enough to provide some defense against the undead pursuing them.

"Get the door!" Oscar and Micheal came in last, helping Michonne hold the door and find something to block it with. The locks on the door still worked and someone had long since boarded up the windows. They did not question it, only considered themselves lucky someone had done all this work to buy them some time.

"Keep it down, keep it down!" Rick sniffed the air. The others did once realizing that there was a powerful stench inside the cabin.

"Ugh, what is that?" Glenn put a hand over his nose and mouth. The smell powerfully offensive.

Daryl sneered, "The smell, it's loud." Rick and Daryl went deeper into the cabin, Rick's flashlight revealing the messy interior. The sound of blowflies became very noticeable once they delved the cabin's main room.

"What the hell is that?" Oscar spoke up seeing Rick shine his flashlight on a dried corpse. It was no doubt the source of the terrible smell.

"It's gotta be a fox or what's left of one." Daryl neared the animal. It was a dog, died on its bed with the collar still around its neck. "I guess Lassie went home."

A loud bang hit the front door and everyone turned to see. Through the slivers of glass they could see hands of the dead hitting the door and wall, threatening to give way. The cabin was old, the wood no longer strong and durable. It almost appeared as though the door would come off the hinges at any second with how much it was moving around.

Michonne and Oscar approached the door ready in case it broke. Micheal and Markus inspecting the house while Rick and Daryl just detached their eyes from the door seeing two people covering it to give them time to find another way out.

Rick shined his light into a separate area of the cabin, only partially blocked by a thin wood slat wall. Markus stepped inside, looking around the shelves for anything useful. Beside the boarded up window was a wall mounted shelf with shotgun shells and he grabbed a box, stuffing it in his pack. He collected whatever there was to be had.

After a moment Rick looked down to the bed and saw the quilts piled on top moved just slightly. He whistled to get Daryl and Glenn's attention, but the moment he did the quilts moved and a man leapt from the bedding.

Markus jumped back, hitting the wall as a shotgun was aimed at his chest and a stranger held the gun. He put his hands up to show he was not holding a weapon, "Hey, hey hey man! Don't shoot!" He glanced to his side, seeing the others with their weapons up, but holding back. They did not want to set off this apparently volatile man.

"Who the hell are you?!" The man turned, the gun facing Rick and Oscar. "Get out of my house!" His yells traveled and it began to make Michonne nervous.

"Okay, okay, we will but we can't right now." Rick tried to reason with him. The man was in a frenzy, panicking and desperate. He did not seem entirely together, detached from reality around him. Markus supposed he could not blame the man, in this world all sorts of people wandered around. No one could ever be too sure.

"Now! Right now!" He jerked the shotgun in his hands towards Rick.

"Shut him up!" Michonne heard the banging on the door grow louder as more walkers hit the wall and the walkers already outside grew excited with the noise. Too much more and they wouldn't have a chance to get around them.

"There are walkers outside." Rick tried to stay quiet, the sense of urgency in his tone of voice. No one dared get too close. The man was unstable and shaking, making for a dangerous trigger finger with a doublebarrel shotgun pointed directly at Rick's head.

The man looked around, seeing the group of people in his cabin. "I-I'll call the cops!"

"I am a cop." Rick retorted. Slowly placing his flashlight and machete on the floor. "Now I need you to lower your gun. Don't do anything rash. Everything's fine, let's just take this nice and slow, okay?" He stood back up, his hands in front of him clearly unarmed. "Look at me. Hey, hey."

Scared, the man cocked his gun and lifted it to level. "Show me your badge."

Of course the truth that Rick is a cop is amusingly true, but he did not care to keep the uniform anymore. The badge was long gone and so was any proof of identification like most people.

"Alright. It's in my pocket." Rick carefully moved his hands down, "I'm just going to reach down, nice and slow..."

The man hesitated, looking down to where Rick's hand traveled. Rick lunged during the man's moment of weakness and the shotgun went off, blowing clear a hole in the wall. Rick grabbed the man as he panicked and kicked. The gunshot was loud enough to attract more walkers, if they did not leave soon they may not have a chance later.

"Let go of me! I'll kill you!" The man fought with Rick, "Let go of me!" They struggled, Micheal and Oscar trying to get around to lend a hand. With the two thrashing around it was hard to get a hold of the frightened man.

Daryl and Michonne's attention was gained when they heard Rick cry out. The paranoid man bit straight through Rick's hand and got himself free. He bolted to the front door just as Michonne's blade was unsheathed.

"Help! They found me!" He ran around the middle support beam, ignoring their protests. "Help!"

"Don't open that door!"

The man stopped dead, the katana stuck through his chest in one deft motion. Michonne withdrew the sword from his chest and shook off the excess blood. His body hit the floorboards and she turned to glare at Rick and the others. She found them incompetent.

The event was over and though they did fix one problem, the larger issue still remained. More walkers appeared, flooding in from the woods.

It only took Rick a moment to figure out a plan to get out of the cabin. He stood just above the man's body bleeding out over the dusty wood floor. He nodded to Daryl and waved him over, "Help me with the door."

"You gotta be kidding me." Oscar was a bit disgusted by the idea. Micheal and Markus just shrugged and got to work. Glenn went to the back door, opening the door carefully to peek through the crack. He did not see much of anything out back.

"Clear out back!" Glenn announced to the group and they had their way out. A diversion to keep the walkers outside too busy to see them going around.

"He's dead, we're not. Let's keep it like that." Micheal went around to the door, one hand on the deadbolt and another on the handle. He was ready to open it and let the others toss the body out.

Markus got behind the dead body as Daryl and Rick lifted it. He drew one leg back and waited until they were in position. "One," Rick looked to Micheal who nodded. "Two," He turned to Markus behind the body and he gave a wink. "Three!"

Micheal swung the door open, the walker's growls grew louder as they started to head inside. Markus put all the force he possibly could into one hard kick to the center of the dead man's back. The body was thrown forward through the door, colliding with a few walkers and the group toppled. Micheal slammed the door shut.

"It's clear." Glenn opened the back door, letting the group run out before him. Everyone left as quickly as possible, wasting no time escaping the old cabin. Oscar brought up the rear, carrying the shotgun the man had dropped before he died. Any gun to the armory was a good addition, he was beginning to get the idea of this new broken world.

They were able to slip passed the dead feeding on the corpse they threw out. Too distracted by the feeding frenzy not a one noticed them escaping.


Woodbury...

Merle was sitting in the Governor's study, waiting for the man to finish his sip of whiskey. He always liked to appear calculated. Merle knew better, he knew the Governor was a petty man who liked to have his way. Anything that did not go to plan significantly angered him.

The Governor sat down on his leather button-back chair directly across from Merle. He leaned back and set the glass on the table gently, the ice inside rattling. His eyes flicked up to meet Merle's.

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" The question was weighted. Merle knew what he saw, he knew what happened and reported it directly to the Governor. He was in no position to lie to cover anyone's tracks, now that he knew that someone he recognized was there. Merle's greatest drive of anything he had done or planned on doing was to ultimately find his brother.

He saw Glenn in the group, two other people he didn't know. They got away with Laura and Michonne, but did not anticipate another. Neil had returned with Merle, but the boy was shaken and the Governor brought him in for medical treatment.

"I ain't lying. I know what I saw." Merle emphasized, a darker tone in his voice. The Governor nodded, licking his lips and looking Caesar leaning against the wall by the door.

"You can understand why I have trouble believing it." He leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "The day after that whole mess with the dead girl and she just so happens to be captured by another group. Which, as you added, has someone from your previous group in it that might lead you to your long lost brother."

Merle resisted a sneer, "Boy's name is Glenn. I don't know the other two with him. They drove up and Michonne got their attention, trying to get our girl off her trail. Didn't plan for them to know her too."

The Governor paused, "They know it?"

"Yeah, it's why they took her in the first place I figure. The three of 'em knew her, talked to her by name. She went for Michonne, but they took 'em hostage at gunpoint. Not much could be done then, she went and I came back to tell you the bad news." He recounted, again. "Or good news the way I figure it. That's a group around here, that cop that did this to me probably still with 'em. My brother too." Merle raised and shook the missing hand.

"You've done well for yourself here in Woodbury. Became a trusted member of our family. I trust you to lead our men outside these walls, and I rely on the information you bring me." The Governor raised the glass and took a slow sip of whiskey. He sighed as he felt the smooth burn down his throat. "I promised if you got a more solid location on your brother I'd help you get him back..."

Merle shifted in his seat somewhat as he anticipated what the Governor would do next. They both knew Merle's brother was more important than anything or anyone else. With this group hanging around the Governor had a decision to make.

The glass rested back on the wooden desk. "My only concern is where your loyalties lie now."

Both men shared a long, intensive look. Were Merle a more prideful man he might find the Governor's questioning insulting. In this case he made his own plans, regardless of what the Governor wanted. "Here."

The man smiled, "Good. I want you and your team to scout out the area. See if you can find out where they went. We need the creature back, it's critical to our research." He lifted the glass, pointing to Merle. "If you can bring it back still kicking do so and if you're brother is there, he has a place here in Woodbury with you, with everyone."

"I appreciate that, Philip." Merle's words were carefully chosen. He did not care what the Governor wanted about his brother or the girl. He would go his own way, yet he was aware of Woodbury's reach. The Governor is not someone who he wanted to piss off while he still had greater numbers and more guns.

"You're welcome." He had that usual charming lopsided grin on his face. "Now gear up and get out there. You'll have to go overnight, use the dark to cover you. Might give you a better chance."

Merle stood from the leather backed chair, straightening out his jacket. "We'll be back." He had a distinct feeling he would not be returning. There was a bit of malice in his voice, but the Governor did not notice.

Caesar and Merle left the study, taking the back alley through to the storage area by the back gate. The area relatively cut off from the rest of the town, used only by the people the Governor sent out on one of their many need to know missions.

The men separated, Caesar moving to pick up a vehicle for their group to take out. Merle headed into the armory to take what he wanted. He threw the door open, the man taking inventory jumped and nearly dropped the clipboard. "Jesus shit, Merle. What the fuck?"

"Heading out. Philip sending us on a run to clear out a group that moved in too close." Merle only glossed over their task was only a scouting trip. "We need guns, anything we got. Might get messy." He gave the man a pandering smile and low laugh. The man nodded and gestured to the shelves, not questioning Merle's honesty.

"Alright then, you know how it works. Grab only what you need and I'll sign it out." He stepped to a cheap plastic table and dropped on the spinning chair. "I'll wait."

Merle watched him, "Don't worry. I won't take long."


West Georgia Correctional...

They were ready, geared up, armed to the teeth. Everyone had three weapons at least. Carol, Hershel, Carl, and Axel stayed back up front to watch for intruders if any happened to appear while the others were busy.

Red took point, all to happy to have dead to put down. He needed to get his head on straight, stop thinking about things and focus on their survival. In the tombs it was dark, no telling how many dead were just around the corner. For this exact reason Carol was just beyond the far door ready to lock the door behind them if they needed to escape the tombs in a hurry.

Red, Braddock, and Daisy all figured out that Maggie did not require any additional support than anyone else. She was just as fierce as them, able to fight and protect others. She was well experienced, taking down any dead with relative ease. Thankfully as they started there had not been too many walkers around, most of them standing alone in once section of the hall. Almost never more than three in an area.

This made their work move a bit faster, but also gaining a somewhat competitive edge. Daisy and Braddock consistently trying to outdo one another by racking up more walker kills than the other.

"Be nice if we had a map of this place. These halls feel like they go on forever." Daisy groaned, watching Braddock cut down another undead and adding it to his count. "Could be walking in a circle for all we know."

"Come on, we found a few rooms... just nothing good in them." Braddock laughed, shoving a walker back for Red to bring down. The skull made a sicking squelch as Red's knife sank into its head. "Oh man that's just gross..."

"These walkers have been here since the beginning. When we got here the prison was overrun, the gates all still locked. Figured these people turned back when the outbreak hit." Maggie explained the strange and terrible smelling rot from the dead wandering these halls. They decayed somewhat faster than other walkers as they were trapped in hot and humid hallways.

Braddock shook his head, "Well that's just fantastic."

"Keep together, we're almost through to the next cell block." Red regrouped the team. The others fell in line just behind them as they moved forward together. Red peering around corners to see if there were more walkers on the other side. The hallway expanded out to a hall with multiple doors which told him he needed to be careful. "Room check, go in pairs."

Braddock and Daisy headed to the first door on the left, Red and Maggie going to the right. Daisy opened the door and Braddock prepared to cut down any walker inside. The room was empty, nothing but an old cot and some scattered comforters. Nothing had been in this room for a long time so they moved to the next.

Red opened the door and Maggie raised her knife, but inside was a long dead body. It was mostly bones and the stench that wafted through the now opened door from the unventilated room was revolting. "Ugh, close it! Close it! Clear!" Red swung it shut, coughing as the smell hit his face like someone wrapping a blanket around his head.

"Damn that was nasty." Braddock waved a hand in front of his face. "Next one." He turned back to the door and Daisy swung it open. This time there was a walker inside, hissing and growling, but almost entirely immobile. He stepped inside the room and stabbed it in the head, the mangled body dropping off the ruined cot and onto the floor.

"It smells terrible." Daisy blanched, blowing air from her lungs in a desperate attempt to get the smell out of her senses. "We seriously need masks or something."

Red looked down to his arms and gestured Maggie to wait a moment. He tugged at the shoulder seam and tore off one sleeve, pulling it down his arm. He reached up and wrapped it around his face, trying it behind his head. "This'll work," Red tore the other off, shaking it and handing to Maggie. "Trust me, sweat smells better than decomposing corpses."

Maggie nodded, "Thanks." She said sarcastically, smiling to let Red know she was kidding. She wrapped it around her face and heard Daisy tearing her sleeves off to share hers with Braddock and wear one herself.

When the duo were done tying on the sleeves they continued. "This is actually a bit better. Not really the best, but it helps." Daisy shrugged, "Good idea."

Red spared her a look while getting ready to open the next door. Maggie stood ready with her knife, but inside the room was two long dead bodies. The smell hit them again, powerful but filtered somewhat by the material around their faces. "Clear, close it." Red shut the door and they kept moving.

The moment Daisy opened the next door a walker turned and lunged at Braddock. "Oh fuck, this one is still moving." Braddock swung and his blade cleaved the walker's head in two. It took a bit of force to pull it out of the skull as the body clumped on the ground. The body blocked the door closing so Daisy did not bother trying.

"That's that, nothing else in here. Keep going?" Daisy turned to see Red as he walked over to the exit. It was a barred security door left unlocked, but the hallway was nearly pitch black. He turned his flashlight into the dark tunnel and saw rubble, crumbled concrete and scorch marks on the walls. There was no path through this hall way.

"Guess not." Braddock commented, "We'll have to backtrack, see if there's another way out this damn maze." He shook the dripping blood of his weapon.

"We've hit three dead ends since we got in here. I think we need to go back, maybe get some paper and try to draw a map of the tombs. At least get something to mark halls we've already taken." Maggie mused, "We can't keep walking these tunnels without knowing where we're going. Eventually we're just gonna get lost."

Red sighed, turning around and aiming his flashlight back down the hall they entered from. "We did make some progress. We got some of the tombs cleared, at the very least we made the prison a bit safer."

"I know Rick would appreciate-"

A loud screech pierced the silent hallways, interrupting Maggie. The echo traveled through the tombs and reached them. "What the hell?" Daisy stared at Red, "Was that one of the girls?"

"We need to go back, now!" Red broke into a sprint, the group just behind him. They all ran through the halls, following the path they had taken straight from cell block C. "Move, move, move!" They could not run straight back, they checked corners before they rounded them, careful to pass open doors and corpses on the floor just in case one was still kicking.

Braddock and Daisy flanked Maggie, trying to keep her safe. They all knew their task, the trust placed in them, was to protect the prison and keep Rick's people safe. If Maggie ended up dying in the tombs with them they could kiss the prison goodbye. So they were careful, clearing the sides of the hallways to protect Hershel's eldest daughter.

They neared the gate back to cell block C and Red shoved the door open. "Braddock, find Carol. Daisy, find Axel. Maggie with me, we need to make sure the kids and Hershel are safe."

Red shut the gate behind them, locking it with the key Carl and Hershel entrusted to them. The group separated upon exiting cell block C. Braddock and Daisy heading to the guard tower and gate post respectively. Carol and Axel being the only two people left in the main area capable of standing guard while the others were busy.

Red and Maggie bolted out of C and straight to D, rushing inside the doors and sprinting through the main room into the cell block. Maggie hurried through first, seeing Beth and Hershel heading through the middle of the room. She sighed in relief, panting as she caught her breath. "Daddy, Beth." She approached them, having feared the screaming was something wrong in the cell block.

"That screaming-" Red looked to Hershel, the cries of a woman still audible in cell block D. "Where is that coming from? Who is that?"

Hershel shook his head, "We don't know, but it's coming from inside. Carl just left to find out who it is. It can't be Carol, she's still outside on watch."

"Carl?!" Red cursed, "Dammit, do you know which way he went?"

"Through the hall from the mess hall. He took a pistol with him, the boy can hold his own." Hershel saw Red's distress over Rick's son taking off into the tombs. He tried to calm him, affirming Carl's ability to survive. "If you hurry you can catch up to him."

Red nodded, "Maggie, stay here just in case someone comes through. Grab one of the rifles from our pack. We don't know how many there are." Maggie turned to the mess hall where the weapons had been stored. Red gave Hershel a look and nodded. "I'll bring him back."

Before leaving Red paused and saw Laura against the bars of her cell, the rattling chain grabbing his attention. Her haunting eyes reflected the moonlight as night came. Her hands still wrapped and resting on the horizontal bar. She watched them, not really moving at all. It was strange how she did not breathe, that there was no movement whatsoever. She could remain entirely still as corpse.

Blinking, Red broke his focus on her and headed out of the cell block. He followed Hershel's directions and went through the doorway off the mess hall. Maggie rummaged around inside the weapons bag and watched him leave. Concerned but confident, she withdrew an automatic rifle from the bag before taking the pack off the table and bringing it to the cells.

She threw it inside one of the unused cells and stayed with her family, watching and listening for anything.

Weaving through the tombs Red listened to the groans and screams of the woman deeper in. He did what he could to follow them, the echo of the hallways making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where they were coming from.

The halls all looked the same which made it a challenge to navigate for certain. The screams grew louder before he heard the distinct sound of walkers growling and hissing. There were dead in these halls, it had been cleared at once point. Red wondered how more dead got inside, but did not stop to think about it. He needed to find that boy.

That damn boy. Red felt his heart rate skyrocket when Hershel told him Carl went to investigate alone. If anything happened to Carl... Rick would likely just kill Red before stopping to figure out what went wrong. Carl's safety was paramount to him, he needed to find him before anyone else did. The sounds were louder and he knew he was managing to find the source.

The screaming was not too deep in which surprised Red. The person, whoever she was, had made it decently near the main section of cell block D. That was both impressive and disturbing. Most of the tombs were still overrun, only the locked doors protected Rick and Red's group from the weight of the undead bearing down on them in the middle of the night.

However this person got in they needed to find. It may not be a serious threat for walkers with all the doors locked, but people were a different matter entirely. Red raised his pistol and got ready for a fight. Bodies scattered loosely around the halls, most of them pushed against the walls to reduce risk of the group coming through and tripping if they were in a hurry.

He approached corners quicker than he knew he should. It was reckless to rush through walker infested halls without addition support. They did not have many options in this case, Carl would only have Red to help him.

The scream hit his ears again, much clearer than before. He heard sounds of walkers, metal hitting concrete, and more people talking. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" Red brought his pistol to eye level, his flashlight just below helping steady his aim. He saw a fresh corpse on the ground, laying in the middle of the hall still pouring blood from the bullet hole in its head.

"Carl!" He tried to call out quietly but did not receive any answer. The light coming from a corner ahead of him told him someone was there, but he needed to be cautious of who.

Red prepared himself for a fight, he knew the people were close. A gunshot came from the next room and Red turned the corner, seeing the telltale shape of Carl just ahead of him facing a group of strangers in the mechanical room. He froze, his pistol aiming down the path to these people. "Carl." He got the boy's attention, the people inside saw them approach, but struggled to fight off the walkers flooding the room.

On the ground was a woman bleeding profusely with a very clear bite on her upper arm. Red cursed under his breath, seeing a man crying with her and cradling her. This was already more complicated than he wanted it to be.

"Come on!" Carl backed down the hallway and Red shook his head.

"We can't let them inside the prison." He urged, seeing one of the men smash the head of a walker using a hammer. Another woman severing the head of one with a shovel while the two on the ground tried to stand up with the help of a third man.

"We can't leave them here." Carl headed down the gated hall, "My dad would help them so I'm helping them." He ignored Red's protests entirely. Red faced the people and did not resist Carl's demands. The boy was just as stubborn as his father, that was for certain. There was no time to argue about their position either.

Red waved them along, "You heard the man, get your asses in here. Let's move!" They jumped at the offer and began to hurry down the doorway in front of Red. He followed up the rear, popping a few walkers that followed them while they made their escape from the tombs.

He absentmindedly wondered how much shit he would get from Rick for letting these people in. There would be a lot of apologizing and convincing going on once the group returned. Carl's decision was his own and while Red disliked it, he still could not question the son of their group's leader. He was certain vetoing his authority might get him in hotter water.

The people stumbled through the tombs in a frenzy. The woman had stopped sobbing, passing out over the larger man's shoulder. He carried her inside, Red did not pay attention to what they were doing. He cleared walkers behind them, slowing only to reload his pistol and taking a few more down. They were ridiculously close to a herd now roaming the tombs, potentially erasing much of their hard work from earlier.

Carl swung the gate open, counting each person in their group as they entered and closed it when Red made it through. He locked the gate and gave a nod to Red. They were back inside the cell block, no walkers could get into. They were safe for the most part.

"Donna!" One man cried, grabbing Carl and Red's attention. "Is she dead? Oh god..."

Carl went around the group as one man set the bitten woman down gently. The other man who Red presumed to be her boyfriend or husband of some level was crying, his hands shaking as he looked into her glossy eyes. She was gone, having died somewhere between the mechanical room and cell block D. Red sighed, he did not want to see this man mourning his wife. There had been enough of that.

The man could barely cry at all, stuck in a state of shock. He held her hand close and tried to calm down.

"I'll take care of it." Carl slid the rack on his suppressed pistol. He did not mind keeping the dead dead anymore, not after his own mother. Red came to stand beside him, not really knowing if he was even allowed to support the boy.

When Carl's pistol aimed at her head, one of the men jolted. "Whoa, whoa kid. Wait a minute." He wanted the other man to have a moment to say his goodbyes before they had to do what they had to do. The bullet from the pistol at point blank could deface her and they only wanted to grieve.

"She doesn't have long." Carl knew reanimation times varied. There was no sense in risking others just to hedge a bet it would be a while before she returned to them, hungry and brainless.

"Who the hell are you?" Another one of their group spoke up, incredulous and panicked. "How did you get in here? Who are you two with?" She glanced between Red and Carl, approaching them with the shovel still in her hands.

Red raised his pistol to her. "Calm down. This is our home you walked into. We ask the questions here."

"Look, we can help you." Carl defused the woman, "First thing's first."

"No, we take care of our own." The man looked around and found one of his group standing behind him. He reached for the hammer in his hands and yanked it away. The man cowered, crying as the woman comforted him. He came back to the body of their friend, hammer tight in his grip.

"No, Tyreese!"

"I gotta do it!" He argued, "Look, just take Ben and lean against the wall. It'll be quick." The man, Tyreese, knew what they had to do now. The more time passed the more they risked her coming back and hurting someone else. No one wanted their loved ones to turn. The man had difficulty coping with the thought of it, crying as he rested against her.

Carl looked to Red and tapped his arm. The larger man looked down to him, following as Carl lead him back into the cells. Red entered, seeing the others inside after hearing the commotion. Hershel was leaning against a wall, tired of the crutches. Maggie and Beth near him, both armed and watching the cell entrance. Red inspected them, seeing none of them injured or worse for wear. He nodded to Maggie and Hershel as Carl turned around and shut the gate.

The bars clicked shut and the keys jingled as Carl locked the gate, securing the people inside. All doors out locked tight, no way in or out.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The woman came around, looking through the bars.

Tyreese stood behind her, "Kid, did you just lock us in here?"

"Open the door!" She pointed to it angrily. Both of them scared about what being locked in this prison would mean. Their own experiences with other groups not the best, coloring a negative view of others. The woman far more upset about this than the men behind her.

"This room is secure. You'll be safe. You have food and water." Carl tried to offer the group compassion, met by this volatile woman it did not go far.

She approached the bars, laying a hand on the cold metal. "Open this door." She eyed the group behind the door. Red stood behind Carl, showing his support for the boy. He had his pistol in hand just in case these people went from scared to violent.

"I can't." He denied her. They knew these people would be safe inside the mess hall, but it did nothing to comfort her.

"Oh come on man. We're not animals. Don't do this." She pleaded, feeling cornered and terrified. Red felt bad for her, but it would be easier when the group realized they were safe. Rick had done the same to Red's group when they arrived and he accepted the deal. It was better than going back out on the road to scavenge for supplies in a near barren town.

As he suspected she went from begging to violent. The shovel hit the door, rattling loudly. "Hey! You can't just leave us in here! Open this door! Open it now!" She continued to bang on the barred door. Doing nothing but making noise and working herself up. They were safe even if she failed to realize it.

"Hey, step back." Red glared at the woman. He did not much care for people with anger issues nowadays. She gave him a look that screamed fuck off.

Tyreese came up behind her, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. "Sasha!" He stopped her, "Back away from their door and let the man go." He watched her, saw her shock and panic being trapped in the prison room.

She listened to him to her credit and left the door alone. They stood together, deeper into the room to give the people space. "Look around you. This is the best we've had it in weeks." He looked towards the barred window above them. "His house. We've got other things to do." Tyreese's voice was soft, soothing the agitated woman. He respected the group that already lived within the prison and gave them space.

Sasha was exhausted, still trying to catch her breath. Tyreese took the shovel from her hands as she calmed down. "We don't want any trouble."

Red and Carl returned to Hershel, Maggie and Beth inside the cells. Red sharing a quiet expression of concern with Hershel.

"So, how dead do you think I am when Rick gets back?" He panted, wiping sweat off his brow. Maggie spared him a small smile and Hershel gave him a nod of thanks for following Carl. He groaned, "We can't keep them in there. They're people just like us, good or bad, being caged would get to anyone." His thoughts drifted to Laura for a moment before ignoring that very complex situation.

"We don't have a choice. We should wait for Rick to return." Hershel suggested. Maggie agreed, but only crossed her arms and leaned against the wall beside her sister.

Red looked back to the room, but the group was not visible. "I guess. We should probably check them for guns. I don't care too much about the shovel or hammer, but if they have a gun they could seriously hurt someone."

The group deliberated, figuring their plans out. "That might be for the best." Hershel voiced, "We need to play it safe while so many of our group are absent."

"I'll help." Maggie put an attentive hand on Beth's shoulder as she stood up and moved towards Red.

Red turned around, Carl beside him and approached the door. They could hear something happening inside the mess hall and when they neared the bars Red could see the body on the ground, Tyreese above her as two of the men mourned their loss. Sasha sat on a bench, head in her hands. He was not entirely could, Red had warmed up between today and Atlanta.

He knew he was far too harsh before. The group complained he was distant and as a leader he knew he needed to change to bring the group together. Perhaps, in this situation, the warmer side of Red would everyone.

"Hey, Tyreese?" He got the attention of the man, a hammer with a fresh blood splatter on its head. Red took note to be careful about approaching them as they were likely sensitive right now. Tyreese did look up, but so did Sasha.

The larger man stood up, the hammer shaking in his hand. He looked around and set it on the bench beside Sasha. He walked up to the gate, Sasha immediately getting up and joining him.

"What's up?" He looked worried, sad, and exhausted.

Red looked to Carl, making sure they were on the same page. He wanted Carl to take charge here, especially after making the decisions so far. "We need to make sure you don't have any weapons that could hurt someone." Carl spoke up, doing his best to steady his voice.

Sasha scoffed, "You want to leave us defenseless?" She cried, feeling threatened.

"No, not all your weapons. Your shovel, hammer, that stuff you can keep. We're more concerned about guns, something that could hurt someone from inside the room." Red held his hand up, knowing Sasha was going to protest further. "I know it's a bad time. I understand losing someone. But we don't want to lose anyone else if something goes wrong. Miscommunication, an accident..." Red glanced to Sasha and back to Tyreese. "A scene."

Though he visibly struggled with this, Tyreese knew why. "Alright, here-" He went back to their supplies, taking the pack off the floor and set it on top of the table. "We don't have much. You been good to us this far, probably saved our lives. I won't stop you from looking, but will we get our supplies back after?"

Red nodded, "We won't steal what you have. All we want to do is remove the risk of letting you stay here."

"Letting us-!" Sasha started only to be immediately stopped by Tyreese. Something on his face told her to let it go. She was far more aggressive than Tyreese though still willing to listen to cooler heads.

Carl unlocked the gate, Maggie standing there with the rifle she had picked up generally aimed into the room while Red and Carl entered. Sasha glared at Maggie and Red raised his hands in defense. "Precaution only. If no one attacks than no weapons will be used."

Tyreese stood nearby, watching Red begin to go through the incredibly finite items in their pack. "There's a pistol in the side pocket. Only got three shots left." He guided Red to the pocket and Red picked the gun out of the pack, checking the few bullets in it. Tyreese was right, three shots.

Red gave him an nod to say thank you and he continued to search. The pack was remarkably empty aside from pieces of clothing, gauze bandages, and addition weapons like hunting and pocket knives. "Alright, clear. One person at a time." He approached Tyreese, handing the pistol from the pack to Carl.

Feeling a bit awkward about being frisked, Tyreese stood with his arms out to the side as Red patting him down. The one thing in Tyreese's pocket was an extra kitchen knife and nothing else. Red did not confiscate it, leaving Tyreese with his weapons for self defense. A knife inside bars could not hurt when Red and his people all were armed to the teeth with guns.

"Thanks," Red finished, "Sasha, your turn."

She crossed her arms, "Hell no."

Her attitude made it difficult for Red to remain cool. He stuck his neck out to back up Carl's choice to bring them back, to appear as a united group. He took a deep breath and gestured to Tyreese, asking for his help.

As Tyreese opened his mouth she shook her head, "I'm not letting him touch me."

"Look, I'm not doing it because I want to feel you and Tyreese up." Red sighed deeply, finding he was getting tired of people and their antics quite a lot lately. Sasha was a defensive and angry person. He understood why, Red didn't try to diminish how she felt, but she had to know they were only trying to protect the group.

"I'll do it." Maggie stepped forward. "Put your arms up." Sasha was caught, with the woman here now offering to frisk her she didn't have the No man touches me leg to stand on.

Red turned to Tyreese, looking to the body on the floor. "Hey, I'm sorry about your friend. We all know what it's like and if you want us to remove the body we'll take her outside. No need to have everyone staring at her."

The offer was greatly appreciated by Tyreese. "Thank you. I'm willing to help, if you don't mind. Ben and Allen don't need to see her like this. They already lost her when she got bit, it's unfair to make them sleep in here with... her."

Red nodded and approached the body. "Carl, grab the door for us." The boy responded quickly. He ran up to the front door exit of the cell block, unlocking it and swinging the door open. They readied to pick up her body as Allen came back to her, still sobbing but a bit more coherent. Ben neared them, his arms folded around himself as he looked at his parents.

They were allowed a moment to mourn and say their goodbyes.

"What the hell?" Red's head spun around, looking at Sasha by the cell block bars, shovel in her hands again. The door was still open and she was leaning inside. He instantly became defensive. A scared and disgusted expression across her face as Red stormed up to her. Sasha knew better than to push their luck, but something caught her eye and she could not resist investigating.

"Hey, hey! Get back!" He stepped in front of her, pushing her back from the door where the kids rested. Red looked behind him, seeing Sophia and Melanie at the top of the stairs. Beth and Hershel looking on as he attempted to handle this woman with self control issues.

Sasha had a long grimace on her face. "What the fuck happened to her?" Red shook his head, confused. There was nothing out of the ordinary behind him.

Quickly Maggie returned to the door, Carl locking the exit before hurrying over with Red and Maggie. Red let the two of them slip passed, back into the protection of the iron bars.

"Red." Maggie's voice cause him to turn around, her eyes flicking to Laura in the cell beside the door. She was by the bars again, her unusual appearance no doubt creating some uncertainly with Tyreese and his group.

Tyreese stood behind Sasha, seeing exactly what she was looking at. His eyes told Red that this discovery unnerved them both. Laura still looked like a mess, blood running down her blue skin, strange unnatural eyes, hands tied, and a muzzle on her face. Red realized this created a very colorful and negative image in their heads. The cell she was in obviously locked with chains.

"It's a long story, but before you get any ideas - she just showed up today. She came to us like that and attacked us. We didn't want to kill her so we had to lock her up." Red explained for Tyreese's peace of mind. "Her name is Laura and she's been pretty hostile so far. Once she calms down," He looked to Sasha,"We intend to offer her medical attention, food, and new clothing. But she has to stop trying to kill us first."

Sasha shook her head and left Tyreese behind to face them. He was in no position to question these people, but the condition of that imprisoned woman was undeniable. Tyreese left it at that, heading back to Donna's body. Red ran both of his hands over his face, trying to keep it together.

"Just... lock this door behind us, grab the exit, and let's get that woman out of here." He could not bring himself to deal with all these piles of complications. One thing at a time and they could get through this.

There was a small moment of silence while Allen and Ben mourned Donna. Red wondered how deep a grave he dug himself into letting these people stay in Rick's cell block.


Outside Woodbury's walls...

Michonne had lead the group to the scrapyard walls she remembered exiting. As she mentioned the walls were well guarded with armed sentries and bright spotlights. There were large weapons in all the guard's hands, no small half loaded pistols. Rick took notice of their weapon stocks.

They watched the wall, patrols were too tightly run for the last few hours. No one left even a second for an opening between guard shifts. The wall was too tall to scale without being seen instantly. They needed a back door entrance or they were out of luck.

A dead train provided all the cover they needed. The group had waited in a train car with the door open on the far side and the side facing the wall was just barely cracked. It was far too dark to see beyond their spotlight and it certain didn't reach as far as the train. After their scare earlier Markus had been given a few minutes to collect himself once they arrived at the train.

Micheal knew he broken formation and that put them at risk. There was no time or way to discuss it out here, they just needed to be better. Sitting on an old crate full of junk, Micheal thought back on his experience on the road. He never once broke the group circle before, always falling in line when Red called the group. Sparing Rick a side glance, he wondered if it was some subconscious lack of respect for Rick as the leader of this team.

Daryl was on watch with Oscar, overlook the wall when Micheal approached Rick. He zipped his jacket up, rubbing his hands together as the night grew colder. "Hey." Micheal's voice broke Rick's train of thought. He was standing just outside the door, watching in case anyone showed up. Daryl was currently doing that, but he always felt the need.

Rick nodded to him, "Hey." His voice low, no particular feeling behind it other than a generic greeting. Rick returned to looking out over the trees and cars outside the train.

Micheal took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I'm sorry. For earlier." It was not easy to admit his failings to this man he had only met a short time ago. Rick faced him again, his eyes questioning. "I mean about breaking the group. It put Markus and Glenn at risk, they were left open. I didn't- I'm usually better than that. It's my fuck up and I'm sorry. No excuses, just me being an idiot."

The apology caught Rick by surprise. He shifted his position against the train door frame. A quick look back to Daryl on the ground behind a car and back to Micheal. "It's alright. We made it and no one got hurt."

A generous answer from a man that was relatively unhinged when they arrived after finding his wife had died in childbirth. Micheal shrugged, "I guess, but I'll be more careful out here or inside Woodbury. I think my problem is that... you're not Red, you're Rick. I don't know you very well, but I hope I get to change that when we get back to the prison."

Rick rolled his shoulder, stiff from leaning on the metal so long. He gave Micheal a small, almost unnoticeable smile. "I appreciate that. We just have to get through tonight first."

"Yeah, tonight..." A silence washed over the two men. Both looking out to the gentle shadows cast by moonlight. Some shine off the car mirrors and glass. Micheal turned to Rick again, "Do we plan on going in there? Tonight, I mean."

There was a hesitant answer from Rick as he thought about his response. "They have weapons we need. Michonne tells me they have a building for storing all the weapons they aren't using. It's kept outside of the main town and there's a gate leading to it. Figure we'll go in-"

"And use their own weapons against them." Micheal finished for Rick as he described his plans. Rick just nodded, seeing Micheal catch on. "Sounds like dangerous work. It'd definitely be a huge fuck you to this Governor guy. What a way to go, killed by your own weapons someone stole from you. This will either go great or get us all killed."

"I prefer the former over the latter." Rick rested his hands in his belt loops. "We're capable and thanks to your group we're better armed than we used to be. Anything we take can only help us and hurt them. If we can cripple their weapon supplies we'll be better off."

"Amen." Micheal chuckled, "My favorite color is gold, my favorite food is strawberry ice cream, and my hobbies include long walks on the beach and drinking a fine wine overlooking the sunset." Rick's brow furrowed in confusion. "Y'know, just in case I bite a bullet in there and end up dead. I want a fancy eulogy, not any of that vague 'he was a good man' junk. I'm a ladies man and my biggest fault is my weakness for rom coms. Don't tell anyone that if I live though, only use that if I die."

Rick laughed, a rare genuine laugh from the ex-Sheriff. "Rom coms and strawberry ice cream?" He gave Micheal a disbelieving look, "Seriously?"

"Serious as a bullet to the head. Which could be how I go out. I mean, it's not the best way. I'd prefer to die having too much sex, but we can't all get what we want." He grinned, "Uh, don't include that in the eulogy. Just say I died how I lived and leave it to the imagination. Red and the others will get it."

"Well, so long as we're careful no one will have to prepare a eulogy." Rick's smile did not fade entirely. He found himself enjoying Micheal's company, the man was definitely comedic.

Micheal rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You already know I'm a mess on the field. To be entirely honest, we never had to fight a lot of people. I mean fight to kill the living, so this entire thing is a bit strange."

Rick adjusted his feet, giving Micheal a curious look. "Carol warned us you might be a bit suspicious of us at first. Something about a bad experience with a group after Atlanta."

Mentioning the group outside Atlanta threatened to sober Micheal up. He sighed, his smile changed from amusement to a bit sad. "Yeah... they were... something else." He ran a hand through his hair, taking note to how long it was getting. He remembered thinking about how short is hair was after they cut it when arriving with that group. Before they found out what they were. "We didn't really fight them. Red doesn't believe in killing people without just reason. Unless they're hostile he will remain rather amicable, but he's always prepared for the worst."

"Amicable, huh?" Micheal nodded as Rick's hands dropped. "That's not what Laura told us."

Ouch. Micheal winced. That was a low blow, he knew it would come up eventually. "Red was... aggressive back then. We were all pretty scared, not sure what to do, how to survive. Laura was..." He thought about the day she showed up, wrapped in a black hoodie and offering help. Her stutter muddled what she said, but her meaning was clear. "Laura helped us and Red was suspicious. After Laura..." Micheal did not detail what after meant intentionally, "... We talked to Red, said that he had to cool down a bit. He scared other people and that wasn't helping our situation."

Rick could see that, but he still had more questions about their leader and their group. He remembered thinking about this group Laura talked about back when they were on the road between the quarry and the Greene farm. "He seems level headed now. I guess he listened."

"Oh yeah, he did." He answered quickly, "We met a group over twenty strong. Join up with them because the leader had the hots for Daisy. The leader was all over Daisy. He got pushy about it, started getting... uncomfortable if you get me." Rick nodded, "Red knew this was screwed up, but then we found out they weren't just survivors, they were cannibals. They wanted us to join them for dinner, to eat other people. No shit we got the hell out of there and we lost Elizabeth, Markus' sister."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Cannibals. Rick did not want to think about that. Out here anything was possible, but cannibalism was over the edge for him.

"Thanks, but it's okay. I'm sorry to say that Elizabeth and I worked together, but we didn't get along well. I feel bad for Markus though, Elizabeth was his everything. He loved his sister; they were like the perfect siblings. Never fought, just talked like best friends." Micheal looked to Markus sitting on the far side of the train car, half asleep.

"We've all lost people." Rick offered that, ready to continue their talk when Daryl approached the car, Michonne just beside him. Rick paused, watching the two walk up and Michonne stared down the ex-Sheriff.

She glanced between the two men, "It's time. They'll have sent out their patrol, leaving the back gate light on guards."

"Alright, let's move people." Rick whistled quietly and everyone snapped up, gathering at the edge of the train car. Oscar and Markus jumped out first before Rick, Micheal, and Glenn joined.

Michonne had point with Rick again, leaving Daryl and Micheal in the center, Glenn, Oscar, and Markus bringing up the rear. They had a plan and were going to stick to it. The storage building was not deep inside the gates, it would not be that hard to reach it. The biggest issue was trying not to be spotted once inside. They could escape through the woods if the guards on the walls caught them, but inside Woodbury would be a different story.

They traveled down the length of the scrap wall, watching carefully so they did not get spotted by any of the guards. As they circled the walls they began to approach an area with fewer and fewer guards until there was only one sitting on a folding chair without a care in the world. Keeping low and quiet they glided through the derelict cars and rubble scattered around.

When the group slowed down they did so because Michonne froze behind a red car, covered in dust with bullet holes decorating the side paneling facing the wall. Dead walkers decorating the ground around the wall. Rick came up beside her, sweating profusely as adrenaline began to build inside him. They were all preparing for a fight, ready to kill or be killed.

Michonne looked to Rick and pointed to a section of the wall. Before Rick could ask they all heard the sounds of metal clanging against metal. An engine running on the far side and the gates rolled open with a loud hiss. The source of the engine sound was a blue pick up truck that had seen much better days. Inside the bed was a covered top and a few people up front.

Rick couldn't make their faces out through the high beam headlights. The truck engine roared and it pulled out of the gate, rumbling very ground it rolled over.

It passed them, never seeing a single one of the potential infiltrators. Michonne frowned and earned a look from Rick. "I thought you said they already sent out their patrols."

Her focus traveled with the pick up truck. "They did..."


Lilithnocte:

Haha no problem! Any question you have feel free to ask! I really don't mind answering the same question multiple times. There's so much happening in the story right now it'd be very difficult to detail everything, so I'm doing what I can. Unfortunately there's only so much I can put into a 10k chapter. I would lengthen them, but I feel concerned readers might feel them too long. Attention spans are limited, I'm trying to keep to that idea. Plus flipping through chapters often makes people feel like they're moving forward, that the events are episodic or moving, not just stagnating on one point.
Currently Woodbury is the main focal point. The others might want to understand Laura, but there's no time. Don't worry though, there are many many chapters 100% dedicated to Laura as she is now and explaining what happened in Woodbury. All characters close to Laura will have a reconciliation period where they will face this truth and come to terms with it. ;)
I'm absolutely planning on tugging some heart strings there.
Laura's memory was entirely dominated by the infection, but now that it had retreated we might see some mental progression. It will take time and Laura will have to stop fighting it before anything significant happens. :)

adelphe24:

Oh yeah, don't worry about that. Laura's keeping the claws, they're going to be her signature weapon. Like Rick's colt python, Daryl's crossbow, Negan's barbed wire bat Lucille. Laura will have claws. ;)
She's about to show how absolutely badass she can really be! I'm excited to get that out in the open haha

Gryffindor Rat:

I saved this review for last to reply because I wanted to be able to respond to everything haha

First up, I'm seriously happy you're enjoying it so much. Especially noting how I wanted Laura to be portrayed; exactly as you said. Laura's a walker with human traits. Not a human with walker traits. Survival is different for her, the world is only as dangerous as the people make it; not the dead. As a result Laura's comfort will rely on how many dead are around her, not how many living protect her or accept her.
And yes, that's precisely what I wanted. Laura IS a walker, I won't say what I want to say because I want to save it for "
The Big Reveal" chapter coming up. Trust me, we'll learn quite a bit. Atlanta and Red Atlanta will know more about Laura than anyone. It's going to be fun fun fun fun! :D
Ugh I know. I just... I really do understand WHY the Governor, Philip, is the way he is. He's a sad character truly, struggling with his nature and abilities. I feel bad for him but also hate him. Laura will be much happier when he's no longer a factor in her life. I'm glad you've enjoyed Laura development through Woodbury so far. Her torture has been remarkably extreme, but I felt like it fit with the comic "The Walking Dead" as the Governor was more graphically brutal. The show dulled it down a bit for TV, but they left the idea that it was still happening, just implied - not for viewers to physically -see- just know it's happening.

Absolutely though. Laura had choices in Woodbury, none of them really any better than the other. Laura's only options in Woodbury was to surrender to the Voice, allowing it to protect and guide her. Resist the Voice, which would have left her vulnerable and weak. Or fight back and most likely just be killed. Laura was a kind soul before Woodbury and though she did toughen up a bit on the road, it was her struggle with the Voice that made her so.
Self preservation above all. Laura allowed the Voice, the infection inside her, to succeed her and take control. This made Laura incredibly violent, strong willed, and taught her to accept what she is.
In earlier chapters Laura's relationship with the Atlanta group showed a classic ideal.
"Cogito ergo sum" which is Descartes "I think therefore I am" philosophy. In this case "I think therefore I am" can be "-therefore I am [alive] OR [human]" but Laura realizes this was wrong. The argument should never have been "Am I still human?" the argument should have been acceptance of what she is now.
And what Laura is now is dead. She is a walker, there is no question about it. She hungers, she hunts, she can exist like a walker with no human needs. A human is a carbon based life form that requires sustenance like various foods supporting a required diet mix of vegetables, meat, and other. A human requires sleep, nurturing, and various other things. ;)
Laura needs none of that. Technically if she didn't eat anything she would still exist, still be as she is. She would become feral, but she would still
be. Whereas a human would die and cease to be.
Therefore claiming Laura as a human is, by definition, incorrect. Laura is not human. She lost that a long time ago. :(

And yes, when Laura is faced with something to fight for we will be seeing her reaction to that. She wanted to know about Glenn, a part of her life she knows was better than Woodbury because the infection failed to conceal that truth from her. So it did end up breaking the cycle, which luckily gave Laura the chance at having a life again.
Of course I will expand on that in later chapters. Laura will be discussing this herself eventually. One day. When she stops being partly rabid ahahahahaha

I've enjoyed writing Merle and Laura's relationship. They have a unique companionship that was forced at the beginning, but developed into a desirable partnership that both parties want. Merle actually likes Laura's company, the two of them sharing a similar feeling towards their respective situations. Laura appreciating Merle and wanting to protect him from the pain Woodbury / the Governor caused her.
The two work well together and in later chapters will build on this friendship. :)

Yeaaahh I seriously am excited to bring the final realization to the horrors Laura experienced inside Woodbury. There will be a lot of broken hearts, hurt people; no one will get away with seeing the devastation first hand. We'll actually begin seeing a tini-tiny bit of this in the next chapter or two. It will JUST barely start to appear. I'm very very interested to seeing how the Atlanta and Red Atlanta crew figure out what's been going on in Laura's life since being lost by both groups.

Oh yeah though, Merle doesn't know Laura and Daryl were together. Which will be fun to write hahahaha
And Merle explaining Laura... oh man. That's gonna be a really really tough one. Like trying to tear through leather with your teeth. I don't think anyone will come out of that for the better.

Yessss! Daisy discovered a small bit of what Laura's pain is like. None of them realize that just because no one is actually physically attacking her, she is still in real pain. They use pain as a way to describe her mental state, knowing she had been hurt before. After Michonne stabbing her and the broken shelf beam stuck into her shoulder pain was only a larger reality for her. But she's constantly in pain, with the gauntlets and muzzle, the burn and various wounds collected.
No one really knows that Laura is functioning only out of pure hatred being fueled by constant, day in and day out agony. She really doesn't know what a day without pain is like anymore with her memories mostly gone and the only ones she has unfortunately being of times she got hurt or was attacked.

So much coming up! I hope you love it all! :DDDDD