Chapter Twenty-Nine: Scream in the Tombs


The majority of the group was now on the supply run to her old town. She'd highlighted their route carefully and the areas that worth looking through. Axel and Oscar were in charge of stripping the daycare that'd been her sanctuary for the last year, starting of course with the solar panels on the roof. Daryl, Glenn, Maggie and Rick were going to strip the two stores in the town clean before scoping the other buildings for more supplies. Esme had highlighted a small second-hand clothes shop called ThreadUp in the square, the local craft store, a small veterinary clinic as well as the local hardware shop.

For now, Esme and the other able-bodied adults left in the prison were making their cell block more habitable with the items they already had. Her little ones were entertained in their cell by the toys she'd left out, and as an extra security measure to make sure that they wouldn't roam around without supervision she closed the cell behind her. Her tabby had been annoyed earlier in the morning when Esme didn't allow her to join them in the cafeteria for breakfast but after a few gentle pets and pouring her breakfast, the orange cat finally let go of her tiny grudge. Bailey seemed content to nap in Lilac's pack n' play, so she wasn't too worried about her furry baby too. Tiny Judith was sleeping inside of the bassinet in Rick's cell, while her usual caretakers helped Esme clean.

Hershal was taking stock of the new supplies in the cells on the second floor. Esme was viciously scrubbing the bloodstains in the surrounding cells, while Beth removed the stained linens that were on the beds and dropped them into a basin to be cleaned at a later moment. Carol was bustling in and out of the cells with the new sheets they'd brought over from Esme's apartment and laying them out over the mattresses.

Carl was helpfully doing everything they asked of him. He'd flit around from watching the babies to handing over rags or disinfectant. The preteen's icy blue eyes were watchful and alert even within the safety the walls of the prison provided them. A small part of Esme mourned for Carl's loss of innocence, for his hardened soul, but the boy had more chances to survive now that he would have had before. Esme wanted her own children to eventually be as capable as the preteen, even if a part of her would forever mourn the lack of childhood Carl had and her own children would one day experience for themselves.

"So," Carl drawled, "the town, your town, didn' have too many walkers?"

Esme blew a piece of hair that'd fallen into her eyes, "Not really. I only went a few times into the square, pero-but there was never any herds." she stopped scrubbing a particularly stubborn brown stain in Beth's cell to look at the curious preteen, "The square was really only businesses. Some had apartments above their stores, but there was only really four-five houses."

Carl nodded. "Still, wasn' it weird that you never saw any walkers there? I mean, those things are everywhere and always on the move."

"Do you remember when everything first started?" she asked somewhat rhetorically, "The radio was telling everyone to get to a safe zone. All the parents that make it to the daycare for their kids was saying that they was heading to Atlanta, some even to military bases."

"I remember that." Carl piped up. "Shane, he- ah, he was one of my dad's deputies. He brought my mom and me to Atlanta like the broadcasts said to."

She didn't comment on the lack of Rick in the story, the boy could divulge it to her if he wanted to later on, "In all of these months the first time I saw actual survivors, they weren't from my town. Any of the rotters I saw were people I once knew. Some of them was strangers but- I recognized most of them. I think a lotta people just left, and those that didn't was infected."

The teen nodded, "I guess that makes sense. Dad said that they might stay the night in your old apartment if gets too late. The others were excited about looting the town, said that there'll be lots of places to get supplies from." Carl sounded a little grumpy at the end of that statement. He looked more than a little peeved that he wasn't on that supply run with them.

She'd overheard the hushed conversation between the father-son duo a couple of minutes before the supply group left. Carl was convinced that he should have gone with them on the run since he was a good shot and was good at clearing geeks from the area. Rick just wanted to have both of his kids behind the protective walls of the prison, Esme certainly sympathized with him. In the end, Rick used the angle of Carl staying behind to protect Judith and Esme's little ones, as well as being warden of the keys to keep Carl behind. Still, Carl seemed to be annoyed at his lack of active -important- help.

It only reaffirmed Esme's own private dread at the very thought of being the parent of teenagers. She'd rather her babies stay as small and dependent on her rather than deal with all the hormones and mood swings that came with preteens and adolescents.

"That's true." Esme hummed, "They took all of the cars with them so that they could really pack in everything they find. It's probably better that they don't drive at night if it gets too late."

"I guess." Carl huffed as he walked away. An amused snort escaped from her lips, Esme put the conversation out of mind as she continued her cleaning frenzy.

It was late afternoon now, and there was still no sign of the supply group's return. They were all feeling rather antsy by this point and Carol had elected to spend the night in the guard tower in case their wayward members decided to show up. Beth was graciously helping her feed all of her kids while she breastfed Judith in the cafeteria. Carl seemed rather thrilled to be eating a plate of gooey mac n' cheese, and the grin that was gracing his face was full of child-like nostalgia... even if he thought eating mac n' cheese with a side of eggs was weird.

Peep and Pio had thankfully not been too freaked out by the move and were still laying eggs like the dutiful hens that they were. Lilac and Andre were thrilled that they could now visit the chickens whenever they wanted, granted as long as they were in the company of an adult or Carl. Thomas seemed a bit put off that Beth was the one helping him scoop up eggs and pasta into his mouth, but he thankfully didn't put up much of a fuss since Esme was still in his line of sight. Of course, Bora was as delightfully easy as she always was and granted everyone that caught her eyes cute smiles.

Esme made some small talk with Hershal about his future plans of cultivating a garden in the fenced yard in the front of the prison while she spoon-fed Primrose with her free hand. Primrose seemed to be equal parts jealous and curious of Judith's new presence in their life, but she thankfully hadn't thrown any tantrums as of yet. It was only after everyone had finished eating, even Carol had stopped by for five minutes to grab a plate and say 'thank you' before going back out to take watch, and started to settle down in the cell blocks when a scream faintly echoed throughout the prison.

Esme ignored the sound, explaining it away as the sound of the wind or a particularly squeaky cell door since Carl and Beth were messing around in their cells before they both passed her to go sit on the stairs. Her babies were all laying down in their pack n' plays as they nursed on their night-time bottles, while Esme rocked a fussy Judith in her arms as she paced the hallway. The last wisps of sunlight bathed the interior of the cell block, making the need for artificial light currently obsolete. Hershal had hobbled over to the pair on the stairs as another faint scream filled the air.

"What was that?" Beth asked as her head snapped up. Esme stopped pacing and moved closer to the other three.

"That was from inside." Hershal murmured in concern. A sinking feeling that she identified as dread bloomed in the pit of her stomach.

Carl looked tense as he stared at the cell doors leading to the cafeteria, "Was that Carol?"

Hershal shook his head, "She's out keeping watch in the guard tower."

"What if they came back in for something?" Beth questioned, "What if she's in trouble?"

"I doubt that," Esme added in a calm tone that didn't betray her real emotions, "When she came in for dinner she said that she wouldn't have to come back in until the morning."

Beth shot her a tired and worried smile. "Let's check the tower, see if she's still there." Another scream echoed to their ears, "How could anyone else get in?" Beth asked.

Esme's eyes snapped to look at Hershal as adrenaline coursed through her veins, which could spell as a real problem for them later on if they didn't know where the breach in their defenses was. "The tombs are filled with walkers that wandered in from outside. Someone else could've done the same thing."

Carl turned around to grab his gun from where it had been resting on the step behind him, "I'm going." the preteen stated with determination as he got up and started walking down.

"I can't let you go down there." Hershal stated in a serious voice as he raised one of his crutches to block the boy's path.

"My father would go." Carl reiterated in an equally calm tone as he cocked his gun decisively.

Hershal looked resigned as he nodded his head. Esme had to restrain herself from pulling the preteen into her arms and refusing to let him go into the bowels of the prison to search for the person behind the screams. She blinked watery eyes and looked away from the group and down to the infant in her arms. Judith was finally blinking her eyes drowsily, the little girl grounding her. The swinging sound of the cell block's door and the subsequent clang as it closed rang throughout the room.


Words 1818


(Hello all! I hope you liked this new chapter! It was pretty long, and I think the next one will be too since dialogue really beefs up the chapters!)

(We had some nice Carl interaction in this chapter... Sasha and Tyreese will definitely be in the next chapter and the group on the supply run should be back as well... hopefully!)

(I'm sick... again! Ugh, so annoying! But that is the risk I have to take when I work with young children... Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad if my stupid asthma wasn't so bad... I really hate the cold sometimes because it aggravates asthma something awful. Of course, I hate the heat from summer even more... I guess that's why living in New York can be pretty awesome, I get the best of both worlds...)

(My little sister is terrified of the Coronavirus, so she's been treating me like I have the plague. She is so weird. I mean, yes the Coronavirus is serious, and yes I work in the Bronx, but none of the parents of the kids at the daycare go to the city... Jeez, I get sick often, so she'd been overreacting!)

(On that note! Stay safe you guys!)


(apegasaurus: Aww! Your welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying this story so far!)

(Beachgirl25: YES! They would the most powerful power-couples! I have a couple of penpals from Spain, and one of my Uncles lives there as well, and French was the second most taught language in school following English... so I can totally see Esme and Michone slipping into french when speaking to one another. I think it would be pretty hilarious if Daryl, hell Merle, knew enough Spanish to hold a conversation... Man, you give the BEST ideas some times! We'll be seeing Michone very soon! I', a bit apprehensive about writing her, but I also can't wait to explore this amazing character! Merle is also going to be sooo much fun to write! And I'm actually not that nervous about him like I am with even writing Daryl... LOL! Sasha and Tyreese are in the next chapter! I'm almost done with it! I definitely agree with you, I have an acquaintance that was a junior volunteer firefighter in high school (I've lost contact with him, but I believe he did end up becoming one!) and I remember that he had to take a first aid course, he mentioned that the Captain knew a lot more too... Tyreese is an untapped character with potential, I don't remember where I heard/read it but I think he was a professional football player... I'm contemplating on what his major in college was... Feel free to give me some ideas! The architecture/construction worker idea you had shows some promise!)

(Guest1/30yrsoldgirlie: Thanks! The bro/sis combo is Sasha and Tyreese!)

(DarkFireNyx: LOL! Thanks! I will!)

(Guest2: I love them too! The next chapter won't have the babies too much but the following one definitely will feature some cute fluffy moments!)

(Guest3/michiefan: Thanks! My goal is to successfully write a universe that has seen the ripple effects of adding a new character!)

(Guest4/A Fan: Thank you so much! It'll be a bit of a chore to go through all of the past chapters and translate all of the Spanish that I sprinkled in, so please give me some time! I'll definitely add a small translate/word bank at the end of the chapters from now on!)

(Heidi191976: Thanks! And... SAME! I'm not a parent, but I am a big sister. And let me tell you, if my thirteen-year-old sister was being chased by fucking zombies, there is not a soul on the goddamn planet that would have been able to stop me from going into the woods after her. I will say this, seeing Lilac made Carol flashback to when Sophia was a little girl and threw her off-kilter. I've sort of described Lilac before, and her general features are actually pretty similar to that of Sophia, blonde hair and brown eyes... Michone and Andre's reunion is going to be beautiful!)

(Guest5/Kirstin: Thank you! OMG I would love to write a side piece of Mitch and Daisy's point of view. When I originally started writing this fic I did not have any real concrete plans for Mitch and Daisy, but I fell in love with the idea of them and now I'm definitely glad that I created them... I have even felt remorse of making their babymoon take place in Hawaii since I really don't think Esme will ever be able to actually reunite with them... Anyway, I'll let everyone know when I've written something for my favorite hippie couple... I may even decide to post it on here if it is something everyone would like to read! You literally made my day when you asked about them! I'm a total weirdo for getting attached to my own side characters so I'm glad to see that others enjoyed Daisy and Mitch's small appearance in this story.)

(itsprettyboy: Thanks!)

(SciFichikie: LOL. Thanks! Esme is the preppiest little prepper around!)

(MerryLimp: Thanks! Like I stated above I really want to write a story where the ripple effects she has are evident to the people familiar with canon! You have not recommended this book to me before but I will definitely look into it now! Thanks for the recommendation I love to read!)