Chapter twenty-six: From the inside.
"And I simply decided it was time to be happy again."
When we met up with Andrea and T-Dog again, we'd found enough batteries to keep ourselves going when we took the Prison in the morning, they'd found some food and bottled soft drinks as well, which was a god send. We walked quickly to get back to camp, taking out a few Walkers as we travelled; Rick was sat with Glenn, talking softly, but he paused when we arrived and got up to greet us.
"It's about time." He said as we apologised and started to distribute supplies around the camp.
"Hey, do you think you could take my shift tonight?" Hershel asked as I passed Beth a bottle of lemonade. "Need to check up on Lori." I nodded.
"Sure." He smiled and accepted the chips and Cherryade I handed down.
"I've got first shift with Carol." Nodding, I finished handing out the food and settled down beside Daryl, who was unimpressed.
"Orangeade?" I nodded and held the bottle out. "Sounds like shit."
"Tastes like it too, but it's either that or," I checked the label on my own bottle and wrinkled my nose, "oh, Root Beer, here, I'll swap." We traded bottles and cracked them open.
"You take Hershel's watch?" I nodded and put the cap back on my bottle. "Want some company Peanut?"
"Sure won't say no." He nodded and got up, going over to Carol to swap their shifts over.
We told jokes that night and lifted each other's spirits a little and when the fire started to get low, Rick called bed time. Sitting on the roof of a car, Daryl and I kept watch, making sure to look in all directions. There was quiet in camp for a while, cicadas chirped in the trees and I watched as Carl rolled over, facing his father instead of his mother.
"It's getting' colder." Daryl noted and I nodded, pulling my jacket closer to myself and looking the redneck up and down.
"Yet you're wearing a sleeveless vest?" I laughed and shook my head, pulling Phineas' jacket from my backpack and handing it over. "Should fit…just don't tear the sleeves off." He looked at the jacket like it would bite before accepting it. It was a little big, even on Daryl, but it looked good. "It looks good."
"You're sure 'bout me wearin' it?" I nodded.
"Yeah, I am." We relapsed into soft breathing and watching the group. As our watch came to a close, we were supposed to wake Beth and Andrea. "Watch is almost up." Daryl grunted and chewed his thumb. Sighing, I wriggled about and laid my head on his shoulder, feeling his arm wrap around and hand rest on my elbow. "We should wake Beth and Andrea."
"Yeah, we should." He agreed, though neither of us moved an inch. Looking over the camp again, I sighed and got up, climbing down off the car to wake the girls, who were groggy and unhappy about being woken. As they took their positions on top of the car, I lay down on the floor, the air was getting colder as the night marched on and I shivered, pulling my hands into my jacket. "Move over." Turning my head, I watched Daryl lower himself to the floor beside me, stretching out.
"Sorry." I muttered, wriggling away and giving him some space before rolling over to face him. "This prison feels like a good idea, first one we've had in a while." He nodded and looked up at the sky. "What's wrong?"
"You stick tight tomorrow, don't take dumb risks." I nodded and rolled closer, feeling the redneck's warmth seeping towards me.
"I won't if you won't."
As dawn broke the next morning, Glenn and Carl went around kicking us all awake, Glenn more gentle then Carl for once; as I opened my eyes, I found that at some point in the night, I had interwoven myself with Daryl and was thoroughly stuck until he woke up a few minutes later and turned pink.
"Sleep well?" He grunted as I untangled my legs and glowered at him with a smile.
"Shut up." Across the clearing, I saw Carol and Maggie watching with grins and flushed. "Looks like our little circus act has an audience." I added and he looked over and flipped the bird at the pair.
"Ignore 'em." With a grin, I helped Sophia to get her things together as Carol helped Lori nearby. I rode with Daryl on the way to the Prison, on the road, a Walker ambled towards us and I kicked it on the way by; it fell over and I turned my head to watch T-Dog swerve and crush its head with his front wheel. Laughing, I laid my cheek against Daryl's back and closed my eyes.
Once we were ready, the group of us left the cars a safe distance away from the fences and approached cautiously; using a pair of bolt cutters, Rick cut a large hole in the fence and started to corral people into the alley as Glenn and Maggie took down a Walker together.
"Watch the backside!" Rick warned and T-Dog turned his head nervously, Andrea backing him up as Lori climbed through the fence, followed by Carol and Sophia.
"We got it." Andrea assured, watching as I helped Carl through and followed him with Rick; T-Dog and Andrea were the last through before Glenn and Daryl used a carabiner and a length of strong wire to sew the gap closed. It would need to be reinforced at a later date but for now it would hold. We ran the length of the alley until hitting a guard tower, Daryl opened the door and checked for Walkers before we filed through and came to the gate, which was blocked by an overturned bus. We looked at the courtyard carefully, each of us counting the Walkers inside to see how doable this was.
"It's perfect. If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight." Rick said certainly, and Hershel nodded.
"So how do we shut the gate?" He questioned and Glenn handed Maggie his backpack before stepping forwards.
"I'll do it. You guys cover me." He volunteered and Maggie shook her head.
"No, it's a suicide run."
"I'm the fastest." Glenn argued and I rolled my eyes at the pair of them.
"No. You, Maggie and Beth draw as many as you can over there," I pointed back towards the stretch of fence behind us, "pop them through the fence. Daryl, go back to the other tower with Carol, you've become a pretty good shot, take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl, take this tower." I pointed to the closest tower and the pair nodded. "Rick, Lori, Andrea and T can watch my back from here. Pop 'em if they get too close to you. I'll run for the gate."
As the group began to get into position, I warmed up, stretching and checking my ammo.
"Here, you'll need this," Rick handed me the spare rifle, it was fully loaded, "when you get that gate shut, go into the tower and start takin' them down." I nodded and patted his shoulder, taking the clip and wire Glenn held out before he joined the others on the fence. "You're sure about doin' this? I can go if you're not."
"You've got a family, they need you alive." He nodded and gestured towards the yard.
"Be careful, last thing we need is you gettin' stuck."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."