A/N: This chapter is a little shorter but it prepares for the finale! How was your New Year? I laughed with my husband, as we almost missed midnight, both Christmas and welcoming new year was basically like any other day in lockdown for us. But I hope that with vaccines and everything soon all our lives will come back to a relatively normal state. All good wishes to everyone who reads it and I hope you're all healthy and careful.

Cheers :)


Day 485

When the sun rose above the horizon, Oscar climbed the tower, changing me in duty. After a quick chat, I found out that more people became ill, including Axel. For now, Texan man had only a high fever, but he made his way to the A block, to not spread it more.

But I started to think that isolating did nothing to help us. Once you get in contact, you got it; some display symptoms later while others started from the beginning. Some are probably just carriers, not actually getting ill.

I slept for about four hours before nightmares overtook, and when I sat up in the empty cell, my heart beating hard and way too fast, I knew I won't be able to catch any more sleep.

I spent my morning gathering water and bringing heavy buckets to the door leading to the toombs. Hershel greeted me with a small smile, but I could see how tired he was. Four more people died since last night, and Dr. S was sick as well, leaving older Greene as their only carer.

Then I made my way to the offices, checking on Beth, Lucy, Carl, and Judith. The young woman informed me that they were just fine, but they were missing others. I spoke with her for a little while and reassured Lucy that she would see me soon before I took off to the field.

I started to worry, I knew that the road Daryl took was a long one, but still, they already should be back. It was more than a day, and there wasn't any communication from the group. The same with Rick, he took Carol out west just before my watch finished, and that was more than eight hours ago. I took a deep breath and pinch the bridge of my nose, all that happened recently starting to take a toll on me.

After a few moments, I shook my head and spotted Maggie and Merle by the fences, each stabbing walkers through the chain-link. Straightening my back, I made my way towards them, snatching a crowbar from one of the barrels when I approached the gate to the catwalk.

My gaze went to the watchtower, and I sighed heavily when I realized Oscar was still there. We were one of the few healthy people, others taking care of food, or were locked in the offices because they were vulnerable.

"Hey," I said softly, startling Maggie a little, and I smirked at that. "Jumpy much?"

"You can't blame me. With all the shit that's happening," She replied, her voice strained, and I nodded.

"I know. They will be back soon."

"Ya betcha. Darlina will stroll in here in no time, with all meds in the world. Glenn will be fine," Merle added, not looking at us, but his words made me smile. Thinking that just a few months ago, he would call him Chinaman showed just how much he changed. Maggie seemed to consider that, as well. She didn't reply, stabbing more geeks, but her face softened a little.

"Exactly. Glenn, Sasha, Axel, everyone will be fine. Hershel will magic the meds into those fancy IVs, and all be good," I told them both, but with every hour, I was losing more and more hope. The longer they were gone, the more people succumbed and died from the flu.

"Incoming!" Oscar yelled from his spot in the tower. "It's Rick!"

Maggie and I dropped our weapons and run towards the metal gate, pulling together at the rope, to open it up, allowing the car to quickly swoop past us. The vehicle stopped a few yards behind us, and while Maggie was glancing back, I promptly pulled another cord, shutting the doors before any walkers could try come in.

"Carl, Judith, are they OK?" Rick asked instantly, once he jumped out of the car, walking briskly towards us. Merle stroll over, his blue eyes darting between the sheriff and otherwise empty vehicle.

"Yeah. Where is Carol?" Maggie replied before I could, and she was also searching for the gray-haired woman. I pressed my lips into a thin line and stood stiffly beside her, my eyes connecting with Rick's for a second.

"Glenn, Hershel, Sasha?"

"They are alright. For now," I answered before Greene could. "Axel is sick as well, and Daryl didn't come back yet."

At that sheriff nodded and started going back to the car, but Maggie stopped him in his track.

"Rick! Where is Carol?"

Grimes slowly turned around, one hand on his holster, and his jaw was clenched so tightly that for a moment, I thought it will pop. He was tense and reminded me of a leader from before Governor. Our eyes met once again, and I nodded softly; there was no harm in letting her know. After all, she and Carol were friends, and soon people would start asking this question anyway.

"It was her," That simple statement made Maggie tilt her head to the side, as she didn't know what he was talking about. "Karen and David. She killed them."

Greene took a small step back and shook her head in disbelief. I placed my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly, making her look at me.

"She was trying to stop it from spreading," I added quietly, my face void of any emotions.

"Are you sure it was her?"

"We asked her yesterday. She admitted it, Mags."

"Tyreese is gonna be back soon, so we didn't think she should be here, and I couldn't have her here," Rick continued, trying to make sense of the situation.

"We. It was our decision. I couldn't imagine her getting anywhere close to Lucy after finding out," My voice wavered a little at the thought of little girl and Carol in the same room.

"She has a car, supplies. She'll figure it out. I'll tell your dad. You don't tell anyone else yet."

"Four of us are the only ones that know," I looked above Maggie's shoulder at Merle, who had a grim look on his face, and I knew he was wondering what Daryl will say about this. But nonetheless, Dixon nodded sharply. He didn't need to; I knew he wouldn't tell anyone, he understood why Rick did it.

"OK," Maggie breathed out, but she looked lost, unsure of what to do with all this knowledge.

"Would you have brought her back?" Rick asked her softly, seeing Maggie's distress as well. She snapped her head up and stayed silent for a moment before answering.

"You were right to send her away. I don't know if I coulda."

"You could've, Maggie. You've done harder things. Don't doubt yourself," With that, Rick walked away towards the car.

"Fence is going to give up," I shouted after him, stopping him in his tracks.

"We'll deal with it. I just need to speak to Hershel."

I sighed and rubbed my face with my hand before looking at Merle. "We can take the track, grab remaining logs, try to prop it against the fence."

"That's a temporary solution, Doll," Merle grunted but still walked alongside me towards the cars.

"Do you have a better idea?" I snapped at him, regretting it in seconds when his jaw clenched. "I'm sorry, Hook. Look, I know. But with everyone sick, and others not back, we can't risk something bigger."

"We could take the car out, drive some of them out."

"Merle," I stopped and grabbed his arm to turn him toward me. "We can't. Not right now. It would literally leave only Rick, Maggie, and Oscar in here. What if something else happens?"

"Fuck, I know, Doll. Is just I got that feelin' ya know?"

I nodded softly because I knew exactly what he was talking about. This sick twist and pull in my gut. I didn't know what it was about, whether about illness, Daryl, or something completely unrelated, but I could feel it. But right now, we needed temporary fixes to ensure that others will survive before a big operation like driving walkers all the way to Atlanta.


Placing log after log alongside the fence was hard. Four of us made slow progress, and the fact that walkers were throwing themselves at the chain-link, their constant growls, made my adrenaline pumping through my veins. Just moments ago, Rick's ankle was pulled, making him fell down. With Maggie's quick thinking and Merle's strong arm, the sheriff was up and working in no time, but that just showed how dangerous was what we were doing. The fence could give in at any moment, and then we would be stuck here, ripped apart in minutes.

It was late afternoon, the sun was slowly disappearing, making our shadows longer, and the breeze was getting colder, making me shiver for a moment.

And it seemed like we couldn't get any fucking break. Merle just maneuvered another log up the fence while Rick and Maggie were preparing more to bring down from the car when the gunshot rang from the prison. My eyes went round, and I exchanged a grim look with Dixon. Oscar run down out of the tower staring ahead, unsure what to do.

I saw Maggie drop her ax, and she started running, the Black man glancing at me with horror in his chocolate eyes.

"Go, help Maggie. Make sure it's secure!" I yelled at him, and he didn't waste any time, taking out after the woman. Rick looked over his shoulder, worry evident on his face, but he masked it quickly.

"I'm gonna get Carl," Sheriff announced and quickly made his way to the administrative side of the prison, leaving Dixon and me alone.

None of us spoke; we just kept going, howling logs of the truck and propping them against the fence.

Almost everyone else was in block A, meaning the shots came from there. Hershel wouldn't just use a gun. He tried to spare others the view of dead friends. Unless something terrible happened, like multiple people dying and turning, overpowering those who were still alive.

I shook my head at that thought and kept kicking at the wood, making sure it stays in place. After a few long moments, Rick jogged back with Carl behind him. It was getting dark quickly, and soon we were working in complete darkness, only one small olive lamp illuminating the night.

We were sweating, and my muscles burned from exhaustion, cramping with every movement, but we couldn't stop. There was no one else to do it, and we needed a fence to stand.

"Think they're OK?" Carl finally asked a question we all been thinking. The boy was crouched down, using a hammer to ensure that the log stays secure in the ground.

"If things were going bad, we would've heard more shots," Rick replied, but that was not true. Not necessary. The gunshot might have been accidental in the first place, but not hearing from others could also mean they were no longer. I swallowed harshly at that thought and shook my head to get rid of that horrible feeling.

"Maggie would get us if she would need us," I added quietly, not looking at any of them. I was too tired to pretend that everything was fine and give younger Grimes any false hope.

"She's tough, and the old man got more fire than ya think, kid," Merle said matter factly, grinning at the boy, who nodded.

"You're right. Let's do it!" With new vigor, Carl started helping Rick with another log, lifting it and putting it in place.

I smiled warmly at Merle, appreciating his words. It's incredible how much better he blends in with others; when he tunned down asshole mode, he was really a valuable part of this family. Smirking under my nose, I kicked the wood while Dixon held it up. Maybe we should find him a girlfriend. Someone strong-minded, oh that would be precious. All the times when he told Daryl that he follows me like a puppy. Seeing Merle lovestruck would be a highlight of the year.

I was pulled from my thoughts by a cracking noise. We froze in place, slowly turning towards the sound, and I could see one of the logs in the middle section bend, splinters shooting into the air.

"Fuck!" Merle pushed the wood down and grabbed my upper arm away from the danger.

"Run!" Rick shouted, pushing Carl ahead, just as the log broke in half and chain-link finally gave in, opening the space for the walkers. The first few geeks stumbled through the fence; after days of pushing, starving they were finally here, free to try to get their dinner.

I shook Merle's arm off me and grabbed Carl when he neared me, and together we run for the door to the west tower. The fence was giving away with us, and I found myself next to the stumbling walkers, their outstretched arms trying to grab my shirt, hair, any part of me, really.

I tried to steer to the left to get out of geeks reach, but one managed to clamp its hand on my upper arm, luckily covered in a jacket. I spun around and twisted my arm. If not for the constant grows and snares, I'm sure I would hear the bone pop. I kicked at its chest with a grunt and started running again, fear slowly creeping up my body. So many, and only four of us. Too many.

Rick drove a group of two away from me, pushing me into Merle's arms, who stood panting in the open doorway. The last pump of my legs, shaky breathing, racing heart, mere seconds and I was pulled inside the tower by Dixon and Carl while Rick came in just after me, shutting the door loudly.

"So, I vote to never do that again," I whizzed weekly, covering my fear with humor. Merle snickered next to me, and Carl gave a quick giggle, sobering quickly. Rick crossed the small space, pushing other doors open. We got to the inner courtyard, but the fence separating us, and the catwalk was shaking; walkers were holding to it firmly, trying to push through.

"What do we do now?" Carl asked, looking up at his dad, and Rick met my eyes. For a moment, I saw the man from before prison, fearless leader, adamant that somewhere out there in this zombie-infested world, we could find a safe place. But there was a glimpse of that insecurity, loss, pain as well before he composed himself.

"Maybe I can back up the bus against the fence," Rick glanced around, looking for a solution, and I clenched my jaw.

"Will it hold?"

"No," I told them quietly, and Rick nodded sharply, finally coming to a decision.

The sheriff moved past us to the metal containers with guns, and I quickly followed. I passed automatic to Merle and reached deep inside for ammunition.

"Mags," I grabbed a few and swiftly distributed them, clipping one to Uzi and stashing two others into my pants' pockets.

"You got it?" Rick asked Carl when the boy grabbed one of the rifles, hiding the magazine in his trousers.

"Yeah."

"OK, crush curse, kiddo," I stepped forward and grabbed his weapon for a moment, throwing the strap of my Uzi over my head, letting it rest on my back.

"Magazine goes here, the release is here, make sure it latches when you put it in." I pointed to the gun, Carl watching me intently. "Safety switch, and hold it tightly to your shoulder, or you gonna have a black eye. Put the rod back and hold the trigger for a rapid-fire; it feeds bullets automatically. Got it?"

"Yeah." Carl nodded and grabbed the gun from my hands, repeating my actions, and I nodded happily.

"Rick, you and Carl start first. Merle and I will join in. When you need to reload, step behind us and vise versa," I ordered, stepping back on a far side of Grimes'.

"You shoot, or you run. Don't let them get close," Rick said firmly, bending down to eye level with his son. Carl nodded in understanding and turned around, bringing his gun up to his shoulder.

I breathed in deeply and watched the corner of the fence. It slowly bent down under the weight of walkers, allowing them to finally get through. Rick and Carl moved forward and started shooting, the noise echoing in the dark night. I counted to ten in my head before lining the scope in my eyesight and yelling at Merle.

"Join!"

We stood on both sides of Grimes' few steps back, and four of us aimed at geeks. The sound was overbearing, and if we survive this, I will hear ringing all day tomorrow, for sure. Lips pulled in a thin line, grip firm on the Uzi, I breathed evenly while squeezing the trigger, shooting one walker after the other.

There were so many of them, and even though I tried not to, I started wondering how much difference we could make before we run out of ammo.

"Reload!" Rick shouted and stepped back. I took a few steps towards the monsters and kept the finger on the trigger, walking in front of the sheriff and Carl, Merle doing the same on my left.

I don't know how long we were going. I burned through two magazines, clicking my third one in place when the shooting stopped, and I glanced up, worried. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, and I bend down, propping my hands on my knees, taking sharp breaths.

It was done; we did it. I could still hear moans, but there were far fewer of them and came from walkers trapped under other bodies or with unworking legs. Wiping sweat from my forehead, I straightened up, clicking safety back on and scanning the area.

Rick dropped his weapon back to the container and grabbed two metal pipes, throwing one at Carl, who caught it promptly.

"We need to make sure they stay down."

My eyes landed on the metal pile on the left corner, and I couldn't be happier that Axel was slow in his projects. A few weeks back, we got more scrap metal and slabs because he wanted to cover our outdoor kitchen, so we would be able to use it as long as possible before going back to the cafeteria.

"Alrighty, you guys stab. Hook, help me get that piece against the fence. We don't want to wake up to more of this fuckers," I said, not really waiting for any answers, crossing the yard. I grunted under the metal's weight until Merle came around and took most of the load on himself.

"Careful Doll or ya'll pull a muscle," He chuckled, and as a mature woman, I stuck my tongue at him. Adrenaline and panic were wearing off, the crisis was averted, even if just temporarily.

Together Merle and I propped the slab against the chain-link, securing the bottom of it with a few bricks. I wiped my hands on my pants and grinned at Dixon, patting his shoulder.

"Still alive."

"Yeah, but wasted a shit ton of ammo," Merle answered quietly, glancing back at Rick, who was finishing off the last walker.

"I know, but it's not that we had any choice."

"We shoulda led 'em out like I said."

I peered into his eyes and smiled softly. "Merle, listen closely because I won't repeat myself. You were right."

Older Dixon smirked and opened his mouth, probably to give me an asshole answered, but I interrupted him with a gasp when I noticed the lights of the incoming vehicle.

"They're back!"

Carl already took off, spotting the car earlier, and he let Daryl and others in. I furrowed my brows, realizing that it was definitely not the same car they left in, but Carl wouldn't let them in if they were strangers.

Rick opened the gate by the time Merle and I got closer, and a sudden squick of brakes made me cringe. And then doors opened, and my heart fluttered, a smile automatically showing on my face.

Tyreese got out first, asking for his sister, but he was followed by Daryl, and I jogged towards him, throwing myself into his strong arms. His big hands held me close, and his face was buried in my hair. I laughed happily and pulled away, bringing my hands to his face. I stroke those cheekbones and notices a few cuts that covered his face, but otherwise, he was all well. Here, back with us.

"Damn, El. Ya look like shit," His gravely voice vibrated in his chest, and I could feel it with how close we stood next to each other.

"Ditto." I gave him a quick kiss and pulled away, eying the others. They were all back, and Bob was grabbing bags out of the trunk.

"Right," I cleared my throat and stepped closer to the vehicle. "Bob, are you alright getting meds to A?"

"Yeah. How are they?" The man asked, but he was avoiding my eyes, focusing on the supplies he was carrying.

"Honestly, I don't know. Be careful. We heard shots not so long ago. Maggie and Oscar went to check it, but we had our own issues." I gestured towards the bodies behind us, and he gasped, nodding after a moment.

"I'll get them to Doctor S."

"Doc is ill, but Hershel should be there to let you in."

I looked around and quickly moved to the other side, circling Michonne in a tight hug. She froze for a moment but slowly brought her arms up, repeating my gesture.

"Glad you back, Katana."

"I really, really hate that nickname," She answered grumpily, and I chuckled, stepping back and letting her go. "So, what happened here?"

"Fence finally gave up," Rick was the one to answer, and I went back to Daryl, who was just getting out of the hug from his brother. The sheriff looked tired, both physically and emotionally.

"Go get some sleep," I told him, meeting his eyes. He chanced a quick glance at Daryl before looking at me again. "I got this. You go, get rest, and I'll take care of things."

I really hoped he would get my message. We stared at each other for a few heavy seconds before his shoulders dropped, and he smiled, only with a corner of his lips.

"Early morning tomorrow."

"Exactly."

"Alright, I'll see you at dawn." Rick threw his arm over Carl's shoulders, and slowly they made their way towards the prison. I ran a hand over my messy hair and turned to the others.

"OK, we can clear the bodies in the morning. And we need to try to mend the fence before more walkers come through," I started strategizing in the dim light coming from the car. "And we need to do new inventory on ammo. Let's go to sleep. I'll just check on Beth and the kids."

"I'll do it, Sugar. Ya had like three hours of sleep in the last two days. Go, I'll make sure they 'alright," Merle bumped in, and I struggled with emotions. I swallowed thickly and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, Hook. Let me know if somethings wrong."

"And who's on watch?" Michonne asked before I had a chance to leave, and I shook my head.

"There's so few of us left, and the majority didn't sleep since before you left. I don't know if there's anyone who can."

"Right. I'll try. I had some shut-eye in the car," The woman announced, and I nodded.

Leaning on Daryl, slowly we made our way to our cellblock, the silence was a little overbearing, but exhaustion was winning over worry and grief. And yet, I still had to talk to Daryl, tell him what happened, and talk about Carol. Yes, this will be a fun night.