FanFicReader47: I am very happy that you are enjoying the story. I'm not entirely sure what I have planned with Axel and Oscar yet, but I do know that there will be people saved in this season.

Carl and Sophia were watching their mothers work on Hershel's stump. Carol was putting pressure on the wound and switching out soaked towels for clean ones with Lori. When they ran out of towels, they started using sheets. It seemed to take forever for the bleeding to stop.

"It has to stop eventually, right?" Carol questioned as yet another bloodied wad was handed to Lori.

"It slowed down quite a bit already," Lori answered.

"If we can get him through this," she started before Lori interrupted her.

"When we get him through this," she said.

"We'll need crutches," Carol finished her thought.

"Right now we could use some antibiotics and painkillers, some sterile gauze," Lori said. "There's got to be an infirmary here."

"If there is, we'll find it," Carol told her. "You've gotta be worried sick about delivering the baby."

"Look at me," Lori said, looking over at Carol. "Do I look worried?"

"You look disgusting," Carol said after a brief consideration.

"So do you," Lori laughed. "We'll get through this."

Carl and Sophia walked away along with Beth. They left Beth in the cell she shared with Hershel and went to the one Sophia shared with her mother, sitting down.

"You think we could find the infirmary ourselves?" Sophia asked Carl.

"I think so. Tea's taught us a lot and taken us on runs. She knows we can handle ourselves," he said.

"We gotta wait for Miss Tea and your dad to get back, first. We can't leave until they come back."

"If they don't go for the infirmary themselves, we'll find it for them."

~x~

"Pantry's back here," Tomas said as the survivors and inmates walked back into the cafeteria.

"You never tried to break out of here?" T-Dog asked.

"Yeah, we tried to take the doors off," Oscar responded. "But if you made one tiny peep in here, then those freaks'll be lined up outside the door growling, trying to get in. Windows got bar on there that He-Man couldn't get through."

"No bigger than a 58," Axel commented.

"You won't find me complaining," Big Tiny stated. "Doing 15. My left leg can barely fit on one of those bunks."

"Yeah, they don't call him Big Tiny for nothing," Oscar lamented.

"You done jerking each other off?" Tomas cut in. "Sick of waiting back here."

Tea and Rick shared a look before following the inmates back into the kitchen. The look of shock on the survivors' faces at the amount of food might have been comical if it weren't for the fact that half of the amount left could feed them for weeks to come, if not months. Bags upon bags and cans upon cans. Daryl walked up to Tomas and shined his light in his face.

"This what you call a little bit of food?"

"Goes fast," he retorted.

"Mm-hmm," Daryl said dismissively.

"You can have a bag of corn, some tuna fish-" Tomas started.

"Oi, we said half, donkey-face," Tea cut him off.

"What's in there?" Rick asked, turning to the freezer.

Oscar told him not to open it at the same time as Tea tried to warn him what it was. It was too late, though, as Rick had already opened the door. The smell was enough to make the man gag and reel back. Even Tea had to scrunch up her nose as the faintest whiff of the contents reached her nose. Tomas's quip about Rick wanting to know had most of the inmates laughing.

"Can't wait for my own pot to piss in," Axel said.

T-Dog carried two large boxes of cans while Rick and Tea each carried a couple large sacks of rice and flour. They shouted for the door to be opened as they got into the commons. Carl swiftly opened the door as the three of them walked in with shit eating grins on their faces.

"What you got?" the boy asked.

"Canned beef, canned corn, canned cans," T-Dog answered. "There's a lot more where this came from."

"Any change?" Rick asked Lori as they passed.

"The bleeding's under control and no fever," she said hopefully before turning somber. "But his breath is labored and his pulse is way down and he hasn't opened his eyes yet."

"Take my cuffs, put them on him," Rick told her, turning around so she could extract the contraption. "I'm not taking any chances."

Glenn took the cuffs and walked into the cell as Lori followed Rick asking, "So what about those prisoners?"

"We're gonna help them clear out their own cell block. And then they'll be there, and we'll be here," Rick told her.

"Living beside each other?" she asked.

"I'm not giving up this prison," he told her.

"Do they have guns?"

"I only saw one," Rick told her as she looked away. "Yeah, I don't know if it's gonna work."

"Well, what are your options?"

"Tea thinks two should be killed. The other three, she's up in the air about."

"What do you think?"

"I don't think there's going to be much of a choice," Rick said honestly.

"If that's what you think," she said honestly.

"You," he scoffed. "You say this now..."

"Look, I know that I'm a shitty wife and I'm nbot winning any mother of the year awards. But I need you to know that not for one second do I think there is malice in your heart. You're not a killer, you don't condone killing, and I know that. I'm still unsure about Tea, but she has proven to be a capable leader these past months. But I trust your judgment. So do whatever you gotta do to keep this group safe. You and Tea both," she told him. "And do it with a clear conscious."

Rick walked away when he saw Tea coming back out from one of the cells they were storing equipment in, makeshift weapons in her arms. Going back into the commons, she laid the weapons on a table and watched as the inmates picked them up and inspected them, rather unimpressed with their options. It was clear that they were expecting more deadly weapons, but there was no way in hell Tea was going to give them anything that would be a danger to her heavily armed group.

"Why do I need this," Tomas asked holding up the hammer in his hands, and then the gun, "when I got this?"

"You don't fire guns," Daryl told him quietly. "Not unless your back's up against a wall. Noise attracts them. It really riles 'em up."

"We'll go in two by two," Rick told them. "Daryl will run point with Tea. I'll bring up the rear with you," he said pointing at Andrew; Tea noticed he and Tomas sharing a look. What is it with Toms being douche bags, she thought to herself. "Stay tight, hold formation, no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all go down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an ax to the head."

"And that's where you aim," Daryl said. "These things only go down with a head shot."

"You ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man," Tomas said, sharing another look with Andrew.

"Ya ain' gotta tell me neitha, but these ain' men. Damn things ain' even human, ain' even animals. There somethin' else entirely," Tea told them.

"Let me ask you, why's a piece a ass like you coming with us?" Tomas asked before sneering. "What? Wanna come join our cell block? I wouldn't mind taming that mouth of yours."

Tea chortled for a second before looking at him in the eye, "I'm comin' so I can kill ya when ya fuck up."

"'Sides, she don't need to be tamed," Daryl chimed in.

"You can't seriously be into this redneck gringo," Tomas said to her.

"Serious as the dead walkin'," she replied. "Now pick ya weapon and rememba, go for the brains."

They left the commons and began working there way through the prison. Tea and Daryl kept their crossbows aimed ahead in case anything popped out that was an immediate threat, but otherwise were silent. The inmates were grumbling amongst themselves from time to time and really grating on the nerves of the two hunters. Tea had almost turned back to snap at them, but left it alone remembering that it didn't really matter. Push comes to shove, she'd just throw the inmates at a group of walkers and get her men back to the group.

~x~

It was silent in the corridor as the two kids strode side by side, guns out, switching off who faced forward and who covered their backs. Neither spoke, simply followed the map they'd found in what Tea called the bird's nest up above the commons. There had been no dead as of yet, but a few corpses scattered the ground. As soon as the others had left, with T-Dog remaining in the commons on watch duty and Glenn on death duty, it had been easy for Carl and Sophia to sneak off.

It was only a few corridors away, and it wasn't even surrounded by cells. The infirmary was well stocked, though some of the supplies they knew nothing about and didn't think they could use. What they could, however, went right into their bags. They each carried a duffle bag and began filling them with whatever gauze, tape, bandages, and medicine they could find. They were about halfway through when they heard the groaning. Cautiously, they moved as a unit to find the source of the noise to see three walkers coming at them from the distance. Taking aim and firing, both Carl and Sophia took down a walker before Carl took care of the last one. Going back to their bags, they finished up filling their bags before making the trek back to the cell block.

They walked back into the cell block with their bags in hand, the door closing behind them alerting Glenn. "I thought you were organizing the food."

"Even better," Carl said with a proud smile, bringing his bag into the cell with Hershel. "Check it out."

Carol gasped while asking, "Where did you get this?"

"From the infirmary," Sophia answered, bringing in her own bag.

"Wasn't really much left we could use, but we cleared it out," Carl said.

"You went by yourselves?" Lori asked, not at all happy with the revelation.

"Yeah," Carl replied proudly.

"Are you crazy?" she asked him angrily.

"No big deal. I killed two walkers, Phia took down one."

"You," Lori sighed. "Do you see this?! This is was with the whole group."

"We needed supplies so we got them," Carl argued.

"I appreciate that, but-"

"Then get off my back!" Carl yelled at her.

"Carl!" Beth said. "She's your mother. You can't talk to her like that."

Carl stormed off as Sophia faced her mother, "We did like Miss Tea trained us, kept each other's back. There weren't any cells and it looked like it was the nurses and doctor that turned."

"What you did was brave, but foolish," Carol said. "I know you can handle yourself, Sophia. But that doesn't mean you disappear without letting one of us know, you hear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sophia said softly.

"And I'm not letting you off the hook about this either," Carol said in the same tone. "Tea will be told about this, and somehow I don't think she'll be very happy you wandered off alone."

This time they really did stay sorting the food until they had it all accounted and dealt with. Sophia had told Carl how her mom was going to be talking to Tea and that made Carl blanch. While Sophia had grown out of her anger at her mom, she still held Tea in higher respects as a role model, and so did Carl. They'd both rather be a disappointment to their parents than their idol. They were quietly discussing how Tea might react when they heard Beth's cries for help. Both kids were at the door to the cell before anyone else.

Carl watched as his mom rushed into the cell and laid her ear on Hershel's chest. She began to give him CPR as Beth cried in Maggie's arms. Sophia and Carl watched with both hope and fear as Lori went to give Hershel another breath. As Hershel's arms came up and around Lori, both Greene girls grabbed for her while Carl and Sophia unholstered their weapons and took aim. Neither had been so scared in their lives, but this was what they had to do. Thankfully, he let go of her and his breathing returned to normal.

~x~

"Man, it's too damn dark in here," Oscar complained.

"You gotta hold it up high out in front of you," Daryl told the man in regards to his flashlight.

"Ya gonna hear 'em long 'fore ya see 'em," Tea told him.

After a few more feet, they could hear clanging sounds to which Axel stupidly started yelling. Daryl and Tea both held up a halting hand, waiting for the walkers to round the corner to find out how much of a threat they were dealing with. It didn't take long for two walkers to shuffle their way around a corner. Easy pickings for the three survivors who knew what they were doing. For the inmates? As Daryl counted to three using his fingers to indicate a coordinated attack, they charged forward with a battle cry and initiated riot behavior.

Big Tiny held onto one walker as Tomas wailed into it, Axel taking a hit here and there before producing a shiv from his ankle and stabbing the thing in the stomach over and over again. Andrew and Oscar were in a corner kicking a walker Oscar had pushed down viciously. None of them were doing any actual damage to the walkers at all, and the three survivors just gave each other a look that showed just how bewildered they were.

After the riot was over, Daryl reinstated, "It's gotta be the brain. Not the stomach, not the heart. The brain," he said as he shot a walker in the head.

"I hear you," Axel said. "The brain."

Oscar managed to clonk the next one in the head with his hammer, dropping it permanently, "Like that?"

"Uh-huh."

They killed a few more walkers when Rick reiterated, "Stay in tight formation. No more prison riot crap."

As the walkers started coming in more force, the group took turns waving their weapons and taking out walkers. Daryl had taken to keeping Tea behind him, taking point with Rick instead so that she could keep a better eye on the situation. As such, she noticed how Big Tiny was freaking out. She tried to reach him to help him through it, but he had backed away and down the corridor before she could disengage from the formation safely. And then it was too late. She watched as he pushed one walker away and then killed another. The first walker broke free of it's confines by pulling its hand off, literally, and as if it were wielding a blade, it cut through Tiny's shoulder. Rick rushed over to help him, but Tomas pulled his gun out and wasted three of his bullets on the one walker.

Tiny turned around after Tea and Rick looked at his wound, "I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just a scratch."

"I'm sorry man," Rick said.

"I can keep fighting!" he pleaded.

"Didn't you cut the old guy's leg off to save his life?" Andrew asked.

"Look at where the scratch is," Rick said.

"Guys, I'm fine!" Tiny insisted. "Just, I'm fine. Look at me. I'm not changing into one of those things."

"Rick, he's right 'bout that. We should let 'im fight as long as he wants," Tea said.

"We could always lock him up," Oscar suggested. "Quarantine him."

In the short pause it took for Rick to think about it, the choice was taken away from all of them. Tomas took his hammer and began wailing on the man more violently than necessary, splattering himself in blood. He and Rick shared a look while Tea trained her face to conceal the disgust and horror at what she had just witnessed. While looking at crime scenes and crime scene photos was fine, she had never seen such brutality in what was straight up murder. Tea was leading the group, keeping herself to where she could watch the inmates in her peripherals. Daryl and Rick were taking up the rear. They found the laundry room, for which Tea said a silent jubilee, where Rick threw his set of keys down at Tomas's feet.

"I ain't opening that," the man said.

"Yes you are," he told him. "If you want this cell block, you're gonna open that door. Just the one, not both of them. Because we need to control this."

Once again Tomas shared a look with Andrew before he bent down and picked up the keys. He walked over to the door and unlocked it, Tea keeping an eye on Andrew and seeing his smile. She did not have a good feeling about this.

"You bitches ready?" he asked the group. He pulled on the door a couple times without success. "I got this," he said giving it one final tug.

"I said one door!" Rick yelled when both doors swung open, unleashing a group of walkers into the room.

"Shit happens!" was his reply.

They all began fighting as the walkers came in, Tea covering Daryl as he loaded his crossbow. Taking down three, she wasn't sure how many the others had, but the bodies were piling up. It didn't seem like it was going to end any time soon. She didn't see when Tomas took a swipe at Rick, but she did watch him throw the walker on him.

"Daryl!" she said.

"Watch the gap!" he warned her as he went to help their friend.

Almost as soon as Daryl had managed to pull Rick to his feet, the walkers were all down. For a moment, everyone stood still, watching and waiting for one of the dead things to pop back up. When none did, Tomas looked back at Rick, who was looking right back at him.

"It was coming at me, bro," he tried to reason, only for Tea to scoff.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Rick said. "I get it. Shit happens."

They stared at each other for a moment. In the split second it took for Tomas to start making his move, Rick already had ducked, Tea's bolt embedding itself through Tomas's eye. Andrew screamed and tried to hit Rick with his bat. Rick just kicked him down to the ground. As soon as he had an opening, he picked himself up and started running, only to be impaled by one of Tea's bolts in one shoulder and one of her throwing knives in his calf. He was persistent, though, and kept moving, hobbled as he was. Rick took off after him while Tea and Daryl stayed with Oscar and Axel.

"Get down on your knees," Daryl told them.

"We don't have no affiliation to what just happened," Axel said. "Tell him, Oscar."

"Stop talkin', man," was all he said.

A few minutes later, Rick came back in and let them know that Andrew had been dealt with. He took over Daryl's place beside Oscar and held his Python to the man's head. Tea was contemplating whether or not she wanted to speak up. Rick asked Oscar what he knew about Tomas and Andrew's plan.

"We didn't have nothin' to do with that," Oscar tried to assure him.

"You didn't know? You knew. Daryl, let's end this now!" he said, turning towards Axel as Daryl held his knife to Oscar's throat.

Tea stepped between them and said, "Rick! Enough! These two ain' got shite ta do with the otha two. Doubt Tiny did eitha."

"Sir, sir, you gotta listen to me, please!" Axel begged from behind Tea. "It was them that was bad, it wasn't us. You saw what he did to Tiny! He was my friend. Please, we ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer," Axel pleaded. "Oscar here, he's a B and E, and he ain't very good at it either! We ain't the violent kind, they were! Please, I swear to God! I wanna live!"

By now, Tea was having a hard time containing her laughter in front of Rick, who was watching her with almost as much amusement. Rick had already decided that since Tea had said they weren't a danger to the group, they'd honor their agreement. He turned back to Oscar and asked him if he wanted to add anything to Axel's passionate plea.

"I ain't ever pleaded for my life," the man said, looking Rick straight in the eye. "And I ain't about to start now. So you do what you gotta do."

"We'll finish setting you up with a cell block," Rick said.

"Rick, it's jus' the two a 'em. Maybe-," Tea started, but was immediately cut down by Rick.

Since the way to the cell block was already clear of walkers, all they had to do was unlock it. Daryl opened the door while Rick pushed Axel in. Even Tea had to admit that it was cruel what they were doing now. The cell block was full of prisoners that had been hog tied and shot in the head. There were bloodstains everywhere, and not a single cell had been left alone.

"Oh man," Axel said. "I knew these guys. They were good men."

"Let's go," Rick said.

"Man, you're just going to leave us in here? This is sick!" Oscar said.

"Rick, he's right," Tea tried yet again to get a word in.

"We're locking down this cell block," he said, ignoring her. "From now on, this part of the prison is yours. Take it or leave it. That was the deal."

"You think this is sick?" Daryl tried to comfort them. "You don't wanna know what's outside."

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones," Rick told them, walking away.

"Sorry about your friends, man," Daryl told them.

"Try takin' the bodies outside and burnin' 'em," Tea told the inmates. "And give me some time. I'll do what I can ta help ya."

"Why would you do that?" Oscar asked.

"'Cause I can read people easily," she told him. "And y'all could do us more good in our group than at arms length."

~x~

As they walked back into the cell block, they were met with Carl, who announced, "Hershel stopped breathing. Mom saved him."

"It's true," said Glenn.

"Still no fever," Lori informed them.

"Good," Tea said as Rick went over to watch the man.

Tea was standing at the entrance to the cell next to Daryl, but behind Carl and Sophia. The two kids had really started bonding as best friends over the months. Joyous sounds were heard from the cell as Hershel woke up for the first time since this morning. He grasped Rick's hand and just looked at him with gratitude while Beth cried in Maggie's arms. Everyone gave Rick a smile, and Rick replaced his hand with Beth's.

"Tea, could I talk to you for a second," Lori asked.

"Sure."

They walked out into the commons where she was informed of the children's little stunt. "They're like this because you're always filling their heads with delusions of heroism!"

"Delusions a," Tea almost laughed. "Lori, I ain' sayin' that runnin' off without tellin' ya was right, but they did do what was best for the good a the group. I undastand ya anga in the moment. But ya can' say that lookin' back when the moment's faded ya can' see they did good? I ain' condonin' it and I sure as shite am gonna have a talkin' ta 'em as their leada, but damn if I ain' also gonna praise 'em for a job well done. The only thing they did wrong was not tellin' ya where they were goin'."

"You can't honestly think that it is a good idea to let two thirteen year olds go out on their own for supplies."

"I don' think it's a good idea, but what's done is done. No point in bustin' their balls ova a job well done, and I ain' gonna, eitha. I'm sure Carol will undastand that too."

"Oh, because the two of you are all so buddy-buddy now that you hugged it out," Lori sneered.

"Believe it or not, Carol and I have been gettin' closa for a while now. I jus' neva fully cleared the air 'til last night. I've tried clearin' the air with ya, Lori. I've tried 'til I was blue in the face, but ya don' wanna listen. And I honestly don' know why. I don' know what I eva did ta ya ta make ya hold such a grudge against me. Don' know if it was Shane's advances or me not likin' domestic work, but ya ain' liked me since the quarry, and I ain' gonna pretend I like ya. At least Carol had a reason ta hold a grudge afta I brought Phia back. But ya? Who the fuck knows."

"Look how you treated Shane!"

"Look how he treated me! Look what he tried ta do ta ya! That's what ya don' wanna fuckin' listen ta! He tried ta rape us, Lori. He tried ta force us ta be with 'im. And ya still defendin' 'im. I get that ya loved 'im, might a been a different way than ya love Rick, but ya did. Ya love 'em both and it's killin' ya. And it's all but killed ya marriage and torn ya son away from ya. But that shite ain' on me. And I ain' ya blame board ya can pin shite ta every time ya wanna point blame."

"That's not what I'm doing," Lori tried to say.

"Lori, I'm tired," Tea admit quietly. "I'm tired a explainin' meself ta ya. Tired a tryin' ta make ya undastand. Ya wanna come at me for shite otha people decide ta do on their own, fine. But don' 'xpect me ta play ya damn game anymore."

She walked away from Lori and up to Carl and Sophia. Ushering them into her cell, she sat them on the bed. She began pacing, thinking about what she should say to these kids. They had done something courageous for the group, but they should have told someone.

"Are you gonna yell at us too?" Carl asked.

"What? No," Tea said.

"Are you angry?" Sophia asked.

"Nah, I'm proud a ya for doin' somethin' so important for the group. Howeva, ya put yaselves at risk not lettin' anyone else know. Unless ya get the permission from an adult, ya stuck on guard duty. That means, any time Rick, Daryl, and I aren' in this block and if T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie are busy, y'all will be in this block protectin' our people 'less ya get permission from an adult. Ya job will last 'til ya needed elsewhere or reach the age of 14," she told them.

"A year?!" they simultaneously yelled.

"Ay, it ain' the worst punishment, and we can talk 'bout guard duty outside the block durin' the day when it comes up. Point is, ya gonna be on guard duty for a year 'fore ya can go out on ya own again, though that may change given circumstances and all. But even then, ya gotta prove what ya can do. Okay? This was a good test run, but ya done fucked up not tellin' anyone ya whereabouts. Ya prove ya got the capability, but not the maturity. Not jus' yet, anyways. So do ya best on guard duty, okay?"

They both hung their heads but agreed to their punishment. It was reasonable. It gave them more responsibility towards the group while also letting them know exactly where they went wrong. She explained the punishment to Carol when she came back inside, who agreed, but suggested a month long trial period inside the cell block and commons first to which Tea quickly agreed. Rather than telling her herself, Tea asked Carol to pass her judgment onto Lori. When she explained why, Carol quickly agreed and sent about her task. Letting out a sigh, Tea went to her cell, not surprised to find Daryl. Ridding herself of her weapons, she crawled her way into his arms and they both dozed off for a while.

Updated 9/8/21