The Pack moves quickly, taking out the Walkers. Rick, Daryl, T-Dog, and Carl go through the front door and start clearing the house's first floor. Carl checks the kitchen while Rick checks the pantry. The Prime shines the flashlight on a door inside the small closet and goes to open it, throwing the door open and finding an arrow in his face. Daryl stood on the other side with his crossbow level with Rick's eyes. He lowers it with a chuckle and pulls his Alpha into scent his neck before moving on. Rick purrs and watches Daryl go into another room, his stomach swollen with their cub.
This was the last house in the area, their last stop before looking for the prison. Seven months pregnant, Daryl was past due, and they needed to get him in a secure place before he gave birth to the baby. T-Dog follows Daryl upstairs, and they hear the others whistle. Downstairs was clear, and the rest of the Pack would be moving in.
Carl opens the door and whistles for the others, Glenn and Maggie being the first ones through. Both Alphas were baring Mating Bites now, the result of a frantic panic from a close encounter with a herd a few weeks before. Next was Sophia and Carol; Carl scents the young Omega with a purr. Soon he would ask permission to court her; she was his best friend. Hershel and Beth follow afterward, and they close the door. T-Dog comes down empty-handed, but Daryl was plucking an owl and sticking the feathers in a pillowcase. No one says anything to him about his apparent nesting instincts, especially when he starts throwing away all the bloody ones. There wasn't enough meat for everyone, so they would have to hunt for more later and mix the meat.
They had barely settled down when T-Dog whistled for Walkers, sending everyone back outside to the cars and back to the back roads they'd been driving the last month. They pile out of the cars and make a perimeter while Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, and Rick look over the map.
"We have nowhere else to go." Glenn sighs, "When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off. We won't make it any further south. That takes out three more schools we can't get to."
"The food in the schools are only getting us so far. Most of it, if not all, has already gone bad by the time we get there. We need to find another source, or we make for the prison now. Winter's over for the most part, we can plant when we get walls." Maggie says.
"We head to the prison." Hershel comes up to them. "I know you don't like it Daryl, but your past due. We need a place for you to nest and feel comfortable to give birth or we could lose you both."
The Theta hums, looking at the map. "How many did you say there was? 150 head?"
"That was last week." Glenn leans over the map. "Could be twice that now."
"Then we make for the prison." Rick says.
"Mind if we hit the creek. We need to fill up on water and we can boil it later." T-Dog says, gesturing for the Alpha couple to come with him.
"Knock yourselves out, just stay within hearing distance." Rick chuckles.
"Hey." Daryl notches an arrow in his crossbow, "While the others wash their panties, let's go hunt. That bird ain't gonna be enough."
The couple makes their way into the trees, stopping to scent Carl where he was helping Carol and Sophia clean the weapons. They get out far enough to hear if they're needed but still have privacy. Rick is ready when Daryl kisses him, a purr in his throat. They didn't have time alone on the run and hadn't been able to scent each other properly since the night Lori was banished all those months ago. Rick and Carl had both felt it when she finally died and had both felt sad when it happened, even though they felt guilty for it. The Beta hadn't been the best mother or Mate, but the bond was still there, however weak. Rick and Daryl were going to wait to exchange Bites until after the cub was born, and they had a place they could stay for a while. They didn't know if it would send Rick into a rut or Daryl into another heat.
They simply kissed and scented each other until both of them smelled heavy of the other, then they started hunting. After a few squirrels and a rabbit or two, they found it; the prison. There were Walkers in the fields they would have to clear out, but most of the building was still standing. At the very least, a cell block was.
"That's a damn shame." Daryl looks it over from the hill.
"We can make it work." Rick purrs. "We clear the courtyard first, make camp. If we need to push further, we can. But that's plenty of room for us to live and farm. Let's get the others, see if we can't find a way to get the cars up there from the road."
"Find the tracks." Daryl kicks one of the rails they are walking on.
"I'll follow this down there." Rick nods to the rails, "Go get the others to circle round and try to find them. I'll meet you there."
He kisses his Omega again, and they split up. Rick gets to the road and manages to push one of the cars blocking the way to the prison off the road by the time the others meet up with him. Rick grabs some bolt cutters and cuts a hole in the fence, getting everyone through and the hole closed with a wire and metal clasps just as a Walker hits it. The Walkers in the prison yard and outside follow the Pack while they run to the gate.
"It's perfect." Rick says, looking out into the yard. "We need to shut the gate to the inner yard, prevent more from filling in. We could have this place by nightfall."
"How do we shut the gate?" Hershel asks.
"I'll do it." Glenn volunteers, "You guys cover me."
Rick almost purrs at how much the Alpha had grown, even just in the month he'd been Mated.
"You, Maggie, T-Dog and Beth, draw as many as you can along the fence, pick them off there. Daryl," Rick turns to his lover, "go to the other tower down there and take point. Carol, Sophia, you two have become good shots. Take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste. I want you two up in this tower. Carl, you and Hershel, are in that one up there. I run for the gate. Go."
Everyone splits up, and Glenn grabs the fence for cars to go through, waiting for Rick's signal. The Prime makes sure he has another pair of cables with metal clasps with him before nodding for the Alpha to open the gate.
He moves fast, taking out Walkers as he goes. Daryl shoots one that gets too close, and Rick rumbles his thanks even though his lover can't hear him. Carol attempts to help, shooting another one that gets too close to the Alpha and ends up putting a bullet in the ground between his feet.
"Sorry!" She calls out to him. The others pick off Walkers, making sure each one is a headshot. Rick gets to the fence and kicks one of the Walkers back, closing it and locking it up. He opens the door to the tower inside the yard and shoots a Walker, closing the door before more can get close enough. The Pack waits until he's upstairs before Daryl gives the signal.
"Light 'em up!" Soon it's a free-for-all, everyone shooting anything moving in the yard without worrying it's one of their own. When the last of the Walkers fall, everyone makes their way to the gate. Rick waits for Daryl to join them, the Omega panting with one hand on his hip from running, before opening it up for the Pack.
"OH!" Carol laughs, "We haven't had this much space since the farm!"
Carl and Sophia laugh and run around chasing each other and taking their knives to all the Walkers heads, making sure each was a kill shot. Rick purrs at the sight of them doing that, as sad as it was that it was a game for them to see how many things they could stab, so it didn't come back to hurt them. Glenn finds a Walker trying to get up and kills it, making a fake lunge at Sophia as she passes. The Omega squeals and runs to her mom, laughing. Glenn chuckles and wraps his arm around Maggie's shoulders, purring loudly. Everyone was.
"Let's get our vehicles in and set up camp." Rick called for their attention, "We need to get all the bodies together and piled up, we'll burn them tomorrow."
Everyone gets to work pulling the cars in and getting their supplies out. Sophia takes one for the team and has Daryl show her how to gut and skin the animals they would eat that night, so he wouldn't try to help move the bodies. Rick can tell the hunter knew the real reason behind the Omega bonding from the glare he gets from him, and he wasn't impressed. The Alpha had to laugh.
They have everything set up by dusk, and the smell of food has everyone coming together around the firepit. Rick leaves them to it while he walks the fence again; he wanted to ensure they wouldn't be in any danger through the night. Everyone deserves a good night's sleep for once. Daryl was on top of the bus, pacing. His cub was kicking up a storm, and he needed to do something, so he was guarding the gate. Rick had come by three times by now, doing his walk of the perimeter.
"Here." Carol places a platter of meat on top of the overturned bus and pulls herself up. Daryl helps her keep her balance, then picks up the food. "It's not much, but you need food for your baby and if I don't bring you something you'll try to not eat at all."
While Daryl eats, Carol starts rubbing her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"The rifle, the kickback." Carol shrugs, "Just not used to it."
"Here. Let me." Daryl puts the empty plate down, licks his fingers clean, and then presses on the pressure points to loosen up the muscle. "Better get back."
"I don't know. This is pretty romantic." Daryl rolls his eyes at the other Omega while she grins at him, "Want to screw around?"
"Phftt." Daryl blows a raspberry, making Carol laugh, "I've got an Alpha."
"Some like watching Omegas play with each other, pookie." Carol grins and tries to hold in her laugh.
The woman had really come out of her shell, especially since the two had gone on runs together. Daryl had fought with a street dog over a poncho because the material was soft and warm. Daryl hadn't understood why he wanted it so bad until Carol explained that he was gathering stuff for his nest when he had the baby. Carol had watched him kill the dog and take it with them for dinner to gain some of his street-cred back, but it was ruined by the dog's tag in his pocket with the word 'Pookie' on it. The damn woman hadn't let him live it down since.
Daryl shakes his head and starts making his way down, "I'll go down first."
"Even better." Carol laughs.
"Stop." Daryl huffs out a chuckle of his own. They make it to the group just as Rick does. Daryl nods to his Alpha and goes to see Hershel.
"How are you feeling?" The Elder asks as the Omega sits by him.
"Fine." Daryl grunts, "Little Asskicker going to restless all night, I can tell."
The group laughs. Daryl had taken to calling the baby Asskicker because every kick seemed aimed at his bladder.
Carl had been the first to feel the pup, just like they wanted. Daryl had taken to sleeping in Rick's tent with the two of them, and Carl had been curled up with them after Lori died, with silent tears in his eyes. Daryl was grooming the pup's hair from where it was resting on his stomach when the little Alpha had bolted up with a chirp. It sent both Rick and Daryl on guard until Carl explained he felt like something had hit him in the face. The Omega took his hand and placed it on his still small stomach, and waited for another kick. Rick wished they still had cameras to capture the look of pure joy on Carl's face.
"Let's get a good night sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Rick tells his Pack, "I know we're all exhausted, but we just have to push a little more. These Walkers are prisoners and guards, which means their supplies may still be in tack if this place fell early. An infirmary, a commissary."
"An armory?" Daryl asks.
"That would be outside the prison itself but not too far. Food, medicine, weapons; this place is a gold mine. We have to go in and get it though." Rick looks at Daryl, "This place could be made safe enough to have the baby. You're a month overdue because we haven't found a place safe enough for you to nest, not to mention the stress. This could be it."
"Then let's get some sleep." The Theta gets up. Carl follows him to their tent. Rick makes sure everyone is settled before going in and laying down next to them.
…
"I'm going!" Daryl snarls with black eyes. The Pack was watching silently while the Theta and Prime argued.
"You're pregnant Daryl, please." Rick was pleading for the Omega to stay behind in the cleared yard, and Daryl wasn't having it.
"You going to make me." Daryl rumbles low.
"No!" Rick glares, "I'm asking you not to."
"I'm going." The Omega glares.
"Fine." Rick snarls, pulling Daryl to him and resting their foreheads together. "But you stay with one of us at all times."
Daryl's eyes soften as he looks at his Alpha; the man was fighting his every instinct to keep him and their cub safe and still respect Daryl's boundaries, and the Theta wasn't making it easy. "I'll stay right next to you; hell, you can put me in the middle if you want. But I have to be able to protect our Pack, just like you. How would you feel if I wasn't pregnant but was taking Carl in there, and was trying to keep you on the other side of that gate?"
"Like hell." Rick deflates, "I'm sorry."
"Silly Alpha." Daryl kisses him. "Let's go."
T-Dog, Glenn, Maggie, Rick, and Daryl all go through the gate into the inner courtyard, keeping in a tight circle and killing all the Walkers. They get the first part clear, and when they turn the corner, Rick pulls them up against the wall with a curse. A smaller fenced-in courtyard was filled with Walkers and open. A few Walkers come out with riot gear, and they have to break to take them out. The Pack stayed on the other side of the fence, killing the ones they could pull away from the group.
"DARYL!" Rick knocks a Walker over and pulls the gate close, the Omega right behind him with the cable and clasps. Once it's on, they kill the Walkers in gear, pulling the helmet up enough to reach the brain.
"Stop." Rick tells Glenn before he can open the gate for the others.
"But it looks secure?"
"Not by the look of that courtyard it ain't." Daryl points to the fence with the Walkers behind it. "And that's a civilian. Means there's a breach somewhere."
"The inside could be swarming with Walkers from the outside." T-Dog groans.
"What do we do?" Glenn asks, "If there's walls down, we can't rebuild this place."
"We have to push in." Rick moves for the door to the neck cellblock while Maggie runs over to inform the others.
When she meets them at the door, Rick opens it. The first few feet are empty of anything, and past the second door is a small rec center. Maggie checks one of the doors leading further into the prison while Glenn checks the cell block. Both are locked. Daryl and T-Dog check for Walkers, and Rick goes up to the guard shack. He finds a man who had opted out and pulls off his keys, showing them to his Pack below. They open the door to the cell block first, checking all the cells for any Walkers. Rick checks the door in the back, finds it locked, then makes his way up to the second landing to check the cells with Daryl. They find two Walkers locked in the last two cells and are quick to get rid of them. They throw them over the railing and have Glenn and T-Dog remove them while the others come inside.
"It's secure?" Carol asks, looking around.
"This cell block is." Rick purrs, happy to provide his Pack with a new home.
"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asks.
"In the morning we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary."
"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asks, horrified. She was looking at one of the cells with a dead inmate still in it, blood splattered on the walls and mattress from him opting out.
"I found some keys on some guards. Daryl has a set too." Rick says.
Everyone starts looking for different cells to claim as their own. Carl puts his stuff in one of the cells and looks up to see Carol and Sophia in the doorway. The Omega smiles up at her mom and puts her stuff up on the top bunk. Carl looks at the Lambda in shock.
"I'll let Rick and Daryl know, ok?" Carol just smiles and nods before moving into the next one. Sophia pats the bottom mattress, and Carl sits down while she pulls out some cards for them to play. Carl purrs and takes his cards from his Mate-to-be.
Glenn and Maggie chose their own cell and checked each other over for bites or scratches. Rick goes up to the second level and finds Daryl cleaning his bow and knives in one of the last cells. He sits next to him and kisses his neck, causing the Omega to huff. He pushes the Alpha away and then sighs. "This is it."
"What do you mean?"
"This is where I'll nest." Daryl looks at the cell, "I'll hang some sheets or something up on the bars for a bit of extra privacy when I go into labor. The door closes but the lock is weak enough for me to push it out if I feel too cooped up. You can't open it by just pulling on it from the outside though, already checked. Got a view of the whole block from right out the door, and I can even see most of the courtyards too. It's perfect."
"That mean-?"
"Our baby could be here tomorrow." Daryl smiles.
….
They go out and find the armory later that day and pull off anything they can from the Walkers. They would need anything they could get to help them while they check the inner tunnels of the prison. Glenn brings spray paint so they can map their way back. Carl stays behind with Carol, Beth, and Sophia. Daryl pushed to come again, not wanting to stay locked in the cellblock while Rick could be facing a herd.
Daryl opens the door and locks it behind them, and Glenn makes the first arrow before they make their way down. They turn a corner and run into a herd. Maggie and Glenn get separated, and when the herd passes, Rick and the others double back to look for them. Hershel passes a Walker that hadn't moved before when he thinks he hears Maggie, and the Walker comes alive, biting into his leg. He trips and screams, alerting the Pack. Rick comes back with a roar and shoots the Walker drawing the herd back on them. T-Dog and Glenn grab Hershel and Rick grabs Maggie, who had started wailing at the sight of a bite on her dad's leg. Daryl kills a few Walkers to buy the group time to get away, and they're chased into the Cafeteria. Daryl and T-Dog block the door and barricade it with T-Dog's crowbar.
"Hold him down." Rick pulls off his belt. Daryl sees where it's going and puts all his weight on keeping the man's legs still, instructing Glenn to do the same. The Prime uses his belt as a tourniquet then grabs his hatchet. "Only one way to keep you alive. Look away Maggie."
He brings the hatchet down on the man's leg multiple times, severing it above the bite and making sure it is completely cut off.
"He's bleeding out." Rick says. Hershel had passed out from the pain and shock, and the Prime wanted to howl his pain and fear.
"Rick, down." Daryl stands up with a flashlight and his crossbow ready, shining it on the figures in the kitchen window. The Omega could smell four Alphas and a Beta and is extremely glad he was wearing a baggy shirt to cover the swell of his stomach. Rick's growl and red eyes send all five men away from the window when he faces them.
"Holy fuck."
….
Daryl keeps the crossbow on the five prisoners even as his Alpha stands up and growls at them.
"Who the hell are you?" Daryl demands from the group. He touches Rick's elbow to let him know he's got it, and the Prime turns his attention to trying to stop Hershel's leg from bleeding.
"Who the hell are you?!" One of the prisoners yells back.
"We got to go back, he's bleeding out." Rick tells the others. He pulls Maggie to him, "Put pressure on the knee, hard."
"Why don't you come on out of there." Daryl urges the prisoners, "Nice and slow."
"What happened to him?" One of the Alphas steps forward. He was the Prime for the little group; Daryl would have to be extra careful around him.
"He got bit." Daryl tells them.
"Bit?" The Alpha pulls a gun out. T-Dog raises his with a growl and teeth bared, which sends the group stepping back in shock.
"Easy now." Daryl levels the crossbow with the Alpha's head, stepping in front of the Beta, "No one needs to get hurt."
"Do you have medical supplies?!" Glenn walks right past the group to the kitchen, trusting his Pack to have his back when walking past the new group.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" The Alpha points his gun at Glenn, then turns it back on Daryl and T-Dog. "Who the hell are you people, anyway?"
"Don't look like no rescue team." Another Alpha says.
"If a rescue team is what you're waiting for, don't." Rick snarls from where he was holding Hershel up, trying to move him. "Come on we got to go!"
Glenn comes back out with a wheeled table and gets Hershel onto it. "T get the door!"
"You crazy, don't open that!" The Beta yells.
"We got this!" Rick yells.
T-Dog opens the door and body slams the remaining Walker into the wall, shoving the crowbar under the mask and through the brain. The dead Walker goes down, and they wheel Hershel out. Rick calls for his lover as Daryl keeps his bow on the group, daring them to follow. Rick leads the way, guiding them through the maze and following the arrows to get back to C block, where the rest of their Pack was. T-Dog and Glenn move Hershel, and Maggie keeps pressure on the wound; Daryl brings up the rear, watching for Walkers and the prisoners.
"Stop, stop." Rick calls to them. Everyone waits while they watch to see who is following them.
"Follow the flashlight man. Come on." The prisoners. Rick leads them forward again and has Daryl unlock the door for them.
"Open the door!" Rick calls to Carl. The young Alpha opens it, and the Pack closes it behind them.
"He got bit." Rick tells the others. They move Hershel into the cell he claimed as his own, and Carol starts to instruct everyone to get towels.
"Can you stabilize him?" Rick asks the Lambda.
"I need to keep his leg elevated. GET SOME PILLOWS!" Maggie holds Beth while they cry. "He's already bled through the sheets."
"We could burn the stump; try to clot the blood." Glenn tries to help. "I can start a fire."
"No, that could send him into shock, which would kill him. Besides, it won't stop the arteries from bleeding. We just need to keep it dressed and let it heal on its own." Carol jumped when a loud yell echoed around them. Daryl was upset.
"What was that?" Beth asks.
"Prisoners; survivors. Daryl and T are distracting them, but I got to go before they shoot at one of us." Rick leaves the cell, Glenn following. Rick turns to the other Alpha. "I need you here. If he dies-"
"I got it." Glenn nods to the door. "Go."
…..
Daryl and T-Dog stay outside and wait for the prisoners to come out of the tunnels. Their Prime is the first one out, the Beta following and the other Alphas behind him. Daryl took note of that; the Beta was the Prime's prison bitch.
"That's far enough." Daryl called to them once they were all just inside the door. He stays behind one of the tables, hiding the swell of his belly.
"Cell block C. Cell 4- that's mine, gringo. Let me in."
"Today's your lucky day, fellas." Daryl levels the crossbow at them, "You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go."
"What you got going on in there?"
"It ain't none of your concern."
The Prime grabs his gun, "Don't be telling me what's none of my concern."
Daryl stands up fully and growls, turning the bow on the Alpha only. T-Dog steps up, too, his gun pointing at the Alpha.
"Chill man." One of the bigger Alphas says, "Dude's leg is messed up. Plus, you heard the Omega, we're free to go. Why are we still in here?"
"Omega?" The Alpha looks at Daryl with a new eye, "I don't see a Mark. You this Pack's Breeder? Open to use for whoever? Who let you out of your bed and gave you a weapon?"
"The fuck you just call me?!" Daryl snarls. He moves from behind the table and gets closer to the Alpha to get a better aim. T-Dog pulls him back with a growl, putting himself between them.
"Damn it Tomas, why don't you think with your head and not your knot." The last Alpha speaks up. "Look at him; he's pregnant. Far enough along to be nesting. That's why they're so protective of the cell block."
"This is my house, my rules, and I'll go where I damn well please." Tomas points his gun at T-Dog.
Rick comes out of the cellblock with a warning rumble. The prisoners catch a glimpse of Carl through the bars, locking the door and glaring at them. The pup's eyes flash red, and then he's gone from view. Rick makes his way between his Pack and Tomas; he places a hand on the back of T-Dog's neck, and the Beta falls back, gun lowered. He places a hand on Daryl's bow, and the Omega points it at the ceiling with a scowl. Daryl didn't like it, but this way, the prisoners knew who was in charge here.
"There a problem here?" Rick rumbles.
"How many of you are there?"
"Too many for you to handle."
"Can't you take that guy to a hospital?"
Rick and his Pack exchange glances. "How long you guys been locked in that cafeteria?"
"Going on month ten." Tomas looks at his Pack.
The big guy speaks up, "A riot broke out. Never seen anything like it."
Then the Beta, "Heard about dudes going cannibal; dying and coming back to life."
"One guard looked out for us, locked us up in the Cafeteria. Told us to sit tight, threw me this piece, said he'd be right back."
"That was 292 days ago."
"294 by my count-"
"SHUT UP!"
"We figured the National Guard, or the Army would be showing up any day now."
"There's no Army." Rick tells them.
"What do you mean?"
"No government, hospitals, police. It's all gone." Rick rumbles.
"For real?"
"Serious."
"What about my mom's?" Big Tiny asks.
"My kids? My Mate? Do you got a cell phone or something we can uses to call our families?"
"You don't get it do you?" Daryl huffs.
"No phones, no computers. As far as we can see, half the population has been wiped out, at least. Probably more."
"No way." Tomas huffs.
"See for yourself." Rick leads them outside. The quiet gets to them first. All the white noise people never thought about before was gone; cars, planes, the hum of electricity in the powerlines. The bugs and birds were silent, and the only sound for miles was the creek outside the fences.
"Damn the sun feels good."
"Good lord. They're all dead."
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these fences."
"How the hell did you get in here anyway? You never said." The Beta says.
"Cut a hole in the fence by that guard tower." Daryl tells them.
"That easy huh?"
"Where there's a will there's a way."
"Easy for you to say."
"Is this like a disease?" Big Tiny pokes at one of the Walkers with his stick.
"Yeah. And we're all infected." Rick tells them, "It's airborne; you die, you turn. Don't have to be bit."
"What do you mean infected?" Axel asks, "Like AIDS or something?"
"If I was to kill you," Daryl lifts his bow, "shoot an arrow in your chest, you'd come back as one of those things. It's gonna happen to all of us."
"Ain't no way you and yours are responsible for killing all these freaks." Tomas huffs.
"Most be 50 bodies out here." Andrew agrees.
"Where'd you come from?" Tomas looks at Rick.
"Atlanta."
"Where you heading?"
"As of now, nowhere."
"I guess you can take that area down there near the water." Tomas points to the corner of the yard. "Should be enough room for your Pack."
"We're using that field for crops." Rick growls.
"We'll help you move your gear out."
"That won't be necessary." Rick bares his teeth at Tomas; a challenge. "We took out these Walkers, this prison is ours."
"Slow down cowboy."
"You snatched the locks off our doors." Andrew growls at Rick.
"We can give you new locks if that's how you want it." Rick looks at the Beta.
"This is our prison." Tomas shrugs, "We were here first."
"Locked in a broom closet." Rick scoffs. "We took this place, set you free. It's ours, we spilled blood."
"We're moving back into our cell block."
"You'll have to get your own."
"It is mine. I've still got personal artifacts in there. That's about as mine as it gets." Tomas pulls out his gun, and Daryl sets his loaded crossbow against the Alpha's temple.
"Cell four, right?" Daryl huffs, "Two minutes and your shit will be over the fence. Got anything else you want to say?"
"Wait, please." Axel looks at Rick.
Tomas looks at the other Prime. "Call off your Breeder."
"Excuse me?" Daryl growls.
"What kind of Omega knows how to use that shit anyway?" Andrew huffs, "You one of them New-School fuckwits?"
Daryl pulls out his pistol and points it at Andrew. He had both of them under his weapons and still waited for Rick to give him the signal.
"My MATE." Rick emphasizes the word, "Will kill you the next time you say some shit like that. And yeah, we are New-School."
"I don't see a bite yet he's carrying." Tomas growls, "It's what he is."
"Man did you not see what happened to that guy's leg?" Big Tiny asks, "He got bit and they cut it off. Bites are dangerous now, that's probably why he doesn't have one."
"Your friends smart." Daryl growls, "Maybe he should have been the Prime."
Tomas snarls and flashes his eyes at Omega. Rick pulls out his own gun and points it at Tomas.
"Wait!" Axel gets between them, "Maybe we can find a way to make this work out, so everyone can win."
"I don't see that happening."
"Neither do I."
The two Packs come to an agreement; half the food in the Cafeteria goes to Rick, and they help the prisoners clean out a new cell block for them. Rick and the others go back to the Cafeteria and load up half of the food, carrying everything into the cell block. The prisoners help, and when Tomas gets too close to the door, Carl slams it shut with a growl. Glenn comes out of one of the cells, followed by two females, an older Alpha that shares his bite and a little Omega barely presented. Daryl growls at him and gets in front of him until he backs away from the door. They set the rest of the food in the rec room, Daryl not moving from the entrance to the Pack's home, and Carl refusing to unlock the door while they're there.
They wait until they're about to leave before giving the prisoners weapons, all blunt. Tomas picks up a crowbar and huffs. "Why do I need this when I have a gun?"
"You don't fire guns unless your back's against the wall." Daryl tells him, "One shot and you'll bring a herd down on you. They're drawn by noise."
"Make sure you go for the brain; a headshot is the only thing that takes them down." Rick reminds them.
"Don't have to tell us how to take down a man."
"They ain't men." T-Dog huffs, "They're something else."
…
The three from Rick's Pack just watch the prisoners ignore everything they were told and go prison riot-like on the two Walkers, stabbing at the stomach and hitting it with the objects.
"Let's just leave them." Daryl huffs, "Ain't like we owe them shit if they ain't gonna listen."
"Can we Alpha?" T-Dog looks at Rick.
"Come on." Rick goes up to the first Walker and takes it out. Daryl shoots the other on the ground once the prisoners get clear of it. Rick turns to the group. "We do it like we said, or we leave you to it yourself. The head and stay in formation. No more of that prison riot crap."
They keep going and find more Walkers. They lose Big Tiny when he gets scratched by a Walker; Tomas kills him without a second thought. T-Dog leads them further down the tunnel, and Daryl gets close to Rick.
"You see the look on his face?"
"He makes one move-"
"Just give me the signal."
They get to the laundry room, and Daryl tosses his keys to Tomas. Tomas ignores Rick's warning to only open one door, and the herd comes pooling into the room.
"I said only one!"
"Shit happens!"
Tomas keeps close to Rick as he takes out the Walkers. He takes a couple of swings at Rick, and the Alpha is careful enough to dodge many blows that could have taken his head off. The Prime knew what was going on; Tomas was Traditional. When it came to the territory, taking out a competing Alpha means the winner gets everything from that Pack. Food, shelter, members. Tomas was after Rick's position and his family. And from the look he sent Daryl….
Tomas throws a Walker on top of Rick and Daryl's quick to save his Alpha, driving the knife into the Walkers head. He helps Rick to his feet, and the Alpha flashes his eyes at the Omega. The signal to take out Tomas. Daryl waits until he's on his feet, then turns his bow on the prison bitch Beta. T-Dog keeps the others in his sight, gun safety off.
"It was coming at me, bro." Tomas tries to play it off.
"Yeah I get it." Rick growls, "Shit happens."
Rick drives his ax into Tomas's head, kicking him off the blade. Andrew takes off running, and Rick follows. Daryl has Oscar get on his knees with no protest. The Alpha didn't want to upset a pregnant Omega; he remembered how his Mate was with their little one. T-Dog has Axel get to his knees as well. Rick chases the Beta into a courtyard filled with Walkers and locks the door behind him. "Come on man, let me back in, please!"
"You better run." Rick flashes the Beta his red eyes. The prisoner turns around and makes a break for the fence. Rick leaves him there, making his way back to the laundry room.
"Rick." Daryl breathes.
He goes up to his Alpha with a purr, scenting him. T-Dog keeps an eye on both prisoners while the Prime couple takes a minute. They continue to D block and leave Oscar and Axel to clean out the Walkers with a set of keys. Each prisoner had been zip-tied and shot in the head. They remind them of the deal that the prisoners would stay away from Rick's people before heading back to their block.
They find everyone in good enough condition, though Carl had left and cleaned out the infirmary by himself without telling anyone. That earned him a lecture from his dad and pop on the ear from Daryl. Hershel had stopped breathing, but Carol had brought him back; Sophia and Beth had organized all the food.
Rick checks on the older man just as he starts to wake up. They prepare to take him out if he turns, but he smiles at his daughters and takes Rick's hand.
"Thank you." The Elder breathes, "For saving me."