They spend the following day bringing in the cars and organizing their supplies. Carol pops her back and looks at Rick, "Where's Glenn and Maggie? We could use some help."
"Up in the guard tower." Daryl points.
"Guard tower? Weren't they up there last night?" Rick chuckles.
"GLENN! MAGGIE!" Daryl calls up to them. They see two figures get up suddenly, and T-Dog and Carol start laughing. Glenn comes out with no shirt on and buckles up his pants. "Hey! What's up guys?!"
Rick starts laughing too while Daryl puts his hands on his hips, "You coming?"
"What?" Glenn asks. Maggie sees the other three slapping their knees and groans.
Daryl smiles, "Or are you cumming?"
Carol and T-Dog start rolling. Rick calls up to them, unable to keep the amusement from his voice, "Come on. We could use a hand down here."
"Hey Rick?" T-Dog points up at the courtyard, where the two prisoners are walking towards them.
Rick snarls and takes off running, Daryl and T-Dog behind him. "We had a deal."
"We can't stay there anymore. All those bodies; there's ghost."
"Why ain't you taking them out and burning them?" Daryl growls.
"The fence is down over there." Oscar says, "We take one of the bodies out and the Walkers line up. We've just been able to drop them out the door, barely."
"We didn't have anything to do with Tomas and Andrew. We'll do whatever it takes to become part of your group, please, don't make us go back there."
"We would rather hit that road than go back in that shithole." Oscar tells them.
Rick looks at his Pack; they all look at Daryl. Even the prisoners look at the pregnant Omega, who would have the final say. Daryl shakes his head, and Rick looks back at the two Alphas. They lock them up in the fenced area they had held the cars and discuss it further, away from them.
"You want them sleeping in a cell next to you?" Rick asks T-Dog, "You want to go back to sleeping with one eye open?"
"I never stopped." The Beta says. "I say we bring them into the fold. We send them packing, we might as well put a bullet between their eyes now and be done with it."
"It's strange having new people around." Maggie sighs, "It's been us for so long, I just don't know."
"They're convicts, bottom line." Carol adds.
"Those two might have less blood on their hands than we do." T-Dog argues.
"I get guys like them." Daryl says. They all stop to listen to him; as the pregnant Theta, it was his decision what happened to them. "Hell, I grew up with them. They're degenerates but they ain't phycos. I could have been in there with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys."
"Then you're with me?" T asks.
"Hell no." Daryl huffs, "We don't know them well and we have pups. If we had more time or had met them out there were we had to stick together at all times just to survive, maybe. But I can't nest if they're in the same cell block."
"Then it's decided. Our deal stands." Rick nods.
"Move the cars to the upper yard." Rick tosses Glenn and Maggie the keys. "Point 'em facing out, they'll be out of the way but ready to go if we ever need to bail."
He turns to T-Dog, who is still upset about everything. "We'll give the prisoners a week's worth of supplies for the road."
"They might not last a week."
"Then that's on them. Their choice."
T huffs, "Did they really have one?"
"Hey." Rick grabs T-Dog's arm and let's go when he sees the Beta swallow. He remembered that T-Dog had been raised Traditional, and as a Beta, it wouldn't have been easy. He calms his voice and shows his throat, so he wouldn't see him as a threat. Rick didn't want anyone in his Pack to be scared to argue or speak their opinion with him. "Hey. If it came down to it, whose blood would you rather have on your hands; one of our Pack, or people we don't know?"
"To be honest Alpha," the Beta shakes his head, "neither."
Rick nods with a purr and pulls T-Dog in to scent him. The Beta sighs in relief and then goes to help the others, a small smile on his face until he sees the prisoners.
Daryl was getting on his bike when the baby kicked, forcing him to wince with a grunt. Axel moved forward like he wanted to help but thinks better of it. He crosses his arms over his chest instead and tries to gauge how the Omega is feeling. "Twin cylinders. That a Triumph?"
"Don't even look at it." Was the growled response he got.
"I got to say something, and it could benefit you." Daryl narrows his eyes at the other Alpha, Oscar. "That food we left in the kitchen, our share. I know we ain't taking it with us. You have people that are going to need it, take it. There was some powdered milk and applesauce with our stuff. The baby might need it later."
"I'll let Rick know." Daryl nods. He hesitates but sighs, "Anything you guys wanted from the food? I can put in a word to have it be part of your supplies."
"We'll be grateful for extra water." The Alpha says. "Don' know when we'll come across more clean, drinkable water."
Daryl nods and guns the engine, ignoring the next kick to his gut from his cub. They move all the cars to the inner yard and watch as Carol and Beth help Hershel down the stairs and outside.
…..
"There's enough food to last you a week if you ration." Glenn locks the gate. "I'd look for schools or other big places; they have a lot of food stocked but it might not be all good. Be careful what you eat so you don't get sick. We'll cut you lose when we get back."
"Thank you." Axel tells him.
Rick and Glenn go outside the fence, looking for wood to burn all the Walker bodies. Daryl had gone back to the cafeteria with Sophia to get the rest of the food, taking the wheeled cart they used for Hershel. Carol and T-Dog were helping with moving the cars around, and Carl was watching Hershel with Maggie and Beth.
"Look at that." Glenn laughs as they get back inside the fence with the wood. Rick smiles at the Alpha while he watches Carl steady Hershel as he stumbles, scenting the Elder with a smile.
"He is one tough son of a bitch." Glenn purrs. Rick looks at the Alpha with his own purr; the Asian Alpha was coming into his own. Rick and the Pack's care had really helped the Alpha come out of his suppression from Before. Everyone was happy.
"No." Rick breathes in horror, both Alphas dropping the firewood at their feet. "CARL! MAGGIE GET THEM OUT OF THERE!"
Glenn Howls a warning and starts tying the fence back together while Rick takes off to the Pack. Carl growls and points his gun at the first Walker, shooting it. Beth grabs Hershel and makes their way to a fenced-in section of the inner courtyard, closing it behind them. T-Dog and Carol come running and shooting to give Carl and Maggie cover.
"Come on!" Maggie ushered Carl back to the C block. The two Alphas are almost in the cells when Walkers come pouring out of it, forcing them to go into the tunnels to escape. Maggie slams the door behind them so they can't follow. They keep walking, knives out and ready for whenever Walkers come around the corner in small enough groups.
When they get cut off by a herd, they turn back and find more coming towards them. Carl grabs Maggie and pushes her into the boiler room, slamming the door shut just as the Walkers reach them. They pound on the door and growl, but the two Alphas manage to lock the door and secure it. They check the whole place and lock all the other doors too but find no Walkers inside.
Carl was whining, scared. Their Pack was split up, surrounded by Walkers, and no one knew where anyone was. Maggie just holds him and prays that the herd passes soon. They hear Glenn outside, Howling for their Pack. Hershel and Beth join in, so Maggie does too. Then Carl. Then T-Dog and Carol. Rick was outside, and the Alphas could still feel their bond with him, so he was okay. Where were Daryl and Sophia? They Howl louder.
….
"That fence is open!" T-Dog yells. He makes his way over to it with Carol right behind him. T-Dog dodges the Walkers hands and gets a hold of the fence, pulling it closed. He feels the Walker at his back, the hand grabbing his shirt, and braces himself for what was about to happen. The hand on his head, pushing it down, wasn't something he was prepared for, though. He turns to find Carol in tears, a crowbar in the Walkers eyes. They get the fence wired shut and make their way over to Hershel and Beth, killing every Walker that gets too close. Beth was crying as she pulled him into a hug. Hershel looks at where the Walker almost got him and sees the shirt torn with blood on the skin under it.
Carol was still crying, holding Beth as Walkers pound on the fences around them. She hands Hershel a knife, so the Elder could cut the shirt away. He uses the strip he cuts off to wipe the skin clean, fearful he would find scratches under the blood.
"Thank God." Hershel laughs, "You're clear. You're okay."
T-Dog lets out the breath he had been holding with a sob, accepting the hugs he gets from both Carol and Beth. He was okay. He was going to be okay.
…..
"Come on!" Rick fumbles to get the keys in the lock. Glenn was running up to him from the other end of the fence, still Howling in a warning. Rick didn't understand why he was still Howling until he felt his bonds come to life with worry and suspicion. Daryl and Sophia. Glenn was Howling to warn them where they were inside the prison and unaware of the freed Walkers. Beth seemed to pick up on that as well because she and Hershel started Howling as well. Rick can hear Maggie and Carl from inside Howling too. The bond spikes with nervousness and fear; it starts getting closer, so Rick knows that the two Omegas are coming towards them. A change in pitch from the Howls has the bond moving away quickly, Daryl could sense the urgency to get away, to hide, and he was taking Sophia with him.
Rick pushes past the two prisoners and gets the gate open, sprinting to the others with the three Alphas on his heels. Rick and the others start clearing the yard, and the Alpha turns to the group behind the fence. "What the hell happened?!"
"The gate was open!" Beth cries. She and Carol were shooting at Walkers while T-Dog was bracing Hershel. Rick sees the tears on his face and the torn shirt and almost climbs the fence to get to them. Instead, he grabs the fence, bending the metal in his hand.
"What happened?" His voice cracks, staring at the Beta.
"I'm okay." T-Dog yells over the gunfire. "Just a close call. Hershel already gave me the clear."
Rick breathes in relief and joins the others in killing Walkers. Once the yard was clear, Glenn came up to the Prime, "That chain wasn't broken on its own. Someone took an axe or cutters to 'em."
Rick growls and flashes red eyes to the two prisoners. He turned around and made his way over to them, growing two feet and sprouting fur. His snout extended from his face, and his fangs dropped. Before he could reach the two men, an alarm went off. Walkers start lining the fences and coming out of the woods.
They shoot at the speakers, but the sound still comes out. Rick turns his gun on the two prisoners. "How the hell can this be happening?!"
"It has to be the backup generators!" Oscar raises his hands in defense.
"Well how do you turn those on?!"
"There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay? Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hacks shut 'em all off when the prison was overrun."
"Can someone open up the main gates electronically with full power?!" Rick pointed to the gate where Walkers were crowding the fence.
"I only worked in there a few days. I guess it might be possible."
"COME ON!" Rick grabs the Alpha and drags him into the prison.
…
Rick goes into the cell block and starts shooting the Walkers still lingering there. "CARL! MAGGIE!"
When he gets no answer, he calls for the others, "SOPHIA! DARYL!"
Nothing. He slams and locks the door at the back of the cell block to keep more Walkers out.
"There was five out there." Glenn says.
"Four in here." Rick growls. "The others aren't though."
"They must have gotten pushed back into the prison."
"SOMEONE IS PLAYING GAMES!" Rick roars, shifting into his half form. He towers over the others, and his eyes weren't just red; they had a hint of yellow. The three other Alphas backed away in awe and horror. No one had seen that coloring in an Alpha's eyes before. For Rick to be so pissed, he was changing in such a way…
Glenn prayed for anyone besides Rick to find the one responsible for this. Their death at Rick's hands wouldn't even be able to count as murder.
"Find the generators and SHUT THEM DOWN!" Glenn and the prisoners charge into the tunnels after Rick.
….
They're chased into the generator room by a herd, and Glenn, Axel, and Oscar work to keep the door shut as much as they can when it wouldn't latch. Rick goes looking for a way to shut the system off. "How do you shut these down?!"
"Go! We got this!" Glenn urges Oscar away. The big Alpha leaves the other two to hold the door and goes to help Rick.
"Here!" Oscar goes to flip the switch, and Rick dodges an ax. Andrew. Tomas's prison bitch Beta had survived the yard of Walkers and was now trying to kill them all. He swings the ax at Oscar and sends him to the ground, then pushes Rick up against the controls box. Rick throws him off and into another cabinet, where Andrew reaches for his gun. Rick growls and knocks the gun to the ground. Andrew hits him with the ax and sends him down as well.
Glenn rushes to his side, leaving Axel to hold the door. He knocks into Andrew as a full wolf, hackles raised and pushes him off his Alpha. His teeth were bared in a fierce-looking snarl, his ears pointed to the side and behind him. One for each prisoner.
Glenn's wolf looked beautiful, like a red and tan husky with a black stripe down his back. He kept himself between Rick and Andrew, growling at the Beta anytime he tried to move forward. The Beta was nervous about getting closer to the wolf that came up to his chest, but his fake lunges had Glenn running at him, giving him the chance to kick the Alpha away with a yelp. Rick goes to reach for his gun on the ground and finds it in the hands of Oscar, pointed right at him.
"Shoot him!" Andrew yells at the other prisoner, "We can take this prison back. What are you waiting for, shoot him! It's our house!"
Glenn is still getting up, and with the two prisoners on either side of him with weapons, Rick braces himself. A shot rings out, and Andrew's body hits the ground, a bullet between the eyes. Glenn was on his feet, growling at Oscar but refusing to move in case the other Alpha was trigger happy.
"No, it was." Oscar turns the gun around, offering it to Rick. "Now it's yours."
Rick takes it and shuts the generators off while Glenn shifts back. "Let's go back."
…
"HERSHEL!" Rick was sprinting towards them. Beth, Carol, T-Dog, and Hershel were all still outside. Rick pulls each of them into a hug and scents them, then moves on so Glenn could as well.
"Rick?" T nods at the prisoners.
"Andrew; the Beta from before." Rick shakes his head. "This was all him. They saved our lives. If they don't give us a reason to kill them, they can stay."
The others accept it gracefully. Rick looks around. "Where are the others?!"
"DAD!" Carl was sobbing when he threw his arms around the Prime's waist. Sophia runs to her mom, who holds her and wails into her hair with gratefulness. Maggie walks right up to her dad and sister, hugs them, and then pulls Glenn into a dominating kiss. He wipes tears from her eyes and scents her, then turns to scent the two pups. Everyone was hugging and weeping, happy to be alive; Oscar and Axel even got a few hugs too.
"Where's Daryl?" Rick asks, his eyes still turned on the cellblock door. Everyone looked at each other, and then Maggie stepped forward. Sophia and Carl were both hugging Carol, crying.
"He was with Sophia in the cafeteria." Maggie says. She steps in front of her Prime, so he can see her and the door. "They heard Glenn and everyone Howling and tried to make it back to the cell block, but they got cut off. We found Sophia in a cell with some dead Walkers, hiding her scent. She said Daryl left to find me and Carl. We never saw him, but he didn't go back to Sophia. We don't know where he is."
"No." Rick whines, "NO!"
"I'm sorry." Maggie whispers, throat closing with tears. Rick pulls her into a hug and lets her cry it out. It wasn't her fault; she had to know it wasn't her fault.
When she calms down, she backs away, and Rick turns back to the prison. He Howls, calling for his Pack and reaching out with every bond he made. Some go further out than the prison, past the fences, faint but there. He's forced to ignore what that might mean, focusing on finding his Mate. The others answer his call, Howling right beside him. They all try to reach Daryl, and the longer they go without a reply, the more desperate they get.
Rick could feel the Theta in his head, their bond strong. He could feel the pain and fear and sadness echo through it. He Howls one more time then makes a signal to wait. He could still feel their bond, pulsing like a heartbeat, but it was getting weaker.
"No." Rick's voice breaks. The world spins.
"PAPA!" Carl. His pup still needed him. He needed to be strong for his son. But when he turned to look at the boy, Carl's attention was on the door. That's right, Carl called him dad. He'd never called him papa before. Carl was starting to cry, "PAPA!"
Carl was calling for Daryl. It broke the Alpha, almost as much as feeling the bond with his Mate go weaker, then silent. It could have meant many things; Daryl was unconscious or asleep or too tired to reach out to him as well. But Rick could only think of one thing. He Howled once more.
"NOOOOOOOO!"
…
Daryl heard Glenn Howling and knew something was wrong. Sophia couldn't hear it yet and was still loading up the carts with the food. When Maggie and Carl started Howling, though, she looked at the Theta, scared. Daryl takes her by the shoulder and guides her out of the cafeteria. "We need to get to the Pack but don't Howl; it could draw more Walkers. We can come back for the food later."
"Okay."
Daryl leads her down the tunnels towards the Howls, keeping an eye out for Walkers. When the tone and pitch of the Howl change, Daryl turns her away, and they travel down another tunnel. Something had changed, and they needed to keep away now. He finds a cell that was locked with two Walkers inside and gets an idea.
"Sophia." He nudges the little Omega. They shoot the Walkers, and Daryl opens the cell. They pushed the mattresses against the closed bars and then used the metal bunk bed to brace them. Daryl then takes the dead Walkers and shows Sophia how to cover their scent by rubbing the guts and blood on them and the walls. It was a gruesome sight, but the Walkers outside just passed them by without a hint of acknowledgment.
Another Howl echoes through the tunnels, bouncing off the walls. It was Carl's voice. Daryl whines; his pup was out there.
"Make sure you stay here." Daryl tells her, "Don't leave unless it's me or one of the Pack, alright? I don't care if the halls sound clear, you don't leave this cell at all."
"I promise Theta." Sophia lifts her crossbow and helps move the bed out of the way just enough for Daryl to get out of the cell. They move the bed back, and Daryl breathes through another kick.
"Stay Sophia." Daryl hated himself. Every Lycan, Alpha and Omega, had a Voice with a capital V. It was used to keep lower rank members under control during stress or defiance in Traditional and Polkrato Packs. For Daryl to use it on Sophia as a young Omega, a pup, just to keep her in the cell, to stay safe so she wouldn't run and get lost like at the farm…. He felt sick. Hopefully, she'd forgive him when everything was over.
He grabs his crossbow and moves, trying to find his Packmates. He's only able to get down two halls before running into trouble. Turning the corner, he stumbles back when he runs into a Walker. He falls, turning and hitting his side. He takes out his knife and kills the Walker; the blood from earlier and the dead body help cover his scent as more Walkers come around the corner.
Daryl would have been fine laying there if it wasn't so hard to breathe. He had done the same thing on the highway when they lost Sophia, but it hadn't been this hard. He wasn't pregnant then, though. Something was wrong. He wasn't scared yet; he felt like he pissed himself. When he felt the urge to shift and get back to his nest, it hit him.
"No…" He whispers in horror. No. He was not about to give birth surrounded by Walkers, under a corpse and covered in infected blood. He feels the baby shift and pain. Fuck, shit, yes he was, NO! He sees an open door and focuses everything on that room. No Walkers, good. He waits out another contraction and forces himself to stay quiet.
He waits until there are only a few Walkers in the hall before pushing the corpse off him, calling attention to himself. Unable to walk with the contractions being minutes apart now, he shifts and lunges for the door, slamming it shut behind him. He collapses against it and shifts back, pulling all his clothes off and using them to wipe off the blood and slick between his thighs. More replaces it almost instantly.
"Shit." He whispers. The alarms were still going off, but he could hear all the Walkers in the hall, more filling in. He'd never make it back to the cell block like this. Stripped bare, he shifts again, reaching out with his bond to Sophia to check on her. He pushes the feeling of safety and caution to her. The command from his Voice won't let her leave, but he didn't want her thinking she was in trouble. She sends love, safety, and forgiveness back to him, and he breathes easier.
Another contraction hits him, and he screams; the Walkers outside bang on the door in retaliation. Something was really wrong. The labor was happening too fast, he wasn't entirely dilated yet, but he felt the need to push. The contractions were coming in too close together. Then he felt the baby move and screamed again, this time in fear. That didn't feel right; the baby shouldn't have moved like that. There was too much pain. The baby, oh God, his baby….
He finally gives in as the alarms shut off, letting his wolf and instincts take over. The Omega was sobbing and screaming with each wave of pain. He ignored the Walkers that were heavy enough against the door now to push it in if they weren't fighting to get to food in such a narrow doorway. Maybe he could stop his body from trying to abort the baby.
His wolf goes to the back of the room, away from the Walkers, and takes the clothes with it. He pushes them into the corner and sits on them, focusing his ears on the noise around him. He pushes past the growls of the Walkers and the sound of them moving. Daryl heaves when he hears heartbeats. The sound of his Pack. One stands out, and he almost purrs. Rick.
He listens until his own heartbeat calms down, then focuses on what is happening to himself. The clothes were drenched in slick, and his water and his wolf started rolling in it. The clear liquid stuck to him, but the blood ran right off, off his fur and the clothes. The wolf was making clean bedding for him to nest with while at the same time covering everything in his scent. It was less painful when the next contraction hit; the wolf licking his opening helped ease more of the pain.
When he feels the need to push again, he does. He lifts his tail and hind leg, so he can lick at the baby as it comes out, helping it along and cleaning it. At first, he felt like he was taking a massive shit, one you had to stop and start again to get out, except it wasn't coming out of his ass. It was coming out of an opening between his balls and anus. It was bigger than usual because it wasn't an actual wolf cub, which caused it to hurt more. He could feel his Pack's fear and worry growing the more pain he felt. That had to mean he was projecting it to them, a silent pleads for his Pack's help. When Rick started Howling, calling for his Pack to give him their location, Daryl could only listen as each member answered him. Even Sophia answered to let him know they were okay.
The Walkers had grown in numbers at his door. As his labor hadn't been the quietest and with the alarms shut off, each whine, scream, sob and growl was a beacon to draw them closer. The door groaned under the weight of all of them out there, and if he wanted to keep them out, he'd have to be silent from then on. He couldn't answer his Mate or his Pack. None of them knew if he was alive, and they wouldn't until he answered them. But he couldn't risk his and the cub's safety, though.
He cries through the rest of his labor silently, even as their Howls become more and more desperate, filled with gut-wrenching fear and disbelief. They sounded like longing. It broke his heart when they went silent for a time, listening for him.
He stopped focusing on them when his little cub finally fell from his body, entirely shifted. That wasn't something that often happened, if ever. It was a myth, a legend people told stories of from Before when Lycans first started Mating with Sapiens. Biblical in a way. Wolf birthed children were strong beyond anything they could comprehend; world changers. Alexander the Great, Muhammad Ali, Helen of Troy, Sacagawea. Even Hitler had been said to have been a Wolf-borne. For his baby to be one as well, here in the apocalypse…. It made him wonder.
Daryl ignores all of that and cleans the little girl, 'his daughter' his heart raced. He chews on the umbilical cord, then nudges her towards one of his nipples for her to feed. The little cub was the size of a full-grown human baby, or a small dog breed, though her fur reminded him of tri-color merle Australian shepherd. She was going to make a beautiful wolf. He watches her whimper and turns towards the door, making small chirps. He listens for the Walkers, wondering if another herd was going to join the one outside. No, the Walkers were leaving. He smells his pup, picking her up by her scruff and bringing her back to him. She kept making the noise though he couldn't smell anything wrong.
He breathes out a laugh when he realizes the sound she was making; the little ass-kicker was trying to bark at the Walkers. His heart melts with love for his strong pup. He grooms her and gets her to feed with only a little trouble. Then a soul-shattering Howl of pain echoes down the tunnels of the prison. Rick.
Daryl hadn't responded because the Walkers were outside his door, which means they thought he was dead. He was tired from labor and couldn't reach out with his bond to let them know he was okay. He whines, and the cub looks up, her head turning towards the door. She whimpers, then chirps, then tries to Howl back. She throws her head back, and her body follows. She turns onto her stomach with a sneeze before curling up in Daryl's fur. She attempts to Howl again but cuts herself off with a yawn. She falls asleep listening to her mother's purrs and her father's Howl of mourning for his Mate.
Daryl lays down next to her, his eyes never leaving the door. Sobbing and staring at the only thing keeping him and his newborn cub safe from the threat outside, Daryl can't help but think, 'I'm so sorry Rick. Please, I'm okay. I'm so sorry.'