Can you believe it's already March?! That's crazy! Life has been so crazy lately. I have to stage manage a musical and it is some stressful stuff. Anyway, enough about my lonely life.

Thank you to my lovely reviewers. It is your feedback that keeps my mind going and keeps the wheels turning. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas, let me know in the reviews or PM me. I hope you like this chapter, because I do.

Also, Wendy imouto chan... WHERE DID YOU GO? I MISS YOU SO MUCH AND YOUR AWESOME FEEDBACK!

Nicole POV

Lyrics are in the chapter!

We drove up to the edge of the high fence that completely surrounded the prison. From the vantage point we had been at earlier, we knew that the prison spanned at least a mile, if not more. It covered a few acres of grassy land, intermittently dispersed with tall, cinder block buildings and cement yards. Guard towers were stationed strategically around the fence, looming over everything.

I grabbed my bag and slipped it onto my left shoulder, the one that didn't have my bow and my gun. I pulled the handle to my door and shoved it open, slowly

pulling myself out of the cramped SUV.

Everyone else got out to, shouldering their bags and pillows and various weapons. We stood there, looking in at the prison, analyzing our surroundings.

"There's a gated road just in there. It'll take us to that gate over there." Rick said loudly, pointing to a gate that was a few hundred feet down the road.

"How are we gonna get in?" Hershel asked. "The main gate is locked from the inside, and there's no way anyone is getting over this thing." He added, shooting a glance up. I followed his gaze, seeing the barbed wire that lined the top of the fence, about 2 feet high. Yeah, that was not happening.

Rick scratched his chin thoughtfully, looking the fence up and down. "We could….maybe we could…."

"Bolt cutters." Glenn said suddenly. I turned to look at him, his face slowly growing into a grin.

"What?" Rick asked.

"I have bolt cutters in my bag." Glenn explained. "We could cut open the fence enough for everyone to slip through, and then we could tie the fence up back with wire so the walkers can't get through." I nodded at his explanation. It was a pretty good plan, all things considered. Rick seemed to think so too, because he nodded as well, resting his hands on his hips.

"Alright, let's do it." He said. "I'll go through first, then Daryl, then Nicole. We'll take out as many as we can on the road. Then the rest of you follow in. Glenn and T, I want you to to watch their backs as they go through, and then go last. Then you can lace it up after you get through."

Everybody grunted in response to him, bouncing on the balls of their feet. Rick shot me a glance and I nodded reassuringly, pulling my knife out of my belt loop. I would have preferred to use my bow or one of my guns, but we were running dangerously low on ammo and a bow wouldn't work well in such close quarters, so a knife it was.

Glenn pulled the wire cutters out of his bag, handing them over to Rick. The older man took them with a grin, giving him a nod. He turned to me and motioned for me to follow him. I slid my bag off of my shoulder, catching the handle in my hand, letting it hang next to me. Daryl came up beside me, his roll in his large hand. He gave a small side grin, one that was there in a moment and gone in a flash. I returned in subtly, acknowledging his small movement.

Rick sucked in a breath before turning and cutting through some of the fence. Daryl grabbed on to the edge of the cut area and began to pull it back, creating a small doorway for out group. Rick slipped through first, his knife in his right hand. Daryl went through next, and I followed, having the easiest time of all of us. I was much smaller than they were, so the fence barely caught any of my clothing. I felt a hand clasp onto my wrist and pull me up from my awkward squatting position. I mumbled a quick "Thanks," before I tossed my bag to the side.

As soon as we had cut the fence, the walkers had started to converge in on us. I drew my knife, just as Daryl and Rick did, and lunged at the coming monsters. I flew at the nearest walker, digging my knife into its eye, twisting it around for good measure. The brains made a horrible squelching noise before I finally pulled my knife out, watching it crumble to the ground. I turned to my left and slashed the next one's throat, sighing loudly as hot blood gushed over my hand. I just cleaned out under my nails. Now, because of this little fucker, I had to clean them out all over again.

I could see the others coming through the fence behind us out of the corner of my eye as I turned to take down another walker. I kicked my leg out, nailing him in the knees, knocking him backwards as he grabbed at my arms. I grunted and kicked his writhing body before stabbing him in the head, effectively silencing his moans. I wrapped my hand around the bloodied hilt and yanked it out, standing up from my crouched position. I looked around, ready to take down another enemy, but stopped when I realized that the only things around me were people, living people. I shot a glance towards the fence, smiling when I saw that it had been tightly laced with copper wire. Walkers were throwing themselves at fence, but we were all safely inside, out of reach of their rotting hands.

"You good?" Carol said to me. She stuck her hand out, my bag dangling from her fingertips.

"I need to wash my hands, but yeah. I'm good." I answered, taking my bag with my semi clean hand, offering her a grateful smile. I slung it over my shoulder and we followed Rick, who was already heading down the road, towards the gate to the yard.

From here, we had a clear view of the yard. It was a long, grassy clearing, fenced in on all sides. Dozens of walkers milled about the yard, groaning and stumbling about. Most were dressed as prisoners and guards, their uniforms still recognizable despite the blood and guts.

"If we surround the yard," Rick said, looking around. "Then we should be able to take them out and secure the area."

I looked around the area. There were guard towers, high enough for us to be able to get some good shots. Maybe we could draw them to fence and kill them through it. Then, my heart sunk down in my chest as I noticed the flaw in our plan.

"Uh, Rick?" I said, getting his attention. Everyone turned to look at me, staring back. "One small problem."

"What?"

I stuck my arm out, pointing to the wide open fence across the yard, the one that was letting walkers cross back and forth between the yard. "If we want to clear the field and secure it, then we need to get that gate closed. If we don't they'll just keep coming through." Rick's face fell at my observation, the words sinking in. We all knew what this meant. Someone had to go and close it. I opened my mouth to volunteer, but someone beat me to it.

"I'll do it." Glenn said quickly, before anyone else could volunteer.

"No." Rick's response was almost instantaneous. I sighed internally, because I already knew how this was going to end. It was going to go the same way it always does. There will be a problem, someone will volunteer to fix it, and then Rick will insist on doing it himself.

"I'm the fastest." Glenn reasoned, trying to convince him,

"No Glenn." Maggie said softly, grabbing his arm. Those two were very protective of each other, and I knew, and everyone else knew too, that there was little to no chance of Maggie letting Glenn do something like that.

"No Glenn. You and Maggie can take the fence over there." He pointed to the left of us. I rolled my eyes. Yup, he was following the same pattern. Glenn knew this too, because he didn't bother to argue. He just simply nodded, stepping back to stand beside Maggie. "Start banging on it, making as much noise as possible. Try and draw the walkers towards you, then kill them through the fence." He turned to face the rest of us. "I want Daryl, Nicole, Hershel, and Carol to go up in the guard tower, hit them from above. You guys are the best shots we have, but we're running low on ammo, so be smart about it. Everyone else can take a spot on the fence. I'll have Lori stay here to open and close this gate. I'll run in and close the gate, then I'll get up in that guard tower and we can take out the survivors. Sound good?" Everyone nodded in acknowledgement, even though we all knew that no one was going to disagree with him. Hardly anyone ever did. He had gotten us this far. Why should we disagree now? "Then let's go."

The group split, with the biggest group spreading out along the fence, their weapons at the ready. T had a sharp iron stake in his hands, while most of them had long knives or machetes. Maggie, Carl, and Glenn had guns at their waists. I knew that they were prepared.

I went after my group of Hershel, Carol, and Daryl, who were at the base of the nearest tower. Hershel and Carol were loading their shotguns, carefully locking them. Daryl had his bow in his grip, one already loaded, ready to be fired. I did the same, pulling my bow off of my shoulder and loading. My AK was already loaded and hanging across my back.

"Alright." Daryl said, taking control of the group. "Carol, you'll pull the door open. I don't think we should meet anyone in there, but I'll go first. Then Hershel and Cole, and you can bring up the back. Then we'll wait for Rick's signal and take them out."

"Careful with the ammo." Hershel added, his tone wary. "We're almost out. Take your time and aim."

"But don't let him die." Carol added with a wry smile, her tone dry and sarcastic. I chuckled a little, while the other two rolled their eyes. "It's true though."

"Let's go then." Daryl said, readying his bow. Carol nodded and grabbed the door handle in her free hand.

"One….two…...three!" She ripped it open, and Daryl lurched forward, prepared to meet an undead foe. I was pleasantly surprised when the doorway was empty. Daryl grunted and shuffled in, not lowering his bow. I followed close behind, keeping my guard up. I wasn't in the mood for any surprises today. I could feel Hershel behind me, his breathing slow and steady. Carol came through last, closing the door as Daryl and I ascended the staircase towards the top of the tower.

"It's clear." Daryl announced, finally lowering his weapon, dropping his defensive stance. I lowered mine too and we both stepped out onto the small balcony that surrounded the tower. From here, I had a clear view of the whole yard, from the cell block to the fence where we had started. The others were already in their positions, stationed spread out along the fence. I could see Rick and Lori by the gate, her pale hands gripping the handle. I brought my bow around, holding it steadily in my hands, ready to go. Carol precariously rested her rifle against the top of the railing, preparing herself. As soon as Hershel set himself up, Daryl brought his fingers to his lips and whistled as loud as he could, the signal for Rick to go.

With a from her husband, Lori pulled the gate open enough for him to get through. Rick squeezed through the space, his gun at the ready, and the gate closed with a bang behind him. The others were screeching and screaming, hitting the fence with their hands, begging the walkers to come in their direction. I focused my attention on the center of the yard where Rick was running. With impeccable precision, I took down a walker that was just a few feet from my friend. As more converged in on him, the others began to shoot as well, their guns going off loudly beside me. I took down beast after beast with my arrows, before I noticed that I was on my last one. I groaned and dropped the bow, switching it out my AK. I stopped to adjust my aim just as a bullet screeched past me, narrowly missing Rick's head. He turned to me with a look of confusion.

"Sorry." Carol grimaced, adjusting her aim. I laughed a little internally at her wry response, taking down another walker with a direct shot to the eye. Rick had made it to the gate, but there was a large mass right on the other side of it, coming straight for him. I sucked in a deep breath and released a hail of bullets on them, giving Rick enough time to pull the gate closed. He gave a swift kick to the walker that was closest to him, sending him flying backwards into the mass. He closed the gate and clipped it in place with our metal carabiners. He turned and shot the walker that stood between him and the nearest guard tower and sprinted towards the sanctuary , just out of reach of the moaning walkers. He ripped the door open, slipped inside, and slammed it shut with an alarming thud. We waited a few moments, holding our breath, before he emerged at the top.

I let out a relieved sigh, happy that the hardest part was over. I shot Rick a smile, which he returned, before turning my gaze to the group along the fence. An impressive pile of bodies had piled up along the other side of their friends, their heads and eyes impaled and destroyed. I gave Carl a small thumbs up, to which he responded with a small salute. I chuckled and turned my attention back to Rick, who had just finished loading his shotgun. He looked up at us and nodded, ready to give the order.

"Light em up."

And boy, we did.

Bullets and arrows flew, taking out the few dozen monsters that were left after our first wave. I hated to admit it, but I was having way too much fun doing this. It was almost like a video game. The goal: take out as many as you can.

Except, this wasn't a video game. This was real life,

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind as I took out the last of the walkers, watching the fall backwards limply, the bullets piercing through their brains.

When the last one fell, a silence fell all around us. But this time, the silence wasn't heavy and upsetting like it usually was. It was light and fulfilling, a silence of contentment. We had done it. We had actually done it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"We haven't had this much space since we left the farm!" Carol cried gleefully, running into the open field with her arms wide. Beth followed her, her pigtails bobbing joyously, her arms full of bags and blankets, a giant smile on her face. The rest of us followed them into the spacious yard, our bags in our hands.

I looked around with a smile. We would have to remove all of the rotting corpses, but those did not bother me right now. This was the first time in months that I felt safe. There was a fence surrounding us, wrapping us all in a protective bubble, blocking out all of the walkers.

We settled down in the center of the yard, in the biggest area without any walkers in it. The sun was about to set, casting an orange haze over our group. A sharp wind blew through the air, chilling me a little. It wasn't winter anymore, but it definitely wasn't summer either.

"How about we start a fire?" T suggested, looking around at the group. I knew that no one would admit it, but I could tell that at least Beth, Maggie, and Lori were all cold. I nodded, setting my bag down.

We split up, traveling the edges of the fence, picking up branches that had been torn off of the trees that surrounded the prison, tossed in by the wind. After a few minutes, I had collected a substantial amount, enough to keep a fire going for a few hours.

When I got back to the group, the sun was almost completely gone and everyone else had already set out their sleeping bags and blankets. I smiled when I saw that someone had dug a small trench for me to build a fire in. I knew it had to have been Daryl, because he was the only other one that knew to do that.

I looked around for him to thank him, but I noticed that he wasn't with the group. He and Rick were patrolling the perimeter of the fence, checking for any breeches or weaknesses. I didn't think there were any, as we would have caught them by now, but I didn't stop them. Instead I got on my knees and built up a decent sized fire.

I stepped back, admiring my handiwork, soaking in the warmth.

"Nice flames." A voice said next to me. I jumped a little, not expecting for their to be anyone there. Daryl rolled his eyes. "Didn't mean to scare ya." He chuckled. He stuck his hand out to me, and I noticed there was a can of beans in it with a spoon stuck in it. "How about a peace offering?"

I rolled my eyes, but took the can nonetheless, shoveling a spoonful into my mouth. I groaned with happiness when I tasted it, savoring it before finally swallowing. "Damn. I laughed. "Those are good." I took another two spoonfuls before setting the spoon back in there. Some people may find sharing silverware gross, and some may say that it's unsanitary, but considering all of our bodies were covered in dried blood and guts, I didn't think it mattered. Daryl didn't seem to care either, because he just took the spoon and scooped some into his mouth,

"Yeah. Found 'em wedged in the bottom of my roll. Who knew." He said between bites, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. I took a few more bites before I let him have the rest. After a few awkward moments of silence when the fan was emptied, Daryl turned to me, smirking. "It is a nice fire though."

"You know I have a thing for pyrotechnics." I said wryly. Both of us visibly cringed at the memory of that awful say, and I shook my head, clearing my kind of those memories. "Figured they could use it." I shrugged, gesturing to the people that were warming themselves next to the flames.

"Figured you could use it too." He added, looking me up and down. It was then that I realized that I was shivering. I blushed awkwardly, rubbing my arms vigorously, trying to calm my body down.

"I'm fine." I offered, continuing the rubbing.

"O-kay." He grunted, drawing it out. Silently, he bent over and picked something off of the ground. It was a fleece blanket, one that he had picked up a few months ago at a house. I had mentioned that it reminded me of my favorite childhood blanket, and the next day when we left I had found it sitting in the back of the SUV, neatly folded. I had never figured out who had done it, but I had my suspicions.

I grinned sheepishly and took the blanket, wrapping it around my small frame, immediately appreciating the warmth.

"Thanks." I mumbled, pulling the fabric tighter.

"Don't mention it." He nodded, zipping his jacket. I watched as the wind rippled his growing hair, making it shiver and move. His scruff had started to grow out, but it was nice and clean in a very masculine way. The light from the fire bounced off of his eyes, making them glow like embers in a fire. He looked…..really good right.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that the others were talking to me.

"Huh?" I answered, not my most articulant response ever.

"You wanna sing something Nikki?" Hershel asked nicely, his kind eyes glowing warmly in the firelight. The others were staring at me expectantly, sitting around like a group of kids waiting for me to tell them a story.

"Oh...uh…." I stuttered, unsure of what to do.

"I just figured," Glenn stepped in. "It's a campfire. Campfires have songs." He grinned sheepishly. "I mean, you don't have to. It's not like we're gonna…"

"No, no. It's mine." I said gently, pulling the fleece fabric even tighter, as if it would protect me. "Just let me think of a song." What could I sing? What song would be appropriate for a time like now?

And then it hit me.

Of all the money that e'er I had

I spent it in good company

And all the harm I've ever done

Alas it was to none but me

And all I've done for want of wit

To memory now I can't recall

So fill to me the parting glass

Good night and joy be with you all

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