Unedited.

"Ready?" Rick asked as he pulled the carabiner off the gate and pushed it.

T-Dog and I moved in first and took out the 2 walkers that were right inside the gate. The 6 of us stayed in a tight circle formation our backs facing each other and following Rick at the front middle; letting the walkers come to us one by one.

Hershel closed the gate behind us as our presence on this side of the fence drew the attention of everything on the inside of it.

"Get tight! Get tight!" Glenn pressed as the walkers closed in, forcing us to get closer or risk one person getting two walkers on them instead of just one. This strategy only works if all of us deal with 1 at a time.

Shouting and clanging erupted from the fences to my left, the others trying to distract and lure walkers their way and make it so we're not dealing with all of them ourselves.

Walkers came at us in all directions as we moved forward and anxiety chewed at my nerves but good luck getting through those steel cords of pure willpower and focus. I cultivated these puppies properly.

I made my strikes quick and deadly, dropping bodies as we moved further in one step at a time until we got about halfway in.

"Don't break rank!" Rick yelled as T-Dog split off.

"We need that!" T grabbed a riot shield off the ground.

"T! T!" Rick shouted as a walker went for T-Dog but he slammed the shield against it sending the walker sprawling onto the ground and ran back to his place up front.

"Maggie! Maggie!" Rick shouted as the brunette split just like T-Dog and shoved a butcher's knife through the walker's head.

I covered for her while she made it back to the circle and we continued forward.

"Almost there." we all moved under a fenced overhead walk that leads from one building to the next, and towards the fence in the back corner of the upper yard; where the walkers have been disappearing and reappearing from since yesterday.

Rick checked behind a rusted orange metal door and went to move forward before suddenly throwing his back against the building and before he could even motion at the rest of us, we were already slamming shoulders against the cement building.

All except Daryl, at the back, who pulled his crossbow up.

I gripped my knives tighter, getting a little concerned about how much blood is on my hands.

I looked up and wanted to smash something.

2 walkers in black full body gear wandered out from behind a dumpster in the far corner and started heading this way.

What is this, a video game? Encountering tougher and tougher mobs as we get closer to the goal.

Daryl moved past me, trying to get close enough to take them out with his bow but I grabbed the side of his jacket as two more walked out right in front of us, and another pair from inside that door Rick checked — clearly not well enough.

I swung my knife first without even thinking and my stomach lurched as it bounced and slid straight off the riot mask.

I stumbled backwards, my instincts leading me as far away from it as possible and just kite it if I can, until I can figure out how to kill it.

"Daryl!" Rick yelled as he rushed one of the geared up walkers and tackled it to the ground into a pile of broken cardboard boxes.

I ducked around this walker and covered Daryl as we ran to Rick. I watched their backs while they got the gate closed and locked, the same way we did the other one yesterday.

But these big guys just won't go down. Glenn, T, and Maggie kept trying until Maggie pushed on the walker's head and stabbed straight under its chin, puncturing through something and the walker dropped.

"See that?" she panted. A smile on her lips that in any other situation would look deranged with that blood smeared on her face.

I swung my foot around and slammed into a walker's chest, using all my force to send it to the ground. I jumped on it, using my knee on its chest to keep it under control while I shoved its head so I can get my blade under it's helmet.

Within seconds rapid panting filled the space, the only things left standing being the 6 of us.

Daryl and I moved towards each other as we all started heading back.

As we passed under the over-walk, Glenn went to go get the others.

"Stop." Rick called to him.

"Well, it looks secure." Glenn came back, confused.

"Not front the look of that courtyard over there." Daryl pointed back at the yard we just sealed off. Then at a female walker he killed on the ground. "And that's a civilian."

T-Dog leaned against the concrete pillar holding up the center of the over-walk. "So the interior could be overrun with walkers from outside the prison."

"Well if there's walls down, what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place."

I mean… it wouldn't be easy, but if we found the equipment we could just camp outside and rebuild but if we're gonna do that we might as well build a custom base.

"We can't risk a blind spot." Rick looked around. "We have to push in."

Jesus, ok. Let's do this.

We followed Rick to a little caged walkway to a door that'll take us inside the main building.

I stayed at the back as Daryl and Rick moved to the front and opened the door.

Rick moved in first until all of us were inside and Glenn & I closed the door behind us.

Part of me wants to leave it open in case we need to make a fast escape, the other part of me is more wary about things coming in from behind us.

I moved into the large room behind Daryl and we went to the right of this guard tower-station thing, toward the cell block while Maggie and Rick went to the left, to the steps up to the indoor tower.

I tried the gate/door but it's locked. Daryl tapped my shoulder and I looked over, following his eyes up to Rick, holding up some keys.

Rick came down and unlocked the door letting us all move in, Daryl & I first.

The cell block has 2 levels, with a staircase on both sides of an upper platform, connected to another guard station.

Daryl and I took the stairs up while they checked the bottom.

A clang from the end of the upper level cells drew our attention and Rick came up the other side of the steps that we had.

The boys went first towards the end, until two walkers locked in the last 2 cells banged against the bars.

I let them deal with those two as I checked the rest and we affirmed that this cell block is clear. With these locked gates all over the place we shouldn't have to worry about walkers wandering in from deeper inside. And it's big enough that everybody can have a cell to themselves if they want it.

Maggie and Glenn went out to get the others while the rest of us started dealing with the few bodies left in here.

I helped T-Dog drag them out as the others filed past us into the cell block, looking around our new den with curious threat-scanning eyes.

"You think this place is gonna work?" T asked as he dropped his corpse out of the way, taking a breath while I dragged mine up next to it.

I shrugged as I dropped this one and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

Who's to say. This place is safer than just some house but… prisons are generally designed to keep people in not out.

I honestly don't know how well it's gonna work out.

It might be safe, but then again it might not be livable either. At the very least that field is nice.

This place gives me the creeps. I don't know whether it's the grey walls, the dark atmosphere, the rotting neighbors, the lack of good natural lighting inside, or all of the above but I don't like it.

After a minute of stalling, I followed T-Dog back inside, just in time to join the conversation.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked Rick.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary."

"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asked.

I froze, looking at the small grey rooms barely the size of handicap bathroom stalls.

A small enclosed space that locks from the outside.

My throat constricted as I swallowed.

"I found some keys on some guards. Daryl has a set too." Rick looked down at the shiny set in his hand.

"I ain't sleepin' in no cage." Daryl outright refused, from the upper level.

"I'll take the perch." He jerked his chin at the upper-level guard station, already walking towards it.

Everyone dispersed to choose their own cells and I jogged up the steps by Daryl as he dragged a mattress out of the cell.

"I assume yer stickin' with me up 'ere?" Daryl asked as I set his bag on the mattress.

I nodded, slipping my arms out of my backpack and dropped it before turning around to face the cells.

My teeth sank into my lips as I stared at the ominous cells.

A cold sweat collected on my neck.

I tried to take a step forward and something must've gotten switched around because I ended up taking a step back.

Nope— nope nope—

I turned around opening my mouth but Daryl caught my shoulders as I basically walked into him. "I got it. You don't gotta go in."

A grateful smile pulled my cheeks up and I reached my arms around his neck — only just noticing the dried blood on my hands — to give him a hug that he immediately returned. Thank god we got past the awkward hugs phase. I thought it was never gonna end.

The hug wasn't long and soon enough he let go and went to drag another mattress out of a cell, and I went back down the stairs to find some of the blood rags (specifically designated cloths for cleaning blood off our skin).

I got some from T-Dog who was already passing them out and grabbed my sleeping bag too before getting back up the stairs, just as Daryl finished shoving two mattresses together like a queen sized bed.

I handed him a rag and cleaned my hands off.

I let myself flop onto the bed with an 'oof', letting myself sink into the cushy mattress as Daryl laid back too.

Ahhhhh, this is nice. I can't believe we have actual beds again.

I set the rag aside and just laid there, closing my eyes. It's been a long day and it's not even noon.

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