Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. I also have no claim on any pop culture references that I may use throughout my writings. I only own my OCs. Enjoy the read.

303

"Baby girl!" Isabell called. She stuck her head down the hallway from the kitchen, waiting for her daughter to shout back. "You dressed yet?" When Isabell didn't receive a response, she sighed, making her way down the hall and into her daughter's bedroom. She peeked inside, seeing the clothes she had laid out earlier in the morning thrown into the corner of the room. "Harley Lane!" Isabell groaned, irritated with her child. She grabbed the clothes from the floor and went back out into the hallway. "We're gonna be late. Where are you?"

There were a few loud giggles coming from further down the hall.

Isabell followed the noise, finding herself in the bedroom she shared with Daryl. In her bed were two lumps underneath the giant quilt. One was on Daryl's side of the bed and the smaller was on her side. "Harley, c'mon now. We gotta get goin'."

"No!" Harley called from under the blanket.

Isabell took steps into the room and pulled the covers off of Harley. "Yeah, let's go."

Harley shook her head, knotting the back of her hair against the pillow. "No!"

"Say 'no' to me one more time, and you'll wish you hadn't."

Harley looked up at her mother like she was weighing her options, her blue eyes shining. "Daddy said I didn't have ta go."

Isabell raised a brow and pulled the quilt further, revealing Daryl. "Daddy did what now?"

"I didn't say she didn't have ta go," Daryl promised, looking from Isabell to Harley. "Yer twistin' my words, bug."

"Daddy said there wasn't nothin' he learned in school that he coulda learned in the backwoods," Harley stated as if it were fact.

"Is that right?" Isabell said, sending a glare towards Daryl.

Harley nodded her head. "And Uncle Merle said school's for pussies."

"Ay!" Daryl said, "Don't make me pop yer mouth."

"What did I tell you about the things Uncle Merle says?" Isabell asked her daughter.

Harley puffed her cheeks out in sadness. "That I shouldn't repeat them."

Isabell sighed, dropping Harley's clothes at the foot of the bed. "Cmere." She said, reaching down. She grabbed Harley under her arms and stood her up on the bed. "Wha's goin' on in yer head, baby girl?"

Harley looked down at her hands. "Nothin'."

Daryl sat up and shifted, sitting behind his daughter on the bed. He grabbed her from Isabell, sitting the child down in his folded lap. "Go on, tell yer mama what you told me."

Harley's wide eyes stared up at Isabell. "'M scared."

Isabell gave Daryl a small smile. She got down on her knees on the floor so she was the same height as Harley. "Can I tell ya somethin', Harley?" She asked, lighting holding Harley's chin to tilt it up to look at her.

Harley nodded her head, grabbing Daryl's large hands with her small ones.

"Mama's scared, too," Isabell whispered.

Harley tilted her head. "You are?"

"I got so used ta you bein' here all day that I'm not gonna know what ta do with myself."

Harley turned her head, looking behind her at Daryl. "Are you scared, too, Daddy?"

"'M terrified." Daryl nodded his head.

Isabell added her hands to the pile that Daryl and Harley had, Daryl holding them all together. "So, ya know what we're gonna do when we get scared today?"

Harley looked at her mother, eyes glassing over.

"We're gonna close our eyes and we're gonna think of yer pretty face." She wiped the tears that had escaped her daughter's eyes with her thumbs. "And that's gonna help us get through the day."

"And I should do it, too, right? Think of you and Daddy?"

Isabell nodded. "You can. But, Baby Girl, I promise you're gonna be havin' so much fun, I don't think you'll need to." Isabell smiled at her daughter, whose mood was slowly starting to turn around. "So what do you think? You ready for your first day of kindergarten?"

"Yeah," Harley said, nodding. "I'm ready."

Isabell's finger was on the trigger of her gun, ready to squeeze it at any moment and take the men behind the cage out. She and Daryl stepped around Hershel and the others, slowly moving closer to the prisoners.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked the men.

One of the men behind the wall responded. He had long hair, half-up, and a gross looking mustache. "Who the hell are you?"

"He's bleedin' out," Rick said, panic in his voice in regards to Hershel. "We gotta go back."

Isabell focused in front of her, trying to make sure the men didn't make any sudden movements. So far, she hadn't seen any weapons.

"Why don't you come on out of there?" Daryl ordered, "Slow and steady."

The man that spoke came out first. Isabell took the others in. A man smaller than all the rest was right on the heels of the man with the ponytail. The last three to come out seemed relatively harmless: A really round guy, the tall one, and the blonde one with the significantly more impressive mustache.

Ponytail eyed Hershel. "What happened to him?"

Isabell spotted the gun the man had tucked in the knot his jumpsuit made at his waist. "He got bit."

The man pulled the gun out and pointed it at her.

Isabell narrowed her eyes at Ponytail, pulling the hammer back on her own gun. "Oh, I wish you would."

"Whoa, whoa," Daryl said, trying to calm the unknown man and gain the attention of his gun. "Easy now. Nobody needs to get hurt."

Glenn walked in front of the prisoners, between them and Isabell and Daryl, going for the room they came out of. "You have medical supplies?" Glenn asked.

The biggest man questioned Glenn. "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

Isabell's eyes jerked back towards the door when she heard the walkers bang on it. That's when she noticed that T-Dog was standing next to her with his gun pointed at the man.

"Who the hell are you people, anyway?" Ponytail asked.

"Don't look like no rescue team." The blond worked out.

"If a rescue team is what you're waiting for, don't," Rick said, getting to his feet. "C'mon, we gotta go."

Glenn came out of the side room with a rolling cart to take Hershel back to the cell block.

"I need a hand here!" Rick's voice shouted, but Isabell's focus stayed in front of her.

The blond leaned over, looking around Isabell and Daryl, catching sight of Hershel's leg. "Holy Jesus."

"T, the door!"

T-Dog left Isabell's side and went to open the door.

The scrawny man next to Ponytail got spooked. "Are you crazy!? Don't open that!"

"We got this!" Rick said, barely giving a crap about what the newcomers wanted.

Isabell kept her gun held high, trying not to be phased by the walkers that were starting to enter the room.

"Daryl! Isabell!" Rick shouted, "Let's go!"

"D, one sec," Isabell said, backing up to where she sat on the floor moments earlier. She grabbed her bow and holstered her gun, planning to use it instead of their limited ammo. Isabell grabbed an arrow from the quiver hanging from her belt and held it next to the string readily.

Daryl and Isabell started to side-step back towards the others as they made their way back into the hallways. Isabell held up the back so that she could keep an eye out if the prisoners followed them. She kept her bow in her hands in case she needed to act fast and take one out. When Isabell heard the steps following them, she caught up the others with quick feet. "They're following us," she said to Rick.

"Stop, stop." Rick turned to see the shadows coming down the hall, proving they were, in fact, being followed.

"We gotta get out of these hallways." Isabell insisted. "They know 'em. We don't."

Rick nodded. "Let's go!"

Finally, they made it back to the cellblock, and Daryl unlocked the door to the common area.

"He's losin' too much blood," Maggie said, fear written in her voice.

"Open the door!" Rick shouted to the others in the cell block. The block became hectic as the group worked to figure out what to do with Hershel.

Daryl dropped his keys on a nearby table, took the bolt he had in his mouth, and loaded it in his crossbow. He looked over at Isabell, who had stayed in the common room with him. "You ready?"

Isabell stood a few steps back and to his right, an arrow perched in her bow and the string pulled back. "Always." She said, her eyes not leaving the door.

Daryl looked over at T-Dog who was standing closest to the door to the cellblock. The man's gun was ready, same as their weapons, but he was hidden behind the guard tower.

Footsteps and soft whispers came from the halls and then Ponytail came out. Scrawny was hidden behind him and Isabell could only assume that he was Ponytail's right-hand man. The other prisoners followed, but slower and more apprehensive given the weapons pointed in their direction.

"That's far enough," Daryl said.

Ponytail pointed to the cell block. "Cell Block C, Cell 4. That's mine, gringo. Let me in."

Daryl didn't falter. "Today's yer lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. Yer free ta go."

"What you got goin' on in there?"

"Ain't none of yer concern."

"Don't be telling me what's my concern." Ponytail grabbed the gun from tucked in his jumpsuit and held it in his hand.

Both Daryl and Isabell took the urgent steps forward, showing him how serious they were about firing off shots.

"Give me a reason, Ponytail," Isabell begged.

"Chill, man." Big Man said to his prison mate. "Dude's leg is messed up. Besides, we're free now. Why are we still in here?"

Isabell raised a brow. "Man's gotta point."

Tall Guy took a small step forward. "Yeah, and I gotta check on my old lady."

"A group of civilians breaking into a prison you got no business bein' in?" Ponytail wondered. "Got me thinkin' there ain't no place for us to go."

"Why don't ya go find out!?" Daryl grumbled.

"Maybe we'll just be goin' now," Blond said, anxiously looking between both groups.

"Hey, we ain't leavin'." Ponytail insisted.

"You ain't comin' in either," T-Dog came from around the corner, raising his gun at the man.

Ponytail's gun found itself pointed at T-Dog. "Hey, this is my house. My rules. I go where I damn well please."

"No one gives a fuck about your rules. You just gotta make your way outta here peacefully and you won't die."

Ponytail shook his head, redirecting his gun to Isabell. "Nah, bitch, you leave or die."

Isabell narrowed his eyes at the man, ready to call his bluff.

"Hey!" Daryl said, gaining the attention of Ponytail. "I ain't playin' around anymore. You gotta go!"

"We're not going anywhere," Ponytail said, standing his ground. "This is my prison."

"I'm tired of yer mouth!"

"Well, come over here, and shut it."

"There ain't nothin' for you here. Why don't you go back to yer own sandbox?"

"Hey!" Rick said, coming out of the cellblock. "Everyone relax. There's no need for this." He put up a calming hand, but Ponytail still had his gun pointed at Daryl.

Ponytail looked at the door to the cellblock, moving his gun to Rick. "How many of you are in there?"

"Too many for you to handle," Rick promised confidently.

"You guys rob a bank or somethin'? Why don't you take him to a hospital?"

Isabell shared a look with Daryl, rolling her eyes.

Rick stepped around Isabell, getting closer to the man. "How long have you been locked in that cafeteria?"

Ponytail shrugged. "Goin' on like ten months."

"A riot broke out." Big Man shared. "Never seen anything like it."

Blond nodded. "Attica on speed, man."

"Ever heard about dudes goin' cannibal, dying, coming back to life?" Scrawny asked. "Crazy."

"One guard looked out for us. Locked us up in the cafeteria." Ponytail told the group. "Told us to sit tight. Threw me this piece, said he'd be right back.

"Yeah, and that was 292 days ago." Tall Guy recalled.

"94 according to my calcula - "

"Shut up!" Ponytail interrupted Blond.

Isabell looked to the blond man. He wasn't like the others, which calmed her just a little bit.

"We were thinking he army or the national guard should be showing up any day now." Tall Guy said.

Rick shook his head. "There is no army."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no government, ho hospitals, no police. It's all gone."

"For real?" Blond asked.

Rick nodded. "Serious."

"What about my moms?" Big Man asked.

"My kids?" Tall Guy questioned, "And my old lady?" He took a step forward, "Yo, you gotta cell phone or something that we can call our families?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Daryl scoffed.

"There's no phones. No computers. Hell, no snail-mail." Isabell shared.

"As far as we can see, at least half the population has been wiped out." Rick said, "Probably more."

Ponytail lowered his gun without even thinking about it. The news was something that didn't hit lightly. "Ain't no way."

Rick gestured to the door to the outside. "See for yourself."

The men and Isabell slowly made their way outside, hands blocking their eyes from the direct sunlight they haven't had in almost a year.

Isabell took up the rear. Her bow had found its way back around her shoulders, but she still kept her hand behind her back on the handle of her gun.

"Damn, the sun feels good." Tall Guy sighed.

The group moved further into the courtyard, the bodies still laid around the concrete. "Good lord." The blond said in disgust. "They're all dead."

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see these fences." Ponytail shared, not really entertaining anyone with the words.

Scrawny looked back at Daryl. "You never said, how the hell did you get in here in the first place?"

Daryl pointed down by the fence where Isabell remembered coming in. "Cut a hole in that fence over there by that guard tower."

"That easy, huh?"

"Where there's a will there's a way."

"Easy for you to say."

Big Man poked one of the dead walkers with a pole he was holding. "So, what is this? Like a disease?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, and we're all infected."

"What do you mean infected?" The blond asked. "Like AIDS or something?"

Daryl let out a soft scoff. "If I was to kill you, shoot an arrow in yer chest, you'd come back as one of these things." He shrugged. "It's gonna happen to all of us."

"Ain't no way these Robin Hood cats responsible for killing all these freaks." Ponytail insisted. "Must be fifty bodies out here."

Isabell had kept her eyes on the man in the ponytail, she didn't trust him at all. "We know what we're doing."

"Where'd you come from?"

"Atlanta." Rick shared.

"Where are you headed?"

"We aren't going anywhere," Isabell promised, shaking her head with a furrowed brow.

Ponytail nodded, not at all even caring about her words. He looked out into the fields and pointed towards the grounds. "I guess you can take that area down there near the water. Should be comfortable."

Isabell scoffed and shook her head. "We'll be plantin' crops down there. We're livin' in the prison."

"We'll help move your gear out."

"That won't be necessary," Rick said, intervening before Isabell lost her temper. "We took out these walkers. This prison is ours."

"Slow down cowboy."

Isabell tightened her grip on the handle of her gun.

"You snatched the locks on our doors." Scrawny complained.

"I'd be happy to lock you back in there with new ones if that's what you want." Isabell said with a sweet smile."

"This is our prison. We were here first." Ponytail said, making Isabell let out a short laugh.

"Locked in a broom closet." Rick reminded him. "We took it, set you free. It's ours. We spilled blood."

"We're moving back into our cellblock."

"You'll have to get your own."

Ponytail was getting irritated with Rick not backing down. "It is mine. I've still got personal artifacts in there. That's about as mine as it gets." Ponytail grabbed his gun and pulled it out.

Isabell was quick on her own draw and pulled her gun from its holster, holding it up to Ponytail's face."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Blond tried to calm. "Maybe let's try to make this work out so everybody wins.

Rick put a hand on Isabell's gun, lowering it.

Isabell kept her gun in her hand, refusing to let it go. She turned her head to see Daryl still holding up his crossbow at him.

"I don't see that happening." Ponytail said between his teeth.

"Neither do I." Rick agreed.

"I ain't goin' back in that cafeteria for one more minute."

"There are other cell blocks." Blond reasoned.

Daryl tightened his grip on his crossbow. "You could leave. Try your luck on the road."

Ponytail thought for a moment, eyes flashing between Daryl, Isabell, and Rick. "If these four pussies can do all this," He gestured to the walkers behind them, "The least we can do is take out another cell block."

"With what?" Big Man asked.

"Atlanta, here, will spot us some real weapons. Won't you, boss?" Ponytail asked Rick, an evil-looking glint in his eye.

Rick paused, "How stocked is that cafeteria?" He asked, realizing they may have food for everyone. "It must have plenty of food. Five guys lasting almost a year?"

Daryl looked pointedly at Big Man. "Sure as hell don't look like anybody's been starvin'."

Ponytail shook his head. "There's only a little left."

"We'll take half. In exchange, we'll help clear out a cell block." Rick explained.

"Didn't you hear him?" Scrawny whined. "There's only a little left."

"You'd rather risk it out there?" Isabell asked, glaring at the kid. "On your own?"

Rick nodded at Isabell. "Looks like you got more food than you got choices. You pay, we'll play." He said, returning his attention to Ponytail. "We'll clear out a block for you, then you keep to it."

"Alright." Ponytail agreed.

"But let's be clear," Rick continued, taking slow, threatening steps towards Ponytail. "If I so much as even catch a whiff of your scent, I will kill you."

Ponytail nodded. "Deal."

They started to make their way back into the prison, but Daryl whistled, making Isabell stop and wait for him.

"I think you should go back to the cellblock." Daryl said, "I don't want you 'round these boys."

Isabell nodded. "Glad to, honestly. I don't like the vibe head-honcho, over there, is given' me. Y'all bring back some food and I'll have Carl organize it while you're clearing the block."

Daryl nodded at her.

"I just need you to watch yer back. And Rick's. Ponytail is bad news."

"Will do."