I finally stop once I see the large building and rock path up to it's gate.
Carl was at the gate, looking like he was waiting for someone.
I smiled, or at least what passed for one with a wolf's muzzle.
I swiftly walked past the walkers in the tall grass up to the gate.
I barked loud enough so Carl could hear me, and the look in his eyes when he saw me made me want to smile. He opened the gate for me. Carol was with him, and she smiled upon seeing me. I smiled back, It was good to be home.
I walked up to both of them, letting my tongue out because I had been running for hours.
Carol patted my head, and said, "Let's go find you something to drink."
I nodded my head, and walked slowly with Carol and Carl on the pebbled road up to the prison. When we walked inside, Hershel and Beth were in taking care of the baby.
They looked over and saw me, and smiled.
"She doesn't have any clothes to change into,"Beth says, "We can't talk to her if she isn't a person, right?"
I nod to her, and she hands the baby to Hershel.
"Come on," she says with a smile, and leads me to the cell where she sleeps in. It's identical to mine, but there is a notebook on her bed with a pen resting next to it. On the top bunk, there are a few outfits of clothes, most of them faded and worn out.
"This isn't a mall, but it's what I have," She notes. She reaches to the top bunk and places a pair of ripped skinny jeans, and a loose tank top on the ground by me. She rummages around and also puts a pair of almost new black boots on the ground.
"They're too small for me, but I saved them just in case," Beth says to me, "I figured you might like them. The pair you have are breaking, so I thought, when we had a moment to talk, I could give them to you."
I look down at my white paws, stained with some blood from the guards I injured, and remembered when I got my boots from my mom. I know Maggie has them with her, but I wonder if I should just let my mom go. I've been grieving for years, but the apocalypse is no place for thoughts that will only hinder you. Maybe I should stop holding on, because after all, she will always be in my memories.
"I'll carry these to the showers with you, so you can change and wash up," Beth says, looking down at me, and picks up the clothes again. We walk to the showers, and she places my clothes on a bench in there.
When she leaves, I change back into a human, and turn the water on to shower. The water isn't that warm, but it's a lot better than washing up in a freezing lake.
I turn the water off after I rid my hair of dirt. I didn't want to use too much of it anyway. I squeeze my long white hair and most of the water drops off into the drain. I change into the clothes I was given, and notice they fit me pretty well. I put the shoes on. They aren't even broken into!
I pull my fingers through my hair in attempt to brush it. I side braid my white hair and use my old hair tie to keep it in place.
From the showers, I could hear one of the main entrances of the prison open.
Was it Rick and them?
I hurried out into the cafeteria area, where I saw Rick, Glenn and Maggie come in. Neither Daryl nor Merle were there. Hershel, Carl, and Beth were already in there. Beth and Hershel get up to hug Maggie and Glenn.
Carol was walking in, next to Rick, having the emotion of betrayal on her face.
"Where's-," I began to ask.
"He left us,"Carol says bitterly, "With his brother."
Rick tries to get her to calm down, but she simply looks away and doesn't pay attention to him. She leaves us to go do whatever Carol does, and Hershel speaks.
"We have a situation," he says, "Carl heard someone a few days ago and when he went to go see what it was, he found a small group of people."
Rick sounded frustrated.
I was confused, when did other people come? I didn't see them.
Hershel used his crutches and went over to the old cafeteria, and there were four people talking. One of them looked no older than 18.
When Rick saw them, and the other people saw us, one of the taller darker skinned men came and stuck out his hand.
"I'm Tyreese," He said to Rick. Rick didn't shake Tyreese's hand. Rick looked back at Hershel for help he wasn't going to get.
Hershel lifts up his crutch, pointing at the people, "Sasha, Ben, Allen."
Rick looks at the people, putting a name to each face like I was.
"How'd you get in?" Rick asks sternly.
"Fire damage to the administrative part of the building," Tyreese replied, "One of the walls are down."
"But that area is filled with walkers," Rick says, "How'd you get this far?"
Tyreese's group all look down with sadness, Tyreese says, "We didn't. We lost our friend Donna."
Carl speaks up from behind, "They were lost in the gyms, and then I found them, and brought them back."
Rick turns around and looks at Carl. He looks frustrated, "You brought them here?"
Hershel looks at Rick and notices his anger and sticks up for Carl, "He had no choice."
Rick nods his head in understanding and calms down. He sends an apologetic look at Carl, who looks only as if he was doing his job as child soldier. I slowly backed up next to him.
Tyreese begins to talk about how his group needs a place to stay and how they could each help. I take this time to talk to Carl.
"How many walkers did you kill when getting them?" I ask him quietly as not to disturb the discussion of Tyreese's group living in the prison with us.
"Maybe a dozen," Carl leans over to tell me, "My dad's right about it being overrun, but when I heard them I knew I had to risk it and go help them."
I scoff silently, "You could've gotten bitten, for being so reckless."
Carl shrugs.
We are brought back to the discussion when Rick starts mumbling the word 'no' over and over. Was he saying no to bringing in the new group?
He didn't make eye contact with them when he started screaming. He was looking at something above on the upper level.
"You don't belong here!" He shouted at nothing, but Tyreese and everyone else in the room got the wrong idea. I wanted to say something, but there was so much tension in the room I knew if I did say something, it would be even worse.
"Get out! Get out!" Rick shouted again. It was almost like he was pleading with someone.
He was hallucinating. That was the only explanation I could come up with at the moment.
"Dad?" I heard Carl ask his father next to me. He was worried for his father.
Tyreese was guiding his group out, and he was trying to tell Rick to calm himself.
"There's no need to point any guns. We'll get out of your hair now, see? We're leaving."
That was the last thing we heard from Tyreese, and his group was gone after the door to outside closed. Rick seemed to be calming down, and he combed his hand through his hair; a habit I've noticed in him whenever he was stressed.
What was he hallucinating?
