A/N - I'm so sorry this update has taken so long! It has been a very busy holiday season, but I'm back and we're on our way to the prison! Thank you again to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, and waited patiently for this chapter. Love you all!
As she followed the others, Tara remembered how ready she was to fight for a safe place to call home, unaware of the violent personal vendetta their leader had planned. The bile crept up her throat as she remembered the way Brian callously chopped the innocent old man's head off just to send a message to the prison family.
She remembered Mitch yelling at her from his position atop the tank, and the small smile that she tried to fight seeing his reanimated corpse. Tara thought he had met a fitting end; being forced to wander the earth, never truly dead or alive. Hopefully, she would be able to shake the hand of the person who had put an end to that miserable bastard.
In all the chaos, she had lost Alicia. Early on, she was being comforted by her as the battle began. Later, she had found her body, lying on the pavement. A single gunshot wound to her head had ended her life. That was enough to send Tara scrambling for any safe place she could find, feeling herself fall to pieces.
As the memories faded, she was staring at the ground, taking one unconscious step after another. When she looked up, she saw Glenn at her left side, and Maggie to her right with a comforting smile. With the realization that Maggie had fully accepted her after being on the side of the man who killed her father, she felt like she had found home.
"What are you going to grab first?" Michonne asked Carl, who was walking at her left side
"You don't know we can even get in the cell block.," replied the boy, dragging his feet as he walked.
"I'll get in," she promised. "I have to get my cat back." She looked over at Carl, both of them laughing at the memory of the brightly colored cat she picked up on a run to his hometown.
"The picture. I wanted it so Judith could see what our mom looked like, and I have to get it back." He looked down, still saddened by his mother's loss. He felt Michonne rest her hand on his shoulder and felt better. She couldn't replace Lori, but she had evolved into a fantastic mother figure that he appreciated and knew Judith would need.
"Tell you what. First, we go after the picture. Then, if we can get the cat, we will," Michonne assured him..
"Thank you. Not just for this, for everything you do for us, for me and Judy," Carl quietly said.
Michonne grinned, and Carol swore he saw a glimmer of a tear glide off of her face. "Thank you, Carl, for accepting me into your family," she answered through the lump in her throat.
It wasn't often that Michonne let her emotions visible to the others, but Carl and she had a unique bond which allowed them to be honest with each other. Feeling the need to lighten the moment before it became too much for her, Carl decided to change the subject.
"Do you think your candy bar stash is safe?" he asked Michonne.
The group was being led by Rick and Abraham. The former had spent the majority of their trip explaining to the latter about the prison. They had gone over every minute detail, from the entrances, to the layout, and of course the loss that had occurred there. Abraham was aware that his group contained the only people that wouldn't be overcome with emotion just by seeing the prison again.
Abraham accepted his mission briefing, and vowed to pay extra attention to detail upon reaching the fence line surrounding the prison. It would be mainly Rosita and himself responsible for the safety of the others. Eugene might be alright for another set of eyes, but that was about it.
Maggie had lost her father here, the man who had become the family patriarch. He understood Tyreese had lost someone important here, but it seemed as though that had happened before the attack. Countless other members, children included, were lost that day. Maybe some had scattered into the woods and escaped, but the chances were slim.
He looked over his shoulder at the faces behind him, all wearing similar masks of strength as they got closer to their old home. Connecting with the eyes of the Dixon's at the end of the line, they nodded at him, and he nodded in return. Maybe he would have a few others he could count on if the shit hit the fan.
Daryl felt a little more at ease knowing it was Abe leading them into the prison. He didn't have any prior knowledge of the prison to develop an attachment to it. He wouldn't see the ghosts that haunted it now. The hunter was able to take some comfort in the fact that Abe would certainly be able to put down any members of the family that had been lost.
He wrapped his arm around Carol's shoulders, pulling her into his side. Returning to their home would be harder on her than some of the others. Children's artwork decorated every surface of the cell block in an attempt to brighten the dreary walls. None of the kids colored more than Mika, who always drew flowers for the woman who had become her mother figure.
Foolish hope kept Daryl focused on finding the Triumph with the saddlebags still filled with the only mementos he still had, some of his, some were Merle's. A picture of his mother holding her younger son as the older one stood behind her. If luck was on his side, he would find the book he stashed in there with a single wilted flower pressed between the pages.
Daryl was jarred from his thoughts when Carol came to an unexpected halt. He looked up and noticed the others were frozen in place as well. Peeking through the trees just ahead was one of the prison's watchtowers. He laced his fingers with Carol's, squeezing her hand tightly as a reminder than she wasn't alone. Around them, the others were coming together, supporting each other through words and touches. They were a tough group, they would make it through this, just like with each loss before.