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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
A lot has happened since they lost the farm, some good things like Hayden talking a bit more and Warren starting to crawl, some bad things like Daryl losing control of his bike and getting some road rash and all of them playing flu tag passing it back and forth to one another.
And something horrible happened, Dale, see without proper care in a hospital, Dale's heart didn't quite recover from his heart attack. So when he got sick his body just couldn't fight it off like it should of, even with antibiotics.
Although they are all still sad over his passing, they all hope and silently pray to themselves that they go as peacefully as him, surrounded by loved ones and in their sleep. And after burying him properly by a tall oak tree, his name carved in the tree, they packed up and moved on.
Weeks go by, the weather getting warmer, the nights not so cold, Daryl even starts riding his bike again. House after house, town after town they moved never finding a good place to hold up in and Lori's baby is about due any day now.
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After pulling up to the house Eva tells Kailee to turn the truck off but stay in the car until someone comes to get her and the kids before jumping out of the passenger seat.
Pulling out her gun she starts twisting on the silencer as she makes her way over to Daryl, Rick and Carl. She watches as T-dog, Glenn and Maggie walk around the side of the house to go check the shed and the two cars that are parked next to it.
She gives a small smile to Daryl who returns the small gesture before he turns to get behind Rick. She stands behind Carl, bringing up the rear and they wait until Rick kicks open the door, then they file in and split up like they have done for the last seven months.
Eva quickly goes up the stairs and she stops at the top and with the gun in front of her she slowly moves around the corner and she sees a very frail looking walker slumped down at the end of the hallway.
As she walks over to the walker she closes the one open door as she passes not wanting a walker to sneak out as she makes sure the frail walker is taken care of.
As she steps closer the walker starts twitching and before the thing could even get moving she pulls out her long knife and slams it down into the walkers head, why waste a bullet.
After pulling the knife out she bends down and wipes the black blood onto the walkers shirt before placing back into its sheath that's attached to her other leg opposite her brand new machete, that Daryl had found her, it's so much better than flowers.
When she hears the stairs creaking she pivots around with her gun raised. She sighs when Daryl walks around the small corner. "You check the rooms yet?" He asks as he looks behind her to the walker. "Was just about to, you take this side." She said pointing to the left wall that has three doors and after he nods she turns to the door closest to her and opens the door.
Inside she finds a bunch of blankets placed on the floor and after making sure nothing is under the bed or in the closet she leaves the room and goes to the next and so on. Finding another room and a bathroom, with Daryl finding a closet, the stairs to the attic and another room... and an owl.
"I'll go check the attic while you de-feather that owl." She says before standing on her toes and kissing him lightly on his lips before walking up the steps up to the dark attic. Eva pulls put a small flashlight from her pocket before making her way up the finale steps. She makes a quick sweep of the place finding nothing but boxes, dust and spider webs.
She meets up with Daryl and they start making their way down the steps, him plucking his owl and she unscrewing the silencer before placing it in her pocket with the flash light and zipping the pocket up.
Eva stands with Rick by the door watching the others make their way to the house, she runs her fingers through Hayden's hair as he passes by with Sophia and smiles at Warren in Kailee's arms. When Charlie brings up the rear she grabs one of the two empty duffle bags from his hand before making her way back up the stairs.
After finding batteries, a revolver with no bullets, a few clean towels and some men's razors she makes her way down the stairs to see if Charlie or the others have found anything.
After sitting down in the sofa less living room with the others, she talks with Charlie and Carl as she bounces Warren on her knees. They have found a couple blankets, a few water bottles, a meat cleaver and a couple shot gun shells.
Eva rubs her cheek lightly against Warrens head, feeling his soft blonde hair as he leans back against her chest as he drinks water from his bottle. She watches as Daryl plucks the feathers off the owl not caring that he is getting them all over his pant leg and Glenn's.
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After clearing the house, everyone sits around the living room eating what little meat from the owl Daryl caught, listening lightly as Kailee tells everyone that she is just about done with the quilt she is making for Lori's baby.
Rick looks around the room, looking at everyone but never staring to long. They need to find a place to hold up for a few weeks at least until after the baby is born, give Lori a stable place to give birth and every one of them need the rest.
Hearing T-dog whistle he looks over and sees him motioning to the window so he walks over and sees more than ten walkers coming. "Too many, let's go." He said before turning around seeing mostly everyone already up packing their things up to leave. Five or less walkers they can handle fine without drawing more but more than ten will just bring more.
After making sure everyone is up and ready to go they file out of the house and he, Daryl and Eva watch to make sure everyone gets in one of the cars before doing the same.
Rick watches and Daryl and Eva drive off on his bike before driving off after them having Carl tell him if everyone is following. After a few miles he honks his horn once and everyone starts slowing down before stopping.
Some of them stand around the map that they have started marking, showing where they have been and the walkers movements. After telling them that they are going to head back to a town they have already picked through before heading further west he and Daryl leave to go hunting while the others fill up their water jugs.
After following an old railroad track he and Daryl come up on a clearing and oh was it a glorious sight to see. Looking past the walkers that they can easily take out, Rick sees a fortified safe haven he has been talking about and praying for.
Fences, thick doors, barred windows it is perfect and near a water source too. Looking at the walkers that are milling around the huge field he sees that they used to be prisoners, so if they are any luckier they will have food, medicine and guns if the prison went down fast.
He and Daryl quickly make their way back to the others, and they pack up and drive closer to the prison, parking the cars near the gate everyone gets out and after giving a quick rundown on what they are going to do every grabs their bags and after grabbing the gun bag they all make their way over to the fence.
He takes the bolt cutters that Charlie hands over to him and he starts cutting open the fence so they can get into the fence ring that surrounds the field and prison.
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After watching Rick lock the gate up and going into the guard tower, Eva hears Daryl yell to light it up, so using her bow she starts taking out walkers with everyone else until they are all down.
When she and Charlie meet up with the others they make their way into the open field and she laughs with the others, Rick and Daryl found a perfect place for them to live, it needs some work but she can't stop her mind from going thinking of all these plans to make the prison better, stronger, safer.
After setting her bag down where everyone is going to sleep for the night she, T-dog and Glenn go around the whole field stabbing all the walkers in the head even if they have a headshot just to make sure, they don't need one of the them to sneak up when its dark.
"Tomorrow we'll pile up those bodies, keep them away from the water. Now if can get a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty fresh water." T-dog said looking around at everyone, as she cleans the arrows of walker blood that she used earlier. "The soil is good, we can plant some seed. Grow some tomato, cucumber, soybeans." Hershel said and Eva looks over to him.
"I don't think that's a good idea, all these walkers, we don't know what they do to the plants, let alone the ones we eat. We can make a run to a hardware store grab wood and bricks and build boxes." She said looking at Hershel who is nodding his head in agreement.
"Yeah, people now a days don't go in there to get soil and seeds none of that should be hard to find." He says before looking over her head to look at Rick. "That's his third time around, If there is any part compromised he would have found it by now." He said as they look at Rick who is making, yet another walk through around checking the fence line.
"This will be a good place to have the baby… safe." Beth said looking to Lori and smiling to her before helping Mel finish building the kid tent for Sophia and the boys.
"Bethy, Sing Patty Reilly for me, I haven't heard that, I think since your mother was alive." Hershel asks her and everyone looks over to her making her even more nervous. "Daddy, not that one please." Maggie said looking to her father. He gives her a little nod before looking back to Beth. "How about parting glasses?" Hershel asks her but Beth just gives him a look.
"Daddy, no one wants to hear." She said nervously trying not to blush. "Why not?" Glenn asks her and Beth says 'ok' before she sits up and she starts to sing and after a while Maggie joins her.
Eva rocks Warren as he starts falling asleep as they listen to them sing she gives Daryl a smile when he and Carol make their way to them. "Beautiful." Hershel tells them and everyone gives them light claps of applause.
"Better turn in, we have a big day tomorrow." Rick says and everyone looks to him mostly confused but Eva knows he wants to get a safe place indoors for them and to get this place secure. "What do you mean?" Glenn asks confused and Rick looks over to him before answering.
"I now we're all exhausted. This was a great win, we just have to push, just a little harder. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards or inmates. Looks like this place was over run pretty early. It could mean that the supplies maybe still in tack. They have an infirmary, a cafeteria." He said looking around at everyone and motioning to the prison.
"An armory." Daryl said to Rick, which would be a huge point in their favor if it is stocked. "It will be out of the prisoner cells, but not too far away. The warden's office will have the info on the location." Rick tells him before looking around again. "Weapons, Food, medicine, this place could be a gold mine." He said pointing to the prison before looking down to Carl.
"We are dangerously low on ammo, we'll run out before we even make a dent." Hershel says and Rick nods before looking over his shoulder before looking back at them. "That's why we have to go in there… end to end. After all we've been though, we can handle it, I know it. These assholes don't stand a chance." Rick said looking down to Carl who gives him a small smile.
Eva watches as Lori walks over to Rick and she can just feel the anger rolling off of him and she looks away giving them their privacy as she walks over to the small tent and she places Warren next to an already sleeping Hayden and Sophia.
The next morning after eating a light breakfast Rick gathers them to tell them what they are going to do today. He wants the courtyard cleared and cell block C which if in good condition will be their new home.
Eva stands next to Maggie in the back of the circle with her machete in one hand and her pocket knife in the other and Rick, Daryl, T-dog, Glenn, Maggie and herself start clearing out the courtyard, all of them staying in a tight circle except for the moments where Maggie broke it to kill a walker that was getting back up and T-dog to grab a riot shield.
After Rick chains up another gate leading to a small gated section that is filled with walkers and all the walkers in the court yard are dealt with, Glenn starts walking to go get the others when Rick tells him to stop, that they should clear the cell block first, in case it's over run.
They make their way inside the cellblock door and stand in a room with metal tables and a guard tower and three bared doors one leading to the cells and the other two leading to other parts of the prison.
Eva walks with Rick but splits when he reaches the stairs to see what is up in the guard tower. Eva grabs the door which leads to the rest of the prison and pushes and pulls it to make sure it is shut before looking up to Rick who is walking down the stairs with a ring of keys in his hand.
After finding the right key they all file into the cell block each checking each cell as they past, Eva following Daryl up the steps to check the second floor. Rick meets them up at the top after he checks another door leading somewhere.
While Daryl and Rick go and check the cells with walkers in them, Eva walks the other way checking the cells one by one until she gets to the end, after finding nothing she walks over to Rick and Daryl who tell her that they are going to throw they bodies over the railing and while she and T-dog carry them out, while Glenn and Maggie will go and get everyone and their stuff.
She tells Rick alright before pulling out gloves from her back pocket and she puts them on while she walks down the stairs to tell T-dog, Glenn and Maggie what Rick wants them to do.
So while Glenn and Maggie go to get the others, T and Eva grab the walker that was already dead in one of the bottom cells and they pick him up after Eva stabs his head once for good measure and they carry him out to the courtyard with the other walkers.
When Daryl and Rick throw one of the walkers over the railing T-dog and Eva sigh when it splats, T-dog rolls his eyes at her before grabbing his shoulders while she grabs his legs and they do this for the other cell walker and the guard that was up in the tower.
After they are done with tossing out the walkers they wash their hands before making their way back inside to claim a cell for their own. Eva finds that Kailee and Mel have already chosen a cell next to theirs for her on the bottom floor.
So it seems that Hershel, Charlie and T-dog all have their own rooms while the others pair off. Rick and Carl, Lori and Carol, Beth and Sophia, Kailee and Mel and Eva with the boys and Daryl taking the walkway on the second floor, not wanting to be in a cell.
After walking into a pretty clean cell giving that no one has cleaned it in almost a year. After taking off the old sheets off of the beds she makes her and the kids' beds seeing as how the sun is starting to go down. Hayden will be on the top bunk with their bags on the end against the small bars to make sure he doesn't roll off.
After singing the boys to sleep she makes her way out of the cells to check on the girls and to see how Lori is doing. After making sure that all the girls are comfortable and seeing that Lori is fast asleep she goes to walk back to her room but stops when she sees Rick sitting against the wall facing the cells.
She sighs knowing that she shouldn't get involved but she sees the look in Lori eyes when she doesn't think anyone is watching her and over the months she has gotten to know both her and Rick very well.
She slides down the wall near him and he looks over to her with his eyebrow raised lightly. "I can't begin to fully understand what you are going through... but she might not make it. She will most likely need to have a C-section, she can die, Rick. Do you really want the last few days or weeks of her life thinking you hate her." She said before patting his shoulder before standing up and she makes her way to her room and she lays down next to Warren with her pocket knife in her hand.
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Rick stays sitting their against the wall Eva's words playing over and over in his head. Yeah he should talk with her, but after, after they find the cafeteria, armory and the infirmary, then he will talk with her.
He stands up and walks along the cells checking on everyone on the bottom floor passing Eva and the kids, the girls, Hershel and he stops at Carol's and Lori's cell.
He stares at the face that he used to love unconditionally but now, now all he can see is flashes of her and Shane together, Shane... Shane… yeah he will try, he will try for Carl's sake and the babys and the love he still has for her.