Part Two

This fight wasn't going to be won. Not by them anyway. Daryl glanced over his shoulder to where Merle and Axel were located to be met with the sight of Axel lying on the ground and a small pool of blood underneath him. He ripped his eyes away and forced himself to focus and rid all thoughts of Carol out of his mind. A bullet whizzed past his ear but it came from behind. He turned and shot a man through his head with an arrow. He fell hard onto the ground. The other aimed but Rick aimed and fired. The other one fell. Daryl stopped. They had come from behind. They must have got in through the back entrance. That must mean… They'd come through the cell blocks. His heart stopped.

"Rick! They came through the back!" he shouted.

The ex- sheriff turned to face him. "Shit! Beth, Hershel, CARL!"

"DAD!"

Daryl turned and looked down at the boy running towards them. He kept his head down through the gunfire and crouched beside them.

"What the hell do you think you're doin'?" Rick snapped.

"I wanted to help!" he insisted.

Rick glanced down at his son and then back up and Daryl.

"Go and check in the cell block! Make sure they're safe!"

Daryl didn't need telling twice. He took off flying up towards the cell block, attempting to shield himself from flying bullets and debris. He threw open the doors with a bang and looked around. Two bodies lay dead on the floor amongst a crying baby. Daryl swallowed a lump in his throat and made his way over. He knelt down and turned one of the bodies over. Beth. Her face was pale and two tear tracks ran down her face. He turned over Hershel next and ran a hand down his face and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he picked up Judith and carried her over to her cot.

"I'm sorry," he said, almost choking on the words. "We'll come back for ya if we can." He looked down at her again, his thumb lightly brushing against her soft cheek. "I'm sorry."

Then he looked around. Where the hell was Carol? He ran into all of the cells, up on his perch and on the second level.

"Oh, where the fuck are you?" he growled to himself, forcing away tears.

…

She kept running until her legs gave out. She should have stayed. She had a gun. She could have done something. Anything. Her knees gave way and she slumped down on the floor and cried until she physically couldn't anymore. Those two bodies were on her. The guilt was crushing. Finally, she calmed down and rose of the floor again. She wiped away the dried tears on her face and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She was done crying for a lifetime. It couldn't happen anymore. With the need to fend for herself, she gripped her gun tightly and made to move. Two more men appeared down the corridor and, before they could even reach for their guns, she shot them both. They dropped just like Beth and Hershel had but she felt no remorse. They had killed her friends. Or two similar men. Carol sighed. She remembered when it was just threats from the dead that hung over them all day, every day. Now it was threats from the living too. She stepped over the two men and started to run back to the field of chaos.

…

He cursed to himself again. She wasn't anywhere in this cell block. He ran into the next cell block and ran straight into someone. Instantly, his gun was poised. As was her own.

"Where the hell have you been?" he shouted, hugging her close and dropping his weapon.

Her arms came around his middle and tightened. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"'The hell are ya sorry for?"

"I let… I wasn't there… Hershel and Beth… Judith… Where's Carl?"

Her voice was breaking and fresh tears had fallen down her face. Noticing how broken she was, Daryl snapped.

"We're goin'. C'mon. We ain't gonna win this," he said, taking her hand.

Carol nodded and he felt safer. He felt that she was safer and more comforted knowing she was alive.

They stepped back outside.

"RICK!" he bellowed.

The man turned and noticed them both.

"WE NEED TO GO! WE AIN'T WINNIN' THIS!"

Rick looked around. He looked at Maggie, Glenn, Merle, Michonne, Tyreese, Sasha and Carl. The others out of the separate group had been killed not an hour ago. Realisation seemed to smack him in the face and he shouted for a retreat.

"WE NEED TO GO NOW!" he called. "EVERYONE GET OUT!"

They retreated back through their cell block and out of the knocked down wall at the back. Along the way, they slung bags of supplies and carried guns held out in front of them. Daryl's hand had an iron grip on Carol's and he had no intention of letting go. He'd keep her safe. Out of the back, they saw a car with three men surrounding it. Quickly taking advantage of how oblivious they were, they shot down two of them and continued running. One got to his feet after they had stopped firing and aimed his gun. Daryl heard a shrill cry from next to him and his grip almost faltered. Her face was a mask of pain as she grasped the right side of her stomach. Red stained her shirt from the inside and he stopped running. Tyreese shot the man dead and rushed over.

"RICK!" Daryl shouted, catching Carol as she fell.

The smaller group stopped in their tracks and turned.

"Shit," he cursed. "No, no, no!"

Another round of shouts echoed from the front of the prison and vehicles started up again.

"We need t' go!"

"She ain't dead!" Daryl cried.

Rick looked down at Carol who was paling fast.

"I'm okay. I can walk. It'll be fine," she mumbled, wincing as she said it.

Daryl grabbed her arm and adjusted it over his shoulders and picked her up.

"Keep goin'," he growled to the group who all stared at him. "KEEP GOIN'!"

They all hesitated but kept running and running through the forest. Tyreese lead the way followed by Michonne and Sasha. Rick, Carl and Merle ran next. Then came Daryl carrying an increasingly limp and wounded Carol in his arms.

"I ain't gonna lose you again," he whispered. "You're gonna be alrigh'. Promise me."