Chapter Twenty Three
The group surveyed the prison from behind the safety of the locked gate. Walkers on the inside wandered aimlessly, having not noticed the presence of food yet, stumbling over their broken feet and passing each other without any regard. The yard of the prison was quite large, though infested with more walkers than there were in the grass compound. This was no surprise and it was clear that there would be more inside too.
"Civilian clothes." Rick murmured suddenly and my attention turned to a walker whose attire stood out from the rest as they were not wearing the expected dull blue jumpsuit.
"Check'd the perimeter," Daryl replied to the leader's silent question when his gaze swung towards him. "Any gaps we patched up." Rick nodded.
"They could have already been inside when the outbreak started." Andrea pointed out. "Visiting loved ones?"
"It's a possibility." Shane agreed. "Though don't matter 'cos we're gonna have to kill 'em anyhow." This was true.
"A group will go in this time, there isn't any towers that can really provide a lot of cover if we only send one in." Rick began before pointing to a gate right in the far back of the yard. "We'll aim to close that, then kill off those in the yard. We'll work this prison in parts."
"Who goes in?" Glenn asked. Rick glanced around, eyes landing on me.
"You can sit out on this one, Ruby. Reckon yesterday earned you a free pass." He told me with a smile. I smiled back, though wondered if I would have rather joined the group going in instead of remaining out here with the children and the rest. I met Daryl's eyes briefly, who's gaze implored mine, before looking away quickly.
The group going into the yard consisted of Rick, Shane, Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn. Andrea and Maggie both argued to join them though Herschel was adamant not to let Maggie join them, the risk being too unbearable to take after recent events with his other daughter. Maggie was strangely compliable after seeing the sadness in her father's face. Andrea's argument however was battled for a short while, Shane standing up for her by saying she was a good shot, and finally Rick backed down and let her join them. She met my gaze with a smirk.
The group going in were given an hour to get ready as Rick and Shane patrolled the perimeter of the grass compound to make sure it was secure and to 'talk about things'. I eyed up the pair, wondering what they talked about, but left it to help Andrea gather up what weapons she wanted to take in with her.
"Can't believe Rick's letting me go." Andrea gushed. "I didn't think anyone took me seriously when I said I wanted to learn how to shoot." I raised an eyebrow and let Andrea ramble. "Lori was all against it, said I should be letting the men do the muscle work while the women cleaned and cooked." She scoffed and I couldn't help but agree - my experience with a group that had that mind set hadn't gone done so well in the past. "And when they let you go in alone, I couldn't believe it. Gave me hope that perhaps I'd get a go too." She grinned at me and raised her gun. "No more cooking and cleaning for us." I smiled back and gazed at the prison building over her shoulder.
"Guess cleaning and cooking won't be an issue in there so much." I muttered. Andrea hummed in agreement.
"They'll be a point when even Saint Lori will have to use that gun of hers." Andrea nodded, loading up her gun and shoving it into the back of her pants. "Gonna go find T-Dog and see if he wants to lend me a blunt object of some description." She grinned. "You coming?" I shook my head.
"Gonna see how the others are doing." I told her. She nodded and strolled off to find T-Dog. I watched her go before wandering over to the green Hyundai where I knew Daryl would be.
Sure enough, the hunter had his back to me as he stood by the open door of the car. His crossbow was on the chair in front of him and he was rummaging through his pockets and the bag he had with him for something. Toby sat at his feet, staring up at the man with his head cocked. I eyed him for a moment from a distance, wondering why my stomach felt so sick all of a sudden and why there was a heavy feeling on my chest. No doubt hearing my footsteps, Daryl glanced over his shoulder before beckoning me over. I obliged.
"Ya seen my knife?" He grunted. "Can't find the damn thing." I shook my head before pulling out my own and holding it out to him. He glanced down at it before looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged and he almost smiled. "Thanks." He muttered before taking the object from me and studying it.
"It won't be as good as yours, I imagine. Clearly not as big." I told him. He shrugged before tucking the knife into his belt.
"Knife's a knife." He murmured before meeting my gaze again. "Ya gonna 'ave to tell ya mutt that I ain't bringin' him in with me. Been followin' me 'round 'nd whinin' a lot. Probably expects he's comin' in with me." He glanced down at the offending animal at his feet. "Mutt reckons he's Chuck Norris after yesterday." I laughed, full-heartedly at the comment and glanced down at Toby before patting him. When I turned back to Daryl there was a ghost of a smile on his face, though it was gone before I could place it. "He did good though, I will say. I do think he'd make a good huntin' partner if we ever get round to it again." I nodded, smiling. "I think he'll probably listen to me too."
"I do as well." I agreed, eyeing the dog. "He likes you and from the looks of it, I think he'll be more than happy to listen to your commands. You won't need me after all." Daryl narrowed his gaze briefly before eyeing the dog and patting his head roughly. "You nervous?" I asked suddenly. Daryl snorted and I took that as my answer. I nodded with a sigh. "Well, be careful." The comment made Daryl pause for a moment though I didn't let him reply as I quickly whisked myself off to find Sophia, in fear that my blushing was becoming obvious.
"They brought a man back to camp a few days ago." Laurent began one day, following me. I was trying my hardest to ignore him as I scanned the street around me for somewhere good to loot. Laurent was my shadow it seemed today, trailing after me with a cocky step. His bruises had gone down, I noticed. "Found him holding out in an abandoned barn." I froze at that, stopping in my step, suddenly feeling sick. The man walked on ahead a few paces, not realising I had stopped before cottoning on. Laurent judged my reaction before continuing. "He had plenty of food to last him a while and had managed to fend of the dead with only a shotgun, pretty luck eh?" I didn't say anything, memories of the old man that let me hold up in his barn attic that night coming to mind. "Granddad was shouting the odds when we first found him, so we took his shotgun away and told him that he could join our ranks if he wanted as he seemed able to take care of himself." He paused and sighed. "He refused."
The silence drew on painfully as we regarded each other. I processed his story, feeling sick to my core at the thought though also feeling pain for the inevitable ending to that story.
"What did you do to him?" I breathed. A small smirk flittered across Laurent's face and it stunned me for a moment. He never had been overly loving of the violence, but it seemed the Governor and that camp were changing him. Swallowing hard, I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer to the question. Thankfully Laurent didn't answer and instead kept walking. I stared after him, thinking over what he had just told me.
These people, these monsters, they destroyed everything in the path.
Herschel and myself had the gate ready to open as the group gathered themselves ready to enter. Rick took deep breathes, gazing at his wife and son for a moment before nodding to Herschel and I. With combined strength we heaved the gate open and the group charged in. Without a moments pause we shut the gate behind them and had it locked secure in an instant. Now all we could do was observe from our safety.
They worked with their backs to each other, so they could protect themselves from all angles. When one broke ranks for a moment, the rest would stop and wait to regroup again and then they'd plough on. No guns were used, though they were tucked away somewhere in belts and pockets, and I observed as the group's tactics were working quite effectively. They were taking down all walkers in their path but they were becoming hard to see as they continued further across the yard.
"I can't see Rick," Lori muttered quickly, gripping the fence tightly in her slender fingers. My eyes raced amongst the carnage before spotting the defiant leader and pointing him out to his wife.
"He's securing the gates with Daryl." I told her. They'd made it to the other side at least. Now all they had to do was take the remaining walkers out. Sounded easy enough.
Herschel and Maggie stood together, the latter looking out for Glenn no doubt while the former looked out with a communal concern. Lori and I stood together, both children beside us as we hoped that those inside would make it out alright. Our attention was so divided on the group on the inside, who had almost taken out all the walkers, that we weren't paying attention to anything else. It was only when Sophia screamed that we pried our eyes away.
A walker had stumbled over to us without our realising and had grabbed at Sophia from the other side of the fence, its claws wrapping around her and trying to rip her apart. I fumbled quickly for my knife when Sophia screamed so more, though realised in an instance that I had given it to Daryl and my stomach plummeted. A moment later, however, a gun shot rang out across the air and the walker dropped to the ground.
The group in the yard had finished clearing out the walkers and were running in our direction, though they weren't the source of the gunshot. Carl stood beside his mother, a gun raised - a gun I didn't know he had - and had it aimed where the walker's head once was. We stared down at him as he looked positively shell-shocked, before Sophia launched herself at him, almost winding him in a hug. Her soft sobs could be heard, muffled into Carl's shoulder.
"What happened?" Rick demanded breathlessly once they reached us.
"A walker tried to grab at Sophia." Maggie explained quickly, staring down at the embracing children with wide eyes. "Carl shot it."
"Wait- Carl?!" Rick stared at his son with shock, as did Shane beside him. His mother was frozen in place as she only had eyes for the gun in her son's hand. "Sophia, are you alright?" The little girl pried herself away from her friend and nodded, a surprisingly large smile on her face. Carl blushed sheepishly and turned to his mother.
"I did good, didn't I Mom?" He asked hesitantly. Lori swallowed hard, glancing at her husband before smiling thinly at Carl and nodded. It read all over her face that she wasn't happy with the weapon in her son's hands but she could say nothing of it and she restrained herself well as she quickly gathered her son into her arms.
I remained speechless still, my stomach feeling ill at the situation that had just arose a few moments ago. I couldn't save her. When the time came, I couldn't save Sophia. After I had promised Carol I would look after her daughter, I had failed at even the first hurdle and was thankful that the Grimes' son was adamant to ignore his mother's wishes when it came to guns. I had failed her.My thoughts were halted when Sophia's arms wrapped around my middle and I realised that Sophia must have understood what I was thinking. And that made me feel a whole lot better. But it did not take the thoughts away completely.
"Is everyone alright?" Herschel asked Rick and everyone in the yard. A confirmation came back. "What happens now?" Rick glanced over his shoulder to where caged steps led up to a door to the inside of the prison.
"We'll go inside, check it out and see if there's a place we can stay. Clear out a cell block if we can." He told the older man. "In the mean time, it's best you guys stay in there where we know it's safe. We'll need to double check this yard before we can move everyone inside." When we all nodded in agreement the group in the yard, banded together and made their way towards the door Rick was meaning.
The rest of us watched them go, all probably with the same sickening feeling in our stomachs, and knew all we could do now was wait for them to return to us. We had to hope they would return to us.
I thought I saw them once. Merle and Michonne.
I was staggering through the forest, exhausted from running. From hiding. Exhausted from life. It was days like this when all I wanted to do was stick the gun in my mouth and pull the trigger. But I had convinced myself that that was a cowardly way to consider the situation I had found myself in. Though it was very inviting, that was for sure. I decided to crouch down, my back to a tree, while I counted my remaining ammo and loaded my gun. I was in dire need for a Laurent visit soon, though I hated to admit it. I certainly wasn't going to admit to him that I needed him either. Toby sat at my feet, his eyes ever vigil as he scanned the area around us.
Suddenly I heard a twig snap and I was on alert. Toby's ears perked up and he moved into a defensive position. I didn't move, merely raised my gaze and glanced around to see if anything physical was visible. Nothing. But there was more twigs snapping and it sounded like footsteps were coming closer. I swallowed hard, knowing what the possibilities were and was thankful I had finished loading my gun. The noises were coming from my left and I waited, holding my breath, for the moment something appeared from between the trees. When something did, I froze.
Two figures staggered through the trees, not noticing me crouched down in the undergrowth. One was a man, a bald head, while the other was a woman with dark skin and unusually dreaded hair. My heart leapt at the sight of them, despite not having seen their faces. Quickly, I ushered for Toby to hold back before the dog could lunge towards them, intent on taking them down.
"Merle! Michonne!" I cried without thinking. The figures stopped and I leapt up and revealed myself. I waited for them to turn around, to see me, a grin on my face. Though it was then I noticed their ripped, decaying clothes. My grin faded. No.
They turned around slowly, their dead bodies too broken for quick movement, and revealed their faces. I felt my breath release when I saw it wasn't them. It wasn't Merle and Michonne, they hadn't been turned into the decaying dead. The faces of these doppelgangers turned up in snarls of hunger and I sighed, pocketing my gun and bringing out my knife. There was no need to make too much noise.
I took out doppelganger Michonne first as she was closest and she fell like dead weight - fitting. Next, doppelganger Merle staggered over and I paused to observe the man one last time, thinking of my handless friend and all we had been through in our brief time together.
"Oh, girlie." The man grunted before I left. I glanced over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Name's Merle."
"Lighten up, darlin', we're free!" He cried
"Merle saved me." I cut in quickly, silencing the man. "It was an accident. If it wasn't for Merle, I would have been eaten."
"Thank you for what you did. You saved my life." I paused and sighed. "I owe you one." Merle then chuckled and shook his head.
"You saved me from that camp, sugar. Reckon that makes us even now, don't it?"
"I ain't the kinda bloke that does heart-to-hearts and all that shit."
"Just gotta look at the bright side, darlin'."
"Suppose, it depends if you have anythin' to live for."
Merle's face staring in horror at me and his mouth screaming words I couldn't hear.
When doppelganger Merle got too close, I didn't hesitate in raising my blade and aiming it straight for his head. Just like his predecessor, this doppelganger fell to the ground at my feet. I swallowed hard and stared down at the pair of them. Then I wiped away the tears I didn't know I had shed.
"Goodbye." I murmured to the bodies, quickly leaving before anymore came by, Toby at my heels. "I miss you both."
Carl and Sophia were amusing themselves by playing with Toby, after Lori had encouraged them to go do something as we waited for the others. Herschel had urged Maggie to join him as he went to retrieve some water and food for us all to consume while we waited - suppose it gave them something to do, gave Maggie something to do while she waited for Glenn.
Lori hadn't moved very far from the gate. She had positioned herself cross-legged on the floor, her eyes darting between the prison yard and her son playing. I sat beside her, finding nothing else for myself to do.
"Suppose it's too late for me to congratulate you on your baby, isn't it?" I murmured after the silence was becoming unbearable. Lori chuckled a little.
"No it isn't, thank you Ruby." She replied, smiling. A pause. "Sorry about hounding on you that day. I said some things that I didn't mean, that I regret. I don't want things to be awkward between us, not after everything that has happened with Dale and Beth and-" A pause. "Carol." There was a long moment of silence and Sophia's and Carl's cries of amusement could be heard. "I hope you can forgive me?" I smiled slightly and shrugged.
"I don't hold anything against you, Lori." I told her, honestly. "I did a lot of things I regret and I knew I deserved some of the stuff you and Shane said. But I would like that to be put behind us now." We shared a smile and the air between us became a lot easier.
"I didn't know you knew Merle." Lori stated after a while. I chuckled without humour, looking down at the ground and plucking at the grass.
"I didn't know Merle was Daryl's brother." I admitted. "Would have said something sooner if I had done."
"When did you tell Daryl?" She asked, softly.
"Just after the attack on the farm." I told her. "He mentioned he had a brother and told me about when Merle lost his hand. Things just clicked in my mind then, though I guess I always thought there was something familiar about Daryl." Lori thought for a moment.
"Merle wasn't a particularly nice person when I knew him." Lori stated quietly. "Him and Daryl always isolated themselves from us. When they left Merle in Atlanta, I thought Daryl would go off the rails, he already tried to kill Rick when he found out what happened."
"But he didn't." I pointed out, quickly, not liking the critical tone in Lori's voice as she spoke about Daryl. Or Merle for that matter. "When I first met Merle, I will admit that I didn't believe he was the nicest of people. But that changed after time. I depended on him, believed in him. And when he and Michonne left me, I felt so alone, so lost without them." I paused, turning back to Lori, who was listening to me thoughtfully. "I don't care what any of you say about him, I believe he's a good man and I have every ounce of assurance that we'll see him again one day. Him and Michonne."
"You still think he's alive?" She asked. I nodded without a second thought.
"I know he's alive." I told her. Lori sighed and turned away to check on Sophia and Carl.
"I don't know what will happen if Merle comes back." Lori admitted. "They'll be a lot of fighting and confrontation. Merle didn't make such good friends with Rick apparently, and he never liked Shane. It doesn't help that he'll blame T-Dog for dropping the key too." She shook her head and sighed. "Nothing good can come of Merle returning." I frowned at this.
"Imma kill the lot of them if I ever see them again." Merle's words echoed in my mind, though I pushed them back, not truly believing the statement he had come out with all that time back.
"Daryl having his brother back is a good thing." I pointed out, dryly. Lori paused and turned her gaze to me and I realised she had nothing to say to having made up with the woman, there was bound to be some confrontation between us in the future. Merle Dixon happened to be a topic of confrontation between us.
Suddenly there was a sound coming from the prison yard and Lori and my heads turned to the direction of the door into the prison. Andrea and Glenn emerged and were heading towards us. Lori and I quickly got to our feet.
"Herschel! Maggie!" Lori cried, getting the rest of those left behind's attention. The farmer and his daughter's figures could be seen making their way rapidly towards us. The children paused in their games and quickly sprinted over too. Once the four of them had reached us, Andrea and Glenn and reached the gate too.
"Glenn!" Maggie exclaimed, beaming unimaginably wide. Glenn smiled in return and nodded to Herschel in acknowledgement.
"Is everyone alright?" Lori asked quickly. When Andrea nodded, everyone visibly relaxed.
"We cleared out a cell block and secured a small part of the prison enough for us to hold up in." Andrea went on to tell us. "It's big enough for everyone to have a cell each and we'll plan to find the kitchens and infirmary once we've got everyone settled and moved our belongings inside."
"What are we going to do with the vehicles?" Herschel asked.
"We'll move them into the yard now and take everything we need inside." Glenn explained. "Though someone will need to quickly check the yard to make sure it's secure." Maggie volunteered herself and Glenn for that job.
"While you check it's secure we'll bring the vehicles into the yard." Andrea nodded.
Herschel and I unlocked the gate so Maggie and Glenn could get to work on the perimeter as the rest of us made our way towards the vehicles. Andrea and Herschel took the RV, Lori took the Chevrolet and I was stuck with the Hyundai. Sophia and Carl were bundled into the RV and the convoy moved up into the yard. Glenn and Maggie quickly secured the yard and told us it was secure while the rest of us set to work on parking the vehicles and gathering up our belongings from inside. The belongings were distributed between the eight of us and Andrea led the way inside the prison, while Glenn brought up the rear.
Inside, the prison was dismally dark and we had to keep in a tight group incase we got lost. Sophia's little hand clutched mine and I knew the other would be holding Carl's equally as tight. My free hand held onto my gun tightly and my eyes darted about the darkness waited for something to pounce at us. Nothing did. Though along the way to the cell block we encountered several bodies, all with either knife wounds or bullet holes in their heads. This was comforting.
Suddenly a figure appeared in our path and there a brief moment when weapons were raised. Triggers refrained from being pulled though when the figure spoke.
"Don't shoot! It's only me!" T-Dog's voice quickly cut in. A flashlight was raised into the man's face and sure enough T-Dog's grinning face was illuminated. "C'mon, it's this way."
We entered Cell Block C with trepidation, and T-Dog shut the cell door behind us. There were muffled sounds as the man secured the door shut. Keeping us safe. There was a small communal area with chairs and tables, a common room of some description perhaps for the prisoners?, which looked grim and mildly battered. A doorway in the far right was barred and Shane stood in the doorway, his shot gun cradled in his arms. Another door on the far left was also barred though this was shut and led into a dark corridor. Chains hung on that door and I gathered the others had made sure that door was locked. We followed Andrea as she made her way over to the doorway in which Shane stood in front of. A small smirk was on his face.
"Welcome home." He grinned, standing aside to let us by. Hesitantly, the rest of us went through the door way.
The actual cells were all on the left hand wall, while tall barred windows were on the other. There was two platforms, the bottom and stairs that led up to the next. The ceiling was tall and though the whole cell block itself looked grim and dark, there was something about the place that made me breath a sigh of relief. Rick then emerged, bounding down the stairs towards us. Carl wasted no time in running toward his father and engulfing him in a hug. Rick laughed and there was something about the relaxed look on the man's face that spoke full volumes. Daryl followed Rick down the stairs shortly after. He glanced towards where Rick and Carl were laughing together, Lori walking over to join her family, before he raised his gaze to the rest of us.
The group quickly ventured through the cell block, observing their new home and asking question after question. I held back my thoughts and merely observed the cells, tugging Sophia behind me as I went.
"Pick a cell, people." Shane called. "This is where we'll be sleeping."
"We've secured this cell block completely. As long as you stay in here and the room outside then you'll be safe. T-Dog has secured the door to the rest of the prison so we don't have to worry about any walkers wandering in." Rick explained to us all, easing any worries.
"Secured the door in as well, just incase." T-Dog told us. Rick nodded. "Though the yard and the compound are fine anyway."
"Just incase." Rick agreed with a smile, before turning to everyone else. "We'll work on finding the infirmary and kitchens next before we consider other cell blocks." He carried on. "There's a lot of prisoners kept here, so that means a lot of walkers. We can't take them all out at once, but in stages I think we can do it." There was a pause as Rick surveyed his wife and son with a smile. "This place is perfect. We're safe." Safe, that wasn't a word we heard very often with such clarity. "Like Shane said, pick a cell to rest in, you've got plenty to choose from."
"Which one do you want then, Sophia?" I asked as Sophia and myself surveyed the top floor of the cell block, Toby deciding to follow us for a change rather than joining Daryl. Sophia had insisted on a cell up here as that was where the Grimes' were choosing to stay and I didn't argue with her. Sophia picked herself a cell, one that was without any bloodstain unlike a few we had come across, and sat herself down on the bed. Toby trundled in after her and sat at her feet. She patted his head lightly before jumping on the bed a little.
"It's pretty comfy." She grinned. I laughed and joined her. I surprisingly had to agree.
On the bottom floor Herschel, Maggie, Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea all found themselves a cell each to sleep in. Maggie's and Glenn's cells were suspiciously next to each other, but Herschel had firmly taken the one on Maggie's other side to urge a point. Lori and Carl shared a cell, while Rick took one beside them, with Shane taking one on his other side. Sophia and my cell was on the other side of Lori's and Carl's so Sophia was as close to her friend as possible. There was speculation on whether it should be allowed that Sophia and Carl shared a cell, but that idea was demolished before it was really discussed. The location of Daryl's chosen cell was a mystery as the man continued to walk the cell block alone without even considering a cell.
It had been an odd day, which had ended with me sitting on the bunk bed of Sophia's chosen cell, staring at the opposite wall. I was currently alone as Sophia was out with Carl and Lori and Toby had joined her. Dinner was being discussed and it wasn't as if I was hiding from any responsibility as I knew Lori wouldn't consider asking me after our talk earlier today. I merely just wanted to think a little. Outside in the cell block, there was the distant chatter as the rest of the group were talking together. No more plans were being made, everyone was resting for the day. Plans for finding the infirmary and kitchens were put on hold until tomorrow. Something I knew the whole group was glad for.
"Knock knock." A voice murmured at the cell door. I glanced up and saw Daryl stood there. I smiled slightly at the man and he ventured into the cell, leaning against the wall I was previously just locked in a staring contest with.
"You alright?" I asked the man. He gave me a stiff nod before producing something from his pocket. My knife. I stared down at the object, regarding it with a cold stare as I remembered Sophia nearly being killed and I couldn't protect her. He held it out for me to take, which I did numbly. "Thanks." I muttered, throwing the object on the bed beside me and leaning back against the wall, actively ignoring Daryl's imploring gaze.
"Not ya fault what happened to Sophia." Daryl said after a while. "It was just an accident, we should have been more careful and taken care of that walker when we were clearing out the yard-"
"Don't blame it on yourself, Daryl." I urged quickly. "I told Carol I would protect her and I couldn't today." I swallowed hard. "If it wasn't for Carl then I could have lost her. I failed Carol." There was a brief moment of silence before Daryl pushed himself away from the wall and walked the short distance towards the bed and took a seat beside me.
"How many times do I gotta tell ya how much ya done for that little girl?" He murmured softly, leaning back on the wall beside me. "Just gotta remember that she's fine, nothin' happened to her. Don't blame yourself for anythin' that happens 'cos ya not responsible. Sophia sure doesn't 'nd that's all that should matter."
"Wouldn't have put you down as the heart-to-heart guy." I muttered with a smile. Daryl snorted.
"I ain't." He contradicted.
"Neither is your brother." I said before I stopped myself. The silence grew thick as the pair of us were lost in our thoughts. I wondered if I perhaps shouldn't have said anything.
"No he isn't." Daryl agreed, softly. With that, Daryl heaved himself off of the bed and glanced back down at me. He gave me a small smile before turning to leave. I quickly stopped him.
"Daryl, wait." I urged. The hunter stopped in the cell door and glanced over his shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow. "We need to tell the others about Dale."
"What 'bout him?" Daryl asked quietly. I frowned and stood up, facing the hunter.
"You know exactly what." I almost hissed. "How he turned." Daryl's eyes implored mine for a moment as the man thought it over. "They have the right to know, Daryl." After a moment, Daryl exhaled deeply and nodded.
"Now?"
"It's better to do it sooner rather than later. Might as well do it now while things are quiet." I sighed. Daryl scoffed at the comment and led the way out the cell and toward where the others were gathered downstairs. Rick glanced up at us as Daryl and I made our way down the metal stairs and conversation paused for a moment.
"Rick, we got summit to tell y'all." Daryl called out in his Southern drawl. I was quite thankful Daryl had taken lead of our confession and hung back a little as Daryl strode forcefully over towards the group. I saw Rick raise an eyebrow and look curious.
"What is it Daryl?" He asked curiously as the others stared on.
"It's about Dale." I cut in quickly. I saw Andrea's face pain considerably and I sighed at what I was about to do to her. "He turned." The was a long pause as the group merely stared at me.
"What do you mean, he turned?" Rick asked with a frown.
"He turned into a walker." Daryl told him, firmly.
"That's impossible." Andrea shook her head. "Dale was shot. He wasn't bitten."
"We know." Daryl nodded. "There wasn't a scratch or a bite mark on him, I checked. But he still turned. He err-" A paused as he glanced at me awkwardly. I sighed and nodded.
"He bit Carol." I hated how pain suddenly consorted Sophia's face at the mention of her mother and wished I could take the pain away. But I couldn't. I couldn't help rid the pain of the loss of her mother. And the news wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but we needed to inform the others about what we had found.
"You sure?" Shane asked, ignorantly. I glared at the man.
"Yes, we're fucking sure." I hissed, earning myself a return glare and an almost snarl. I eyed the rest of the group and saw the uncertainty in their eyes. "You don't believe us, do you?"
"It's impossible." Andrea said, firmly. I saw how her eyes flared as she directed her stare at me. "He can't have turned when he wasn't bitten." I noticed how the blonde glared at me and refrained myself from spitting a insult back at my friend as I saw her judging me right down to my core. She was just in denial over her friend's death.
"It's not impossible." Rick piped up suddenly, eyes distant. The group turned to him as he sighed deeply, running a shaking hand through his hair.
"What do you mean, Rick?" Lori asked slowly, her eyes defiantly on her husband. Everyone else had the same confused expression on their faces as we observed our leader in a inner battle with himself. Then Rick spoke, his voice a breathless murmur, and no one could scarcely believe what they had just heard;
"We're all infected."
"What?" Shane was the first to break the staggering silence as he stared at his best friend. Rick glanced up at him before sweeping his gaze amongst everyone.
"Jenner told me something at the CDC," He began. Jenner? CDC? "He told me that whatever it is, we all carry it. No matter how we die, we come back as one of them. We don't have to be bitten or scratched by one of them, as soon as we die we become one." Another pause and Rick repeated with a little more defiance; "We're all infected."
I met Daryl's gaze as he glanced back at me. That certainly explained what happened to seemed that I wasn't the only one keeping secrets around here.
(Author's Note): Mid-Season finale! Wow! No words can describe how truly awesome it was! Still lost for words on how amazing it was, great mid-season finale to leave us all on our toes. The ending was definitely my favourite, especially Daryl's face when he saw Merle and visa versa. They most definitely delievered in this episode. And Tyreese is here? So excited! The rest of the season really does look to be promising! Cannot wait until February! :D What's everyone's thoughts on the finale?
Well, now The Walking Dead is over for a couple of months, I really intend to write a lot for this story. The last episode alone gave me ALOT of inspiration and fingers crossed I can make things work and that you guys will enjoy it.
Thank you very much for your comment on the last update, they really mean a lot and I'm glad that my story is being enjoyed. Hopeful you all continue to enjoy it and please feel free to give me feedback on anything you don't like. I only wish to improve! I'll get the next update up soon, thanks again.