Chapter Twenty Eight
The word to describe life in the prison would be stable. An odd word to use, but one that truly fit.
It had been five months since the group had moved into Cell Block A, and it was safe to say the cell block wasn't as eerie anymore. It still echoed, but it didn't have the same spook as before. Cell Block A was our home now, we were building a life here.
The generator room had been found a few weeks after Rick had decided we needed to find it. It was a great moment when Rick turned on all the power and suddenly corridors were lit and the prison was brought alive. It was weird to see a functioning light bulb again and that was an odd thought. Upon returning back to the cell block, the security cameras were checked. The monitors flickered on and off and it took a few attempts to get them working. Glenn was set the challenge of making them work, and he did himself proud. The monitors were fully functional and we now had a greater view of the prison.
Shortly after the generator room find, a large infirmary was found, much to Herschel's comfort. The medical supplies found were much more fruitful than the last and it seemed like luck was flowing our way. God knows we needed it after everything. Nearby to our cell block, a shower block was also found. The prospect of cleaning set the group on edge and the delightful cries when we found the water was working sent everyone into a craze. The luck just kept on coming. The prisoners then found a vast supply of spare jumpsuits in a dusty laundry room by the shower block and they were distributed amongst the group. No one was bothered that they were prison jumpsuits, merely relished the idea of getting out of the same grotty clothes we had been wearing for months now. There was a struggle to find those that fit Sophia and Carl, but we managed to find some that we slightly bigger and after some alterations the children were satisfied.
During the months, a run had been made back to the farm, upon Herschel and Maggie's request. The farm was abandoned by the Governor's group and walkers when they got there apparently and they gathered all the could before returning. They brought back some farming equipment with them and explained that they thought they could grow some crops in the prison's grass compound. The idea was passed by Rick and approved. Soon enough the farmer and his daughter got working, though some suspected their efforts were mostly to take their mind of their loss of Beth.
Their idea provided the group with a flicker of hope. Hope that perhaps we could rebuild life in this prison. There definitely still was a lot of work to do. We had secured our cell block and Cell Block C, as well as the passage to and from, including passages to the shower block and infirmary. Safe zones had been mapped out as a lot of the prison still was yet to be cleared out from walkers. Despite this thought, life still functioned fine in our sectioned off area of the prison.
A lot spoke of the luck we had for coming across the prison, how much of a lucky find it was. Though there was fear beneath the happiness and stability. Fear of knowing that our luck will run out one day, perhaps even one day soon.
"Gotta stop your hands from shakin'. You won't be much of a good snipe with hands shakin' like a grandma." I raised an eyebrow at my teacher, refraining from making a comment about his obnoxiousness, and returned back to looking through the scope of the sniper rifle.
Shane had offered to show me how to use a sniper properly a few days back and we were currently in one of the guard towers over looking the grassy compound where the rest of the group was. Shooting practise was going on down below and Sophia and Carl were doing themselves proud under Rick's guidance and ever watching gaze. The pair of them had become pretty good shots, Sophia perhaps surpassing her friend. There had been numerous times when I had observed Sophia hitting a target Carl had trouble getting, and bit back the stupidly proud grin that would threaten to creep onto my face.
The bullets had been taken out of the sniper rifle at the moment so I scoped the group safely from my vantage point. I watched Carl and Sophia for a bit, smiling when they both successfully got their targets. My attention was then diverted to where Thomas sat beside Andrew. The former was lounged back talking to Andrew and making gestures with his hands. I frowned as the pair sniggered when Daryl passed them by and wondered what had gone on as Daryl walked away looking thoroughly pissed.
"What you lookin' at?" Shane asked.
"Just Thomas and Andrew being their arrogant selves." I replied, earning myself an agreeing grunt from Shane and no more.
I frowned some more when Thomas sat up and leaned towards Andrew to talk in, no doubt, hushed tones. I was surprised when his gaze wandered up towards the guard tower and wondered if he knew I was watching. They were getting stranger, that was for sure. I moved my scope on, scanning the field before a brunette figure caught my attention. I observed Lori as she watched her son practise shooting, taking in the smile on her face as Carl continued to hit his target. My attention was then directed towards my teacher and wondered how the situation faired between them. The tension was most certainly still there between Rick, Shane and Lori.
At around six months pregnant, Lori was nicely big. She was still blessed with the pregnant glow and still managed to look amazing whilst wearing the baggy prison jumpsuits that we all wore. Exactly how Lori was going to give birth in the prison was still undecided. Herschel was preparing the best he could but expressed constantly that he needed more equipment to work with besides the stuff found in the infirmary. This set Rick on edge a little, though he tried to hold himself together. Shane was also a little edgy because of it, no doubt for the same reasons. Worryingly for the same reasons.
"The shakes are gettin' better." Shane observed bluntly and I snorted.
"Kinda hard not to shake a little with you breathing down my neck." I muttered. Shane merely scoffed and handed me the ammo for the rifle.
For the rest of the day, we practised targets on some of the walkers outside the fence and I was surprised when Shane expressed that I was getting 'pretty good'. A true achievement considering I wasn't Shane's favourite person. Finally, Shane called it a day and we made our way down the guard tower to the rest of the group. Shane walked straight over to Rick, not even bothering to say another word to me but I was hardly disheartened.
"Hey." A gruff voice spoke beside me. I looked up and smiled at the hunter. "How was lessons with sergeant brute?" I laughed and shrugged.
"Alright, I guess. Can't say it's been a cheerful day up in that guard tower with him." I told Daryl earnestly.
"Offered to teach ya how to use my crossbow, but ya wanted the sniper rifle." Daryl muttered with a smirk.
"Your crossbow looks far more complicated than the sniper rifle, and plus whenever would I have chance to use it? It's pretty much your extra limb." Daryl snorted and shrugged.
"Would mean ya wouldn't have to spend all day with the cheerful chimp."
"True." I smiled. "It would mean I get to spend all day in your company which I prefer a whole lot more than his, obviously." Daryl gave me a small smile.
"Obviously."
The following day, I was made to endure more time alone in Shane's company though he informed me that he reckoned I may be good enough without many more of his lessons soon. I was thankful for this, not really fancying anymore of his time.
"Gotta warn you about the kickback though," Shane told me, holding his hand out to take the rifle from me. I gave it back to him and he demonstrated by shooting one of the walker targets. "See how it shoved my shoulder back? Gotta be careful of that, you could strain your shoulder or arm if you ain't careful."
"Thanks. And if I do strain myself?" I muttered. Shane shrugged and smirked.
"Gotta find yourself someone willing to give you a backrub."
"You offering your services?" I muttered, biting back a smirk when Shane's face dropped into a frown.
"Reload, try again."
After the day's lesson, we headed back down to the group and like the day before Shane marched straight over toward Rick. I paused to watch him go before making my way over to where Daryl was sat beside Toby on the grass.
"Think I pissed off Shane." I told him, sitting down. Daryl raised an eyebrow. "Asked him to give me a backrub, but he wasn't so happy with the request." Daryl's eyebrows burrowed.
"The fuck ya want him givin' ya a backrub for?" He muttered, firmly. I smiled.
"You can lay off the jealous tone, Daryl. I was only joking with him. It's just he didn't find it so funny." I paused to observe where Rick and Shane were stood across the compound, judging by their expressions they weren't having a 'friendly chat'. Shane's defiantly angry stance also said otherwise. "You reckon there's something wrong with Shane?" Daryl snorted.
"There's always sumthin' wrong with Shane." I rolled my eyes.
"Do you not think he's weirder since the farm?" I asked, turning to Daryl. He met my eyes and shrugged.
"Suppose so." He replied. "Like I said though, always gotta be sumthin' pissin' him off. If there's sumthin' he don't like, he's gotta have his say." I hummed in agreement before turning my gaze towards where Lori was stood with the children.
"You think it's something to do with the baby?" I asked. Daryl scoffed.
"Puttin' my money on it." He muttered.
I opened my mouth to speak, though was cut off by a sound that startled the entire group and stopped all activity.
A scream.
A shrill feminine scream that cut through the air and pierced the atmosphere. I sounded like it came from somewhere in the prison. Most strange? Glancing around though, I took in the numbers of the group and realised that everyone was accounted for.
Which meant the scream didn't belong to any of our people.
I woke up the next morning and hesitantly made my way downstairs. Unsure what exactly I was going to find, I slowly made my way through the Jones' house and found the father and son sat at the table in the dining room. I was greeted with smiles.
"How'd you sleep?" Morgan asked, eating a bowl of cereal. I frowned.
"Fine, but I'm curious as to how exactly you're eating cereal with milk." Morgan smiled.
"Long lasting milk." He explained. I narrowed my eyes and took a seat at the table.
"Didn't think it would last this long though." I muttered. Morgan shrugged.
"It's really only been months since the start of the outbreak. I'd say four tops." Four months? Wow it seemed much longer than that. "You want some?" I studied the milk in his and Duane's bowls before deciding I might as well and accepting a bowl of cereal from Morgan.
The atmosphere around the dinner table felt strangely peaceful and homely. It was off-putting for a moment, but I eased into it. I observed the father and son thoughtfully as they conversed.
"What we gonna do today, Dad?" Duane asked. Morgan thought for a moment.
"Gotta keep practising with your aim." Morgan replied. "You can have a go on the sniper upstairs today."
"But what about the noise, won't it attract them?" I asked and Morgan shook his head.
"The cop we met gave us a load of rifles and ammo before he left for Atlanta. Found that one of them had a suppressor on it, so I've adapted the sniper rifle with it. Can clear out the street without alerting the entire area." He smiled proudly before turning to his son. "Now, you go get set up and I'll follow up." Duane pushed himself away from the table and stood up. He paused beside me before going.
"Can Toby come with me?" He asked and I smiled.
"Of course, just call him and he'll follow." Duane grinned and left, calling for Toby who bounded after him.
"I'm quite fascinated with your dog." Morgan began. "Has he not slowed you down?" I shook my head.
"He's been good to me." I told Morgan. "Been there with me since the start and he's never been a problem."
"Would have thought he'd make too much noise and attract them."
"He knows when to keep quiet now. It's like he's trained for the apocalypse." I shrugged and Morgan rose from his feet, taking the bowls into the kitchens. I got up and followed him. "Morgan, would it be a little rude if I asked about your wife?" Morgan had his back to me and froze his actions. I wondered if I had upset him and cursed myself for jumping right in with the question. Finally the man turned to me and I was relieved not to be met with an angry gaze.
"Lost my wife the same way you've lost people you love, I suspect." He began slowly. "She was bitten the night we left our home. That's what brought us here, first house that was safe and where the dead couldn't find us. Duane and I stayed up with her until she passed, but I couldn't bring myself to shoot her in the head." He paused, swallowing hard. "I took her body out in the truck back to our home. I left her in there and came back. She's one of them now. I've seen her walking by here sometimes." He shrugged then. "It ain't a story you've not heard before. I guess everyone alive today has a story to tell similar to mine." I smiled sadly and nodded.
"I guess that's true."
The group were still for a moment before everyone was up on their feet and making their way towards where Rick and Shane were stood.
"Is everyone here?" Rick demanded, his eyes darting nervously around. When it was confirmed that we were, his face fell with confusion.
"Who the fuck was that then?" Shane hissed.
"Gotta be someone else alive in the prison. Perhaps more inmates?" Andrea suggested, though the prisoners shook their heads.
"This is a male prison." Axel told us all. "Ain't no women prisoners here." This confused the group more.
"Outsiders?" T-Dog threw in. "Got in through a gap in the perimeter?"
"But the perimeter is secure." I pointed out.
"Could have cut their way through." T-Dog shrugged. "They may have been in a desperate situation?"
"There ain't really much point speculatin' right now." Daryl muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "We gonna do sumthin' cos they are screamin' for a reason?" The group went quiet for a moment, eyes turning to Rick who looked deep in thought.
"Right, Ruby and Daryl you check the perimeter. If there is a gap then that's a problem. Fix it." Rick ordered. "If you come across anyone, don't engage in conflict; we don't know if they're dangerous or not. Bring them inside and lock them in Cell Block C." I nodded and turned to follow Daryl towards the gates that led us out into the perimeter, missing the rest of Rick's orders.
We worked quickly, I trotted behind Daryl as he kept the pace quick. He would go into the section first, check for walkers then I'd follow. So far we'd found no gap in the perimeter which was comforting though even more mysterious.
Suddenly though Daryl came to a halt and I noticed one of the gaps in the fence was torn open, leaving a gaping hole. Daryl and I shared a look before patching it up quickly. We didn't need any stray walkers to add to this mysterious equation.
"Well, we know how they've got in." I muttered. "We're gonna need to get something more secure for these gaps." Daryl nodded and glanced around. "There's blood." I pointed to the familiar red fluid dripping from a part of the fence. It was only a little, but it was noticeable.
"They're injured." Daryl frowned before raising his crossbow. "Where they went from here is the question." The pair of us studied the next perimeter fence in but found no gap. "Could of climbed it?"
"That would be difficult if it was one injured person." I pointed out and Daryl nodded in agreement.
"Not if there was a group of 'em though." We shared a look before Daryl gestured for me to follow with his head. "C'mon, lets get back to the others. They could 'ave found sumthin'."
We rushed back to the main gates with an even quicker pace than before. Daryl obviously made it there first and locked it after I was inside the compound. The yard and compound were both empty now and I gathered the rest of the group were inside the prison.
Jogging, we made it to the prison yard but paused when the door into the prison opened and Lori rushed out. When she spotted us, she came hurling toward us.
"Ruby, have you seen Carl?!" She gushed out, her breath quickened and out of breath. I frowned and glanced at Daryl.
"Ain't seen nobody." Daryl replied for me. Lori looked horrified by this and ran a hand through her hair.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Lori looked like she was about to breakdown and I was beginning to get a horrible feeling in my stomach.
"I can't find them." She panted, biting back a sob. "The children, I can't find them. I told them to wait in our cell while I went into the security room to see if Glenn had found anything on the cameras, but when I came back they had both gone."
"What?" I breathed. Sophia? "But are you sure you checked everywhere?" Lori nodded frantically.
"I've checked the entire cell block, asked everyone. No one's seen them. I thought that maybe they'd come out here to wait for you two but I-" She broke off to hold a hand to her mouth, holding back the sobs.
"We'll go back to the cell block, maybe we can see them on the camera feed." I suggested, trying to hold strength, for Lori and myself. Lori nodded and reached out to grab my hand. The three of us headed back to the cell block, Lori's hand a death grip in mine. I didn't care though, she needed the comfort right now and I wasn't feeling so good either.
What if something terrible happened to her? What if she was hurt or runs into walkers? She was supposed to be my responsibility. I had promised Carol I would look after her and I was doing a lousy job at it. But it wasn't just a promise I was breaking. Sophia was what brought me out of my run down state. She had taught me to trust again, to care. She had given me hope and something to live for. I couldn't let anything happen to her or I wouldn't know what to do anymore. What purpose was I without watching over Sophia? Oh God, please let her be safe.
When we made it to the cell block, some of the group were gathered downstairs. They looked up upon entrance and Herschel told Lori that Carl and Sophia still couldn't be found. This made my heart sink further, but Lori's determind strides dragged me up the stairs and onto the upper floor before I could really think. Daryl trailed behind us, but I wasn't sure if I felt comfort in his presence anymore.
Inside the security room, Maggie and Glenn were staring at the monitors, their eyes working amongst the footage. They glanced up at us when we entered.
"Have you seen Carl and Sophia on the cameras yet?" Lori asked. Glenn shook his head.
"We're having a hard time keeping track of the others." Glenn admitted, pointing to one monitor where Rick, Shane and T-Dog were making their way down a corridor before vanishing from view and appearing on a monitor at the opposite end of the row by Maggie. "It's confusing to keep up."
"We need to find the children, we don't know where they are." I told them.
"Well, we've been staring at these cameras for ages and we haven't seen them come by. Are you sure they've not-"
"There." Maggie cut across Glenn quickly, pointing to one monitor. Lori and I rushed over and saw Sophia and Carl's forms quickly pass by view.
"Where is that camera at?" I asked. "Whereabouts in the prison are they?"
"Are they in the safe zone?" Lori breathed, her hand still gripping mine, though was shaking a little. Maggie stared at the monitor for a moment before turning to us with a sunken expression. She shook her head.
"It doesn't look like they are." Lori nearly collapsed into a sob, but I kept her up. I eyed the camera as the children passed onto another monitor. I pointed at the screen quickly before they passed from view.
"They have guns." I pointed out. "They're armed."
"That doesn't comfort me in the slightest." Lori muttered. I glanced at her and tried to apologise with my expression. "We need to go find them." Without even hesitating, I agreed with her and made my way towards the door. Only for it to be blocked by Daryl.
"You two ain't goin' nowhere." He said firmly.
"Move aside, Daryl." I replied, blankly. He stared back and shook his head.
"Ya ain't leavin' the block." He told us both, glancing at Lori behind me. "The best thing for those kids is for ya to stay here. Rick will find 'em."
"Rick is busy at the moment." Lori hissed. "Now my son is out there, in danger and I need to find him."
"Ya ain't gonna do a lot of good, lady, 'nd you know it." Daryl argued. "Ya aim ain't the best so ya pretty fuck'd if ya come across a walker."
"Well, my aim is pretty good so let me go." I cut in and Daryl turned his attention to me.
"No."
"Get out of my way, Daryl, now."
"Why don't ya just listen to me-"
"No." I shook my head. "Why don't you listen to me? That is Sophia and Carl out there. They're just children, they shouldn't be out there alone. I told Carol I would look after her daughter before she died, and at the moment I'm doing a pretty shit job. So don't stand there and play all high and mighty with us, Daryl Dixon. Because, like I've told you before, I don't take orders from you. Now move the fuck away so I can go find her because you're starting to piss me off." Daryl stared down at me for a moment, studying my angered expression. He made no attempt to move though and I was increasingly getting agitated wit him.
"Hey guys," Maggie quickly spoke up before I could spout out some more angry comments towards the hunter. "I can't see them anymore."
Lori got to the monitors before me and was frantically eyeing them in search for the missing children. I joined her though I was met with the same result as everyone else. The children weren't in view.
"Glenn?" A voice spoke suddenly. It sounded like Rick and I spotted the source of the noise to be from a walkie talkie on the counter top beside Glenn.
"Can't see any sign of them, Rick." Glenn spoke into the walkie talkie.
"We've verging out of the safe zone now, Glenn. Ain't too sure how far we want to go looking for these people. Have Daryl and Ruby gotten back yet?"
"Yeah they're here."
"How's the perimeter looking?" Instead of letting Glenn answer, Daryl reached forward and took the walkie talkie from him.
"We found a gap in part of the fence, Rick." Daryl began. "We patched it up 'nd found some blood. They're injured we're guessin'. Not sure how they got further in though, ain't no more gaps. We were thinkin' maybe they've climbed the fence but that would suggest that there's more than one of 'em."
"Thanks Daryl." Rick sighed. "Is everyone back in the cell block now?" Daryl didn't answer and glanced toward Lori and I. He paused before holding out the walkie talkie to us. Lori got there first before I could reach for it.
"Rick, Carl and Sophia are missing." She rushed out into the device. "They're not in the cell block or outside. We've seen them on the security feed and they're somewhere in the prison, Rick. They've taken their guns and we think they're out of the safe zone." The line went dead on the other end and on the monitors, Rick had stopped still in the middle of the corridor after hearing the announcement from his wife. Shane and T-Dog had stopped too, no doubt having having heard it over the walkie talkie.
"Can you see them now?" He asked finally. Lori shook her head then remembered that her husband couldn't see her.
"No, we've lost them." Her voice broke a little at the end and she bit her lip to hold back the tears. "What do we do, Rick? Our baby is missing." Mine too.
"Where were they seen last? Did you see them close by our current location?"
"No." Lori replied, as Maggie shook her head. "They must have gone a different way to you. What the hell are they doing, Rick?"
"I don't know, Lori. I don't know." Rick sighed. "We'll make our way back to the cell block now, try and find them on the way. Keep an eye out on the monitors."
"What about that scream? There's someone in the prison."
"It isn't important now. We'll find Carl and Sophia and then worry about that. Keep your eyes out, we're coming back." The line went dead again and on the monitors Rick, Shane and T-Dog had turned and were heading back. Lori gave the walkie talkie back to Glenn before walking away and sitting down on the couch in the corner with her head in her hands.
There was a moment of silence in the room and I felt as if my entire body had just gone numb. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and tried to concentrate on thinking straight. Sophia was in trouble. I knew I shouldn't think of the possibilities of what could happen to her, but I couldn't help it. Her pain filled screams echoed in my head. Over seven months I had known this girl, six of them having taken over from Carol and becoming her guardian. It was like she had suddenly been ripped from me, and I felt empty and broken. If anything happened to her-
I cut the thought off and decided I needed to leave the room as it was suddenly as if it was getting smaller. Without a word to anyone, I marched out. Shrugging past Daryl, I made my way across the landing of the upper floor, trying to clear my head. Down below the rest of the group had gathered on a few of the tables, all waiting for Rick and others to return.
"Ruby." A voice from behind me spoke, following footsteps accompanying it. I paused in my step but didn't turn around straight away. When I did, Daryl was stood there studying me with an odd expression. "I would ask if ya were alright, but I guess that's a stupid question." I stared back blankly in reply and I saw Daryl shift a little uncomfortably. "Look, she'll be fine-"
"And you're an expert are you?" I cut in harshly. Daryl seemed stunned a little by my comment and frowned.
"She was fine the last time." He pointed out.
"Because I was there." I hissed back. "She's running about the prison, Daryl, with Carl. They're children. They're in danger."
"Hey, I know." Daryl tried, softly, stepping closer. "But Rick, Shane and T-Dog are lookin' for 'em 'nd I'm sure they'll bring 'em back safely."
"Could have been Lori and I looking for them too if you'd have let us." I muttered. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the comment.
"I was protectin' ya. Would 'ave been stupid lettin' ya go out now; ya ain't thinkin' straight at the moment-"
"I'm thinking perfectly fine, thank you very much!" I cried, probably gathering attention from below. "I don't need you giving me orders, Daryl, especially not when Sophia is concerned. Carol trusted me to look out for her-"
"Don't keep bringin' Carol into this." Daryl cut in, harshly. "Ya makin' yourself feel worse by remindin' yourself what she said. When she said look after Sophia, she didn't expect that you'd do it alone, the rest of us are here to help you. Don't take the burden every time sumthin' happens to her cos it ain't your fault. Ya ain't got nothin' to feel guilty about."
"She's my responsibility-"
"Ya ain't her mother!" I paused, frowning at Daryl's words and taking a step back away from the hunter. Daryl's expression softened. "It's not healthy for ya to work yourself up like this every time she's in trouble. It was wrong of Carol to throw this on ya."
"She wanted someone to look after her daughter!"
"But she disregarded the rest of us! Bein' a parent ain't exactly sumthin' ya can just jump into, especially not in this world. All the pressure ya takin' is wrong 'nd it's times like this when it can cost ya."
"I don't need the lecture, Daryl-"
"Well, ya gettin' it." He muttered, silencing me. "I care about the girl, just as much as you. Heck, I've even softened to the Grimes' boy, but ya also gotta remember that they ain't just little kids anymore. They have weapons 'nd they've had months of teachin' to know how to use 'em."
"So you're saying because they have guns, we should let them roam the prison alone?"
"No." Daryl shook his head, frowning. "Don't twist my words. I'm sayin' that ya need to at least give 'em credit. There's a reason they've gone wandering, they're smart enough to know not to do it for fun - Sophia is anyhow. They're tough sons of bitches 'nd I know they'll be fine." He paused to sigh. "But you. Heck, girl, I'm more worried about you 'nd Lori than I am the kids. Alright, Lori less so." I smiled a little in spite of myself. "Ya need to calm down, girl, cos ya startin' to freak out 'nd like I said before, ya ain't thinkin' straight. That's dangerous right now." After a long pause of silence, I sighed.
"I'm just worried, Daryl." I muttered, bowing my head a little. I still felt numb, but the reassurance from Daryl had eased my mind a little more.
"I know ya are." Daryl nodded, attempting to smile. "But ya gotta stay strong. Sophia won't want ya gettin' like this when she gets back." I nodded and exhaled deeply, trying to clear my head.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you before." I told him, feeling a little embarrassed now for my outburst towards the hunter. Daryl shrugged.
"Heard worse." The sad thing was, was that I knew he had. I felt saddened by the thought and studied the smile Daryl was giving me, trying to see through any cracks. There didn't seem to be.
"You're always there to spout some reassuring words, aren't you?" I muttered. "And you always say you're not the man who does heart-to-hearts." Daryl smirked.
"I ain't."
"Liar." Daryl's smirk widened and I let myself grin at him. Though instantly my grin faded when I remembered the situation. Guilt for forgetting about Sophia in that brief second overwhelmed me and suddenly I couldn't stand straight.
My legs wobbled beneath me and I grabbed quickly onto the landing rail to steady myself. Daryl was by my side quite quickly and had gripped my elbow gently to keep me straight.
"Ain't gonna faint on me, are ya?" He muttered, studying my face. "Ya gone pale." I attempted to smile and shook my head.
"Feel like I'm gonna throw up." I admitted.
"Cos ya worryin' yourself sick." He sighed. "C'mon, sit in here for a sec."
Before I knew it, Daryl had led me into the cell closest and had guided me onto the bed where he gestured for me to sit down. I sat down obediently and Daryl crouched in front of me, examining my face with a frown.
"Am I in need of Doctor Herschel's services then, Nurse Dixon?" I muttered. Daryl chuckled at the comment and gently pushed aside my hair on my forehead to place a hand over it to, no doubt, feel my temperature. His skin felt so warm against mine and no matter how many time I came into contact with him, he still made my body tingle and stomach jump at every touch.
"I have no idea what I'm doin' by the way." Daryl told me, quietly, a small smirk on his lips. I breathed a laugh, trying to ignore how close Daryl's face was.
"Yeah, I don't think a career in anything medical is for you." I replied.
"Stick to bein' the redneck then?"
"Suits you better." Daryl smiled and I shuddered slightly. Daryl dropped his hand and glanced around, trying to find something.
While he was otherwise occupied, I studied his face as I had the chance. He had kept the rugged redneck look he'd had from the very first meeting, his face rough looking and his chin stubbly. His eyes intrigued me the most as their colour was so intense, it was a wonder how it took me a couple of months before I realised. So blue. The intensity behind them was just unnerving and whenever I would sometimes catch him gazing at me with that same look he had in the guard tower that morning all that time back, my body would shudder at the memories and the possibilities of the meaning behind that particular gaze.
I sometimes questioned my friendship with Daryl, wondering how oddly different he was with me compared with others. At first, I thought nothing of it, assuming he was the same with everyone else. But over time I realised that this wasn't the case and wondered why it seemed that only I ever saw the softer side of Daryl Dixon.
Andrea had sometimes called it a 'bond'. She said that the pair of us had common ground regarding our nature and our regard for Daryl's brother, Merle. Though I was unconvinced that the way Daryl made me feel sometimes had anything to do with Merle Dixon. No. Andrea was right that Merle was common ground for the pair of us, but I hardly believe that either of us would find so much comfort in each others company because of the fact we both longed to see Merle again. That being if Daryl actually did find comfort in my company. Because I had my doubts. Though were they not just insecurities? Insecurities of the love kind perhaps?
I jumped when a loud slamming noise ruptured through the cell block and I was so lost in my thoughts I had forgotten the situation entirely. I frowned at this but realised I didn't feel as numb as before. When I met Daryl's gaze he was smirking a little and holding out a bottle of water.
"Jumpy, huh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes a little, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, though Daryl easily saw through me and grinned triumphantly. I took the bottle from him and quickly took a swig of water. He rose to his feet. "C'mon, better go see who's just made a noisy appearance."
I followed Daryl out of the cell and the pair of us leaned over the landing to observe the scene below. Rick, Shane and T-Dog were back, though Carl and Sophia were not. I swallowed down the lump that was in my throat and instictively grabbed onto Daryl's hand. He glanced down at it briefly before giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Ya didn't find 'em?" Daryl called, getting the other's attention. They looked up and Rick shook his head. "Glenn might have seen sumthin' on the monitors?"
Suddenly, the security room door opened and Lori was marching across the landing towards us. She stopped beside Daryl and I and leaned over to look at her husband. I watched her expression fall when she saw her husband without her son and I reached forward and grabbed her hand too for comfort with my free hand.
"We need to go search for them, Rick." Lori called. "I am not leaving my baby out there."
"We tried-"
Rick was cut off though by the sound of the cell block door opening again and suddenly the room fell silent. In a mere instant, Lori had pushed herself away from the railing and was running down the landing towards the staircase. There was a hesitation as Daryl glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and muttered;
"Told ya so." Before I was also making my way towards the stairs - less frantic and rushed than my predecessor.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Lori had gathered her son in a hug and Rick was stood beside them, placing a kiss on the top of his son's head and looking completely in disbelief. I didn't have to take two steps before Sophia had propelled herself towards me and had wrapped her thin arms around my waist, muttering 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' over and over again into my shirt. I only sighed in relief before holding her close and feeling like I was blessed.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Lori's harsh voice cut through the reunion. She held her son at arm's length and though I could only see the back of her head, I knew her expression was furious. I didn't fault her. "How could you just leave like that? Without telling us! Do you realise how worried we have been?"
"Look, we're sorry, Mom." Carl tried. "But we just wanted to help." Sophia had pulled away from me and walked over to her friend and took his hand in hers.
"You shouldn't have left the cell block." Rick muttered. "Something could have happened to you both, you could have gotten yourselves killed."
"We wanted to help!"
"The adults were handling it, buddy." Shane called from behind Rick and Lori. Carl's face fell into a frown and he glanced around the group.
"Well, if you adults were handling it, how come it was Sophia and I who managed to find the outsiders and lock them in Cell Block C?"
Silence.
"You did what?!"
(Author's Note): A quick update for you all! I'm surprised at myself! I suddenly got an intense urge of inspiration and I wrote down a very detailed plot line for the upcoming chapters. For a while, I've had ideas dancing about in my head and now that I've written them down, I find it a lot easier to focus. The story line I've come up with doesn't exactly follow the plot line to the show, but it's inspired by them a great deal. And I've also taken inspiration from the comics too so it'll be a mixture. Overall, I'm quite proud of the storyline I've mapped out and I really think you guys will like it. There's a lot to come guys! ;)
I hope this chapter went well, it was quite an odd one for me to write. Obviously there's a massive time jump so the characters have built life more in the prison. I was worried about throwing all the group's findings in but some I've realised is necessary for the storyline and I think people would just get sick of accounts of how the group cleared out this room and then this room. Basically lots of walkers were killed, imagine zombie killing fun ;)
So who do you think is locked in Cell Block C then? Any guesses? ;)
And whilst the prisoners don't seem so active at the moment, bear with me. They will play an influencial role to come, I've just paced their actions more than how they were portrayed in the show. In the show, everything happend a little too quickly for me regarding their input. I was expecting more of an influence from the comics, so I've taken inspiration from the comics ragarding their story. ;)
Thanks (as always) for all your comments. You're all awesome and I'm glad not all of you have gotten bored on me and jumped ship. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I'd appreciate your thoughts greatly. I'll update when I can.