Chapter Twenty Nine
"Sophia and I found them being attacked by walkers." Carl rushed out, his face lit up with excitement to tell us all of their achievement. The group seemed completely speechless as they processed what we had just been informed of. Glenn's and Maggie's footsteps could be heard above and I guessed they were making their way across the top landing to listen in too.
"So we helped them and brought them to Cell Block C, just like you said." Sophia added, her face a mirror image of Carl's.
"We locked them in, but they didn't seem too happy about it." Carl continued. "One of them was bitten and I offered to take care of her for them, but they said they wanted to do it themselves. Then we told them we'd be back later with you guys and came back here."
"Ain't that a dandy tale." Daryl muttered. Lori sighed and shook her head.
"What the hell were you thinking?" She hissed. "Do you not realise how dangerous what you just did is?!"
"But we're fine, Mom, so I don't see what the fuss is." Carl replied, shrugging carelessly. Wrong move, boy. Lori's face flared and Rick grabbed her shoulders and heaved her away before she could fire anymore towards her son.
"Look, this is a dangerous place, you two." Rick began slowly. "You cannot just run off like that without telling us. Now, I don't care about whatever you're going to say because what you did was wrong." Carl's face fell a little and Sophia shifted uncomfortably. "Just because you're allowed guns does not mean you're both adults, do you understand? You're still children."
"And running off proved it." Lori added.
"There's isn't any point getting angry at them." Andrea muttered. "They're safe, so I don't see the problem. Shouldn't we be more concerned about these outsiders?" Lori turned to the woman in a flash and looked positively fuming. I wasn't surprised to be honest, Andrea's comment hit a little close to home, personally.
"I think it's best you keep out of this." Lori told the blonde, her voice low and dangerous. Andrea raised an eyebrow.
"You don't tell me what to do-"
"They are not your children so don't you there stand there and comment on things you don't understand. You keep your nose out where it doesn't belong." I had to hand to it Lori for setting Andrea in a place; no matter how much I cared for the woman, Andrea had pissed me off with her comment.
"Look, lady-"
"Andrea just stop." I sighed, cutting her off. She turned to me in disbelief and I merely stared back. There was an awkwardly tense silence before Rick sighed, grounding everyone back to reality again. He turned to the children and crouched down in front of them, taking one of each of their hands in his.
"What you both did today was very brave." He began. "But don't let it ever happen again. The group has other things to worry about and at times like this, we need you to listen to us, because we are the adults. You both understand?" Sophia nodded almost immediately, though there was a hesitation in Carl's response. Finally though, the boy did nod in agreement and attempted to smile sincerely at his mother, who patted his cheek affectionately in return, her anger fading now.
"So what happens with these outsiders?" Shane asked, gaining everyone's attention. Rick thought for a moment, glancing between the pair of children in front of him.
"We'll take you to them." Carl piped in quickly.
"You're not wandering off again." Lori told her son, firmly.
"We found them. It's only fair we take you to them." Rick glanced over his shoulder at his wife, and the pair of them shared a strong glance before Lori sighed.
"Fine, but I'm coming too." She returned. Rick nodded.
"How many of them are there?" Rick asked, glancing at Sophia and Carl.
"Six." Sophia told him.
"But like we said, a woman in their group has been bitten." Carl added and his father nodded at this piece of knowledge.
"We don't need all of us going." Rick began. "Shane and Daryl, you're both coming with me." His eyes wandered to me, and I nodded immediately. I wasn't leaving Sophia again. Not so soon."Lori and Ruby too. The rest stay in the cell block, T-Dog secure the door behind us. No one leaves until we get back."
T-Dog took charge of the door again, telling me he'd keep an eye on Toby as I passed, before closing it behind us and locking it shut. The seven of us made our way down the corridor with trepidation towards Cell Block C. Lori clung to Carl's hand while Sophia had taken to latching herself onto my arm. Rick and Shane took the lead and Daryl trailed behind, watching our back. We made our way in silence, not quite sure what we should be expecting when we got to C.
When we entered the first room of the cell block, the sounds of chatter could be heard coming from inside the hall of cells. The door was shut firmly though and Carl held out the keys for his father to take, who accepted them with a small smile.
"They're locked in. We made sure of it." Carl told Rick quietly and Rick nodded once. Carl's voice must have echoed into the next room though as the sound of chatter stopped, then was followed by footsteps. A dark skinned woman appeared at the barred door, her face young and figure slim. Her eyes darted amongst the group of us before landing on where the children were sat on one of the benches beside Lori. Her eyes widened a little.
"Hey kid," She called. "Reckon, it's time to let us out now?"
"Who are you?" Rick demanded, standing in view between the children and the woman. She eyed Rick with distaste for moment.
"I'll tell you when you let us out of here." She replied. "You can't just keep us locked in here like animals!"
"We have the keys, so we can do as we please." Shane muttered, earning himself a glare from the woman. Just then, another person appeared beside the woman. He was also dark skinned, heavily built, with a kinder face. His eyes also observed our condensed group for a moment before turning to the woman beside him.
"Sasha, you need to step back a moment." He said, firmly. "This ain't our house, we're guests here. They make the rules." She backed off, though her face remained firm and furious.
"How'd you get in?" Rick asked, slowly, directing his question towards the man who appeared more approachable than the female.
"We made a hole in the fence," The man told us evenly. "We were hounded by roamers, had to find cover. This was the first place we came to. We didn't realise we'd be intruding." He paused for a moment, before sighing. "Hey, man, we mean no harm. We'll answer any question you have." Rick nodded stiffly.
"Heard one of you is bitten." Rick muttered, bluntly. The man and woman - Sasha - eyed each other for a moment, glancing over their shoulders at something unseen inside the cell block.
"Yeah," The man nodded, solemnly. "But she won't be a problem no more."
"You dealt with it?" Rick asked, firmly. The pair nodded again, stiffly, and Rick glanced over his shoulder, meeting Daryl's and Shane's gazes. "I'll make a deal; I'll let you out and we can talk without having to be on the other side of a barred door. On the condition that you hand over your weapons. All of them." Sasha's face flared.
"Are you serious?" She hissed. The man shushed her quickly.
"That's a big request, man." He muttered, softly. Rick shrugged.
"Like you said, our house; our rules." He told them. "You can have them back when we make a decision."
"A decision on what?" Sasha demanded.
"Whether we trust you or not." Shane cut in before Rick could. "Whether we're gonna throw you out, decide you can stay or just dispose of the threat you impose on us now." Rick sent a glare at his friend for his bluntness. The man sighed before reaching behind him and throwing a bloody hammer through the bars, landing on the floor at Rick's feet. He then threw down a gun before holding up his hands to show he was unarmed now. Then he turned to Sasha, who looked completely against the decision, but obliged reluctantly. The man then disappeared from view for a moment and returned with a handful of various weapons. They were all thrown through the bars at Rick's feet. Our leader nodded to me and I quickly gathered up the various weapons and placed them on the table in front of Lori and the children.
"That's all of them." The man concluded and Rick nodded once, taking out the keys and stepping towards the door. He paused to glance back at us, nodding once. Subtly out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daryl's crossbow raise a little and Shane cock his shotgun as quiet as possible. I followed suit by quietly reloading my own gun and holding it at the ready.
Rick unlocked the door and stepped back, making his way to stand in front of the table Lori and the children sat at, his arms folded. Shane stood beside him, his shotgun in full view and his arms flexed, a warning almost. Daryl and I stood back and watched quietly as the newcomers made their way into the cell block and sat down on a bench facing us.
The man remained standing, apparently playing the leader in this small group. Along with Sasha and the dark-skinned man, another man appeared from within the cell block. His face was sunken, tears streaming down his face. He barely sent a glance our way before sitting down beside Sasha. What surprised us all the most was when two young boys - no more than six or seven appeared through the door. They held each other's hands and looked almost identical, twins no doubt. They stared wide eyed at the lot of us before quickly rushing towards the saddened man and sitting beside him. Their father perhaps? There was silence for a moment between both groups as each eyed the other suspiciously. Rick coughed, clearing the air, though the man from the other group spoke before he could.
"I'm Tyreese by the way." He offered, holding his hand towards Rick. Rick observed the outstretched hand for a moment before taking it and accepting Tyreese's offering. "This is my sister, Sasha." He gestured to the woman. "Allen," The sunken man. "And these two are Ben and Billy; Allen's boys."
"And the one who was bitten?" Rick asked, forcing each word out. The man called Allen raised his gaze and stared Rick down for a moment.
"My wife." He told us gravely. "Donna. Their mother." He glanced towards the boys before swallowing hard, trying to hold strong. "She's in there if you want to see for yourself." The last comment was bitter and Rick sighed, glancing over his shoulder towards Daryl. He nodded once and Daryl gravely made his way into the next room.
"We gotta check." Rick explained, almost apologetically. Tyreese nodded and the conversation was halted until Daryl return, nodding once and resuming his place beside me. "Name's Rick." Tyreese nodded, smiling gratefully.
"You been hunkered down here since the outbreak?" Sasha asked, glancing around the room. "Pretty sweet set up."
"Been here for nearly six months." Rick told her. "We've made it liveable." Sasha eyed him for a moment before nodding, her gaze flicking to the rest of us in turn.
"Never did get to thank your kids." Tyreese added, his head titled around Rick to see Sophia and Carl. "They helped us out when we were in deep trouble. Pretty talented with those guns." The children smiled proudly at each other and Tyreese grinned a little. "We're truly grateful."
"Where are you from?" Rick asked, his tone lighter now.
"Around." Tyreese sighed. "We've pretty much been on the road since the outbreak." Rick raised an eyebrow.
"That's quite a long time to be out in the open." He observed quietly and Tyreese shrugged.
"There was more of us when we started, let's just put it that way." The unsaid spoke volumes and Rick nodded stiffly. I glanced awkwardly at Daryl. How would this situation be resolved?
I noticed the suspicious stare Shane was directing at the strangers but put that down as his usual expression. Really, it would be unusual to see him without that expression nowadays. When I turned my gaze towards Lori, I saw her eyes only watched the littlest members of the new group. I strayed my eyes over towards them myself, eyeing up the two boys. They looked so lost, so out of place. They were a lot younger than Carl and Sophia and the thought of them surviving, existing, in this new world with those creatures made me feel sick. And they lost their mother now. Just like Sophia.
"Are you hungry?" Lori asked, softly. Tyreese titled his head around Rick to look at her. He smiled sheepishly.
"I suppose it would lying if I said no. We've not eaten in a while, Ma'am." He replied, politely. Lori's eyes turned back to the twins and I saw the look in her eyes. The maternal look.
"Rick, surely we have some food to spare?" She tried, ignoring the look Shane directed at her. Tyreese's face softened graciously as his group waited for Rick's reply. Our leader thought for a moment, his eyes gazing thoughtfully. "They have children." Lori added to empathise a point. At that, Rick nodded once glancing towards Daryl and myself.
"Go get some food and drink for our guests." He told us, before glancing briefly back at the other group.
"And some spare jumpsuits if we have any." Lori quickly added. "It's not much and they're not too flattering, but I'm guessing your clothes are getting quite grimy after so long, huh?" Tyreese grinned.
"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you." He said, thankfully. Rick nodded once at us in confirmation and Daryl made the first move. Rick stopped the hunter briefly to whisper something in his ear, to which Daryl nodded once before continuing out of the cell block. I followed, smiling at Lori and the children as I passed.
"What did he say to you?" I asked Daryl, once we were in the kitchens, gathering food in an empty potato sack for our guests. The journey here had been silent, the pair of us musing over the new predicament the group had found itself in. Daryl thought for a moment, his back to me as he gathered up cans of food from the high shelves. He threw the ones he deemed acceptable into the sack I held and met my gaze. I raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Told me to report back to the others, ask what they think." He told me. "Rick doesn't want to be makin' such a mighty decision without the others." I nodded once. "We'll head back to the cell block once we're done here, see if we can muster up some jumpsuits that'll fit the little ones."
"What do you think about it?" I asked, eyeing up Daryl. He frowned, avoiding my gaze before shrugging.
"Don't really matter, does it?" He muttered and I narrowed my eyes.
"Course it does." I replied, firmly. When Daryl met my gaze, I raised my eyebrow again and set my jaw hard, waiting for the true reply to my question. Daryl smirked slightly before sighing.
"They seem harmless 'nough." He began. "Though not sure if they're truly trustworthy." I nodded. "What 'bout you?" I thought for a moment, chewing my lip.
"They have kids." I muttered. "We can't just throw them out. How can we expect them to survive?"
"They have done so far." Daryl retorted, though judging by the tone it was a half-hearted comment. I scowled briefly at the man. "Rick'll let 'em stay." He added after a while.
"How do you know?" I asked, Daryl smirked a little.
"Cos it's Rick." He told me. "He ain't gonna let 'em out into the world, 'specially when they have kids. Shane'll have sumthin' to say but that's to be expected. Not sure even he would mean it either, now he's seen they've got little'uns." I nodded, glancing into the bag.
"That should do." I said and we headed back to our cell block.
T-Dog was on hand to open the cell block when we got back, closing it when we were both inside. The rest of the group were all gathered nearby, eyes probing us. I glanced at Daryl, keeping my grip on the food sack as Toby fussed around us happily. I smiled a little, happy myself to see this glimpse of how Toby previously was once more. Since being at the prison, he'd sure softened now he wasn't on constant guard over me. Though that didn't make him any less loyal.
"We need five jumpsuits, 'nd make two of 'em the smallest ya can find." Daryl muttered, his command not truly directed at anyone, though confused the rest of the group.
"You're bringing them back here?" Thomas demanded, his expression furious.
"Not decided yet." Daryl glared at the man.
"We're providing them with food and clothes." I told them all, gesturing the sack in my hands. This only made Thomas angrier.
"You're kidding us right?" He cried. "You're giving them our food? Our clothes?"
"They have children-"
"So do we!" Thomas countered and I stared at his questionably. Carl and Sophia certainly weren't theirs, that was for sure. "You can't trust them!"
"We couldn't trust the lot of you, but ya still 'ere." Daryl muttered, directing his heavy stare at the prisoner. Thomas was shut down a moment, only a moment though.
"So what, we gonna roll out the welcome wagon for them then?" He sneered, stepping forward.
"Back off." T-Dog warned, still standing beside Daryl and I. I noticed the slightly raised weapon in his hand. "Now if they want us to get some clothes for these people, then we're gonna provide."
"T-Dog's right." Herschel nodded, before turning to his daughter. Maggie nodded at her father's silent question before rushing off to gather the requested jumpsuits.
"What are they like?" Andrea asked, folding her arms and tilting her head with interest. Daryl and I shared a glance.
"They got two kids, twin boys." I told the group. "About six or seven years old maybe." Daryl nodded in confirmation.
"There's the kids' father, mother was bitten 'nd dealt with." There was a pause. "Got two siblings; brother and sister. The sister is a bit of a stubborn bitch but nothing too bad. The brother looks like some sports player, one big son of a bitch." He glanced at me before shrugging. "He seemed friendly 'nough though."
"You trust them?" Glenn asked and Daryl shrugged.
"They ain't armed too heavily, they don't outnumber us." He replied. "But suppose ya gotta be careful." He added with another shrug.
"Chances are though that they're just trying to survive, like us, though." Herschel muttered. "And they have children."
"Young children." Andrea nodded in agreement.
"Rick is still trying to decide whether to bring them back here and let them stay." I continued. "He wanted us to talk to you before he made a decision." The group glanced at each other.
"I say we make them leave." Thomas muttered, bluntly.
"And your opinion is valued so greatly." T-Dog retorted sarcastically. Thomas glared at the man.
"We were here first." Andrew hissed.
"Are we honestly going through that again?" Andrea muttered, rolling her eyes.
"We're part of the group though," Big Tiny pointed out. "We have a right to our own opinion."
"You have the right to it, but it's not God's gift." I added, earning myself glares from three out of four of the prisoners. The remainder of the four prisoners, Axel, stayed quiet, his posture as awkward as ever. I didn't expect an opinion from him. No one did.
"They're people, just like us." Glenn murmured, breaking the brief silence. "I think we should let them stay, even if we have to keep them under watch until we trust them." There was a gathering of nods.
"So it's agreed that you think they should be let in?" I asked, just to make sure. We had to get back to Rick and the others soon anyway.
"Well, not exactly-"
"Shut up." Daryl cut Thomas off before he got any further.
"We let you lot stay, surely you can show the same curtsy?" Andrea asked, glancing between the three men. The looks she received answered her question. "Whatever, majority rules anyway."
"So, that's it?" Big Tiny asked slowly. "You're making a decision without even setting eyes on these people?" He glanced at Daryl and I. "You're just going to go off what they say?" I narrowed my eyes at the man and I knew if I turned to Daryl, a heavy glare would be on his face.
"Their words means a lot to us." Andrea said, firmly. "As you're a part of the group now, I'd assume you'd know that." The prisoners fell silent, their expressions speaking high volumes. They were far from happy. Maggie returned then with the jumpsuits, handing them over and apologising profoundly for not having found any that would fit the little ones. Instead she provided a couple of small sized shirts and expressed that we would have to fashion some small clothes for them from some other jumpsuits. These would have to do for now.
"We're gonna head back to 'em." Daryl muttered, holding the clothes out to me to take and took the heavier sack of food from me, hoisting it up. "Lock up when we're gone." He nodded once to T-Dog and I followed Daryl out of the cell block back to the others after ushering Toby to stay.
The walk back was quiet and I briefly wondered what Rick would be talking about with Tyreese and the new group. I glanced at Daryl, whose expression was hard and stoic. He hadn't smiled much today, I noted.
"You alright?" I asked, my voice echoing off the silent walls. Daryl didn't flinch at the sound of my voice, didn't turn to me either.
"Sure." He replied. "Why ya ask?" I shrugged.
"Guess you just seem off." I admitted, taking in Daryl turning to me out of the corner of my eye.
"I'm fine." Daryl emphasised. I nodded, taking that as my answer for now. There was a pause. "What 'bout you? Ya alright?" I smiled slightly.
"Sophia's fine now, so therefore so am I." I nodded, glancing up at the hunter. He nodded once, hoisting the sack up higher, to provide a more securer hold.
When we entered Cell Block C, Lori had moved herself beside Rick, crouched down. She was talking to the twins, who seemed to be responding meekly. Allen was staring between his sons and Lori, a slight smile on his face as one of them - Ben? - was recounting a past tale. Shane was leaning against the table beside Sophia and Carl, his shotgun lowered now, though his eyes remained suspicious. Sasha looked more content than when we left her and Tyreese looked equally as satisfied as before. Everyone's eyes turned to us when we entered.
"Food and clothes, just as you ordered." I smiled slightly.
I walked towards Tyreese when Rick gave me the go-ahead and handed the bundle of clothes in my arms to the larger man. He smiled gratefully. Daryl joined me, dumping the sack of food on the table that they sat at. He backed away once he had done his job and took a place beside Shane. I backed up too, walking towards where Sophia and Carl sat, sharing a smile with the pair of them. They still had that proud expression on their faces which I couldn't help but beam at.
"We couldn't find sumthin' that would fit ya kids' sizes." Daryl muttered in explanation when Sasha held up one of the shirts that we had provided for the twins.
"It doesn't matter." Tyreese shook his head, still smiling. "We're so thankful for this." Daryl nodded once at the man, probably not comfortable with the appreciative looks he was getting from the other group.
While Tyreese's group examined our offerings, Rick turned to us and backed up to stand near Daryl. He raised an eyebrow at the hunter and Daryl quietly relayed back what the group had said. Lori had excused herself from the other group and was standing close by Rick, listening to the words passed between the two men. Once Daryl had successfully retold all he could, eyes turned to Rick as the leader thought.
"What do we do, Rick?" Shane muttered, his eyebrows burrowed.
"We can't let them go." Lori shook her head, tucking her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. "They have little children, it's not fair."
"We gotta think about the group, what's best for them. What's safest for them." Shane tried, though there was something in his tone that was off. As if he knew his argument was invalid. Though I remembered Daryl's comment about Shane and how he'd argue less with the little children involved. It seemed he was right about that.
"The group has spoken." Lori pointed out. "We'll keep watch on them, just as we did the prisoners, until we trust them. But we cannot throw them out." There was longest of silences before Rick nodded.
"I know." He said, quietly. "I know what needs to be done."
I sat in the corner of the room, my back against the wall as I was on the bed. My gaze was on the two other people in the room, who were by the window for Duane's target practise. I was allowed to sit in and watch as there really wasn't much to do in the house.
When asked how long Duane had been practising, I was told since the cop left them. Months ago? When I observed Duane's aim and skill, I realised the boy had gotten pretty good since the cop's absence. The day passed by peacefully, we remained for most of the day in that top bedroom. Talking, target practising, just living. It was refreshing. Good. Nice.
It certainly was a step up from the days I had been used to. It felt like a day off, a day off I believed I had really earned. There was just something about Morgan and Duane that was peaceful. But that was unnerving to me. I had been so used to danger, mistrust. The trusting and easy nature of the father and son confused me. The doubts still wandered my mind, edging to believe it was all a façade and soon I would be jumped on and murdered in my sleep.
The thought sickened me. Though the danger still lingered in my mind.
I eyed up Duane as he shot another of the creatures outside and knew the boy could handle himself with a weapon. He could no doubt take me down. My hand itched towards the gun in my belt and I gripped the handle with uneasiness. I had enough bullets to put the pair of them down, take away the danger-
What was wrong with me?!
When had I become so cold?
When Tyreese and his group were first introduced to the rest of the our lot, the uneasiness in the air was evident.
I observed the distasteful expressions Thomas, Big Tiny and Andrew sent the small group's way with no look of softening even when setting eyes on the youngest members of their group. Apparently the innocence of children did nothing to these men as it had done with Shane. At least Axel had the good grace to attempt a smile when Tyreese looked his way.
Rick made the introductions for both parties which was taken with equal hesitance. Tyreese and his group were still in mourning over their fallen member, Allen didn't say a whole lot and kept tight hold on his two little boys. The little ones themselves looked eager to explore, apparently taking an ease from Lori's approaching nature. Sasha remained guarded but her face had softened since we first set eyes on her through the barred door of Cell Block C. Tyreese, their leader, eyed the cell block appreciatively before turning to Rick.
"We'll do all we can to help you, to make amends for your hospitality." Tyreese promised, holding his hand out as a friendly gesture to Rick. It was accepted without barely a hesitation.
"That would be appreciated." Rick nodded.
"Can we have our weapons back?" Sasha asked, eyeing up Shane, who had hold of all their weapons, guns and hammers alike. Shane raised a stubborn eyebrow, making no move to hand over the weapons.
"It'll make us feel a lot more comfortable with them." Tyreese tried to reason, gently. "You can keep watch on us if it makes you feel better," He ignored the scoff that came from Shane. That's exactly what we were going to do anyway. "But please let us have our weapons." Rick thought for a moment before nodding once at Shane. Once Shane had distributed the weapons back to their rightful owners, Rick's welcoming expression fell hard for a moment as he eyed Tyreese carefully.
"Please, don't make us regret this decision." He stated slowly. Tyreese nodded, surprisingly not taking the statement harshly, instead understandingly.
"You got it, man." Tyreese replied. "You won't regret it, really. We're truly grateful." Shane scoffed.
"Man, if I hear that word again, I'm gonna nut some heads together." He muttered, under his breath, though it echoed off the walls and was loud enough for everyone to hear. Tyreese glanced at the man with a raised eyebrow, though made no attempt of confrontation. A nice change.
"C'mon, we'll show you around." Lori cut in, smiling at the group and offering her hand to the little ones who were currently staring at Toby with fascination.
Tyreese and his group followed her, not without a hesitant glance at Shane before doing so. Rick trailed after them, sending his partner a meaningfully hard glare as he did. Shane, himself, merely scoffed before trundling over to where Daryl, Andrea, T-Dog and myself were gathered. He glanced between the four of us.
"Keep your eyes on them." He muttered, darkly. "For the good of the group, keep your eyes open. Don't let your guard down around 'em." Though our mistrust for these strangers didn't extend as much as Shane's we all nodded with understanding. His calculations were off, but I suppose Shane meant well. His nature was harsh, but his words were true with their meaning. "Don't want to make any mistakes." With that Shane walked off.
I watched the man walk away, some of the others wandering away too, to investigate the new people. Daryl remained beside me, his gaze also watching Shane saunter away. There was something so off about him.
Shane's always been off - would be Daryl's reply, and I bit back a smile.
The lightness of my thoughts were erupted though when my attention was caught by the small group of people off from the rest - the inmates. Their gazes were harsh, sickeningly dark. Thomas' especially. His eyes remained on Tyreese and his group, with such convicting hatred burning beneath them. I had seen some odd looks from the man before, but never had I seen the pure intensity of that gaze. It startled me and for that brief moment, I felt true fear towards the man. Big Tiny and Andrew wore similar gazes and the three of them sneered at each other, discussing things too quiet for me to catch from the distance away. Axel stood apart from his fellow criminals, awkwardly listening to what they were saying. Judging by his face, he didn't like what he heard. After hesitation, Axel scampered away towards his cell, leaving the three remaining to stare after him. There was a pause in their conversation before the looks were back and directed back at the newcomers.
This was certainly interesting.
I glanced at the man beside me, and was surprised to see his gaze towards the prisoners too. We thought alike? As if sensing my gaze, Daryl turned to me and I tried to say what I wanted to say to him, without words. Daryl got the message and nodded. It seemed it wouldn't just be Tyreese and his lot that we'd be keeping close eye on.
A week passed by uneventfully.
I was surprised at the lack of activity, but that may have been due to the recent excitement in Tyreese and his group's arrival. They had adapted considerably well, I had to note. Ben and Billy - who I still could not tell apart - had committed themselves well into the group, with Lori's help. Carl and Sophia had become their new play pals and even their mourning father smiled at his sons' new delight. The children especially loved to play with Toby and the four youngest of the group would usually hound the dog at all opportunities.
Allen, himself, had eased into the life we had created. He was hesitant to react to our offerings after the death of his wife, but with the encouragement of his children he had begun to enjoy the company of others. Tyreese had taken it on easier, but that was expected from the beginning. It was hard to be suspicious of the man when his easy nature just oozed trustworthiness. Sasha was a different case, but the woman was just stubborn, not an imposed threat. Regardless of it all, the extra hands were welcomed. By most of course.
"Need any help?" I glanced around, and set eyes on Tyreese. I was in the kitchens, sorting through the supplies. It was a vast collection and a dreary job, but I had offered so I had to get on with it and bite my tongue. I smiled at the man and accepted the man's curtsy.
"What happened to your girl's mother then?" Tyreese asked, politely. It was a blunt question in itself, but Tyreese's tone had almost eased me in so that I wasn't so taken back by it. I paused for a moment before sighing, reliving those haunting memories.
"She got bitten a few months back," I told him. "We were holding up on a farm before we found this place. But we got overrun and ambushed, we had to leave. Sophia's mother died that day and I was given responsibility of her." I shrugged as if it was no big deal.
"That's quite a responsibility." Tyreese mused. "I lost my daughter in all this too." He added after a sigh, I turned to the man, taking in the down turned expression that was on his face. "Right at the start. Julie, she was called, a beautiful girl." I smiled at the fondness of his tone. "So smart and kind-hearted. But then he changed her." His jaw clenched. "She had been dating some kid from our neighbour, a dorky guy. Not good enough for my girl if you ask me. Chris was his name." He sneered to himself and I was surprised to see the harshness on the usually kind man's face. "He had convinced her that there was nothing left to live for in this world. Julie confided with Sasha before it happened, that she didn't know if she could go on anymore, living in a world full of the dead, waiting to become one ourselves." Tyreese paused and struggled with finding the right words.
"What happened to her?" I urged, softly.
"Sasha and I left to get supplies one day. We only went for a little while." Tyreese continued, his voice shaking. "But when we came back, we found Chris and Julie-" He cut himself off to take the beanie hat from his head and run a hand through his short hair. "They had committed suicide together, shot each other in the head. She left a note to me, telling me how sorry she was, how much she loved me." His hand tightened on one of his jacket pockets and I had a sneaky suspicion I knew what was in there. "Her note is all I have left of her now."
"And your memories." I added. "The memories you have of her are important. You can keep her alive by thinking of all the good times, all the times you had with her." I swallowed down hard. "Thinking about the bad times will only taint what you remember of her." Tyreese eyed me curiously.
"Sounds like you know what you're talking about." I shrugged.
"Suppose we've all had our fair share of death." I sighed. "I can imagine you ask anyone in this prison, and they'll give you a similar story to yours or mine." It was a blunt comment, one that was probably quite insensitive on my behalf, but Tyreese nodded thoughtfully. "A man I met on the road taught me that." Morgan Jones to be precise.
"You been on the road long?" Tyreese asked, curiously.
"Longer than the rest of the group, I expect." I admitted. "This group have been together since the start of the outbreak, I was a late-comer. I found Sophia being chased by walkers. I saved her and brought her back to her mother. Tried to prove myself to the group."
"And before that?"
"I was with another group." I told him. "A larger group, more dangerous. Rapists, murders - just down right horrible people. They were pure animals. I escaped and that's how I found myself on the road. A very long cheerful story, I can assure you." I grinned humourless at Tyreese and he smiled sadly back.
"But you've survived." He pointed out. I nodded.
"And I found Rick and the others. They're good people. If I hadn't have found them, then I probably wouldn't have lasted very long." I shrugged, sighing. "I spent a lot of time alone. A very long, depressing time."
"You have people that care for you here." Tyreese continued. "You're right, they are good people. Like you, I don't think we'd have lasted long if we hadn't have found you lot. After Donna was bitten, all I could think was how Allen was going to break down, we'd lose our strength. But your group pulled through; thank you for that."
"Don't need to thank me anymore." I muttered. "You don't need to thank any of us." Tyreese nodded and we fell into silence again. "How's Allen doing?" Tyreese sighed.
"I think he's coping." He told me. "But I'm keeping an eye on him." You're not the only one, I thought to myself. "Ben and Billy don't need to lose another parent so soon after the first." I nodded in agreement. "They deserve to at least have someone left that they love."
Don't we all?
Once Tyreese and I had gotten sick of the kitchens, we called it a day and headed back to the cell block. On the way back, footsteps appeared to be coming down the corridor towards us. We paused on our way, mutually agreeing to take it slow and careful. We were happy when Big Tiny appeared around the corner, eyeing us both up for a moment, scrutinising us darkly. He wasn't a walker at least. His eyes eyed Tyreese longer before turning back to address me.
"Alright?" He muttered. I raised an eyebrow and nodded, taking note of the way he blatantly ignored Tyreese.
"Where are you going?" Tyreese asked the man, earning himself a glare.
"The showers, you got a problem with that?" He sneered and Tyreese held his hands up in peace.
"Just asking, man." Tyreese tried, attempting to smile at the man. Big Tiny didn't take the bait, merely studied him once more and nodding in acknowledgment at me. He passed by without another word, heading towards the shower block. Tyreese and I watched him go before sharing a nervous look.
"He always that hostile?" Tyreese asked, hesitantly. I sighed before nodding.
"They all are."
When we entered the cell block, everyone else was busy and hadn't taken note of our entrance. I smiled at Tyreese before leaving the man and making my way up onto the upper level of the cell block and towards the security room. Down below, Tyreese made his way over to Rick, greeting our leader with a friendly smile. Approaching the security room, I saw the familiar face sat at the monitors and smiled in spite of myself. I knocked gently before entering. Daryl glanced up, nodding at me before returning his gaze back to the monitors.
"All quiet on the Western front?" I muttered, smirking when Daryl raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"Had fun in the kitchens?" He asked and I shrugged, he no doubt saw me leave with Tyreese.
"He told me about his daughter, what happened to her. Though it wasn't a very nice story." Daryl frowned a little and I sighed. "He's a nice enough guy, Daryl." I was surprised when Daryl nodded, spinning around on the office chair like a big kid.
"Tyreese had done right by me so far." He admitted and I raised an eyebrow with disbelief. "What?"
"Didn't think it was like you to be so trusting of someone so strange to the group." I observed with a smirk. Daryl frowned and shrugged.
"Like you said, he's a nice enough guy." He replied. "Pulls his own around here at least. I can respect that in the guy."
"Man crush much?" I sniggered, earning myself a glare from Daryl.
"Fuck you." I wasn't disheartened by his phrasing, merely snorted at his guarded comment.
"Is a bromance brewing?"
"Bromance?" I rolled my eyes. "Lay off it, girl, I just think he's decent, that's all." I let it drop, but grinned at the hunter to emphasise a point. In return, Daryl merely brushed it off. "Toby's with the kids before you ask. Haven't seen the mutt in a long time. I think he's found a new best friend." I laughed again before we fell into silence once more.
I glanced out across the cell block through the glassed wall, observing the action below. Lori's bump was prominent from this distance and I found myself thinking about what would come about three or so months down the line when we'd have a birth on our hands. Herschel had expressed the difficulty the birth would prove to be and his worries had disheartened the soon-to-be parents. I couldn't imagine getting over the fact you'd be giving birth on the grimy floor of a prison cell or on a dusty couch that was in a room once filled with brain-exploded corpses. What that did to the mother's mind, I could not comprehend and I admired Lori's strength as she pulled through the long tiring months of pregnancy.
My thoughts wondered onto the fantasy of myself carrying a child, giving birth, raising a family. It was once a dire wish of mine to be a mother, but luck hadn't always found me. I didn't have such great history with men and it saddened me that the opportunity had passed me by. Never would I truly feel what a mother felt when she first set her eyes on her newborn, held them for the first time, looked into their eyes. I loved Sophia with every ounce of my being and sometimes convinced myself that I was her mother sometimes, a selfish thought.
I was not her mother. But the thoughts still remained and I still ached when I thought about everything I had missed.
My gaze wondered towards Glenn and Maggie, Rick and Lori - the couples, the lovers. There was something so raw, so beautiful, about the way each couple looked at each other, spoke to each other, held each other. After being thrown into this new world, materialistic values had been stripped and emotions had been heightened. Love included. The love each couple had for one another made me smile and want to cry at the same time. Smile because I was happy for them, cry because I yearned for what they had. For someone to truly love me for what I was, all the bad stuff and insecurities included. Who took everything into account and yet still cared. Still wanted me.
"Ruby?" A gruff voice broke me resign and I glanced towards where Daryl was sat. He was eyeing me strangely and I realised then that I had started crying. I avoided his gaze in an instant.
In embarrassment, I wiped the tears that were cascading down my cheek away quickly, as if trying to hide them from the hunter. He seemed to be the one whose presence I was constantly in, who was perhaps my closest companion, who irked their way into my thoughts without meaning. He was just constantly there. But the stability was comfort. Comfort I so craved.
"I'm sorry." I tried, sniffing back more that threatened to break.
"Ya don't have anythin' to apologise for." Daryl told me, softly. I glanced back again, surprised by the concerned expression on the hunter's face. It was one I rarely, if never, saw. One which broke through the cracks in his hard exterior, through the walls he must have spent his entire life building. "What ya cryin' for?"
"It doesn't matter." I shook my head. "Silly stuff. Girly stuff. I'm being pathetic really." Daryl's jaw clenched at that but he didn't back down.
"Ain't pathetic if it's botherin' ya this much." He retorted, his eyes imploring mine. I shook my head, feeling embarrassed enough about the thought of discussing children and lovers in front of Daryl. I could just imagine the upturned nose if I told him.
"I'm fine." I tried, smiling at the hunter, though the raised eyebrow said he didn't buy it. "Where've you left Toby again?" I continued quickly, changing the subject.
"He's with the children." He told me, obliging to the change in the topic, though his face remained concerned. "Like I said, they get more entertainment out of him than I do." I smiled.
"You love him really." I teased and Daryl scoffed. "You wouldn't tolerate him following you constantly if you didn't."
"What's the reason I tolerate you then?"
In just one sentence, the lightness of the conversation stopped again and my smile faded at Daryl's comment. Judging by the startled look on Daryl's face, he didn't expect the question that had blurted from his lips either. Easily, the question could turn into something that tampered with inner thoughts and feelings that hadn't been touched upon yet. Thoughts regarding each other could be brought to light. Opinions, status, could be altered. I felt my heart lurch a second, my mind buzzing back to it's previous turmoil, before I quickly masked any surprised expression I had and attempted to smile at the hunter.
"Because I brighten your day." I tried to keep my tone easy, playful enough for Daryl to relax. It worked as Daryl's demeanour softened and he tried to smirk back. Tried.
"Yeah, sure."
The conversation was greeted by silence then as we merely stared at each other. I was unsure what to say, how to respond to such emotion behind the hunter's eyes. So much passion that spoke so much more volumes to his character than his words did. I wondered then how Daryl perceived me, how I was seen through his eyes. Was I easy to read? Pleasant to talk to? Did he enjoy my company as much as I did his? Did he care for me as much as I cared for him?
Suddenly a scream pierced the air and I felt a strange sense of déjà vu and Daryl and I wasted no time rushing out of the security room, the previous tension forgotten. The group were gathering together on the ground floor and Daryl and I quickly joined them, attempting to catch onto the situation.
"Who was that?" Lori demanded, her hands around Carl's shoulder, whose hand was in Sophia's. She was safe, that was relief to me.
"Sasha's missing." Tyreese announced in despair, his eyes darting around for his sister.
"So's Ben and Billy." Allen cried, Tyreese having to hold his friend up to keep him from staggering off his feet.
"We left them for a moment." Carl piped in. "We were just walking Toby back up to Sophia's cell and we left them playing down here." Him and Sophia glanced at each other in slight fear.
"That was ages ago now though." Sophia whispered. Rick glanced around, eyeing up the barred door that secured us away from the rest of the prison - where the scream had come from.
"That scream, was it Sasha's?" Rick asked, glancing back to Tyreese.
"I can't be sure, but I think so." Tyreese nodded. Rick sighed, his eyes glancing around.
"Shane, Ruby, Daryl on me." Rick ordered.
"I'm coming too, I need to find my sister." Tyreese insisted in an instant, his hammer gripped tightly in his hand. Rick eyed the man up before sighing and nodding.
"Me too." Allen quickly cut in. "My children-"
"Rick, we're wasting time, man." Shane muttered and Rick nodded quickly.
"C'mon then. Lets move out."
T-Dog took his post by the door - having apparently taken up role as official door keeper for the group. He unlocked it and allowed Rick to lead the small group out. The rest of us who were asked followed him out and the sound of the clanging of the door resigned behind us and we were instantly running down the corridors with urgency.
"Which way did it come from?" Rick demanded, his voice growing hoarse. Suddenly another cry, more of a sob, filled the air. She was close.
"Sasha!" Tyreese cried, taking off into a sprint, overtaking Rick and Shane with his long bounding steps.
He rounded the corner and disappeared from view. We quickened our pace to keep up and found ourselves in front of the door into the shower block. Rick made his way in first, after the assumption Tyreese was already inside, his gun raised. The rest of us followed afterwards. The brother and sister were spotted in an instant, Tyreese supporting his sister as she sobbed into her brother's chest. Her cried echoed off the walls, it was a desperate sound, one that clenched every fibre of my body.
"What happened?" Allen demanded, rushing forward to the siblings. Sasha pulled slightly away from her brother's grasp and her eyes widened at the sight of Allen and suddenly she became frantic, trying to pull away from her brother's grip completely.
"No, you can't-" She tried, though Allen's eyes, like the rest of us, had cottoned towards where a pool of blood was oozing around the corner of one of the shower walls.
Allen staggered forward, his whole body tense, as he approached the pool of blood to observe where it was coming from. The rest of us remained back, Sasha having turned to sob into Tyreese's chest again, clearing knowing something we didn't. There was a desperate feeling amongst us, as if we already knew what would be around that corner when Allen had full view. The knowledge of knowing what it was sickened me. Finally, Allen rounded the corner and his eyes had obviously set eyes on what the blood belonged to. In an instant his body changed and he collapsed against the wall, his face in horror.
"No!" He cried. "Oh God, no!" Tyreese carefully pried Sasha away from him and walked towards his friend. He took one look at what Allen was seeing and instantly took a step back, trying to ease Allen with him. "Don't fucking touch me!" Allen screamed, shoving Tyreese hard and falling back hard against the tiled wall. His actions were that of a broken man and I bit back the tears at the sight of his state - it was heartbreaking to see.
"Man, come away." Tyreese soothed. "You don't need to see anymore."
"What difference does it make?!" Allen sobbed. "Oh God, no! Please no!" It was then that he collapsed, onto the floor, not caring that he landed in the pool of blood. Tyreese fell beside him, uttering soothing words trying to comfort his friend. Sasha held a hand to her mouth, tears falling down her cheeks. The rest of us remained dumbfounded at the scene.
Hesitantly, Tyreese brought Allen to his feet to bring him away and lean him against another wall - away from the bloodied scene. Sasha joined the pair, though was hesitant to touch the sobbing man. Rick and Shane stepped forward then, eyeing up the scene we could not see and their faces instantly dropped and they spared no time walking away. Though I did not want to, I knew I would have to take a look. I approached the blood, as if my body had taken all control. When I rounded the corner, nothing could have prepared me for the scene of pure horror before me.
Ben and Billy. Their little bodies lay sprawled in their blood, a blunt contrast to the white washed tiles of the shower block. I felt sick immediately at the sight of it. Though what sickened me the most was the state their bodies were in. This wasn't a ruthless walker attack. Oh no. This was planned, calculated.
Their heads were severed from their bodies. Sliced clean off.
No, this was not the work of a mindless creature that feasted on human flesh, who was dead to the world of the living. This was the work of a living, breathing human. One who was just as frightening as the dead that hunted our flesh. One who was capable of killing two innocent children - who had nothing but hope for the future, who were so ignorant to the death in the world. This was the work of a living human being. A member of the group?
I turned away to brace myself against the wall, trying not to heave, but unsuccessful. No words were spoken for a long time, only Allen and Sasha's sobbing echoed against the tiles. I pressed my face against the wall, trying to press the images of those poor victimsthat lay a mere few feet away out of my head, but failing.
"Who did this?" Allen asked quietly, broken. His voice startled the concentration I was taking with breathing and I turned myself around to look at the group, my eyes avoiding the massacre in the corner of my vision. "Who the fuck did this to my children?" Rick glanced around, meeting Shane's and Daryl's gazes before shaking his head.
"I don't know." He muttered. "I'm not sure if we can look back at the footage either, we don't record from the cameras; we just use them to keep watch. We don't have the equipment to keep records." His tone was sincererly apologetic.
"We'll need to work out who was the last person in the shower block." Shane began, his tone official. "Sasha, you see anyone pass you by as you came here?" The woman shook her head, but it was in that moment that Tyreese's and my gaze met. Our thoughts identical.
"We did." I began slowly. "Tyreese and I, when we were on our way back from the kitchens, we passed-" I paused, as if I were hesitant in announcing the name to the room, branding them the perpetrator. I swallowed hard, trying to convince myself that telling Rick and the others who we'd seen was a good thing, but wondering if making an assumption was safe right now. Tyreese, however, did not hesitate.
"We passed Big Tiny on our way back to the cell block. He told us that he was heading for the showers." He said, evenly, with so much conviction.
Silence fell amongst us, Allen's and Sasha's sobbing having stopped to listen to the conversation. Brains began to tinkle, thoughts began to unwind, assumptions were being made. All the while, I wondered if Tyreese and I had made a mistake. Surely not though?
"I'm going to kill him." Allen stated suddenly, his tone cold. No one could stop him as he was instantly on his feet and had sprinted from the shower blocks, without Tyreese having chance to restrain him.
We were stunned for a moment before Tyreese led the procession out, chasing after Allen, begging him to stop. Though all that was given in reply was the strangled yelps of a blood-thirty father, out to avenge his massacred children. We watched Allen round the corner and scream for the door to be open. Probably confusing his urgency as a walker attack, T-Dog opened the door and Allen burst through. The rest of us followed.
The scene before us was that of manic.
Allen had charged at the big inmate, not caring about the clear competition in size, and had tackled him to the ground and had proceeded to throw fist after fist at the startled prisoner's face. Tyreese moved forward in an instant when Allen brought out a knife, aiming to plunge it through Big Tiny's skull, and Tyreese pulled Allen up, throwing the knife aside.
"Get the hell off of me!" Allen screamed, struggling against his friend's grip. Big Tiny sat up, observing the desperate man with a confused glare.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" The big inmate demanded, getting to his feet. Instantly, Shane and Daryl had their weapons trained on the man, on Rick's orders.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Shane hissed back, butting his shotgun into Big Tiny's chest. "You dare stand there and ask that, after you butchered his children?! Sliced their heads of and let them rot in the showers for everyone to see?!" Big Tiny's eyes widened at the words that were thrown at him.
"What?" Lori breathed, taking in the situation. She was ignored.
"You're accusing me of killing his children?" Big Tiny asked, quietly. "On what grounds?"
"You were seen going into the shower block." Shane muttered and Big Tiny scoffed.
"So sue me for trying to be clean!"
"And you do have an unhealthy history for murder." Shane's last comment hit Big Tiny hard and the man's face darkened as he glared at the ex-cop. "You fucking scum bag, you not gonna admit to what you've done?"
"I ain't done shit to admit to." Big Tiny hissed, stepping forward towards Shane and earning himself a crossbow aimed at his head.
"You have no right to do this." Andrew cut in suddenly. "You have no right to blame him with so little to go on!" The kid was regarded with disgust from a few of the men in the group. Rightly so?
"Rick!" Lori said, her eyes flaring towards her husband as she backed away from Big Tiny, urging Sophia and Carl along too. Heck, everyone had backed away from him. The prisoners all looked disgruntled by this and Big Tiny looked ready to kill. Again perhaps? His eyes fell towards Rick.
"What'll be officer?" He muttered. "You gonna execute me with so little evidence against me?" He raised a sarcastic eyebrow.
"You killed my children, you fucking bastard! That's enough evidence!" Allen screamed, though was shoved back by Tyreese as he attempted to charge at the bigger man again. Rick eyed the man up silently, taking in the heavy stare that was directed at him from Big Tiny's direction. Oh how, the group's atmosphere had changed.
"Take him away." Rick finally said. "Away from the group. Shane and Daryl, you both keep watch on him. We keep him locked up until we decide what to do with him." His tone was final, resigned.
The pair of them turned to Rick with astounded expression, neither seemingly wanting to comply with the request. They did though, with strained expressions and the rest of the group could only watch as Shane and Daryl shoved Big Tiny away, playing the active roles of his prison guards. The look Big Tiny regarded Rick with was a cold one, one that spoke so many volumes and yet surprisingly screamed the truth.
One look towards Allen's body collapsed on the floor, in a midst of sobs, was enough to convince me that Big Tiny was getting off lightly for what he had done and images of the decapitated children crept into my mind again. I held back the bile that arose in my throat. Their twisted bodies, so broken in their own blood. Such an unnatural sight and yet seemed to belong in this new world. This savagely horrifying world. Those images would haunt me till the day I died.
(Author's Note): Phew, this was a monster of a chapter! So much stuff happening! Hopefully I'd not imploded anyone's brains ;)
Well, where do I start? Tyreese and his group - yes, I guess everyone saw that coming. I know it isn't really in time with the show's events, but I'm mixing things up a bit. Tyreese's story about his daughter Julie and boyfriend Chris is based off the characters from the comics, as are Allen's children Ben and Billy - who are young children I believe in the comics, whereas there's only one of them, who is a lot older, in the TV show. Hopefully those who haven't read the comics are happy with this switch around. Basically, Tyreese's group is a blend of both the comic characters and the group from the show. As for Ben and Billy's murders - I know it's sick, but that's another jibe at the comics. Big Tiny being blamed is also a mix from the comics, which will broaden on to another development which I think people will enjoy :)
What do you guys think of Rick willingly letting Tyreese's group stay? You think it was a wise decision? What about Ben and Billy's murders? The most important question though, do you think Big Tiny did it?
I could probably rant forever about this chapter, but I'll leave with a great big Thank You to all those who reviewed my previous chapter. I hope you're all still enjoying the ride and haven't left me yet ;) I'll get there with the Daryl/Ruby romance, I promise! Thanks again.