hey yous! New chapter. I noticed that there's a sudden lack of views and reviews. Guess the fic's getting boring :D
Yeah I'm a bit bored myself. Wasn't really a good idea to split them up, but I really couldn't come up with an other solution to the whole Woodbury problem.
*sigh* University's keeping me too busy these days to let my brain work properly. Bright side: the fic's gonna be over soon, and the Connaryl's gonna be reunited soon. (but how? will it be a happy end? whale, you know me and my stories, eh? ;D *hints hints*)

I'd say like 1-3 more chapters about the Woodbury fight, and then maybe like 1-3 more chapters about the "Aftermath" and the build up for the next fic (which is pretty much starting with this chap here anyway. The build up I mean). Oh and the one part with the thing, I mean I HAD to include it here. I mean when I first saw it on screen during the episode I was screaming and cheering so loud cos it felt like they were aiming it right at me and this fic xD. I mean I know they didn't do that of course, but that was awesome :D Anyhoo. Enough with the talk.

setting: episode 16 "Welcome To The Tombs"

Damnation

Chapter 65 - Resurrection

Connor had thought that the battle itself would be the worst. Well, it looked like he was wrong. It was the absence of the battle that was the worst part, because there was nothing but boredom and waiting going on. He was beginning to doubt that Woodbury was going to attack them at all. He was also doubting that it was a good idea to keep the weakest members of their group waiting outside, with walkers being all around them. The Irishman was pacing up and down the bridge with a rifle in his hand. It was still rather hard for him to hold it with one of his hands being broken, but he happened to be a good shot so he had to carry it for a while.

But this wouldn't be the first thing he needed to do as soon as people started attacking them.

Connor looked down at the yard, where countless walkers were staggering around since they had opened the gates. The open gates were part of Connor's plan, and although he didn't really want the walkers to be IN here he had no choice. The gate needed to stay that way, so that Woodbury wouldn't crash it on their way here. They still needed the gate. And the undead.

He still felt a bit uneasy about all the others being here with him as well, because they could get attacked. He remembered what Hershel had told him. Should they get bit then it would be his fault. Should Maggie or Glenn get shot then it would be his fault. The Irishman sighed and turned his head to look over to the other bridge, where Glenn and Maggie were waiting for the attack just like him and Rick. Since it was his plan to be inside with their leader when the attack started Connor decided to head back inside cell block C, to have one final look at their home, and to make sure that everything was in place and that Carol was alright.

He found her inside the dining hall, where she was sitting at one of the tables and seemed rather nervous.
Connor passed the woman on his way over to the cells and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down a bit.
Carol smiled weakly, but it didn't really look like it was helping her a lot.

"I hope they're alright out there" she muttered and gave her fears a voice.

Connor stopped walking then and smiled at her.

"'f course they are. They got Andrea and Michonne with 'em. And don't underestimate Carl these days."

"Well, what about Judith? What if she cries and attracts walkers?"

Connor squeezed her shoulder once more and waved it of.

"Hershel and Beth got it under control. Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. And remember, yer not really gonna be part of the fight as well. Besides, Daryl'd kick me ass should something happen t'you or the others. Everyone's gonna be okay. And it all ends t'day. Alright? God's on our side. He'll protect us. And them out there. I gave Daryl m'rosary to make sure of that. "

Carol smiled once more and this time she seemed to mean it.
Connor smiled back and then let go of her, so he could get back to the cells to check them in case someone had forgotten to take something important with them.

He checked one cell after another and soon got lost in thoughts, remembering everything they had found in here, everything they had lost. He passed T-Dog cell and sighed, because T-Dog's death also reminded him of Lori's death. He automatically raised his head to look upstairs, right at the cell in which she had slept. He turned his head to the right and then looked at the cell in which he and Daryl had slept for the past couple of weeks. He felt a dull pain in his chest because of the worry and separation from his friend. He wondered how he was, if he was okay out there, if he was going to survive all this, if he was going to feel just as bad as he had felt when he had lost Murphy.

Ever since all the chaos around the shot had subsided he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that his best friend had lost his brother. He knew what it felt like, and he didn't want Daryl to feel like that at all. Not after months of him getting better, growing softer and more likable. He doubted that Daryl was going to be just as big of a mess as him, but still. Losing a family member was no picnic. It didn't matter if you got along well in the past or not.

Connor shook his head with an angry growl and stopped looking upstairs. No, he needed to stop worrying about that. They had more important things to do right now. He needed a clear mind for now. No worries. No doubts. No questions. Just sheer concentration and a plan. Connor was on his way over to the other door that led back to the maze of corridors when he suddenly noticed a book on a table in one of the cells.

He stepped closer with a frown and tried to remember whose cell it had been. After doing some thinking he came to the conclusion that it had belonged to Hershel and Beth, so he was pretty sure that they had forgotten it here. He stepped closer and took the book, and after looking at the cover he had no doubt. Yep. This had been Hershel's cell. The old man had forgotten his bible.

Connor took it with a sigh and shook his head. For a second he had to look up at the ceiling and couldn't fight the little smile that broke through. Maybe Hershel had not forgotten it here on purpose. Maybe this was a sign from god, maybe this was him letting him know that he was watching over them. The Irishman chuckled and shook his head once more.

"I gave my rosary t'Daryl and ye have t'make sure I still carry something with me? Nice try. 's about time you kissed my ass after all the shit you've done t'me" he muttered and already wanted to leave the cell, when an idea suddenly struck him.

For the past couple of hours of waiting he hadn't just been struggling because of Daryl and all the others around him. No, he still couldn't stop thinking about Andrea's words, what she had told him. That there were teenagers who were about to attack them. Kids. Women. Old people. All kinds of people that he would never hurt or kill but that would be in the line of fire nevertheless. He looked at the bible in his hands for a while and then started flicking through the pages.

Maybe there was one more way to keep the innocent from entering the maze and getting involved in the whole thing without anyone really wanting that. Maybe he just needed to warn them, remind them that they were about to do something very stupid. Just like back in Boston in the courtroom, when he had warned other people by letting god speak. Maybe this was just like that. He kept flicking through the pages until he finally found the words he was looking for.

And shall come forth, they that have done good, unto resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Connor nodded and lay the bible on the table like that, wide open, and after searching for a while he finally found a pen to mark that very quote.
This warning would be enough to make the right ones understand, and the evil ones shake with fear. It wasn't just a warning, it was a threat.
Because hell would be waiting for them past those doors to the corridors.

Just then a loud bang startled the Irishman. A minute later he could hear gunshots and the sound of fast footsteps that were echoing through the hall.
Connor left the cell in a hurry to see what was going on, but Carol and Rick were already standing in the door to the dinning hall.

"They're here."

Judith's screams were deafening, and now that Daryl was fully awake again he could finally see and understand what was going on. Their car was surrounded by trees, close to a street. There was another car right next to the one he was sitting in. He was still trapped because of the seat belt that was keeping him in place, but the seatbelt was the least of his problems. There were walkers all around the cars, and he could hear even more shouting and shooting outside. There were a couple of violent and loud explosions very close to them, and then he could hear the sounds of rapid gunfire. It sounded like there was a war going on.

He was so confused.

Where the hell was he? Who were they fighting? Walkers? How many of them were there? Where was the rest of their group?
And why the fuck was he all alone inside this godforsaken car with Judith?

Another yelp escaped his mouth when the whole thing got worse and he remembered the other problem. The car door was open. There was a walker standing right next to him. Growling and snapping and reaching out with his dirty bloody hands. Daryl let out another surprised scream when the undead suddenly darted forward and landed right on his lap. The hunter searched his pants in horror only to discover that someone had taken his knife, and every ever so slight movement sent a burning pain through his chest. Judith screams got louder and louder to a point where he almost couldn't hear anything anymore, and it seemed like it only attracted even more walkers to the car.

He was even more surprised when the walker on his lap seemed to be reaching for the crying baby on the passenger seat instead of attacking him. Daryl still panicked, trying to fight the seat belt and walker at the same time, trying to find anything to kill the rotten undead that was about to fucking eat him. He finally managed to free himself and frantically used the seatbelt to wrap it around the walker's throat, ignoring the incredible pain in his chest and how the world started spinning because of the abrupt movement.

Daryl gathered all the strength he could gather and pulled as hard as he could, dragging the walker away from the crying baby like a dog on a leash. The walker made the most inhumane gurgling and growling noises because of the strangulation, and although it was obviousl that its neck was about to get broken the undead still kept pulling, trying to get back to crying Judith.

Daryl couldn't keep doing that forever. The pain in his chest was so intense that it sent tears to his eyes and made him groan just as loud as the walker, but there was no other choice. He needed to protect little asskicker, and he knew that if he let go of the walker now then not only the baby would get eaten, he would be the first in line to end up as a walker happy meal. But he got weaker and weaker, and just when he was about to throw the walker outside the car he noticed another extremely skinny and shirtless walker. He that was staggering in his direction with wide eyes, bare teeth clicking and snapping at him, ready to attack.

Oh fuck. This was it.

Daryl grunted and kept shoving and pulling the walker he was still keeping in place with the seat belt, trying anything he could to get him out so he could close the door.
The other walker kept coming closer and closer, and he was only inches away from the car now.

Oh fuck fuck fuck. Where the hell was everybody? Where was Connor? Where was Rick? He was freaking dying over here!

The other walker was really close now and Daryl tried to keep him away with his leg, ignoring both the pain and the obvious threat that he could get bitten any second now. Even if he was scared and could die any second, there was no way he wouldn't go down fighting, and there was no way he wouldn't die protecting the baby. He kicked as hard as he could and managed to make the walker outside stumble, but right then he lost grip of the other walker and let out another terrified scream. He squeezed his eyes shut in horror and waited for the bite that was about to happen.

This was it.

He just knew it. And although Daryl was still kicking and fighting he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes again during these very last couple of seconds, because right then he had to think about everything Connor had told him. We fell down, he right on top af me. I managed ta grab my gun but a gunshot startled me an I lost grip af him. 't was literally the most painful experience in me life.

He didn't want to die, why didn't those undead fucks understand? Not now, not after everything!

He squeezed his eyes shut even more and kept yelling and fighting, but somehow the bite wouldn't happen. When he opened his eyes again it was just in time for him to witness how the two walkers were being stabbed in the head with a long and extremely sharp blade. A second later a dark hand grabbed the freshly killed walker from his lap and pulled him out of the car. Daryl finally noticed that his chest was heaving and pulsating with nothing but pain because of the movement. He felt his chest and his arms in horror to check for bites. When he turned his head again to look outside he saw that Michonne was standing right in front of him, katana high in the air as she struck out to decapitate another walker that got too close to the vehicle he was sitting in. Once she had killed the undead she suddenly turned around and stared him right in the eye.

"Stay in the car. Look after the baby, lock the doors" she demanded and slammed to door shut just in time to fight another bunch of walkers.

Daryl's heart was still pounding in his chest as he tried to figure everything out. He had awoken just a minute ago and found himself in all this chaos, thrown in here just like that. He could hear the sounds of fighting going on outside, and when he looked out of the window he could finally see it clearly. There was a shitton of walkers staggering around the area. He could hear gunshots, he saw Michonne, Andrea, Hershel, Beth and Carl fight the countless undead that were slowly closing in on their cars.

But this didn't seem to be the only fight that was going on here. When he looked past the small fighting group he noticed the smoke that was coming from somewhere past the small hill, right outside the forest they were hiding in. More and more gunshots seemed to be coming from over there, and although Daryl was still so confused he was beginning to understand what was going on. They were outside the prison. And it looked like Woodbury had started attacking them. Maybe they had made their way out of there, maybe all the shots and the fire had attracted all the walkers around them.

Daryl felt his aching chest and then opened his shirt a bit to see where the pain was coming from, and when he saw the bandage it dawned on him as well.
Right. He had been shot. He remembered his talk with Connor. How many days had passed since that? He also noticed that something was strangling him and grabbed his throat to feel what it was. His fingertips touched something that felt like pearls, and when he shifted the thing a bit a cross suddenly slid down his chest and landed on his stomach.

Connor's rosary.

Why the fuck was he wearing his rosary?

Daryl grabbed it and looked outside again, trying to make out his friend in all the mess. He couldn't see him. Connor was freaking nowhere.
Daryl turned his head in the other direction in panic, to see if he was by or inside the other car, but there was nothing. A loud bang next to him startled the hunter and made him turn his head again. He could see a bloody hand and face that was pressed against the window right next to him, where a walker was snapping and fighting and trying to get inside.

Daryl's heart started beating faster again, because he was so overwhelmed by everything. There were walkers, gunshots, Judith was screaming her lungs out in here, he was in pain and wearing Connor's rosary and Connor wasn't there. So many things were happening at once, and although he didn't have a clue about anything he knew one thing for sure: He needed to help. He needed to get out of here.

The hunter leaned forward with an awkward hiss and tried to calm a screaming and crying Judith down, while reaching for the glove compartment.

"Sh, everything's..gonna be alright..assskicker" he grunted while grabbing his aching chest with one hand, and searching the compartment for a knife with the other hand.

He did only find a small army knife and figured that the others were using all the weapons outside. Daryl grabbed the knife with an awkward grunt and then placed the hand on baby Judith's shoulder, to rock her gently and calm her down as good as possible. The baby still wouldn't stop screaming and he was sure that she was going to start again anyway as soon as he left, so he let go of her and made his way back to the backseat. He needed a moment to gain breath and fight the dizziness and pain in his chest. The walker was still by the window and kept banging and banging, making Judith's crying worse and worse.

Daryl gritted his teeth and stared at the undead, and not only the noise made the hunter angry. The pain made him furious, and he just needed to get out of here, needed to shut everyone up, needed to figure out what the fuck was going on. After taking a couple of shaking breaths and grabbing the knife as tightly as he could he finally approached the door and grabbed the door handle. He stared the walker right in the eye for a moment and noticed that the undead was staring at crying Judith, obviously attracted by her incredibly loud cries. Daryl pressed his lips together and shoved the door open as hard and fast as he could, making the undead stumble and fall backwards.

When the hunter tried to exit the car his legs suddenly gave in and he fell outside with a grunt, landing right on top of the walker. He had not meant to do that but figured that it was as good as anything else, so before the undead got a chance to attack and bite him he already buried his knife in his eye socket, piercing the brain and killing the walker dead after one final struggle.

The hunter let out an awkward gasp and tried to get up, feeling another incredibly sharp pain through his chest while doing so. It felt like the bullet was still in there and ripping his insides apart. Daryl groaned and felt how his eyes filled with tears again, but not because he felt like crying. It was more like a natural and unwanted reaction to the pain, and for a second he had to roll on his back right next to the walker to gather strength and calm down.

Great.

He had meant to go out here to fight those undead bastards. And now he couldn't move a freaking inch. He could see the others now and how they were fighting the undead horde back to back. No one had noticed him yet, not Andrea, not Michonne, not Beth or Hershel or Carl.

Daryl widened his eyes in surprise when he noticed how another walker tried to climb inside the car through the door he had left open after falling outside.
The walker was already crawling inside, trying to get the baby, which sent a sudden burst of energy through Daryl's limbs.

"No!" he shouted and managed to get on his knees.

He grabbed the undead by his legs and managed to make them both fall over, but this time he was the one being pinned on the ground.

Daryl let out a pained and surprised gasp when his back and head connected with the ground and it pressed all the air out of his lungs. The undead was now lying right on top of him and the hunter found himself trapped again, but this time he couldn't scream, couldn't fight, because he couldn't breathe and the pain in his chest seemed to suffocate him. The undead moved slowly and clumsily and raised his head with a loud snarl while Daryl struggled to get his knife back. Panic rushed over him once more when he still couldn't breathe and couldn't find the knife. The undead was now only inches away from his face and throat, and then it moved even closer and closer to...

Sniff.

The walker was lying right on top of him, staring at him and grabbing and pinning him, but he did nothing but sniff and snarl. Daryl stared back at the undead with wide eyes and watched him sniff at his throat, face, clothes. He did anything but bite him. The hunter was even more shocked whenthe walker suddenly let go of him and got back on his feet like a clumsy drunk, only to head for fighting Beth now.

Daryl watched him leave in absolute shock, heart bounding, chest heaving.
He couldn't believe it. He seriously didn't understand anything anymore.

He sat up with an awkward hiss and watched how the undead walker got shot in the head by Beth, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.
She seemed to be thinking about the same question he was asking himself now.

Why the fuck had this undead bitch decided to leave him be?