Chapter Twenty-Six

Impact

The morning arrived much sooner than Anna had anticipated. Sleep had welcomed her as soon as her rested upon the pillow, and dreams of a better life were soon to greet her. Her sleep was broken during the night at various hours, and even though it was quality sleep in between her waking up suddenly and slumbering that made her feel truly rested. She was aware, in the early hours of the morning, of movement outside of her cell, and the moon had allowed the shadowy figure to be projected onto the sheet attached to the cell door. She noticed the crossbow attached to the person's shoulder and understood that it had been Daryl. The first few times of him appearing in front of her cell, she was sure that he was going to kill her when everyone was sleeping. He only had to put a pillow over her face and to be ready for a struggle as she fought for her life. But after it kept happening during the night, she understood that if he was going to do anything, he would've done it sooner.

She pulled herself out of bed and stretched, feeling the bones in her back crack in protest from the months of sleeping rough. The urge to slip back into bed was tempting but she knew that getting comfortable would be a bad idea. Anna stood and reapplied the clothes she had taken off, noticing the slight chill in the air. She checked her watch and found that it was just after six in the morning and the sky was still dark outside. She was used to waking up at this time, for her day began early enough so that she didn't lose too many hours in the day. She had always been an early bird, and with thanks to her career in the army, she was able to keep the schedule and routine that had been implemented into her life from a young age. Routine had always been important for her, and it was hard in the world now to continue such a routine when everything else had fallen through. She had to be strict with herself, and be lazy when it came from getting to point A to point B. She needed to wake at a certain time; eat at a certain time; rest at a certain time; find shelter for the night at a certain time. Everything in her life had to be planned for her to know what she was doing and where she stood in a world where boundaries meant nothing anymore. She had nothing left in the world, apart from her routine, and she wasn't going to give it up easily.

She gathered her belongings she had laid out and packed them into her bag. Pulling open the cell door as quietly as she could, acknowledging the soft snores coming from the cells around and beneath her, she moved downstairs to the main area that the group resided in and made her way to the rounded table that had once served as a resting place for prisoners. She noticed the door to the small courtyard was open, and feeling the uncertainty swirl around her stomach, she made her way towards the open door. The cool air instantly enveloped her and she felt her body tense at the sudden change in the air. It was growing colder which meant that her travels to Washington would be much harder on foot than she had originally thought. It would mean finding a vehicle substantial enough to take her all the way to Washington, and finding enough gas that would actually get her there. She looked around at the courtyard and found Rick sitting on the ground with his eyes closed.

She moved towards him, and coughed gently to gain his attention. She succeeded when his eyes flickered open at her. A soft smile etched across his face and she moved closer towards him. Taking a seat near him, she laid her bag on the ground.

"Did you sleep well?" Rick asked, his voice husky.

"Like a baby," she replied, failing to mention that Daryl had remained outside her cell for most of the night. Rick probably knew that Daryl didn't trust her and knew that the man was going to keep a watchful eye on her.

"Good," Rick nodded. "When was the last time you slept in a bed?"

Anna thought for a moment. The fact that she had to even think about it was startling to her. "A long time ago, probably a few weeks before the outbreak."

"Wow," Rick exclaimed. "That's a long time. Could you get used to it again?"

Anna smirked. "Probably."

A comfortable silence surrounded them and they both took a moment to appreciate the birds tweeting in the distance. The sun was coming up in the distance, casting away the darkness slowly.

"You've got a good place here, Rick," Anna commented, allowing her eyes to sweep over the prison grounds. She noticed the makeshift farm in the distance, a walk away from them, and she smiled. They had made it work here. They had found refuge in one of the places nobody thought would work. They had made themselves a home. And it was beautiful. She had only been with them for a short period of time, and yet she had seen how well they worked together, how much of a team they all were, and how much of a family they were. They had made it work in a world where all hope was lost, but they had come out on top and were living with security and protection from the threats outside.

"You have it good here," Anna spoke, careful of her words. "The Governor... he will take away everything you love. I know men like him. He won't stop until he gets what he wants."

Rick remained silent with his eyes cast upon the approaching daylight. He would often wake before everyone else, or when Daryl or T-Dog came off watch and called for him, and he would find himself come to sit outside in the darkness for an hour before the sun came up. He would think of the life he led before the outbreak, as well as the mistakes he had made, or the plans he and the group had made, and he would think of the people they had lost over time. He would think about his situation with Lori and try to figure out what the best thing to do was, whether he should stick by her and forget about all the hurt she had caused him. He still loved her, and would never stop loving her, but she had cheated on him and it pained him to know that whilst they believed he was dead, she had found comfort in Shane. He understood that she thought he was dead, but it hurt more to know that his wife and best friend had been together. The person who was supposed to protect her in this world had betrayed him and the child she was carrying, the child that should've been theirs, could potentially be Shane's. After Carl, they had tried again for a child knowing they wanted a brother or sister for Carl, and when it didn't happen when Carl reached the age of eleven, they believed that a second child just wasn't meant to be. And even though Shane wasn't in the picture anymore, with the group deciding it was best for him to go to Fort Benning like he had wanted to do for a long time, he was still very much around; in jokes that Carl told, or in Lori's eyes when she stroked her growing stomach. Carl had taken his departure incredibly hard which was understandable, especially for him to have been left without a father for months after the world fell apart, and having to find that father figure in Shane. He liked the peace that dusk brought. It was peaceful. It always made his mind clear.

"I don't want you to put these people in danger," Anna said, watching as the sky began to brighten.

"Are you in with The Governor?" Rick asked once more. Anna remembered his questions from the night before.

"I am not," Anna responded.

Rick glanced at her and searched her eyes. He believed her. Deep down, he believed her words. The sky was lit up with pinkish and gold tones, and it was only then that he noticed that she had two different coloured eyes: one eye was blue and the other was green.

"Your eyes..." Rick began.

Anna smiled and nodded. "Heterochromia iridium."

"I've never met anyone who has it," Rick replied.

"And now you have," Anna smirked.

Rick smiled, and they both fell into a comfortable silence. Rick thought about the plans for the day, and their journey to Woodbury. Travelling anywhere made him nervous, especially when The Governor potentially wanted the prison as his own. There was so much to fight for, they had found themselves a home when the world became bleak and to have that be ripped from them, he knew what he had to do. He wouldn't go down without a fight. They wouldn't go down without a fight. They had the advantage, with Anna telling them of what The Governor had planned for them. And he believed her. There weren't many people in the world he trusted now but she was one of them. She wouldn't lie about something like that. She wouldn't have protected Sophia and Carl in the woods if she wasn't a good person. She wouldn't have saved Glenn if she wasn't a good person. He knew that he could trust whatever Anna told him, but he knew that the others were finding it difficult to trust her. She came out of nowhere, had found Sophia and Carl, and had saved Glenn. To anyone else but Rick, that sounded as if it had been planned all along. He wanted the others to trust her just like he had but so much had happened to make the group uncertain of others. So much had happened with other people that it made it hard for them to trust anyone they didn't know, and Rick understood that they were grateful for Glenn's well-being. Without Anna, his next few days would've been bleak and full of goodbye's as his body would've begun to shut down. But now, he was able to look forward to the future, and to not have his life cut short. Glenn would eternally be grateful to Anna, and Rick respected that.

He knew he was giving Anna a hard time. But he knew that she would prove herself to him with every test he put her through. Her intentions were clear, he just had to make the others see that.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Rick asked, knowing the answer before Anna had to say it.

"I'll show you Woodbury," Anna began. "And then I'm going to set off."

"Washington..." Rick replied, more of a statement than a question. Anna nodded regardless.

"I just want to thank for giving me a place to sleep for the last few days," Anna said. "I really appreciate it. You're all good people. Keep fighting, never give up, okay?"

Rick turned to look at Anna, his eyes furrowed. "Thank you for what you did to Glenn. Without that, he wouldn't be here. Whenever you're around here, you've got a place to stay."

Anna smirked and let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks."

As the sun began to shine down on the prison, life within the prison began to stir and the group began to wake from their slumber. Rick left Anna shortly after their conversation to see Carl and Lori. Anna remained outside, her eyes scanning the immediate area, hearing the buzz of chatter inside the prison behind her. She heard footsteps behind her and turned slowly to see Carol make her way towards her. The older woman kept her eyes upon the ground, before she gazed towards Anna. A soft smile etched across her face.

"Rick told me you're leaving us today," Carol spoke softly, and Anna nodded. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with us? Sophia will be sad to know that you're leaving us."

Anna offered a sad smile, and bit her lip. "Any other circumstance, I would stay in a heartbeat. But I have to go."

Carol nodded. "When were you thinking of leaving?"

"When everyone comes back to the prison, I'm going to carry on," Anna explained.

"I better give you this," Carol said, extending her arm toward Anna. "Sophia wanted me to give this to you, but she was hoping you'd stay."

Anna glanced at the small box in Carol's hand, and furrowed her brow. "That's very sweet of her," Anna said, taking the box in her hand.

"Open it..."

Anna lifted the box lid and smiled sadly. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to fall. The necklace twinkled brightly in the sunshine. It was beautiful. It was a locket necklace adorned with a Lapis Lazuli matrix stone. Anna never wore jewelery and was never able to find her own style. But this... she loved it.

"We found it a few weeks after the outbreak, and Sophia, she wanted to wait until she was older to wear it. But she wanted to give it to you," Carol explained.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Anna smiled, tears in her eyes.

"She's also written you a letter," Carol said, pointing towards the folded note underneath the necklace. "You can read it whenever you want."

"Thank you," Anna smiled. "It means so much, you have no idea."

"May I?" Carol asked, opening her arms. It took a moment for Anna to realise what Carol was referring to but nodded. She wrapped her arms around Anna, enveloping her in a motherly hug. Anna wrapped her own arms around Carol, and felt as the older woman give her a squeeze before whispering in her ear: "Thank you... for finding Sophia. And for bringing her back to me."

Carol released Anna from the hug and wiped the tears that had fallen.

"I should go," Carol said. "Breakfast is nearly ready. Are you joining us?"

Anna nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."

Carol nodded before making her way back inside. As soon as the woman was out of sight, Anna breathed out a shaky breath and felt the tears that had been threatening to fall begin to slide down her cheeks. She didn't know what upset her the most; the generosity of a young girl who had made Anna feel emotions she hadn't felt in so long, or the fact that a mother had thanked her for bringing her daughter back to her. She believed it to be both. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks, and made her way back inside.

Once breakfast was finished and everyone had been fed, Rick ordered for them to get ready and to make their way out to the vehicles. He believed that it was better for them to travel in vehicles so that they didn't spend the majority of the time on foot walking towards Woodbury. If they needed to make a quick getaway, they had the vehicles to rely on rather than their own stamina. It was decided that Rick and T-Dog would travel in one vehicle and Daryl and Anna would travel in the other. Daryl had requested that he be able to keep an eye on Anna, and if she tried anything, he would be able to handle it. Rick explained to Daryl that she wouldn't try anything but Daryl refused to change his mind. As Anna collected her belongings and said goodbye to the group, Daryl took a moment to watch her. He noticed how upset Sophia and Carl were at the thought of this being the last time they would ever see her. It pained him to see the children upset, as he always made sure they were okay, and that they weren't upset or scared.

"Come on," he huffed, causing Anna to turn around and look at him. She nodded, and said goodbye one last time to everyone. He led the way outside, and she followed after him. She entered the vehicle before him, and he gave one last nod towards the group before getting in, and starting the engine. They were to drive behind Rick and T-Dog, with Anna giving the leader directions towards Woodbury. She had spent her breakfast drawing out a route towards Woodbury using the map that Rick had given her. It was an hours drive to where they would leave the vehicles to go on foot.

"We ain't gonna be ambushed by ya buddy, are we?" Daryl accused. Anna smirked.

"You would love that, wouldn't you? To prove that you were right all along," Anna hit back. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not 'buddies' with him so you can pull your finger away from the trigger."

"I want to believe ya, I do. But ya don't give off the whole 'trust me' vibe," Daryl responded.

Anna shrugged. "It's kept me alive this long."

Daryl glanced towards Anna, his eyebrows furrowed. "What do ya mean?"

"If people don't trust you, it makes it easier to leave. If people trust you, it's much harder to leave," Anna explained. "It's the same with love."

"Is that so?"

Anna nodded. "Yep. We're human beings with emotions. Some lock them away like ourselves," Anna analysed. "Whereas some wear their hearts on their sleeves. There's no right or wrong. We can only go through life being a robot for so long. You care about those people a lot, more than you'd care to admit. And that's absolutely fine. It's good. It shows that they trust you and you trust them. It also shows that they love you and you love them."

"Right," Daryl said. "An' you've known us for what? Three days? Ya don't know nothing."

"What if one of them was to die now. You wouldn't be sad?" Anna asked. She stared at Daryl, watching as his face was unmoving except for his jaw clenching.

"We've lost people before," Daryl replied.

"And how did that feel?" Anna pushed. "Were you upset? I doubt that you were ecstatic."

"Can ya be quiet?"

"Sure," Anna replied, turning her attention to the scenery outside the window. The rest of the journey was silent, except for the occasional radio conversation between themselves and Rick.

It wasn't long before they reached the point where they had to leave the vehicles, and to carry on the rest of the journey on foot. It was essential that the vehicles wouldn't be seen by anyone, and thanks to Daryl, he ensured that they were hidden in the large bushes. Anna took the lead, and gave the map to the others who trailed behind her. They were walking through the woods, close to the road so that if there was a vehicle coming their way, they wouldn't be seen by anyone. She knew where she was and she knew how close Woodbury was. Her stomach was in knots as she remembered what had happened there. She felt sick, but she didn't want anyone to see how pale she had become. Woodbury was a place in which she never wanted to visit again. The stench of death being one of the reasons, and The Governor being the other.

"One thing," Anna said, coming to a stop. She turned to the others. "You'll be able to smell it, okay?"

"Smell what?" Daryl asked.

"You'll know." And with that, Anna continued walking ahead. The sooner they were there, the sooner they could leave, and the sooner she would be on her way to Washington. Daryl didn't question her any further, but soon enough, he could smell it. The smell of death hung heavily in the air, but it wasn't just the smell of death that he could sense. It was the scent of burning flesh.

They all came to a stop. He glanced towards Rick and T-Dog who had both smelled it too. He stared at Anna who seemed unfazed by the smell.

"I'm not going much further," Anna said, adamant with her decision. Truthfully, Daryl didn't blame her. "Up there, just past the tree line, you'll see Woodbury."

They all followed the direction of her pointed hand, and saw what was Woodbury. The area was a sizable place, that had been cordoned off by a large fence that wrapped itself around the buildings inside. Barracks could be seen up ahead and people with weapons walked on the platforms that had been built against the fences on the inside of the walls. Walkers were up ahead, and it wasn't long before the sound of gunshots could be heard as they managed the walkers stumbling towards them.

"The smell..." T-Dog murmured. Anna nodded.

"I'm pretty sure they find people on their drives, promise them a home and then... eat them," Anna whispered. She noticed the horrified looks on the faces of the three men. "It would seem the normal thing to do in a world where food is scarce. But there's always a problem with that. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy."

"What's that?" Daryl inquired.

"It's infallibly lethal. I did a study on it a few years ago. Cannibals... develop Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy which is basically defined by a traffic jam of bent out of shape proteins, or prions, in the brain. The prions degrade neurological functions, which causes the symptoms of Kuru to occur in those who eat human meat, such as tremors, loss of balance, and headaches. There was an epidemic in Papua New Guinea which peaked in the fifties but it slowly declined over the next few decades. Once human meat is continuously consumed over a certain period of time, the incubation period ranges from a few years but as soon as symptoms begin to show in someone, they usually only have a few months or years to live," Anna explained. "It can also be found in animal flesh that contains an infected protein."

"Mad Cow Disease?" Rick asked.

"Precisely," Anna nodded.

"Let's get out of here," Rick exclaimed, to which the rest of them nodded, agreeing that they had seen and smelled enough. As they made their way back to the vehicles, Rick turned to Anna and thanked her.

"No worries," Anna replied. "At least you know now where they're based and how dangerous they are."

Rick nodded. "Once we get back to the prison, the vehicle you and Daryl have rode in is yours. To get you to Washington."

"Thank you," Anna replied, grateful to Rick for allowing her journey to become a little easier with the approaching Fall and Winter.

The vehicles soon came into view, and the group separated once more. Rick and T-Dog in one vehicle, and Daryl and Anna in the other. The journey back to the prison was quiet on both parts, and there was no communication between the two vehicles. Anna was mostly lost in her own thoughts, of being back on the road and on the way to Washington. She was three days behind her own schedule but with a vehicle now, she was able to quickly catch up.

"I wanna apologise," Daryl said, breaking the silence. "For everything. Thanks for all ya done for them."

"You didn't have to apologise," Anna replied. "I completely understand. It's good to not trust people sometimes."

"I hope ya get what ya want in Washington," Daryl responded.

Anna smirked. She resumed looking out of the window. Something didn't feel right. She could see the vehicle in front of her that contained Rick and T-Dog. It was at a distance in front but she could still see them up ahead. Anna moved in her seat and looked in the rear view mirror, her heart dropping as she could see a vehicle in the distance speeding up towards them.

"We're being followed," Anna said, to which Daryl looked in the mirror.

"Shit," Daryl cursed. He reached for the walkie talkie, but it happened all of a sudden. The vehicle sped up so that it was driving alongside Anna and Daryl. And the driver swerved their own vehicle into Anna's side of the car, causing their vehicle to become unsteady on the road. Anna stole an urgent glance towards the driver and saw the unmistakeable feature of an eye patch on the man. She cursed.

"It's him," was all Anna could say before the bulky vehicle smashed into them once more, sending the vehicle to swerve off the road despite Daryl's controlled driving, and to hurtle down the large hill covered in thick trees and crash at the bottom of the hill.


Author's Note: I've slightly changed the storyline in this chapter. Shane is still alive, but the group have no idea where is. I've finally worked through my writer's block with this story and have the next few chapters written! Please read and reply, it would mean so much to know your thoughts on this, and it will also give me the confidence to write more! Thank you, and hope you enjoy the chapter!