When Daryl awoke she was gone. He thought perhaps he had dreamed her coming back. But no, there were her clothes in the corner of the room. There would only be one place she would go. Daryl quickly pulled on some pants and headed to the infirmary. When he pushed open the door he was surprised, no one was in there. Not even the patient. Where the hell was everyone? Daryl headed outside. As he got closer to the cell blocks he heard yelling. He hurried in.
Everyone was in the common room. They were all circled around, watching.
"Really? She's going to kill us in our sleep?" Why the hell would she do that Rick?" Stella yelled.
"We don't know her. What if she had something to do with what happened yesterday? Did you think about that?
"Jesus Rick! Use your head. I just told you, she saved me. Why would she do that if she was with them? She told me everything she knew about them. She isn't lying. Let her out."
"She stays in there!"
"Let her out!" Stella yelled.
"No! Not till we know!"
Stella paced around. "Well, what are you planning to do about the bathroom? You know the toilets in there don't work. Are you going to give her a bucket? Or should she just pick a corner of the cell and use that?" Stella asked, the disgust in her voice evident. She stormed out into the yard.
Daryl was tempted to follow her, but he wanted to know what was going on and thought he'd get more out of Rick. He walked over. "So... Want to tell me what's going on?"
Rick looked over at Daryl then jerked his chin towards the door. "That is one stubborn, pissed off woman."
"The stubborn part I knew all ready. How'd she get pissed off?"
Rick walked over to the door in between the common room and the cell block. "Moved the woman Stella brought back with her up here last night, after Hershel dug the bullet out and said the injury wasn't life threatening. Put her in here just in case. We don't know her. Don't want her to have free roam of the prison at any rate. Anyways, Stella comes in this morning and isn't too happy about it." He paused and assumed what Daryl liked to call his exasperated cop stance. Hands on the gun belt, one extended forward and slightly to the side. "We're going to have to talk to her about yesterday. About what happened with Glenn and Maggie. Do you think you can go talk to her? Calm her down?"
Daryl looked at Rick. "I'll see what I can do, but you're gonna owe me." He headed out after Stella.
He didn't see her at first. She was all the way down by the gate. He walked down there slowly. Give her some time to burn off that anger. He hadn't quite reached her when she started. "I can't believe he's got her locked up in one of those cells. Won't even let me in to see her. What does he think I'm going to do? Break her out? And go where?" She glared in the direction of the cell block. "She saved me. I would have walked right into that clearing. They would have take me just like they did Maggie and Glenn. Why would she do that if she wanted to cause us harm? Huh?"
Daryl leaned nonchalantly against the fence. "Didn't say that was what I thought."
"Well what do you think?" She asked impatiently.
Daryl shrugged. "Don't know what to think. Haven't heard what happened out there. Fact is, no one has. Rick probably figures he's rather apologize to one stranger, than bury any of us."
He knew he had her. The fight went right out of her. She kicked at the dirt at her feet.
He pushed himself away from the fence. He walked over to her and slid his hands around her waist. "I didn't like not having you there when I woke up." He kissed he on the tip of her nose. He was rewarded with a small smile.
"Tried waking you up this morning but you were sleeping like the dead. Figured that if you were sleeping like that, you probably needed it. You had a busy day yesterday."
Daryl smiled. "So did you." He looked back at the prison. "Come on, let's go tell that story and get your friend out of that cell." He swung his arm across her shoulders. She threaded hers around his waist. Daryl was amazed at how easy and natural it felt. They started back up the hill.
When they walked back into the common room everyone was waiting. Rick walked over. "Why don't I let her out. You and Carol can take her to the bathroom, then we can all meet outside. Hear that story after breakfast." He was offering an olive branch.
Daryl waited outside the cells while they got the stranger up. When they emerged, Stella was supporting some of her weight. The stranger was black, with dreadlocks hanging to just under her shoulders. She was about Stella's height, five-six, five-seven. She was fit. Daryl could see the definition in her arms. Her left thigh was wrapped with bandages. She also looked extremely irritated.
Daryl trailed after them to the bathrooms. He might trust Stella, and she might trust this woman, but it didn't mean he was going to take any chances. Fact was, he didn't want either Carol or Stella alone with her, but when he went to follow them into the bathroom, Stella stopped him. "You can just wait here." Daryl paced as he waited.
The bathroom trip completed, the quartet made their way outside. Lori was dishing up breakfast for everyone. Stella helped the stranger sit, then claimed the seat next to her. Everyone else kept a little bit of distance.
Daryl noticed that the woman was very alert, her hard eyes taking in all the activity around her. She did seem somewhat surprised and relieved that there were so many females within the group.
As soon as everyone was done eating Rick cleared his throat. It was time to get down to business. "Stella, I'd like to hear from you first as to what happened yesterday. Then from Michonne." Rick was using his most authoritative voice.
Stella cleared her throat. "Well, we went to the crash site, obviously. The strap broke on my bag of supplies and I had to stop to pick them up. I asked Maggie and Glenn to go ahead and see what was going on. I had just gotten to the edge of the clearing when a hummer pulled in. Maggie and Glenn were in the center of the field, there was no where for them to go. Five men got out. Glenn seemed ill at ease. I was just about to step out when Michonne grabbed me and yanked me down." Stella looked over at the woman sitting next to her. "It took a moment till I realized she wasn't trying to hurt me. I could hear voices in the field but I could only hear every few words of what they were saying. It seemed like Glenn maybe knew at least one of the men and he was pretty wary. Two of the men just grabbed Maggie and Glenn and pulled them into the hummer. The others went and shot all the helicopter crew. At least one of the men was still alive. I could hear him pleading with them. Then everyone climbed back in the car and drove off. That's when I realized Michonne had been shot. I patched her up the best I could and I decided to bring her here. If she hadn't grabbed me, they would have taken me too. She saved me." Stella reached over and gave Michonne's hand a grateful squeeze. "The rest of the story is hers."
Everyone turned to Michonne. "Stella said you know who these men are?" Rick asked.
Michonne nodded. "I was travelling with a companion when we came across a town. They took us in. At first it seemed like the perfect place, but something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. The man that runs the town, he calls himself the governor. I started poking around. There were just little things. They were too well armed, they were doing experiments on walkers... I didn't like it. I decided to leave, my friend decided to stay. The governor must have sent people out after me. Not to bring me back, but to kill me. He knew he hadn't fooled me. One of them shot me. They must have been driving around searching for me when they saw the helicopter go down. It was just chance that it crashed not far from where I was. They took your friends. Look, if the governor thinks that you have something that he wants, he's going to try to take it."
Everyone was silent for a few minutes, they were trying to digest what Michonne had said.
Suddenly Rick said, "I want to know everything about this town, where it is, what type of defenses they have, weapons. Everything. We're going to have to go get Maggie and Glenn back."
Axel produced a map and Michonne pointed out the town. It was roughly fifteen miles away, a little town called Woodbury. "They have perimeter walls that are always guarded. They have some pretty heavy weaponry. Must have gotten it from the military. The guards are all paramilitary wanna be's. Not a whole lot of training. The good news is, they can't shoot for shit."
Daryl spoke for the first time. "Sounds like we're going to be outmanned and outgunned. We're going to have to find a way to sneak in." He agreed with Rick that they had to go get their people back, but they were going to need to be careful about how they did it.
"It can be done. There's a couple of weak spots in the barricades around the town. Get me some paper and I'll sketch it out for you." Michonne offered.
Stella interrupted. "There's something else. We got pushed off course by a group of walkers. We had to go around them. We came across what looks like a small armory. It's still locked. There's a fence, so we couldn't get close enough to see inside, but it doesn't look like it's been touched."
A smile tugged at the corner of Daryl's lips. The thought of an armory, and a fully stocked one, was good news indeed. Michonne started to sketch out the town for Rick. Meanwhile, Oscar, Daryl, Stella and Carol headed for the armory. It was a small building, about a mile away from the prison. The reason Daryl hadn't come across it before was that there was a road that always had walkers spread out across it. He felt his stomach tighten when he realized that Stella had to have gone across it at least twice last night.
They cut a hole in the fence like they had in the prison and backed the SUV up to it. A shotgun blast made quick work of the locks. Moving quickly, they emptied out the armory. Stella stood outside picking off walkers with her bow. Daryl was thrilled at the variety and amount of weapons and ammunition. There was even a small stack of bullet proof vests. They left nothing on the shelves. As soon as it was done they headed back to the prison.
Rick had formulated a plan by the time they got back. The whole group crowded around to hear it. "Alright, we'll take the cars to here. Gonna have to walk from there. Michonne said she can lead us. We'll go in here, on this wall." Rick pointed at the sketch. "She says it has the most cover and the least patrols. All this here is all personal houses, doubt they'll be keeping Glenn and Maggie in there. But this section here is all used for town business. This old warehouse is the best bet. We'll start there then fan out. Hopefully we can get in and out without a problem." Rick paused. "What did you guys find at the armory?"
Daryl answered. "It's all good. We got automatic weapons, plenty of ammunition, hand guns, flash bangs, smoke grenades, bullet proof vests."
"Alright, we use the flash bangs and smoke grenades to cover ourselves if need be. Everyone take as much ammunition as you can. Meet back here in thirty minutes." The group broke up. Daryl headed straight over to the SUV to start loading spare magazines for the guns.
"Daryl?" Stella said quietly. She was standing behind him.
"Don't worry. We'll be back before you even know it. Here, take these," he passed her all but one of the Kevlar vests. "Pass them out to whoever is going." He turned back to what he was doing.
The group was assembling to go when Daryl saw Stella walk out of the prison. She was carrying her bow, a backpack and was wearing a vest. He stalked over to her. "No. You're not going." She ignored him, walking over to where the guns were laid out. She picked up one of the automatics and started loading her pockets with magazines and smoke grenades. "Did you hear me woman? I said you ain't going." Daryl said again, more loudly. When she still didn't acknowledge him, he grabbed her arm so she would face him. "Please." he begged softly.
Stella sighed. "Daryl, I have to go. It only makes sense to have someone there to act as a medic. Besides, I'm a good shot. You know this. Having two people there that can use long range silent weapons is a definite advantage. Besides, I'll go crazy till you guys get back." She looked up at him with those blue green eyes and Daryl knew he wasn't going to win this one. Still, he had to try.
"Rick, tell her she's not going." Daryl demanded.
Rick looked over at the couple and pressed his lips together. "Sorry Daryl, she's right. I get how you feel but she'll be useful. We're better off with her."
Daryl felt like punching something. "Fine. But we get there and you stay behind me the entire time. One of us tells you to move, you move. No arguments. You do what I say." His voice was tight with anger. He knew he was being somewhat irrational and overprotective but he couldn't help it. After yesterday... he would do anything to keep her safe.
The group that was going ended up consisting of Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Oscar and Stella. They all piled into the Range Rover. If they all got out with Maggie and Glenn it would be a tight squeeze on the way back, but at least they would all be able to fit in one car. When they parked Stella suggested they leave the keys with the car. They all knew why. Her being stranded because Glenn was carrying the car keys was fresh in everyone's mind. No one said it out loud though. They didn't want to admit that someone might not come back. They ended up tucking them in one of the wheel wells.
The hike to Woodbury was uneventful. They got there just after sunset. They agreed to wait until the town quieted down before going in. Stella and Daryl sat side by side. They didn't speak. He helped her tuck her hair up under a black cap. She adjusted the straps on his vest. An hour later there was only minimal sounds coming from the other side of the barricade. Rick gave the signal. Daryl took point. He squeezed through a small opening and covered the others as they followed. Michonne lead them to a store that she said would be empty.
Daryl ran to the window and peeked out. There were still some people milling about on the street. He turned to Michonne. "Thought you said the street would be empty."
She gave him a hard look. "There's a curfew. Those people are just stragglers." Rick pulled out the sketch of the town. "This is where we are. We have to get across this street and over to here." She drew an imaginary line as she talked. "We should stay away from this area here and here. There's direct lines of sight from the walls."
Rick folded up the map. "Everyone got it?" They all nodded. "Okay, Michonne will lead us out, then Daryl, myself, Stella, and Oscar, you bring up the rear.
On their way to the warehouse they had to duck into a open doorway twice to avoid being seen. Daryl had to admire the way Michonne moved. She was like a cat. She had a knack for timing and she paid attention to her surroundings.
Finally they got to the warehouse. Luck was with them. There was a broken basement window. They dropped in one by one. When Daryl helped Stella down she gave him a hard brief kiss. "For luck," she whispered.
Daryl moved in front of Michonne and took point. They made their way speedily through the different rooms. Daryl could hear what sounded like crying. "Shh." he whispered holding up his hand. He glanced around the corner. "They're not in there, probably the next one over," he said softly.
Suddenly they could hear footsteps coming their way. "Back up to the next room," Rick said hastily. The group started backtracking. "Daryl, use a flash bang, I'll follow with smoke."
As soon as Rick gave the signal, Daryl tossed in the flash bang. He turned back around and shut his eyes. As soon as he heard it go off he was around the corner. Rick's grenade was pumping out smoke. He saw Stella rush in and grab Maggie while Oscar grabbed Glenn.
He covered them till they were all out and then followed. A bullet ricocheted off the wall and buzzed by his ear. They ran back through the rooms. Daryl dropped another smoke grenade to cover them.
When they reached the street there was a lot of activity. "Damn! We're going to have to find a new way out," Rick said. Daryl took out his knife and cut Glenn and Maggie's hands free.
"Go that way," Michonne pointed to their right. "There's a town square. It's a little open, but there isn't any sentry stations nearby."
Daryl lead the group down some side streets till they came to the edge of the square. He found an unlocked door and ducked in. Glenn collapsed on the ground and Daryl watched as Stella bent over him.
"How the hell did you find us Rick?" Maggie asked, her voice slightly hysterical.
He ignored Maggie's question. "Can he walk?" he asked Stella.
She looked up from Glenn. "Yeah, no broken bones, but he's wicked banged up." She looked around. "Where's Michonne?"
Daryl ran to the window. "She ain't out there."
Rick ran over to look. "Doesn't matter. She's on her own. Daryl. What do we got left for grenades and flash bangs?" They immediately began trying to figure out a way out. Stella moved from Glenn to Maggie. He heard her ask if Maggie was alright.
Glenn's voice interrupted Rick. "Daryl, it was Merle. Merle did this." Stella's head whipped around to look at Daryl.
Merle was alive. Daryl felt exhilarated at the thought. "What are you sure? You saw him?"
"Oh yeah, up close and personal. No offense but he's a real asshole."
"Well does he know that I'm still with you?"
"He does now. Rick. We told them about the prison. I'm sorry. We just couldn't hold out." Glenn grimaced as he sat up.
"Don't worry about that now. We got to find a way out of here."
"Rick, I've got to go find Merle." Daryl said. He couldn't believe Merle as alive. And here.
"Not now Daryl. We've got to get out of here."
Daryl protested. "No, Rick. He's my brother. Maybe he can help us out. He's not going to-"
Rick cut him off. "Daryl, Merle's the one that did that to Glenn. I need you. What if we get swamped by walkers or this governor catches us? What about them?" Rick indicating the rest of the group. "They need you. I need you. Now are you with me?"
Daryl looked over at her. Rick was right. He couldn't leave the group. "Okay."
"We're going to have to go over the wall. There's a bus over there. We could use it to get over. We'll use the smoke for cover, everyone stay close to the stores until we get closer. There's no cover on the other side.
He saw Stella remove her vest and put it on Maggie. "Stella."
She looked over at him. "There's no time to talk about this Daryl." She helped Maggie get Glenn to his feet.
"Shit. Stay behind me." He turned to Rick. "Ready?"
Rick counted down. "Three, two, one." He yanked the door open. Daryl tossed a smoke canister out into the street. "Let's go." The group poured out onto the street. Immediately there was gunfire. Everyone with guns turned and fired back, covering Maggie and Glenn. They ran down the street, hugging the buildings. Daryl saw Oscar take down two men. "Take cover!" Rick cried out. "Go go go!" They all ducked into a recessed doorway.
"Jesus, how many are out there?" Stella asked. She was slightly out of breath.
"It don't matter. There's gonna be more of them any minute. We got to move. I'll cover you guys while you make a run for it." Daryl said.
"No!" Maggie exclaimed. "We have to stick together!"
"It's too hairy. I'll be right behind you." He answered Maggie but he was looking at Stella. Her eyes were wide with fear. He gave her a quick hard kiss. He turned and tossed the last of the smoke grenades out into the street. "Go!"
The others took off running. When Rick got to some cover he ducked down behind it and started firing. "Daryl! Come on!"
Daryl ran to the edge of a monument and ducked down behind the stone. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Oscar climb up on the hood of the bus and pull Glenn up. As he was boosting Glenn onto the roof Daryl saw him fall back off the bus. He had taken a shotgun blast just under his arm where the vest didn't protect him. "Shit!" He turned and fired. The man ducked behind a tree. He glanced back to look. He saw Stella shake her head and Maggie fired down at where Oscar was laying. Just as Stella stood up he heard a second blast from the shotgun. He saw the blast hit her directly in the chest. She flew back into the bus. She didn't get back up.
"No!" Daryl fired at the man. Jesus, he couldn't have been more than ten feet away when he shot her. He looked back again and saw Rick hoist her onto his shoulder. "She must still be alive. Rick wouldn't have taken her if she wasn't alive." he told himself.
Rick called out, "Daryl! Come on! We got to go!" He climbed up over the bus.
He had to buy them more time. Between Glenn and having to carry Stella, Rick was going to need all the time he could give him. He fired his gun in short bursts while he moved back and over towards the bus. He was almost out of ammunition. He was focused on trying to take out one of the sentries that was a good shot. He didn't hear the man behind him.
He heard a loud crack and then he fell face down.
So I used a lot of what happened in the show for this chapter. I really liked the way they had it set up. I did try to make it a little more like my own, but I loved some of the lines so much I had to use them to augment my story.
Since this is where the mid season finale happened expect to see a big divergence from the show. As much as I wish I could say I know what's going to be coming on the show, alas, I have no idea. What I can say, is I've already started writing the next chapter, so make sure you check back soon, (very soon!) to see what happens in this story.
Don't forget to review! I must admit I get giddy when I get a notification that someone reviewed. I think it's my favorite part of all this.