The fence stood looming and ominous the next morning. I took a deep breath, staring at it quietly. I was out of arrows, not that my bow would do much good for what we were trying to accomplish. We were going in, hand to hand, none of use hand enough ammo to fire on them. My stomach turned just thinking about it. I looked up at Daryl, who was running his thumb across his bottom lip nervously.
"Ready?" turned, asking all of us. I shook my head, and his hands found the carabineers, removing them and throwing up the gate. We rushed in, knives at the ready, while Hershel closed the gate behind us. I dared a glanced back, while Daryl took out a walker next to me. I frowned at the closed gate, not feeling very good about this.
We stood close in a group, lashing out as walkers approached one. I stuck one between the eyes with my hunting knife, letting it drop to the ground, while Maggie hacked away with her machete.
"get tight! Get tight!" Rick hollered at us, reminding us to keep close. We advanced slowly while the others yelled from the side, distracting some of the walkers. They're distraction wasn't well met and the walkers were coming up o us quicker and quicker.
I lashed out at another, looking over at Daryl as he watched my back. I spied a riot shield, and so did T-Dog and he ran for it.
"Don't break rank!" Rick ordered him. T-Dog bashed a walker, sending it sprawling, and I lunged, sinking my blade into his head. We returned to the group and Daryl gave me a warning glare.
We neared the door to the first cellblock and my shoulders felt infinitely lighter. Rick nudged the door open slowly. It appeared to be clear, but the yard next to us wasn't. Rick gestured for us to get close to the building and I did. Daryl drew his crossbow, just as two more walkers rounded a nearby dumpster, fully clad in riot gear.
I gasped, feeling the fear creep up my spine. Two more riot gear zombies rounded the corner right next to us and we froze. Daryl fired his bow, but the bolt bounced off of his helmet. I held my buck knife in front of me, lifting up his helmet and jamming it into his face.
T-Dog and Rick beat at the other two walkers, Rick running over to the gate and closing it quickly. Another riot walker popped out of the door, running up on me. I slashed at him with my knife, but his kevlar deflected it. I was caught off guard and he grabbed for me, pressing his entire body weight to me.
I held fat to his Visor, making sure it didn't come up, as he tackled me to the ground. I took his wrists under my armpits, holding them there.
"Daryl!" I screamed, my hand still on his visor. Daryl turned, looking at me and the walker, running up to us and stabbing the back of his skull. I shoved the walker to the ground, Daryl helping me to my feet. He checked me everywhere, my neck, my arms. "I'm fine. I assured him.
We were all a bloody mess, and with the last of the walkers put down, Glenn ran to let the others inside.
"Stop." Rick called to him. Glenn shrugged, looking at the courtyard.
"It looks secure." He replied.
"Not from the looks of that courtyard." Daryl said, pointing at the mass of walkers just a fence away. I walked over to the nearest walker, flipping her over.
"This one's a civie." I muttered, standing up and wiping my hands on my jeans. I looked at the others, saying what everyone was thinking. "The interior could be over run with walkers from outside the prison."
"If there's walls down, what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this place." Glenn stated. My heart sank, everyone was so excited about the prison, despite what it was.
"We have to push in." Rick shrugged, seeing no other way around it. I grimaced, trudging slowly after Rick. There was another gate that led up a small set of stairs to a door. We filed in one by one, Rick first, me last, waiting for him to open the door.
I heard it slide and slowly we all entered. It was dark, something I didn't like to begin with. As we walked in the smell of dank hit my nose. We had entered a fairly large cell block, it was a mess with papers, trash. There were no walkers, which was a bonus.
I walked forward slowly, my eyes darting everywhere. I walked quietly, lightly across the room, checking under tables, in corners. Rick disappeared up stairs, but quickly reappeared holding a set of keys to the locked door next to us.
He opened the gate and Daryl and I filed in first, our bows out and ready. Daryl took the bottom level, while I watched the top, waiting for a sign of movement from them. I stifled a gag, spotting a dead man huddled in one of the corners. He'd been partially eaten, probably by his fellow inmates.
There were stairs straight ahead and took them slowly, never once dropping my bow. I took the steps carefully and quietly, Daryl on my tail. There was a loud clang as we reached the top, both of us turned, immediately training our crosshairs to the back of the upper level.
A pair of arms reached through the shut gates, grabbing for me. I cried out in fear, pulling away and leaning on the railing behind me. Daryl pounded on the cell door, and a pair of hands started grabbing through the bars of the next cell.
After I had calmed down, I looked over to Daryl and he shrugged, reaching for his buck knife. I followed his lead, taking the first walker and stabbing his skull with my knife. He thudded, dropping to the floor and I opened the cell door, rolling him out onto the first floor.
Glenn had gone out to retrieve the others. They brought in all of our stuff, including mine and Daryl's things. Quietly Lori handed me our bags, walking away. I frowned after her, turning to the stairs to head up to the perch.
I knocked quietly at the door as he scrubbed the blood from the window with a rag he'd found. I sniffed lightly, grimacing at the smell of dead people. He sniffed at me, going back to his work.
"You sure you don't wanna sleep downstairs with the rest of them?" I asked quietly. Daryl shook his head at me, pausing what he was doing.
"Na thanks, been in a jail cell before, didn't particularly like it." I raised an eyebrow at him but he gave me a look. I threw my hands up, walking away silently. Daryl had drug up two cots, tying them together to make a big bed. I threw our bags on it and sat, laying back.
Daryl walked over to me slowly, standing above me. I watched him, waiting for him to say something. He ran his thumb over his bottom lip.
"I aint a felon or anything." He said finally. I sat up on my eyebrows staring at him quizzically. "My brother and I had a fight with some dick in a bar. We won." He smirked, sitting down next to me. Daryl sighed, running a hand down his face. "But, if you wanna be down there with em, we can work something out." I smiled at him and he grabbed our bags, standing up. "Save me alotta time getting blood of the floor."
The men had raided our cellblocks armory. It had already been hit once, but there was still quite a bite of ammo left. They had scrounged some body armor from eth dead prison guards. Daryl picked up a helmet, grimacing in disgust.
"I aint wearin this shit." He said as a strand of goo still clung to it.
"We could boil it?" T-Dog suggested, holding up a gross shoe. I gagged at the people goo on it and Daryl shook his head.
"Aint enough firewood in the whole forest. No." He dropped the helmet back to the table with a loud bang.
"We made it this far without them." I offered, politely declining the riot gear.
"Hershel?" Carol came into the room, asking for the good doctor. He looked at me but I stopped him, placing an arm on his hand.
"I'll go, you stay. Daryl and I went over most of this last night." I waved at them all, letting Carol lead me up to her and Lori's cell.
As I entered, Lori looked up at me, sighing. I paused in the doorway and Carol gave me a reassuring look.
"I asked for Hershel." Lori stated bluntly. I groan, stepping into her cell.
"Well Hershel is busy." I said, probably a little harsher than I should have. Lori looked up at me for one moment before bursting into tears. I dropped to my knees in front of her, sitting awkwardly, before pulling her into my arms.
"I think I lost it." Lori said through sobs. My heart sank and I pulled away from her grabbing her hands.
"You haven't felt it moving?" I asked, looking at her swollen belly. Lori shook her head, sighing harshly.
"No Braxton hicks either. At first I thought it was exhaustion or malnutrition, but…"
"You're anemic?" I asked quietly. Lori shook her head and I looked at the ground.
"If we're all infected then so is the baby. So what if it's stillborn?" I paused, not sure what exactly to say. There was a strong possibility that that was the case. It could also come out hungry for the flesh of others, but that theory I didn't say out loud. "What if it's dead inside me right now? What if it rips me apart?"
"Stop." I told her, closing my eyes and shaking the horrible image from my mind. "Don't let your fear take control of you." I told her firmly.
"Okay, then lets say it lives sand I die during childbirth."
"That's not gonna happen."
"Why not?" her question took me off guard. "How many women died in childbirth before modern meds?" I bit my lip, not sure how to console her. Its true, even with medication childbirth is a very hard thing. "if I come back, what if I attack it? or Rick, or Carl?" She sobbed. "If there is any chance, you and Hershel put me down immediately! You don't hesitate!" She broke down at this point while I sat silently listening to her. "Me or the baby. If were walkers, You don't hesitate and you don't try to save use, okay?" I watched her silently, tears stinging at my eyes, I looked at the floor, slowly nodding my head.
Lori began to sob hard and she threw her arms around me. I froze in my place, looking up at Carol. She smiled at me and slowly I wrapped my arms around Lori's trembling figure.