Slowly I reversed the truck, careful not to damage any fencing. The last thing we needed was for me to back up into our security, since Daryl was already giving me a hard time about my driving. He smirked at me, muttering something about women drivers.
"I didn't see you volunteer!" I goaded him, smirking. "Acting like you're some kind of expert. I've seen you drive a truck!" Rick and Carol laughed, though they tried to hide it and Daryl narrowed his eyes at me.
"We'll park the rest of the vehicles over in the west entry of the yard." Rick explained, pointing in the general direction. After that we need to load up these corpses so we can burn em." I sighed looking out at the yard. It had been a couple days but we still didn't get back out here to this part of the yard. The walkers we'd downed on the first day still sat where we dropped them.
"It's gonna be a long day." I grimaced. I did not want to move those bodies. They were probably heavy and they'd been out here for a couple of days. I was lost in my thoughts when a hand tapped me on the shoulder. I turned abruptly, Daryl was standing next to me, his eyes narrowed. "hm?"
"Ya aint hear us?" he asked. I raised my eyebrow at him confused. He frowned at me, his gaze darting to my ear. I'd still not regained hearing in it, something that I knew was bad. I probably sustained permanent damage from Tomas's gunshot.
Rick sighed, taking a deep breath and walking over to me. He smiled tightly at me before re-asking his question.
"Do you know where Glenn and Maggie are?" My cheeks flushed red and I bit my lip. I glanced up to the guard tower, where I knew they were. They went there everyday for a certain reason. I only knew that because I walked in on them once. Rick followed my gaze, sighing heavily. "They were just up there last night."
"Glenn! Maggie!" Daryl yelled up to them. I flinched, shaking my head. I heard the door open a few seconds later and Glenn popped out looking disheveled and half dressed. I stifled a laugh, as did the others.
"Hey… what's up, guys?" He called down, non-chalant. I saw Maggie stand up behind him, throwing on her shirt. Rick chuckled and I looked over at Daryl. He watched them and amused grin on his face, shaking his head.
"You comin?" Daryl shouted up to him.
"What?" Glenn called down, not hearing him. Again we all laughed and I rubbed my face with my hands. Daryl looked at me cheekily, before regaining his meant to be serious posture.
"You comin?!" He asked, louder this time. Glenn turned to Maggie and I laughed, turning away from them.
"In more ways than one." I muttered. Carol burst into laughter and T-Dog shoved me lightly. Rick and Daryl looked at me, trying to remain serious, but each of them failing miserably. I laughed, glancing back up at the two lovers.
There was movement at the gates and I brought my hands to my eyes, shielding them from the sun. I gasped, it was Axel and Oscar.
"Hey Rick!" I called. The rest of them had already begun to walk away, but I heard them stop when I called Rick's name. Rick began to walk up to the gate, his footsteps heavy and angry.
"Come with me." He told Daryl and I. I nodded my head, placing a hand on my knife, walking up in stride with him.
Oscar and Axel met us at the top of the hill, both looking worse for wear.
"That's close enough." Rick told them. They both stopped, Axel crossing his hands in front of his chest. I looked at each of them, watching them suspiciously. They didn't seem like the type to go against Rick's orders for any thing less than a reason, but after the whole Tomas incident you can never be too sure. "We had an agreement."
"Please, Mister. We know that." Axel said quietly. The door behind them opened and Maggie and Glenn came out, stopping to watch the situation. "We had a deal. But you gotta understand, we can't live in that place another minute! All the bodies, people we knew!"
"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Daryl Asked coldly. I glanced up at Daryl and he shook his head at me. I knew he felt sorry for them when we left them there, but I also knew the dangers of bringing them into our camp, especially with the new baby due.
"You should be burning them." T-Dog interjected.
"We tried! We did!" Axel exclaimed.
"The fence is down on the far side of the prison. Every time we drag a body out those things just line up." Oscar explained calmly.
"Look! We had nothing to do with Tomas and Andrew!" Axel explained, walking over to me, pleading with me. I took a few steps back and Rick stepped up casually, blocking me from him. Axel seemed hurt, but he continued. "If you're trying to prove a point, you proved it bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be a part of your group. Just please, please don't make us go back there!" Rick stared at the men quietly for a few seconds.
"Our deal is non negotiable." He said finally, his voice cold. "You either live in your cellblock, or you leave." I swallowed hard and Rick glanced back at me, to see if I had something to say. I bit my lip, shifting awkwardly under his stare.
"I told you this was a waste of time." Oscar told his friend. Axel shook his head, about to cry again. "They aint no different than the pricks who shot up our boys." Oscar gave Rick a pointed look before continuing. "Do you know how many friends corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw em out. These were good guys!" I shook my head, shifting again. Daryl looked at me and I could tell he felt for them, even if he wouldn't show it. "Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dudes in the joint. Like Tomas and Andrew." Oscar paused, looking at each of us. "We've all made mistakes to get in here chief, and I'm not gonna pretend like I'm a saint, but believe me, we've paid our due. Enough that we would rather hit the road then to go back into that shithole." Rick turned slowly to look at Daryl and I. Daryl shook his head lightly and I bit my lip. He already knew my answer.
Rick had decided to lock them in the guard walk while we talked it out. There seemed to be mixed reviews on the subject and now we all sat huddled together discussing it.
"Are you serious?" Rick asked T-Dog and I. I was glad T was with me on this one, it allowed me to be more confident. "You want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waiting for a chance to grab our weapons! You wanna go back to sleeping with one eye open?"
"I never stopped!" T-Dog spoke quietly. "Bring them into the fold." He pleaded.
"If we send them packing we might as well just execute them ourselves. They don't know what it's like out here! They can't exactly rehabilitate into society anymore." I pleaded with Rick. He looked at me taking what I said into consideration.
"Axel seems a little unstable." Glenn argued, shaking his head.
"After all we've been through? We've fought so hard for all this…" Carol interjected, not in agreement at all with what T-Dog and I were saying. "What if they decided to take it?"
"It's just been us for so long. They're strangers…" Maggie frowned at me. I knew it was nothing personal.
"You brought us in." T-Dog told her.
"But you showed up with a shot boy in your arms. You didn't exactly give us a choice"
"They can't even kill walkers!" Glenn stated matter of factly.
"Did you know what to do with one on your first day in the apocalypse?" I muttered at him. Glenn narrowed his eyes at me. I crossed my arms, looking at Daryl for support of some kind.
"Bottom line is they're convicts!"
"Those two might actually have less blood on their hands then we do." T-Dog gave Rick a pointed look.
"I get guys like this." Daryl spoke up, stepping towards me. "Hell, I grew up with em. They're degenerates, but they aint psychos." He paused again, looking at me. "I coulda been in here with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys." Rick paused thoughtfully, looking back at them, then to us.
"When I was a rookie I arrested this kid, nineteen years old, wanted for stabbing his girlfriend." Rick looked at me pointedly before continuing. "kid blubbered like a baby, all through interrogation, the trial, suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence." Rick paused again, licking his lips. "Two weeks later, he shot another girl." I sighed, looking at the convicts again. Axel smiled at me and I returned to the group quietly.
"You do, what you think is best, I will go with it, but I wont be here to watch you do it." I shook my head, glancing back at Daryl before making my way up to the prison. I didn't even look back at Axel and Oscar, didn't want to because I knew what their fates were.
As I entered the cellblock, Lori and Beth looked up at me, smiling. I raised my eyebrow at them and Hershel crutched out of his cell. I smiled, happy to see him back on his feet. It was very touch and go for the past few days, but yesterday he was alert and active, talking again. We ended up finding the infirmary past the kitchen and with a few pain meds he was almost back to his old self.
"Hi handsome." I grinned at him as he began to crutch over to me. I gave him a 'not bad' smiled, nodding my head. "That's a good start." I said walking up to him.
"Lets go for a little stroll." He smiled, gesturing towards the door.
Carefully I helped him outside, he squinted at the sunlight, but only gave it a slight pause as he crutched after me. Lori, Beth and Carl followed us out and I smiled back at them.
"Take your time on the steps." I said quietly, grabbing him as he almost fell over.
"You cleared all those bodies out?" Hershel asked looking past me into the yard. I nodded, not looking back and he began to crutch away from me, getting his legs back. "Its starting to look like a place we could live." He smiled over his shoulder at me as I caught up with him.
"Hey you, watch your step. The last thing we need is you falling." I smiled at him. He pish poshed me, continuing on at his pace. Slowly we made our way to the fence. Daryl, Glenn and Rick were returning from gathering firewood.
I frowned at them, my eyes darting to where they had the prisoners locked up. They waved up at us and Hershel smiled. I gave a small waved before Hershel turned from the gate, walking back towards the cellblock.
"You're doing great Daddy." Beth told him happily.
"Ready to race Hershel?" Carl asked him ornerily. I smirked at him, flicking his hat backwards. Hershel laughed.
"You give me another day, I'll take you on." The old man chuckled. We paused in front of Maggie, T-Dog and Carol and they smiled at us. Maggie made for us, stopping suddenly, staring behind us in horror. I turned to see what she was looking at.
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