Daryl sat at the head of the wooden table while he watched Caroline, Katherine, Murphy, Connor and the kids eating the pasta and edible pre-made deer meat meatballs Caroline had found in the pantry and in the refrigerator. She also found some edible home-made tomato sauce in the pantry and she was surprised to find milk in the refrigerator.
"The laboratory has livestock and greenhouses. We raid those sometimes. Dad also did some hunting before he…died," Chandler had explained after she asked where the milk, the deer meat and tomatoes had come from.
Daryl swirled some pasta onto the fork when he raised the fork to his mouth and the kids giggled.
"That's too much," Peter said.
"Yeah. You can't fit all that in your mouth," Mark said.
"You'll choke," Chandler said.
"Oh yeah?" Daryl grumbled with a smile and he put most of the pasta in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed then he placed the rest of the pasta in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed again then placed the fork on the plate.
"Don't even think it," Katherine said after the boys twirled large amounts of pasta on their forks and they placed the forks on the plates.
"You're no fun," Chandler grumbled.
"Yes. I am. I just want you to use proper table manners."
"That's… That's something Mom used to say," Peter said with sigh. Katherine saw the tears in his eyes as she got up and walked to his chair. She knelt down on her haunches as she carded the back of his head and he leaned toward her. She gave him a small hug then stood and she walked back to her chair. Sitting down, Katherine smiled at Peter and they went back to eating their food.
Outside the lab, the sliding doors opened as Claudia, Alexandro and Fernando walked outside and they were armed with rifles and guns. She got in the golfcart as Alexandro and Fernando got in the other golfcart and they started the engines. The golfcart moved down the road while the guards headed for the front gate and Claudia sighed.
"Should have killed them," Claudia said when the golfcarts came to stop at the front gates and Claudia, Alexandro and Fernando got out of the golfcarts. She headed for the guard station as she walked inside and she headed for the control station. "Where are they?"
"They're almost at the gates," the guard said while looking at the screen.
"How many trucks?"
"Ten."
"Damn."
"They're at the gates," the other guard said.
Claudia stormed out of the guard station when she headed for the ladder near the guard tower on the left of the gate and she climbed up the ladder. Alexandro and Fernando followed her as she headed for the catwalk and she stood near the wall. Sitting outside the front gates were ten large trucks with canvas covers over the bed of the trucks and metal mesh covered the wheels and the sides of the bottom of the beds of the trucks.
"Hello," a man's voice said over the speaker mounted on the cab of the first truck.
"This is private property! I order you to leave!" Claudia shouted. She watched the driver's side door of the cab open and a tall man with a lean build, dark hair and eyes and a rugged face got out of the cab. He wore a white linen shirt, a black leather belt, jeans and knee high, dark leather boots. His hair was wavy and hung loosely around his shoulders and mirrored lens sunglasses sat on the top of his head.
"Are you trying to intimidate me, Chica? That ain't gonna work," Jose Hernandez shouted then he laughed. "Open the gate."
"No!
"Yer leaders are dead! This place is ours!"
"Bullshit!"
"You have no one to protect you! Open the gates!"
Claudia thought for a few seconds when she remembered what Katherine called Murphy and Connor and she stood straighter.
"We are under the protection of Bishop and Cardinal!" she shouted. She wasn't sure, but she swore Jose's eyes widened and he looked back at the trucks. He then looked down at his feet and shook his head.
"If you are then where are they!? Why are they not here defending you!?" Jose demanded and his men got out of the trucks. Claudia watched the men walking to Jose and they held the rifles, guns and machine guns in their hands or strapped to their backs.
"Shit," Claudia said and Jose and his men headed for the front gates.
In the bunker, Daryl, Peter, Connor and Nikki helped Katherine and Caroline wash the dishes, glasses and silverware while Murphy, Mark and Chandler cleaned the table and Nikki used a clean cloth to dry one of the dishes.
"Careful," Caroline said when Nikki reached for one of the knives. Nikki nodded as she reached for the glass and dried the glass with the cloth.
"Attention: Unidentified personnel approaching. Please proceed to the emergency exits," the female computer voice said and Caroline saw the fear in Nikki's eyes. Caroline wiped her hands off with the clean cloth when she picked Nikki off the counter and they headed for the wooden table.
"Where are the emergency exits?" Daryl asked while Caroline handed Nikki the plush toy cat.
"This way," Chandler said as they headed into the main room and Mark looked at the large center screen.
"Wait!" Mark said as he ran to the computer consoles and he got onto the high back chair. He typed on the keyboard as Daryl walked to the consoles and Daryl looked at the large center screen.
"Who is that?" Daryl said.
"That's the man who delivers stuff sometimes. He's not really nice."
"Dad usually talks to him when he shows up," Chandler said after he and Connor walked to the high back chairs and Chandler looked at the large center screen.
"Got any way t'hear what they're sayin'?" Connor asked. Mark typed on the keyboard as the speakers crackled and they heard Claudia mentioning Bishop and Cardinal.
"What the….? What is she doin'?" Caroline whispered.
"She's gonna get herself killed," Daryl said and he walked to the large, white metal table. He picked up the crossbow when he looked at Caroline and she walked to him. They locked eyes and had a silent conversation then she nodded her head. She picked up the crossbow off the table and they placed the crossbows on their backs.
"Where are you goin'?" Murphy asked as Daryl and Caroline headed for the sliding doors.
"We're goin' outside," Daryl said.
"Why?" Katherine asked.
"Claudia told those eejits that Cardinal and Bishop are protectin' them," Connor said as he walked to her and Katherine frowned.
"So why are Daryl and Caroline going out to deal with them?"
"Because I don't want anythin' to happen to any of you," Daryl explained.
"But it's ok if something happens to you two?"
"Yeah."
Caroline saw the worry in Murphy's eyes as she lightly shook her head and Murphy sighed.
"Open the door," Daryl said as he looked up at the ceiling. The sliding doors opened as they walked out into the hallway and Connor, Murphy, Katherine and the kids looked at them. The sliding doors closed as Daryl and Caroline ran down the hallway and Daryl opened the door. He checked the hallway for guards as they walked out into the main hallway and the door closed behind them. Daryl scanned the area with his eyes and they ran down the hallway. They were surprised not to find any guards as they headed for the front door and the sliding doors opened. They ran outside when Daryl headed for his motorcycle and they placed the crossbows on the back of the motorcycle. Daryl mounted the motorcycle after he got the engine started and Caroline got on the motorcycle. Daryl steered the motorcycle toward the paved road then the motorcycle headed down the paved road and Caroline held onto his waist.
At the wall, Jose pointed his rifle at Claudia as she sighed and flexed her fingers. The sound of a motorcycle caused her to duck down as she turned and Alexandro handed her the binoculars. She lifted the binoculars to her eyes as she scanned her surroundings then she saw the motorcycle coming down the paved road.
"Who the hell is that?" she whispered, lowering the binoculars. The motorcycle came closer then stopped and Daryl put the kickstand down. Claudia climbed down the ladder as she walked to the motorcycle and she locked eyes with Daryl.
"What are you doing?" she asked and Daryl and Caroline removed the crossbows from the back of the motorcycle.
"We're savin' yer ass," Caroline said.
"Not if I have you shot."
"Do that and you're the ones who are gonna die," Daryl said and he and Caroline headed for the ladder. Caroline went up the ladder while Daryl turned to look at Claudia and Claudia glared at him. "Which is it gonna be? Gonna let us help or are you gonna shoot us?"
"Get up the ladder," Claudia said with a sigh.
Daryl climbed up the ladder as he ducked down next to Caroline and Caroline had the crossbow in her hands. Daryl watched Claudia walk to the wall as she looked down at Jose and Jose looked up at her.
"Open the gates!" Jose demanded.
"I told you! We are under the protection of Bishop and Cardinal!" Claudia shouted.
"You are lying!"
"She ain't lyin'!" Daryl shouted and he and Caroline stood up, pointing the crossbows at Jose and his men.
"You are Bishop and Cardinal!?" Jose asked then laughed. "What bullshit is this?! Everyone knows they are both men!"
"Gee… You're not only annoyin', but you're also a sexist!" Caroline shouted and he frowned.
"Do you really think you can kill not only me, but my men!?"
Caroline took aim with the crossbow when she closed one eye, placed her tongue between her teeth and her right index finger brushed against the trigger. She had loaded one of her special arrows in the crossbow as she pulled the trigger and the crossbow bolt sailed through the air. The crossbow bolt slammed in the ground inches away from Jose's feet and he laughed.
"You missed!" he shouted.
"That was a warnin' shot!" Caroline said. She watched him try to pull the crossbow bolt out of the ground when he yelped and moved his right hand back. Blood dripped from the cuts on his hand and he glared up at her. "Fishhooks, Asshole!"
"Damn!" Jose whispered and he wrapped his hand with the clean cloth one of his men handed him.
"Imagine havin' that hittin' you in the eye! Or lower?"
"You are one loco bitch!"
"They don't call me the Bloody Bishop fer nothin'!"
In the bunker, Murphy smiled at her using his nickname as they looked at the large center screen and Connor lightly nudged him.
"That's my girl," Murphy whispered and he crossed his arms over his chest.
Outside, Daryl watched while Jose paced back and forth and Daryl's right index finger brushed against the trigger of the crossbow. Jose placed his hands on his hips as he glared up at Daryl, Claudia and Caroline and Daryl waited for him to speak.
"What about you!?" Jose said as he pointed to Daryl. "What will the Great and Powerful Cardinal do if we don't go away?!"
Daryl stayed silent. Jose moved closer to the wall when they locked eyes and he swore he saw Jose flinch.
"Get in your trucks and go!" Claudia shouted, but Jose didn't move.
In the bunker, Connor glanced at Murphy and they locked eyes. They had a silent conversation and Katherine noticed the look on their faces.
"Feel like goin' out and doin' some gratuitous violence?" Connor whispered to Murphy.
"Yep," Murphy whispered.
"Where are you going?" Katherine asked when Connor and Murphy walked away while placing on the sunglasses which they had removed from the inner pockets of the black Navy peacoats.
"Outside," Connor said. Connor and Murphy headed for the sliding doors as the sliding doors opened and they walked down the hallway. They checked the guns then placed the guns back in the pockets of the black Navy pea coats. Connor opened the door as they headed out into the main hallway and headed for the front door.
"No guards," Murphy said as he looked around.
"They're all outside."
The sliding doors opened as they headed for the motorcycles and they got on the motorcycles. Connor and Murphy started the engines after getting on the motorcycles and they steered the motorcycles down the paved drive.
At the wall, Daryl and Caroline watched Jose as he paced and shook his head. Caroline ducked down after she heard the sound of motorcycles coming closer and she climbed down the ladder. The motorcycles came to a stop as Connor and Murphy placed the kickstands down and she stood in front of the motorcycles.
"What are you two doin' here?" Caroline asked.
"We came to help," Murphy said, walking to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. She arched up the sunglasses then she looked deeply into his eyes as she sighed and he placed his forehead against her forehead. "Please?"
"You know I can't resist those sad puppy eyes," she said and he kissed the tip of her nose then lowered the sunglasses. She led them to the ladder as they climbed up to Daryl and Claudia and Murphy and Connor ducked down while Caroline walked to Daryl.
"What are you up to!?" Jose shouted.
"Nothing. Just getting bored waiting for you to leave," Claudia said.
"I can make things less boring."
"Great," Daryl said while Jose walked back to the truck and the men pointed their rifles, machine guns and guns at them.
"You had t'go and open yer mouth," Connor grumbled and Claudia glared at him.
"Uh… Chief, I think you better look over there," Alexandro said, pointing to the left. He handed Claudia the binoculars and she raised the binoculars to her eyes. She scanned the area when she saw a small herd of Walkers running down the road and she lowered the binoculars.
"Apocalipsis!" Fernando shouted and Jose turned to see the Walkers heading toward them.
"Shit!" Jose grumbled and he got into the cab of the truck.
In the bunker, Mark typed on the keyboard while Katherine looked at the large center screen and Chandler looked at the small screen. The Walkers were moving closer as Jose's men fired their weapons and Katherine went to lift Nikki off the high back chair. Nikki got off the high back chair and went to stand next to the high back chair Mark was sitting on.
"Are you gonna make the monsters go boom?" Nikki asked Mark as she tried to see the main screen.
"Yep," Mark said.
"Fire in the hole!" Peter shouted and Chandler pushed the red buttons. On the large center screen, the Walkers exploded as the landmines went off and Katherine noticed some of Jose's men were caught in the explosions.
"Yay!" Nikki said as she clapped her hands and the boys pumped their fists into the air.
"This is not right," Katherine whispered and she silently prayed for Connor, Murphy, Caroline and Daryl's safety.
At the wall, Daryl, Caroline, Connor, Murphy, Claudia, Alexandro and Fernando ducked as the land mines exploded and the sound of screaming filled the air.
"You got this place mined!?" Daryl asked as he looked at Claudia.
"I guess so," Claudia said as they stood up.
"And you call yerself head of security," Connor said.
The Walkers moved toward the men while more landmines exploded and the men fired the rifles, guns and machine guns at the Walkers.
"They're gettin' slaughtered," Caroline said as she fired the crossbow and she hit one of the Walkers in the forehead.
"We have to get out of here," Claudia said as she headed for the ladder, but Daryl grabbed onto her right upper arm.
"Where are the rest of the guards?" Daryl asked Alexandro with a growl in his voice.
"There," Alexandro said. Daryl saw the men heading up the ladders which were against the walls and they took their position at the wall. Daryl let go of Claudia when he went to stand next to Caroline and Claudia grabbed the rifle out of Fernando's hands.
"Wait fer it!" Daryl shouted and the Walkers headed toward the trucks. He watched as some of the Walkers climbed onto the back of the trucks and Jose screamed as the Walker opened the driver's side door and pulled him out of the cab. "Shit."
"Got it," Caroline said as she fired the crossbow and the crossbow bolt sailed through the air. The Walker's head jolted up after the crossbow bolt hit the side of the Walker's head and the Walker fell to the ground. "You're welcome!"
"Loco. Definitely loco," Jose said with a grin as he looked up at her, stepped over the body then he ran.
In the bunker, the kids cheered as Daryl, Caroline, Murphy, Connor, Jose, Claudia and the men fired their weapons and the Walkers fell to the ground.
"Alright! That's enough!" Katherine said with a stern tone as they looked at her and frowned.
"But….," Chalder said.
"This isn't a movie or a video game! Those men are dying out there!"
"We know that," Peter said.
"Yeah," Mark said.
"Turn those screens off! Now!" Katherine ordered and Mark typed on the keyboard. The screens went dark and Chandler glared at Katherine.
"Come on," Chandler said as he got off the high back chair and the boys and Nikki followed him out of the room. Katherine looked at the screens as she crossed her arms under her breasts and she made a deep sigh.
A short time later, the gates opened while the guards followed Claudia, Daryl and Caroline outside and Murphy and Connor stood at the top of the wall.
"Spread out, but be careful," Claudia said and the guards walked away. She watched Daryl and Caroline heading for the Walkers as they checked the bodies and Claudia looked at the trucks. She thought she had seen some Walkers go in the trucks as she frowned and Daryl noticed her walking to the trucks.
"Where are you goin'?" Daryl asked.
"I thought I had seen some of those things go inside the trucks."
Daryl tapped Caroline's back as she turned and he pointed to the trucks. Caroline fell in line next to him as they walked to the first truck and Daryl thumped his fist against the side of the truck. They didn't hear anything as they carefully walked to the back of the truck and Daryl saw bloody footprints. He thumped his fist three times on the metal of the bed of the truck and they backed up. A hissing and gurling sound came from under the canvas and the Walkers appeared. Daryl and Caroline fired the crossbow or used their knives to take down the Walkers then they went to retrieve the crossbow bolts.
It didn't take long for them to take down the Walkers in the trucks and Claudia's men came to help them move the bodies and gathering Jose's men. Daryl saw Claudia glaring at him when he felt shock coming from Caroline and he saw her standing next to one of the bodies. He ran to his sister when he looked down at Jose and Jose was lying on his back.
"Damn," Daryl whispered as he scanned the deep wounds covering most of Jose's body and one of his legs was missing.
"Here to put me out of my misery?" Jose asked then coughed and some blood rolled out of the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah."
"I want her to do it," he said as he looked at Caroline.
"Me?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah. Just make sure you use one of yer specials."
Caroline understood what he meant as she reloaded the crossbow and she pointed the crossbow at Jose's head.
"You wanna know something, Chica? You are one badass, loco bitch," Jose said with a grin and she sadly smiled at him.
"Been called worse," Caroline said and he closed his eyes. Caroline took aim as she fired the crossbow and the crossbow bolt hit Jose's forehead. Daryl watched as she carefully grinded the crossbow bolt in Jose's head after she made sure he was dead then she stood, walked to her brother and they headed for the trucks.
Later that night, the room was dark while Connor rested on his right side and he could just see Katherine next to him. She had been quiet after they had returned to the bunker and Connor assured her and the kids that they were alright.
"What's wrong?" Connor whispered.
"Nothing," Katherine whispered.
"You know it's useless t'try and bullshit me."
"Ok. It's those kids. They… They were enjoying watching people being blown up."
"Those weren't people. Not anymore."
"I'm not talking about the Macabre. I am talking about those men. They were blown to bits and those kids weren't even fazed. That's not right," she said while they sat up and he pulled her against him. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned her head against his head.
"You gotta remember they were raised differently than th'children back in Paris. Or back home in th'States. To them? This is normal."
"It shouldn't be."
"Yeah," he said with a sigh and he gently rocked her. She looked at the wall while he carded her hair and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks.
"What do you think will happen to them once we leave?" she asked.
"Dunno. Why? Do you wanna take 'em with us?" he teased and she turned to look at him.
"Yes."
"It's up t'them. Or it's up t'Claudia."
"Claudia doesn't give a damn about them. Or did you forget she placed them in that holding cell with us?"
"No. I didn't ferget. But you also have t'remember they jus' lost their parents. They're angry, scared and confused."
"Doesn't mean she can treat them like that."
A knock on the door made them looked at the door as Murphy opened the door and he stood in the doorway. He had felt his brother's anger and Murphy leaned against the doorframe.
"Everythin' ok in here?" he asked.
"We were talking about the kids," Katherine said.
"Katherine wants t'take them with us," Connor explained.
"I want t'do that, too," Murphy said.
"Then that's what we'll do if th'kids wanna go with us."
"But how? We don't have room on th'bikes."
"We'll think of summat."
Nodding, Murphy kicked off the doorframe as he closed the door and Connor and Katherine snuggled down on the bed.
"I know it's silly, but I can't help being so overprotective. Doesn't matter if it's you and your brother or those kids," Katherine said.
"You wouldn't be you if you weren't," Connor teased and she smiled. She slid her left arm around him as Connor kissed her forehead and they closed their eyes, drifting off to sleep.
In the main room, Daryl stood at the console and he checked the screens. He had also checked the screen being used to track Jeffrey and the green dot seemed to settle for the night. He placed the palm of his hands on the console as he looked at the images of the graves outside the walls and the smoldering piles where they had burned the Walkers' bodies. He felt like he was being watched as he turned and saw Chandler standing behind him. Chandler was wearing pajamas bottoms and a white undershirt and Daryl pushed off the console.
"What are you doin' up?" Daryl asked, walking to him.
"Can't sleep," Chandler said.
"Me neither."
"Are they dead?"
"The Walkers? Yeah. They're dead."
"I mean those guys who wanted to kill us. Some of them got blown up when the mines went off."
"Most of them are dead. Made sure they didn't come back as Walkers. The others are in the holdin' cell. Claudia said she'll contact their camp and ransom them for supplies."
"Dad would've just let them go."
Daryl watched Chandler walk to the console as Chandler looked at the screens and Daryl went to stand next to him.