. Chapter 6 – listen to the birds

Pov Harlow

Its night and the others still haven't come back from the rescue mission. The baby which now has the name Judith just fell asleep after hours of fussing. Me and carl are sitting with Beth and Hershel in cell block c when we hear a scream coming from the tooms of the prison.

"What was that" Beth asks, and Hershel says "that was from inside" "was it carol" carl asks and I answer him "it can't be she's outside on watch." Hershel thinks for a minute before saying "the tombs are filled with walkers coming in from the outside someone could have done the same."

I stand up "I'm going to go help whoever it is we can bring them to an empty cell block and lock them inside until rick and the others get back, that way we will be safe."

"You can't go alone it's too dangerous" Hershel objects, carl stands up and says "I will go with her were a team and my father would go if he was here."

I smile to myself when carl says were a team because he's right, since the group found me, we have done pretty much everything together and its nice having someone that would follow you into a fight. Hershel nods in approval and me and carl take off running towards the screams.

We're making our way through the tooms when a walker rounds the corner and goes for carl, I quickly pull out my knife and stap it through the head. "Thanks."

We round a corner and see five people one has a bite on their shoulder and the rest are fighting off walkers. I run and stab a walker that had lunged for a tall muscular man, he looks at me in shock, I smile and say "your welcome."

Carl yells "come on" and everyone starts to follow him, I stay at the back of the group as carl leads so I can kill any walkers that follow us. The man carrying the bit woman buckles under her weight, I rush over to cover them as carl urges the man to keep moving "come on you have to leave her she's bit and won't make it."

The muscular man I saved at the start yells "no way." And takes the woman in his own arms and keeps running.

We make it to an empty cell block; we can finally stop to catch our breath. The muscular man lays the woman he calls donna down on the ground, it becomes clear she passed away on the journey here and needs to be taken care off before she turns.

Carl pulls out his gun saying "I'll do it" but I grab his arm to stop him, the muscular man objects, "no we take care of our own." He pulls out a red handkerchief and places it over the lady's head, he tells the man who's sobbing to "go stand at the wall and don't look." He pulls out a hammer and starts bashing the woman's head in as gently as possible.

I'm getting overwhelmed and sub concisely reach out for carls' hand, he takes my hand and squeezes it in comfort, I focus on my breathing to try keep myself grounded and present because now is not the time to have a shutdown.

Once the muscular man is finished, I'm calm enough to speak "look we can help you we have a group most of them aren't here right now but they will be back. You will be safe here for now but right now we have to think of our safety."

I quickly step out of the cell block and close the bared door behind me as carl locks the people inside. a dark-skinned pretty woman walks over to the bars in a panic "Open this door."

I just shake my head and carl says "I can't, this room is secure you will be safe here you have food and water." I decide it would be helpful to mention "it's not permanent we won't keep you prisoner; this is just until the rest of our group comes back just try understand the situation from our perspective you guys are strangers and might be dangerous, we need to take percussions, if the roles were reversed you would do the same."

The woman begins to calm down at my words and the muscular man notices Hershel who just came round the corner to see what's going on, he addresses Hershel when he says "we don't want any trouble, this is the best we have had in weeks."

After talking a bit more we find out that the muscular man is named Tyreese and the woman is his sister named Sasha, the two others are called ben and Allen.

I'm tired and decide to turn in for the night. I go back to my tower and try to fall asleep. I pray to a god I'm not sure I believe in and ask that the others come home safe with glen and Maggie tomorrow.

I'm woken up by gentle knocking below me, it takes my sleep confused brain a minute to realise someone is knocking on the trap door to my tower. It's still pitch black outside meaning it's still the middle of the night. I'm immediately worried that something bad has happened so I rush to open the trapdoor.

To my surprise its carl who climbs up into the tower. I groggily slur "wha's happened, something bad?" I notice carl looks awkward as I begin to snap out my sleep dazed state and into reality.

"everything's fine it's just" he pauses a minute clearly embarrassed before rushing out "Judith is crying and it's making me think of when she was born and about mum and I just needed to get away."

I sigh in relief that nobody's hurt and smile at carl "you can sleep here tonight if you want, it's okay." Carl looks hesitant and asks "are you sure it's okay, like it's not wired or anything." I frown confused and ask "why would it be weird were a team remember we stick together." He smiles as I used his words from earlier.

I pat the space next to me and he comes to sit by my side, it's still warm enough to sleep on the balcony of the watchtower so were not cold. I decide it's probably best to distract carl from thinking of his mum so I ask "what do you think of the new group?"

Carl considers my question before saying "I think their good people but I don't think that dad will want to let them stay. I doubt that he will trust anyone new with this governor guy around, but I think they could be useful to keep around we could do with more people to defend the prison if the governor tries to attack."

I nod and reply "yeah, they don't seem bad but I get a wired vibe from that Allen guy. Tyreece and Sasha seem nice enough though and I don't have an opinion on the ben guy."

Carl hums in response and were quite for a few minutes until carl ask's "what do you think of that Michonne woman?" I smile "I really like her. I can't explain it but it's like I just instinctively know she's good. She brought us baby formula and didn't seem to expect anything back. Also, when the group was talking, I spoke to her for a while and she seems chill she wasn't weird about things when I brought up what I was in prison for ether."

"I'm glad you think you have connected with someone; I know being new in such a close-knit group must be pretty shit." I chuckle at carls' blunt statement "it's not been completely shit."

We fall into a comfortable silence for a bit before carl abruptly asks "was it hard, killing someone for the first time?" I sigh as much as I want to tell him it was easy and I didn't feel anything, carl deserves the truth because in this world it's only a matter of time before carl might be in the position where he has to kill someone.

"Killing someone is easy it's the aftermath that's hard. Pulling the trigger was simple I was so angry at what he did to my sister and by extension to me, but after it was done and he was bleeding on the ground it felt like a small part of me died with him.

I don't regret it I would do it over again in a heartbeat, but sometimes I see him in my dreams. Sometimes it's just a replay of me shooting him but other times I see Enola standing over his body yelling at me that I shouldn't have done it, that I'm just as bad as him now. I know it's not true and that the bastard deserved it but the guilts still there, I just had to learn to live with it. Taking someone's life isn't free, there's a cost you just have to decide if you're willing to pay it."

I look at carl to see him deep in thought, I give him a minute to think before gently asking, "do you think you will be able to kill if you have to?" a part of me wants carl to say no because I don't want him to have to suffer the cost of killing, but the other part of me needs him to say yes because there will come a time where its kill or be killed and I don't want him to die, Right now carl is the only person in my life I'm close to, if carl dies I'll be alone again and that scares me.

Carl takes a breath "I think I could kill if it meant protecting myself or others." I nod and we fall into silence again, carl eventually falls asleep with his head on my shoulder, I find I don't mind I'm just glad he can get some rest.

Rick and the others came back earlier today with Maggie and Glenn, Michonne is unconscious but should be up and about in a couple of days thankfully. The only person who didn't come back was Daryl but he's alive, he just went off with his long-lost brother who in carls' words "is a total dick."

Me and carl along with the rest of the group are following rick who is going to meet the group me and carl rescued. Rick unlocks the cell block the people are kept in, Tyreese smiles when he sees us and holds his hand out to rick "I'm Tyreece"

Hershel tells rick the new people's names and rick makes Tyreese explain that they got into the prison. Tyreese and Hershel try convince rick to let the group stay but rick is stupidly refusing.

I don't know why he's so set on kicking the group out, we need more people to defend ourselves against the governor but ricks clearly to blind to see a golden opportunity right Infront of his face.

Rick freezes mid-sentence and stares at an empty wall clearly looking at something only he can see. He stars muttering "no no no" over and over again sounding like he's lost his mind, then he starts talking to the empty wall asking "why are you here what do you want from me?

Carl looks confused and asks "dad?" he makes a move towards rick but I grab his hand and hold him back. "Carl, I think he's hallucinating its best to stay away." I whisper.

Rick then screams "I CAN'T HELP YOU GET OUT!" he turns to Tyreece's group yelling "G-GET OUT, YOU DON'T BELONG HERE GET OUT!" he pulls his gun out and starts pointing it at everyone, so Tyreece's group leave as quickly as possible going back into the zombie infested world.

Rick runs off somewhere and the others leave the abandoned cell block to go do other things. Carl is trembling violently clearly in shock at his dad's unstable behaviour "h-he never used to be like this I think he's losing his mind but he can't because the group needs him, me and Judith need him." Carl says desperately starting to panic.

I grab carl by the shoulders and try calm him down "carl he's not losing his mind he's just a bit unstable with grief right now he just needs time that's all." Carl takes a breath and calms down; the sun is setting and carl asks "can I stay in your tower again tonight I don't want to risk seeing dad when he's like this."

I nod saying "you don't need to ask you can stay whenever you need to its fine." I smirk and add "just try not snore as loud as you did last night." Carl pushes me away in mock offence declaring "I have never snored in my entire life." Were both laughing as we make our way to my watchtower to turn in for the night.

Me and Carl are sitting in the courtyard playing nots and crosses with a white stone on the ground trying to pass the time. Earlier this morning we went down to the tombs with glen only to find the boiler room we cleared is filled with walkers again meaning theres another breach.

Carls quit and I think its because his dads sill not in his right mind, ricks been wondering around aimlessly all morning. Carol is standing a little bit away from us when a huge bang came out of no where and a bullet sored past carol inches away from her head.

Carol turns to me and carl "get behind that wall now", me and carl try do as she says and run for cover but were not fast enough to escape the gunshots blasting in our direction.

Searing pain blooms in my shoulder and by the time me and carl are behind the wall my left shoulder is soaked in blood. Carl looks at me noticeing my injury, I start to panic a little but before I escalate into a full blowen panic attack carl takes charge of the situation. "Shit, okay its fine just breath we need to asses the damage, just hold still."

He pulls back the neck of my t-shirt reviling my wound, to both our reliefs we relies the bullet only grazed me. "Oh, that's fine it will only need a couple stitches I'm fine" I tell him calming down. We both try catch our breaths as the gunfire continues.

Our side is losing and it seems nobody can manage to get a clear shot at the shooters, all I can do is try and distract myself from the pain in my shoulder. Somebody shouts for Beth and I assume it must be Maggie, sure enough the two sisters meet in the courtyard and Maggie gives Beth a gun before shooing her away towards me and carl where she comes to seek shelter with us.

Its only now that I relies how stupid it is that I never asked for a gun, I'm fully capable of using one but it somehow it never occurred to me to get one, all I have are a couple of knifes to defend myself. I have quit literally brought a knife to a gun fight. I decide that if I survive this battle, I need to ask rick to let me carry a gun, he can hardly say no since carls been carrying one since I met him.

Everything goes quit all of a sudden and for a minute I think it's over, "do you think there gone" I ask carl but he shakes his head and points to something in the distance, I look over in time to see a van smash through the prison gates. It comes to a stop in the field of the prison and for a couple seconds nothing happens.

Suddenly the van doors burst open and what must be at least 30 walkers come pouring out. "YOU'RE HAVING A FUCKING LAUGH!" I shout and carl snorts saying "shits about to hit the fan."

And carl was right shit does indeed hit the fan. The gunfire starts again and carl runs out like an idiot and starts taking out walkers, obviously I follow him and I begin stabbing as many walkers through the head as I can.

I'm so fuelled by adrenalin that I only notice the bullet in my stomach when I feel warm blood soaking my shirt for the second time in the last hour except this time it's a bit more serious than a graze. I fall to the ground and a walkers swarm my body I scream as I try use my arms to keep them from biting me, carl must have heard because seconds later the walkers around me are shot dead.

Carl comes into view as he leans over me, my head is becoming fuzzy and the adrenalin leaves my body leaving me feel the full force of agonising pain in my stomach. "Carl?" I groggily ask and I hear his voice say "yeah, I'm here, don't close your eyes okay. you're going to be fine I'm going to lift you up now and get us to shelter, it might hurt but you can't scream or more walkers will come okay. Just keep breathing your goanna be fine."

It takes everything I have in me not to shout out as he lifts my body in the air, the pain intensifies ten folds as he carry's me to the wall we hid behind before and lays me down on the ground. All I see is the blue sky above me "carl you still there." I gasp "Yes, I'm here I promise I won't leave but you have to stay awake."

Pov carl

Harlow's losing a lot of blood and I don't know what to do, I try keep pressure on her wound but it's not slowing the bleeding. "Carl you still there." Her voice is slow and sleepy but I need her to stay conscious, "yes I'm here I promise, I won't leave you but you have to stay awake" I tell her.

I reach for her hand and squeeze it in a shaky voice she asks "am I goanna fly with Enola now?" I panic at her words because I'm not ready to lose her yet, she can't join Enola yet. "No, no not yet Har not today you have to stay here okay, where a team remember we have to stick together just listen to my voice." I tell her begging the universe not to take her away.

"Carl I'm scared I don't want to die, I'm not ready" she sobs. I don't know how to fix this the gunfire is still going and Harlow needs medical attention right now. I do the only thing I can and try sooth her, if these are her last moments, I don't want her to be frightened "don't be scared you're okay I promise, listen to the birds their faint but you can hear them, just listen to the birds Harlow everything's going to be alright soon."

Her eyelids begin to droop and she mutters "I'm listening I hear them, i-im lis-listening..." Her words trail off and her eyes close her breathing shallows and I panic "no no don't do this to me, come back, please just wake up." I beg and then I'm screaming "HELP HELP SOMBODY PLEASE" but it's no use nobody can hear me over the gunshots not even walkers. I sob and sob as Harlow's breathing begins to slow.

Pov Michonne

The gunfire stops and the attackers retreat, everyone in the group runs out of the walker infested field and into the prison courtyard closing the gate behind us.

Or at least I thought it was everyone until I look around the group "where's the boy and girl?" everybody looks around and all draw the same conclusion, the kids aren't here.

A twinge of fear rushes through me, I don't want either kid dead but I can't help feel more protective of Harlow, I don't know why but the kid seems to like me and was the first person to show me kindness here, she's a good soul. "We have to go find them now."

Rick puts his hands in his hair and starts screaming for his boy "CARL! CARL!" "Be quit and listen" I say so everyone can here the faint cries for help in the distance.

I take off running back through the field killing any walker in my way to get to the shouting, the others are following close behind. We get to a wall at the edge of the field to find a terrifying scene.

The boy is covered in blood but it's not his own, in his arms he's cradling an unconscious Harlow one of his hands desperately putting pressure on her stomach where most of the bleeding seems to be coming from.

"You need to do something she stopped breathing a minute ago please do CPR I don't how to, we can't let her die" The boy sobs. I rush over to them and I'm about to start CPR when rick interjects voice shaken "no you can't, it's too dangerous she could turn mid-way through and bite you."

I ignore him not ready to give up on the girl yet, not if there's still a chance. I start CPR and at first nothing happens, the boy cries harder and I'm about to give up when a miracle occurs.

Harlow takes a breath.