Newly Revised
They ended up being away from the prison for two and a half weeks after spending a couple extra days at the cabin before meeting up with Michonne. The woman hadn't been too upset and Ani was happier because now she knew how to throw her larger knife. She had thus far only used her throwing knives and daggers due to the fact that they were weighted to throw properly unlike the relative imbalance of buck knives. That had been a fun endeavor that had, multiple times, resulted more in heated kisses than actual weapon training until they had no choice but to head out. By the time they'd decided to come back to the prison, she'd successfully won a wager regarding who could throw the best head shot on a group of walkers that were far enough away and scattered enough for them to simply walk around throwing their knives. Ani managed to kill four of the group right in between the eyes while Daryl only managed to get three; she had taken the last and tie breaking walker while his throw landed in it's neck.
Merle laughed his ass off when he caught sight of the pair coming up to the prison even though Daryl had an amused look on his face as he held onto Ani as she drove through the gates. She'd accused him of throwing the bet, but the honest truth was that he'd been watching her ass when he'd thrown his knife, and he told her so. He'd been off the mark because she was too distracting and he knew he could take the chance to be distracted with Michonne with them. The way her body moved while she threw and the shape of her ass as she bent her hip slightly had been a rather amazing sight to behold and had the knife slip from his hand more than being thrown. They'd found nothing on the Governor while they were out, but that didn't stop them from being determined to look. Michonne was in a truck behind them that had two bucks in the bed that had been taken down by each hunter when they came across a herd in a field. Ani planned on preserving some of the meat so that they had some for the cold months and Michonne and Daryl could take it out with them the next time they went looking for the Governor.
Parking in the courtyard, Daryl got off and practically pulled her off and into a kiss before relinquishing her to her duties as the leader. She'd been gone far longer than she'd expected and she left it to Daryl and Merle to dress the deer while she went around and checked everything she needed to. Entering the prison, she took note of two new people that had been brought back for her to talk to by Glenn and Maggie after answering their questions. They were a married couple who argued far too much according to Rick and Merle, but were otherwise good people, capable and competent enough to help. Together, they had no clue how many walkers they'd killed, but they'd killed three people in total for very good reasons. The man had killed one for trying to rape his wife and one who'd gotten bitten but didn't want to change and couldn't muster up the courage to kill himself. The woman had killed the other man who had been working with the would-be rapist while her husband was dealing with the other one. Ani had simply told them she was happy the disgusting men had been dealt with and that they were safe and her dignity had remained intact.
When they started arguing later in the day and keeping the yelling match up for a while, Ani got sick of it and tried to break it up. When the pair refused to stop yelling at each other and listen, Ani stood on a bench beside the pair that were facing off and gave them one last chance to listen to her as Merle and Glenn watched on. It didn't take long for the two newcomers to learn that when Ani spoke, they should listen, as she forcefully knocked their heads together hard enough to leave matching bumps. They shut up after that and let her mitigate their arguments for a few days, eventually coming together as a team by leaving each other alone for a few hours a day. Having been cooped up for a year with no one but each other, they'd simply needed alone time without the other to heal whatever wounds they had. She found out that the biggest reason they kept fighting had been the attempted rape and the issues that had gone unresolved between them because of it. A week later found the pair a loving and happy couple all over again and thanking Ani for her help in getting them to realize they weren't angry at each other after all. She and Merle had a basic plan on how to build defenses and had started working on a pulley system so anyone could man the gate when they were on watch.
Daryl and Michonne planned on going back out the next day, and Ani spent as much of her time with Daryl as she could as a result. They'd come to her for approval two days ago, and although she really didn't want to because she would have to stay behind, she gave them the go ahead anyway. Neither hunter was looking forward to being without the other for the first time in a year, but he needed to find the Governor as much as Michonne did. Ani knew that, in Daryl's mind, if the Governor came back, she was the one in the most danger aside from Merle, so it was very personal for him. As far as she could tell, though, they had no heading, no trail, and no guarantee they'd be able to find the man. It wasn't that she'd given up, it was simply that she knew that the prison was more important than finding the Governor right now, especially when he was the proverbial needle in a haystack. She couldn't deny the pair their wish to find the man but she had warned them that they probably wouldn't be able to because he could literally be anywhere.
Merle and the original group had been leaving the two alone as much as possible for the last couple days, but the rest of the survivors didn't seem to get the hint. They'd come up to her and ask her basic questions that any of the others could answer and started pissing Daryl off, which caused Merle to slip back into his old ways. It got so bad that she'd locked him in his cell after he'd lost his cool with Tim, one of the men he was supposed to be sending off on watch. After she'd gotten him in his cell, she learned that Merle had nearly beaten the man to a pulp simply because he'd made a comment about her. When she asked Tim to repeat it and he refused, one of the other men, Andy, told her the gist of it of what he said which had Ani herself punch the man out. As such, Tim was put on probation with Tyreese, Glenn, Andy, Carl, and Brian on double duty to keep eyes on him. Merle had every right to beat him considering he'd commented about trying to get her alone while Daryl was away, but that didn't mean he should have. He hadn't actually done anything, but if he did, another, more pointed, example would be made, much like Macy's. She was sitting in front of Merle's cell while he ranted and raved and cussed her out loudly enough for the walkers outside the fence to hear it as Daryl came in with some of the things he was packing for the trip.
"Fuck happened here?" he asked after walking through the commons and seeing one of the new men being patched up.
"Boy, you better tell your bitch to let me out or else!" Merle growled at him.
"Tim said somethin' dumb and Merle blew up," Ani said with a sigh standing up.
"What'd he say?" Daryl asked as he pulled Ania into him and kissed her temple.
"Jus' somethin' stupid 'bout how ya leavin' and I'll be 'ere alone. Merle snapped and started beatin' 'im," she responded, leaning back against him and closing her eyes.
"Shouldn't a pulled me off, girl. You know what he said!"
"And I got it taken care a!" she shot right back at him, stepping out of Daryl's arms. "He won' even be able ta take a piss without someone knowin'. Can' do shite unda watch! And if 'e even tries, I'll let ya have 'im afta I beat the shite out a him myself! But ya can' lose ya cool jus' 'cause a dumbass says somethin' stupid and sexist. Fuck, Merle, ya did the same thing those first days in the quarry! Or don' ya rememba constantly askin' for attention?"
That got Merle to quiet down for all of two seconds before he said, "I wasn't plannin' on cornerin' you alone!"
"What now?" Daryl asked.
"It's a misundastandin', D," she turned to him and assured before responding to Merle. "Neitha was 'e accordin' ta everyone else, Merle. He only said 'e had a chance ta get me alone without Daryl 'round! Dumbass forgot ya'd still be 'ere right alongside the fact that I can take ya ass out! What the hell can 'e do ta me?"
"Dumbass is gonna get his ass kicked again," Daryl said, going to move towards the stairs only for Ania to pull at his arm.
"Let it go, D. I got it. A bunch a the guys are goin' ta be watchin' 'im like a hawk while ya gone and if 'e tries so much as ta touch me, I'll beat 'is ass ta a pulp, let 'im heal, let Merle beat 'is ass, and then wait for ya ta come home so ya can beat 'is ass too and put an arrow in 'is brain when ya done!" she told him, her volume increasing as she spoke. Taking a deep breath to calm herself back down, she told them, "I get it. The two a ya are protective a me. But ya can' go 'round beatin' everyone half ta death jus' 'cause they say somethin' stupid we can' even be sure they mean! I love the two a ya. Merle, ya the best big brotha I could ask for when ya not bein' an ornery ole coot. And D, ya know ya the love a my life, only man in the entire world I could see myself with, both 'fore and now. But ya got ta cool it on the ova-protective, macho man act. Be my bodyguards, not my bouncas. Can ya do that?"
"Ain't makin' no damn promises," Daryl said, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep it if something did happen to her or if he'd heard someone say something like Tim had.
"Damn straight," Merle agreed, making Ani sigh.
"Ya two will be the death a me," she said as she opened Merle's cell before walking over to her own.
She kicked her boots off and crawled onto the bed, laying down on her stomach, facing away from the door. Ani knew that the boys were having a little chat now that all this shit had come up and the two of them knew her history better than anyone else. She didn't want him to worry while he was gone or postpone leaving, but at the same time, she truly wished he'd stay. The thought of him not coming back weighed heavy in her heart as much as the fact that she hadn't really shown anyone why she was the leader. This time away was something they had to deal with, because the very real truth was that there may very well come a time when they weren't together for a long period. The only problem is that they had become completely dependent upon one another, and that was the real problem when it came to their relationship. She knew that they both needed to get their acts together and stop being up each other's butts but that didn't mean she had to like it.
Ani was freaking out over the fact that Daryl would be gone for at least a week, if not two, maybe even longer. She would be the sole effective hunter for the prison during this time as well as working on the prison's defenses with Merle. While Merle might have been able to hunt before, his lack of his left hand made him have problems doing much more than tracking and Ani didn't need any help with that. Any runs Glenn made, she planned on going on too, as well as guard and kitchen and cleaning duties. She would also be keeping track of Sophia since her mother had gotten busy and kept leaving the girl to herself. Essentially, her method of handling the stress of him being gone was to keep as busy as she possibly could while he was away and attempting not to snap during his absence. Burying her face in his pillow, she did her best to keep the anxiety from crushing her as she came to terms with the fact that they absolutely had to start separating from each other. There was no point trying to hold back the tears, so she hid her face in the pillow to keep the others from hearing as she sobbed, grief and fear taking over her at the revelation.
~x~
Daryl watched her walk into their cell before entering Merle's, "What the fuck happened? What'd that prick say?"
"Dude was sittin' there talkin' big 'bout how she's gonna be all alone without ya here and me bein' busy with defense. Actin' like she's somethin' bein' passed back and forth between us," Merle growled out. "She's right, he didn't say he was plannin' anythin', but I don't care. Bastard's gonna get what he deserves."
"Maybe I shouldn't go," Daryl said, looking down and biting at his thumb.
"You're goin'," Merle told him seriously.
"But Tim-"
"Will be watched like a hawk like she said he would be. I'll make sure of it," Merle assured him. "But ya gotta go with Michonne. You're the best shot we got at finding the Governor. And you gotta cut Ani's cord to ya. She's too dependent on ya and needs to stand on her own two feet."
"What?" Daryl asked, looking at the man with an exasperated expression.
"You don't notice it, but everyone else does. You're attached at the hip, all day, every day, unless ya got duties you gotta do. Sure, the two a ya run around here, talkin' all nice and chattin' with folks, but you're always in the same room, always watchin' each other," Merle recounted. "Hell, you're with her more than you ever hung around me back in the before times. Do ya even take a piss without 'er knowin'?" When Daryl just looked down refused to answer, Merle shook his head and heaved a deep sigh, "I'm tellin' you now, boy, the two of ya need to come to terms with the fact that you're not always gonna be together. You're gonna have to leave her on 'er own sometimes."
"But-"
"No buts, Daryl. You're goin' and she's stayin' and that's that. I'll keep my eyes on 'er. Have Brian help me, seein' as he's always wantin' to do somethin' for me anyway. We'll keep Ani safe, and you'll get out there, find the Governor, put him down and then come back and stay for good. And if you don't, you'll come back for a bit and then take your girl with you when you leave again. That's what y'all agreed to, ain't it?" Merle reasoned, although he was feeling just as stressed about the situation.
When Daryl had taken Ani on their mini-vacation, Merle had spiraled into a anxiety induced rage and damn near started looking for something to take his mind off it. The only reason he didn't fly off the handle was because Brian, Carl, and Sophia had stuck to him like glue while Ani was gone. Apparently, she'd put them on 'Merle Watch,' as they called it, and asked them to help him with whatever tasks he needed done to set up the defenses while she was away. He'd confronted her about it the second day she was back when she checked in on the defense project and made a few corrections. Chuckles were not what he had expected in response, but that's what he got before she explained that she knew from Daryl that he had a soft spot for kids and would be having a tough time without her and Daryl. Merle blushed furiously and pushed her out of his cell as she laughed while she teased him about having babysat on more than one occasion for a girl he was getting busy with. He'd yet to hold Judith, so it was hard to imagine the big man changing diapers or dressing a little kid or giving them a bath for that matter.
Now, the anxiety was just as bad, if not doubled by the fact that Daryl would only have Michonne out there backing him up and would be distracted by the absence of Ani. Having Ani here would help a little, but Daryl said she might close off while he was gone and Merle had no experience with that let alone understood what it would entail. The only problem was that if he let his rage actually get the better of him while Ani was here, like it had with Tim, she'd beat the shit out of him to make a point. He knew he was lucky she'd just restrained and detained him when she'd pulled him off the man instead of knocking him around. If he was going to be of any help to the prison and the bodyguard Ani asked him to be, he was going to have to find a way to keep himself in check. That was another thing that was bothering him, though, since aside from being playful with the girl, he still wasn't sure how to deal with some of her reactions. What happened if she did fly off the handle and he was the only one there to calm her down? What if her anxiety got the better of her and she started crying or lashing out when he wasn't the kind to deal with that? What if something did happen to her while he was busy doing something else? So many things could go wrong, but the Governor coming back was the real threat that they couldn't chance even if it meant Ani had to deal with Daryl being gone. Merle was in a no win situation when it came to the hunt for the man, but the only thing he could do was wait it out.
Daryl's shoulders slumped as he considered Merle's words and realized that the man was right about everything that he'd said. He knew he was too attached to the woman, so much so that they would probably be a risk to each other whether apart or together simply because they were a mutual distraction. He knew it because he was already freaking out about leaving her and the fact that another man was threatening her safety made it even worse. It didn't help any that he'd heard some of the men talking about how she was the leader yet was always up his ass. Their constant need to be near each other was making others question her abilities to accurately make decisions about the prison. This was the first chance for her to show the warriors of Woodbury that she didn't need Daryl to be behind her to manage her responsibilities. It was something neither of them could pass up no matter how badly he wanted to now that they were being forced to.
Keeping his eyes to the floor, he replied quietly, "How do I do this? Been with 'er for a year. Can't just let her go like that."
"No one's askin' you to let 'er go, son. Just tryin' to tell ya you gotta give 'er space. Hell, even I gotta get off her skirt tail and back off, like she said. Needs to show 'er worth without a man behind her," Merle said, shaking his head. "We all got some issues with holdin' on too tight and bein' afraid to let go."
Merle didn't bother waiting for an answer and instead simply pushed Daryl out of his cell and left to go out to his watch. Daryl stumbled out before heading towards his own cell and found Ani on their bed, shoulders shaking as she silently cried into his pillow. Closing the cell door and curtain, he kicked his boots off and crawled onto the bed beside her, gathering her in his arms. She refused to let him turn her around, though, so he practically laid on top of her to hold her as she cried. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from her considering how strong she normally was. He had been prepared for her to give him the silent treatment or want to stay in the cell with him all night. Daryl had figured she'd cry after he left and that she'd have problems dealing with his absence just like he would hers, but that was after he left. Seeing her like this cracked his resolve until Merle's words ran back through his mind and made him hold her just a little tighter.
"I'll be back," he told her, hoping that was the reason and not something else.
"I know," she said. "Don' make it any easia. Got ta do it. Ya got ta go and I got ta stay. We got ta. I'm scared, D. I don' want ta be alone now that I've gotten used ta bein' 'round ya all the time," she said, finally turning her head out of the pillow.
Her eyes were red and swollen and there was quite the tear stain on his pillow, but he couldn't care less. She was distressed for the same reasons he was having issues, the same Merle was too, for that matter. The two of them had an unhealthy relationship with how they always had to be together, and with Merle thrown in, it had become even worse. Everyone in the prison had started calling them the Dixon Trio because you could always find one with one of the other Dixon. It seemed like the three of them had finally caught onto the fact that they were in a toxic relationship and were gearing up to change it. Either they'd be able to make it into a healthier relationship or they would continue in this round about of codependency indefinitely. Merle had already talked to Ani about it earlier, before they'd gotten into the commons and he'd beat Tim, and she was ashamed of herself for not realizing it sooner. It was true that they were all a little too involved with each other and they needed to stop for the sake of survival. They couldn't remain together all the time in case something happened to one of them and they were forced to be on their own.
"You won't be alone, girl," Daryl promised her, trying his best to keep his own voice steady. "You got everyone in the prison. Got Merle, got Rick and Glenn and Maggie. You know Sophia won't leave you alone. Always tellin' everyone else that they ain't alone and got plenty a hands to help carry the burden. Same goes for ya. We're all here for you to lean on."
"I can', D. I can' put that shite on the othas. I can' put my shite on the othas. I don' even want ta put it on ya, but ya make me," she cried quietly. "I'm scared, D. I'm so scared a ya goin' without me. Scared a bein' 'ere without ya. Been ya and me since Atlanta. Don' know how ta be jus' me anymore."
"Hey, hey, look at me," he said gently as he tried to get her to turn towards him, this time managing to break her hold on his pillow and replace it with himself. "We're gonna be just fine. I'm comin' back to you, you're gonna have this place ready and waitin' for me and Michonne. You're gonna show everyone what you can do and show 'em just what you're made of."
"What if I can'? What if ya don'?"
"Don't think like that."
"But what if-"
"Dammit Ania!" he said roughly while forcing her to look at him. "You gotta stop doin' that. You always think the worst is gonna happen. You can't do that no more. And don't you dare work yourself to death while I'm gone. We'll be fine and I'm comin' back to you. Ya hear me?"
She simply looked at him before burying her face in his chest as her arms wrapped around him just as tightly as he was holding her. The tears didn't stop falling even after she had cried herself to sleep without another word or letting go. Daryl held onto her as she slept until Carol came into the cell a short time later and sat in the chair next to their bed. She reached out and put an arm on Daryl's shoulder and squeezed it in a show of support, seeing just how hard the two hunters were taking the prolonged separation. While Carol had been angry at Ani most of the winter, ever since the farm to be honest, she hadn't been able to deny her gratitude anymore. It had been a long time coming that she realized how much the girl had done for her, her daughter, and the group as a whole, and now that she had, she promised Daryl she'd look after her.
"She'll be alright," Carol offered. "We'll all be keepin' our eyes out for her."
"I know," he gruffed back quietly. "Just don't like leavin' 'er, that's all. Not sure how she's gonna do."
"She'll be fine, Daryl. This is a good thing. You both need some time away from each other. Even Glenn and Maggie spend time apart."
"Yeah, but not for days on end," he countered. "Should be goin' with me. But no, she's gotta stay and play leader. Even though she can just delegate it to others, she's gotta do it herself. Always doin' everythin' herself. She don't even tell me 'til she's bawlin' 'er eyes out from stress and just makes me find her like that."
"She thinks she has to be strong all the time. Merle was right when he said we rely on her too much. And we're still doin' it. You're right, she should be able to go with you, but we need her mind here. Merle's got a lot of ideas, but without her, we won't be able to use them well enough to do anything with them. Without her, nothing will get done."
"She's not a damn computer or tool," he growled, pulling Ani closer as her breathing stuttered before she sighed.
"I know that, everyone does," Carol said softly. "But that doesn't change the fact that she is not only the smartest one here, but also our leader. If she's going to maintain that, she has to be here to lead."
"Don't get why the President can play golf while the House and Senate make all the decisions but she has to make all the damn decisions and be a part of the whole damn process," Daryl complained.
"That's just who she is. You know that, Pookie," Carol told him, earning a scoff. "Is she okay?"
"Scared of bein' alone," he admitted. "Says she don't know how to be alone anymore. Thought that was normal. Couples are always together. Hell, Maggie and Glenn are always together. Why's our it so strange with us?"
"You're both clingy. Maggie, Glenn, they'll survive without each other if they have to. The two of you? We all see what would happen if you lost each other. That's why we're all worried."
"Ain't losin' 'er."
"You might, Daryl. And you both need to come to terms with that," Carol sighed before standing up and leaning over to look at Ani's sleeping face. "She looks so small and soft when she's sleeping. Way too young and vulnerable. Now I see why you always sleep with the curtain closed."
She left after that and let the two be alone and told everyone in the prison to leave them alone for the night. The next morning, Ani and Daryl woke early and basked in each other's arms one last time before he left. He'd been slow and passionate and it had made her squirm under him and forced her to bite into his shoulder to keep quiet. She'd left quite a deep purple bruise and a perfect indentation of her teeth on his collarbone and scratch marks down his back. He'd joked with her about being a damn vampire as they got dressed and she became finicky while double checking his bag. She'd made sure he had a week's worth of rations, a couple changes of clothes, and plenty of ammo and bolts. Double checking his blades, she carefully helped him connect the several he carried on his belt as he watched her move around him. They joined Michonne outside where Daryl checked the truck's fluids and made sure it was ready for the trip along with everything else they needed. Ani stood behind him as she watched until everything was ready and he had to get into the vehicle, giving him one last kiss with for all she was worth and letting him go.
~x~
A week had passed since Michonne and Daryl left and Merle and Ani had managed to rig a system out in front of the gates from thick metal doors they'd found at Woodbury. Using pulleys, it opened outward where they'd set large, wooden spike traps up facing both outwards and inwards. No one would be able to break through the gate again with a heavy steel tip breaking the road in half and any walkers that were in the way would be impaled. She'd gone hunting once, taking Rick with her and bringing back a boar while showing him how to set snares. Merle had wanted to go, but she needed her space from him, Sophia, and even Carol as the days went on and she became more anxious. She didn't want anyone near her anymore and the only time she got close to someone was when she absolutely had to. Everything just felt wrong and she couldn't handle the constant attention she was getting or the feeling of eyes on her every time she walked through the prison.
Ani didn't mean to, but setting a strict boundary for everyone was something she automatically started doing as soon as Daryl had driven out the gates without her. She hadn't moped about like everyone thought she would and instead had immediately set to work cataloging the supplies and weapons they had. That lasted until mid-day when she went outside and relieved one of the watches and stayed there until Merle pulled her inside. He wanted to talk to her about the pulley system and she also had to mitigate another row between him and Tim. Ani then planned a run with Glenn and Maggie before the two retired for the evening, leaving her to talk to a few of the stragglers still awake. No one noticed that she stayed up all night, not even when they went to Woodbury and back for the items they needed for the gate the next day. It wasn't until three days after Daryl left that she finally succumbed to sleep, clutching his pillow and shaking like a leaf. Without Daryl around, nightmares began to consume every moment her eyes were closed and they only got worse as time went on. Dreams of the Governor killing Daryl, of walkers getting to him, of Chrystal killing one or both of them, her parents showing back up. They ate away at her every time she closed her eyes, and after only a few hours she woke up in a cold sweat. Rather than trying to go back to sleep, she got up and went back to work, relieving the guard on watch and taking the shift herself.
Now, four days later, she wasn't talking unless she absolutely had to, only checking in on everyone momentarily before slinking off on her own. Merle was sporting a black eye from a physical confrontation with her two days ago, and she'd done her damnedest to stay away from everyone after that. It was a stupid altercation too; Merle had only told her to stop being a little bitch without Daryl around only for her to give him a cold glare before decking him and walking out of the prison. She'd walked straight out the gates and into the woods, only returning after the sun had set and with a string of squirrels. She'd handed them to Merle without so much as looking up at the man and walked into her cell, not even eating before she closed the door.
Even with her strange behavior, everyone realized how much she was doing for the prison when they saw how she never stopped moving unless she was in her cell. Not even when everyone could see the bags under her eyes and the way her hands had started shaking from the lack of food and sleep. Sophia had taken to sticking to Ani's shadows, which had only irritated her to the point that she'd blown up at the little girl. For the first time in forever she had gone crying to her mother and seeking comfort there rather than being around Ani. Ani had hidden in shame for the rest of the day that day out in the guard tower on watch, not even coming back into the prison for food. When Maggie brought her out something to eat, she said she wasn't hungry and to give it to the kids. Maggie tried to fight her on it, but after being threatened with the same treatment Ani had given Merle, she gave up the fight. It wasn't until the sun rose the next morning that Ani entered the prison, heading straight to her cell and passing out from pure exhaustion. Screams woke her up from the violent dream she was having, at first thinking it was a remnant of her dreams until they sounded again. She was forced to alertness far sooner than she was prepared for and it made her anxiety go through the roof as she rolled out of bed.
A feeling of dread formed in the pit of her stomach as she began listening to the adults shouting and realized that it was about the kids. Walkers had gotten in through the tombs while some of the kids had decided to play hide and seek with Carl, Lucas, and Sophia among those missing. Ani wasted no time in grabbing her daggers and running into the tombs, yelling to Merle and Sasha to get groups sent out to comb the tombs. She searched the tombs frantically while hearing the screams of children with Carol right behind her trying to help. Carl came into view with Lucas and Dani, another little girl from Woodbury, following him, thankfully none of them looking injured.
"Where's Sophia?" Ani asked him, doing her best to keep her nerves calm.
"I don't know," he told her. "We were playing hide and seek and they came out of nowhere!"
"I told y'all not ta play down 'ere, dammit! We ain' got the back side a the prison secured yet!" she yelled in anger
"I know, I know! I'm sorry!" Carl cried.
"Get the kids back ta the cell block, stat! Ya stay there 'til I get back and don' ya think for a second ya getting' away with jus' an apology!" she told Carol before she continued on her way.
Merle tagged along with her having caught up as well as sent three other teams out in search of the kids along other parts of the tombs. The two searched the tombs religiously looking for Sophia and the other kids, Ani cursing herself out the entire time. Merle was trying to tell her everything would be alright, but she just told him to shut the fuck up and he could say that when they found the girl. With Carl, Lucas, and Dani accounted for, there were still four kids missing, including Sophia. Rounding a corner, they found four walkers standing in front of a closed cell and made quick work of them, finding the other kids except for the one girl Ani was looking for. While she was happy that she had found the other kids, the only one she actually cared about was the one that was still missing. It was a sad truth, but she would have given up every single child in the prison if it meant keeping Carl, Judith, and, most importantly to her, Sophia safe.
Mitch, one of the older children close to Sophia's age, spoke up pointing towards the back of the prison, "She lead them away. She found Aaron and brought him to me and told us to hide in here. She lead them away."
"Sophia?" Merle double checked.
"Take 'em back," Ani told Merle as she took off down the halls.
Praying to every god she could think of that the little girl was okay and that she would find her rather than finding her corpse. The last thing she had said to her was to go away in not so pleasant terms and that fact had Ani running as fast as she could through the tombs. Killing every single walker she found with a dagger in each hand, she yelled for Sophia every few steps, not caring if more walkers came after her. She was being reckless and she knew it, but she had to find her and hoped she would as she followed a trail of already downed walkers. When she finally found Sophia, she was locked in another cell while laying on the floor, her shirt bloodied and torn on one shoulder. Ani ripped the door open and grabbed the girl up, holding her as close as she possibly could while carrying her back to the cell block. She apologized the whole way as the tears flowed, telling her that she was her little sister and praising her for being so brave. Ani couldn't bring herself to tell Sophia that she wished she hadn't played hero, that she had run or locked herself with the others, but no, Sophia had done what Ani would do. She had decided to get the others to safety and take on the threat alone just like Ani had done more than one time. Only Sophia wasn't Ani; she was a thirteen year old girl who didn't know as much as Ani did about how to get away let alone how to take on multiple opponents at once.
By the time she got back to the cell block, she hadn't been able to stop the tears, but her face was so void of any emotion besides determination that everyone in the vicinity backed up. She called for Hershel and told others to get blankets, towels, and purified water before yelling to Merle to get her herbs. She wasn't the least bit surprised when Carol broke down as soon as she saw the limp girl held in Ani's arms and came running over. It also didn't surprise her that the woman began blaming her and the way she'd let Sophia get a big head by teaching her how to fight. Ani didn't have time to worry about the woman fretting about her daughter and trying to take her out of her arms. The only thing she was worried about was making sure the child in her arms was going to live to see another day.
"Carol, ya need ta calm yaself," Ani told the frenzied woman while shoving Carol back a bit to give her and Hershel some room, her brogue coming out strong in her fear.
"Is she bit?" Merle asked, standing above them.
"Didn' have the chance ta check," Ani admitted, frantically looking for the source of the blood, not seeing a bite mark. "Don' look like it, but don' look good eitha."
She double checked the girl to see if she was bleeding anywhere but her shoulder where a large gash was laying across her clavicle. It looked almost as if she had tripped and fallen and ripped her skin on something like the bunk beds. Sophia was bleeding pretty badly, though, and that was why she was passed out as she laid her down in one of the cells. Ani told Carol to go get the girl a change of loose clothing and the bandages she had stashed away in her cell. Thanking her lucky stars and praising the gods, she was happy to find that there wasn't a single bite or scratch mark on her besides the one on her shoulder. She walked over and closed the cell door most of the way, throwing a spare sheet over it before heading back to Sophia and gently cutting her shirt open and covered the girl's chest up with a blanket. It gave both her and Hershel clear view and access of the wound in order to treat it and as she cleaned it, she realized that it wasn't as bad as it looked. Once the blood was cleaned off of her shoulder and all that was left was what little was still flowing from the wound, Ani could tell that she would heal just fine. She would have one hell of a scar, but she would still be able to use her arm freely and suffer no permanent damage besides the mark. That was the one thing that Ani could have hoped for and made her start to break down until Carol and Hershel walked in.
"Wasn' a walka. She's not bit, not scratched, she's gonna be fine. Needs stitches, though,"
"And a transfusion by the looks of it," Hershel said as he hobbled his way over. "You're right about the stitches. We need to find someone with her blood type. Do you know it?" he asked Carol.
"No, I...I never needed to," Carol answered.
"Get Merle. Daryl's a universal dona which means 'e should be too," Ani told the woman, who gave her a dirty look before doing as told.
It took two days for the girl to wake up, and when she did, all of the children were put under strict schooling. They didn't have time to play in the tombs any more as they began being taught the basics of everything they needed to learn. They were all taught how to sew from the older women and how to cook with Beth and Carol. Ani made them take lessons in strategy with her and Glenn, and then lessons about weapons and defense with Merle. She set up a time for physical fitness training which included both self-defense and stamina training to the dismay of everyone but Carl and Sophia, who knew they were lucky. If the citizens of Woodbury thought that the Governor had gone crazy and demanded they learn how to shoot, they were now happy they didn't face Ani's training camp. The children went from being wild and carefree to behaving perfectly so as not to be sent running around the fields as punishment. In fact, that quickly became her favorite form of punishment, sending even the adults out to run the square if they got out of line. When Daryl made it back four days later and saw his brother running with Tim and Glenn, he simply looked at Michonne confused.
"What the hell happened when we were gone?"