Chapter 31 - Transmission Received

West Georgia Correctional Facility

The prison was quite a sight. Tall, wire fences topped with barbed wire stretched on for miles around the perimeter of the facility. There was a greenspace circled by a dirt and gravel run that led up to the main building. Beyond that, who knew how large the place was. It was certainly more than enough space for them. Given how late in the day it was, Rick had decided that they would only be taking the field for now. The only problem was, there were about two dozen walkers between them and the sanctuary of the fenced area.

"If we can shut that gate, preventing more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight." Rick instructed them all with new-found determination.

"So how do we shut the gate?" Maggie asked what they were all thinking.

"I'll do it." Glenn suggested, "You guys cover me."

"No." Maggie growled him, "It's a suicide run."

"I'm the fastest." He contested but Rick had Maggie's back.

"No. You, Maggie and Beth draw as many as you can over there. Pop 'em through the fence." Rick pointed to the furthest corner from the gate and the trio left to take up their position; an angry Maggie glaring at the back of Glenn's head as they walked away.

"Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower." Carol nervously ran off to her tower, Hershel ushered the kid away on his fathers instruction and Daryl gave both Rick and Tess one last look before leaving to man his post. That left Tess standing alone with Rick.

"No offense, but you better not be leaving me here to babysit your wife." Tess bit out quietly, annoyed that she hadn't yet been given a role. To her surprise, Rick laughed. It was strange to see him in such high spirits after so long.

"Like the old days, huh? You got my back?"

"You want me to come with you?" She blurted out, unable to help show how surprised she was by his sudden pep.

"What? Afraid you can't keep up?"

"Oh, you're dust." Tess scoffed, feeling amped up.

They waited until everyone else was stationed in their towers and then Rick signaled for them all to get ready. Tess pulled out her machete and grasped it firmly in her right hand. She could feel her adrenaline spiking and had to agree, it did feel like the old days. It felt like they were back in Atlanta when it was just the two of them fighting to find their way back to Rick's family. Things felt simpler back then. A lot had changed since then.

"Ready?" Rick asked her and she nodded, grinning at him. "Now!" He yelled and the pair of them bolted for the gate.

Maggie, Glenn and Beth began shouting louder in an attempt to grab the walkers' attention, stabbing them in the head as they approached the fence. Tess pushed ahead of Rick, feeling how tired and unprepared she was for this type of physical exertion but she was determined to make him eat his words. The few walkers that she came across within the run, she took down with swift blows to the head, allowing Rick to run freely. He was carrying a large chain that he was going to use to secure the fence and didn't have the dexterity to both carry the chain and a weapon; save the rifle that was strapped to his back.

Tess' legs burned with fatigue as they approached the open gate. Around ten walkers lumbered on the other side and came to attention as they heard them approach. Tess ran into the fray as she heard the others cry in exaltation that they had made it and Daryl, Carol, Hershel and Carl began to provide them with much needed fire power from above. Tess tirelessly fought back the walkers as Rick wrestled with the gate and when she finally heard the clang of it closing and the final walker fell, she turned to him, triumphant.

Rick had a broad smile on his face as he panted, catching his breath. With a laugh, he reached over for a high-five which she gladly reciprocated even though her arms felt like lead. It felt so good to finally have something go right for them. After months of desperately trying to find somewhere safe to live, bouncing around from house to house, who would have guessed that their saving grace would be a prison.

"We did it, Rick." Tess told him, proudly. "You did it."

"It's not over yet." Rick replied and her smile faltered. "But for today, we've done enough. We did it."

Tess breathed a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes at his dramatics. They both began slowly walking back to meet the others, the full fatigue of their run hitting them both. Rick seemed so much lighter in his step now though and Tess was glad to see him no longer with a look of worry on his face. He needed this. They all did.

He paused for a moment and turned to her,

"I don't know what's been going on between you and Daryl lately but you guys have gotta stop using me as some kind of half-way point. I know I should be taking my own advice right now but maybe just… talk to one another?"

Tess didn't know what to say. She never really thought about the others observing their change in behavior. It never crossed her mind that anyone else would ever really care. But Rick had had enough of them both using him as a mediator of sorts? Had Daryl said something to him? Tess found it hard to imagine Daryl confiding in anyone, much less having anything to confide about.

Rick took her silence as her answer and laughed to himself as he walked away. The both of them couldn't be more clueless, he thought to himself. He wasn't really getting fed up with them, if anything he appreciated the individual support they had been giving him, now more than ever. But it was clear as day how miserable they were both becoming with this wedge between them, even if neither of them wanted to admit it.

—

That night, they set up camp in the yard. Daryl took first watch, setting up on an overturned corrections bus and Rick patrolled the fence line, making sure it was fully secure. It was the most space they had had since the farm and they sprawled about leisurely as the smell of dinner cooking wafted around camp. It was a celebration and they cooked up the rest of the food they had left, which was quickly doled out and scarfed down by everyone. While T-Dog discussed how to go about protecting their water source and Hershel began talking about the potential of growing their own food, Tess kept one eye on Rick and one on Daryl.

She didn't want to admit it but after all this time, she felt nervous to go speak to Daryl. She didn't even know where to begin. Hey, sorry I've been ignoring you. I don't know why I was doing that, it didn't really sound like a good reason. She wasn't even sure that she had a reason. It had just happened both so slowly and so suddenly that it didn't make much sense. Rick on the other hand, she could talk to. He had circled the perimeter at least three times now and was showing no sign of letting up. It was clear that something was bothering him and no one seemed willing to sacrifice their momentary comfort to find out what.

As Carol dished up a plate of food for Daryl and left to take it to him, it made her decision for her. Quietly slinking away from the group, Tess walked across the field to Rick, who seemed to be talking to himself more than checking the fence for weak spots.

"Everything okay?" She asked and he stopped pacing at the sound of her voice.

"Just checking the fence." Rick told her, like she couldn't see the strained look on his face through the dark.

"Mhmm." Tess hummed and clarified, "Everything okay with you?"

Rick fell silent and began pacing again. Tess followed behind just slightly, waiting for him to process whatever it was that was going on in his mind.

"What if this isn't enough?" Rick muttered so quietly that Tess nearly didn't hear him.

"What do you mean?"

"What if it's not safe and after all we did today, it's just another dead end?"

"It's not going to be, Rick." She assured him and he spun around to face her, making her recoil in surprise slightly.

"How can you know that?" He sounded so desperate and it made her feel worried.

"Because we're going to make it work. Whatever's on the other side of that fence or inside those walls, we'll deal with it. Whatever it is, it ain't got nothing on Rick Grimes." She gave him a small supportive smile and his pained expression finally cracked.

"I hope you're right, Tess." He replied, feeling lighter than he had before.

"When am I wrong?" She laughed and Rick rolled his eyes.

—

Normally, Daryl enjoyed the time alone while on watch but tonight, with their newfound sense of safety and space, he found himself wishing that he was down by the campfire partaking. It felt kind of similar to their first night at the CDC when they were all so full of hope and excitement. Daryl just wished that it wouldn't all go down in flames like last time.

He wasn't too keen on the idea of living in a prison. His entire life, he'd done his best to not end up like Merle and wind up behind bars and he'd done a damn good job of it. It seemed a little ironic that now, when there were no longer any laws to break, he'd possibly end up in a cell. If only Merle could see him now, he'd be laughing at the irony, saying Daryl had finally fulfilled his destiny and followed the family tradition. The thought of it made his skin crawl and, not for the first time, he was glad his brother wasn't around.

Daryl heard the soft ruffle of grass and squeak of someone stepping up onto the bus and rose to see who it was. Carol, with plate in hand, was attempting to climb up to join him. He reached down to give her a hand and she offered him the food.

"It's not much, but if I don't bring you something, you won't eat at all." Carol told him as she sat down beside him.

"I guess Little Shane over there has got quite the appetite." Daryl grumbled, starting to get fed up with how the food was being rationed, even though he willingly gave up his food so that Lori and the baby could have more.

"Don't be mean." Carol scolded him halfheartedly. "Rick's gotten us a lot farther than I ever thought he would, I'll give him that." She reflected back to their conversation from months ago and Daryl hummed in agreement.

"Shane could never have done that." She declared, kicking herself for ever thinking Rick didn't have the strength to lead them. Daryl looked over at her, knowing she felt bad for ever doubting him and then tried to seek the man out in the group by the fire.

"Where is he?" He asked when he couldn't spot him. Carol pointed over to the right,

"He's been doing laps of the fence. Checking for holes I think."

Daryl squinted through the darkness and finally saw Rick at the edge of the yard but he wasn't alone. He was walking alongside the fence, with Tess just a few feet behind him. Daryl shamelessly watched, forgetting all about Carol's presence beside him. He frowned as he watched Rick spin around to face her and how she jumped in fright. He had noticed that she'd become a lot more jumpy since the farm and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. It was clear that her run in with Shane had her a little spooked and it was tough to see her become meek.

"When was the last time you actually spoke to her?" Carol asked him, reminding him of her presence. Carol on the other hand, had done the opposite. She was once meek and afraid of her own shadow but now, she was a lot more confident and self-assured. Daryl shrugged at her question, unable to honestly answer it. He didn't count those few words in passing they had shared while hunting or clearing houses. Those had been more out of necessity than anything else. And if anything, it only served to make him feel worse.

"Seriously, what's going on with you two?" Carol implored, unable to understand where they had gone wrong when they had been growing so close.

"Nothing's going on." Daryl responded, which wasn't entirely a lie. Quite literally nothing was happening between them. They might as well not exist to one another. The thought of that made him feel inexplicably sick.

"Okay. So you'll go talk to her? I can take over the watch."

"What are you doing?" Daryl snapped at her, "Stop it." He was starting to feel embarrassed and he really didn't need Carol poking around in his business.

"Stop what?" She feigned ignorance.

"Whatever it is you think you're doing. Stop it."

"I'm just saying, you're acting all mopey, she's acting all mopey. It's annoying."

"Sorry to have bothered you." Daryl feigned sympathy and glared at her.

"When are you just going to admit to yourself that you have feelings for her?" Carol asked him and Daryl felt his brain turn to mush. He wanted to argue with her and tell her she was wrong but of all people, Daryl trusted Carol and she seemed to know him far too well.

"When I start seeing ghosts." Daryl grumbled and got to his feet. Carol sighed but didn't push him any further.

—

The following morning, they took the front area of the prison. Moving as a cohesive unit. Tess, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie worked under Rick's guidance to take down the walkers and get to the next gate. It was easy at first, following Rick's instruction of not disbanding the group but soon they were faced with walkers in full riot gear and they were more difficult to kill.

They were forced to split off in order to fight them back. After unsuccessfully trying to penetrate the riot helmets with her machete, Tess opted for her knife instead and pierced through the walkers' jaws which weren't concealed by the helmet. Although it was more difficult, it worked surprisingly well and they fell just like the rest.

Her hands and arms were covered in blood which made it difficult to keep a good grasp on her knife and so when another walker stumbled towards her, she gripped it tighter than necessary just in case. This person had been wearing a gas mask and it looked like it was beginning to fuse with the skin on its face. Tess stared at it in horror, noticing the way the skin folded over the straps like it was melting into one. It lunged for her and she jumped away from its clawing hands, stumbling over another dead walker behind her.

Thankfully, she managed to keep her balance but she was forced to try to push the imposing walker away, her hand landing directly onto the mask. As she shoved it back, she felt the flesh from its face tear away and the mask ripped clean off. Its face was red and sinewy and vaguely reminded her of something she'd seen in a horror film years ago. With a wince, she drove the blade of her knife into its skull and the walker fell limp, collapsing to the ground. Tess allowed her knife to go with it and wiped her hands clean in disgust. As horrific as the sight of it was, she found herself unable to look away.

"Damn, that's one ugly mutha' fucker." T-Dog commented as he walked back from his own pile of corpses. He knelt down to grab her knife for her and she accepted it back gratefully; wiping it clean before returning it to its sheath.

"Thanks."

They regrouped with the others and then continued to make their way into Cell Block C. There were only a few other walkers inside and Daryl and Rick made quick work of them by themselves. Once they successfully deemed the cell block as safe, Glenn returned to the others outside and ushered them in. Tess felt strangely happy with the area they had. It wasn't anywhere as bad as she had been expecting. Sure, there was some much needed cleaning that needed to be done but at least the area had lots of light and space. The cells themselves were larger than she had been expecting too and while the mattresses didn't look all that comfortable, at least it was a bed; which was more than she'd had in months.

Tess didn't have much in the way of belongings nowadays but she claimed one of the end cells on the upper floor as her own, liking the idea of privacy. She sat down on the thin mattress, enjoying the feeling of being off her feet and leant her head back against the wall, savoring this small moment of peace. She could hear the others bustling excitedly, Glenn cheekily asking Maggie to bunk with her, even though they would no doubt be in earshot of Hershel and Carl shamelessly trying to show off to Beth. It all brought a small smile to her face. They were content and they deserved every second of it.

She then heard a thump come from the cell beside her and the sound of something being dragged. Her curiosity got the better of her and she slid off the bed and peeked her head out of the cell. Daryl was dragging both of the mattresses from the bunk bed out onto the landing and Tess watched him curiously as he made a bed for himself in the corner.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, unable to help herself. It appeared as though he hadn't noticed her in the other cell and he dropped the mattresses; kicking them into place where he had intended to actually drop them.

"I ain't sleeping in a cage." Daryl grumbled, kicking himself for choosing the one cell so close to hers. Tess nodded in understanding,

"It'll take some getting used to, that's for sure."

She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, starting to feel anxious by his presence alone. This was probably the most the two of them had spoken in weeks, or in months if you didn't include anything that was about killing walkers or food. Daryl had his back turned to her but she could see in his posture that he felt tense. Was he upset with her or with their situation, too?

"How've you been?" How've you been?! Just ask him for his thoughts on the weather, why don't you? Tess scolded herself, feeling like the biggest idiot known to mankind. Daryl finally turned to face her and squinted at her, confused.

"Fine." He shrugged, unwillingly to think too much about how he really felt.

"Good." What is wrong with you. "Look, I uh- These last few months have been real shit. For all of us. I know I've let it get to me more than I would've liked and that's not your problem, that's mine. I just hope this place can be a fresh start."

Daryl was confused. Was she apologizing for her behavior because she thought he was mad at her? Did he seem mad at her? Was her idea of a fresh start going back to being friends? Were they ever more than that? Whatever it was, Daryl decided, had to be better than this.

"Me too." He told her and she smiled at him for the first time in months.