Chapter 34 - To Hell in a Handbasket

Cell Block C

The mood in Cell Block C was discernibly sullen. Their space suddenly felt a thousand times larger with the fewer people inside. They were all crowded around one table, with the main focus on Carol. Or rather, who Carol was holding. Tess knew it had to be Lori's baby and a tiny flicker of hope sparked within her. Their return to the Cell Block and the creak of the cell door announcing their presence made them all finally look away from the baby.

Tess met them all with tight hugs and words of gratitude and when she joined back up with Carol, she smiled at her sadly. She appeared to still be coming to terms with the news about Lori and she cradled her friend's baby in her arms like she was the most delicate thing she'd ever seen. She approached slowly and peered down at the small cherubic face that was still blotchy and crinkled. It was swaddled in a blanket and all Tess could do was brush a gentle finger along its cheek but it was enough to make her smile hopefully.

"Would you like to hold her?" Carol asked but Tess had to shake her head, feeling far too shaky to do so right now.

"She looks pretty happy right where she is." Tess replied and Carol smiled back, returning to her seat.

"She's a healthy looking baby but we're going to need to find some formula tomorrow if she has any hope of surviving." Hershel cautioned them and they all knew it to be true. The sooner they could find her food, the better.

"Ain't no point waitin' round 'til mornin'." Daryl announced assertively, "We still got daylight left."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Carol asked hesitantly as she gently rocked the baby in its sleep. Daryl had already made up his mind though.

"The kid needs food."

Tess didn't like the idea of Daryl going out on his own so quickly after just finding him again and it seemed that he had a similar train of thought as well.

"You ready?" He asked her and she stumbled through her thoughts before nodding yes.

"I'll just grab my bow." Tess raced upstairs to her cell and retrieved her bow and a backpack before returning.

Carol tried to hand her back her machete but Tess encouraged her to hold onto it for now. 'Just in case', she had told her. With Daryl and Tess heading out and Rick nowhere to be seen, Glenn was quick to step up as interim leader. As Tess climbed onto the back of Daryl's bike, she looked to Maggie and Glenn who were seeing them off and thought back to what she'd said to Maggie months ago. 'Glenn is brave but he's not a fighter. The world might make one of him yet but that takes time'. Glenn was a fighter now, there was no doubt about that.

—

Being back on the bike with Daryl felt like a momentary time-warp. With the wind in her hair and the feel of his woolen poncho against her cheek she was almost able to convince herself that everything was okay. Almost. She felt much surer of herself now though and more comfortable with being so close to Daryl. Even though she was still struggling with what felt like one-sided feelings, her desire to have him near overruled the anxiety of it not being reciprocal. Yet, Daryl seemed content, if not in need of her presence also and Tess was going to embrace it for as long as he would let her.

They managed to reach an abandoned daycare center before sunset and parked up on the other side of the boundary fence. Daryl, somewhat unnecessarily, helped her over the fence. In reality, he just saw it as an excuse to feel her hand in his but he'd never admit that. He didn't fail to notice the way she had pressed her face into his back or how her arms had wound around his front, tighter than they normally would, and he found himself only wanting more. But whatever he wanted would have to wait.

Daryl took the lead in entering the building first and Tess followed closely behind. The walls were painted a pale blue with handprints in a myriad of colors trailing along around knee height. What once would have been playful and inviting, now felt sad and cold. Tess tried not to let herself think about what had come of any of the young children that had spent their days playing here. They continued to clear room after room until they were satisfied that the building was empty.

"This place gives me the creeps." Tess commented warily and Daryl nodded in agreement.

"Let's just find this stuff and get out of here."

They filled Tess' backpack with a few infant bodysuits, diapers, wipes, and a small plush lion with a fuzzy mane that Daryl picked out of a selection of toys. In the kitchen, they found baby formula, bottles, teats and in a stroke of luck, sterilizing tablets. What they'd found would only last them a little while as they didn't have enough space to carry much but it would do for tonight. As long as they could clothe and feed her, that would have to do for now.

As they went to leave, Tess caught sight of a series of photos on the wall. Each one portraying different babies and toddlers playing in the day room or outside in the sandpit. They were all beaming with innocent smiles and it made her wonder if they'd ever be able to give Rick and Lori's daughter the same type of life. Perhaps it was an ignorant wish but Tess hoped for it nonetheless.

"That kid's gonna grow up just fine." Daryl assured her, as though he had read her mind. Tess looked over at Daryl standing in the doorway and mustered a small smile for him. With him and the rest of them looking out for her, she had no doubt that the kid would be safe.

"We gotta come back for the rest of this stuff. I'll be damned if she doesn't have her own crib." Tess quipped, recalling the small bassinets and star themed mobiles that hung above them.

—

Back at the prison and with night falling, Tess and Daryl quickly rejoined with the group. Carl was holding his crying sister and Beth was trying to help him settle her.

"How's she doing?" Daryl asked as he moved over to take the baby from Carl. Tess busied herself with mixing together a bottle of formula as quickly as she could but couldn't help but get a little distracted by Daryl's sudden paternal behavior. He shushed her as he bounced her in his arms and slowly but surely, the crying stopped.

"Does she have a name yet?" Tess wondered aloud, feeling a bit strange about just calling her the baby. Carl shook his head,

"Not yet. But I was thinking maybe Sophia…" He suggested, looking shyly over at Carol who smiled at him sadly. "Or Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia. Or… Lori." His small voice grew quieter and quieter as he reached his mothers name. "I don't know."

Tess tried to give Carl a look as though to tell him it was okay and there was no rush and handed the bottle of formula over to Daryl. It didn't take much coaxing from Daryl to get her to take the bottle and she eagerly began drinking for the first time. They all watched on with fond smiles as Daryl paced with her.

"You like that, huh? Little ass-kicker." He joked and Tess laughed, "Right? That's a good name, right? Little ass-kicker. You like that, huh? You like that, sweetheart?"

Tess had never been more sure that she was falling in love with Daryl Dixon.

—

The next morning came round quickly and Tess had one objective in mind. She needed to talk to Maggie. However, Maggie was proving to be elusive and it wasn't until she and Glenn wandered back into the prison around 11:30 AM that Tess realized that they had spent most of the evening and much of the morning outside in the guard tower. Again. Tess allowed them to have breakfast and fawn over the baby for a bit before poaching Maggie from Glenn's side.

"Hey, Maggie, can I talk to you for a sec?" She approached them both a little uncomfortably, second guessing herself.

"Sure, what's up?" Maggie replied, swiveling in her seat to face her but sticking to Glenn's side still.

"Uh, alone? Please." Maggie frowned at her odd request but nodded and followed her outside. Tess sat down at one of the tables outside but then stood up again, unable to sit still.

"What's up with you? You're acting weird." Maggie commented, "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, no, I'm fine." Tess shook her head flippantly and then shook it again more seriously. "No, okay, I'm not. I guess I'm… confused?"

Maggie paused as she tried to decipher her meaning.

"Confused? I don't swing that way, sorry." She chuckled teasingly and then stopped when she noticed Tess was anything but amused. "Seriously? What is it?"

It was safe to say, Tess hadn't really thought this through. She didn't know what to say. She knew what she wanted to say but the words refused to come out of her mouth, like a hermit from its hole. She forced herself to sit down again and compose herself, and to come up with a way to say what really wanted to.

"How did you…" She began and then changed her mind. "You knew you liked Glenn pretty quick, right?"

"Right." Maggie shrugged.

"How? I mean, how did you go from that to that?" Tess sort of waved her hand around aimlessly and Maggie hesitated,

"I'm not sure I follow…"

Tess sighed, she knew she wasn't making much sense.

"Is this about Daryl?" Maggie pried curiously and Tess's speedy denial told her all she needed to know.

"I never said that." Tess rebutted but Maggie just smirked back,

"You didn't have to. I gotta say, it's about time." Tess gawked at her, unimpressed.

"Am I late to the party or something? What?"

"Come on, you've been mooning over him since the day I met you."

"I have not."

"Oh, you have, don't deny it."

"Are you just going to tease me or are you actually going to help me?"

"What is the problem? That you like him?"

"My problem is that I've never… Well, I've never…" Tess skirted around her reply and Maggie suddenly gasped,

"Are you a virgin?!"

"What? No! Would you keep your voice down?"

"Then what is it?"

"I've never had a relationship before. God, I'm not that repressed."

"Sorry." Maggie laughed, enjoying how uncomfortable this was making Tess. "So is that what you want from him? A relationship?"

"I don't know." Tess groaned, "I guess? How can I just pretend that I don't have feelings for him? It's not like I can just avoid him."

"Well, have you tried telling him?" Maggie suggested and Tess couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Cause they would go down well. Hey, Daryl, I really like you. Wanna go steady?"

Maggie laughed hysterically.

"Stop laughing at me." Tess could acknowledge that she was starting to sound a bit absurd and chuckled as well.

"Stop saying weird shit then. Go steady? Were you born in the fifties?"

"Maybe."

"Look, don't take this the wrong way but the way I see it, if you ever want anything out of Daryl, you're going to have to be the one to get things going. He's not exactly forthcoming." Maggie advised her after her laughter died down.

Tess knew she was right but that left her in a very difficult position. She didn't know if she'd ever be confident enough to do such a thing. She normally would call herself a confident person but not when it came to stuff like this. She'd rather go through basic training again than blunder her way through trying to be in any way romantic.

"Maybe we should table this for now." Maggie whispered secretively and Tess frowned, confused, but then noticed that Maggie was looking past her. Tess looked over her shoulder and felt herself blush at the sight of Daryl walking towards them. She heard Maggie giggle at her flushed face and she kicked her in the shin under the table for good measure. Maggie hissed in pain but played it off well and greeted Daryl good morning.

"How's little ass-kicker doing?" Maggie asked, knowing Daryl had taken to her very quickly.

"She's hungry. We'll be out of food for her by tonight at this rate." He replied and Tess could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. It made her shiver but she did her best to act natural.

"I was thinkin' we take one of the cars. Get the rest of that stuff you were talkin' about?" Daryl suggested and Tess knew she was talking to him but she was far too embarrassed to face him.

"We can do that!" Maggie jumped in for her and Tess gave her a thankful look. "She seems to like you best, maybe you should stick around?"

Daryl was quiet for a moment but finally shrugged, grunted 'whatever' and stalked back inside.

"That was really smooth, ignoring him like that." Snorted Maggie and Tess groaned with shame as they both got up to follow Daryl inside.

"Y'know, you make me really happy to have grown up without a sister."

"Hey! You asked me for advice, remember?"

"First and last time, I promise you."

"We'll see about that."

Tess wasn't really upset with Maggie, she appreciated her help and having someone to talk to about this kind of thing was nice. If anything, it did the opposite and made her wish that she had been lucky enough to grow up with Maggie as her sister.

"I hope you two weren't talking about me." Glenn asked them when they returned, only half serious.

"You snore a lot apparently." Tess teased him, "Like, more than someone normally should… Are you okay? Sleep apnea maybe?"

"I don't snore!" Glenn protested and turned to Maggie for her to back him up.

"I've been meaning to tell you…" Maggie shrugged, playing along.

"Maybe we should try to find you some earplugs or something while we're out?" Tess suggested coyly, enjoying Glenn's innocently dumbfounded face.

"Is it really that bad? Wait, you guys are going on a run?"

"We were gonna go back to the daycare center Daryl and I found yesterday and fill a car load." Tess told him, finally giving him a break.

Glenn looked apprehensive at the idea of them going out on their own. Tess knew it was more out of his concern for Maggie, the same way she felt concerned whenever Daryl went off without her. The comparison made her feel ill.

"Would you like to come with?" Tess asked him, perhaps a bit patronizingly but Glenn didn't seem to care.

"Sure." He shrugged, as though he didn't care either way but Maggie and Tess shared a look that said they knew better.

"Meet you back here in five?" Maggie asked as she clutched Glenn's arm and started to drag him away.

"Yeah, okay." Tess nodded and left the common room for her cell.

Tess had all but forgotten about her earlier embarrassment and dashed up the stairs to her cell without much thought as to who was likely awaiting her upstairs. Sure enough, Daryl was sitting on his mattress on the floor at the top of the stairs and Tess slowed to a complete stop in front of him.

"Hey." She greeted him awkwardly and then shuffled away, her cheeks growing warm again. She heard the rustle of Daryl getting up off the floor and footsteps behind her, telling her that he was following behind her.

"You mad at me or something?" He asked as he stood in the doorway of her cell.

"What? No. Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"I don't know either."

Tess picked up her same backpack that she used yesterday and her bow and turned to leave. Daryl's form in the doorway didn't leave her much room to squeeze by however, so she just waited, staring at him and feeling guilty. How do you tell someone that the reason you're avoiding them is because you love them? Love felt like a strong word to say, even in her head, but to say that she just liked him felt like a disservice. And made her feel like she was thirteen.

"I've gotta meet Maggie and Glenn downstairs." She told him quietly, hoping he'd move.

"Glenn's coming with you now?" He questioned her and Tess raised an eyebrow at his tone.

"Why does that matter?" She asked and he replied all too quickly,

"It doesn't."

"Okay… Now I'm starting to think you're mad with me?" She stated, confused by his odd behavior.

"I'm not." He replied gruffly, sounding anything but happy.

"Okay great, we've both established that we're not angry with one another." She announced with a hint of laugh, hoping it would diffuse some of the tension. Daryl's demeanor didn't change though.

"What is it?" She asked, unable to stop herself from moving closer and it seemed to take him by surprise.

"It's nothin'." Daryl shook his head and his eyes softened. "Just make sure they ain't only lookin' out for themselves." Tess smiled at him appreciatively,

"You know they wouldn't do that. Besides, nothing's going to happen. We'll be back before you know it."

—

Tess drove the three of them the twenty minutes south east of the prison towards the town of Sharpsburg where they had found the daycare center. Maggie sat with her in the front and Glenn took the backseat. Tess chatted with Maggie occasionally as she drove but Glenn kept mostly to himself, muttering quietly about how he was certain he didn't snore. They found it funny at first but then started to feel bad and then irritated at how he was unwilling to let it go.

Tess sighed, unable to listen to him any longer,

"Glenn, for the love of God, stop. We were only joking." She sighed, her eyes flitting between the rearview mirror and the road.

"Why would you joke about something like that? Maggie, I thought I was making you miserable?" He complained and she reached behind to hold his hand and apologize. Tess watched them through the mirror and smiled to herself; they did make a really good couple.

"Don't blame Maggie, she was just playing along for my sake." Tess told him, not thinking much of what she was saying.

"For your sake?" Glenn asked curiously and Maggie replied before Tess could think of an answer.

"Tess is having relationship problems."

"Maggie!" Tess shouted, nearly slamming on the brakes.

"What? My secrets are Glenn's secrets. Right?"

"Right." Glenn agreed.

"I'm definitely never talking to you again." Tess berated her. She really shouldn't have been too surprised though. The two of them were practically joined at the hip.

"So I'm guessing this is a relationship with a certain crossbow enthusiast?" Glenn pondered and Maggie's eager smile confirmed it for him.

"Am I that blatantly obvious?" Tess questioned them both and they replied with a synchronized 'yes'.

"I mean, it's a wonder the two of you haven't jumped into bed together already. If it's space you need, the guard tower is really-"

"Maggie…" Glenn groaned, unhappy and not to mention uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their preferred romp spot.

"Space is not the issue here." Tess told them abruptly, vehemently shaking her head. "And no offense but the idea of a designated… sex den, sounds terrible."

"Please don't refer to it as a sex den." Glenn blushed profusely.

"That was the implication!" Tess argued, exasperated. "Let's just stop talking, okay?"

They drove in silence until Tess pulled the car over on the road in front of the daycare. They didn't move to get out, sitting quietly and uncomfortably until Maggie started laughing. Tess stared at her strangely and then found herself laughing along with her. The whole thing had been so ridiculous.

"What's so funny?" Glenn asked naively but they didn't answer him. "What is it?" He asked again as they got out of the car.

"Don't worry about it." Maggie chuckled and kissed him on the cheek to appease him. It worked a treat and Glenn beamed so much so that Tess rolled her eyes at how smitten he was.

"The place was empty yesterday but best to make sure it's clear, yeah?" Tess told them and took up point with her knife as they entered the building.

Again, all the rooms were clear and they started filling their backpacks with items for the baby. They grabbed more clothes, blankets, toys and books; anything that they could get their hands on really. They threw their full backpacks into the trunk of the car and returned inside for more.

Maggie and Glenn took to the kitchen to grab the rest of the baby formula, filling baskets that they'd found in the playroom and Tess went back to the nursery to find more diapers. The availability of newborn diapers was minimal and Tess wasn't really sure if anything larger would be suitable but it would have to do. She scooped up what she could find and put them in a box before carrying them outside.

"It's alright if the diapers are a bit big right?" She asked aloud as she approached the car while looking through the box.

When she looked up, the box fell from her hands as she saw the sight in front of her. Maggie and Glenn were tussling with a man she'd never seen before and even though it was two against one, he appeared to have the upper hand. Tess hastily drew her bow and pointed it at him just as the man trapped Maggie in a headlock. The arm around her neck was missing a hand and had been replaced with a long knife, the other was pointing a gun directly at her temple.

"Uh uh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Put it down, Pocahontas. I'll slice her neck and blow her brains out before you could even think about it." He had a familiar, southern accent and it didn't sound like he was joking around. Tess grit her teeth, wanting to challenge him but not willing to risk Maggie's life to do so.

She slowly lowered her bow to appease him but he tsked her again, dissatisfied.

"Toss it, Red." He demanded and Tess unwillingly obliged, throwing it away from her.

"Satisfied?" She growled angrily as he looked her up and down.

"Knife too. Get rid of it." He ordered her and she threw it into the dirt.

"You've won Merle, now let her go." Glenn pleaded with the ill-tempered man and Tess did a double take.

Merle? Merle wasn't exactly a common name and she didn't think it likely that Glenn would know more than one. Tess then looked at Merle's right arm again and knew it had to be Daryl's brother. Her heart sank into her stomach as she realized what was happening. Merle was fulfilling a vendetta.

"What do you want from us?" Tess asked him, keeping her voice calm and even.

"From you? Nothin'. You're friend over there however, I've got a bone to pick with him. Ya' see, this here," Merle raised his right hand, "This here is cos' of him. So why don't we take a drive?"

Merle pressed the knife against Maggie's throat again and she whimpered fearfully. Glenn seethed and stepped forward but Tess held him back before he could do anything stupid.

"You said it yourself, this is about me and you. Let her go." Glenn demanded, pushing himself away from Tess. Merle chuckled sinisterly and in a way that made her regret ever caring about him.

"Call it incentive." Merle smirked at him and then turned his attention back to Tess. "It's clear who the favorite is here, huh?" He jeered, clearly trying to get under her skin.

Merle holstered his gun and opened the door to the backseat of their car, shoving Maggie inside. She stumbled onto the seat and crawled away from him, desperately looking to Glenn for help.

"Get in." Merle instructed them and Glenn didn't hesitate to rush to Maggie's side. Tess stayed, staring Merle down and weighing her options. Now that her friends were out of the line of fire, could she risk taking Merle on? She didn't really know if she wanted to; he was Daryl's brother after all.

"You waitin' for a special invitation? Get in."

"What happened in Atlanta was an accident. Whatever debt you think Glenn owes you-"

"You don't know shit about Atlanta." Merle lunged at her and yanked her by the neck of her collar. As he did so, he pulled at the chain around her neck and she winced as it dug into her skin.

Merle noticed the familiar chain, similar to one he used to wear, and pulled it out from under her shirt, holding the tags in his hand. Tess leaned back as far as she could, uncomfortable by his closeness. Merle glared at the small pieces of metal fiercely, fueled by resentment and anger.

"Get in fuckin' car. You're driving." He growled, ripping the chain from her neck and throwing it to the ground.

—

As the car drove away, a hooded figure emerged from the trees and stood in the tire tracks left on the pavement.

—

They weren't driving for long, perhaps another ten or fifteen minutes due west. Tess was carefully trying to memorize the route Merle was instructing her to take as he pressed the knife into her neck and kept his gun trained on Maggie and Glenn in the backseat. All she could think about were the last words she'd spoken to Daryl before leaving the prison. Besides, nothing's going to happen. We'll be back before you know it.

Never had she ever dreamed that she'd end up running into his brother. Or that his brother would be so volatile and hate-filled. It made sense to her now why so many of the others that had known him at the quarry hadn't found his absence to be a loss.

Merle directed her to turn down a long, wide street and even from the corner she could see what appeared to be a walled compound at the other end. As she slowly rolled up to the walls, she spotted people patrolling at the top like sentries. Merle looked smug when he noticed the look on her face as she came to a stop.

"Don't even think about runnin'." He cautioned the pair in the back and then pressed the blade of his knife deeper into Tess' neck, drawing blood. She grit her teeth but didn't make a sound.

"Out of the car." He told her and she cast a fleeting glance at her friends in the rear view mirror before stepping out of the vehicle.

Merle called out to someone atop the wall and the metal and wood structure parted as the doors were opened. Tess didn't know what to expect but what appeared in front of her certainly wasn't on her list of possibilities. She expected maybe a militarized zone with FEMA shelters but what she saw looked more like a small township with pristine white buildings and no sign of the outside world. There were however armed guards and they were making their way directly towards them.

Tess felt a flare of anger as she saw a familiar face but it was quickly replaced with searing pain in the back of her head as she was struck from behind. She staggered and fell to her knees, made disoriented by the strike. She had to hold herself up with her hands but they felt weak and the pounding in her head made her feel like throwing up.

Worn leather boots sauntered towards her, different from the ones Merle had been wearing. Tess tried to pull herself back into a kneeling position but her efforts were futile. One booted foot reared back and struck her across the face with a sickening crack and she collapsed, unconscious.

Glenn and Maggie watched on in horror from the backseat of the car. Panicking.