Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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"So, here's what's gonna happen." I started as soon as Rick stopped beside me, his hands firmly on his hips. "Rick, Maggie, Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and I will go into the courtyard and take out the walkers within the area. The rest of you will do what we did yesterday. Make a big fuss and stick them through the fence. We don't have enough ammo, so if you fire, fire only when it's absolutely needed."

"So, we're going in there with just our knives?" Maggie asked me as she reached for the hunting knife we had found for her a few months back.

"Yeah," I nodded, "We don't have ammo to spare. The six of us will be in a tight formation, our backs all pressed to one another. I don't want us drifting away from one another cause then that leaves us vulnerable." I got a group of nods and 'alrights' from the group I was taking in there with us. I grabbed my machete, my knuckles turning white as I tightly squeezed the handle. I have high hopes for today, but getting overrun will be easy.

"Let's get started," Rick announced as he patted me. I've come to see this motion as a way of appraisal from him. Ever since the farm, I've taken more of a leading role within the group, cementing my place next to Rick. So when he gets stumped, I'm there with an idea – usually.

We headed towards the chained fence, and my nerves started skyrocketing as the group started screaming and hitting the fence. It'll get most of the walkers' attention, so hopefully, it won't be too tiresome for us to clear the courtyard by today. Rick and I took the front, the both of us casting glances at one another before nodding to Hershel so he could open the chain and let us through.

T-Dog was the first to step in, his fire poker firmly in his hand as he stepped forward and killed the closest walker to us. We all followed suit, quickly forming and stabbing away at the walkers that got close to us. A walker flanked our left, getting dangerously close to us.

"Daryl!" I shouted at the rugged man as I swung my machete at a nearby walker. I let out a grunt as my blade made contact with its skull, the sheer force of the swing vibrating in my arms as I kicked the walker off. I continued to swing at the walkers that came in my general direction, ensuring not to break formation and keeping an eye on the others. We continued to walk through, our grunts and blades' impacts the only noises I could hear as we walked further into the courtyard.

A mountain of walkers flooded towards us, their snarls deafening as Glenn shouted for us all to get tighter in formation. I retreated and came skin to skin with Rick and Daryl, only stepping forward once to swing my machete. We approached the basketball courts and stairs that led to the caged walkway above us, the number of walkers dissipating as we continued forwards.

T-Dog ran forward, his eyes glued onto the swat shield before us as Rick and I shouted at him to stay in formation. T-Dog grabbed the shield and held it up as a walker lunged at him, swinging the shield forward and knocking the walker down. I grunted as I ran forward, further shattering our formation as I stuck my machete into the walker's skull. We passed the littered stairs and pushed on, with no walkers in sight, as Rick assured us we were almost there. I let him take the lead while I took the rear end with Maggie, the two of us breathing heavily from the adrenaline coursing through our bodies. Rick hurriedly pushed himself against the wall and peeked around the corner, a soft 'shit' escaping his lips. I took a chance and stepped up, trying to get a look at whatever made Rick panic. Just next to us was an extension of the courtyard. The fenced gate swung wide open as hundreds of walkers shambled around. I bit my lip and stepped back, trying to hatch an idea about how we could get through there without any loss of life.

Two snarls hit my ears like bricks, and my eyes immediately darted to the noise source. Two walkers turned the corner, dressed from head to toe in riot gear. I looked at Daryl and pointed at the two walkers, watching as he aimed. Two more walkers dressed in riot gear turned the corner of the guard tower we were leaning against, facing us as Daryl released his bolt. The bolt bounced off the walker's head, the riot gear helmet doing its job and protecting the head. Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn lunged forward while Maggie, Daryl, and I retreated. The door next to us swung open, and out came another riot gear walker, its face covered in one of those respirator oxygen masks—they probably gassed the prisoners out as shit hit the fan.