SOS/Book 2/The Prison

Chapter 14

Nobody's point of view
Rick was outside the prison walls, again.
He was sitting by the lake where he'd last 'seen Lori'.

"Lori," he whispered, staring into the rippling water, "Lori come back to me."
He was answered with nothing but the chirping of birds and the rusting of the trees.
A tear trickled down his right cheek and he asked again,
"Lori, I need you." he said, this time more desperate, "I can't live without you."

When nothing happened again he buried his face in his hands, a crying mess.

"Rick?" Hershel said, walking over to him, "Rick snap out of it."
Rick looked up at him, his face red and his eyes puffy.
"You have a son." Hershel told him, "You have a son, and now you have a daughter who both need you now more than ever."

"I can't." Rick whispered,
"Yes you can!" Hershel snapped, "Rick you got us as far as we are, you aren't about to give up now surely?"
Rick shook his head, wiping away the tears,
"How." he said, "How do I recover."

Hershel sighed and looked at the ground,
"I know how it feels," he told him, "I lost my wife too, right at the beginning of the apocalypse."
Rick took in everything that he was saying,
"But I got over it Rick. I saw that I had two beautiful daughters that needed my help and I got over it."

Rick stood up,
"I understand," he said, "I know I need to step up."
"And a good way to start would be to admit you are hallucinating- not seeing Lori."
"But-"
"No rick." Hershel said sternly, "Admit it and move on."

Rick broke eye contact and breathed in,
"It was," he stuttered, "I-it was a hallucination."

Hershel smiled,
"That's all I needed to hear, you've got this Rick."

Hershel grabbed Ricks arm to help him up, then they both walked into the prison.
Carl was waiting for Rick next to the vegetable patch,

"Dad, there's someone here," he said, urging his dad to follow,
"Who?"
"Just come." Carl said.

Everyone followed and walked round to the back fence.
Carl pointed into the distance,
"Look." He said.

By the gate were two women and two men.

"MAGGIE!!!" Fleur said running to the fence and opening the gate wide to let them in. She gave her sister a huge hug.
"Maggie, Glenn, who are they?" Fleur pointed to the other man and woman, one had one hand and one had a katana.

Merle

Merle and Michonne

Merle scanned the group, looking for his brother.

Then their eyes met.

"M- Mer-" Daryls voice broke, tears streamed down his cheeks as he ran up to him,
Their bodies collided and Merle pulled him into a big man hug,

"I-I thought you were dead bro," Daryl cried,
"Me too Daryl, me too."

After almost a year of being apart they had finally found each other- and although they weren't the perfect family they were still all each other had.
Merle was racist and damaged and Daryl had been through unthinkable shit.

And now they were reunited.

"Well we'll well, if it isn't Rick the prick." Merle laughed, giving Rick a small smile which was returned,

Michonne stood next to the fence, observing everything around her. She felt... out of place.

"Oh, this is Michonne!" Maggie said, grabbing Michonnes arm eagerly and dragging her to the rest of the group, "She saved mine and Glenn's life."
"What happened?" Carol asked and Maggie shot a glance to Merle.