Nothing Ever Stays the Same (From the Ashes We Will Rise: Book 2)

Chapter 2

 When my eyes met Glenn's, I gave him a nod. That's when he and the others began banging on the fence. Rick looked over at Lori, who pulled back the fence, and then we were off. Rick took the lead while I was right behind him, taking down the walkers with my machete. I could hear a chorus of three shots going off. That's my boy. I let out a little thanks as I watched a walker drop beside me. I turned around, and Lincoln gave me a little wave before refocusing his attention. Rick came to a sudden stop, and I ran right into him. He looked down at his feet and then back up at the tower.

"Sorry!" Carol shouted, and I shook my head with a smile. Rick and I reached the gate in no time at all. He tossed his gun over to me before grabbing onto the fence. I let shot after shot ring out while Rick used a couple of carabiners to secure the fence. They were closing in around us. We needed to hurry the hell up. He took the gun back as soon as he got the second one locked on, and we both shut ourselves into the admin booth. We both climbed to the top floor and let out a little laugh. I pulled the rifle off my shoulder and began shooting. Rick was right once again. With everyone firing, we took those walkers down in no time.

For the first time in months, everyone smiled and cheered. As Rick and I were on the ground again, I saw little legs running at me. I shouldn't even say little anymore. Ever since he turned 9, Lincoln has shot up like a plant. Once night fell, everyone gathered around the fire and enjoyed the few birds Daryl shot down for us.

"Mmm," Glenn moaned. "Just like mom used to make."

I let out a laugh, "shut up, ya jackass."

"Tomorrow, we'll pull the bodies together," T-Dog spoke, refocusing the conversation. "We need to keep them away from that water. If we dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water."

"This soil is good," Hershel added. "We could plant some seeds and grow tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans...that's his third time around."

Rick hasn't sat down since we left the admin booth earlier. And since Rick hasn't stopped to rest. Carol and Daryl have been taking shifts over by the front gate.

"If any part of it were compromised, he'd have found it by now," Hershel sighed.

"This'll be a good place to have the baby," Beth smiled. "Safe."

A few minutes later, Rick finally came in, "we should turn in. I'll take watch over there. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"Look, I know we're all exhausted," he began. "This was a great win. But we've got to push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. It looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies are intact. They'd have an infirmary, commissary, an armory. That would be outside the prison itself but not too far away. Warden's offices would have info on the location: weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a gold mine."

"We're dangerously low on ammo," Hershel spoke up. "We'd run out before we make a dent."

"That's why we have to go in there...hand to hand," Rick countered. "After all we've been through, we can handle it. I know it. These assholes don't stand a chance." With that, he left us, but Lori was quick to follow.

I could feel every muscle in my body ache as I laid down, Lincoln following suit. These past few months have been hard, but tomorrow was going to be grueling. Lincoln didn't like to snuggle with me anymore, and I got it. He was growing up. It's not cool to snuggle with your dad, but as I drifted off to sleep, I felt the back of his head press against my arm. That little bit of comfort allowed me to succumb to the temptation fully.

The following day it was T-Dog, Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, and I working to clear the prison. We formed a circle, and no one was to break it. Everyone had their backs covered his way. We were making good time, moving in and taking walkers down left and right.

"Get tight, get tight!" Glenn shouted as we moved further inward. The others were doing their best to draw some of them away and take them down at the gate.

"Don't break rank!" Rick shouted as T-Dog took off. Maggie was behind him as he grabbed the riot shield, taking down a walker. As soon as they were back, we fell back into formation.

"We're almost there," Rick panted. He pushed open a door, but nothing came out, thank god. He poked his head around the corner, immediately shot back, and plastered his body against the wall. Trusting him, the rest of us did as well. As the walkers began closing in, Daryl shot one of his arrows, but it wasn't strong enough to break through the riot helmet the walker was wearing. Rick and Daryl were working on getting the gate shut while the rest of us were trying to kill the walkers in front of us. I kept swinging the machete, but it did nothing against the body armor. Finally, Maggie grabbed the walker by the helmet, pulled his head back, and stabbed him in the neck.

"You see that?" She panted excitedly. T-Dog, Glenn, and I all shared a look before following her lead. After we took down the last few walkers, we began heading back.

"Stop," Rick ordered.

"It looks secure," I spoke, following his gaze around the fence.

"Not from the look of that courtyard," Daryl countered. "And that's a civilian."

"The interior could be overrun with walkers from outside the prison," T-Dog suggested.

"Well, if there are walls down, what are we going to do?" Glenn asked, frustrated. "We can't rebuild this whole place."

"We can't risk a blind spot," Rick sighed. "We have to push in."