Unbreakable threads

Chapter Twenty: No Way Out

He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to rush over and pull Alyssa away from Shane. But he hesitated, his own stubbornness and pride holding him back. He told himself Shane knew her mother, knew Rick—maybe she really did feel safer with him, someone tied to her past, her family. Maybe she didn't need him the way he thought she did.

Daryl pushed his feelings down, burying the worry and guilt under layers of indifference. If she trusted Shane, if she felt safe with him, then maybe that was enough. He didn't have to get involved; he didn't need to force his way in. Yet, a part of him, the part that couldn't fully ignore Alyssa's resilience and the way she'd tried to connect with him, wouldn't stop nagging at him, reminding him that sometimes, people needed each other, even if they didn't say it.

He kept his distance, his gaze lingering on Alyssa as she and Shane stood apart from the others. But deep down, he knew that if things went south, he wouldn't hesitate to step in. He'd pushed her away once, but if it came to it, he wouldn't let her face danger alone. Not this time.

As Dr. Jenner's grim words echoed through the room, Rick's face tightened, realizing just how dire their situation was. "The whole place is fortified," Jenner said, his voice hollow, resigned. "When the lockdown process begins, there's no reversing it. Nothing can get you out. Nothing."

Rick's mind raced, the weight of Jenner's words sinking in, threatening to crush the last threads of hope he clung to. He looked around the room, at the faces of his group—his family, both old and new. Lori and Carl were pressed close to him, their eyes wide with fear, while the others looked just as stunned and desperate. The prospect of being trapped, waiting for the inevitable, settled heavily over them all.

Just as the silence became unbearable, Carol's eyes widened, a flicker of realization sparking within her. She stepped forward, her voice tentative but filled with a glimmer of hope. "Rick," she said, reaching into her backpack, "I just remembered something... back at the camp, when I was doing laundry... I found this in the pocket of your pants." She pulled out a small, unassuming object, holding it up for everyone to see. It was a grenade.

Rick's eyes widened, recognition flashing across his face as he remembered grabbing it from the army tank in Atlanta. He'd forgotten about it entirely, but here it was—a single, powerful piece of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.

"You kept it?" he asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.

Carol nodded, a faint, determined smile crossing her face. "I thought... maybe, just in case, we might need it one day." She glanced around at the others, her eyes resolute. "And I think that day is today."

A collective breath seemed to pass through the group, a renewed sense of possibility breaking through the despair. Daryl's face lit up with fierce determination, his gaze fixed on the grenade as if it were a lifeline. "Hell yeah, we can blast our way outta here," he muttered, a hint of excitement breaking through his rough exterior.

Rick took the grenade from Carol, his grip steady as he looked around at the group, his face filled with a newfound purpose. "Alright," he said, his voice firm and unwavering. "This is our way out. Everyone, get ready. We're blowing our way through those doors, and we're getting out of here."

The group sprang into action, a mix of relief and tension buzzing through the room as they prepared to make their escape. Daryl moved to the front, his crossbow at the ready, while Shane and T-Dog worked to guide everyone into position, creating a safe distance from the doors.

Alyssa felt a surge of hope, her earlier panic ebbing as she looked around at the people she'd come to see as allies—even family. This was their chance, their one shot to survive, and she knew she couldn't afford to falter now.