Daryl's Angel (Book One in the Apocalypse Angel Trilogy)

Chapter 41: Mercy

"Sir! Please! Listen to her! Listen! We didn't know! It was them and it was bad. It wasn't us!" Axel begs, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Oh that's convenient," Rick spits.

"You saw what he did to Tiny," Axel says, his voice breaking. "He was my friend! Please! We ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm not a killer. Oscar here, he was breaking and entering, but he wasn't very good at it. We ain't the violent kind, they were! Please! I swear to God! I wanna live!" He breaks down, whimpering.

Rick shakes his head and turns back to Oscar. "What about you?"

"I ain't ever pleaded for my life, and I'm not gonna start today. So you do what you gotta do," he replies. He stares Rick in the eyes.

"Rick, remember what you said at the farm? About honouring Dale," I say quietly.

Rick turns to me, and I cross my arms and look back at him. He looks back at Oscar and Axel and lowers his gun.

"Let's go to your cell block," he says.

We exit the laundromat, walking for a bit before we get to another cell block. Rick shoves Oscar and Axel into it and they stand there, looking around. Outside the lower cells is a row of prisoners, all with bullet wounds in the head.

"I knew these guys..." Axel says. "They were good men."

"Let's go," Rick orders.

"So you're just gonna leave us here? Man, this is sick," Oscar says.

"We're locking down this cell block. From now on, this part of the prison is your's, take it or leave it. That was the deal." Rick leaves the block, waiting outside the doors.

"You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside," Daryl says.

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones," Rick adds before walking away.

"Sorry about your friends," Daryl mumbles. He follows Rick out, leaving me and T-dog.

"Word of advice, take those bodies outside and burn them," T-dog says, then he leaves.

The two of them look at me.

"If you ask me, I think you two seem like good guys. I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'll try to help," I say.

"Thank you miss," Axel says.

"Good luck," I say. I start to leave, but I stop at the door. "Sorry about Big Tiny."

----------

When we get back to Cell Block C, everyone is hanging around near Hershel's cell.

"Hershel stopped breathing," Carl says. "Mom saved him."

"Good job," Rick says. He enters the cell.

"Did you find the infirmary?" I ask Carl.

"Yeah. I killed two walkers, it was no big deal," he replies.

"Did you get someone else to go with you?"

"No. I thought I could do it alone, and I did."

"Carl...you could've been hurt."

"I'm sorry. Daryl and T-dog went with you and dad, and I felt I would be ok."

"I understand...How'd Lori take it?"

"She got mad. Could you talk to her?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

We look back into the cell, where everyone has gone silent. Daryl comes up behind me and looks in too.

We watch Hershel, and slowly, his eyelids flicker and his eyes open.

"Daddy?" Maggie asks.

"Daddy!" Beth says.

Rick unlocks the cuffs from Hershel's wrist, and Hershel reaches his hand out to him. Rick takes it, and they shake. I smile, and so does Carl. Lori leaves the room, and Rick moves aside to let Maggie and Beth be near their father.

"Lori? Can I tell you something?" I ask as she leaves.

She nods, stopping and moving closer to me.

"Carl, with the infirmary-" I start.

"How do you know about that?" she asks.

"I was the one who asked him to find it. I told him to get someone to go with him," I explain. "I knew that Hershel needed bandages, and I thought that he could handle it." Lori looks at me, not saying anything. "So, if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me."

"You did what was best for Hershel. Thank you," she says. "I'll talk to Carl."

"I'll see you later."

Lori walks away, and I lean against a wall. I run my fingers through my hair and sigh.

I walk outside, where the sun is starting to set. I close my eyes and feel the breeze blow across my face and I smile.

Maybe we have a chance for a normal life now.