*WARNING: Please be advised that this chapter contains mature content and strong language.*
Chapter 23
Quinn's POV
"Pantry's back here," Tomas notified.
We entered the cafeteria behind the prisoners. I still wasn't fond with them being here, but Rick seems to think it's the right thing to do.
"Never tried to break outta here?" T-dog asked.
"We tried to take the doors off, but if you make one peep in here, those freaks would be lined up at the door growlin' and tryin' to get in here," one explained. "Windows got bars on there that He-Man couldn't get through."
"Bigger than a five by eight."
"You won't find me complaining," the largest man said. "Doing fifteen. My left leg can barely fit on one of those bunks. Yeah, they don't call me Big Tiny for nothin'."
"You done jerking each other off?" Tomas asked. "I'm sick of waitin' back here."
I looked around as we filtered in behind them. The lying sacks of shit had so much food...they lied.
Daryl got in Mexican Boy's face. "This is what you call a little bit of food?"
"Goes fast," he defended, not backing down from Daryl.
"Mhm," Daryl said, pushing past him.
"You can have a bag of corn, some tuna fish—"
"You said half," Rick reminded. "That's the deal."
"What's in here?" I asked, gesturing to a metal door.
"Don't open that."
But I had already popped the door open. I gagged and slammed the door shut. I heard snickering from behind me.
"She wanted to know," Tomas sneered.
"Can't wait for my own pot to piss in."
Rick and T-dog brought some food back to our cellblock while Daryl and I stayed and watched the prisoners. They came back and we laid a variety of weapons in front of them.
"Why do I need this when I got this?" Tomas asked, showing us a hammer and then his gun.
"You don't fire guns, not unless your back's up against a wall," I informed.
"Noise attracks 'em," Daryl added. "Really riles 'em up."
"We'll go in two by two," Rick informed. "Daryl will run point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you." He pointed to the short man. "Stay tight, hold formation, no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone who breaks out, we could all go down. Anyone who runs off..."
"Could get mistaken for a walker, end up with an axe to the head," I finished for him, seeing that he was at a loss for words.
"And that's where you aim," Daryl added. "'Cause they only go down with a headshot."
"Ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man," Tomas retorted.
"They ain't men," T-dog reminded. "They're somethin' else."
"Just remember to go for the brain," Rick said, a note of annoyance to his voice.
We all picked up weapons and headed for the door.
___
Daryl and T-dog lead the way around a corner.
"Man, it's so damn dark in here," one of them said loudly.
"You'll hear 'em before you see 'em," Daryl whispered.
"It's comin'!" someone yelled, making me jump.
"Shh!" Rick ordered.
Daryl held up a hand, motioning for us to stop. I heard a growl in the distance. Two walkers rounded the corner, too far away to handle at the moment. Daryl held up his hand, and counted down with his fingers. Rick, T-dog, and I are used to looking for hand signals.
They, apparently, were not.
They yelled and ran towards the walkers, weapons raised. Rick, T-dog, Daryl, and I stood back and watched as they beat them everywhere but the head. I finally walked up and used my crowbar to take the walkers down.
"Yeah, you sure know how to take down a man," I muttered as I passed them into the next corridor.
I heard the men behind me as my footsteps echoed through the empty halls. We were met with a couple more walkers around the corner.
Daryl raised his crossbow and shot one in the head. "It's gotta be the brain. Not the stomach, not the heart, the brain." Daryl reached for another arrow.
One ran forward and put the axe in a walker's head. "Like that?"
"Yeah," I answered, a smile on my face.
The blonde with long hair, whom I found to be the nicest, brought his pipe to another's face. Rick took down the third one.
"Stay in tight formation," Rick ordered, hearing more growls. "No more prison-riot crap."
I stood back as walkers rounded the next corner; I let the prisoners take their turn. I heard a yell for help and I ran around the corner to find Big Tiny surrounded by two walkers. I took one down. Next, three gunshots rang out and the other was on the ground. I turned around and saw Tomas standing there.
Big Tiny reached for his shoulder and when he brought his hand back, it was covered in blood. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I was pushed behind a large body; Daryl. Rick came forward and examined his wound.
"I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just a scratch," he tried to defend.
"I'm sorry, man," Rick apologized.
"I can keep fightin'!"
"You cut that old guy's leg off to save his life," Shorty added.
"Look at where the bite is," Rick identified.
"Guys, I'm fine! Just—I'm fine." He lowered his voice. "Look at me. I'm not changing into one of those things."
"There has to be something we can do."
"Maybe we can just lock him up, quarantine him."
"We gotta do something. Why you just standing there?"
"We gotta save him!"
"There's nothing we can do," I said loudly over the chaos.
"You son of a bitch."
As I was about to snap, Big Tiny fell to the ground and behind him was Tomas. He continued to beat on him until he was nothing but a pool of blood.
It was intense and Daryl would not let go of my arm. We continued through the prison. They were in front, we were behind them.
"You see the look on his face?" Daryl asked Rick.
"If he makes one move..." Rick trailed off.
"Just give me a signal."
Daryl gave me a sideways glance before picking up his pace. We entered what looked to be the infirmary. Next to it were two metal doors.
Rick handed the keys over to Tomas.
"I ain't openin' that," he refused.
"Yes you are," Rick insisted. "You wanted this cellblock, you're gonna open that door. Just the one, not both of them."
"Why not?"
"'Cause we need to control this," Rick answered.
He picked up the keys and fiddled with them. "You bitches ready?" he asked smugly. He tugged on the doors; once, twice. He turned to us. "I got this." With one last yank, both doors were flung open.
"I said one door!" Rick yelled.
"Shit happens!" he remarked.
I was taking down walkers when a knife swung inches from my face. I ducked to miss it. It was him. Of course it was him. He gave me a shrug and kept swinging at walkers. As I regained my balance, he grabbed a walker and pushed it towards me. I landed on my back with a thud and the walker struggled to get to my flesh.
"T, mind the gap!" Daryl yelled.
Before I knew it, a knife was placed in its head, making the walker go limp. It was dragged off of me and my eyes lifted to meet Daryl's. He grabbed my hand and we shared a look before he pulled me up with ease. As I stood, I realized the walkers had been defeated and now I was face to face with him. I just wanted him dead at this point. Daryl gave me a look, a look of approval.
"He was comin' at me, woman," he said gruffly as I stared into his beady, black eyes.
"Yeah, I get it," I said. "I guess shit happens."
He stared at me, unsure of what I meant. I pulled my own knife and stuck it between his brain.
"No!" the little one yelled, raising his bat to me.
He swung it at me in rage, but Rick was at his side in a matter of seconds, kicking it out of his grip.
"Easy now," Daryl said as the small prisoner laid on the concrete floor.
He jumped up and ran out of the room.
"I got him," Rick said as he followed after.
"Man, get down on your knees," Daryl ordered, crossbow raised.
"We don't have no affiliation, just happened. Tell him, Oscar."
Oscar shook his head. "Stop talkin', man."
T-dog had his gun trained on the other one as Daryl held his crossbow to Oscar. I stood, thinking about what I just did.
___
"We didn't have nothin' to do with that," Oscar defended as Rick held a gun to his head.
"You didn't know?" he asked. "You knew."
Rick swung around to the other prisoner. "Daryl let's end this now!"
"Sir, please. Please listen to me. It was them that were bad, it wasn't us."
"Oh, you call this convenience," Rick retorted, sounding absolutely pissed.
"You saw what he did to Tiny!" he defended. "We ain't like that. I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer."
I now realized that Daryl was holding a knife to Oscar's throat. The other started talking about something else, but he was crying too hard to make out the words.
"I wanna live!" he cried.
Rick swung around to Oscar. "What about you?"
"I ain't ever pleaded for my life and I ain't about to start now. So you do what you gotta do."
___
We entered their cellblock after getting to know them a bit more.
"Oh, man," Axel exclaimed. "I knew these guys. They were good men," he said as he eyed the dead bodies that were just cleared out of the cellblock.
"We were all good once," I managed to say from the doorway.
"Let's go," Rick said.
"So you're just gonna leave us in here?" Oscar asked. "Man, this is sick."
Rick shrugged. "We're locking this cellblock down. From now on, this side of the prison is yours. Take it or leave it, that was the deal."
"You think this is sick?" Daryl asked. "You don't wanna know what's outside."
"Consider yourselves the lucky ones," Rick added as he walked out of the cellblock.
"Sorry 'bout your friends, man," Daryl said while biting his lip slightly.
"Word of advice," T-dog started, "take those bodies outside and burn 'em."
He leaned off the cage and started down the hall, me following. I walked into Carol's cell that Hershel was in.
They were all crowded around the bed, watching as if something were happening. I made my way over to get a view. Hershel's eyes flickered open.
"Daddy?" Maggie asked, a big smile replacing her tears.
Beth smiled wide. "Daddy!"
Rick unlocked the handcuffs that bound Hershel's hand to the bed. Rick and Hershel locked hands. Lori walked out of the room without a word.
"Come here," Rick whispered.
He placed Maggie's hand in Hershel's as he got up and left as well.
___
Daryl's POV
"You alright?" I asked as I got to the top of the perch.
She didn't lift her eyes from the ground. "I guess so."
"He tried to kill you," I said. "That's the way it's gotta be. We do what we need to do to survive."
"I'm glad he's gone," she said. "I just wish it didn't have to come to that."
"It had to be done," I reminded. "He wouldn't have done anything but 'cause trouble."
"I guess you're right," she answered.
I smirked. "Always am."