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Chapter Sixteen: Prisoners
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Glenn parked the car in front of the worn-down house. It was a normal everyday home, just taken down by the effects of the apocalypse surrounding them.
Mercy got out of the car quickly, exiting the passenger seat she forced herself into. Glenn had complained, saying that Maggie should sit in the seat considering that she was his girlfriend but Mercy called bullshit,
"No, I refuse to be the third wheel in the back seat. If I'm gonna do it, it's gonna be while I'm chilling in shotgun," She had argued, throwing her feet up on the dashboard.
The three of them walked to the front door of the home, Rick, Carl, T-Dog, and Daryl following shortly behind.
Rick counted down silently to when he would kick in the door. Mercy pulled out her gun, holding it carefully in her hands.
When Rick's countdown ended, he kicked in the door full force, causing it to swing back and hit the inside wall harshly.
The group filled the house swiftly, taking down any initial walkers that stood at the entrance.
The house itself didn't have too many. Only a couple in bedrooms, or wandering around in the living room. Other than that, it was relatively clear. But it still had plenty of recourses to be looted.
Mercy moved upstairs stealthily, entering the master bedroom. Inside, there was a large king-sized bed with boring bedsheets, a large walk-in closet, and a huge tv.
"Y'think we could bring this with us?" Mercy asks, her hands finding their way to her hips. Glenn barks out a laugh behind her.
"Yeah right. That'll be your job to carry it" He added, turning out of the room.
"Hey! I have amazing strength," The teen commented, flexing her muscles.
"Uh-huh,"
Mercy reaches over and shoves the older boy's head lightly, earning a small giggle from him.
The two race each other downstairs, Mercy winning, and not because she tripped Glenn by sticking out the toe of her shoe on the last step.
"Can you two be quiet?" T-Dog comments with a smile, his words not meaning to be as harsh as they sound. Daryl shakes his head, eyes still glancing around the room.
"I don't think that's humanly possible," He comments. Mercy snaps finger guns towards him, earning an eye roll.
Mercy and Glenn eventually dispersed from their pair and the teen headed to the kitchen to see if there were any good snacks she could steal.
She reached up and opened the cabinets. There wasn't anything super good, only cans of corn and broth, which she took anyways, storing it in her backpack.
carl rounded the corner as Mercy continued raiding the cabinets, his gun held out at arm's length in front of him. She held up her hands in mock defense,
"oh no! don't shoot," She said softly, sarcasm dripping off her tongue. Carl mutters a quiet apology, removing his aim and walking over to help mercy grab the rest of the food.
In the fridge, there were a few jars of pickles, as well as a few fruit cups. She took them with a smile, shaking the jar lightly. It was warm, considering the fact the fridge was broken. But surprisingly the expectation hasn't been surpassed yet.
Mercy popped open the jar, quickly shoving a pickle in her mouth before closing the lid and shoving it back into her backpack, a finger dragging across her lips to signal a secret shared between her and Carl. Carl giggles with a nod.
The grimes boy reaches over and grabs a can of dog food sitting on the counter. He held it up with a curious smile,
"Should we risk it?" He asks. Mercy grabs it from his hands, looking it over.
"Yeah," She says simply, handing it back to the younger boy, watching as he slips it into his bag.
When Rick comes back into the room, mercy feels herself tense up lightly. He nods to the door, signaling for her to open it. She does this without needing a second order, letting the rest of the group inside.
as the group sets up in the living room, Daryl comes wandering down the stairs, pulling the legs off of an owl.
"You've got to be joking," Mercy says with a laugh. Daryl glances over at her, cutting the bird with his hunting knife and digging in.
"Don't hate on it until you try it," He mutters, stomping to the living room. the teen shakes her head, ignoring the way Daryl holds the bird a little too close to her face.
Lori walks through the halls, one hand supporting her stomach while the other holds her things. "do you need any help with that?" The redhead asks, reaching a hand out slightly so she can help if need be. Lori shakes her head, thanking Mercy quietly.
The Grimes mom has gotten closer and closer to giving birth to her next child. It's a terrifying topic for those around her. Mercy personally, doesn't know how they'll be able to continue walking every day when the baby comes. Its crying will attract walkers, it needs to eat more often than normal people, it can't talk, and there are so many things that could go wrong.
But for now, the group didn't speak on it much. only when it was needed; like when Lori needed a hand with something, or when they were deciding how to split the food.
"No, no you don't need to do that. I can take the same amount as you guys," Lori had insisted waving her hands. Mercy passed her a sleeve of crackers with a smile,
"Eating for two needs to be taken seriously," She had joked. Lori took the extra food, even though it was clear she didn't want to.
Rick had thanked Mercy for her actions and she nodded with a soft smile, though her mind flooded with anger.
Mercy had yet to forgive Rick. I mean, can you blame her? The man had killed the last person in her family and now she sobs into the night sky, clutching onto the golden-stained chained necklace around her neck.
The rest of the group found their way into the living room, filling the seats and floors quickly. Mercy took a seat next to Maggie, securing her back down by her feet.
the group's attention was brought to Carl when the young boy dug through his bag, searching for something. He pulled out a can opener, pulling out the can of dog food he found as well.
He opened the can, sticking a plastic fork into the substance. Rick quickly walked over, yanking the can from his son's grip and throwing it on the floor with a loud thud. Mercy jumped in her seat,
"psycho," Mercy thought as she crossed her arms around her clothed chest. She had been wearing the same outfit she did the night they left the farm.
A black tank top, with jeans, and a jacket to go over it. She continued to wear her dirty converse, which at this point had only come to collect more dirt. Finding new clothes in the apocalypse isn't easy, especially finding ones that fit.
the room fell silent as rick paced around, leaving his son confused, and now, one dog food can less.
"Psst,"
Mercy spun her head to her left where T-Dog sat. He pointed outside where a large group of walkers was stumbling towards the home.
"shit," Mercy mumbled, grabbing her bag next to her on the floor and leading the group quietly out of the house.
everyone quickly grabbed their things and split off into their separate cars, just barely making it past the hoard coming their way.
"We've gotta be more careful with our time," Glenn comments, his hands gripped tightly on the wheel as he looks at the road behind him in the rearview mirror.
"I know," Maggie comments, her head resting on her palm as she leans against the passenger window. Mercy continues to lay sprawled out in the back seat, the only upside to being stuck in the back.
—
as always, the car ride is long. they try to always be on the road if not scavenging. It's the safest option, though it's a risky one without an infinite supply of gas.
but that never stops them. so about an hour and a half later Glenn breaks the car, causing the once sleeping girl in the back to roll over and fall onto the floor of the back seat.
She lands on the ground with an "oof", rubbing her head dramatically as she sits up.
"Where are we?" She asks groggily, sticking her head between the two adults in the front. Ahead of them, all of the cars have come to a complete stop, and the group has begun to spill out of them.
Glenn and Maggie exit the car without a second thought, jogging over to Rick quickly. Mercy groans loudly before following the two.
As she walks to the center of the small meeting, T-Dog lays down a large map of the area on the hood of their car. Many spots are circled, while a few are crossed off with small notes next to them such as "empty" or "filled with geeks"
Mercy takes a seat on the ground next to where the youngest grimes boy is standing, keeping watch.
"What are you doing?" He asks, his eyes still up and looking around.
"Bored," Mercy comments, clicking the tops of her shoes together as they are stretched out in front of her.
"Could always join their meeting," Beth says with a smile as she walks over to the two teens, her hands in her pockets. Mercy smiles at the girl's appearance.
"Those meetings are lame. I don't care where we go next, as long as I get some kind of snack out of it," She responds, looking back down at her shoes.
Beth nods as she takes a seat on the ground next to the red-haired girl.
"what do you like to do?" She asks, her blue eyes locking with Mercy's matching ones. She shrugs,
"I dunno. I've been napping a lot recently. that's fun," She comments, playing with a stray string on her sleeve. Beth shakes her head.
"No, that's not what I mean," She starts, shifting her body so she's a smidge closer to Mercy. "You sleep a lot, yeah. but you do it because you have nothing else to do. What do you want to do?" She rephrases, her eyes searching for an answer in Mercys.
Mercy about gets lost in Beth's gaze, letting herself drown in the other girl's aura.
"Um... I dunno. I like taking in scenery I guess. it's not really a cool hobby or anything." She stumbles, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Sure it is," Beth responds. "do you like it because of the way it looks? or the memories you make there?" She asks.
"Both, I guess,"
"Well, I think that's an awesome thing to do. Sounds interesting. Maybe find a way to capture them so they last longer," Beth says with a shrug. Mercy nods, eyes still locked on hers.
Becoming friends with Beth was one of the best decisions Mercy has ever made. Yea, she didn't have many options. But the way Beth made Mercy feel like she wasn't alone in her thoughts meant so much to her. She doesn't know what she would do without her.
"Guys!"
Mercy looks away from Beth finally, glancing around the area. Rick emerges from the trees, jogging over to the rest of the group. She hadn't even realized that they had finished their meeting.
Beth stands up quickly, offering her hand to Mercy. She takes it quickly, less focused on the way that Beth's hand wrapped around hers makes something inside her focused and more focused on how Rick begins rambling on about a prison.
"What?" Lori asks, her hand firmly pressed on her husband's shoulder.
"It's a prison, a big one. I think if we could clear it of any walkers, it could be a suitable home. at least for a while?" Rick comments, glancing between everyone surrounding him.
Mercy was in the minute she heard home. That's all She's been wanting for the past eight months.
Rick leads them all back to where he found the prison. He was right, it was relatively large. The teen's mind raced with thoughts and questions.
would there be a lot of walkers? was there already a group living there? can prison food go bad? how comfy are cots?
The group quickly made their way down the small hill connecting the prison and the forest, attempting to make their way through the gate.
Luckily enough for them, Glenn had some wire cutters in his backpack. He smirks at Mercy as he hands them to rick.
a little over a week ago, the group had come across a hardware store and Glenn had found some wire cutters. His bag was already heavy enough so Mercy suggested that he leave it.
"Are you crazy Sadie?" Glenn had exclaimed. "Do you know how useful these could be?" He asked, holding the tool closer to the teen. Mercy pushed him away.
"Could be. When are we ever going to need these?" She asked. Glenn glanced at the tool once more, thinking it over before shoving it in his bag and throwing it over his shoulder.
"y'know what? I'm taking them just to prove you wrong,"
"fuck you" Mercy mouthed as rick cut the gate open, handing them back to Glenn after with a quiet "thank you"
inside the small gated area, Mercy could see the whole front of the prison. it was a lot larger up close, and there were a lot more walkers than she had thought.
"It's perfect" Rick commented, a smile forming on his face. Mercy nodded.
She genuinely agreed with the sheriff for once. If they actually were able to clear out this place of all geeks, they might be able to make this a suitable home. Maybe the baby wouldn't be as much of a risk as it would be on the road. they would be safe.
"We can shut that gate and prevent more from getting in the yard," rick comments gesturing to the large open gate about a hundred yards away. "We can pick off each of these walkers one by one,"
"How do we shut the gate?" Hershel asks. Mercy glances back at the gate once more, taking note of the walkers surrounding it.
"I'll do it. you guys cover me." Glenn offers.
"Absolutely not," Mercy says simply as soon as the words leave Glenn's mouth.
"I'm the fastest,"
"You're also the dumbest,"
"No," Rick says firmly but friendly. "Glenn. you maggie and beth draw as many as you can over there. pop em through the fence," He orders pointing at the gate behind them.
"Daryl and Mercy, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. go with them, take your time, we don't have a lot of ammo to waste." He adds, giving the rest of the group jobs to do to help.
Rick insists on being the one to run for the gate which Mercy gladly agrees with. He stands by the gates opening, cracking his knuckles. He waits for the perfect moment to run for it.
Mercy stands in the guard tower next to Daryl, her handgun in her hand as she waits for the signal.
and the signal comes quickly. Lori swings open the gate a second later, and rick runs out gunning it for the gate.
Mercy aims and shoots at about three walkers who get too close to the sheriff, hitting each of them square in the face.
about as quickly as he ran out there, he arrives at the gate, shutting it quickly and bolting for the guard tower closest to him, closing the door roughly behind him.
as soon as he's out of sight, the rest of the group opens fire and guns down the rest of the walkers in the field, creating the perfect camp for the night.
—
and it was perfect. Mercy lays out a blanket on the ground and lays on it with a sigh, glancing up at the sky above them.
Someone had made a meat dinner. something that Mercy very much enjoyed, since she choked down all of hers in less than a minute.
not everyone excepted the meal since Daryl and Rick had both gone off to keep watch without eating first. Which left two servings of food on plates near the fire. when she sat up, Mercy frowned at the plates, laying her head on her knees.
"hey," Carol said softly, running a hand down the teen's back. Mercy glanced up at her. "How about I get Daryl some food? God knows he'll eat it faster than you," She says with a smile.
Mercy giggles softly, nodding. Carol pats her back before standing up and bringing the redneck his dinner.
The group conversed quietly about plans for the farm, giving ideas and opinions on what they could do with all the room.
"That's his third time around," Hershel comments when he's done talking about his farming plan. Mercy looks up from the fire, glancing back at Rick behind her.
"He's finally going insane," She jokes, pulling on a rip in her jeans. No one responds to that, either silently agreeing or deciding not to comment.
"This'll be a good place to have the baby," Beth says softly to Lori, changing the subject to a lighter note. "it's safe," She adds. Lori smiles at the young girl.
"I was thinking that too," Mercy replies, "Not just the laboring process, but afterward too,"
Lori nods at both girls, giving them soft and genuine smiles, "Thank you," She says quietly.
"Hey... Bethy?" Hershel calls out. Beth turns and looks at her father. "Sing paddy reilly for me," He asks innocently, "I haven't heard that I think, since your mother was alive,"
"Daddy, not that one, please," Maggie begs sadly. Beth tenses slightly at the request.
"How about... the parting glass?" He asks again. Beth frowns, shifting in her seat awkwardly.
"No one wants to hear," She responds, averting her eyes from the group.
Mercy's heart just about breaks,
"I do," She says with a smile. Beth turns to the girl, a curious look on her face as if asking the redhead if she genuinely wants to or not. and with a small nod, Beth sits up a bit straighter and begins to sing.
and Mercy has never been more mesmerized. She feels like she's lightheaded as Beth sings, her voice blending so beautifully, and the lyrics flowing out of her pink lips sweetly.
of all the money e'er I had
I spent it in good company
and all the harm
e'er I've ever done
alas it was to none but me
and all I've done for want of wit
to memory now I can't recall
The three scattered members of the group slowly make their way back to the group as Maggie begins to sing along with her sister, both of their voices harmonizing perfectly.
Then Mercy remembers what Beth had told her earlier. About how she should find a way to capture scenery she likes. Right now, as Mercy glances around at where she is she realizes that this is a scene she doesn't want to forget.
So she reaches inside her bag and carefully pulls out the Polaroid camera Hershel had given to her a few months ago. She had almost forgotten it was there, buried under water bottles and loose snacks.
Mercy levels the weight of the camera in her hands and points it at the two girls in front of her, snapping a quick photo with a quiet click.
Hershel smiles at the three of them as Mercy pulls the white slip from the camera and grins as it begins to develop in her hands.
a perfect picture of the two sisters singing, their eyes being filled with nothing but pure joy as they forget about the awful world just outside the iron gates surrounding them.
an
——
so sorry about the delay in writing, I had band camp for the past three weeks. I hope to be back on a normal schedule soon :)