the prison falls
SCARLETT WALKED OUTSIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WEEK. The sun on her skin felt amazing as she twirled slightly. Carl laughed at her giddy optimism, but she only gave him the finger in return. She was happy.
She fell into the grass, staring at the blue skies above.
"Come lay with me, Carl!"
Carl groaned before doing what she asked. He laid there, letting her hand grab his. His eyebrows furrowed as he felt a ring on her finger that was not there before. Lifting her hand up, the shadow covered his face, but he could see the shining diamond in the sunlight.
"He actually did it. Didn't think he would," Carl commented. "It's pretty."
Scarlett turned her head to him, smiling wide. "You think so?"
"Yeah. Like you," he teased.
Scarlett rolled her eyes, sitting up so she could look at him properly. "You're not mad?"
"Nah, he asked me about it before he did it. He wants this. I know you want it. I'm okay with it, really. I don't think... I don't think I can call you Mom, but I know Jude will. That's okay, too."
"I don't want to replace Lori, Carl. I'm just tryin' to do the right thing," she whispered. "Only want what's best for you 'nd Jude."
Carl grinned, shoving her back. Her mouth opened in shock. He laughed as he stood, gesturing with his hands for her to get up. "What? Too old for a game of tag? Now that you're engaged. Bleh!"
Scarlett squinted at him, her nose scrunching up playfully. "You're on, Sheriff Ass-Kicker!"
Carl's laughter filled the courtyard as she chased after him. A few people were outside laughing at them, but it was a beautiful scene. It was peaceful compared to what they had been dealing with.
Scarlett caught Carl with a laugh.
Her body covered his as she was getting ready to tackle him.
His giggles were something that was pure innocence in this stupid world.
An explosion went off next to them.
Scarlett was glad she was holding onto Carl, for a piece of debris pierced her arm causing her to shout in pain as the pair flew a few feet across the courtyard.
Scarlett felt someone help her stand, and she noticed it was Rick. Daryl helped Carl up as they turned to see who was banging on their door—literally. Scarlett's eyes widened as she saw her Daddy and the Governor standing on a tank.
"Mother fu—"
Scarlett felt Daryl tying something on her arm above the wound. She grit her teeth together as he pulled out the piece of fence. She noticed it was his belt that was tied. He soon tore a piece of his shirt, tying it around the wound. Putting his belt on, he nodded at her when she said a quiet thank you.
"Rick! Come down here! We need to talk!" the Governor shouted. "Bring your girl! Daddy wants to have a few words s'well!"
"It's not up to me! There's a council now. They run this place!" Rick shouted, keeping himself in front of Scarlett.
Scarlett stood at his side, however, and shook her head at Declan staring at her with malice in his eyes.
"Is Hershel on the council?" Governor asked rhetorically as someone pulled Hershel from the truck and had him kneel. "What about Michonne?" Same with Michonne. Scarlett gasped out at her Uncle kneeling there with a small smile on his face as if he was trying to tell them it was okay. "Is she on the council, too?"
"I don't make decisions anymore!"
"You're making the decisions today, Rick. Come down here, let's—let's have that talk."
Rick gulped, turning to face the group of survivors looking to their leader from the beginning. He let his eyes focus on Scarlett, taking her all in before nodding. "We can do this. All right?"
Scarlett knew Rick would not want her down there, so she stayed with Carl where she could protect the others. She noticed the Governor had found a new group of people to manipulate. They were locked and loaded. Scarlett wanted to scream because of all things, how the hell did he find a tank?
"We can't take them all on," Scarlett whispered as they all stayed at the fence. Daryl began handing out weapons. Scarlett gave one to Carl, nodding to him. Daryl took his spot next to Scarlett with a stoic expression on his face.
"We'll go through the admin building, through the woods, like we planned. We ain't got the numbers no more," he told them. "When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"
"The day before we hit the Big Spot," Sasha whispered. "We were running low on rations then. We're lower now."
"Yeah, we'll manage," Daryl grunted.
"If things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everybody know," Scarlett told Beth and the others near them.
"What if everybody isn't on it when things go bad? How long do we wait?" Maggie asked her.
"As long as we can," Daryl replied with narrowed eyes.
Scarlett could not hear much of what was being said as she aimed directly at her father. She noticed Carl's aim was on the Governor. "We've gotta do something," Carl murmured.
"Your dad's got it," Daryl muttered back. "They're talking."
"We could kill the Governor, right now," Carl tried to get them to understand.
"From 50 yards?" Daryl asked with a scoff.
"I'm a good shot. I could end this right now."
"Yeah. Or you could start something else. You gotta trust him," Scarlett finished, knowing Carl was right but there was too much risk.
All of a sudden they saw the Governor get off the tank and grab Michonne's sword and hold it against Hershel's neck. Scarlett called out, "Daddy, please! He's your brother!" She could not help the old term coming out of her mouth as she called for her father. She watched him glance between Hershel and Scarlett before he shook his head.
"Too late, sweetheart! Should've came with me when you had the chance!" Declan shouted. "Hershel's gon' pay the price!"
Scarlett tightened her grip on the gun in her hand. Her aim was on Declan. She was ready to end him. End her suffering.
Rick continued to speak, trying to talk the Governor out of killing Hershel. Killing anyone. Scarlett's hand was sweaty as Rick pleaded with them. He even tried talking to the soldiers. Scarlett watched as the Governor thought over something Rick said. She thought, for a fleeting moment, that they had gotten through to him.
Suddenly, there was no warning as Hershel's head was slit off the rest of his body with a proud smile still on his lips.
Scarlett found herself screaming with Maggie and Beth as she shot her gun with no mercy. She noticed her aim was spot on as she got her father once. It did not kill him, but he flew off the tank onto the ground.
Gunshots were flying everyone as the battle began. "Carl, stay back!" she shouted, knowing he would not listen to her.
She ran toward Rick, pushing open the gate as she heard the others shouting behind her. She felt bullets whizz past her body as she focused on gunning people down. She was shooting with no remorse as she ran to the person she hated most.
Declan met her halfway, limping from the shot to his leg. She threw the gun down as she savagely attacked her father with a brute force she did not know existed. She punched him, pressed into his wound, and choked him.
He headbutted her, twisting her arm around her back.
"What? Don't remember my old tricks!?" he shouted, blood spewing from his lips.
She screamed in pain as she fought under him. Finally, she managed to get a hold on her knife tucked in her pants. Pulling it out, she stabbed behind her blindly, hearing his screams of pain. He let go of her while the knife stayed lodged in his neck. He fell backward with blood squirting everywhere. She stood up, grabbing her knife out of his neck. She watched from afar as walkers got closer. She spit on him, deciding to let the walkers have him.
"Scarlett!" she heard faintly, seeing Maggie rushing toward her as she ran back to the prison. "Glenn, where's Glenn!?"
"He never left A!" Scarlett said what she remembered. Maggie nodded, kissing Scarlett's bloody cheek before running off. Scarlett shot a man aiming for Maggie as she suddenly heard wailing.
Judith.
Her eyes widened as her motherly instincts took over. She ran through people firing at each other as she saw the baby's carrier lying alone in the middle of the battle. She crouched down, seeing blood falling onto the carrier from her face as she picked the baby up.
"Okay, Jude. Come on, lovey," she whispered, picking up her diaper bag that laid next to it. She found the tight scarf in it she used to hold Judith when walking around. She quickly tied the scarf on her, the fabric tying Judith to Scarlett's chest. The baby cried, but now Scarlett had use of her two hands. Grabbing her gun, she heard a yell of her name.
"Let's go," he muttered, grabbing her hand. "Let's go Beth! We gotta go!"
"But Rick! Carl!" Scarlett shouted, trying to pull out of Daryl's grip.
"We gotta go!"
Daryl grabbed Beth's hand instead when Scarlett tugged hers out of Daryl's grip. The pair ran ahead into the woods as Scarlett ran not too far behind them with Judith on her chest still wailing. She turned as they reached the edge of the forest.
The tower where she and Rick spent so many nights fell into flames. Another explosion went off from the tank. She watched the prison fall right before her eyes.
Their home. Gone. Just like that.
"Scar, come on," Daryl whispered, an edge to his voice. "Come on."
Scarlett nodded, gulping a bit as she left with the other two. She rested a hand on Judith's head as she tried to calm the baby down. She glanced back one more time.
"Don't look back," Daryl instructed.
So she didn't.