I left the prison through the small hole Glenn had cut in the fence when we first got here, and left to the nearby woods. I didn't take a gun with me, as I didn't intend on staying out for a long time, that, and I didn't want to draw any walkers to the prison.
I wandered the woods in search for a decent log to carve into a peg leg for Hershel. It needed to be big enough to fit his leg, thick enough to carve and light enough for me to carry. Now that I thought about it, the chance of me finding a log like this was slim, but I'd rather try and fail than not try at all.
The woods were thick and very quiet. The only sounds for miles were a few birds and my own footsteps crunching on the leaves. As it was fall, a lot of leaves covered the ground, and even a lot of twigs and branches had fallen from the trees. There was no luck for any logs yet though.
I had wandered around for a while, careful to take note of my surroundings, as to not get lost. I had passed many logs, but none of them were good enough to use. Eventually, I came across a fallen tree. It looked promising.
I walked closer. The fallen tree itself looked old. It was covered in moss and most of the trunk appeared hollow. However, a few thick branches had snapped off of the tree and laid beside it.
I checked each branch and weighed them out, making sure they were both useful and that I could carry them. Eventually, I came across the perfect branch. It wasn't damp and was long enough to fit Hershel's leg. It was thick enough to carve, but light enough for me to drag back to the prison. It was perfect.
I grabbed one end of the log and began to drag it back to the prison. On a few occasions, I had to pause and kill a walker or two, but for the most part, the trip was quite peaceful, just slow and long due to my injury.
Soon enough, I got back to the prison and climbed through the hole in the fence, wrestling the branch in after me, then tying the wire back around the hole, closing it after I had entered. I took a small rest, giving my stitches a break, then made my way to the prison block. It was around midday when I had made my way back.
When I came through the door, Glenn immediately helped me lug the branch inside. The group huddled around me, asking where I had gone, minus Maggie, who avoided me, and Glenn, who I had told my plan to in the first place. I answered all their questions, then they went back to what they were previously doing.
Glenn grabbed me a chair and placed it next to the table he had put the branch on, as well as a few of my knives from my cell. I sat down and cleaned my hunting knife, then laid the rest of my knives out on the table. I looked to Glenn, who leaned on the table next to me.
"They not back yet?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"Probably won't be back till sundown."
I nodded and picked up a thin knife and began to carve.
"How's Maggie and Beth?"
He sighed and slumped down on a chair beside me.
"Beth's not left Hershel's side. As for Maggie...I don't know what's wrong with her. She's been in a bad mood."
He paused, in thought, then leaned closer.
"Do you think she's...you know...on her period? I read somewhere that-"
I turned to Glenn and leaned close, whispering to him.
"Glenn, my friend. Between you and me. I advice you to never say that again"
I leaned back with a mischievous smile on my face and tapped his shoulder. His face looked like a goldfish.
"So it's not-"
"No. Glenn, I love you, but please don't say that again. The women might actually kill you." I warned.
He motioned zipping his mouth up, then put his hands up in surrender.
"Gotcha."
We talked for a while whilst I carved the wood, joking with each other here and there. His laughter died down, then he brought Maggie up again.
"What is wrong with Maggie?" He asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, focusing on my carving.
"Surely you know, something. You share a cell. Plus you're both close."
I paused and looked at him.
"Close? What gave you that idea?"
He shrugged and scratched his head.
"I mean, you've always got each others backs. You always spent time together at the farm..."
"Doesn't mean we're close, Glenn.."
Suddenly his face lit up, like a light bulb had gone off in his head. He pointed a finger at me.
"You two had a fight." He concluded.
My jaw dropped.
"No.."
"I knew it! You fought earlier didn't you? Ever since she came back from seeing you off she's been grumpy!"
I sighed and blew a strand of hair out my face.
"Okay, yeah, maybe we had a little disagreement."
Glenn raised a brow.
"A little!? She's been moody all day. If anyone so much as tried to talk to her, she yelled at them."
I sighed and paused my carving. I thought back to our argument earlier. I said some harsh stuff...but so did she. I felt a little guilty, but I wasn't ready to face her.
Glenn pat my shoulder.
"I don't know what you fought about, but you need to make up. Talk it out. I'm sure you can solve it."
He gave me a warm smile, then left to check on everyone.
I continued my carving for the rest of the day. I saw Maggie walk around the block a few times but neither of us spoke to each other and avoided eye contact. Rick, Daryl and the prisoners popped in every now and then, dropping off supplies, then they left again.
By the time I finished Hershel's leg, Rick and Daryl had finished their little supply runs, at exactly sundown, just as Glenn had said, covered in blood, with uneasy looks on their faces.
Rick called me and Glenn over and informed us about what happened. They informed us that Aj, had killed one of the prisoners, Tedd specifically. He then tried to attack Rick and Daryl, but big Tom had stopped him. However, Aj beat Tom off of him and lunged for Rick. Rick ended up killing him.
Only three prisoners remained, and Rick told us that they resided in C block. We didn't need to worry about Axel or big Tom, they weren't too pleased with their arrangement, but ultimately weren't a threat. However, Rick told us to keep an eye out for little Tom, since he wasn't too pleased about Rick killing Aj.
After our first dinner we had had in a few days, everyone went back to their cells to sleep. I lingered on the bottom floor for a while, debating whether to take watch or bunk with Glenn. I didn't want to face Maggie, but, Glenn had a point, we should talk it out.
I took the leg I had carved for Hershel and headed upstairs to my cell. I opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Maggie sitting on my bunk. She looked up as she heard the door creek open.
She quickly stood and fiddled with her fingers.
"Hey, I-"
I shook my head and motioned for her to sit back down.
"You don't need to move" I said gently.
Her eyes fell to the leg I was holding.
"Is that-?"
I nodded and handed it to her, then sat beside her.
She held it gently in her hands, stroking it up and down. The sad look on her face changed to a soft smile as she nodded.
"It's ugly" She choked a laugh.
I reached to take it away, but she held it out of reach.
"Thank you...he'll appreciate it." She said softly
I put my hand down and nodded.
"Sure." I whispered.
She placed the leg on the drawer besides the bed, then turned to face me. We stared at each other in silence for a while. Neither of us moved and neither of us said anything. I felt my heart pound against my chest and I heard it's beating in my ears. I wanted to speak but my throat felt dry, like no words could come out.
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find words to say. Maggie stared at me, never looking away. She let out a soft sigh and took my hands in hers.
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
I looked down at our hands and intertwined them.
"No...I...I'm sorry."
I heard a dry chuckle escape her lips.
"For what? You said nothing wrong."
I looked up to her, looking into her eyes.
"No, I said...some hurtful things."
She shook her head and pulled me into a warm embrace.
"I said worse things." She whispered into my ear.
I wrapped my arms around her tightly and we stayed like that for a while.
"I'm sorry. Really..." I whispered.
She pulled away and smiled softly.
"You really are an idiot" She said gently, cupping my cheeks. She let out a soft chuckle.
I leaned into her hand, and placed a hand on top of hers.
"And you really are bossy"
She smiled and leaned in close. Our noses touched and her breath was warm on my skin. I closed the gap between us and closed my eyes. I felt her lips connect with mine softly. Her hands caressed my face gently and I held her closer.
I really needed to leave...
But she made it so hard...