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Finally once all the food was moved over they go back to the cell block. Rick gives silent weapons to the prisoners. Julia is perched on the far wall watching the men grab at the weapons. Tomas stares at a crowbar with distaste, "Why do I need this when I got this?" He asks once again flashing the pistol. Julia scoffs about his tiny dick energy once again.
"You don't fire guns, not unless your backs up against a wall. Noise attracts them. It really rules them up." Daryl explains as the prisoners look scared but try to appear tough.
Marvin was sat at the table as Axel rubbed his shoulder comforting him, Julia wondering if any of them knew what he had gone to prison for committing. She heard guys like him had it rough in prison so she assumed not.
"We'll go in two by two. Daryl will run point with T. I'll bring up the rear with you." Rick says pointing to Andrew. "Julia..... you stay in front of me." Rick says it with a look over the men, Tomas giving her a look as his eyes stayed glued to her chest.
"We stay tight, hold formation no matter how close the walkers get. Anyone breaks ranks, we could all do down. Anyone runs off, they could get mistaken for a Walker, end up with a sword to the head." Rick says with eyes trailing to Julia who squeezes her Sword handle while staring the men down. She still hasn't cleaned Hershel's blood off yet.
"And that's where you aim. These things only go down with a head shot." Daryl explains when Tomas pipes in cocky once again.
"You ain't gotta tell us how to take out a man." He says with a wave of confidence that makes Julia eye him. She could definitely see him being a murderer, that's why she didn't trust him around their group.
"They ain't men. They're something else." T-dog assures as some of the men still look weary. Julia wanted to make fun of the men but she stayed quiet her throat felt unnaturally dry.
"Just remember to go for the brain." Rick says one more time before going towards the door. The men grabbing their choice weapons as Julia sticks close to Rick.
The tunnels were still dark, Julia didn't hold a flash light this time as she held her weapons at her sides ready for the simplest movement or betrayal.
She wanted to move quick and simultaneously.
"Man it's too damn dark in here." Oscar complains as Daryl tells them how to hold their weapons. Julia had her swords at her side though to appear less threatening for now. Julia could feel Rick close behind her Marvin was placed in the middle like a protective circle.
He had a knife...... it made Julia's back burn thinking of that day.
"Your gonna hear them before you see them." Daryl whispers and Axel the second he hears them shouts, "ITS COMIN!" He yells being shushed by the group of experts as the prisoners go tense.
It's two lone walkers, Daryl holds his hand up for a signal but- the men run forward and attack the two undead beings with a battle cry. All except Marvin who stays planted having his group do the dirty work.
The group was bad at it..... like really bad. They didn't go for the head, the axel guy even tries to shiv the Walker making Julia laugh. Oh she was laughing her ass off. "We know how to kill a man." She mocked slapping her knee with a hearty laugh as Rick sighs in disbelief.
Marvin the pastor tries to move near Julia subtly but Rick steps between them instantaneously.
He stares the older man down as a warning and the old man tries to play harmless but Rick doesn't buy it.
Something felt off with him.
Julia and Daryl kill the two walkers by stabbing them in the head. Julia still snickering to herself on how stupid the prisoners were as Daryl side eyes her.
Slowly they continue forward with Julia staying close to Rick as he keeps staring at Marvin suspiciously, the elderly man makes it a point to begin panting as if growing tired easily but Rick narrows his eyes.
Hershel was about the same age and didn't act like this, he even ran with them on the road. He began to wonder if the older gentleman was playing his injuries.
"It's gotta be the brain. Not the stomach, not the heart- the brain." Daryl explains shooting his bow at a Walker and knocking it dead instantly.
"I hear you the brain." Axel agrees as Oscar runs up immediately landing a head shot on a Walker with his weapon making it die instantly. "Like that?" Oscar asks as the prisoners inch forward. Axel now stabbing a Walker in the head, Rick pushing past to kill the last one.
"Stay in tight formation no more prison riot crap." Rick says pulling Julia to be secured between him and Daryl. He didn't want these prisoners getting too close, especially Tomas and Marvin.
The group killed the steady flow of walkers easily but missed it as Big tiny slips away fearfully.
As big tiny screams Rick goes running stabbing one Walker as Tomas shoots the other just barely missing Rick who looks back. Julia stands on Tomas side sword at the ready as he gives her a look before looking back at Rick who looks pissed.
Rick exam-ins the wound with a flash light as the group look around for any more walkers looking grave. "I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. It's just a scratch." Big tiny tries to argue but Rick solemnly shakes his head.
"I'm sorry man." He says not meeting his eyes. "I can keep fighting!" Big tiny argues as Andrew tries to have his friends back.
"You cut that old guys leg off to save his life." Andrew offers which made Julia snort since this wasn't a limb. "Look where it's at dumb nuts, he's as good as dead." Julia sneers making Andrew narrow his eyes at her again.
"Guys I'm fine! Just- I'm fine. Look at me- I'm not changing into one of those things." Big tiny tries to appeal to them and his friends keep trying to help him except Marvin he looked like he couldn't be bothered.
"Look man, there has to be something we can do. We could just lock him up." Oscar offers as Axel agrees. Tomas and Marvin both stay completely silent obviously not caring like the others. "Quarantine him." Axel says as Rick and Daryl look grim.
"We gotta do something. Why you just standing there? We gotta save him." Andrew pleads as Rick sighs shaking his head.
"There's nothing we can do." Rick states firmly as Andrew shakes his head with disbelief staring at Rick like he was the one in the wrong. "You son of a bitch." Andrew says as Big tiny tries to assure them once again.
"I'm all ri-" he begins to say when Tomas begins to bludgeon his friend in the head.
Even after the big man went down Tomas kept hitting him over and over again until all that was left was brain matter and skull fragments. Tomas like Julia covered in his companions blood, but he feels no guilt and even Marvin looks unbothered as the others gape.
Daryl looks to Julia to see her jaw clenched as she stares at the bloody mess her eyes slowly trial to Tomas who stares at them with no remorse.
The group continue once again T-Dog and Oscar leading the way as Julia settles up between Daryl and Rick who stay at the back with her. After Tomas doing that over kill they all had this bad feeling, it didn't help he still stared at Rick as if ready to kill him any second.
"You see the look on his face?" Daryl asks the ya lil saw it the cold eyes of a killer.
"He makes one move-" Rick states while the trio stare at the man. "just give me a signal." Daryl says making Julia give him a dirty look. "Us." She says having deja vu from when they searched for Sophia. Daryl rolls his eyes but repeats the same statement emphasizing the us part.
"Also I call dibs on killing him." Julia whispered as Rick and Daryl stay silent not agreeing or acknowledging her claim.
They enter a laundry room it's dirty like the rest of the prison, they can hear a group of walkers snarling behind the double doors they need to get through. Daryl throws his keys to Tomas feet making the man blankly stare at them.
"I ain't opening that." Tomas says with confidence despite clearly being scared to get too close to the monsters. Julia bitterly thought of him being a pussy, he could kill his friend without blinking but he was afraid to open a door?
"Yes you are. If you want this cell block, your gonna open that door. Just the one not both of them. Because we need to control this." Rick explains as Tomas grabs the keys giving Andrew a look.
Julia pinches Rick and nods her head to Andrew he looks confused until her eyes go to Tomas just looking away from him.
Ricks jaw clenched.
Tomas unlocks the door and Rick watches Andrew move to fan out making Julia narrow her eyes suspiciously. She looks to Daryl to see he's caught the entire exchange too and he looks ready.
"You bitches ready?" Tomas asks looking back one last time he pulls the door but it doesn't open. Julia narrows her eyes at him seeing he's trying a door that wouldn't open unless the other was open.
She could see what he was planning but before she could warn Rick and Daryl Tomas threw both doors open.
"I said one door." Rick yells as Tomas moves to the side letting Rick go to the middle of everything. "Shit happens." He calls back before piercing a walker.
The group was dating well despite how many walkers shuffled towards them. Julia sees in her peripheral as Tomas throws a Walker at Rick. That was her signal.
She watches a sDaryl saves Rick and they share a look as Julia looks between them and the walkers showing she saw it too as they seemed to nod.
Rick rounds the front of Tomas as Julia slowly creeps behind him. Tomas shrugs as if it's no big deal, Julia tightening her hold on her sword.
"It was coming at me bro." Tomas tries to excuse as Rick just stares back at him. "Yeah, yeah I get it. I get it," Rick says while looking past Tomas and to Julia. "Shit happens." Rick says coldly and Julia waited a pause as the two men stared at each other before bringing her sword down and into Tomas skull.
"NO!" Andrew had yelled bay raised about to hit the woman but it was too late as her sword had already made contact with Tomas's head.
Julia kicks the man off her sword as Andrew tries to attack her Rick kicks him back and he falls over the Walker bodies. Daryl lifts his crossbow aiming it at Andrew, he quickly leaves the room with Rick right behind him.
Julia slowly looks to Marvin to see him staring at her with a blank stare he looked a bit annoyed. Julia wondered if he was going to join his friends but clearly he knew he was out manned and raised his hands as Daryl aims at the others.
"Man, get down on your knees." Daryl yells at Oscar as Axel tries to stand up for himself and the two other men. "We don't have no affiliation to what just happened. Tell him guys?" Axel pleads but Oscar looks emotionless as well.
"Stop talking man." Oscar tells Axel who cries as Marvin stares at Julia he doesn't kneel acting as if his knees are sore but Julia still trains her pistol on him.
When Rick returns he immediately puts his head to Oscars head seeing as the man was the most intimidating looking. "We didn't have nothing to do with that." Oscar states confidently despite a gun to his head.
"You didn't know? You knew. Guys let's end this now." Rick seethed in Oscars face gun pressing more into his head. He then turned to Axel the only man pleading Julia pressed her gun more into Marvin who finally looked a little unnerved.
"Sir sir you gotta listen to me. Please! It was them that was bad. It wasn't us." Axel cries as Rick bares his teeth angrily. "Oh that's convenient." He sneers as Axel continues to blubber.
"You saw what he did to Tiny. He was my friend. Please we ain't like that." Axel says making Julia snort her eyes staring directly into Marvin's as he gulps slightly.
She knew Marvin was like that she knew it too well.
"I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer. Oscar here he's a B and E and he ain't very good at it neither. Marvin- he's just here for possession!" Axel states as Julia scoffs loudly her eyes staring daggers at Marvin.
"That what he told you?" Julia asks in a cold tone as Axel and everyone in that room looked confused except Marvin.
"My point is we- we ain't the violent kind! They were! Please I swear to god! I wanna live!" Axel begs before Rick moves his gun back to Oscar who doesn't waiver.
"What about you?" Rick asks and Oscar keeps eye contact. "I ain't never pleaded for my life. And I ain't about to start now. So you do what you gotta do." Oscar says coldly before Rick slowly looks to Marvin.
He didn't miss how Julia had her gun trained on him, she looked ready shoot him every second she looked pissed. "Julia- let's just take them to their cell block." Rick sighs but the girl doesn't let up at first.
"Julia- please...." He begs and slowly pushes her gun down making the woman take a shaky breath.
He leads them to the cell block and opens the door for them. All the walkers inside are dead and their blood is all over compared to cell block c.
"Oh man." Axel says in disbelief as Marvin stumbles his way to the stairs to sit acting like he's tired.
"I knew these guys. They were good men." Axel explains making Julia snort and throw another glare at Marvin who stares at their surroundings realizing they wouldn't be able to do this just the three of them.
They hardly knew how to take care of themselves. He wanted to be safe with the rest of Ricks group.
"Let's go." Rick says coldly turning to leave as Oscar stops him. "So your just going to leave us in here? Man this is sick." Oscar says in disbelief as Rick looks unbothered.
"We're locking down this cell block. From now on this part of the prison is yours. Take it or leave it that was the deal." Rick informs about to leave. "You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside." Daryl tries to assure them this condition is better but the three men just stare.
Rick stands by the exit and now Daryl moves next to him, Julia and T-Dog still in the room staring at the men.
"Consider yourselves the lucky ones." Rick adds as they wait for Julia and T-Dog.
"Sorry about your friends." Daryl says softly as Julia interrupts. "I'm not. Quite frankly I think we should finish the job but- maybe another day if you give us reason." Julia coldly states looking at them all her eyes lingering longest on Marvin.
"Word of advice- take those bodies outside and burn them." T-dog states before moving to the door all eyes go to Julia as she stares at the prisoners. They wait for her to say something but she just turns to leave.
"Julianna wait!" Marvin calls and Julia's body goes tense as she keeps her back to him. He slowly stands from the stair moving closer but they still had a good bit of space between them.
"I'm- im an elderly man Julianna..... I can't survive in these conditions." The pastor tries to guilt the woman but she just keeps her back to him staring at Rick who looks confused how Julia and this man knew each other.
"Please- this is the least you owe me for helping your grandmother raise you." Marvin pleads and that was the wrong word choice as the woman slowly faces him with furrowed brows and a look of surprise.
⚠️TW MENTIONS OF JULIAS PAST SO SA, SUICIDE, ABORTION, AND TORTURE!⚠️
"Excuse me?" She asks in disbelief still as he just stares solely at her not caring who heard what he had to say. Surely he could still manipulate her, make her convince Rick and the others to at least let him join.
"I let you join the church the second your grandmother got custody for you. I helped you skip the waiting list for the Sunday school lesions because- I knew how much you needed that guidance, I taught you the ways of our church. Out of the kindness of my heart. God doesn't like sinners Julia...... that's why he's lost you survive all this time. He's killing those deemed unworthy..... thanks to my help you've lived this long." He states confidently as Julia just stares at him blinking rapidly
A cold humorous laugh leaves Julia as she looks a round at everyone as if she had to be hearing things. Rick slowly inching into the room as Julia stared at Marvin all traces of humor gone. He truly believed that.
That she should be great full to him for everything he'd put her through.
"Are you fucking kidding me? I should I should be great full to you? I should hold no I'll will to you after everything you've done?" Julia asks as Marvin looks at her pleadingly but still confident in his abilities to gas light her.
"Julianna-" he goes to say but she cut him off. "Don't fucking call me that. You seriously think I should thank you? That me surviving this long has to do with you?" Julia asks for some clarity but it still sounded absolutely insane.
"Yes. I helped you didn't I? Even after you killed my poor innocent child? I let you back into my church." He says liek it's common sense and Julia felt her eyes glaze over.
"Yeah my scarring me. Deeming a whore for the rest of my life." Julia refers to the scar on her back as he sighs.
"It was a lesson. To prevent sin you must punish the unholy. That's all I've ever done for you Julia..... I've been trying to punish you for your ungodly sins. You killed that man today..... that's another sun in gods eyes you don't think you won't be punished for it?" He yells as Axel and Oscar watch the old man they thought was innocent look to turn into the cruel monster he was.
"Really? It was all for god and not your own selfish joy? Or sickness more like? You lied to your little buddies for what your even here for so- so you know being a monster is wrong but that didn't stop you." Julia snapped as the man glares at her.
"I wouldn't kill a child like you though." He says coldly and Julia stares him down as her lip curls bitterly. Rick could be felt inching towards her ready to take her out of there.
"Yeah. Yeah I killed the baby. But I wouldn't of had to..... if you didn't rape me since I was thirteen. Yeah.... Axel Oscar your buddies a kiddie fucker. How many kids did they report came forward on the news again? Over twenty right? And how much child porn did they say they found on your laptop? Enough to have you in prison for the rest of your life." Julia rambles walking toward him as Axel and Oscar stood in shock.
They waited for Marvin to dent it but he just stared at the woman bitterly.
"Your right. You did help me survive this long. Because thanks to you my hatred for men and everything I went through has made me a paranoid freak. And you- your still just a rotting old man who could dead tomorrow by something as basic as heart failure or d age." Julia sneers before brushing past Rick as he tried to grab her.
She also stormed past T-Dog and Daryl who could be felt staring as she retreated.
Rick slowly turns to Marvin- this look in his eye he's only ever had once. The night he killed Shane.
"You don't understand- whores like her mother and her needed to be punished..... I was just trying to-..... to ruin it for her intentionally. Keep her from falling to her mothers ways." Marvin tries to excuse as Rick steps forward.
⚠️ITS SAFE FORM HERE⚠️
"I understand alright......" Rick states coldly before putting his machete in the old man's head. He wasn't going to let someone like that around his group, never knowing what he'd do to the kids in the group.
But also- he felt full of rage as he kept stabbing the old man's head over and over again. Even though he was dead after the first few blows Rick kept going similar to Tomas.
But Rick Grimes was doing it for the people he loved and cared for, and to send a message to Oscar and Axel to stay away from his group.
Rick leaves the body there as he goes storming the tunnels to ensure Julia made it back to the cell block safe.
T-Dog soon following.
Daryl stands there for a long time staring at the bloody mess before spitting on it and walking after his friends slowly deep in thought. Suddenly..... a lot of things made sense.
And just like when Glenn found out Daryl felt guilty for not seeing the signs sooner. He knew she was weird and always called her crazy but clearly she had reason to be.
And that was the day he vowed to keep Julia safe no matter what. That he would never leave her...... but that would just be another lie.