Rick isn't really sure of what's going on around him, he can faintly hear the sound of a baby crying somewhere behind him and then he can see his husband's face come into focus in front of him. He can see that Daryl is trying to say something but for some reason the words aren't making it through.
Daryl stays crouched in front of Rick for a few seconds longer, about to reach a hand out to place it on the other man's shoulder when he notices Carl move over to take the baby from Maggie.
"Let me see the baby." Hershel told them all, he was the only one that was actually about to look over the baby and have even a small clue as to if anything was wrong with them.
"What are we gonna feed it?" Daryl asked as he followed Carl over to the older man. "We ain't got anything a baby can eat."
Carl stops right in front of Hershel and holds the baby in a way that meant Hershel could get a quick but good look at them without Carl having to let them go.
"Good thing is she looks healthy." Hershel told them and Daryl was sure everyone felt a small amount of relief at that. "But she will need formula. And she'll need it soon, or she won't survive."
"No, not her." Daryl said with a small shack of his head. This baby was his niece and with Lori gone he knew that he and Rick would be the ones looking after her.
He wasn't going to lose another member of his family, he just couldn't and he knew Rick couldn't and he knew his son couldn't.
"I'm going for a run." Daryl told everyone as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder again. He knew Rick wouldn't be happy with him going out there without but right now his husband was in no fit state do be doing anything and Daryl had to do something, anything to help.
He did look over at his husband for a second, seeing that Rick was in the exact same spot he had been when he had moved away from him only a minute or two ago. With Rick like that Daryl didn't know how long it would be till he moved.
"I'll back you up." Maggie spoke up, she had been the one to deliver that baby and while she knew it was the only way, the way Lori wanted she still felt responsible for killing Lori. She needed to do whatever she could to make Lori's sacrifice worth something, she needed to make sure that the baby survived.
"I'll go, too." Glenn added, he wasn't ready to let Maggie out of his sight. He had been so worried they had lost her and he needed to stay by her for his own sake.
"Okay." Daryl knew he could use the help right now, no one had gone out on a hunt or for supplies since they had gotten to the prison, they didn't know what was around it or what they could be dealing with. He wasn't going to turn down any help. "I think I know where to go."
Daryl hesitated for a second as he looked around before he said, "Beth." He gestured for her to follow him a little away from the group. He needed to make sure his kid was going to be okay but he knew how annoyed Carl would be if he heard Daryl asking someone to keep an eye on. "Kid just lost his aunt, right in front of him. And his dad, Rick ain't doing too hot."
"I'll look out for him." Beth assured Daryl before he could even finish his sentence.
Daryl gave her a small appreciative look before he started giving everyone else staying at the prison orders, this would normally be Rick's job but.....
The three of them are about to leave when Rick finally moves, only all he does is move forward grab the axe that had been sitting on the floor before turning back around and making his way back into the prison.
Daryl watches as it happens before he walks forward to pull his son away from the rest of the group, shouting back for Glenn and Maggie to get the car ready as he does so.
He can't leave his son on his own like this.
"Hey kid." Daryl said his voice soft as he kneeled down on the floor in front of the eleven year old. "Look at me."
Carl does as his dad tells him and he looks up from the baby in his arms. "Aunt Lori's dead."
"I know kid." Daryl reached his hand out to place in on Carl's shoulder. "I look I'll be back as soon as I can be okay, but this baby needs food and I have to get it. Okay."
"Is dad going to be okay?" Carl asked as he briefly looked over towards the prison.
"I'll make sure he is when I come back, okay. Right now I need you to stay with Hershel and Beth and make sure this baby is okay. We have to look after her now kid and I'm gonna need your help with that." Daryl hated putting pressure on his son like this but he needed to make sure Carl understood, he couldn't be worried that the kid was going to try and sneak off and look for Rick while he was gone. "You stay with Hershel and Beth and I will make sure dad's okay when I get back, got it Carl."
"Got it." Carl nodded slowly as he looked back at his dad. "I'll keep the baby safe."
"I know you will kid." Daryl leaned forward to place a soft kiss on his son's forehead before he pushed himself back up into a standing position and rushed to follow Glenn and Maggie down to the cars.
They didn't have much time till it got dark and they needed to get the baby food.
"There's a piggly wiggly on 85." Glenn pointed out as Daryl finally caught back up to them.
"No, the baby section's been cleared." Maggie was quick to turn down that idea, she had been in there on a scouting mission not too long ago and the only baby thing there had been a few pieces of clothes, they would need that for the baby but it wasn't there number one need right now.
"Lori had been asking me to my eye out whenever we went scouting, I haven't had much luck though." Maggie revealed and Daryl had to agree with her. He had been on the lookout for baby stuff when he went on a scouting mission.
"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Maggie had gone on a lot more scouting missions to shops then he had so Daryl was hoping she had been able to spot something he hadn't been able to.
When Maggie just continued to walk and didn't say anything Glenn looked over at Daryl and said, "We saw signs of a shopping centre not that far north of here."
Maggie shock her head as she opened the door to the car. "Yeah, but there's too much debris on the road. A car will never get through there."
"I can take one of you." Daryl pointed out as he got his motorcycle ready.
Maggie knew she needed to be the one to do this, "I'll go."
"No Maggie." Glenn walked over towards his girlfriend and softly carried on. "After everything you've been through, okay, I can go, I'll go."
Maggie shock her head, she needed to be the one to go and do this, she needed it. "I want to go, for Lori I have to go."
"Okay." Glenn agreed although he wasn't too happy about it he knew Maggie was more than able to handle herself. "I love you, be safe."
Glenn pulled Maggie in for a quick kiss before he handed her the rucksack and watched as she got onto the back of Daryl's motorcycle and then continued to watch as the two of them drove away.
All he could do was hope that everything went okay and that the two of them made it back okay.
**************************************************
Rick wasn't entirely sure why he made his way back into the prison, he knew deep down that really he was needed outside, that his son needed him out there.
But before Rick could even really comprehended what he was doing he had picked up the axe and he was making his way into the prison.
He had lost Shayne not that long ago, and yeah by the time his friend had died Rick wouldn't have counted him as a friend let alone the family that he was. But Shayne had been his best friend and his brother for a hell of a long time and until the world had ended the man had always taken care of Lori.
Rick knew that just like with Daryl and himself Shayne and Lori had wanted kids. He had known his sister had been pregnant and lost the baby. She may not have told him herself but he knew. And he knew that was why she had ultimately decided to keep the baby.
It had been the reason he and Daryl had made the exact same decision.
Rick didn't have to be told to know that Lori had chosen the baby's life over her own. Rick would do that for his son and he would do that for his unborn child without a second thought, he knew Daryl would too.
He knew that if his husband was in the position he guessed his sister was in that his husband would pick the baby and that terrified Rick.
Daryl had a good chance of not being able to deliver their baby naturally, he hadn't been able to do it with Carl.
Rick knew if Hershel was there, if there had everything they needed the chances of Daryl surviving it where good but if anything close to this happened again then his husband would die.
And that scared the life out of Rick, he couldn't picture losing another member of his family let alone his husband.
Rick made his way through the prison almost on auto pilot, killing walkers as he did.
He thought maybe he might be looking for his sister's body but he wasn't sure.
He knew he should go back, he needed to make sure his son was alright.
He needed to make sure his niece or nephew where okay.
But Rick couldn't make himself turn back around.
He didn't know where he was going he just knew he needed to get there.
He couldn't do anything else until he had.
*************************************************
"All right." The Governor shouted once he was stood up on the steps of the house in front of all off Woodbury.
It was one of the hottest days they've had in a while and as they had been keeping the generators on all night to make ice and cold drinks The Governor had decided they should a street party of sorts. He wanted to keep everyone in Woodbury's spirits up and this was a great way.
"The first time this little town gathered there was only nine of us hold up in some shitty little apartment with only spam and some saltine crackers. Well look at us all now. We have built a place that everyone can call home. It may be held together by duct tape and string for the most part but we have found a way to make it all work. It's ours, all of ours and I'll take it." The Governor let out a small laugh as he looked around at all of the people that were now living in Woodbury. "So today, we celebrate. We celebrate how far we've come, what we've created. But we also remember those we've lost. We raise our glasses, to us."
Everyone raised their glasses up and cheered along with the Governor and Andrea looked around at everyone else.
The people looked happy here, everyone looked happy here.
She still didn't fully understand Michonne's dislike for the place and the longer she spent here the less she understood it.
The Governor seemed nice, the people seemed nice, the place seemed safe and most importantly everyone seemed happy.
She didn't get how Michonne couldn't see it.
And she was starting to want to leave less and less.
Michonne had taken her chance when she saw the Governor go up to stand in front of the two to talk to them all. She knew he wouldn't notice her missing and she knew it could very well be her only chance to see what she wanted to see.
So she made her way over to the Governors apartment and straight over to the cabinet she had seen her Kitara in when the Governor had invited her and Andrea over for drinks.
She grabbed the kitarna carefully not wanting to break anything in the cabinet and she defiantly didn't want to make any noise and alert people of her presence.
It was as she was placing the strap over her shoulder that Michonne spotted the picture and the book.
She walked over in the direction of the table both things were sitting on. The pictures was obviously of the Governor and she guessed the other two people would be his wife and daughter, the girl looked like a good mixture of the two of them and the way the women was holding onto him meant she could really only be his wife.
But as soon as she had reached the table her attention went down to the book. Michonne didn't know how long she was going to get in the apartment before she was disturbed and she wasn't going to take too long focusing on things that wouldn't matter.
Michonne started to look through the pages, the first three didn't tell her much it wasn't until she got to the fourth page that she started to get really curious.
It was almost completely filled with names, the last one 'Penny' was in bold writing and underlined a few times.
But under the names was marks, like a tally.
Michonne turned the page over and saw that both were completely filled with these tallies. She continued to turn pages and saw the same thing written across so many more pages.
Michonne would have kept looking through the book if the sound of banging didn't reach her from the door next to the cabinet.
Michonne placed the book back on the table before walking over to the door, leaning the side of her head against it as she tried to get some clue as to what was going on the other side of it.
Those noise had stopped by then though and Michonne was quick to use a knife sitting on the table behind her to try and prey the door open.
With the amount of practice she had gotten since the world ended it wouldn't have taken her that long to get the door open, Michonne knew that.
But before she could really start to try the sounding of voices getting closer and closer to the apartment reached her and Michonne quickly moved to the other side of the room, before whoever was coming up could see her.
"We can't wait, everything's ready." Michonne couldn't recognise the voice but only a second later the door was opening and the Governor and Milton were walking through the door, Merle not that far behind them.
"I love a party as much as the next fella. Trust me I do. But we're using a lot of resources for this." Milton told the Governor who only looked over at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "For instance, the generators."
"I thought you love a party." The Governor shot back at him as he handed Milton the crate of drinks he had come up to get.
"Come on, Milty. Lighten up for once. Let your hair down and have some fun for Christ sake."
"I like fun." Milton tried to argue back and Michonne couldn't help but feel like he sounded like a high school kid trying to fit in a little.
"Then there's no problem." The Governor pointed out as he moved around to grab one of the other boxes they had come up for, Merle now half leaning half sitting on one of the chairs in the apartment.
"If I might. You know, I've been working on an experiment all week. It's been a challenge to get the level of power I need and then with everything going on tonight."
"What are you asking?" The Governor cut him off wanting Milton to just get right to the point of what he wanted.
"Postpone tonight." Milton had a feel that the Governor wouldn't like this, he knew the man, but he had to try. He had to get his experiment done and he would never be able to if he didn't try.
"No way." Merle was the one that spoke up first though and Milton was expecting the Governor to agree with him.
But instead the Governor shocked him and said, "Hang on, we should at least hear him out. How long will you need."
"I don't need long." Milton quickly said knowing that the shorter amount of time he needed would mean it was more likely for the Governor to say yes to him.
"How long?"
"Ten days."
"No."
"Six?"
"No." There was a small laugh in the Governors voice now, almost like he couldn't believe Milton could think he would actually say yes to that.
"How about."
Before Milton could even think about finishing his sentence the Governor was walking over to him and saying, "How about you enjoy yourself tonight and then just begin with the experiment again in the morning, huh?"
"Uh, yeah that could work." Milton reluctantly agreed as the Governor handed him the other box, turning around and following the man out of the room, Merle following behind and shutting the door as he went.
Michonne took that as her chance and sneaked out the window that has been beside her the whole time she had been hiding from them. She didn't want to risk staying in the apartment for any longer then she absolutely had to but she couldn't risk leaving through the front door.
The window had been her best and only option.
And to say what she found was a shock would be an understatement.
There was a whole bunch of obstacle looking things around an open space, fenced in areas going around the outside.
Michonne slowly made her way over to one of them and looked inside it, seeing flesh and blood and bone all over the inside of the cage.
And that was when the sound from the cage next to her reached Michonne and she looked over to see hands and fingers reaching out through the small gapes in the cage.
She walked over to the cage slowly and saw that it was full of probably six or so walkers. All of them now making more noise at her presence.
Michonne looked down at the floor and saw something that would help her get into the cage almost straight away.
She let them and walked back slowly, getting her weapon ready as she did so.
Killing the six walkers was easy work and in only about thirty seconds they were all on the floor dead.
Michonne was about to back away and leave before she was spotted when someone walked out through one of the doors and her chance for escape was gone.
***********************************************
Michonne's weapon was taken off of her and she was taken into one of the nearby houses where she was watched by Merle until the Governor showed up.
"You get off on that?" The Governor had waited for Merle to leave the room before he started talking. But Michonne just stayed were she was seat, not making any movement to show that she had even heard what he had said so the Governor carried on. "Poking around other people's things?"
The Governor who had no walked around to the other side of the table from Michonne placed her sword against the wall right in front of her but instead of sitting down in the chair at the table opposite her he just leaned back onto the cabinet letting out a small, "MMh? We got nothing to hide here, we really don't."
"People with nothing to hide don't usually feel the need to say so." Michonne pointed out keeping her eyes down at the table and looking at the man opposite her.
"That's fair." The Governor couldn't help but agree with a small nod. "We all have out secrets through, huh?"
"Like Penny?" Michonne wasn't a hundred percent sure what the name was but she knew it meant something and she had a small feeling it had something to do with the groaning she heard coming from the Governor's apartment.
The change to the Governor's face was small but it was enough for Michonne to know she was at least a little right in her thinking. "You know about Penny? Then you must know that I loved her."
"Bet you say that about all the girls."
The Governor pushed himself away from the cabinet and slowly made his way to sit down opposite Michonne, not saying anything until he was seat down, "You got the wrong idea about me. I'm just a guy who's trying to do the right things for all the people that I care about. Now I know you want to leave but I also know Andrea wants to stay. So I'm guessing your hope is for to take that choice out of the equation. You want me to kick you out."
The Governor paused for a second as he looked across at the other women, giving her chance to say something before he looked back at Michonne's sword and started to talk again, "Actually, I was about to give you your sword back. Cause you do fit in. we've enjoyed having you here."
The Governor pushed himself up from the chair and reached over to grab the sword, walking around the table and behind Michonne with it in his hands. "This is a real problem for me you see, people follow the rules and whether or not it's true they believe that it was is keeping them alive. You've turned that upside down. You have broken the rules and I don't do anything. It's like I invite anarchy.
So how about this? I will keep a lid on your little outburst, you join the research team. You obviously have skills and you're not afraid of biters, that much is clear. Merle will take of you and then."
Michonne was quick to push herself up from the chair at that, reaching almost effortlessly to take the sword from the Governor and take it out of its holder.
She had him pinned to the wall with her sword before he could even do anything about it.
Michonne slowly backed out of the room, keeping the sword raised the whole time, not putting it away until she was at the door and walking out of it.
*********************************************************
Glenn was well aware that they had all agreed to burn the dead, they didn't want to taint any of the ground and really no one wanted to live with the knowledge that their green was filled with dead people.
But they had lost some of their own people that day and Glenn couldn't even think about burning their bodies, they were their people they deserved betting then having their bodies burned.
So Glenn grabbed a shovel and he headed down into the green and he started digging in one of the far corners.
They would still have plenty of room to one day start farming but they would also have room for their dead, their people would have a place to rest and a place to head down and see the people they had all lost.
Everyone needed that. All of them needed it.
It wasn't going to be easy, especially doing it on his own.
They needed at least three graves, they hadn't even found Tyreese and his family yet so Glenn didn't know if they would need more but for now three graves would be enough.
One for Lori, one for T-Dog and one for Carol.
They wouldn't actually bury everyone till Maggie and Daryl were back and until Rick was ready but Glenn wanted to do something, he couldn't just sit around doing nothing. This was something he could do though and he was going to do it.
When Glenn was almost finished on the first one the prisoners came over, telling him the perimeter was secure and offering their help.
Glenn turned them down, it had been one of their people that had done this. But then they started talking and Glenn realised that at some point they were going to have to learn to trust these two men.
They had a chance to try and take over the prison when all that mess was going on and they hadn't taken it that had to mean something.
And for now Glenn could really use the help so a little reluctantly he said yes to them and all three of them quickly got to work on finishing up digging the graves.
Glenn hated himself a little but he wished they had killed every prisoner when they had first found them. They had lost so much of their group that day all because of one of them. Something that couldn't have been avoided if they had just killed them.
Axel and Oscar were helping him and they didn't seem too bad a people but T-Dog, T-Dog was his friend and he knew everything the man had done to help people. People he didn't even know when all this started and in his head T-Dog deserved to be alive more than they did.
Carol had a horrible life before all this and she had lost her daughter but she was a good person and Glenn knew she was starting to be move forward from all of that and that had been taken away from here.
There was no guarantee that Lori would have survived the birth of the baby if all of this hadn't happened. They still had very little equipment to help her but she would have had a better chance than she ended up having.
To Glenn their lives all mattered more than the two prisoners did. And right now he didn't care if that made him a bad person.
His friends, his family deserved to live.
****************************************************
The Governor was already waiting in his apartment when Merle brought Andrea over there.
He had gotten the other man to get her as soon as Michonne had left him, he wanted the chance to talk to her before Michonne could. He wanted his side of what happened to be the first one she heard.
"What's wrong?" Andrea asked when he opened the door for her. "Merle said it was urgent."
The Governor shut the door behind Andrea and started to walk back into his apartment before he started to talk. "I need your help. It's Michonne."
"What about her?" Andrea followed the Governor into the apartment a little confused as to what Michonne could have done for him to call her over this urgently.
"She broke in here, stole her weapon."
"She can't steal something that's already hers." Andrea pointed out. She had understood why the Governor had felt the need to keep it. The two of them were new, they didn't know these people and they didn't know them. It made sense that the Governor wouldn't want them walking around here with weapons. But the sword was Michonne's and as far as the Governor knows the two of them were planning on leaving soon.
"Then she went into a private place and slaughtered half a dozen captive biters." The Governor looked up at Andrea from where he had been staring at the wall opposite him and he saw the shock and confusion cross over her face.
"Why would you have captive biters?"
The Governor started walking away from Andrea and further into the apartment as he told her, "I have good reason for it but I don't feel like going into it right now."
"Okay." Andrea said as the Governor took a seat in one of his chairs and she turned around to once more face him.
"The point is I tried to talk to her and while I was she decided to pull her sword on me. Held it to my throat. Could have killed me." The Governor watched as Andrea once again moved to stand opposite him, watching for her reaction. "Can't imagine that surprises you much though."
"Michonne wouldn't do something like that unless she felt threatened in some way." Andrea defended Michonne knowing that she was right. Michonne could be a bit much sometimes but she wouldn't do something like that unless she felt her life or Andrea's life was threatened.
"She makes people here uncomfortable. Some of my people want her to leave but I don't want that. It's ugly out there and I know it's getting worse with every day. But with the way things look she may not being giving me much choice here."
"What are you saying?"
"I am saying that what may work out there will not work in here. You know, the people in here are not barbarians."
By the time Andre left the Governor's place she had a lot to think about and she needed to talk to Michonne.
She didn't know what she believed about what had happened between the two of them but she could believe that Michonne was making the people of Woodbury uncomfortable and the last thing Andrea wanted was for the two of them to be kicked out.
So Andrea made her way back to where the two of them were staying as quickly as she could and as soon as she had confirmed that Michonne was indeed there she started talking.
"We got to talk."
"We got to go." Michonne corrected her as she continued trying to pack up what little the two of them had.
"The Governor told me what happened." Andrea started making Michonne stop what she was doing. "Michonne you can't do shit like that. Do things like this? You're starting to freak people out and in all honesty you starting to freak me out."
"The northeast wall is guarded by some girl, I know we can escape there after dark." Michonne told her now more sure than ever that the two of them needed to leave.
"We are not prisoners here."
"No one who comes here leaves."
"What are you talking about Michonne, this is not a prison, and this is a safe place with food and shelter. There's people, happy people here." Andrea pointed out as Michonne finally turned round to properly face her.
"That's just what they're showing you."
"You are not making any sense." Andrea said as she took a step towards the other women. "Mich, maybe you need to sit for a minute."
"Maybe you need to trust me." Michonne shot back. She needed Andrea to believe her and trust her now more than ever. Michonne was well aware that Andrea wouldn't now about the whole conversation she had with The Governor but Michonne knew that if she stayed she would end up dead and she couldn't let that happen.
"And you need to give me more to go Michonne. We got a good thing going on here and I need more than that to ruin in."
"I thought us staying here was just temporary."
"And I think we need this, I think we need a place like this. I want to give this place a real try. Not whatever the fuck you've been giving it."
Michonne shock her head softly before she said, "I Tried."
"Breaking into houses? How is that trying? It's not Michonne. It's not trying its sabotaging."
Michonne closed the distance between herself and Andrea and took the other women's hands in her own, holding onto them as she said. "This place is not what they say it is, I know it's not and I need you to trust me Andrea."
*************************************************
Tyreese and his family had made their way out of the prison all in one piece about half an hour after everything went down and Daryl and Maggie had left. something they were all grateful for. They may be new to the group and everyone may be a little unsure about them but all four seemed like good people and no one in the group wanted something to happen to them.
That just left Rick inside the prison.
With god knows how many walkers still in there and with the state of mind he was in when he first when they all knew someone needed to go back in and find him and bring him out.
They all knew that out of everyone still left at the prison that Carl was the best person to get him to come out but they also all knew they couldn't send him in there right now.
He wasn't their kid and they needed to keep him safe.
There was also the fact that they were all a little worried about Rick. None of them had ever seen him like that before and they were honestly a little scared of what he could be doing in there.
None of them wanted Carl to see something that could traumatise or hurt him anymore then he already had been by that days' events.
And with Hershel still not a hundred percent better and still learning to walk on his crutches that left Glenn as the only person to go and get him.
So it was almost an hour after everything had happened when Glenn was once again making his way into the prison. This time on his own and looking for Rick rather than with the other man by his side.
With only a small gun and a flash light Glenn made his way through the prison slowly and carefully.
He had no clue where Rick may have gone in the prison and it would mostly be down to luck with how quick he was able to find the other man.
Glenn had been walking for maybe five minutes when he turned a corner and the end of the axe Rick had picked up first caught his eye.
Rick had killer instincts so Glenn very carefully made his way over to the other man, the last thing he wanted to do was make Rick jump right now and have the other man attack him.
"Rick." Glenn said softly when he was still a little behind the other man. "Everyone's worried about you man."
Rick didn't make any move to show that he has heard Glenn but the sound of walking did reach Glenn. "We shouldn't be in here Rick. Come on, come outside with me."
Rick finally turned around to face him and Glenn couldn't help but be a little worried at the blank look on his face.
Glenn finished making his way over to the other man and stopped right in front of him. "Rick. You don't have to do this all by yourself. Okay?"
The amount of blood covering Rick and the amount of dead walkers Glenn had passed made it obvious that Rick was trying to clear out the prison of all the walkers that had made it back in.
"Our cell block is cleared." Glenn told him softly. Glenn, Tyreese and Sasha had made sure of it not long after they had made it back to the rest of the group. "We'll just close of all the doors again, alright? Why don't you just come with me, okay man? Rick."
Rick pushing him into the closest wall wasn't what Glenn had been excepting to happen but from the look in Rick's eyes he could tell that the older man wasn't really aware of what he was doing right now.
It didn't take too much for Glenn to calm Rick down enough for the man to let go off him, but after that Rick just look at him for a long second before turning around and continuing on his way deeper into the prison.
*********************************************
The ride to the centre wasn't as long as Daryl had been worried it would be but with all the traffic on the few roads they had to go down it had also taken longer than he had been hoping it would.
But it was just as they were nearing the centre that the two of them spotted a nursery and knew it would be a good place to check out. They might even have more luck there.
Daryl let Maggie go ahead and break in while he kept watch for any of the walkers around.
He gave it about thirty seconds after Maggie had headed in before he himself made his way into the nursery behind her. He was originally planning on just staying outside and keeping watch but Daryl had things he needed to search for and he wasn't ready to explain to Maggie why he needed them yet.
The sight of the nursery couldn't help but bring back old memories for Daryl though. It looked too much like the one they had sent Carl to. The one they would have sent this baby to if the world was still normal.
Daryl hated that his baby, that Lori's baby, weren't going to get to have a normal childhood.
Watching Carl grow up was some of the best moments of Daryl's life and he couldn't help but worry that he wasn't going to get to see any of that with his new baby. That was if his new baby and he even made it.
He couldn't have a baby naturally, something they had found out when he had Carl. Which meant they were going to have to find some way for him to safely have a C-section.
The chances of him not getting to meet his baby were high and that was finally starting to hit Daryl. He could very well die trying to bring his kid into the world and while he would always make a sacrifice like that for his children the thought of it was terrifying. He didn't want to leave him kids without him.
Even a world like what the now lived in he didn't want to miss the chance to see his kids grow up. To maybe if they were all lucky enough see his kids have families of their own.
Daryl let himself look around the small room, catching sight of the wall of names, one quickly standing out to him.
Sophie.
Daryl had to shake his head a little before following Maggie out of the room and down the hall.
Right now and right here was not the best place for him to start to get emotional. So instead Daryl tried his best to only focus on what they really needed to do.
They needed formula and they needed clothes. For right now that would do.
They only had a small rucksack and his bike so they couldn't bring back everything that would be needed. But they could come back. Once things had settled down they could come back and grab anything there not able to grab now.
Other than one mistaken walker, it turned out to be a possum. The trip was peaceful and easy and while they were only able to find a few pots of formula they were able to find it and start to make their way back to the prison.
A few add-ons of a possum for dinner, some clothes for the baby and a small teddy that Daryl had found for her.
********************************************
Michonne had been able to convince Andrea that leaving was the best option, she isn't really sure how she was able to do that but she was and before long the two of them were heading down to the gate with their bags on their back and Michonne's weapon with them.
"Hey, hey, hey, girls. Where y'all off to in such a hurry?" Merle shouted over to them from where he was sitting in front of the main gate. He had not long come back from a mission to collect walkers and was still hanging around.
Michonne put her hand on Andrea's shoulder and started to push her towards the gate when she noticed how the other women looked like she was going to talk to Merle.
"Hey, come on, now. Come on." Merle shouted as he rushed to try and catch up with them. "Y'all are breaking my heart running away from here like that."
Merle had no moved to stand right in front of the two women who were now forced to stop.
"We're leaving." Michonne told him wanting to get this conversation over and down with as quickly as possible so they could get out of here before Andrea could change her and try to make them stay yet again.
"It's almost curfew." Merle pointed out not really thinking it was going to make a difference but trying it anyway. "I'd have to arrange an escort. I mean this party's still going on girls."
Michonne just gave Merle a look and after only a few seconds Merle nodded and said, "Alright, wait here a second."
He put his hand out in front of him before walking over to talk to someone at the gate.
Neither women could hear what the two men were saying so Andrea walked up to them and told them. "The Governor told us we were free to leave whenever we wanted to. To come back if we wanted to as well."
"Sweetheart, nothing personal here. But you're gonna have to step back." Merle told her holding his hand up annoying Andrea but getting her turn around and walk back over to Michonne.
"See." Michonne started as Andrea walked back up in front of her. "There's always a reason why we can't leave."
For a second Andrea couldn't help but agree with her but then only a second later Mere was shouting back over towards them.
"Now, if I was y'all I'd find some kind of shelter before nightfall. Wouldn't want to be out there when it's dark."
Michonne almost couldn't believe it as Merle reached around and pulled the gate open. "This was all for show, they had to know we were coming."
"Do you even hear yourself Michonne, how can you possibly know that?" Andrea asked with a small shake of her head and any part of her that was starting to believe Michonne's conspiracies went out the window. "And why, just why would they bother?"
"Ladies!" Merle shouted knowing they weren't supposed to leave the gates open for too long.
"Close the gates." Andrea shouted back, they could leave when they wanted to and Andrea no longer felt like believing Michonne and leaving somewhere safe was a good idea.
"No!" Michonne quickly shouted, she knew what was going on here and she didn't want to stay for any longer.
"I had to practically beg the Governor to let you stay." Andrea pointed out with a small shake of her head, she honestly was struggling to understand Michonne's feelings and worries towards this place.
"I didn't ask you to do that."
"You didn't have to, it's just what friends do for each other. But it has to go both ways, it's not right now Michonne." Andrea shot back at her starting to feel all of the frustration and anger she had been trying to keep in come out. "You want to run around out there with walkers on chains eating twigs, isn't that right? We held our own out there, I know we did for eight whole months we did. Moving from place to place just to stay alive. But that was no way to live Michonne and I'm tried, so fucking tired. I don't have another eight months in me for that, I don't think I could another month of it. And you...."
Michonne looked down at the floor for a second as Andrea trailed off. "What about me?"
"I'm afraid your gonna disappear." Andrea admitted softly as Michonne looked back up at her. "We always talked about one day finding a place like this, didn't we? A refuge of some kind. That idea is what kept me going and I'm pretty sure it's what kept you going as well."
The two women looked at each other silence for a few seconds, Andrea hoping that her little speech would be enough to convince Michonne that leaving was the wrong idea but as soon as she opened her mouth Andrea knew she had been unsuccessful. "Are you coming or not?"
"Don't do this." Andrea almost felt like she was begging, she didn't want to have to choice between Michonne and staying in Woodbury, she didn't think she could deal with the choice she knew she was going to have to make for herself. "Don't give me an ultimatum like that Michonne. Not after everything the two of us have been through together, not after that."
"Are you coming or not." Michonne said as soon as Andrea had stopped talking, Michonne knew deep down that the choice she was making was the best choice for each of them. For herself especially. She couldn't stay in Woodbury for any longer. She wanted Andrea to come with her when she felt but she knew in the end she would leave without her if that was what it came down to.
Andrea made a face and no move to say anything and after eight months of knowing the other women Michonne knew what that meant. Andrea wasn't coming with her.
"You'd just slow me down anyway." Michonne wasn't sure exactly why she said that as she started to again, she just knew that she was hurt but Andrea's decision and the words had come out of her mouth before she could even really think them through.
"Michonne." Andrea shouted after the other women one last time but her words did nothing and Michonne just carried on out of the gate not looking back once as Merle shut the gate behind her.
Cutting Michonne and Andrea off from each other.
*******************************************************
Andrea hadn't stayed at the gate for that long once Michonne was out of sight, instead going back into the two away from where most of the celebrations were happening and finding a seat.
She had been sitting there for a while when the Governor came up to her and took a seat on the empty stretch of bench.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out how you wanted them too with your friend." The Governor told her and he was mostly sincere. He may not have liked Michonne but he did like Andrea and he didn't think she deserved to lose a friend like that.
"I thought those days where gone you know, the days where you lose someone of their own choice like that." Andrea admitted with a small sigh. "The day when friends just decide to leave your life."
"Not sure if it will help you any but I'm sure you could use a drink." The Governor said as he moved forward and around a little to face Andrea properly. "Maybe even some company. Something to help you take your mind off of everything for a bit."
Andrea didn't say anything just continued to look at the Governor with this kind of sad look written across her face. So he pushed himself up from the bench and extended a hand down to her. "Come on."
Andrea looked at the hand for a long second before a small smile pulled up the corner of her lips and she reached up to take it.
Linking her arm with his as the two of them walked through Woodbury and back to his apartment.
********************************************
It had long since gone dark when Maggie and Daryl were finally pulling up to the prison.
It was clear someone had been watching for their return as the walkers were distracted before they had even reached there and the gate was opened just in time for Daryl to be able to ride through without having to slow.
Maggie glanced behind her quickly, just double checking that the gate did get closed behind them.
As soon as Daryl had stopped the bike both of them were off of it and making their way towards the entrance to the cell block as quickly as they possibly could, the baby's crying reaching them before they had even opened the door.
Everyone was seat around on the tables in the cell block, Carl holding and trying to sooth the baby in his arms.
Daryl was quick to move over and kneel down in front of his son, taking the baby from him and trying to sooth her as Maggie got the bottle ready for her.
Carl followed his dad as Daryl stood up with the baby and paced a little in a go to try and sooth her.
It was only about thirty seconds later before Beth was handing Daryl the bottle and he was trying to feed her.
It only took a few seconds for him to get the baby to take hold of the bottle and start drinking. The crying stopping slowly the more she drank.
"She got a name yet kid?" Daryl asked his son once the crying had stopped and the baby was happily drinking. Daryl knew that Carl had been trying to help Lori come up with a name for the baby.
"Not yet." Carl said with a small shake of his head as a sad look crossed over his face. "I was thinking maybe naming her after someone we lost, Sophia or Carol or Amy or maybe after her mum. But I don't know." The mood around them had gone almost sombre with the mention of the people they had lost.
"You got time kid." Daryl assured him before he looked down at the baby in his arms as she made a noise. "You like that huh? Little ass-kicker. Right that's a good name, right." Daryl looked up at everyone else with a small smile doing what he had been trying to and making everyone laugh a little, bringing the mood that had settled over them up a little. "Little ass-kicker, you like that, huh? You like that sweetheart."
******************************************************
Rick almost stumbled into the room where Lori died. He didn't know where it was or anything but he made his way through an open door and he knew.
Lori's top was on the floor and he knew.
This was where his sister had died.
He made his way over to the shirt and he almost fell down onto the floor in front of it, picking it up and just looking down at it.
This was the last thing his sister had ever worn and it didn't even look like something she would normally wear.
That was when the blood and guts and skin caught his attention out of the corner of his eyes.
That was where it had all happened, that was the exact spot Lori had died.
It didn't take Rick more than a second to realise that Lori hadn't turned and somehow made her way out of that room, no she had been taken by a walker.
By the looks of it she had been eaten by a walker, all of her had been eaten.
There was nothing left.
The sound of a walker groaning quickly reached Rick and he quickly pushed himself up from the floor and made his way round the room until he found the walker sitting on the floor against a wall.
This is the walker that did it, Rick knew it had to be.
So he made his way towards it and he pushed his axe into the things head and watched as it died, for good this time.
Then before he could even really comprehend what he was doing Rick was bringing the axe down into the things belly again and again. Not even able to register the blood that was splattering all over his face and clothes with each strike.
**********************************************
It was later that night after a few drinks that the Governor brought Andrea down to the little stadium thing they had set up in Woodbury.
There was music playing loudly and people happily talking and messing around with each other.
And Andrea couldn't help but find it all contagious and only a few seconds into the two of them being there she started to feel herself smiling along with everyone else.
Andrea wasn't sure in even the slightest bit what was going on here as the Governor pulled her up to the top of the bleachers, claiming that he had the best seats in the house.
But for some reason the longer she seat there the more an uneasy feeling started to fill Andrea's stomach.
Everything was so loud and she had no clue what was going on.
It was only a second later when the lights turned off and Andrea caught sight of the walkers chained up in the middle of the two sets of bleachers that had been set up.
Someone came running into the middle, the space set up almost like a stage.
The cheering only increased as the man came into better view. Someone following in his lead on the other side of the stage. Merle.
And Andrea felt the sinking feeling only get worse as she realised what was going on.
Merle and the other guy put on a good show as the crowd cheered for the other Dixon brother.
Both men removed their jackets as the walkers chains were realised a little allowing them to get closer to the two men.
Andrea watched as a guy placed his son over his shoulders, the fighting down the bottom starting up as Andrea had to almost force herself to turn around and watch what was going on.
For a second it looked like the other guy had a hold over Merle and was going to win but then the Governor shouted something down and the walkers got closer to the two of them. Giving Merle the upper chance and letting him push the other guy into one of them.
And Andrea knew she couldn't watch anymore.
She was just starting to walk back down when the Governor grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Whoa, whoa, where you going?"
"What is this?"
"It's a way to blow off some steam." The Governor explained as he briefly looked back down at the fight.
"Blow off steam?" Andrea asked with a small shake of her head, she couldn't see how this was right in anyway, let alone how it was a way to blow off steam. "You go for a jog or something to blow off steam, this, whatever the fuck it is. It's stick."
"Look around you." The Governor said as he pointed his arm around at what was going on. "Everyone here is having a great time."
"It's barbaric." Andrea shot back.
"It's staged." The Governor admitted quietly to her. "Yeah, we pull the biters teeth out before. It's all just for show."
"That's crazy." Andrea told him but her hatred off this was starting to leave her a little. "This is the reason for keeping walkers around here?"
"People need some kind of entertainment. We don't have much of it anymore."
"So your solution is gladiator fights?"
"We're reducing these things, we're controlling them. We're shining light on the monsters under the bed. It's fun Andrea, it helps to make better feel better about everything." The Governor explained his attention flicker between her and the fight still happening.
"It's a slippery slope. You're teaching them that walkers aren't dangerous."
"We're teaching them to not be afraid." The Governor corrected her.
The Governor's attention was now almost completely down on the fight as Merle beat the other guy and Andrea knew it was the end of that conversation.
She just wished she knew how to feel about all of this.
The world was different now.
Things were going to be done differently.
Different things were going to be accepted now.
This seemed wrong to Andrea but as she looked around at everyone else she noticed how it didn't seem that way for everyone else and she didn't know how to feel about it.