Beth
It's been over two hours since the attack, late in the afternoon, and no one has made it back from the mission yet. They should be getting back anytime now. That's when we were expecting them anyway. I am helping Rosita and Spencer clear the street when I hear the gate open. Immediately I look in the direction of the noise and see Michonne, Tobin, and Mary come in. The gate closes behind them and I know what that means. We all do. They were the only ones that survived. The volunteers for the mission were divided into teams, so more people could be coming. We just need to give them some more time.
Michonne locks eyes with me and heads my way. Her voice is low and grave. "Hey."
"Hey." I reply.
"What happened here?" She asks.
I gesture to the pile of bodies by the gate. "Wolves. They attacked while you were gone. We were able to fight them off."
"I saw the truck. The horn is what made the herd start to break off. We lost about half." She states.
The thought of half that herd on their way here now sends a chill down my spine. "How long do we have?"
She shrugs. "I'm not sure. Rick left to go find a car. He was hoping to round them all back up and send them in the right direction." She looks around as if searching for something. "Has Glenn and Nicholas made it back yet?"
I furrow my eyebrows. "No. You're the first ones back."
"Glenn and Nicholas stayed behind. They were trying to create a distraction for the walkers to help keep them in one spot until Rick could get them. They were supposed to be right behind us. We got held up with Mary's injury. I thought they might beat us here." She explains.
Her words send my mind in a million directions. Glenn has to be okay. Maggie and the baby need him. I take a deep breath. Have a little faith. He's okay. He'll be back. "They probably just got held up too."
Michonne nods with a worried look on her face. Michonne never really shows when she's scared. The emotion on her face is unnerving. She always seems so fearless. It feels weird to be the one offering her some hope and comfort when normally she's the one doing that for us. I reach out and touch her arm. Her brown eyes meet mine. I give her a hopeful smile which she returns gratefully. She pulls me into a hug.
When we pull away, I nudge her in the direction of the house. "Go on, and get some rest." She doesn't argue and walks away, leaving me alone.
The amount of dead bodies within the walls is insane. We killed all the Wolves, or at least I think we did, but they killed a lot of us first. Some of the dead Alexandrians, I recognize and some I don't. In a way, I am thankful we haven't been here long enough to learn who everyone is and become friends with them. It makes this job, cleaning up their dead bodies, easier.
Once the streets are all clear, we decide to go check each and every house to be safe. That's where we find the Miller's, slaughtered on their porch, each with their throats slit. That's where we find Mrs. Jane as a walker locked inside her house. We see her through the window first. Her once frail body that needed a walker to move around is now hobbling along faster than it did when she was alive. My heart breaks seeing her like this. I wipe my eyes, pushing away the involuntary tears and pull my knife, bracing myself to put her down.
I feel a hand stop me gently. The hand belongs to Jessie. She shakes her head at me. "Let me." I'm about to argue with her and tell her I can do it when she says, "Please." Something about the look on her face and the tone of her voice, I know she needs to do this so I relent.
75 people... dead. About half are Alexandrians and the slightly larger half are Wolves.
We are finishing moving the last of the bodies when we hear someone yell in the distance. "Open the gate!!!"
I look to the wall where Deanna stands, looking out at whoever it is. Her face is stricken and I know whatever she sees is bad.
"OPEN THE GATE!! NOW!!"
I run over to the gate with Rosita. When the gate inner gate is open, I see Rick running at us with hundreds of walkers following closely behind him.
The other half of the herd... is here.
Daryl
When I meet up with Abraham and Sasha, we only got 10 more miles t' go. Every mile is goin' so slow. Each one feels like an eternity. My mind wanders t' Alexandria and t' Beth. What's happenin' back at home? Rick said he heard gunshots comin' from there and a horn? Did someone attack them? And what was goin' on with Rick? Was someone shootin' at him or was he the one shootin'? All these damn questions make my head hurt.
Sasha finally radios. "All right."
"That 20?" I ask.
"Almost. The 642 is it. But we need to put some distance between us and them before the turnoff." Sasha says.
Abe's voice cuts in next. "So floor it."
I radio back. "Alright, y'all try to keep up."
"Daryl, have you seen this car?" Sasha jokes about the beat up, rusted car she's drivin'. It's definitely seen better days. "Believe me, we want to get back there too."
Not as much as I do.
I race ahead with them on my tail. We make our turn and head home. The sun is lower in the sky and I'm flyin', tryin' to make it home before dark. Beth's song plays again in my head. I might be gettin' married tonight. The thought makes me smile. I squeeze the gas a little tighter, pushing the bike faster.
We have been drivin' for about 30 minutes when we come up on the outskirts of a small town. A few houses come into view on each side of the road. There's an intersection up ahead that takes you down the main road if you turn left. There's some shops on either side of the main stretch. We checked it all yesterday durin' the dry run. It wasn't much there. It don't matter though, we're stayin' straight at the intersection anyhow.
I keep going straight, travelin' behind the shops. I see a fenced in area in the back where the garbage is. Yesterday it was empty. Today there are dozens of walkers inside the fence. Weird. Then I see a walker on the outside the fence. It's walkin' toward the fence door faster than it should. Then it reaches out and opens the fence. What the hell?
The walkers stumble their way towards me. I start weavin' in and out of the small herd. I turn the corner to find more walkers. I try to swerve out of the way but lose control of the bike.
This is gonna hurt.
The weight of the bike knocks the wind outta me as it crushes me to the pavement. My head smashes against the asphalt and a blindin' pain rips through my skull. Black splotches blur my vision. I quickly get back up as Abe and Sasha pass. I can feel the blood oozing down my head and my right arm hurts like a sum'bitch. I lean over to pick up the bike and nausea hits me like a ton of bricks. I hear a sound behind me then everythin' goes black.
Beth
Rick dodges walkers and pushes a few away. We open the outer gate just enough to let him in. As soon as he is within the walls we shut it back and lock it immediately. Within seconds the walkers are pressing their faces against the gate reaching for us. More walkers push against the wall and we finally get to see how it holds up against a true threat. Unlike the fence at the prison that would give with enough pressure from walkers, the wall holds firm and unmoving. Reg designed it well. We're okay. It'll hold for now.
Rick is operating off pure adrenaline because instead of being doubled over trying to catch his breath like a normal person, he's standing upright, clothes drenched in sweat. He barks orders at anyone and everyone who will listen about reinforcing the wall. Tobin and several other guys get some lumber and lean them strategically against the wall, supporting it with each and every beam.
What's left of the Alexandrian residents gather to where we are near the gate, following the noise the herd is making outside the wall. The groans of the walkers are so loud like a radiator hissing and roaring at you after turning on the heat. Every face I see holds a different expression: terror, worry, concern, apathy, anger, fear, ect.
Deciding now is as good of time as any, Rick holds an impromptu town meeting. "You can hear it. Some of you saw it. They got back here, half of them. Still enough to surround us 20 deep."
Rick paces in front of the crowd. "Look, I know you're scared. You haven't seen anything like this. You haven't been through anything like this. But we're safe. For now."
He points to a part of the wall. "The panel the truck hit seems to be intact. We reinforced it just in case. Either way, the wall's going to hold together. Can you?"
Unsure looks are exchanged from person to person. "The others, they're going to be back."
I speak up confidently. "They're gonna be back."
Rick nods to me in appreciation for the support. Then his eyes soften only slightly before he continues. "Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham have vehicles." Rick's eyes don't leave mine. My breath hitches at the mention of Daryl. I give Rick a hard look. Don't say it. "They're going to lead them away just like the others."
Instantly I get pissed off. He's going to risk Daryl's life again. Logically I know this is a smart plan but I hate that it involves Daryl again. Realistically, I know there is no way for anyone else to do it either. The anger rises in me and I want to scream. I'm sick of this. All of this. Can't we just live in peace for once?
Rick's gaze moves to Maggie next to me. "And Glenn and Nicholas are going to walk through those gates after." Maggie takes an involuntary step toward Rick and nods in agreement, desperately grabbing onto the hope he is offering her. "They know what they're doing and we know what we need to do. We keep noise to a minimum. Pull our blinds at night. Even better, keep the lights out. We'll try to make this place as quiet as graveyard, see if they move on."
"This place is a graveyard." says Mary, one of the Alexandrian who volunteered for this mission today, one of the only ones who made it back.
Rick considers her carefully, trying to formulate a response, but Aaron silences him.
"The quarry was days away from breaking open and those walkers were headed this way. All of them. The plan that Rick put into place stopped that from happening. He led half of them away." He pauses briefly. His expression turns to shame. "I was out there recruiting with Daryl and Beth. We started searching in a place I suggested, a place I've never been before, and I led us into a trap, set by those people. And I lost my pack. They must have found it and followed us here. Those people who attacked us... they found their way back here because of me."
The information hits everyone hard. I had forgotten that Aaron lost his pack after we were jumped by the Wolves the first time. I was so distracted with getting us home, getting Daryl's leg seen to that I guess I just didn't think about it. What losing his pack could mean. Deanna shakes her head and starts walking away. She's been on autopilot ever since the herd showed up. I think she's overwhelmed with information, worry and responsibility.
Rick speaks again. "There'll be more to talk about."
Tobin sees Deanna leaving and calls out to her but she doesn't stop. He tries again but she ignores him. Everyone watches her leave. It's like I can see her falling apart at the seams. Like there's an invisible string behind her and it's being pulled, unraveling her little by little as she walks away. How long until she unravels completely? With Deanna's exit, the meeting ends. The night falls and we wait.
And we wait.
And we wait.
Daryl
I can hear people talkin' around me. I can't quite make out what they are sayin'. My head is poundin' and my limbs feel heavy. I try t' open my eyes and manage t' catch a glimpse of someone. My eyes flutter close again and my head drops involuntarily. Everythin' feels hazy and muffled like I'm underwater. I concentrate, tryin' my best t' zero in on somethin', anythin' that can tell me where I am and who I'm with. I swallow and feel somethin' in my mouth. A gag. Another voice floats through the haze and I listen closely.
"Davidson and the others just got back." A man says quietly.
"Bring them to me." a feminine voice responds.
I force my eyes open. Everythin' is a little blurry at first but after a moment, they begin t' focus. The first thing I see are my hands. They're tied together. I lift my head slightly and do my best t' play possum while I take in my surroundin's. My hair covers the sides of my face but through it, I can see people right next t' me. It's Glenn and Nicholas. They're both conscious, gagged and tied up. Nicholas looks like he's about to combust with fear at any minute while Glenn is as still as a statue. Watchin'. His eyes meet mine and he looks away quickly t' not give away my ruse. I cut my eyes t' my left. There's no one there.
Where's Abraham and Sasha?
The room we're in is dark and dingy. There's a woman inside. She's got long blonde hair and sharp features. She's all skin and bones, sitting on the opposite end of the room at a small table. She's looking down at somethin' in front of her. A couple of guys and a few women come into the room. They stop just shy of her and wait for her t' acknowledge 'em. Slowly, her gaze raises to the people in front of her.
"Where are the others?" She asks.
A man, Davidson (I'm assumin'), answers her. "They didn't make it."
Her eyes narrow. If looks could kill. "How is that possible?"
The man stammers, "They-they were stronger than we thought."
She looks to one of the women. "And the guardians?"
"Half of them are there but the walls are holding for now." The woman says with her low, raspy voice and distinct southern draw.
The boss lady nods and turns her attention back t' the man. "Did you at least find the ones who murdered your brothers?"
"You have one of them." He says. I guess he's referrin' t' me but I'm keepin' my head low so I can't be sure. "The other two I didn't see. We had to retreat before I could find them."
I hear a chair scrape and see the woman is now standin' in front of the man. "Retreat?! We are the predators and they are the prey. You said you knew the place. You knew their weaknesses. You have failed me and the pack."
He lowers his head in shame. "I'm sorry Hera. It won't happen again."
She inches closer and stabs him in the side. He falls to the floor and she looks down on his body. "No it won't. If you can't protect the pack living then you will protect the pack in death as a guardian." She turns t' one of her followers. "Take him away."
They quickly remove Davidson from the room while the other two stay put awaitin' instructions. Hera looks at the tall man next t' her. He has a hood on and half of his face is covered with a scarf. Hera says, "Congratulations. You're the new Beta now."
He nods in response. "Thank you, Hera."
"Gather the others. I need to speak with the pack." She tells Beta and the other woman. They leave us alone with Hera. I close my eyes and keep my head down.
I hear footsteps comin' toward us. I feel hands on my gag, lowerin' it. "You can stop pretending. I know you're awake."
I lift my head t' look at her. Up close, she's a pretty lady, but you can tell she's crazier than a rabid coon. Her lips slowly turn upward into a wicked smile. "Did you enjoy the show?"
I don't respond or react. She moves to Glenn, then Nicholas and removes their gags as well. As soon as he's able to speak, Nicholas asks, "Who are you?"
She cocks her head t' one side. "I'm Hera. I'm the pack leader, the Alpha, and we are the Wolves."
"What do you want from us?" He questions.
"We have to eat somehow." She says nonchalantly.
"So you're cannibals?" Glenn asks.
"Occasionally. Meat is meat. It doesn't matter if it's squirrel meat, rabbit meat, deer meat or human meat. Wolves are carnivores by nature and so are we." She explains.
"Now tell me what are your names?" She asks us.
I scoff. "Why'd ya care? You're just gonna kill us anyhow."
Her lips purse. "Perhaps... We might kill you or... we might let you live. I am hoping we can come to some sort of arrangement."
Suddenly nearly 20 people file into the room with us. Hera looks around and smiles. She paces in front of her followers. I count 18 people in total. Includin' Hera.
"My children, Davidson failed us so I have anointed the pack a new Beta." She gestures to the tall man that still has his hood up and face covered. The people seem to accept it easily. She continues, "Our attack on the enemy has weakened our numbers greatly. The guardians are dwindling down their defenses and revenge will soon be ours. We were able to capture a few of them." She extends her hand out t' us. Hera walks up t' me and turns to address her pack. "This one, is one of the three who killed your brothers. Jasper. Dante. Evan. Cole. And Donovan. I know you want vengeance for your brothers. I do too. But I am going to extend to them the offer I gave all of you."
This statement causes a stir. The woman that was in the room with us earlier is furious. "Hera!"
Other voice calls out. "You can't."
Hera remains calm. She extends her hands. "You know the rules. You're more than welcome to challenge me if you don't agree." She waits. No one steps up. "We need the numbers and context matters. He was a cornered, threatened animal. He simply protected his own. We could use someone like that in our pack. If the situation were reversed, any of you would have done the same. We can get our blood from the other two if he accepts."
The southern woman drawls out. "But he is the enemy."
"He will choose." She looks at Glenn and Nicholas. "They all will."
Nicholas looks terrified but he speaks anyway. "What's the offer?"
"I am giving each of you the choice. You can either join the pack and follow me or you die. You will have 48 hours to observe our way of life, then you must decide. The pack or death."
"The pack. I choose the pack." Nicholas says without hesitation.
Of course he does. Weasel.
"Coward." Beta hisses.
Hera walks up t' him and gets really close, right in his face. "Are you sure?"
He nods frantically. "I'm sure."
"Beta is right, you are a coward. Cowardice is not tolerated within the pack. We are predators. We fear nothing and no one. We are free." She steps back and circles him slowly, huntin' him. Once she's behind him, she pulls out a wire and begins to choke him with it. Blood spurts around the wire and she keeps pullin'. The wire cuts deeper and deeper into the flesh until his head pops off. It rolls at mine and Glenn's feet while his body falls into a heap on the floor.
Hera's got blood on her hands and face. She bends over and picks up Nicholas's head. She looks at it lovingly before handing it off to a nearby Wolf who takes it without question. She nods at two other Wolves and they move his body elsewhere.
She looks at us and smiles. "You have 48 hrs to decide."
I can see the sun rise through the window. I didn't get a wink of sleep. Neither did Glenn. We haven't spoken much. We're never alone long enough t' talk t' each other. I have no clue how we're gonna escape this place but we gotta figure it out soon. These people are crazy.
They ate Nicholas last night for dinner. They even offered him t' us. We refused. I didn't like the guy and I'm hungry but I ain't gonna stoop t' that level. That's crossin' a line I don't think you can ever bounce back from.
Hera, Beta and the other hefer left not too long ago. They were gonna check on things back at Alexandria. Glenn and I exchanged looks when Hera announced their departure. From what I can gather, the Wolves attacked Alexandria and sent half of the herd there too. The walls are holdin' but they're lookin' for a way in. Apparently our run in with them out on the road really pissed 'em off. They want revenge. You can see the bloodlust in their eyes. The one hefer especially. Why Hera wants me alive, I don't know but whatever the reason, it can't be good.
I look around the room. The Wolves are either restin' or flittin' around with jobs t' do. There's one sharpening knives. Another is cooking lunch some sort of soup to go with a side of Nicholas. The Wolf closest to us is washing clothes. She's a older woman. But she don't got a "W" on her forehead. Only some of the wolves do.
Curiosity gets the better of me and I finally ask. "Why don't all of ya have the Ws?"
She looks up at me with a blank expression. "You only get a permanent mark if you're a guardian or if you've disobeyed the Alpha's orders or endangered the pack in some way. It's Hera's only warning."
Sorry I asked.
It's almost nightfall when we see two walkers movin' outside. I quickly realize it ain't walkers. It's Beta and Hera. But Hera looks shorter than before. Her face looks all wrong. She reaches up and peels the skin off, removing Hera's face to reveal the other hefer whose name I don't know. She's shaved her head and her eyes are dark. Beta looms over her and he has a mask on too. It looks like half of a walker's face. It covers his head and his eyes revealing his mouth and chin and a huge beard. Their presence makes a silence fall over all the Wolves.
"What happened?" A Wolf asks the woman. "You killed Hera?"
She whispers, her voice rasps and she drawls. "Yes."
Beta speaks next. "This is Alpha. She is your new pack leader."
The other Wolves look around uneasy. They all lower their heads to her in submission. Glenn and I look at each other. This isn't good.
The new Alpha has a different way of handlin' things from what I can tell. She told the Wolves yesterday that they were livin' a fantasy. They needed to be more committed to the cause. (Whatever the cause is.) They were animals and needed to get back to their true nature. She informed the others that she had no intention of honoring Hera's offer t' us but she was gonna keep us alive for now. She had somethin' real special planned for us. She also wanted the group to attack Alexandria again. She explained the skins helped them move around with the guardians who were close to pushing down a section of the wall.
They spent all of today makin' walker skins for e'eryone. Tomorrow they're gonna attack again. We're gonna come with them and watch as they destroy our home and kill our families.
Ain't no fuckin' way I'm gonna let that happen.
Glenn and I spend all night working on untyin,' ourselves when no one is lookin'. We don't both get free until it's time to head out for Alexandria. I nod t' Glenn and he nods at me. We pretend to still be tied up for now but soon we're gonna escape and kill e'ery single one of these bastards. We just gotta lay low for the right time.
Beth
Three days. It's been three days since the mission and no one else has come back yet. Not Glenn. Not Nicholas. Not Sasha. Not Abraham. And not Daryl.
That first day, we just knew they would come back at any minute. Rick set up a watch rotation, not to watch for threats but to watch for our loved ones. The herd protected us from any real threats. We just needed to be patient and wait. When it was my turn on the wall, I noticed the herd was the same size as the day before. Maybe even slightly bigger. I ignored it and stared out past the herd. My eye catching every tiny movement, searching for any sign of them. I knew they probably had an issue and had to hunker down somewhere but they were okay. They'd be back.
The Alexandrians had the idea to make a memorial wall for all those we lost. They painted the names of all the fallen neatly on the panels. Reg and Aiden were the first names up. It was nice. A good way of honoring and remembering those who died before us. I wish we would have thought of it sooner. Our group has lost so many people. It would have been nice to do something like this from the beginning.
Mom. Shawn. Patricia. Otis. Jimmy. Lori. Zach. Andrea. TDog. Tyrese. Bob. Daddy.
Their names may not be physically written somewhere but they are written on my heart. I think about them everyday. Still, that fact doesn't stop the tears from stinging my eyes when I see Noah's name added to the wall. I smile at the sight, letting myself feel the wave of sorrowful happiness. I quickly scan the rest of the names listed. I see someone dipping a brush in the paint and start writing another name. They neatly paint the letter G and I freeze in place. The letters L E N N follow.
He's not dead. Why would they be adding his name? They're coming back. Apparently the Alexandrians working on the wall don't think so because four more names follow Glenn's. Nicholas. Sasha. Abraham. Daryl.
It's only been one day. One day. They can't just write them off like that only after one day. I go to say something to them when Maggie stops me. "Don't."
I want to argue but I stop myself. I know they aren't dead. Maggie, Rick, Michonne, Rosita and everyone else in my family know they aren't dead. That's all that matters. When they get back, we can take the names off.
Yesterday we all started to worry. Maggie was on edge. Rick's resolve maintained but just barely. He finally admitted at dinner he thought they would have been back already. I was getting antsy. How long were we supposed to sit here and wait? The herd outside the wall hasn't left. Everyone inside the walls are making just enough noise to keep them interested despite our warnings. The Alexandrians are starting to fall apart. They tried to raid the pantry but Spencer stopped them. Deanna has seemingly broken out of her haze and has officially handed the reigns to Rick. She said he was the leader they/we needed.
Today I am sitting out on the porch in the same spot Daryl keeps sneaking off to whenever he feels out of place or unworthy. Maggie opens the front door and finds me sitting in Daryl's spot. She doesn't say anything as she comes and sits next to me.
"They've been gone too long. If they're alive, they are either hurt, or trapped or taken. They need our help." Maggie says matter of factly.
"I know. Which is why I'm going after them." I say to her.
She looks at me. There is no surprise in her face like I thought there might be. She doesn't argue or disagree with me. She takes a deep breath and asks, "What do you need me to do?"
We quickly formulate a plan and start to carry it out. She distracts Olivia at the armory while I get all the ammo and weapons I need. When the coast is clear, I meet her in our backyard. She hands me my bows and sheath. We begin heading to the wall on the far side of the community when Aaron stops us.
"You're going out there." He sees the bag of supplies on my back. "How are ya gonna get out?"
The plan is for Maggie to throw three kitchen timers out over the wall and clear me a path. It's not the best plan but it isn't the worst that's for sure. I stay silent and don't answer him. "What happens when you go over the wall and twist an ankle? Or you just get slowed down by one of them and you have to deal with all of them? Hmm?"
I sigh. "You can't stop me."
"I don't want to stop you. I want to help you. I know a safer way out." He replies.
Maggie and I look at each other and I shrug. It's better than going alone. We look back at Aaron. "Okay. Lead the way."
I give Maggie a hug and she promises to cover for us for as long as she can. She wishes me luck and whispers in my ear, "Bring him back to me." I tell her I will and then leave her to follow Aaron.
We walk toward the wall where the truck crashed into it. I am about to ask him where we are going and then I see it near the road. There is a covered manhole in the ground that I have never seen before. He looks at me. "We're going under." He prys open the cover and explains, "This leads to a sewer that was part of the old neighborhood that was here before they built this up. It'll take us under the wall and hopefully past the walkers."
I go down the ladder first. Aaron is close behind me and replaces the cover back over the hole. Our flashlights illuminate only a few feet in front of us and we travel deep into the sewer. Aaron speaks again when we find a fallen ladder blocking our path. "I haven't been down here since the beginning. This ladder must have fallen a while ago."
"Let's try to get it out of here." I grab one side while he grabs the other. "On three. Are you ready?"
He nods. "One. Two. Three." We pull and it doesn't budge. I count off again. "One. Two. Three."
We pull harder with all our might this time and the ladder breaks free, knocking Aaron in the head and down on his butt. "Aaron!" I cry in concern.
He winces. "I'm okay, the ladder caught me."
His head is bleeding but that doesn't seem to bother him. He raises his flashlight to reveal a muddy walker that had been trapped behind the ladder. I go to stab it and another muddy walker jumps out at me out of nowhere. I gasp in surprise and back up until my back hits the cold wall. The walker pins me and I push against its chest. It is so squishy and bows under my hand. I push harder, trying to get enough distance between it and myself to stab it but my hand goes right through its chest cavity. A mixture of blood, water, and gunk cover my hand and arm. The walker inches closer to me as my hand emerges out of its back. I grunt and suddenly Aaron stabs it in the head, saving me. He killed the other walker as well and we are safe for the moment.
"Thanks."
"Of course." He says quickly. "Let's keep going. It shouldn't be much further."
We follow the sewer to the end. The metal grated door is closed shut but beyond it we can see the herd. I sigh in defeat. "We're still too close."
Aaron studies the scene in front of us. We are at the very back of the herd. We could make it. "We just have to get through a few of them, then we're gone." He reaches the door and looks to me. "You ready?" I nod. He pushes on the door. It isn't opening. He pushes again and the metal groans against the pressure. He pushes again and it squeals loudly. It gets the attention of a few walkers. He pushes again and it opens a little more. The metal scrapes loudly again and now we have at least a dozen heading toward us. We aren't gonna make it. I help Aaron close the door back. Walkers block the door, reaching their arms through trying to get at us. Aaron and I just watch them for a few minutes.
"We gotta go back." I say.
As we are walking the way we came, we hear a huge crash and the ground shakes, knocking us over. I look at Aaron in a panic. "What was that?" I ask him, afraid I already know the answer.
"I think it was a piece of the wall." His voice shakes.
We run to the ladder we came down and the area is pitch black. We point our flashlights up to the grated cover. Something wooden is blocking it. It takes us both a second to figure out what it is.
"Is that...?" Aaron starts.
"The tower."