"Open the door! It's Hershel!"
I got startled by Rick's yell. I ran downstairs as everyone piled up around the door.
Carl unlocked it and I saw a clear image of Hershel with half of his leg missing. He was on a table with wheels, being pushed inside the cell block.
"Go, go, in there." Rick demanded.
As they brought Hershel in, I slipped out of the door and T-Dog closed it after me. My eyes searched for Daryl and Ryan feeling a knot tighten in my stomach upon not seeing them.
But then they both walked in and Ryan went straight to me. I wrapped my arms around him feeling a heavy weight lift off of my shoulders.
"Are you okay? What happened?" I inquired.
He pulled away and wiped away the sweat from his forehead. His brown hair was ruffled and in need of a wash.
Daryl was preparing his crossbow on the side as I resisted the urge to hug him as well. Ryan took a deep breath as he glanced inside.
"Hershel got bit, we met a few new faces. Prisoners who survived. Look, I don't have time to catch you up to speed. I have to make sure Hershel is alright." He said.
I nodded motioning for him to go. T-Dog let him go inside as I went to Daryl's side. I touched his shoulder as my eyebrows furrowed. He used his other hand to squeeze mine.
It was his way of saying that he was okay. I lowered my hand as we heard voices coming our way. Daryl raised his crossbow as the prisoners started walking in
"That's far enough." Daryl warned.
All of them hesitantly walked in, looking around the room. There was five of them. Three of them black, one Latino and one white. They were grimy and looked like they haven't seen daylight in a while.
"Cell block C, cell 4, that's mine, gringo. Let me in." The Latino one demanded.
I raised my eyebrow as a scowl tugged at my lips. Does he really think a group of strangers is going to let a criminal inside their new home? We weren't born yesterday and we've learnt that strangers usually mean trouble.
"Are you really that idiotic? Perhaps being in prison screwed up what's left of your tiny brain." I snapped.
I didn't like the way they looked at me. Seeing a woman after years of being stuck in a cell is every prisoner's dream. Too bad they got me instead. The Latino's eyes narrowed at me and I glared at him.
"Today's your lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go." Daryl said.
I crossed my hands over my chest waiting for them to walk back to where they came from. We don't need new people, especially ones that already irritate me.
"What you got going on in there?" The Latino asked.
I tilted my head not understanding how he couldn't feel the hostility coming off of us. Maybe he avoided acknowledging it because he knew we'd fight him and his men until they were gone.
"It ain't none of your concern." Daryl snapped.
"Don't be telling me what's my concern." The Latino threatened.
He pulled out his gun and I immediately pulled out mine. It only had a bullet or two that I found in the cell block. But that's more than enough to put this man down. The others I can handle with my knife.
"Chill, man. Dude's leg is messed up. We're free now. Why we still in here?" The tall black man asked.
He had a point. We didn't kill them, they have a clear path to leave this prison. The only thing they have to worry about is the walkers, but that's not my problem. It's theirs.
"Your friend has a point. So listen to him before this gets ugly." I warned.
Another back man said something about seeing his mother. I furrowed my eyebrows starting to get worried. Do they not know that the world ended? Their families are probably dead.
"Group of civilians breaking into a prison you've got no business being in. Got me thinking there is no place for us to go, girly." The Latino retorted.
Daryl tensed as the man addressed me. Girly isn't the worst I've been called. Though it was still irritating to hear it. Especially from these morons. The only reason for me not killing them is Rick's disapproval at such a rash decision.
"Why don't you go find out?" Daryl asked.
His voice was harsh when speaking to them and a part of me was reminded of when he treated me the same way. It feels good to know he's not like that towards me anymore.
Yet the thing that we have going on between us is even more complicated than it used to be.
"Maybe we'll just be going now." The white man said.
Everyone seemed to want to leave except for the Latino. For now, he's the only wild card that we have to worry about. The rest of them seem fairly controlled. But it was clear that the Latino was their leader.
"Hey, we ain't leaving." He exclaimed.
"You ain't coming in here either." T-Dog replied.
I looked up as he showed up with a gun pointed at their leader. I moved my gun so I was also pointing at him. Three against one.
Well, if you don't count his gang of merry men. Then we're only slightly outgunned, but our skills make up the losss of hands.
"This is my house, my rules, I go where I damn well please." The Latino yelled.
An argument broke out and for once I decided to stay out of it. Not because I wasn't in the mood for fighting, simply because it wouldn't end well for them. I'm barely resisting the urge to start shooting.
But if I do that, I start a fight that hasn't begun yet. Then everyone will blame me for what will inevitably happen anyway. This way they can't blame me for it, like they do most of the time.
"Hey, hey! Everyone relax, there's no need for this." Rick spoke up.
I turned my head to see him walk up to us. He seemed to have everything in control which made me feel less on edge. If he's here, we can easily end them without any casualties on our side.
My grip on my gun loosened as I inhaled deeply. There's no need to fight if he's here. He'll make sure these scumbags stay away from my family and our new home.
"How many of you in there?" The Latino asked.
My eyes narrowed. If only he knew. There's enough of us to kill them twice. Yet we also have weaknesses, a pregnant woman and kids, which is why Rick is trying to avoid a fight.
I mean, I get it. He doesn't want Lori and Carl to get hurt the same way I don't want Abby and Ryan to get hurt.
"Too many for you to handle." Rick replied.
A smirk tugged at my lips at his words. Even one of us could kill at least two of them. They don't stand a chance. Outnumbered and outgunned.
They better realize in what kind of situation they're in unless they want us to kill all of them.
"You guys rob a bank or something? Why don't you take him to a hospital?" The Latino asked.
My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him in confusion. I shared a look with T-Dog and Daryl. They don't know what's out there. The walkers, the destruction they left behind.
That's the world now. There are no hospitals left out there for us to go to. There is nothing out there for us. Only death lurking at every corner.
"How long have you been locked in that cafeteria?" Rick asked.
The Latino shifted uncomfortably as his eyes flew from Daryl to Rick. They are completely clueless about what's outside this prison.
What did they think those things attacking them were? They must've seen the dead prisoners trying to kill and eat them.
"Around ten months."
"Riot broke out. Never seen anything like it."
"I heard about dudes going cannibal. Dying, coming back to life. Crazy."
"One guard looked out for us. Locked us up in the cafeteria, told us to sit tight, said he'd be right back."
I listened to their story and frowned at the discovery. They think this is just people becoming cannibals. The dying and coming back part is accurate, but they don't seem to be aware of the fact that everyone everywhere is like that.
"There is no army. There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone." Rick explained.
When he says it like that, it does sound hard to believe. They should be happy that there's no one to keep them in a prison.
No one to catch them or lock them up. The life of free men. Except the tiny detail of having to run from flesh eating monsters.
"For real?" The white man asked.
All of their hopes just sank. It's a look I've seen before on people. On Ryan, Dakota, Abby. Once people realize the world they knew is gone, even though it was shitty, they feel like they're gone too.
"Do you think we'd make this all up? It's for real." I replied.
They all began talking about their families and asking for cellphones. They still don't get it, do they? Everything is gone.
Rick tried to explain to them that half of the population was gone. The Latino still didn't believe what we were saying. So we led them outside where they saw the bodies.
"You never said, how the hell did you get in here in the first place?" A short black man asked.
The sun hit my eyes and I put my hand up to shield my eyes. It hated me and I hated it right back. It was a mutual feeling. For someone who's been locked up, I could see why they're happy to see it. I, however, am not.
"Cut a hole in that fence over there by that guard tower." Daryl explained.
I don't know why he's telling them this. It's not like they need to know about us or our skills. We can prove to them how resourceful we can be.
If they do or say the wrong thing, I've got bullets just waiting for them to make a mistake.
"That easy, huh?"
"Where there's a will, there's a way."
I walked up to Rick as a frown stood firmly on my face. He glanced at me before looking at my hand.
I glanced at it to see there was blood from where my nails dug into the wound. Rick gave me a stern look and I shrugged not wanting to explain myself.
The prisoners started asking questions about the virus and what it does. It seems it was difficult for them to wrap their heads around it. But then they started talking about whose prison it was.
Of course, I sided with Rick against the Latino who wanted it even though he did nothing to deserve it.
The prisoners decided they wanted to stay and take another cell block. Rick suggested that we'll clear out a cell block for them if they give us half of their supplies.
I disagree with letting them stay alive, but whatever makes our group stay alive is what matters to me.