When dad comes back, I'm still in the same spot he left me at. I figured with everybody focusing on Hershel, it's best for me to stay where I'm at instead of wandering around and passing out; once again. He tells me that three of the prisoners are dead. I just nod, I didn't know them therefore I don't care about them. He sits in front of me and I know we're about to have a long discussion.
"Why didn't you tell me it was getting worse?" He asks grabbing my small hands in his larger ones.
"I didn't think it was that bad." I tell him with a shrug. I suppose that's not what he wanted to hear because he gives me a huff.
"Cheri, do you even know what you look like?" His voice is strained. He's worried about me and I wish he wasn't. He doesn't need that stress.
"No." I whisper. I don't even remember the last time I looked in a mirror.
"You look like one of them," He says pointing towards the outside. I already know he means the walkers. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. "Next time you start feeling bad, find me or if you can't find someone like Hershel or Carol."
"What if it's too late?" I ask him.
"Don't let it get that bad." He tells me with a stern look. "Try to find food, or water. Don't wait 'till it's too late."
"Okay," I whisper and he pulls me into a hug.
"I don't wanna lose my little girl." He whispers into my hair. I squeeze him harder assuring him that I'm right there. It reminds me of my dream but I stay quite because Carl comes down the stairs saying that Hershel might be waking up.
With one last look at each other, dad and I head to the others and Hershel. Sure enough his eyes are open and Maggie and Beth are crying. The old man made it out alive and I'm grateful. I can't imagine how they must feel. If I lost dad I don't know what I'd do.
One by one, the group disperses and I leave with Carl. We haven't been ourselves lately, maybe we can be kids for just a couple minutes.
"You wanna play cards?" I ask and he shakes his head.
"I found the infirmary," he says randomly. I look at him strange wondering why he brought that up. "I got yelled at for doing something good."
"It was also dangerous, you realize that right?" I ask him and he just glares.
"Why is everyone after me! I helped save Hershel." He snaps. My eyes widen, what happened to the sweet blue eyed boy I know.
"We're all grateful for that but what if you hadn't made it out alive?" I suggest the possibility of what could've happened. He glares at me and storms off. Somethings changed within him, maybe being out on the road for so long. Whatever it is, I don't like it.
___
The next day I wake up early. Only half of the group is up but we're working on making the prison ours. The morning air is somewhat chilly so I pull on a flannel that used to belong to dad until I took it.
"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Carol asks. "We could use their help."
"Up in the guard tower," Dad says lazily lifting a hand to point to it.
"Guard tower?" Rick questions. "They were just up there last night."
"Glenn! Maggie!" Dad yells and suddenly Glenn exits the guard tower without a shirt. Dad covers my eyes as he buttons his jeans. I laugh a little bit and remove his hands. "You coming?"
"What?" Glenn asks as the adults do a poor job of holding in their laughter.
"You comin'?" Dad repeats. Glenn just stares blankly at us. "Come on we could use a hand."
"Yeah, we'll uh, we'll be right down!" Glenn calls down as Maggie comes into view.
We start to disperse until T-dog calls for Rick and points out the two remaining prisoners that are now walking up to the fence. Rick's face becomes one of annoyance as he walks to meet them. Dad and T-dog follow and I wait a moment before also following.
At the fence dad shoots me a glare suggesting that I shouldn't be near them but I ignore it.
"That's close enough." Rick states. The two prisoners don't look like they'll hurt us but you can't really trust anyone anymore. "We had an agreement."
"Please, mister. We know that." The blond one says nervously. "We made a deal, but you gotta understand we can't live in that place another minute. You follow me? All the bodies. People we knew, blood, brains everywhere. There's ghosts."
"Why don't you move the bodies out?" Dad suggests keeping me behind him with a hand in front of my shoulder.
"You should be burning them." T-dog tells them.
"We tried," Blondie states. "We did."
"The fence is down on the far side of the prison." His buddy pipes up. "Every time we drag a body out those things just line up. "
"Look, we had nothing to do with Thomas and Andrew," Blondie pleads walking closer to us, which in turn causes dad to push me farther behind him. "You trying to prove a point? You proved it bro. We'll do whatever it takes to be a part of your group just please- please don't make us live in that place."
"Our deal is non-negotionable. You either live in your cell block or you leave." Rick says making blondies buddy say 'I told you so.'
"You know how many friend's corpses we had to drag out this week? Just threw them out like-" Buddy pauses, stopping himself from what he was about to say. "These were good guys. Good guys who had our backs against the really bad dude in the joint, like Thomas and Andrew. We've all made mistakes to get in here, and I'm not gonna sit here and pretend to be a saint, but believe me; we've paid our due. Enough that we'd rather hit that road than to go back into that shithole."
I think that Buddy made a better impression on us than Blondie. He actually made a couple points while Blondie just begged. Rick must've noticed too because he turns to my dad but he just shakes his head barely.
While dad locks up the gate, I stand next to Carol as Rick questions T-dog. He seems to want the prisoners living with us. Rick just lists everything that could go wrong. Once again, we seem to be questioning what to do with people. It's like Randall all over again. Then dad speaks up.
"I get guys like this. Hell I grew up with them." Dad says. "They're degenerates, but they ain't psychos. I could've been in there with them just as easy as I'm out here with you guys."
I shudder at the thought. Being out here without my dad would be heartbreaking and I doubt that I'd have survived this long without him. If he was locked up, I don't know what I'd do.
"So are you with me?" T-dog asks.
"Hell no," Dad says. Then what was your little speech just now father? I'm very confused. "Let them face the road, try their luck; just like we did."
"What I'm saying Daryl--" T-dog starts but he's cut off by Rick.
"When I was a rookie I arrested this kid, 19 years old and wanted for stabbing his girlfriend." Rick tells him. "The kid blubbered like a baby, during interrogation, during trial, suckered the jury. He was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Two weeks later he shot another girl. We've been through too much, our deal with them stands."
One by one, we leave. My hand is in dad's as we walk back to his bike. I always enjoy our little father-daughter moments and I can tell that he does too, even if he doesn't always show. If I'm being honest I think that he cherishes every moment that he can before I grow up and don't need him for everything anymore.
"Why don't you go back inside." Dad suggests.
"Why?" I ask being my stubborn little self.
"You can't exactly do much out here." He shrugs before tapping my face. "Besides, you're already getting sunburnt."
"I'm always sunburnt." I say with a huff.
"Fine, you wanna help get the bike in?" He asks and a large grin appears on my face.
"Hell yeah." I say. The prisoners are standing near the building where the bike rests but I don't pay them any attention. Instead I get on the seat while dad gets behind me.
"Twin cylinder, is that a triumph?" Blondie asks.
"Don't even look at it." Dad grumbles.
"Didn't want it bored out?" Blondie asks as dad starts the bike. It comes to life with a loud rev and dad sits behind me as I guide it. "Sounds like it could use a tune-up. I'm pretty handy with a wrench. Heads are leakin'. I know my bikes!"
Blondie is ignored as I guide the bike inside of the gates (very poorly I might add. At least I don't need to worry about speed, I doubt dad would even let me). When the bike is parked, dad gives me a high five.
"Congrats on not crashing." he says sarcastically before mumbling something about how he's thankful I won't be on the roads.
While he goes to get some firewood with Rick and Glenn, Hershel comes out on crutches. A large grin appears on my face once more.
"All right Hershel!" Glenn yells and I giggle walking over to Carol and T-dog.
For a moment, everything is peaceful. Then, I notice walkers pouring into the courtyard. Carl notices them too as he's the one to yell it out. I don't have my gun or crossbow with me, so I'm stuck with a knife.
"Get out of there! Now!" Rick yells as him and my dad run through the fenced walkway.
I follow Carol and T-dog as they run towards the prison. I stab the walkers that get to close and hope that they don't get that close. T-dog shuts the gate that the walkers seem to be pouring out of and Carol runs into the building and then we hear the screams of T-dog.
He's been bit.
There's nothing we can do about it either, it's right on the shoulder.
"No!" Carol yells and T-dog runs towards us as walkers get closer. He slams the door shut and we continue running through the building. Suddenly an alarm starts blaring.
"There's a set of double doors that will lead to a corridor. That'll get you back to our cell block." T-dog tells us while Carol suggests that he should stop. "I'm getting you there!"
The two adults argue back and forth as we try to find a way out. T-dog is running out of time. Carol and I do our best to carry the large man through the dark. With each minute he's getting weaker and weaker.
"We're almost there." He pants. A pair of walkers starts to come down the hallway and we all freeze. Carol grabs for her gun but she's out of ammo; it's no use.
"Go back!" She yells.
"No, we're close!" T-dog then runs into the walkers, letting them tear away at his flesh as he offers us an escape route."Go! I'm dead!"
We hesitate for a moment and tears fill my eyes before we push out into blinding light. The alarm stops blaring after a couple moments. A walker tries to grab me but it doesn't succeed because of the flannel. I scramble out of it and kick the walker back. There's too many of them.
"In here!" I shout opening a door. After we're inside I shut it and I can hear the pounding from walkers trying to get in. "Maybe they'll lose interest, and then we can get away."
Carol only nods as I slide to the floor. The scene of T-dog dying repeats in my mind. With a shaky breath, tears fall down my face silently.
What happened?
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