I sighed as I reached up and wiped sweat from my forehead, throwing the small trowel besides the tomato plants I had just planted. It had been almost a week now since Daryl had found me in the tombs, a week since I'd learnt that mum had died, I still think about her all the time but nobody mentions what happened because dads still in a weird place mentally, while he's much better than he was, he still has his moments.
"Hey, are Maggie and Glenn back yet?" Speak of the devil, using my hand to block the sun I looked up into my fathers eyes.
"I don't think so." I shrugged standing from my place kneeling in the dirt. "Dad?" I asked as I noticed that he was staring off into the distance.
"Please tell me this isn't in my head." He muttered without moving his eyes from where they were intently focused.
"What?" Confused I turned to the direction that he was looking, my eyes widened as I spotted a figure stood still by the gate, watching us with a blank face and a basket of what looked like tins clutched in their grip tightly. "What the hell?" I whispered only for dad to start walking in the figures direction.
"Beth! Get Daryl!" I yelled over to the young girl who was sat on the grass with a gurgling Judith laid out on a blanket.
I slid to a stop besides dad as he stood a few feet away from the gate, now closer I could see that the figure was a woman covered in, what I hope, was walker guts. As we stood watching each other one of the walkers started to pay the woman more attention, the smell fading, then another started and within a second the walkers closest to her started to groan and snap their jaws in her direction forcing her to pull out a long sword, I think it's a katana, and swipe at the heads of those closest.
"We've gotta help her." I said turning to dad only for him to continue to stand still watching as the woman struggled. "Dad!" I yelled as I watched her stumble slightly, my eyes landing on a bullet wound on her leg. "She's hurt, come on." I pleaded, still receiving nothing.
Mumbling under my breath I quickly moved forwards, reaching through the gaps in the gate I slid my knife into the skull of a walker who had sneaked up on the woman from behind while she was busy dealing with multiple others. We made eye contact briefly, me sending her a small smile before I got back to the job at hand.
"Lyla move!" Daryl's voice made me jump slightly, looking over my shoulder I realised that dad had finally snapped out of whatever dreamland he was in and was ready to open the gate. "Three, two, one, now!" Daryl yelled before the two of them pulled the gates open, me quickly reaching out and grabbing the woman's coat quickly pulling her through landing on the ground before the gate was slammed shut behind her.
"Don't move." Accompanied with the click of a gun made me look up with wide eyes, dad stood with his revolver pointed down at the injured woman while Daryl held his crossbow in the same stance.
"What are you doing? She's hurt." I asked surprised at how things were escalating.
"Move away Lyla." Dad spoke to me without taking his eyes off of our guest.
"No." I denied shaking my head slightly. "She needs Herschel." I told him in a tone that he knew oh so well, the 'don't bother trying I'm not giving in' tone that I used all the time as a teenager.
Groaning to himself he put his revolver back in its holder and gestures for Daryl to help him, both leaning down and grabbing an arm each, carrying the woman through to an empty cell just outside of our own cell block.
—————
"It was a bullet wound, I managed to dig the bullet out and sow her up so she'll be fine once she gets her strength back." Herschel spoke as he came from the cell that was currently housing our visitor.
"Thank you Herschel." Dad nodded at him in appreciation. "Lyla why don't you head back in, get some rest." He suggested making me roll my eyes.
"I'm not some kid that you can get rid off because you wanna what? Torture her to get information?" I asked with an eyebrow raised, laughing slightly as he looked at the ground meaning I was right. "I'm not leaving." I shrugged.
"Fine." He sighed shaking his head. "You wait out here while we go talk to her." He muttered nodding for Daryl to follow him.
Waiting until they were inside the cell I quietly followed, stopping to stand just outside so I could see and hear their conversation.
"Who are you?" Dad asked as he crouched down in front of her.
Silence.
"How yer fin' us?" Daryl said lowly, keeping his eyes on her.
Silence.
"How did you know about the baby?" Dad asked next, sounding impatient.
Silence.
"What do you want from us?" Dad growled as he stood up and leant towards her, probably pulling his best angry face but unfortunately I couldn't see.
"How's your leg?" I asked stepping into view, all three heads swivelling to me, dad and the woman looked surprised while Daryl looked sort of pissed.
"Sore." She spoke for the first time, surprising me slightly with how easy that was.
"Stupid question really." I laughed slightly as I walked into the cell standing between the two men as they looked at me. "What's your name?" I asked, she looked between the two men before she looked back at me. "Oh, don't worry about them, that's just my dad Rick, and that's my, uh, that's Daryl, they might look rough but their puppies really." I teased with a shrug, not knowing what to call Daryl, we had never spoke about whether we were in a official relationship or not. "Oh! And I'm Lyla." I grinned, I'd always found it easy to talk to new people, just like when the Dixon's showed up at the quarry that day.
"Michonne." She said quietly, almost a whisper.
"Michonne." I repeated while nodding. "Cool name." I grinned, laughing slightly as a small smile came to her lips. "How'd you know about the baby?" I asked getting to the point as I nodded to the basket filled with formula that sat a few feet away on a table outside of the cell.
"Heard the girl and the Asian talking about a baby, saw they had that." She muttered looking down to the ground.
"Wha' ya do to 'em?" Daryl growled, quickly adjusting his crossbow so that the arrow was aimed directly at her head.
"Nothing." She sneered leaning forwards so that the arrow was touching her dark skin. "They were taken by the same dick that shot me." She frowned as she looked down at her leg.
"Where are they?" I asked getting her attention once more.
"A town called Woodbury, it's got high walls, guards, weapons and it's ran by some guy who calls himself the governor." She told us, Daryl and dad shared a quick look before Daryl took hold of my arm and pulled me out of the cell while dad looked it behind us.
"What are you doing? We've gotta go find them." I asked confused as they stood there and looked at me.
"We don't know that we can trust her." Dad sighed rubbing his hands over his scruffy stubble that littered his chin.
"It ain' safe." Daryl mumbled with a shake of his head.
"Well I believe her, I do." I stood my ground sighing in frustration as they both only shook their heads at me.
"We ain't going." Daryl grumbled before he stalked off, leaving me and dad alone in silence.
"Lyla." He started but I shook my head, I knew what he was going to say.
"Fine, but if anything happens to them, it's on you." I muttered shoving past him and going straight for my cell, pulling the curtain I had hung up across the door for a slither of privacy.
—
Tiptoeing as quietly as possible I crept down the stairs and over to the gate making sure not to wake anyone, slowly I unlocked the gate and pulled it open, closing it behind myself before reaching through and leaving the set of keys on the ground only keeping the one I would need to open the cell.
"Shh." I whispered as Michonne jumped at the noise of me unlocking her cell.
"What are you doing?" She whispered as she stood up.
"Here." I handed her the katana that dad and Daryl has previously taken from her. "You're gunna help me get them back."
———————
"Holy shit." I breathed out at the sight before me. Big metal walls with the tops of houses sticking out in view, Woodbury. I quickly tucked back into the tree line besides Michonne as one of the guards heads turned towards me.
"So what's the plan?" A voice came from behind us, me and Michonne spinning round her katana in hand while I held up at gun I had taken from the groups armoury, my knife tucked safely into its holster on my waist.
"Motherfucker." I muttered as dad, Daryl and Oscar appeared from behind the trees. "Dad I-"
"I don't want to hear it." He interrupted, stepping past and looking at the impressive set up before us.
"Daryl." I said quietly stepping forwards, only for him to scoff and shake his head walking over to where my dad was stood.
"We go in quietly and stick to the shadows, we get Glenn and Maggie and we leave, understood?" He instructed, ending his sentence with a 'do you understand' look between me and Michonne.
"Got it." I mumbled in agreement keeping my eyes on the ground.
"How do we get in?" He asked looking at Michonne.
"This way." She muttered before she walked away, all of us following being sure to keep hidden from the guards view.
As we crept through a small gap in the wall I kept my knife tight in my grip, since it was quieter than the gun sitting in my holster in case I needed it. Following dad and Daryl I crept slowly, Michonne and Oscar keeping guard at the back of our small rescue team.
I kept my eyes open as dad quietly opened the door to a large house holding it open as we slowly crept inside, Daryl first clearing it before we crept further in hearing thuds and groans of pain as we reached the back rooms.
"Where's Michonne?" I whispered as I realised our katana wielding friend had disappeared.
"Not our problem." He grumbled back before a door flung open taking our attention elsewhere, quickly grabbing the gun we held our weapons up waiting for the threat to show itself only to be met with the sight of a beat up Maggie and Glenn.
"Oh my god." I whispered as I rushed forwards pulling Maggie into an embrace, feeling her tears fall on my shoulder. "What happened?"
"Merle happened." Glenn sneered focusing on Daryl's whose eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Wha'?" He asked, confusion clear in both his voice and his face.
"Merle took us from a store and brought us here." Maggie told us as her tears slowed.
"Why would he do this?" I asked confused, sure he was a violent idiot but he knew Glenn and Maggie.
"His new best buddy told him to, the governor." Glenn said, disgust clear in his voice.
"We don't have time for this, let's go." Dad said shaking his head before he moved into position before we slowly made our way out of the house and back onto the streets of Woodbury.
The sound of footsteps rushing past outside made us all freeze, Dad slowly pushing the door open slightly before he quickly closed it again.
"They know we're here." He whispered reaching into his pocket and pulling out some kind of canister. "I'm gunna throw this out and we go straight to the wall." He instructed looking over our faces quickly.
"What about Michonne?" I asked, the katana wielder still missing.
"She's not our problem anymore." He muttered looking into my eyes before looking away. "Three, two, one, now!" He counted down before throwing the canister out of the door, smoke bellowing up into the sky and through the streets of Woodbury.
"Go!" He yelled quickly pushing the door open fully and rushing out into the chaos.
Quickly following behind I kept my gun raised and ready as I heard gunshots coming from behind us.
"Go! I'll hold 'em back!" Daryl called as he stood at the back of the group shooting his arrows through the smoke in the direction the bullets were coming from.
"Daryl!" I called as we got to the walls, Maggie and Glenn first over.
"Lyla go!" He yelled without turning to look at me.
"But." I started before a hand was wrapped around my arm and I was pulled backwards, stumbling slightly at the force.
"Come on." Dads voice came from behind meaning he was the one that grabbed me.
I watched as Oscar quickly climbed the wall, reaching down towards me but just as I put my hand in his, his eyes widened and he fell forwards landing on the ground with a thud, a bullet hole in his chest.
"No!" I cried as I quickly crouched down checking for a pulse, nothing.
"Come on we gotta go." Dad yelled quickly pulling me up and giving me a push up allowing me to climb over the wall and drop down on the other side, quickly running into the tree line where Maggie, Glenn and Michonne we're waiting.
"Michonne!" I breathed out relieved. "Are you okay?" I asked noticing the cuts and fresh bruises that littered her face.
"I'm fine." She nodded just as dad appeared behind me.
"Where's Daryl?" I asked looking behind him expecting to see the archer. "Dad?"
"They got him." He mumbled dropping to the ground and leaning his back against a tree.
"What? We gotta go get him." I said panicked. "Dad, please, we can't just leave him." I pleaded, my heart racing knowing that he's stuck in there alone.
"We aren't leaving him." He muttered shaking his head as he pushed himself back to his feet. "What are we dealing with?" He asked turning to Michonne, Maggie and Glenn as they knew what the inside of the town was like.
"The governor runs the place, he's the leader." Michonne started. "Merle and Martinez are his right hand men, they'll do what he says at the click of his fingers." She said with a scowl. "And then there's Andrea, I found her in the woods near Senoia a few months ago almost got herself eaten. We found Woodbury together, she got close to the governor and before I left she was acting like the First Lady, she couldn't see what he really is." She said, eyes softening slightly before they hardened again.
"Wait." I said, her words catching my attention. "This Andrea, is she Blonde, strong and have a real attitude problem?" I asked watching as her brows furrowed in confusion slightly as she nodded.
"Holy shit." Glenn mumbled catching on. "She survived." He breathed out, almost in relief.
"What are you talking about?" Michonne asked looking between the four of us.
"Andrea was with our group at a farm just outside of Senoia, it was over run by walkers and she had disappeared, we thought she was dead." I explained still stunned that she had managed to survive that shit storm.
"We'll reminisce later, let's go get Daryl." Dad interrupted, determination clear on his face.