Broken Bars

Home Sweet Shithole

"We need to push further into the prison. Today." Rick announced.

I hadn't even woken up properly yet.

"Can't it wait?" Glenn asked. He clasped Maggie's hand in his. It was hard not to feel a tiny bit jealous. They had bonded and fallen in love so easily. Meanwhile, I was struggling to get Daryl to even admit he wanted something from me. "I mean, the yard is pretty big, we could always stay in here for a while."

"That's not why we came here," Rick argued. He placed his hands on his hips and looked around at us. "we're here to take this prison. I can't just stay here- not when there's so much we could take."

"Rick's right," Maggie piped up. She gave Glenn an apologetic look. "We can't stay holed up here. I'll come with you to clear the prison block."

After a moment's thought, Glenn agreed to go with her.

"Me too," I said. "can't sit around on my ass whilst y'all are in there." Rick nodded, and I knew that was his way of thanking me. We may have had our disagreements, but I still had his back. He'd more than proved himself to me.

T-Dog and Daryl were the final two to volunteer. I already knew they would. T-Dog cared for everyone too much to stay behind, and wherever Rick went, Daryl followed.

Rick gave us a moment to grab whatever we needed and get ready to open the gates. Behind the fence, the walkers were getting excited, like they knew we were heading their way. I watched their mouths gnash at the fence, eyes blank and yet so full of rage and yearning.

"You sure you don't need me?" Josie asked. She picked up a crowbar and swung it over her shoulder. She and the others were getting ready to draw walkers away from us. The plan worked yesterday, and it will work today. It had to.

"We'll be good, Josie." I ruffled her hair. She didn't complain about being kept behind. There had been a time she had wanted to follow me everywhere, scared to be alone. Now, it felt like I barely had a moment alone with her. She was either off talking with Carl and Sophia, or she was helping clear walker bodies for us. She was growing up quickly, whether I liked it or not.

The walkers began to growl animatedly as the six of us approached the gate. We nodded to Lori, and she pulled the gate open, holding it steady as Rick and Daryl took out the first three walkers in our way. The second I made it into the yard, the gate closed behind us, locking in place.

"Circle!" Rick yelled. We pressed in tight, back to back. It made it harder for walkers to sneak up on us, and it covered our asses.

I landed my first kill, silencing a prisoner with a quick jab under his chin. He fell limp as I yanked my blade out, wiping it against my trousers. If the blood built up, the knife was more likely to get stuck. I could remember Carol learning that the hard way only three months ago. If Daryl hadn't been there, she would have probably died.

"You're right!" Daryl called, just as another lurker lunged at me. I barely had time to react before Daryl leapt out of formation, plunging his hunting knife through the lurker's skull.

"Stay in the circle." Rick chided him. I shook off the panic that had begun to set it. Inside, a small voice was telling me what I already knew. Daryl had disobeyed Rick to save my ass.

The next walker I killed went down with grim satisfaction, and a smile on my face.

We were getting closer to the prison cells. Whatever walkers we had missed had met their end at the hands of the others in the yard.

"You see that?" T-Dog asked. He pointed at the open fence, leading into another prison block. I followed his finger, and spotted the walker he was looking at.