Survival in Numbers (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter Seventy - The Revenge Attack

Emma had had half of her IV bag when it happened. The cell block began to collapse around her as a huge explosion rocked the prison.

"Wha' the fuck!" Merle grabbed the red head, yanking her free from her IV bag and out of her cell seconds before the ceiling caved in on top of them.

Emma's ears rang, her vision blurred, her arm throbbed where the cannula had been pulled from its place.

The door was luckily left open for them, and covered in dust and debris the two made their escape.

Merle half carried the red head and half dragged her as another explosion shook the building.

Emma coughed violently, as she walked with the older Dixon's aid. It was absolute chaos.

Judith was screaming, and Emma left Merle's side in order to step into Cell Block A. Everyone was running around, packing their things and making their escape.

The red head could hear Merle demanding to know what was going on, but Emma had her sights set on Judith's crib.

She still had blood covering her arms from where she had tended to the sick all week, and she left red stains over the sheets as she picked up the wailing five month old.

Gently shushing the young girl, Emma turned around to find Merle running towards her.

"We gotta go, sugar. It's the Governor-"

"-But-"

"-Ain't no time, we get out of 'ere, first."

She ran after him, the two of them dodging bullets and explosions as they made a break through a compromised fence and into the trees.

Emma panted, as she and Merle finally came to a stop to look at what was going on before them. The Governor stood in front of a tank, one of Michonne's katanas in his hand and a decapitated man laying by his feet.

"Is that...?" The fake leg was all she needed to see as confirmation to know that it was the man who had become a father figure to her.

Emma vomited again, unable to hold back her wave of nausea.

"Everyone's leavin'." Merle said, pointing out that people were running in all different directions. "We best do the same, sugar."

"We can't leave without knowing they alright!" She exclaimed, holding Judith close to her.

"If they ain't dead they gone!" He snapped, his face turning red. "Now get ya ass movin', ma baby brother ain't gunna be happy with me if I let ya go down there- now get!"

She did as he said, the two of them running far from the prison. Judith continued to cry, and Emma knew it was probably because her least favourite aunt was holding her.

They continued to run, even when they could no longer hear the war at the prison, and they ran until they couldn't run any longer.

Emma dropped to her knees, panting for breath as she clutched Judith to her chest. Which was when she heard it.

Silence.

Had the baby been squeezed too hard? Emma checked on Judith's breathing and her pulse, and let out a sigh of relief when she could feel both. She was asleep.

The red head felt tears falling from her eyes, and she looked up at the older Dixon who was as dishevelled as she was.

"S'gonna be dark soon." He commented, "We gotta find somewhere to bunk down."

The red head felt dizzy, and she held a hand to her head, "I need IV."

"Ya gonna have t'wait. Unless that' brain o'yas can make use of tree bark, we ain't got nothin'." Not even a gun.

The two got up and continued walking, Merle remembering the way to one of the towns they used on the run. Emma then remembered that they had left some formula behind on their nursery run, and informed Merle.

"Jus' ya luck, sugar. That's where we goin'." He said, "I'll leave ya there with the kid, go find a car."

"The only weapon we have between us is your hand." Emma reminded him, "I've got to find something with a pointy end."

"I gots ya a pointy end down ma pants."

"No, thank you."

It took them an hour on foot to reach the nursery, and Emma was exhausted by the time they got there. Her head was pounding, her stomach was churning, and she could hear her blood pumping in her ears.

Merle stabbed a walker in the head as the two of them crossed the car park, and headed inside the nursery. It remained as empty as it had done when they had cleared it on their run - which was when they first realised that Shane was still alive.

Emma moved straight over to a crib, and settled Judith inside before heading towards a kitchen area. Glenn had said that they had left some formula behind when they had done the run all those months ago, and Emma hoped that they hadn't come back here to get it already.

Luck was in her favour. Emma grabbed the formula, and headed back to where she had left Merle and Judith. She grabbed a pair of bottles off of the rack, and ripped them from the cardboard before stuffing them and the formula inside a changing bag.

"Once Judith wakes, she'll want feeding." Emma said, swallowing back some of her nausea. "Going to need water."

"I got a bottle." Came the reply, "But we gonna need t'get more."

Emma nodded, moving away from them to vomit behind the shelves. She fell on her ass, her entire body incredibly weak.

"I'ma go get a car."

Emma vomited until she couldn't anymore. She forced herself onto her feet and wiped her mouth on a newborn hat. The red head then went in search for some nappies, and some spare clothes for the little girl - stuffing everything she could into the changing bag.

If Merle couldn't get a car working, Emma would have to keep her supplies to the one bag. Two would just slow them down.

While he was gone, Emma fixed a bottle of formula for Judith - using the water that Merle had left behind. Once the infant had had her bottle (which Emma prayed she would take from her) they would have to move on.