Lilly Watkins has always been the strong one compared to her twin. That doesn't change when the dead start walking. Taking care of her family during the apocalypse, she never relied on anyone else. When she meets Daryl Dixon, a more temperamental pe...
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"You know, Merle never did nothing like that his whole life."
Carol and I look at each other, stunned at his openness. I expected Daryl to be completely shut down when we came back, but instead, he started leaning on me.
"He gave us a chance," Carol says, helping Daryl up from the ground before walking away.
"C'mon, we need to get ready. The Governor will be here very soon," I say, smiling to myself as he slings an arm around my shoulders.
The children, Beth, and Hershel are hidden away safely and we hold our breaths as they go through the cells looking for us. I hear the flashbangs, the sirens, and then the Walkers. I spot the first of the "troops" coming out into the courtyard. My mind goes numb as each shot I let off is a hit.
I'm unable to spot the Governor in the chaos, but I've injured at least half a dozen. They drive away in their trucks after their artillery vehicle jams.
I rush down from the tower, joining the others in looking on in victory.
"We need to go after them," I comment, looking at Rick and Daryl.
Daryl nods. "We need to finish it."
"They're right. We can't keep living like this," Carol says, coming to our defense.
"So we take the fight to Woodbury? We barely made it back the last time!" Maggie shouts.
Daryl is pacing now. "I don't care."
Rick nods acknowledgment to us. "Let's go check on the others first."
Judith, my girls, Beth, Hershel, and Carl are all safe, getting over what just happened in the cellblock.
"Dad, I'm coming to Woodbury," Carl says as Rick hugs him.
"Carl–"
"Dad, I did my job out there. Just like all of you. Took out one of his soldiers."
"One of his soldiers? The kid was running away. He stumbled onto us," Hershel corrects.
"No, he drew on us."
I peer on, looking between father and son, wondering how Rick is going to handle this.
"I'm sorry that you had to do that."
"It's what I was there for." Inside, I start to feel guilty. Is this the future Tiff has? The future of my unborn baby? Become a killer at age thirteen? I walk away, unable to hear anymore.
We get the vehicles ready, Maggie and Glenn staying behind. I hop onto the back of the bike with Daryl.
"Been awhile since you've been in the bitch seat, Lil," Daryl says, a small grin in his voice.
"Yeah, maybe you should sit here next time."
We come upon one of the vehicles that escaped. Walkers are feasting on some previously alive troops. It gets more eery as we realize that almost all of the cars that escaped are in a row, no one breathing in sight.
That is, until a woman slams her body against the window of one of the military trucks.
Rick pulls out his revolver, ready to shoot as she gets out. "You're coming with us."
It's dark by the time we make it to Woodbury's walls. Immediately, we are shot at. I try to ignore the flashbacks of being back here and crouch behind a car alongside the others.
"Karen?" a deep voice calls out for who I presume is with us.
"I'm fine!"
"Where's the Governor?"
"He shot on all of us! He killed them all."
"Why are you with them?"
"They saved me."
Rick disarms himself. "We're coming out! We're coming out!" I follow suit though it takes Daryl a bit a longer to raise his arms up in surrender.
"What are you doing here?" the tall dark-skinned man asks.
"We were coming to finish this until we saw what the Governor did," Rick explains calmly.
"He killed them all?"
"Yeah."
"Karen told us that Andrea hopped the wall going for the prison."
"She never made it. She might be here."
We go back to where Maggie, Glenn, and I were held to look for Andrea.
Tyreese, the man from the wall earlier, asks, "The Governor held people here?"
Daryl looks over at me. "He did more than hold them."
We come to a metal door with an eerie thumping noise behind it. There's a pool of blood leaking from the bottom. I immediately get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Will you open it?" Michonne asks Rick as we ready our weapons.
He nods. "One, two–"
There's a dead Walker who I recognize as Milton in the middle of the room. Then I see the feet by the doorway.
"Andrea!" Michonne calls out, rushing to the slumped figure.
"I tried to stop them..." she says, but it's clear she's starting to get delirious.
"You're burning up!" Michonne says and I realize quickly that they weren't just friends, they were more.
Andrea reveals a large bite on her neck previously hidden by her shirt. We all look away. The outcome is inevitable.
"Judith, Carl, the rest of you–"
"Us, the rest of us," Rick corrects.
"Are they alive?"
Rick looks between Daryl and me before nodding. "Yeah, they're alive."
Andrea smiles, looking back to Michonne. "It's good that you found them."
"No one can make it alone now."
Daryl smiles at me. "I never could."
"I just didn't want anyone to die." She starts looking panicked. "I can do it myself. I have to." We all know what she's referring to.
"You just said no one can make it alone, so you won't be. I'll do it," I say, getting onto my knees next to her.
"How do I know you won't get pleasure from this?" But she grins. "Name your baby after me, okay? At least a middle name or something."
"How did you–"
She puts a finger to her lips. "Shush. I know things." Her hand grabs one of mine and we wait. Michonne hasn't left either, silently running her hands through her hair. The death gasp leaves her lips and I know this is it.
One shot.
We load up the last of Woodbury residents, mostly children and the elderly. Rick, Daryl, and I watch on, in disbelief that it's over. That we finally won. No more running.
