Ellie Dixon

Newbies

My dad, Rick, T-dog, Maggie, Glenn and Hershel because he insisted were gearing up with old police armour they'd found. They were going further into the prison to try and clear it out. We didn't wanna wake up in the middle of the night to walkers eating us because we didn't check if the prison was safe. I was sitting on the stairs watching them helplessly, I wanted to help but they'd never let me go.

Carl was smiling to himself as he was trying on a helmet that wouldn't fit him. "You won't need that." Rick took the helmet off his son. "I need you to stay put."

"You're kidding." Carl raised his eyebrows.

"We don't know what's in there." Rick shook his head. "Something goes wrong, you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here."

"What could Carl possibly handle that I couldn't?" I asked myself, Carol sat down next to me.

"Still sulking you're not going with?" Carol asked.

"Yup. It does make me feel better that they're not letting Carl go though." I responded.

Carol tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I promise, one day you'll be allowed to run straight first into danger."

I smiled and a small laugh escaped my lips. "Thanks."

I saw Rick give Carl the keys. "Great. Let's go." Rick nodded.

I saw dad hug Sophia and kiss the top of her head before he looked over to me. "You still sulking?"

"Yes." I responded.

"Okay, bye." Dad shrugged and started to leave.

"Wait." I called, getting up and running after him. I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back. "Promise you'll come back."

"I promise, babe." Dad leaned down and kissed the top of my head before he walked out the metal gate, Carl locked it behind him. Then we watched as the six went through another door that led them to the rest of the prison we hadn't explored.

"They'll be okay." Carl said to me.

I nodded. "I'm sure they will."

I'd been sitting by the gate, waiting for them to come back. About twenty minutes later, the door burst open, and Hershel was on a wheely table thing being pushed by the others. "What's going on?" Beth asked as she heard the noise.

"Carl, keys!" I yelled, he came running and unlocked the gate just as they approached to let them in. Our eyes widened when we noticed Hershel missing his right leg? "What the hell happened?" I questioned.

"He got bit." Dad replied.

"Daddy!" Beth yelled as she saw her father.

I saw them wheeling him into a cell that wasn't being used. My dad and T-dog went back out into where the tables are, T-dog closed the gate behind him. I was very confused, I decided there was enough people in with Hershel, so I gently opened the gate and stepped over the other side with dad and T-dog. They hadn't seen me, but they both had their weapons raised and was pointing them at the door that led to the rest of the prison.

I heard footsteps and automatically assumed walkers, but when that man walked round and four more followed him... I didn't know what to think. "That's far enough." My dad said, still not having noticed me. All five of the men looked at my dad and T-dog before pretty much staring right at me.

"Cell block C. Cell four... That's mine, gringo. Let me in." The man who seemed to be the leader of their mini group said.

I'd heard many people say "gringo" before. In my neighbourhood, it was mostly Latina and black Americans living there. We had a few white people, and their names were pretty much changed to gringo by the people who lived there. Personally, I always used their names if I ended up in a conversation with them, which didn't usually happen since I don't like people.