The End of a New Beginning // Daryl Dixon

Part 30

Meredith

SIX MONTHS. IT'S been six months since we've taken in the people of Woodbury. Six months since we've even heard anything of the Governor himself. Daryl and Michonne have spent most of their time out there searching for him. And yet...we haven't found anything. He just vanished. The last thing we found was that Woodbury was burned down. We're assuming after everyone was gone, the Governor returned and burned it.

Things have been going for the prison. We've been thriving honestly. We've turned the field into crops for corn, tomatoes, cucumbers. We've got flower beds decorating the courtyard. There's a black smith, sort of. There's a large grill we found in the very back of the prison. Rick thought that it had to have been from special occasions like Christmas, thanksgiving, fourth of July. A little condescending for the Fourth of July since it was mostly about celebrating our freedom...yet the prisoners were here. Not that I don't think they deserve to be locked up, I'm sure half, if not most of them did. But I thought about the prisoners who were locked up and they were innocent.

I roll onto my side, letting out a sigh. Daryl and Michonne have been gone for a few days now. They've been looking for the Governor. I'm pretty sure they come home today. Which I'm excited about. Daryl wanted me to go, but I told him I'd help Rick turn the prison around for the good of everyone. So, that's what I've been doing. Waking up at the same time, going out to the field, cropping, pulling, everything with Rick by my side. We've grown pretty close these last six months. We've talked about everything, even with Lori. It was a relief when he told me he doesn't blame me. That he knew I did everything I could. I told him how she hemorrhaged. Lori would've survived the labor if she hadn't. It's always a hit or miss when women hemorrhage during child birth. They could bleed too fast, too much and die, like in Lori's case. Or, they could hemorrhage and bleed too much, but slowly. In that case, all I'd had to do was give her more blood, find the source of the bleeding, stop it, repair it and she would've been fine. Disaster follows everywhere you go.

I slip on the farming boots and strapped my knife to me. I walk grab the ring of keys and unlocked my cell. When Daryl isn't here, I always make sure to lock myself in the cell to keep me from sleepwalking around the prison. And when Daryl is here, most times, he doesn't always sleep. So he's able to guide me back to bed so easily.

I step outside, stretched my arms up and look around. I furrow my brows to see Rick already outside. Guess he had a head start.

"Morning, Meredith." I hear. I turn my head and see Carl approaching behind me.

"Morning." I greet back. He spots his father outside in the field working away. "He didn't wake me up." He utters.

"Me neither." I tell him. We walk down the stairs and head off to the field. Rick pauses on the crops, slipping the gloves off and walking over to the pig pen.

"You didn't wake us up." Carl calls to Rick.

"'Cause I knew you were up all night reading comic books." Rick says. "I figured you could sleep in." He explains.

"You didn't wake me up either." I nudge his elbow. He lightly chuckles. "I wasn't reading or doing anything." I say.

"I figured you coulda used the sleep." He says.

"Mmmhm." I nodded. We turn our heads and see most of the pigs eating away. Except one. One of the pigs lied in the corner of the pen, sleeping away.

"What's up with Violet?" Carl asks.

"Carl." Rick sighs out. "I told you not to name them. Their not pets. Their food." He says.

"I just thought, you know, until..." Rick turns his head and gives his son a stern eye. "Okay." Carl nods.