Make it Till You Don't

New Face

Knowing that Walkers are inside the prison, we split up into two groups, and I went off with Glenn and Axel hoping to find the generator room. Only problem was that with the alarm going off, it was difficult to hear any Walkers nearby. Looking behind us, I saw that three Walkers were after us and spun around, swinging my ax at one. "(Y/N), come on!"

I looked at Glenn, waving the two away. "Go, I got this! You need to find the others or the generators! The longer we take, the worse it'll be!"

I could see the contemplation in his face, knowing I was right. The longer that alarm goes off, the more Walkers will be attracted to the prison and getting in. I brought my attention back to the other two Walkers, kicking one away and lunging for the other as I heard the sound of their footsteps receding.

Quickly finishing off the two, I continued after Glenn and Axel but found myself at a two way. I took a moment to debate which way to take before deciding to go right. I crept forward slowly as the alarm went off, listening for Walkers or possibly the others. I was cautious as I made my way through the halls, checking each and every body that littered the floor, not taking any chances.

I tightened my grip on the axe as I heard growling from around the corner in front of me, swinging the moment it was in sight. Letting out a breath, I took a step forward as an angered yell echoed through the halls. I didn't have time to worry about it as I continued forward, swiping at Walkers left and right.

Not sure how much time had gone by, but I know it should've been enough for the others to find everyone. I took out the last Walker in front of me, dropping my arm down beside me, breathing heavily.

I leaned against the wall behind me as I tried to catch my breath, glancing at the bodies all over the ground. I closed my eyes for a moment, pondering where in the halls I am, and where an arrow might be for me to find my way back. It was plainly clear no one was down here from how quiet it was.

I opened my eyes, letting out a sigh as I heard growling once more. Pushing myself off the wall, I faced the two stumbling in my direction. I trudged forward, kicking one away, swiping at the other before slamming my axe into the one I kicked. Yeah, I could've snuck around, avoiding as many as I could, but I might as well kill any I see. Leaves a lot less to roam around.

After stumbling through several halls, seeming to go around in circles, I managed to finally find a damn arrow, feeling relief flood through me as I made my way back. I came around a corner and saw Rick standing there, blood all over him. "Rick?" I called out, walking towards him. "Rick?"

Not getting a response, I slowed my pace as I got closer, cautious. When I got close enough, I saw a look on his face, one void of emotion. "Rick, what happened?" I asked slowly, coming up beside him. He looked toward me, not saying anything before walking away.

"Rick, wait-!" I started to go after him when I fell to the ground, feeling exhausted. I pushed myself back up off the ground and Rick was long gone. Shaking my head, knowing he'll be fine on his own, I used the wall for support and continued following the arrows.

Making it to the door, I nudged it open with my axe, stumbling to one of the tables and collapsing onto the seat. I brought an arm up onto the table, holding my head in my hand while letting the one I was holding the axe with dangle beside me.

Too tired to move, I closed my eyes, opting to lie my head down on my arm as the sound of a door opening rang through my ears. "(Y/N)?"

I turned my head, opening an eye to look at the door and saw Glenn and Hershel with Oscar not too far behind. "Hey... Glenn..." I muttered as I felt my eyes close once more.

—

"I don't know. She was just here when we came inside."

"Is she bit?"

"I don't think so, she's still breathing and isn't running a fever."

Hearing voices caused me to stir, blinking my eyes open slowly as I let out a groan, sitting up. I turned my gaze to see everyone in the room, looking at me cautiously. "What...?" I asked as they relaxed.

"What the hell happened to you?" I looked at Glenn, raising a brow. "We never saw you after you were separated from us." He motioned between him and Axel.

I frowned, looking down. "I got lost. I tried looking for someone but kept running into Walker after Walker, getting pushed further in." I glanced around the room, stopping when I saw a baby in Carl's hands. "Is that-"

He nodded, looking down. "Yeah..."

I smiled for a moment before frowning again, realizing Lori wasn't in the room. It was then I noticed a few others weren't either. "The others...?" I brought myself to ask.

"Daryl and Maggie went to get stuff for the baby." Hershel replied, causing relief to flood over me.

Glenn was next to speak up, frowning. "We found T-Dog, Walkers got him, we don't know about Carol."

"I saw T get bit." I whispered out. "Earlier, when the Walkers came through the gate, one got him."

"Imma go see if they're back yet." He announced with Oscar and Axel following him to open the gates for when the two return. I finally got up and decided to head to my cell for the night.

Making my way in, I sat down on the bed, lost in a trance as I stared down at my hands. What went wrong? I thought to myself as I stared at all the blood on me. Everything was going great this past week, then... this.

I let out a heavy sigh, placing my head in my hands. If I went with T-Dog and Carol, I could've helped them. And Lori... I remembered Maggie and Carl were with her, making me feel worse. Carl had to see it... see his mother die.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, already knowing who it was as they came to a stop at the door of my cell. "Hey..." I said, taking in a deep breath and bringing my head out of my hands.

"Glenn told me he found you in the common area, nearly passed out." Daryl said, as I turned to see he was leaning against the frame.

I let out a hum. "Had I not found an arrow when I did, I would've passed out in the halls, would've become a snack for the Walkers." I moved my gaze to stare at the wall in front of me. "That makes four."

"Four?" He rasped out. "Four what?"

"Four times." I looked over to him, referring to our conversation a while ago. "The farm was three, today... four." I saw him frown slightly, remembering the conversation now. "It wasn't your fault. I was the one who told Glenn and Axel to go without me."

"Shoulda been there..." He admitted, coming to sit beside me. "I thought you died down there when no one knew what happened to you."

I nodded. "Guess I know how to survive better than I thought, huh?" I glanced down to my hands again, frowning at the blood.

I grabbed my water from the floor, pouring some on my hands and rubbing them together to wash away some of the blood. I felt Daryl stop me by grabbing one of my wrists, bringing it over as he took a cloth from his back pocket and began wiping my hands down.

I watched as he wiped my hand clean. "You don't have to, I can do it myself."

"Nah, it's fine." He brushed off, grabbing the bottle and pouring more water onto my hands.

After a couple minutes, he finished my other hand, letting go of my wrist. I hesitated for a moment before I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. "Thank you."

I felt Daryl tense from the sudden contact, to which I ignored, knowing he isn't a touchy person. "What for?"

"For always being there for me."

———
Published: 05/26/2024