Don't Get Dead | TWD | Volume 1

[37] The Storage Units

"What do we think?" T-dog asked, looking around at the others.

They were standing in a driveway that led from the road, beside a tall sign advertising storage units for rent. The driveway was fenced off by a chain link gate, the two large gates held together by a chain and padlock.

Daryl walked up to it, wrapping his fingers into the fencing and shaking it. The metal clanged, rattled and shook violently. It was flimsy, weak, not held together very well. The fenced gates even swung and creaked back and forth, much more than they should have. The metal chain locking the doors together was not tight, allowing both doors more freedom and a large gap between them.

"It's a fence," Lori commented, an obvious observation, but important. It's what stood out the most.

"It could be safe, right? No walkers?" Carl asked.

"We don't know when it was locked," Rick said, walking down the fencing to take a look inside. "Someone could have thought of this place already."

"It looks pretty dead," Glenn said.

"It could be worth it," Hershel added, "for the supplies alone. We would just need to be sure no one else is here, like you said."

"I don't see any walkers," Beth said.

"Daryl and I will go this way," Rick motioned down the fence, "follow it all around, see if there's any other openings, or signs of living. Glenn and T, go the opposite way, do the same, we'll meet up on the other side."

"Do you want us to just wait here?" Lori asked.

"Not here," Rick answered. "Across the road, or back to the cars. Out of sight of the gate, just in case. Don't go anywhere until any of us come back."

The group agreed and split off. Daryl gave Ace a nod before following Rick. The four men set off, following around the property. Hershel, Maggie, Beth, Lori, Carl, Carol and Ace made distance from the fencing; waiting nearby and out of sight.

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The four men returned, meeting up with the rest of the group back at the cars. They didn't look too happy, Ace noted. She doubted it would be a place that they could hunker down, like Rick wanted.

"No sign of anyone," T-Dog said.

"Saw two walkers, just wandering," Glenn added.

"There are a few openings," Rick said, addressing the group more than the other pair. Ace assumed that they already had this discussion on the way back from the units, "it's not very secure."

"Most secure we've seen in a while, though," Glenn pointed out.

Rick nodded, agreeing with him, "Walkers or intruders still could get into those breaches, but this is better than being in the open. We know where they are, where walkers or people could come from. We'll know where and what to watch for."

"Could we . . . live here?" Beth asked hesitantly.

Daryl shook his head, "Property's too big, with the buildings around it's like a maze. Too many blind spots. The fence is cheap, owners didn't care much for security when buildin' the place. Too easy to get in, pull the chain link outta places."

"We couldn't fix it?" Hershel asked, putting a hand on Beth's shoulder to comfort her.

"Not worth it," Daryl said, repeating the talk Rick and he had on the walk back over to them. "We'd need a whole new fence, and again, the place's got too many problems."

"It'll work well enough for a few days," Rick announced his decision. "There's units to explore, lot's of supplies that could be useful. We can take a break, get out bearings and make a plan. Rushing, running, panicking as we're doing isn't going to help in the long wrong. This could be our chance to get our shit together."