OUTLIVE.
❝The dead were never the enemy.
It was the living. ❞
THE WALKING DEAD.
DARYL DIXON.
BOOK TWO of the LANCASTER SAGA.
[ SEASONS 4 - 6 ]
*****
*I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters. I simply write to write. Astrid, any addi...
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[ ii. there with the shovel ]
june 19th, 2012
➸➸➸
WHEN ASTRID LANCASTER STIRRED from her slumber, the space beside her in bed was empty. But she was not worried by the solitude that greeted her first upon waking. She knew it was a day like any other, and so, she rose from her covers and pulled one of Daryl's well-worn flannel shirts over her head. Once she had finished dressing, she left the hushed cell block and went out into the sun-kissed courtyard, where the promise of a new day hung in the air.
There, at the courtyard's heart, Astrid found Glenn and Carol engrossed in conversation over breakfast. Her lips curved as she approached them. "Morning, guys," She greeted.
"Hey, Astrid," Glenn responded.
Carol handed her a plate, and Astrid savored a small, thoughtful bite before casting her eyes toward the prison's outer perimeter. Rick and Carl toiled diligently in the fields, tending to the crops. Maggie kept a vigilant watch from a towering guard post overhead. However, it was Michonne, astride her horse beyond the fences, that drew Astrid's primary attention. The Hawthorne woman was ever on the hunt for the Governor—a man she hoped was dead but could not be certain of.
Suddenly, as if pulled from her thoughts, Astrid turned back to Carol. "How are the fences holding up?" She wondered. "There was a big buildup yesterday."
"There's more coming," The Peletier woman informed. "We need to start reconsidering how often we go on runs and instead concentrate just on the security of this place. Once those crops are harvested, we shouldn't have to go outside the fences at all anymore."
Astrid grew distant for a moment, as she considered the implications of such a retreat. "I'm not sure about that," She murmured, trailing off. "If we stayed in here all the time, I'd probably go—"
"Help!"
The shrill cry of a small voice pierced the air, wrenching Astrid from her contemplations. With a swift turn of her head, she beheld two young girls racing toward them, terror painting their faces. Her heart quickened as she recognized them, Lizzie and Mika Samuels, their blonde locks streaming behind them like banners of fear. "Quick! Come with us!" They pleaded breathlessly.
Astrid abandoned her plate when gunshots suddenly erupted within the prison's thick walls. She met the two girls halfway, gripping their shoulders firmly. "What's happening?" She demanded.
"Walkers," Mika gasped as she pointed frantically behind her. "In the cell block."
Astrid's eyes widened in sheer alarm. Glenn and Carol had already closed the gap behind her, their faces etched with dread. "What is it, Astrid?" The former questioned.
"There are walkers in D!" She declared. Pandemonium was rapidly unleashed. Frantic shouts and pounding footsteps filled the once-peaceful courtyard. In that chaos, Astrid pivoted back to the two young sisters. She knelt down to their level. "Stay here, girls," She instructed them in a tone that brooked no argument. "Do not go inside any building until someone comes for you, understand?"
