𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒔 | ᵀᵂᴰ

27: Columbian Lullaby

I walked out of my cell and leaned against the railing, trying to wake up. Carl was still asleep on my bed.

"Mornin'." Beth said. I smiled at the sound of her voice.

"Hey." I said, looking over at her. She was holding baby girl. "She woke up not that long ago." Beth said, feeding babygirl a bottle. She rejected it and made cute noises.

"Do you wanna hold her?" Beth asked. "Sure." I said, taking her into my arms. "Hey, baby girl." I said softly, looking at her.

"I could handle her today if you want. Give yourself a break." "Oh, no, I'm fine." Beth said. "It's just a day. Or a few hours if I give up."

Beth laughed quietly. "Okay, but if you need help, don't be afraid to ask." "Alright." I said before looking down at babygirl.

"I always wanted my own baby." She said. "Daryl would tell you different. He'd always complain about taking care of me when I was younger." I told her.

Beth went quiet for a moment. "He's probably doing just fine out there." She said. "Key word; probably." I replied.

➳

Glenn drew a map on the floor with chalk.

"Now you said you found Tyreese's group here?" He asked Carl.

"Yeah." Carl answered. "We secured this." Glenn said. "He thought he cane through here." Carl pointed to a room Glenn drew.

"Means, there's another breach. Okay. The whole front of the prison is unsecure. If walkers just strolled in, then it's gonna be cake for a group of armed men." Glenn said.

"Why are we even so sure he's going to attack?" Beth asked. "Maybe you scared him off."

"He had fish tanks full of heads." Michonne said. "Walkers and humans. Trophies." Gross. If I wasn't holding babygirl, I'd throw up. "He's coming."

"We should hit him now." Glenn said. "What?" Beth asked. "He won't be expecting it. We'll sneak back in and put a bullet in his head."

"We're not assassins." Carol said. Glenn got off the floor and walked over to Michonne. "You know where his apartment is. You and I could end this tonight." Glenn told her. "I'll do it myself." Michonne nodded. "Okay."

"He didn't know you were coming last time, and look what happened. You were almost killed. Daryl was captured. And you, Isabela, and Maggie were almost executed." Hershel told Glenn. "You can't stop me." He replied.

"Rick would never allow this." Hershel said. "You really think he's in any position to make that choice?" Glenn asked. "Think this through clearly. T-Dog lost his life here. Lori, too. The men that were here. It isn't worth any more killing." Hershel said. "What are we waiting for? If he's really on his way, we should be out of here by now."

"And go where?" Glenn asked. "We lived on the road all winter." "Back when you had two legs and we didn't have a baby crying for walkers every four hours." "We can't stay here." "We can't run." Maggie walked away and to her cell.

Glenn watched her leave. "Alright. We'll stay put. We're gonna defend this place. We're making a stand." Glenn squatted and looked at the map he drew.

"Carl, you and I will go down to the tombs. We need to figure out where the breach is." "You got it." Carl said. "You'll need some help." Michonne said.

"No, in case anything happens, I need you out here." Glenn looked up and around. "Who's on watch?" He asked. He sighed and got up. "Damn it." He mumbled, walking outside.

➳

I sat at the table with babygirl in my arms. Beth unlocked the door, and Glenn and Carl came back. "The tombs outside the boiler room are overrun again." Glenn said. "That whole section had been cleared." Beth said, closing and locking the door.

"It's a steady stream of walkers." Carl said. "We're wasting time." Hershel said. "The governor is supposedly on the way, and we're stuck in here with walkers." "Trapped between a rock and a hard place." Carol said.

"For the last time, running is not an option." Glenn said. "Glenn, if the tombs have filled up again, it may just be a matter of time before they push in here." Carol said. "Or until some fence gives way." Beth said.

"What if one of them herds is passing through? Or settled?" Axel asked. "Can't handle that with just the few of us." Carol said. "Okay. Alright, we need– we just need to scout the far side of the prison. Find out what's going on." Glenn said. "You're going out there?" Hershel asked.

"Take a car and make it quick." "I'll drive." Axel said. "No, you stay here. Help with the fortifications. I'll take Maggie." "You sure she's up for that?" Hershel asked. Glenn walked away to the cells.

➳

Babygirl was getting fussy as I struggled to make her a bottle. "I know, babygirl. I know. I'm trying over here." I said, dumping some formula into her bottle. "Hopefully, this is enough." I said, putting on the lid and shaking it.

I put the bottle to her lips as she calmed down and drank it. I hummed softly as I leaned against the counter.

"Patico Patico color de café. Por qué estás tan triste quisiera saber. Mi pata perdí por eso estoy triste y triste estaré. Tu pata yo vi, sentada en un nido muy lejos de aquí." Little duck, coffee brown little duck. Why you are so sad I want to know. I lost my lady duck, that is why I am sad and sad I will be. I saw your lady duck, she was sitting on a nest very far from here. I sang quietly to her.

"You have a nice voice." Carl said, standing in the threshold. "Oh, uh, thanks. My mom would sing that to me as a kid." I said. "What does it mean?" He asked. "Well, it's about a duck who lost another duck, but it turns out it just moved nests." I said.

Carl laughed quietly. "Not your usual lullaby, huh?" I said. "No, my mom would sing twinkle twinkle little star." "That's a good one." "Is there one like that in Spanish?" "Probably, but I've never heard of it." Carl nodded.

"You should join us outside." He said. "Okay, let me just finish feeding your sister real quick." "Okay." He walked away with a small smile as he went outside.

I walked around the kitchen waiting for her to finish her bottle. When gunshots came from outside. I slowly fell to the floor with babygirl still in my arms. "Isabela?" I heard Maggie yell. "Here." I replied.

She ran in and dropped to her knees next to me. "Are you okay?" "Yeah." I said. "Go hide in the cells with her." "Okay." Maggie helped me up, and I ran into the cellblock and up the stairs to my cell.

I closed the door and hid in the corner. I held babygirl close to my chest. "It's okay, it's okay." I said. She started to cry as more shots rang out. "It's okay, shh. Shh, it'll be okay."

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall. "Sol, solecito calliéntame un poquito. Por hoy, por mañana, por toda la semana." Sun, little sun warm me up a bit. Today, tomorrow, all week long. I sang quietly, hoping it would calm her down.