Apocalypse Orphans

11

For the first time since his mother died, Nick didn't feel scared of sleeping and he had a good night sleep,  with no nightmares and woke up feeling refreshed.

Nick did a check of his weapons,  minus his guns which he wasn't given back and made his way downstairs and saw the woman crowded around Hershels cell trying to keep him in bed.

Nick rolled his eyes and made his way outside and was about to help the guys start to move the walker bodies but Daryl came up to him and stopped him.

"Sit down kid." Daryl said pointing to the steps.

"Is this about yesterday?" Nick asked not sitting.

"Just sit."

Nick sat and Daryl started talking.

"Look. No one is mad about ya running towards the gun shots yesterday, however it was incredibly stupid of ya to  bring yourself into danger. Especially when there is a safe place for ya to be. Everyone in this group wants ya safe,  yer still a kid,  so it ain't up to yer to make sure us adults are safe,  it's our job to make sure you are safe, okay?"

"So what, you just want me to stand around and do nothing?" Nick asked jumping to his feet.

"Sit back down." Daryl ordered and Nick did so hesitantly "I never said that. Yer job, if ya hear trouble is to make sure the less capable are safe. Like Beth, Lori, and Hershel."

"So what, ye want be to play babysitter?" Nick questioned annoyed.

"Essentially yes. Yer one of the best shots we got, and we know ye ain't afraid to kill if it came down to that. But yer still a kid, and so we need ya to be safe, but we also need to have our less capable safe. So having someone with yer skill around them, means yer safe and so are they." Daryl explained.

Nick nodded understanding what Daryl was saying, but that doesn't mean he had to like it. He looked at his hands knowing he should feel bad for what he did, but he didn't.

"Should I feel bad for what I did? I mean most people who kill their parents feel bad about it, but I don't." 

Daryl sighed wishing he could help. "Couldn't tell ya kid. I ain't good with emotions, never have been, probably never will be. But what I can tell you is that most people have a parent who is there for them. You did not and therefore do not fall under the catagory of most people."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, guess so."

"Yup, now come on. Enough sappy stuff. We got work to do. Meaning you're going to go inside get your brother and come help us."

Nick stood and gave a two fingered salute to Daryl before going to get his brother. Jacob was still snoring on his bunk when Nick went to fetch him. Nick, who is in a good mood, cried snake, snake, knowing his brother was terrified of them and Jay woke up in a panic.

Nick laughed at his brothers reaction and Jay threw a pillow at him before he tackled him to the ground, Nick rolled so he was on top, and moved so Jay was in an arm bar, causing the older boy to tap out.

"You're a horrible little brother. Did you never hear about the boy who cried wolf?" Jacob crumbled throwing on a cleenish shirt.

"Of course I have. Now get a move on, and come help people move these bodies." Nick said and Jay grumbled about having only just woken up but followed his brother out of the cell block.

The two had almost made it to the cell block, when an alarm started blaring over the speakers, that no one thought could still work. The pair looked to each other quickly before they started running for the gate that led outside only to find it blocked by a crowd of walkers, so they went the other way back to the cell block, but that too was quickly blocked of by the dead.

The brothers had a quick unspoken conversation and they both knew that had to fight their way out with their knives, not having any of their firearms on them, and they decided to fight their way out to the court yard, knowing that it would be easier when they get help from the others.

Nick took the first one down, and Jay took the other, and they worked in like that, going back and forth watching the others back, until they eventually made their way into the courtyard, and the walkers that were following them, piled in seconds later and just like they assumed they had help finishing them off.

Once the two had caught their breaths, they looked around at who was there, and saw Hershel, Beth, Glenn and Axel. Hershel and Beth were looked safely in the cage, Glenn was monitoring the two boys making sure they were okay and then was making sure the fences were also okay, and Axel was standing sheepishly of to the side.

"What the hell is happening?" Nick asked and he made sure he didn't have any scratches from the dead.

"Someone turned the generators on, Rick, Daryl and Oscar have gone to shut them off. Did you see anyone on your way out?"

The two brothers shook thier heads.

"No, the only living thing we saw in there was eachother." Jay answered giving Glenn an apoologetic look.

It wasn't long after that, that the alarm stopped and Glenn called the two boys over and asked if one could stay outside with Hershel and Beth and the other to go inside with him and Axel. Jay offered to stay outside and so Nick went with them bringing up the rear, as Glenn went first with the flashlight and after walking for five minutes, they came across, Daryl, Rick and Oscar, and after a quick silent greeting they all moved together further into the prison, and found T-dog dead, and being fed on and Rick shot the two walkers. 

Everyone but the prisoners stood around T-dog, taking a silent moment then Daryl picked up a head scarf, looked at it then looked at Rick and tossed it to the ground, knowing that his friend was also gone. They continued looking through the prison then went back out to the courtyard hoping the others had gotten back there.

"You didn't find them?" Hershel asked hoping for good news on his eldest daughter and the rest of the group.

"We thought maybe they came back out here." Glenn said.

"What about T, Carol?" Jay questioned.

"They didn't make it." Daryl answered.

"That doesn't mean the others didn't." Rick said turning around, "We're going back, Daryl and Glenn, you come-" 

He stopped mid sentance at the sound of a baby crying and everyone turned around to see Maggie holding a baby, crying, Carl right next to her, stone faced, no mother in sight, and Nick immediatly knew that Lori didn't make it.