My Damaged Protector

Chapter Twenty ~ Made to Suffer

The screams sent chills down my back as I dropped the cards to grab my belt. Carl nearly bolted through the door before I was even ready. "Carl." I warned, knowing he'd take off if he got the door open.

"I need to go. My dad would." He said, placing his hand on his gun, almost begging me to take him with me.

"Fine." I double checked my weapons and picked up the set of keys from the counter. "You do as I say, and you don't run off, you hear me? Last thing I want is to lose you or mistake you for a walker." He nodded quickly, jumping on his feet for me to open the gate. "Watch Judith, keep an eye on each other." I called into the cell block, unlocking, and relocking the gate once we were through. Carl was about to run when I grabbed his shirt, halting him. "You gotta listen, try to find where the sound is coming from since everything echoes in here." He nodded and we waited for a moment, another round of screams coming from our left.

"This way." Carl whispered and started to move through the dark halls quickly, his gun held up in front of him as I followed. We wondered through the halls like this, each of us keeping an eye out for walkers or the people screaming. Eventually, Carl came to a door that was cracked open, the screaming loudest here than it had ever been. I took the lead this time, pushing the door open and letting Carl watch the back.

The room was in chaos. Two people were stood fighting off walkers that didn't stop coming, while a man was on the ground, clutching a woman who was coated in blood, with a young brunette man and a small blonde boy behind them.

I held up my gun and shot down three within seconds. "Come on!" I yelled over their screams as Carl shot down another two. The two stopped fighting and moved to grab their things and pull the rest of their group up off the floor as Carl and I began heading back towards the block. "Let's go!" I yelled angrily and ran with Carl down the halls, not wanting to be out wondering longer than we had to. "I swear if they get us killed." I whispered to myself as the doors came into view. I yanked the key from my pocked and pushed Carl in first, turning to make sure the others go in before slamming the gate shut.

They all basically fell to the ground from exhaustion, only the thin woman who fought off walkers speaking up. "Who are you?" I asked, only getting a handful of questions in response and no names. "We ask the questions, not you." I warned, for now, I was the leader, and they wouldn't know any different until Rick came back.

"We can help you," Carl offered, standing from his spot at the table. "First things first." He walked up to the small group on the floor, aiming his gun at the woman who was covered in blood, making the young man cry and the little boy to hide.

"Carl." I warned.

"We take care of our own." The large man looked down to the dying woman. I nodded, pulling Carl back. He sat back at the table, me hovering behind him in order to keep him safe. Just as I was beginning to relax, the little boy peeked his head out from behind the young man and it felt as if my world stopped spinning.

My eyes widened and my gun nearly fell from my fingers. Tears welled up in my eyes and I quickly tucked the weapon away and moved around Carl. "Jasper?" My voice was barely a whisper as I looked down at the boy beginning to move away from the other group. "Oh my god."

"Skye?" He was questioning my presence, but once he realized it was actually me, he practically sprinted over to me. "Skye!" His call halted all other voices in the room as he launched himself into my arms, my knees hitting the floor as I caught him and held on tightly.

"Yeah baby, it's me." My arms held him in the tightest hug he had ever gotten as his wrapped up around my neck. We were both in tears, crying into each other's shoulders as we held on. I carefully picked him up in my arms, grabbing onto Carl as well, before heading towards our cells, making sure to lock the gate and separate us from the other group.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The woman called, her voice high pitched and worried.

"Did you just lock us in here?" The big man called.

"Open the door."

I stood my ground on our side of the gate and shook my head. "I can't do that. You're safe in there. I promise."

"Open this door!" The woman shouted and banged on the gate, erupting cries from Judith upstairs. "Now!"

"Thanks a lot." I glared at her and carried my brother up the stairs and into the cell. "You're in charge Carl!" I shouted downstairs. Jasper let me sit him down on my bed as I picked Judith up to calm her cries.

"Is she yours?" Jasper wondered, leaning forward to look over my shoulder.

I laughed and turned around. "No, not really, but her mommy wanted me to take care of her if she couldn't." I wipe my tears off my face with the arm that wasn't holding Judith. "You want to hold her?" I offered.

Jasper had never been around a baby before so I knew he would have a ton of questions at some point about the little girl. I had him move back to lean on the wall as I placed Judith into his arms, showing him how to bend his elbows to support her head. He was so in awe with the baby in his arms that he didn't even notice when Hershel joined us, somehow managing to get up the stairs.

"You alright?" Hershel asked as he leaned against the doorway.

I gave him a nod and a smile. "Yeah. Hershel, this is my little brother Jasper, you remember the one that Daryl and Rick tried helping me to find. Jasper this is Hershel, he's like a really great dad. He'll help keep you safe and even teach you things."

"He's like dad?" Jasper held onto Judith a bit tighter out of fear of my words.

I was instantly crouched down in front of him. "No, no, no, no, no. Not like our daddy, he's the nicest daddy you could ever think of." I calmed Jasper, resting my hands on his shoulders. He nodded and I took Judy back so he could stand up and introduce himself to Hershel.

"What happened to your leg?" My brother bypassed his introductions and pointed to the handing pantleg.

"Umm." Hershel thought for a moment. "I fell off my horse when I was back at my house and an alligator got it." Hershel widened his eyes and gave my brother a smile.

"Cool." Jasper shrugged and crawled back into my bed, pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. Within a few moments he had drifted off to sleep. Judith was back to sleep as well and I placed her in her box for the night before helping Hershel back down the stairs.

"Who is the little boy?" Carl asked when I checked on him.

"He's my baby brother. Elena's twin actually." I told him, pulling his blanket up higher and bidding him goodnight. "Get some sleep Carl."

"Ok. Night Skye."

"Night bud." I stayed on watch all night, making sure the group in the other room wouldn't try anything while we were sleeping.