The next morning, everyone was up at dawn, rushing around the prison making sure everything was in place. Everyone was pumped on adrenaline and worry at what was to come.
"Are the main doors secure?" Ali questioned for the hundredth time that morning.
"Checked them seven times." Selena replied, answering her question. They both took off in opposite directions, beginning to get themselves prepared.
When Ali entered her cell, she immediately began collecting weapons. She placed a pistol in the holster which was securely tied around her thigh, slipped two knives in the waist band of her jeans and began twirling her baseball bat around in her right hand.
Just as she was about to leave, she noticed the picture of her family. It was slightly crumpled but the picture was still there - bright in colour. She remembered getting it taken at a restaurant they had visited just after Judith was born. Her and Rick either side a grinning Carl as Judith lay in the young boys lap.
A smile took over her features before she carefully folded it and slipped the picture into her chest pocket, right above her heart.
"Everyone!" Rick called, snapping her out of her thoughts. She quickly jogged to the main hall where everyone was gathered.
"Today's the day. We're gonna get through this and we're gonna win. You all know what you have to do...Stick to your roles and I guarantee we will get through this."
His eyes flickered to Ali.
"If at any point you're struggling or have been injured, call it in. We'll get someone to you." His voice suddenly lowered, signalling he was ready. "Take your positions and wait for your signals. This is it."
A few hours later (which seemed like years to the group waiting within the prison) the Governor's convoy soon rolled into the prison, stopping at the front gates. Five vehicles filled with men and women. All of them armed with various weapons.
Then, facing them, was Ali and Rick, standing side by side a few metres behind the gates. A wave of insignificance ran over the woman at the sight of the large convoy heading their way but she pushed it aside.
They watched, tense, as the Governor stepped out from the vehicle. He climbed to the roof to make sure everyone could see him.
"I see you haven't left." was the first words which echoed through the morning air.
"We were never planning on it." Rick answered, confident as always.
The Governor just chuckled before turning his attention to Ali. The smile which appeared on his face sent a shiver through her body.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Walsh!" She flinched slightly at the name. "I thought you would've been too damaged to fight."
The blonde stayed silent as everyone's eyes were trained on her, not including Rick's.
"You don't need to speak to her." He yelled, his breath coming out in a white cloud. "This is between you and me."
The Governor chuckled as he held his hands up in defence. They knew what he was doing. Using their experiences and lives to break down their walls before they storm inside.
"I gave you three days, to leave the prison. I also gave you the warning that I would kill you if you stayed."
"Like I said before," Rick interrupted. "We're not leaving."
The silence which followed was unnerving. Everyone waiting for their orders which never came. The Governor looked around, slowly. Deliberately dragging out the moment.
Suddenly, he raised his hand in remembrance. "I have something for Ali."
The pair watched as he turned to a guard and nodded his head. The guard then trailed to the back of a car and opened the door.
The woman in question held her breath, waiting anxiously for what exactly it was.
However, no amount of waiting could have prepared her for this moment. She stumbled backwards in confusion and disbelief as her jaw dropped.
"Well aren't you going to say hello?" The Governor teased, enjoying every second of it.
The brown eyes which looked into her blue, began to make the walls she had built inside of herself crumble away.
A billion memories flooded back but she didn't try to push them away. The fights, the arguments, the making up, the safety in knowing the other was always there.
Without realising it, she began running forwards as tears streamed down her face. The other ran too, stumbling over their own feet to try and reach her as quickly as possible.
When they reached the gate standing between them both, they stopped. Ali's pale hand tentatively reached through to run through the thick black hair which she thought she'd never be able to see again. A disbelieving smile took over her face.
"Shane?" She whispered.
"It's me lil sis." A smile took over his features. "It's me."
