Inside These Prison Walls(TWD fanfic)

Part Two: Family

I wake up at the crack of dawn to Daryl in my face.

"Up! Up! Time to get going!" He shouts in my ear.

I jerk awake, sitting up in bed.

"For the love of all things good and holy do you to be so loud!?" I yell back.

Daryl smiles, trying to look innocent. "Yep."

I climb out of bed, wide awake now. I quickly pull on my jeans and throw on a tee shirt. Strapping my knife to my belt and grabbing my sword, I run downstairs to grab some breakfast.

"Almost ready?" Rick asks.

"Yeah, I just need to eat something." I respond, wincing at the pain that still throbs in my ankle. I'm tempted to take some pain medicine, but I know Carl's going to need it.

I grab a bowl of oatmeal that Beth got up to prepare. I take a spoon and run out to the SUV that Daryl already has running. It reminds me of all the mornings I was late to work or school.

"Really?" Daryl says. "You brought it with you?"

I shrug. "What? I'm hungry!" I shove a spoonful in my mouth and make a face at him.

"Let's get going." Rick says.

Daryl begins to drive as Carol opens the gate, with Glenn and Maggie killing any walkers that get too close. We drive away for the second time in two days. I look back and notice how tired everyone in that prison looks. I realize that these guns meant more than just added safety, they also meant relief from standing at fences and stabbing the walkers every day.

I sit forward and continue eating my oatmeal.

"So this owner," Rick says, looking at me in the mirror. "when you say a little off, how off do you mean?"

"Well, like had his store completely fortified with metal sheets over the windows and automatic locks off. He was one of those end of the world type people."

"Who would have thought they were right the whole time?" Daryl scoffs.

"I know." I agree.

We drive in silence. I sit with my head down, just zoning out until I look up to see that we're stopped in front of a white van.

"Ready?" Rick asks.

I nod and get out, leaving my now empty bowl behind.

I hop in the back of the van get myself comfy, leaving the front to Rick and Daryl. Rick starts up the van and takes off. The clock on the dash blinks with different times. Old cups and garbage litters the floor. I wrinkly nose in disgust as I gingerly pick up a rotted banana peel. Daryl laughs at my expression. I throw the peel at him. He yelps and tosses it to Rick who in return, laughs and throws it out the window.

We drive in silence for a while. I can feel the tension and worry, so I decide to lighten it a little.

"My mom would kill me." I chuckle.

"What was that?" Daryl asks.

"I said my mom would kill me."

"Why?"

"Being alone in a white van with two men."

They both chuckle and a light conversation starts. They lightly banter with each other in the front and I laugh from their antics in the back. I lean forward, resting my elbows on their seats.

"You know," I say. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you two were an old married couple!"

They burst out laughing.

"Turn right up here." I direct.

He turns and slows down a bit. Walkers crowd the street on either sides.

"Can we get through?" I ask.

"Yeah."

I look out the window and murmur. "It's getting worse."

We drive down the road farther down. "Turn left up there."

We turn onto a main road and drive. "Keep this road for twenty more miles."

I lean back against the side and close my eyes.

When I open them again we are driving down the same road, except this time there's buildings in front of us instead of just open fields.

"Where to next?"

"Turn right by the train tracks." I say groggily.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Daryl teases.

"I did actually."

Rick turns and drives into the parking garage. We park and pile out.

"Let's go." I say, taking the lead. The follow me, no one making a sound, except for our footsteps. We pause at the entrance to the garage and wait. No walkers in sight.

 I dart across the alley to the door for the store. Searching around, I find the stone with the key hidden under it. I unlock the door and cautiously walk inside. Dim sunlight streams through the cracks in the metal shields against the windows.

"So where's this owner?" Daryl asks.

"Jerry?" I call out.

We venture further out to the center of the first floor. Still nothing.

"Jerry?" I call out, louder this time.

I hear the cock of a gun and shots begin to fire. We dive behind a glass case full of knives for cover. Daryl is next to me, loading a gun, Rick already shooting.

"Just a little off, huh?" Daryl asks, yelling of the gunfire.

I look down at my empty hands, feeling helpless. My gun is back at the prison, empty except for one bullet.

That's when an idea comes.

I quickly take my hair out of its ponytail and begin braiding it.

"Now is not the time to do hair!" Daryl yells.

"Braids!" I yell back.

I finish the braid and tie it up.

"I'm out!" Rick yells.

He ducks down, underneath the already shattered glass. Daryl joins him. I stand up slowly, my arms raised.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Rick asks.

Jerry keeps shooting, but stops when he sees my raised arms.

"Jerry," I say slowly, as another bullet flies past. "Jerry, its me. Braids. Remember? You would always call me that."

Jerry pokes his head out from behind the shelve he was hiding behind.

"It's me, Taylor. I stayed here for a while, with your son and his wife, Steven and Marla."

Jerry stands in full view, still holding his gun out. I slowly motion for Rick to stand up.

"This is Rick. He has a son, and  a baby daughter. She's only a few weeks old. We need your help. We're all out of ammo. We used the last of it just now. Can you help us? For Judith and Carl. Please." I put all the force in my voice, hoping it will help.

"Upstairs." Jerry's raspy voice says, motioning his head to the escalators that have long since stopped working. He turns and hobbles towards them. I follow but Daryl pulls my arm, stopping me.

"Are you sure we can trust him?"

"Yes." I say, then walk away, hoping to death I was right.