Hiraeth (The Walking Dead)

Chapter 20

When the two hunters pulled up to the prison gates, they could hear screaming and see people running. Cailey jumped off the bike quickly to open the gates for Daryl, then shut them before hopping back on his bike.

There were walkers everywhere. Rick and Carol and T-Dog and the remaining prisoner ran around like headless chickens trying to kill them all off. Rick was the first to see the hunters returning. "Daryl!" He shouted loudly. "Cailey!"

Cailey ripped her bow from her back, hopping off the still-moving bike. Daryl left his bike in the field, running off to the courtyard behind Cailey with his crossbow in hand. Arrows and bullets and knives were flying everywhere, but the walkers outnumbered the people.

An awful wailing noise started. It was like a siren blaring in everyone's ears. Rick winced, staring around in distress. "What the hell is that!?"

Everything was moving entirely too fast. It was bad enough being outnumbered by walkers the moment the hunters returned. The sirens kept blaring and blaring until Rick thought his ears would bleed. He stared up at a wide speaker near the roof. He aimed his gun, pounding out two bullets.

The wailing stopped. The sirens didn't blare anymore, but there were still walkers wandering the courtyard. T-Dog and Carol and Maggie were missing, as were Lori and Carl. Rick called out loudly for his family.

"What the hell was that," the sheriff roared at the shorter prisoner, Axel. "This part of your plan?"

"Had to've been the backup generator. Must've turned on, man."

"You turn it on?" Rick shouted louder, pointing his gun. Axel put his hands up slightly in surrender. Cailey turned to shoot another arrow through a walker skull.

"Nah, nah, man! I only worked in the electric room fer' a couple days! I don't know shit about it! It could've turned on by itself!"

"Then you're gonna lead us there," Rick decided. "And don't try anything funny."

The fighters had to clear a path through the courtyard walkers. They were beginning to die down, but the other members of the group were still nowhere to be seen. Rick shoved the prisoner through the door, following inside with Daryl and Cailey behind. The sheriff still held his gun up, watching the prisoner and the empty hallways for walkers.

"Shit," Cailey muttered under her breath. She could just barely hear groaning and splatting of skin as there was movement around the corner behind them. "Rick, we gotta move faster."

The man turned his head, and he saw the incoming wall of the undead. "Shit," he echoed. "Go," he mumbled to the prisoner in front of him. Axel began moving faster. Rick and his small group followed quickly.

Another loud groaning shriek came from the walls in front of them. A group of walkers began stumbling and trudging around on the other side of the group. The fighters' eyes went wide, and Axel turned sharply down another corridor.

"Go, fast," Rick called quietly.

"Just around these corners," Axel called back in a loud whisper. The group jogged through the hallway, weapons tightly in their grips. Cailey took the group from behind, turning back as she ran to slice through incoming walkers' heads with her arrows. The two merging groups were starting to gain on them.

"Run faster," she called. There was no more point in whispering. She held her hand to her bad shoulder, wincing and letting out a small groan as the wound still burned like fire. She was beginning to fall behind by only a few feet, but Daryl looked back to see the girl having to slow down. She was trying to run as fast as possible, but the pain and bleeding from her shoulder was beginning to pull down all her energy.