cassette tapes |d. dixon| [1]

17

"For once, I kind of woke up refreshed. It was the first time I wasn't worried about being attacked in the middle of the night. These walls, once were supposed to keep the bad things from getting out, now kept all the bad things from getting in. It was like a haven. A miracle."

CAROLINE STARED DOWN AT THE TABLE IN FRONT OF HER. Daryl, T-Dog, and Rick went outside to collect anything useful they found on the guard's bodies, 

"Not bad." Caroline commented, crossing her arms as the boys played with their new toys,

"Flashbangs, CS Triple-Chasers. Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take them." Rick replied.

Daryl picked up a helmet, and goo leaked from it, "I ain't wearing this shit." He stated, tossing it back down,

T-Dog picked up a pair of gloves in the same condition, "We could boil them." He suggested,

"Ain't enough firewood in a whole forest, no!" Daryl scoffed, "Besides, we've made it this far without them right?"

"Hershel?" Carol asked, standing in the doorway leading to the cells,

"Everything alright?" Rick questioned as Hershel went to follow her,

"Yeah, nothing to worry about."

Rick went to gather the others and they prepared to leave.

"I don't need it." Caroline grumbled as Daryl strapped the armored vest around her torso.

"Don' care." Daryl replied from behind her, "You're gettin' it."

"Doesn't protect my arms or legs from getting bit." Caroline responded,

Daryl harshly turned her around to check the other side while also getting a look at her face, "You can survive without an arm or leg." He strapped her in tighter, "You need a chest."

Caroline rolled her eyes and looked over his shoulder to see Carl playing with a helmet, "You won't need that," Rick took the helmet off him, "I need you to stay put."

"You're kidding!" Carl scoffed,

"We don't know what's in there. If something goes wrong, you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here." Rick told him,

Carl nodded, "Sure."

"Great," Rick handed him one of the sets of keys, "let's go."

 Caroline followed behind Daryl, "Why don't you get one?" She asked, glaring at his back,

"'Cause I ain't reckless." He smirked over his shoulder.

Caroline rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut. They advanced carefully and quietly into the corridors, spotting the dead bodies on the floor. Glenn kept to the back of the group, drawing arrows on the walls with spray paint so they could find their way back. 

Caroline kept her knife ready, just in case anything jumped at her. It was too hard to manoeuvre a flashlight and bow and arrow at the same time, so they were attatched to her back in case she needed them.

Maggie let out a small gasp and Caroline turned to see her standing next to Glenn as if she just ran into him. 

Caroline could hear something in the distance, as they kept going further into the prison, but wasn't sure if that was their breathing or the possible presence of walkers.

They turned a corner and Rick and Daryl started pushing them back, "Go back, go back!"

The group kept running but eventually ran into another group of walkers. Daryl pulled her back, "Come on, this way!" Rick called out,

Caroline turned around to see another group approaching as they turned a corner, cutting off Maggie and Glenn from them. Soon Rick pulled open a door and they sat quietly in the room, waiting for the hoards to pass,

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" He asked,

"They got cut off." Caroline answered, "I didn't see where they went."

"We have to go back!" Hershel whispered,

"But which way?" Daryl asked the group.

The noises faded and they quietly exited the room. They continued down the corridor, Hershel stopping at each new hallway to whisper their names, "Maggie? Glenn?" When there was no response, they continued,

They just rounded a corner and Caroline heard a scream of pain. She turned to see that Hershel was gone. Rick ran past her back were they came from and they saw a walker had grabbed onto Hershel. Rick quickly shot the walker in the head as Maggie and Glenn appraoched, "No! No, daddy! No!"

Glenn and Rick helped the older man up as the walkers began approaching again after being attracted by the noise. Caroline stabbed one that got to close, "We're blocked!" She yelled,

T-Dog took the front as Caroline and Daryl stayed in the back, killing any walker that got too close. They quickly opened a door and they rushed them in. T-Dog and Daryl shut the doors before T-Dog shoved his firepoker through the handles to keep the walkers from getting in.

Rick lifted up Hershel's pant leg, "Hold him." He ordered as he put his belt around his calf, just below the knee.

T-Dog held the doors shut while Maggie comforted her father. Caroline squeezed the older man's hand and Daryl held down his other leg and Glenn pushed down his torso.

"Only one way to keep him alive." Rick stated as he grabbed an axe and Caroline looked away. Hershel quickly passed out from the pain and Caroline flinched at the sound of the axe cutting the flesh.

Caroline let out a shaky breath and glanced up, only to see a group of men behind a grated wall. She quickly lifted her bow and arrow, Daryl following suit.

"Holy shit."