cassette tapes |d. dixon| [1]

26

"The group seemed... lost. It's understandable, because of everything's that's happened. Rick was off his walker in the tombs doing who knows what. Daryl was running the group. He was doing well. It seemed like he was meant to do this. To lead."

CAROLINE SAT IN HER CELL, resting. Hershel had checked her ankle, saying it was just twisted, which was lucky, and told her to stay off it for a bit.

"Maggie and Glenn went on a run." She looked up to see Daryl leaning against the doorframe of her cell, "Carl, Oscar, and I are goin' back in. Gonna look for Carol."

She moved to get off the bed, "Great, I'm coming with."

Daryl walked in and put his hand on her shoulder to keep her sitting, "Nah, you gotta stay here."

Caroline shook her head, "I wanna help."

"You can." He handed the blonde her gun, the one she dropped the other day, "Watch over Beth and the baby."

She sighed, taking the gun, "Okay." Daryl turned to leave but she stopped him, "Be careful." He nodded before walking away.

After a while, Caroline walking back out to the main area, where Beth was sitting with the baby, Hershel next to her, "She's lucky." Caroline muttered, playing with the baby's hand, "To have a group like us watching over her."

"Yeah," Beth smiled, "She is lucky."

"I'm gonna go on watch." Caroline patted Hershel on the shoulder, "Wait for Maggie and Glenn to come back. Will you guys be good in here?"

The older man nodded, "Watch your ankle out there."

"Yes, sir." Caroline grinned as she made her way outside the cell block.

"I sat up there for hours, just thinking. Staring at the crosses that were lined up in the field. About Carol. T-Dog. Lori. The baby. Rick... Daryl. None of us would've made it this far without that man. Especially me. I needed him more than anything."

The door to the cell block opened and Caroline turned to see Rick walk out, the baby girl in his arms. Hershel, Beth, and Carl followed behind him. She smiled down at them.

Rick looked out past the fences and his smile fell. He handed the baby off to Carl before walking towards the field. Caroline glanced out, seeing what he saw. She quickly got her gun out and rushed down the stairs to follow.

"That's not a walker." Caroline stated,

There was a dark-skinned woman standing at the fence. In her hands was a red basket, filled with things like formula, and a bag and sword were thrown over her shoulder. The strange thing was, walkers surrounded her, yet paid her no mind.

She stared right at them, her eyes begging.

"Rick... she has formula." Caroline whispered.

"It couldn't be a coincidence that she had formula with her. She had to have known. But if she did... what happened to Glenn and Maggie?"

She heard running behind her and turned to see Carl approaching. The woman backed away as the walkers realised she was alive and she took out her sword to stab them through the head.

"Should we help her?" Carl asked,

She could hear the woman crying out in pain as Caroline rushed around the tower to get to the front gate. The woman hit the ground and Carl shot the walkers that were above her. He tossed the keys to his father.

Caroline shot the surrounding walkers as Rick went to check on the woman. Carl grabbed the basket full of formula and her bag.

"Is she bit?" Hershel asked as he and Beth approached the gate,

"Gunshot." Rick answered as he picked her up.

Caroline shot a few more walkers before the boys got inside and she followed. They locked up the gate before heading up to the cell block.

"Carl, get a blanket. Beth, water and a towel." Rick ordered.

The boy grabbed a blanket and they went towards the edge of the seating area, "Here?"

"She's not coming in the cell blocks." Rick stated, setting her down. Beth handed him a bottle of water and he poured some onto her, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Steady now." Her eyes were opening and she was looking around, "Hey, look at me. Look at me. Who are you?"

She began to freak out and reached for her sword but Rick pushed it away, "Hey. No. We're not going to hurt you unless you try something stupid first, all right?"

"Rick." They all turned to see Daryl standing outside the cell area, "Who the hell is this?"

The woman sat up and Rick looked down at her, "You wanna tell us your name?" She didn't answer, "You wanna tell us your name?"

"Y'all come on in here." Daryl stated,

Rick stood, "Everything all right?"

Caroline turned to look at him and he was staring right at her, "You're gonna wanna see this."

Rick nodded at the blonde, "Go ahead. Carl, get the bag."

Caroline let Hershel in first and turned to Daryl, "What's going on?"

He smirked at her, placing his hand at the side of her neck, his thumb stroking her cheek, "C'mon."

The blonde looked back at Rick and the woman before Daryl led her into the cells. Rick shut the door behind him and locked it. Daryl led them all to a cell near the stairs. On the bottom bunk sat Carol.

"Oh, my god." She smiled, breaking away from Daryl to hug the older woman, "Oh, Carol." She pulled back and placed her hands on Carol's shoulders, "Where the hell did you go?"

"Solitary." She answered.

"Poor thing fought her way into a cell. Must have passed out. Dehydrated." Daryl stated.

Caroline took a step back to let the others have a chance of reuniting with Carol. Daryl wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the blonde smiled up at him as she wound her arm around his waist.

"This was a good thing. Despite all the shitty things that has happened in the past few days, something good happened. Carol was alive and okay for the most part. I didn't fail her."

Carol looked down at the baby in Beth's arms. She smiled back at Rick but his eyes turned sad once again. Once Carol realised what had happened, tears filled her eyes, "I'm sorry."

"But the good can only stay good for so long."