Chapter 33 - Welcome To The Tombs

I zip my jacket up tightly around me, it fitting me snugly. I reach over and pull on my beanie before shoving the last of my things into my backpack. I zip it up tightly and sling it over my shoulders. I bend down and grab the two sleeping bags and my gun before making my way out of the cell. I walk down the steps, it seaming much emptier now.

I walk out of the cell block towards the Tucson where we pack most of our stuff. I reach Beth, who helps me put the things in the car. I look around the car and see Rick go to talk to Carl but he shrugs out of his grasp angrily. He's upset that Rick won't let him stay behind to help out, instead he has to go with myself and the others. He walks around and puts his bag in the trunk, his face set into an angry scowl.

I step back and turn to look for Daryl, spotting him over by his bike. Carol speaks with him briefly before helping him to his feet. Glenn and Maggie walk towards me and I turn to them, "You ready?" I ask.

They nod their head, "Yeah, we've got this."

"Just be safe please?" I ask.

Maggie smiles and steps forward, giving me a hug, "We will be."

I nod and turn to Glenn, giving him a quick hug. I step back and see Daryl walking over towards my direction. He stops in front of me with his poncho in his hands. He looks down at it for a moment before holding it out to me. I take it and feel the texture in my fingers before I look up at him and meet his eyes. Last night we just laid together, holding one another and comforted one another. Neither one of us got much sleep, our grief being too much. The pain of losing Merle has been so much for the both of us, a drive for us to do what we need to do today.

I step towards him and lean up on my tip toes as I wrap my arms around his neck. He places his hands on my hips and gives them a gentle squeeze as I press my lips to his. The kiss is full of raw emotion, both of us being in danger today. This kiss isn't a goodbye, but a good luck. I pull back and look him in the eyes for a moment before I whisper to him, "I love you."

"I love you too." He murmurs.

I hear the sound of the cellblock door opening and we both turn to see Rick and Michonne walk out. Rick walks over towards us and takes us all in, "It's time for us all to get into our positions." He states.

We all nod and I turn to Daryl one last time, giving his arm a squeeze before I turn and make my way to the driver's seat of the car. I climb into the front and start the car up while the others get into their seats. Judith makes a cry from the box in the middle of the backseat and Beth attends to her as I pull away from the courtyard.

Glenn and Maggie open up the gate and we drive through easily, making our way to the hide out. I glance back in the mirror and see them all looking after us. Though I feel uneasy I know that this will work. I turn my eyes back to the road and continue our way out of here, waiting until we can come back and finally make this place a home.

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I stand outside of the car, my gun gripped tightly in my hand with my eyes focused around me. It's been around an hour and half since we left the prison, the long and arduous wait beginning. Not too long ago I could hear gunfire coming from the direction of the prison, meaning that the plan had been set in motion. Though we have been over the plan a thousand times, on hearing the gunfire my stomach began to turn at the thought of the others getting hurt.

The gunfire stopped not too long ago and now we are just waiting the correct amount of time before we make our way back to the prison. Beth steps out of the camouflaged car after finally getting Judith to sleep. She closes the door and begins to talk to her father as my eyes land on Carl. His young hard eyes are locked on the scenery surrounding us, looking for something to take his frustration out on.

I understand where his anger is coming from, however I also understand it from Rick's point of view. Since we've left the farm, Carl has become a major player for us. He's grown up so much in such a short amount of time, it's easy to forget that he is still such a child. Adding the death of his mother into the mix, it's almost as if the small child I met in the quarry outside of Atalanta has just disappeared. His life hasn't been easy, I'm just hoping that he doesn't grow up so much that he forgets what it is like to be a kid.

Suddenly I hear rapid footsteps coming towards me and I turn and aim my gun in time to see a young man run into my line of vision.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah!" The kid cries, holding up one arm in defence, lowering the shotgun down beside him, "Don't shoot!"

"Drop the weapon son." Hershel instructs, his gun aimed too.

"Sure." He nods, taking us all in, "Here, take it." He says, beginning to pass the gun over to me.

I go to reach for it when I hear a gunshot, blood spraying all over me as the boy's body drops to the ground in a thump. Crows around us beginning begin to flap their wings and crow at the noise. I stare at the kid in shock for a moment before I turn my head and look at Carl. He looks at the boy in shock, his eyes wide and scared.

It's completely silent as everyone tries to process what has just happened. Beth and Hershel stare at Carl with shocked faces as Carl looks as if he is about to throw up. I glance down at the boy on the ground and see the pool of blood surrounding his head. I take a deep breath before kneeling down beside the boy and pat him down, looking for more weapons.

I grab a small knife and I feel something in his jacket pocket. I grip the object and pull it out before looking it over. It is a small magnet with the words 'Welcome To Woodbury' engraved on it. I glance down at the boy again, he can't be any older than sixteen.

I hold the magnet tightly in my hand as I talk to the others, "He's from Woodbury." I state.

"He's so young, he can't be anymore than sixteen." Beth states in disbelief after a long moment.

"The Governor's using children as soldiers." Hershel states.

"Bringing them to the slaughter house." I murmur.

I glance back at the others and see Carl still frozen on the spot, his eyes not leaving the kid. I look away from him and get to my feet and walk towards the back of the car. I open up the trunk and begin to rifle through the belongings until my hands grip the handle of the shovel. I pull it out and sling my gun over my back before I walk back over to the kid's body.

I begin to dig next to his body, creating a grave for him. I feel the others eyes on my back but I don't care. This young man was only a kid, he didn't deserve to die because of one psycho's choices. His mother is probably waiting back home for him to come home and he never will. After some time, Beth comes over and helps me lower the kid into the grave. Before I shovel dirt onto him, I drop the magnet down onto his chest. I look at him for a moment before finishing off the grave. Once I'm done I feel my sweat mix with the blood on my face.

I turn to the others, "Let's head back."

They nod, though they don't really say anything. I quickly dump the shovel back into the trunk and close it before making my way to the driver's seat. I start the car up and glance in the rear view mirror to see Carl staring out the window with a hardened look on his face. I turn away from him and start the car before making my way back to the prison.

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I walk back into the cellblock with some of our belongings in my hands. Daryl's eyes lock with mine immediately and he makes his way over to me, "What happened? Are you okay?" He asks, his eyes taking in the blood and sweat on my face.

I shake my head, "I'm fine. One of the Governor's soldiers found us as he was running away. He was only a kid." I say.

"What happened?" He asks.

I glance over at Carl and he speaks with Rick and Hershel, "He was handing over his weapon and Carl shot him."

"Did he try to get you?" He asks and I shake my head, "He was just surrendering, giving up."

Daryl looks at me for a moment with scrunched eyebrows before looking over to Carl as he walks away into the cell block. I turn to him, "So what's the plan now?"

"We go back to Woodbury and take him out. Once and for all." He states.

I look at him for a long moment before nodding my head. I look back up at him, "I'm coming with you."

He stares into my eyes as he thinks before he nods his head, "Okay."

"Okay." I say.

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We drive down the long abandoned road until ahead of us, Daryl begins to slow down and come to a stop. Rick, Michonne and I pull up behind him in the Tuscon as he turns the bike off and we take in the sight before us. I climb out of the car and take in the mass amount of bodies before me. Walkers feast on a few of the bodies and I realise that these must be some of the same people. I pull my machete off my belt and walk forward, taking out a walker as the others take down more.

I look around at the big group and realise that these are the Governor's soldiers, causing me to wonder what the hell happened here. All of a sudden there's a bang against the window of the big truck and we all turn pointing our guns towards the noise. A frightened woman looks back at us, blood covering her cheek. Daryl opens the door and she gets out and he pushes her forward out of the way before closing the door while the rest of us lower our weapons.

"What happened?" Rick asks.

She trembles in fear as she takes in the massacre around her, "He... He did this..."

"Who did?" I ask.

"The Governor." She whispers.

We all exchange a look before Rick steps towards her, "You tell us what happened."

She trembles on the spot as she shakily runs a hand through her hair, "We were escaping from the prison when suddenly he came speeding up behind us, beeping the horn at us, telling us to pull over. We told him we didn't want to this anymore, that we weren't soldiers. He just snapped. God he killed everyone!"  She says, completely shaken up.

"How did you survive?" Michonne asks.

"I hid under Damien's body..." She trails off.

"Where's the Governor now?" Daryl asks.

"He just left, he drove off with Martinez and Shumpert." She explains shakily.

We all exchange another look before Rick speaks to her, "Will you take us to Woodbury?"

She looks at us all nervously before she nods her head, "Yes."

"Alright, let's go." Daryl says.

We all nod and make our way back towards our vehicles, the girl climbing into the back with me. Daryl starts his bike and we speed off towards Woodbury, a thirst for vengeance in our blood.

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Night time surrounds us as we sneak our way towards the Woodbury border. We ditched the cars awhile back, wanting to have an advantage on our side. The sun has set around us and now we sneak in under the night time cover. Suddenly gunfire begins at us and we fire back, ducking behind a car for cover. They continue to shoot as we shoot back.

Karen seeing a gap in the gunfire stands up quickly and yells out, "Tyreese! It's me, don't shoot-" Karen screams.

"Get down!" Rick yells, pulling her out of sight.

"Karen? Karen are you okay?!" Tyreese yells back.

She stands up, "I'm fine!" She yells, glaring at Rick for a moment before facing towards the man.

"Where's the Governor?" He yells back.

"He fired on everyone! He killed them all!" She says defeated.

After a moment he yells back, "Why are you with them?!"

"They saved me!" She yells as Rick looks at us.

"We're coming out!" Rick yells after a moment.

Daryl shakes his head and Rick gives us a look. I shake my head before I lower my gun and stand up, my arms raising in the air in a peaceful gesture. Sasha and Tyreese climb down from their spot on the wall and they open the doors for us as we approach them.

"What're you doing here?" Tyreese asks, taking us all in.

"We were coming to finish this. Till we saw what the Governor did." Rick explains.

"He, he killed them?" Tyreese asks confused.

"Yeah. Karen told us Andrea hopped the wall going for the prison, she never made it. She might be here." Rick explains.

Sasha and Tyreese exchange a look before nodding their heads in agreement. Rick and Daryl lead the way as we follow closely behind them. We head through the town until we reach a building in the outskirts, the place where Merle kept Glenn and Maggie hostage. A small wave of grief overcomes me but I push it away as we go through the doors and down the stairs to the basements.

"This is where they kept Glenn and Maggie." Rick states to Tyreese and Sasha.

"They kept people here?" Tyreese asks.

"Did more than hold them." Daryl comments.

We walk around the corner with our weapons raised, ready to fire. However we all freeze as we something that causes my heart to stop. A pool of blood runs from under the door, meaning that something horrible has happened. I bite back the sickening feeling in my stomach as we hesitantly approach the door before us.

"Will you open it?" Michonne asks Rick, her voice weak.

He nods and the rest of us aim our guns ready to fire, "One, two..." Rick says as he pulls the door open quickly.

We look in and nothing comes rushing out at us, however I notice a pair of feet lying by the door. 

Michonne rushes in, "Andrea!" She cries, kneeling down beside the woman.

Propped against the wall sits Andrea covered in blood, pale and weak. Off to the side I see the body of a man I've never seen before, his body what is left of a walker. I place two and two together and realise Andrea must have fought him off.

"I tried to stop it." She whispers, her voice weak.

"You're burning up." Michonne states with wide eyes.

Andrea looks at us before moving her clothing from her shoulder, revealing a large bite mark. I close my eyes in devastation and I feel a hand reach out and grab mine, giving it a comforting squeeze. I squeeze his hand back and open my eyes and look at her.

"Judith? Carl? The rest of them?" She asks breathlessly.

"Us, the rest of us." Rick states, placing a hand on her knee in comfort.

She smiles weakly before repeating the question, "Are they alive?"

He glances back us before turning back to her, "Yeah, they're alive." Rick confirms with a nod.

She glances up at us with a smile and I try my hardest to return it. She turns to Michonne and smiles, "It's good you found them."

Michonne nods her head through the tears streaming down her face as Andrea looks at Daryl and I, "No one can make it alone now."

"Never could." Daryl says and I hold his hand tightly in mine.

"I just didn't want anybody to die." She whispers sadly, like she's failed us.

She looks away and shifts on her spot before looking back at Rick, "I can do it myself." She says, sitting up.

"No!" Michonne protests, pain in her voice.

"No, I have too. While I still can." She argues, still the strong woman I met so long ago.

Michonne nods her head, her lips trembling, "Please?" Andrea asks as she turns to Rick.

"I know how the safety works." She smiles at Rick.

He looks down and grabs his gun, placing it in her hand. Michonne looks at her, "Well I'm not going anywhere." She says, wanting to be there for her friend.

They exchange a look before she turns and looks at us all, "I tried." She whispers.

"Yeah, you did. You did." Rick says sadly, getting up.

Andrea looks over at me and I give her a heartbreaking smile which she returns sadly. I turn and begin to walk out, Rick and Daryl following closely behind me. Rick closes the door behind us as I walk over and take a seat on a large crate. Daryl sits down beside me and wraps an arm around my waist and I lean into his side with my hand on his thigh, trying my best not to cry.

Andrea and I were always good friends, right from the beginning. Her and Amy accepted me in like I was their own. After Amy died, I was there for her and she was there for me with Merle. And she saved my life that night on the farm, which I can never repay her for. She was so strong and brave, someone I trusted and admired. For her to go out like this is heartbreaking.

We wait there and time seems to drag on until the final gunshot is heard along with the sound of the gun clattering to the ground. My lip trembles as a tear slides down my cheek. Daryl pulls me against him and places a kiss on my forehead, holding me as we both grieve the loss of our friend.

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We drive back inthe Tuscon with the Daryl in front and the Woodbury bus following behind us. We decided that if they wanted too, the rest of the Woodbury community would come and join us at the prison. They all quickly agreed after they found out about what the Governor did, realising the lies he fed them.

We pull up into the courtyard and park the vehicles. I glance at Michonne who sits silently in the front seat, tears streaming down her face. I climb out of the car and walk forward toward Sasha and Tyreese, "Would you like me to show you were you will be staying?"

Sasha nods her head before turning to the array of other survivors, "Follow us."

I turn and begin to make my way towards cell block D, the group following after me. With each step, I feel as if a new sense of hope is instilled in us all. This has been an awful year, with everything going wrong for so many. But now as we walk through the prison, beginning to settle in new survivors I can't help but feel this is the start of something new, of something better. This will be good for all of us, the beginning of a new world and we're all ready for it.