Avery bit her lip as she sat on the stairs in their cell block. She was doing like Daryl told her to do and keeping an eye on Carl though every so often she'd look over at Beth who was holding Judith, trying her best to take care of the baby.
"You okay?" Jessica asked as she walked over to where her sister was and sat down.
Shaking her head no, Avery looked down at her shoes, "How can I be okay when we lost people. One of those people died giving birth," she said as she reminded Jessica of that fact. "That could be me in a few months when I give birth."
"I thought about that when I was watching Lori," Jessica whispered knowing that she probably would remember Lori's death for the time being. "I...I don't think that will be you though. I mean maybe by then we'll have everything under control and I don't think we have to worry about any rogue prisoners," she said as she chewed her lip and moved her hand onto Avery's back. "You'll be okay when you give birth."
"Can you really promise me that?" Avery questioned as she turned her head to look at Jessica. "Because I can't even promise myself that," she frowned as she bit her lip again.
It was when Jessica just looked away from her and went silent that she knew her sister couldn't promise that she'd be okay when she gave birth. No one could promise that and it was an unknown fate now. It was unknown and she wasn't even sure how to tell Daryl or even if she wanted to tell him. After today's events she really wasn't sure he'd take her pregnancy so well.
Heaving a sigh Avery nodded her head slightly, "That's what I thought," she replied as she looked away from Jessica too. "Do me a favor though Jessie," she said as she stayed looking away from her sister. "Don't tell Daryl. I'm not even sure I know how to tell him and I don't think he'll be happy to know anyway."
"So you are going to keep this a secret from him?" Jessica asked a hint of judgement in her voice.
"For the time being," Avery confirmed as she again nodded her head, watching out of the corner of her eye as Jessica turned to look at her again. She was certain her look was half as judging as her voice had sounded. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arriving at the daycare with Maggie, Daryl cut his bike off and got off, watching as Maggie did the same. "Company's close," he told her as he locked eyes with her. "Stay tight," he warned before walking towards a gate that lead onto a playground.
Watching as Maggie worked with the gate a bit before opening it, Daryl stepped in first after it was opened and he looked around trying to keep an eye on everything.
It was when Maggie walked to a window that would lead into the daycare that Daryl stopped walking for a bit, keeping watch for any unwanted friends.
Hearing the glass to the window break Daryl watched as Maggie went inside and he stayed outside for a few more minutes, looking around again to make sure the coast was clear and once he had, he went inside being careful on the desk near the window. The moment he stepped down on the floor though his eyes landed on two empty cribs and he was sure that was when the reality of all this hit him. They were looting a daycare for baby supplies and who the hell had known what had become of the babies who had once came here.
It was a thought he couldn't really stomach, especially if he tried to put himself in the shoes of a parent right now. It was something he couldn't do and he was thankful he wasn't a parent, thankful that he wouldn't have to constantly worry about the safety of someone who couldn't quite defend their selves. It was bad enough worrying over Avery's safety and he knew he shouldn't have let himself get to the point where he was so attached to her but he was. She was one of the main sources keeping him sane and tied to everything.
Turning around and walking away from the cribs slightly, Daryl once again paused as his flashlight hit a bunch of cut out paper hands on the wall and he began to read the names of the kids, one particular name sticking out to him the most. Sofie.
Seeing the name Sofie he couldn't help but be reminded of Sophia, a young innocent child who couldn't take care of herself and someone whose death had affected the whole group but maybe it had affected him the most because he had almost retreated away from everyone but it had been Avery who had brought him back because she was so damn stubborn.
Also seeing the name reminded him of the loss of Carol which was hard because they had become friends through how much he had searched for Sophia and well Carol was probably like the sister he never had and now she was gone, she was gone just like Sophia and Merle and sometimes Daryl swore he was tired of losing people which was why he had decided to come on this search for formula for the baby.
There was no way he was going to let that child die and the group to have to suffer another big loss..for Rick to suffer another loss.
Looking away from the paper hands Daryl walked out of the room he was in and he headed down a dark hallway, watching as Maggie went in the opposite direction as him.
It was when he was in the hallway that he he heard a loud clanking sound coming from somewhere and as he slowly walked closer to it, he could see out of the corner of his eye that Maggie was doing the same thing which meant she had heard it too.
Coming to the room where it was, Daryl stepped inside and looked at a closed door, the clanking sound now a lot louder.
As Maggie came into the room and walked closer to the door where the sound was coming from, Daryl raised his crossbow ready to hit whatever it was if he had too and once the door was open he was half relieved to see a possum staring back at him instead of what he had feared it could have been.
When the possum hissed and backed up Daryl shot a bow through it then walked to where the dead animal was, "Hello dinner," he muttered as he turned to look at Maggie.
Maggie rolled her eyes at Daryl's words, "I am not putting that in my bad," she told him knowing Taylor had once told her how Daryl had put Merle's hand in Glenn's bag when they had searched for him in Atlanta.
Taking her backpack off she set it on the counter before opening some cabinets, a smile appearing on her face as she found the formula. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "So you really wanted to die?" Zac asked as he looked over at the boy he had saved.
Harry nodded his head sadly as he looked at the man who had saved him from a death he had wanted. "I wanted to die," he answered as he chewed his lip.
"I still say you didn't," Zac shrugged as he looked down and shook his head. "I've lost people and felt like dying but I never really wanted too," he muttered though he knew today he did feel kind of close to wanting to die. Realizing how likely it was that Kate was dead either way, well it hurt him and it made him almost wish it had been him who had gotten separated from the group at Hershel's farm instead of his wife.
Kate deserved to have been somewhere safe even if she had died during childbirth like Lori had and she deserved to have been around people she knew but she hadn't been...hell if she had lived long enough she could have been alone. Now days it seemed rare when you came upon a group of people and living alone was never the best thing for anyone.
Shrugging Harry again went silent for awhile, "Why'd you save me though?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know me nor do I know you."
"Because I'm still a good person," Zac answered honestly as he looked at the boy again. "I save people because it's what I have to do. I can't willingly let someone die even if sometimes I think I can."
Harry nodded his head but he walked with the man in silence again, his mind going back to Louis and why they had came out. He half hoped that his group wouldn't be mad that they hadn't made it to the daycare, that he had no formula for Leo. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kate remained silent as she walked down the busy Woodbury street with Lucy, Michonne, and Andrea. She was still remaining skeptical on leaving but it seemed that Lucy and Michonne had gotten their way and they were leaving today, they were going back out into some unknown world and their life could constantly be in jeopardy and they'd constantly be on the run twenty-four seven.
"Hey, hey, hey girls," Merle called out from where he sat on a bench. "Where ya'll off too in such a hurry?" he asked as he stood up and walked to them as they briefly stopped but it seemed Michonne was intent on making it hard for that to happen as she began to guide the others away from him and towards the main gate.
"Hey, come on, now. Come on. Hey, hey, hey," Merle said once he reached up with them. "Ya'll are breaking my heart running away like that."
Michonne came to a stop again as she glared at Merle, "We're leaving."
"It's almost curfew," Merle spoke as he shook his head though he kept eyeing all four women. "I'd have to arrange an escort. I mean, the party's still going on," he explained as he pointed at the people behind them and the music that was playing still.
Getting nothing but silence from them he saw Michonne and Lucy glare while Andrea and Kate both looked apprehensive.
"Alright, wait here a second," Merle told them as he turned his back and walked over to where Martinez was at the gate. "Brownie, come here," he called watching as Martinez bent down. "Listen up bro.." he said as he started to talk but got interrupted by Andrea.
"The Governor told us we were free to come and go whenever we liked," Andrea said feeling for the first time that maybe Michonne had been right.
"Sweetheart, nothing personal here, but you're gonna have to step back," Merle spoke as he turned to look at Andrea.
Watching as Andrea came back to where they were, Kate looked at Merle curiously as he kept talking to Martinez though eventually she looked back at Michonne and Andrea, doing her best to ignore Lucy who was staring at her expectantly or as if she should be surprised in this turn of events.
"See there's always a reason why we can't leave yet," Michonne smiled almost feeling gleeful that now maybe Andrea was seeing that she was right.
Hearing someone say clear Kate looked over at the gates, seeing Merle standing there.
"Now if I was ya'll, I'd find some shelter before nightfall," Merle told the women as he began to open the gate and once it was open he just stood there looking at them, waiting for them to leave.
Michonne shook her head at this new development. It was unexpected but it probably shouldn't have been to her. "They knew we were coming," she stated as she looked at Andrea and then turned to Kate and Lucy. "This was all for show."
"Do you hear yourself?" Andrea asked which got Michonne to look at her again. "How can you know that?"
"And why would they bother?" Kate questioned as well which earned her a glare from Lucy.
"Ladies," Merle called out when none of the women came down, though it was obvious they were having some disagreement. Andrea turned her head briefly to look at Merle, "Close the gates."
"No," Michonne stated knowing she had every intention of leaving this place.
"I practically begged the Governor to let you stay," Andrea spoke as she turned back to Michonne.
Michonne shook her head at Andrea's revelation, "I didn't ask for that."
"You didn't have too, that's what friends do for each other," Andrea explained hoping that Michonne understood that.
"It goes both ways," Michonne warned her as she locked eyes with the woman whom she had spent months with.
"So you want to run around out there with walkers on chains, eating twigs?" Andrea asked clearly perplexed that Michonne was serious. "Is that right?"
"We held our own," Michonne answered unwavering from her stance.
Andrea shook her head, breaking the eye contact, "Eight months. Eight months on the road moving place to place, scavenging, living in a meat locker. That was no life. I'm tired. I'm tired. I don't have another eight months in me. Not like that. And you, I..."
"What about me?" Michonne asked when Andrea stopped mid-sentence.
"I'm afraid you're gonna disappear," Andrea replied honestly as she sighed.
Going silent for a bit, Michonne stared at Andrea before speaking again, "Are you coming or not?"
"Don't do this," Andrea argued feeling cornered now. "Don't give me an ultimatum not after everything."
"Are you coming or not?" Michonne asked and when Andrea fell silent she felt she had gotten her answer. "You'd just slow me down anyway," she spoke before turning to Kate and Lucy.
Kate ran a hand through her hair as she looked down at the ground, "I..I'm not...." she muttered unable to even finish her sentence as she looked up finally seeing Lucy glaring daggers at her. "It's safe here Luce."
Lucy shook her head feeling like she had been slapped in the face, "Like Michonne told Andrea, you'd just slow me down anyway," she muttered much more angry sounding than Michonne had sounded.
Going silent after Lucy had said what she did Kate just stood there frozen as both girls walked off, leaving her and Andrea standing there though unlike Andrea she wasn't even able to holler after her departing friend because it hurt too much. She had honestly hoped that when she said she was staying that Lucy would have agreed to stay as well.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out with your friends," Merle said as he walked to where Andrea and Kate stood after the gate had been closed and locked behind Lucy and Michonne. "Weird to lose someone by their own choice. Thought those days had gone," he shrugged hoping his sympathy sounded sincere. "Not sure this will make you two feel better, but I'm sure you could use a drink. Some company, something to take your mind off of it for a bit," he added in as he lead both girls away to get them drinks. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Isaac looked at Nikki as night began to fall. They had came outside after dinner so they could have some alone time. Meredith had been watching both Leo and Monroe and Jacey was still refusing to come out of her room or even hold her child.
"I'm worried about Louis and Harry," Nikki confessed as Isaac looked over at her. "They should have been back by now."
"I shouldn't have let them go out on their own," Isaac muttered to himself as he shook his head. "I should have went with them. They're both so young. Harry's seventeen and Louis' twenty."
Nikki just looked down as she sighed, "Look at us, worrying over boys who aren't even our sons," she mused as she chewed her lip as she thought of her own sons. Monroe who she had and Everett who she had lost. "Though I'd worry if it was Meredith or Jacey out there too."
"These people are our family now," Isaac said as he looked at Nikki who looked up at that and he could see in her eyes she thought the same thing. "I lost my family and we lost Everett but we have a new family and I think this is what happens now. You just forge your own family as you go and you connect with people because no one wants to be alone during this all."
Before Nikki could reply to that though, both of them looked up as they saw approaching shadows and Isaac reached for his gun as he walked off the porch, Nikki following close behind and as the shadows came closer he slowly raised his gun but then he froze as he took in the site of the approaching people.
One was Harry who looked like a complete mess and the other person with Harry, well according to Isaac it was like seeing a god damn ghost.
"I'll be damned," Isaac muttered under his breath as he lowered his gun. "I'll be god damned."
Hearing a familiar voice Zac looked up and once he did he felt like he had been slapped in the face, "Isaac?" he questioned as he walked a bit closer, coming face to face with his older brother.
"It's really you?" he asked almost in disbelief because he hadn't seen his brother in months.
"I could ask the same thing," Isaac chuckled as he reached out and pulled Zac into a hug. "W..what are you doing here?"
Zac returned the hug, holding Isaac a bit tighter because it felt good to have some form of affection after everything that had happened today.
"I guess returning one of your group members," he answered after pulling away from the hug with Isaac. "Saved him from being eaten by someone he cared about," Zac muttered as he looked over at the boy seeing Nikki was hugging him to her as he cried.
Isaac frowned at Zac's words realizing then that it was Louis whose absence he hadn't even noticed until now, "Oh.." he muttered as he shook his head. "You saved Harry from Louis..his boyfriend," he said as he saw Zac frown too then. "I guess I'm thankful you saved Harry though even if you couldn't save Louis."
"I had to save Harry," Zac spoke as he chewed his lip. "Can't just let people die," he smiled though it was a sad one. "Do you...do you have more people?" he asked curiously knowing he had tons of questions for Isaac but he couldn't ask them all right now.
"I do," Isaac nodded his head in affirmation. "Two women and a newborn as well as Monroe of course," he whispered before looking down and running a hand through his hair. "W..we lost Everett not long after we left the Quarry."
Hearing about the death of his nephew Zac frowned again not sure if he should say sorry or not. It would be appropriate though now days it seemed sorry just got plain old of saying. "We lost Mac..and I lost Kate and the baby...we were at some farm months ago and..they're just gone," he explained as he looked down at the grass.
"And everyone else?" Isaac questioned seeing Nikki and Harry walking closer now.
"We're staying at a prison not far from here," Zac told him as he looked up, seeing Nikki and Harry had came closer. "You guys are welcome to come if you like. I'm sure everyone would love to see you guys again and we have enough room for your whole group."
Looking at his wife Isaac searched her eyes in the moonlight.
"We should ask the others first," Nikki said as she spoke for Isaac seeing that he looked uncertain. "Come inside while we do. We have food," she bribed hoping that food would be enough to get him to agree to stay while the group held a meeting.
Chuckling Zac nodded his head, "I can't turn down food," he said before following behind his brother's wife and the boy he helped and as he did so he smiled a genuine smile as he felt Isaac's arm go around his shoulder.
Maybe seeing Isaac was what he needed even if deep down it did give him hope that Kate could have made it. He wasn't sure if he needed that hope because if she was alive and he ever saw her again it would just complicate things, especially since he was sure he had fallen in love with Beth. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Glenn who was up in the guard tower doing watch duty looked up when he heard a motor roaring in the distance and as he did so he turned to look down at Oscar and Axel, "Guys, they're back," he called down so they could take care of the walkers down at the fence.
As they did that he picked up the rifle he had with him and shot at some of the walkers nearby as well so none of them tried to get in when Daryl and Maggie were let inside.
It was while he was doing that, that he watched as Oscar and Axel let Maggie and Daryl inside before shutting the gate again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Avery sat at a table in the main area off their cell block as Carl sat holding a crying baby, a crying baby who was probably hungry and just as she was about to wish for Daryl and Maggie to get back she looked up, seeing them both barreling through the entrance.
As Beth and Maggie proceeded to start making a bottle for the baby Avery stood from the table watching as Daryl moved to Carl who was slowly standing up.
"How's she doing?" Daryl asked as he took the crying child from Carl's arms and he began to shush it to try and calm it down.
Seeing Beth walk over with a bottle he took the bottle from her, putting it up to the baby's lips in an effort to get it to eat. "Come on, come on," he muttered watching as the baby girl eventually latched on.
It was after that, that he looked up at everyone who had gathered around and he couldn't help but chuckle some. "She got a name yet?" Daryl asked as he looked down at Carl.
"Not yet. But I was thinking maybe Sophia...then there's Carol too and Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, Patricia, Zoe, Kate," Carl stated as he paused. "Or...Lori. I don't know," he shrugged knowing he had went through all the names of women they had lost in the group, including his mom's name.
"You like that? Huh?" Daryl questioned as he looked down at the baby girl in his arms. "Little ass-kicker," he spoke before looking up sheepishly. "Right? That's a good name, right?" he asked as he looked around at everyone else. "Little ass-kicker. You like that, huh?" he said as he looked down and smiled at the baby. "You like that, sweetheart?"
Watching Daryl with the baby Avery couldn't help but instinctively rest her hand on her stomach where her own baby was..a baby she had yet to tell him of and after she had done so, she looked around and caught Jessica's eye, seeing a judging look.
Of course Jessica was still judging her for not wanting to tell Daryl yet on their impending parenthood. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Are you sure?" Zac asked as he stood on the porch of the house that Isaac's group was staying at. "I mean we have room," he said as he locked eyes with his older brother.
Isaac nodded, "Everyone wants to try to make it..just us," he said though deep down he had apprehension but once everyone had known Jacey's answer which had been a no then they had all said no too and well he just couldn't sway them otherwise, their minds had been made up.
"Okay," Zac sighed as he gave Isaac a wistful glance before beginning to walk down the stairs.
"Hey Zac!" Isaac called out seeing Zac stop in his footsteps. "Don't tell the others you saw me okay..don't want them to know I'm alive when something could always happen to me in the end and make it not so."
Swallowing hard Zac gave a slight nod before turning away again and walking off.
As Zac left, Isaac turned and headed back inside surprised to see Jacey sitting on the couch and holding her son.
"Hearing your story about how you lost hope in seeing your brothers..family because you thought they were dead, it gave me hope," Jacey said as she looked up seeing Isaac's surprised expression. "Made me realize how foolish I was being and how I was lucky because I have a healthy son," she smiled as she looked down at Leo. "Or he will be once I feed him like I should have..but I wanted to thank you and Nikki both for stepping up while I was checked out."
Isaac shook his head as he walked to where Jacey was and he sat down, "Anyone would have done it Jace."
"Maybe," Jacey agreed as she chewed on her lip. "But you guys doing that is why I want to ask you to be the main leader. I saw how everyone took my vote as law but that can't happen if I ever check out again. They need someone who is dependable."
Going silent at Jacey's words Isaac just ran a hand down his face because he hadn't been expecting that, "O..okay," he agreed knowing it was a big task but Jacey believed he could do it so he'd do it. He just hoped her faith in him wouldn't ever come back to haunt them all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arriving at some sort of old abandoned building along side Andrea and the Governor, Kate looked around as she listened to the music blaring as they walked into the place and she couldn't help but see how excited everyone was.
If they were this happy and excited over whatever was to come there was no way this could be a bad place or that they could be bad people. There was just no way. Lucy had to be wrong and Kate wished Lucy was here to see this.
Staying silent Kate continued to follow Andrea and the Governor up to the bleachers and she still looked around, now curious as to what was to come that had everyone so happy.
It was after she had gotten sat down that lights began to come on out on the main floor area and the people in the bleachers all began to stand up, cheering even louder now. Standing up as well Kate looked down in horror seeing chained up walkers all in what seemed to be some circle as Merle and Martinez both somehow ended up in the middle of the circle.
When she heard the crowd chanting for Merle and Merle saying how he was gonna kick Martinez's ass one handed Kate couldn't help but feel like she wanted to be sick or even like she wanted to run but like watching a bad train wreck she was glued to her spot watching as both men began to fight in the circle of chained up walkers.
"What the hell is this?" Andrea asked feeling somewhat disgusted at what she saw.
The Governor turned to look at Andrea,"It's a way to blow off steam," he explained a smile playing on his lips.
"Blow off steam?" Kate asked now as she turned her head to glare at the Governor. "You go for a jog to blow off steam. This is...this is sick," she muttered as she shook her head before turning to leave and head back to her room.
As she walked away it was that moment that she wished she had went with Lucy and Michonne. This place didn't seem so safe anymore nor did the people seem sane.
Watching Kate walk off the Governor turned to look at Andrea, "Look around," he said pointing to everyone in the arena. "Everyone's having a great time."
"It's barbaric," Andrea muttered as she shook her head.
"It's staged," the Governor explained hoping she'd realize how harmless it all was.
Milton who had overheard the conversation turned to look at Andrea, "Yeah, we pull out the biter's teeth. It's all just for show."
"That's crazy," Andrea sighed still not seeing the sense in things. "This is your reason for keeping walkers around?" she asked knowing it now all made sense why they had walkers in cages.
"People need entertainment," the Governor argued still standing firm.
"So your solution is gladiator fights?" Andrea questioned as she locked eyes with him.
"We're reducing these things. We're controlling them. We're shining a light on the monster under the bed. It's fun. It makes people feel better about the whole thing," the Governor again argued trying his darnedest to win her to his side.
Andrea still didn't break eye contact as she put her hand on her hip, "It's a slippery slope. You're teaching them that walkers aren't dangerous."
"We're teaching them not to be afraid," the Governor stated before looking away and back at the entertainment that was going on, on the floor. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beth who had been awoken by the baby groaned slightly as she slipped out of bed and over to the container in her room where the baby was at.
"Hey pretty girl," she cooed down at the baby. "You hungry again?" she questioned as she leaned down to get the baby and once she had her she exited the cell glad that somehow her dad had slept through the baby crying.
When she made it to the main area to fix the baby's bottle she came to a stop seeing Zac sitting at one of the tables and eating. "When did you get in?" she asked knowing last night when she had went to bed he was gone.
"Late," Zac answered as he watched Beth come into the main area and soon get a bottle ready for the crying child in her arms. "Just had to go out and blow off some steam," he admitted even though she hadn't asked why. She didn't have to, her tone had said enough.
Nodding Beth walked over to the table where Zac was once she was done fixing the bottle. "Because yesterday reminded you of Kate?" she asked as she sat down. "I mean I figured it would."
"It did," Zac confirmed as his eyes landed on the baby who was eating. She looked so tiny and fragile and it made him sad because he'd never get to hold his first child if Kate had somehow survived and given birth safely. "Can I hold her?" he asked his voice cracking some.
"Sure," Beth smiled as she slowly handed over the baby who continued to suckle on the bottle. "She doesn't have a name yet but Daryl calls her little ass kicker."
Laughing Zac kept his eyes glued on the child. "He would," he said as he shook his head. "But little ass kicker kind of fits her," he admitted as his voice cracked and tears he didn't even realize he was crying went down his cheek.
"I should be holding my child," Zac spoke up as he looked at Beth and feeling a bit ashamed that she was seeing him cry. "But because God hates me I'm not. I'm not holding my child and for all I know my child is fucking dead...Kate's dead or she died and my child could be too and I've been robbed of so much Beth."
Beth frowned as she listened to Zac which left her unable to speak so she stood from the table, walking behind him and putting her arms around his neck. It was the only comfort she knew to give him and she hoped to God it worked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sitting in the room where his wife had died, Rick just sat there hopelessly as he heard a phantom baby crying and he almost felt like crying himself because he hadn't been able to keep his wife safe like he had been trying to do. He just had wanted her safe but now she wasn't.
Rick had failed Lori and she was dead because of him but at least he had found the walker who had ate all of her remains. He had found the walker and shot it then he had proceeded to stab it and rip it open and now..now here he sat lost in his own world full of hallucinations of a baby crying.
Those hallucinations were soon shattered by a phone ringing and as he turned his head he looked up on a table, seeing an old phone on a desk and as it continued to ring he stood up and walked over to it.
"Hello?" Rick asked after he had picked the phone up.