Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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My eyes intensely followed Rick as he raced through our walker-infested yard with two men behind him. I refused to let my mind play tricks on me into thinking it was Daryl; my heart couldn't handle it. I tore a piece of my thin tank top off at the belly and handed it to Hershel as he tended to my wound. The pain came and went as I watched Rick run forward, his hand pushing out in front of him to push away any walker near him. My heartbeat raced faster as recognition hit me like a speeding bus. Could it really be, or are my eyes deceiving me? I gently pushed away from Hershel as he tightened the fabric to my shoulder, uttering a small 'thank you' his way.

I raced to the gate and laced my fingers in the fence; my eyes stayed glued to the familiar gruff face I'd become accustomed to over the past year and a half. Our eyes connected as he ran up to the gate; the smallest of smiles spread across his face. Carl ran towards the entrance and hastily unlocked it, letting his father and the two men run in before shutting it firmly and locking it again. Without thinking, my feet rushed toward Daryl, my arms extended in the air, and the ground was no longer beneath my boots. Arms circled my waist, and I was held firmly to his chest; laughter escaped my lips as happiness flooded me.

Pulling away, I kissed his forehead and laughed, happy to have my best friend back. I know I should be mad – I should be fuming! We were just attacked, and our yard is gone, but here I am – happy as can be. I squeezed him and felt my feet touch the ground again. After we pulled away from one another, the rest of the group flooded around Daryl, welcoming him back. Almost forgetting about Merle, I locked eyes with him and felt my smile falter.

A frown replaced my smile, and I stood straight, staring him down. He smirked at me, looking me up and down, sizing me up. The remainder of our people quieted down, their eyes glued to Rick and me as we stared at Merle.

To my surprise, Glenn didn't rush forward or pay much attention to the newcomer. Just a day and a half ago, he was more than willing to get his hands on this man, and now he's choosing to ignore him. Good on him for taking the high road. Rick and I turned to face one another, nodding in silent agreement as we stalked back toward the prison. There's no way we're allowing Merle to join us in the cellblock just yet. The group followed us, slowly pouring into our cellblock as I opened the door. Daryl rushed in, effectively leaving his brother behind. I stood in the entryway and shook my head at Merle, stepping backward and shutting the cell door.

"Oh, c'mon, sweetheart," Merle protested as I shut the door. I gave him a sickeningly sweet smile and shook my head.

"Eat me," I retorted like a teenager, but Merle only smirked.

"Is that an invitation?" He asked, his eyes lingering on my crotch. I scoffed, turned on my heel, and walked to the huddled group. Even though we were delighted that Daryl was back, we have more significant matters at hand. Rick stormed into the middle of our congregation with our bag of guns. He shot one look at the frightful faces around us and shook his head.

"We're not leaving." He announced as he cocked one of our machine guns. I nodded in agreement with him and looked around the group, watching Hershel shake his head and take a shaky step forward.

"We can't stay here." He protested, looking at me. I shook my head at him, letting him know that this was the one subject I was not budging on. We've fought so hard to take this prison; we've lost people! The first threat we have, and people want to leave?

"What if there's another sniper?" Maggie argued, her voice rising a few octaves, "A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds!"

"We can't even go outside!" Beth interjected, voicing more cause for us to leave. A few more voices but in, trying to sway Rick and me to side with them and abandon the prison. Rick and I shared a glance, our eyes connecting and the same determined look spreading across our faces. We're not giving up the prison; it's not an option.