Survival Guide: To Surviving the Living Dead 101

Rule #16

Buddy System

Buddy system. What does that mean? Simple, always go in pairs or a small group. Going on a run? Go with a partner. Going out hunting, unless you're Daryl Dixon of course, go with a partner. Going anywhere in this world, have a partner or two. Pair up because strength in numbers, rule number four. You don’t want to find yourself alone and lost like I am right now. I have no clue where I am or how to get back.

I thought this would bring me around to the front but it didn’t. It brought me to another door that led inside to another cell block. Cell block H. I grabbed my gun from its holster and stood against the door, slowly opening it just in case walkers came flooding out. When nothing came out I slowly walked in. It was completely dark, just a sliver of light from the open door coming in. I put my gun back and gripped my knife, shutting the door, and feeling my way by staying by the wall.

I could see light from where the cells were and walked ahead. I stopped and looked around the cell block. Just like the other blocks we came across, which honestly wasn’t many, had dead bodies on the floor. Their hands were zip tied behind their backs, shot in the head, and laying just outside the cell. A couple were still locked in the cells. I couldn’t leave without putting them out of their misery for good. We would have to come back and take them out and burn them. I shut the outer door and kept going into cell block G and doing the same.

While I was making my way towards cell block F I had to hide. There were prisoners both handcuffed and zip tied together roaming around. I hid in a supply closet until they passed by. It felt like an eternity before they were finally by the door. But as soon as they were I quietly slipped out the door and made my way around the corner. I found myself not knowing which way to go. It was just a maze. Hallway after hallway. I found another stairwell that led up to cell blocks J to N. I passed the stairwell and kept going until I ended up in E. I was getting closer to cell block C.

Just as I rounded the corner I had to quickly go back the other way. There was a group of about ten walkers walking towards me. I had no choice but to go back to the stairwell and head down. Down stairs were cells for the criminally insane. They were different from normal cells. They were even different from death row. Similar to solitary confinement. Instead of bars, it was a solid door with a slot in the middle big enough to slide in a food tray. There was a guard station that sat outside a closed barred door on both sides.

There was a dead guard in the one I was standing in now. I poked him a few times to make sure he was dead, dead. Then I unclipped his keyring from his belt and grabbed the flashlight sitting on the desk. I noticed the handcuffs on the dead guards belt so I took those too. I mean you never know when you'll need them.

Walking up to the door that would lead into the hall where they kept criminally insane inmates, I flicked through the keys on the keyring to find the correct one. There was a button inside the guards office but there was no power so I had to open it manually. I shined the flashlight on the keyhole, inserted the key, and twisted. The familiar sound of the locking mechanism clicking told me I had picked the right key.

I opened the door making sure to close it behind me, and flashed the light down the hall. I could hear the groans of the dead coming from behind the thick steel doors. I walked to the one close to me and peeked into the slot in the door. A prisoner lay on the floor, skin a grayish color, blood splattered the walls, and he lay in a pull of blood that surrounded his head. I moved to the one across from it and saw the same thing.

They had come in here and shot the prisoners down here too. At least some of them but not all of them. There were five others like the first one. The rest of the cells were empty besides the very last one on the left. Inside the small cell, was a very large walker. He has a straight jacket on and the walls were padded. He had to have been the worst one, the most dangerous one.

The other cells were padded and the prisoners weren't in straight jackets. They didn't bother opening the door to kill him by the looks of it. If the bloody holes in his torso of the jacket said anything. They must have just stuck a rifle through the slot and pulled the trigger. I wanted to put him down but I didn't want to open the door. He was way too big for me to handle on my own.

I just closed the slot and walked to the other door, unlocked it and walked out. I made sure to lock it back up because you never fucking know. There was a smaller orange door to the right all the way down the hall so I ran toward it and was back outside. I sighed though when I noticed I was just further away from where I wanted to be. I was now at the back of the prison on the furthest side.

I turned around to go back inside but the door was locked. It was starting to get dark out as the sun slowly went down. "Fucking Christ," I whispered. I looked around to figure out which way I should go. Walking to the left I came around the corner of the prison to a small courtyard. There was another door that led back inside so I crossed my fingers and pulled it open.

I turned the flashlight on and shinned it inside. I didn't see any walkers so I proceeded forward. I had no idea where I was. This prison was so confusing. All I knew was I wanted to get back to the group. I wanted to know if everyone was alright and if they found out how to turn those alarms. I wanted to know if Lori had the baby, and if the baby and her were alright.

And to be honest I was hoping that maybe my brother or Daryl would find me and get me back to where I'm supposed to be.