Daryl and I stood just inside the entrance, looking around the cafeteria.
Then the whispering came again.
Behind the mesh-paneled wall at the far end of the room.
Daryl turned fast, crossbow raised.
I already had my Glock drawn, aimed at where I knew the prisoners would be.
Then we saw them—five silhouettes behind the reinforced fencing, half hidden in shadows. One gripped a mop handle, another held a metal bat.
Prisoners.
Daryl took a step forward, crossbow raised.
"Who the hell are you?"
One of them answered.
"Who the hell are you?"
I stepped in beside Daryl, raising my voice slightly.
"Come on out. Slow and steady."
The door creaked open slowly.
Then they stepped into view, five men, and one of them immediately pulled out his gun, aiming at us.
"Whoa, whoa, easy now. Nobody needs to get hurt," Daryl said.
Thomas looked at us back and forth before looking back at Daryl.
"Who the hell are you people anyway?"
Axel stepped beside him.
"Don't look like no rescue team."
Daryl smirked.
"Today's your lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. You're free to go."
They exchanged looks, uncertain… maybe even hopeful. But Thomas just kept staring at Daryl.
Big Tiny spoke up.
"Chill, man. We're free now! Why we still in here?"
Daryl tilted his head.
"Man's got a point."
Oscar chimed in.
"Yeah, and I gotta check on my old lady."
Thomas looked back at them, then turned towards us again.
"Group of people breaking into a prison they got no business being in… makes me think there ain't no place left for us to go!"
Daryl shrugged.
"Why don't you go find out?"
Axel raised his hands.
"Maybe we'll just be goin' now."
Thomas snapped.
"Hey—we ain't leavin'!"
I let out a quiet breath and shook my head.
Thomas caught it.
His gun turned to me.
"You got somethin' to say?"
I looked at him.
"Yes."
I pulled the trigger.
One shot. Right between the eyes.
He dropped like a sack of meat.
"This is a waste of time," I finished.
The others panicked instantly.
"On your knees!" Daryl barked, aiming his crossbow at them immediately.
The remaining four dropped to their knees, holding their hands up.
Andrew looked between us and the gun lying beside Thomas' body.
He lunged for it, but before his hand even touched the grip, Daryl's arrow buried itself in his skull.
Daryl drew his pistol without missing a beat, aiming it at the last three.
Axel was shaking, eyes wide, voice cracking.
" We don't have no affiliation to what just happened! Tell him, Oscar!"
Big Tiny just nodded quickly.
Oscar muttered, "Stop talking, man."
I stepped forward slowly. They froze as I crouched down in front of them, the fear settling deeper.
"You have three choices."
I paused, watching their faces tighten.
"First… we kill you. Quick, clean, and you won't feel a thing."
I kept my eyes locked on them.
"Second, you try your luck out there."
Daryl snorted behind me.
"They step outta here, they die slower than that."
Beat.
"Third… you work for us. You earn your keep. And you follow our orders."
Axel didn't hesitate, nodding instantly.
"We'll join."
Oscar nodded once. Big Tiny, slower, but followed.
I stood up, never breaking eye contact.
"There will be rules."
Daryl stepped up beside me.
"And if you break 'em… We'll put ya down like these two," he said, kicking Thomas's dead body.
The three of them nodded, barely breathing.
Daryl walked over, picking up the gun Thomas had dropped.
I looked back at the kneeling men.
"How much food do you have?"
Oscar glanced towards the back.
"Still plenty. Enough for five to last a couple months, easy."
Daryl let out a low whistle.
"Show it."
Big Tiny stood slowly, nodding, and started heading towards the back freezer.
I turned to the other two.
"Get up."
They rose carefully, eyes never leaving mine.
Axel looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot. Oscar… more composed, maybe even determined to keep his place.
I watched them a second longer, then asked:
"What are your skills?"
Oscar glanced towards the freezer room where Big Tiny had gone, then looked back at me.
"I did maintenance around the prison," he said. "Electrical stuff mostly. Wiring, light systems, pressure valves, basic fixes. I also worked the kitchen for a while, I know how the freezer works, all that."
He paused, then added:
"Tiny, the big guy? He used to do janitorial and yard work. Strong as hell. Not much of a fighter, but if you need something moved, cleared, or carried… he's your man."
I nodded once.
Then my eyes shifted to Axel.
He swallowed, clearly nervous, and started speaking fast.
"I, uh… handled inventory here. Knew what went where, meds, gear, food storage, all that. But I wasn't just doin' paperwork."
He looked between me and Oscar, clearly trying to prove himself.
"I worked on the generators when the power cut out. Kept one running more than a few times. I'm not an engineer, but I know my way around fuel lines, plugs, belts, wiring… stuff like that."
He hesitated, swallowing.
"If the systems still work, I can help bring the lights back. Maybe even the water."
His voice dipped.
"I talk too much when I'm nervous. Sorry."
He shut up immediately.
They were more useful than I expected. Both of them were assets. And Big Tiny… he'd be a solid addition for any heavy lifting we might come across.
I looked between the two of them.
"Good. I'll have a couple of jobs for you."
Axel nodded quickly.
"Anything you need."
Daryl and Big Tiny stepped back into the cafeteria after checking the food storage.
Daryl looked at me, smirking.
"They're stocked. With what we've got back at camp, we won't be worryin' about food for a long while."
I nodded towards him once.
Oscar's eyes flicked between us.
"There more of you?"
Daryl snorted.
"More than you think."
I stared at them for a second before speaking.
"We'll be taking all the food. You three will get a week's worth."
Their faces tensed, panicking a bit.
I raised a hand slightly.
"Relax. We're planning to move here. If anything changes, we'll take you with us."
That calmed them. A little.
We started moving all the food back to the cell block, keeping a close eye on the prisoners in case they tried anything.
Once we had everything gathered, stacked, and sorted, I turned to them.
"You three will clean the cell block, the cafeteria, and the yard. Every body, every mess—gone. I want this place spotless."
They stayed quiet, listening.
I continued.
"Do not enter any other blocks. I'll leave you one spare key. It will only lock the main entrance, that's it."
I looked at each of them.
"And if anyone shows up, don't let them in unless they mention both of our names."
They nodded slowly.
"We'll be making trips back here over the next week to bring more supplies to help upgrade the prison, and if necessary, more food, but remember the food we leave you has to last you for a week."
Axel looked around, uncertain.
"So we just have to… clean up?"
I nodded.
"Yes. Clear the bodies. Grab a mop and sweep every corner."
Daryl scoffed.
"Great. Now you've got yourself three house husbands."
I looked at him, unamused.
"Just bring the car inside. I'll open the gate so we can load everything up."
He grunted and started walking back towards the car.
After Daryl drove the truck inside, we started loading it with all the food and water. Once we were done, I handed the spare key to Oscar, repeating their tasks one last time.
They asked a few more simple questions before we finally departed. Axel opened the gate so we could drive out, and they shut it quickly behind us to not let any walkers in.
The road back to the farm was quiet. Just the hum of the engine and the occasional crunch of gravel under the tires.
Eventually, Daryl spoke up.
"You sure about leavin' them there?"
I looked over at him.
"This is a test. If they're going to betray us, they'll do it now, take the food we left them and disappear before we come back."
I paused, then added:
"And if they don't… it means they're serious. Either way, it won't be hard for us to take them down if things go wrong. But we need manpower. And their skills are useful."
Daryl nodded slightly.
"Yeah… fair enough."
He glanced at me again.
"And what's this you mentioned back there, about all of us turnin'? You never explained that part."
I stared ahead, watching the road disappear beneath the tires.
"It's in our blood."
Daryl glanced over, brows pulling together.
"What is?"
"The virus. The infection. It's not something you catch from a bite. We already have it. All of us. Everyone."
His hands tightened around the wheel.
"So… you die, and you turn. No matter what."
I nodded and looked at him.
"Doesn't matter how you go. Bullet. Fever. Old age. If your brain's still intact… you come back."
Daryl let out a low breath.
"Shit... that means we gotta be extra careful. Someone dies in their sleep and turns dead in the middle of camp, in the middle of the night? That's a damn massacre waitin' to happen."
I nodded slightly.
"Exactly. That's why we need to be extra careful."
He looked over, frowning.
"So we start keepin' an eye on everyone?"
"From now on, we will always stab the head. No exceptions. Doesn't matter how they died."
Daryl just nodded, eyes still on the road.
"When's Rick planning to tell everyone else?"
I shrugged.
"Probably when he deals with his own problems. But if he doesn't say it soon… I will."
He glanced over.
"What problems?"
I didn't look at him.
"Oh, nothing major. Just tension with Lori and Shane. And once he finds out she's pregnant, that'll be a whole new mess."
Daryl's brow creased.
He blinked, shifted in his seat, then leaned off the wheel slightly.
"Wait…"
He tilted his head towards me, eyes narrowing.
"You're tellin' me Olive Oil's pregnant?"
I nodded once.
Then he gave a short, dry laugh, like it didn't even make sense anymore.
"What the hell is with this day and surprises."
I just shrugged.
"No reason to lie to you. I know you're not the type to go running your mouth."
Daryl let out a quiet scoff, resting his elbow on the doorframe.
"Their drama ain't got nothin' to do with me."
Daryl glanced at me, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Now tell me what's goin' on with you and the blonde chick."
I didn't look at him.
"Nothing's going on."
He let out a dry snort.
"Right. And I suppose she just happens to stand next to you every time. And she looks at you like you hung the damn moon. All coincidence, huh?"
I let the corner of my mouth tug upward.
"Right. Just like you and Carol."
His smirk vanished. He glanced at me, jaw tightening.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
I shrugged.
"Oh, nothing. Just figured you were being friendly. Like when you slipped Dale those cookies for Sophia and Carl and told him to say he found them. Or when Carol brought you dinner yesterday, straight to your tent."
Daryl just stared at me, caught off guard.
He blinked once, then scoffed.
"You some kinda stalker now?"
I let the corner of my mouth twitch.
"Just observant."
He shook his head, grumbling.
"Remind me not to do nothin' nice around you. Can't even sneak damn cookies without gettin' profiled."
I glanced at him.
"You're not as subtle as you think."
He gave a dry laugh, then pointed a finger without looking.
"Same could be said for you, Romeo."
I didn't respond.
Daryl smirked, satisfied.
"Yeah. Thought so."
The second the car pulled into view, people started moving.
I saw Rick first, coming from the house side, hand instinctively resting on his gun. Lori followed close behind. Dale stood up on the RV roof, squinting down at us.
By the time Daryl cut the engine, half the group had circled the truck.
We started getting out, and then movement caught my eye.
Amy pushed through the others, shoulder brushing past Carl, nearly tripping in the dirt. She stopped short in front of me, eyes wide, lips parted.
She didn't say anything at first.
Then she reached up, sleeve already pulled halfway over her hand, and started wiping at my face. The dried blood smudged under her touch, turning the fabric red.
"It's not mine," I said quietly.
She didn't stop.
Her hand kept moving, trying to clean off all the blood on my face.
She leaned in a little, voice barely above a whisper.
"Next time… I'm coming with you."
I looked at her seriously.
"Not until you're ready."
Her lips parted like she wanted to argue, but before she could say anything, Daryl cut her off.
"We got food," he called out from behind the truck. "A lot of it. Enough to keep us fed for months."
People started rushing towards the back of the truck, voices rising with disbelief as they saw just how much we'd brought back, boxes of cans, crates of bottled water, even sealed bags of rice. Some just stared, like they couldn't believe it was real.
But Amy didn't look at the food.
She was still standing in front of me, sleeve stained red, eyes fixed on mine like the rest of the world had gone quiet.
And just for a second… everything else disappeared.
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🧪 Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the support — we've officially passed 1800+ power stones!
As promised, this chapter is longer than the previous two combined. I'll try to post even longer ones over the weekend.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you thought of the story and the character interactions in the comments.
Thanks again for reading 🖤