Everybody's Crying Mercy

We walked gradually down the prison halls back to our own block. The place seemed quieter now like the trouble was finally over for us once we got those sirens off. From where we were we could hear the faint sounds of walkers up ahead, not their gurgles and groans though, they sounded like they were chewing on something. We walked slowly, our weapons raised in preparation.

The sound of footsteps then shuffled up behind me, I spun on my heel and pointed my gun down the hall before Glenn and Axel appeared from around the corner. They were alright. They joined us as we carried on down the hallway, spotting two walkers feeding on a body that had now been ripped to shreds. Rick shot them both in the head, revealing T-Dog's body as they dropped to the ground.

My heart dropped and my eyes pricked with tears, the realization of Andrew's doing set in. Just this morning T-Dog had been making up plans for this prison, hopeful for our future here. Now, because of Andrew, he was dead and we didn't know who else was either.

Daryl caught my attention as he leaned down and picked up a scarf from the floor beside T-Dog. It was Carol's. I let out a whimper as my breath hitched in my throat, she was gone too. I turned to Glenn, wrapping my arms around him as I cried. We had fought so hard to get here and for what? For this to happen?

"She's with Sofia now," Glenn whispered which only made me cry harder.

"Come on," Rick spoke softly. He was just as defeated as we were though.

We were forced to keep going, to find the rest of our people. Our pace quickened now, eager to get back to Herschel and Beth. We weren't far from our block now, only a couple more turns and we'd be there.

Spotting the light from outside, Rick stepped into a jog to the front doors as we followed close behind.

"Herschel!" Rick yelled as we exited the prison, catching Beth and Herschel's attention from where Rick ordered them to stay put.

"You didn't find them?" Herschel asked.

"We thought maybe they came back out here," Glenn responded. Beth nodded her head no, she looked worried.

"What about T? Carol?" Herschel asked. We all dropped our heads.

"They didn't make it-"

"That doesn't mean the others didn't," Rick immediately cut Daryl off. Rick was frantic, pacing around back and forth. "We're going back! Daryl and Glenn, you come with-" Rick started to say before the sound of a baby crying stopped us all in our tracks.

We all looked behind us. Maggie pushed open a metal door, staggering as he cradled a baby in her arms. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her arms covered in blood up to her elbows. Carl walked out behind her with his head held low and a gun in his hand. Rick and Maggie walked towards one another and she choked on her tears unable to get out any words. I could see Rick shaking his head. Lori had the baby, but where was Lori?

"Where- Where is she? Where is she?" Rick stuttered as Maggie sobbed.

"No… Rick, No!" Maggie tried to grab onto Rick as he went to walk past her to go back into the prison, looking for his wife.

Rick broke down crying as the realization set in. He looked to Carl, knowing that he had to have been the one to put her down once she died.

"Oh, no, no, no," he sobbed, grabbing his head before he dropped to the ground. I could only imagine the guilt that he was feeling. Lori and him hadn't been on good terms for quite a while now, he barely even spoke to her from what I noticed. Now he didn't have the chance to. He could no longer work things out, he could no longer tell her how he felt, he could no longer apologize. She was just gone.

I cried as I watched Carl, he stood there staring at the ground, not moving a muscle as he silently cried. Glenn walked up to Maggie, hugging her as she gripped onto the baby and sobbed.

The simple action of Andrew flipping a switch killed three of our family.

"Let me see the baby," Herschel finally spoke up. Carl wiped his tears away and took his little sister from Maggie, walking her over to Herschel.

Rick remained kneeling on the floor, staring into space with glassy eyes. Daryl walked up to him, waving his hand in front of Rick's face. "Rick, you with me? Rick?"

"Good news is she looks healthy," Herschel said as he examined the baby.

"What are we gonna feed it?" Daryl asked, walking back over to us. "We got anything a baby can eat?"

"She needs formula. And soon or she won't survive." Herschel made that clear to all of us. There had been so much going on with the prison and the inmates that we hadn't even had the time to prepare for the baby.

"Nope. No way. Not her. We ain't losin' nobody else, I'm going for a run," Daryl said taking charge. Rick was out of commission and he was stepping up.

"I'll back you up," I immediately spoke up. I couldn't sit here at this prison any longer, I needed to get a move on and help to do some good.

"We'll come too," Glenn offered his and Maggie's assistance.

I then thought about us leaving Carl here, after what just happened. I tapped on Beth's shoulder, pulling her off to the side. "The kid just lost his mom and his dad ain't doing so hot," I began to say.

"I'll look out for him," she instantly agreed.

"You two take the fence, if too many walkers pile up we got ourselves a problem," Daryl ordered the remaining inmates to help. "Glenn, Scar, Maggie, vamonos!" Daryl called to us.

I then heard the screeching sound of metal dragging on the pavement. I turned to see Rick picking up his axe, his face was determined, angry. We called out for him to stop, but he was already gone, running back into the prison to kill whatever crossed his path.

"Where are we gonna go? There's a Piggly Wiggly on route 85," Glenn suggested as we approached our vehicles.

"No, it's been raided. Lori asked me to keep an eye out and there was nothing left there," Maggie rejected that idea.

"Alright, what about that shopping center we passed on the way here?" I asked.

"There's too much pile up on those roads, we'd never make it through by car."

"We can go, but I can only take one," Daryl said, referring to his motorcycle.

"I'll go with you," I said.

"No, I have to… for Lori," Maggie stopped me. I nodded my head knowing she needed to be the one to go.

-------

It was nightfall now, we were all waiting anxiously for Daryl and Maggie's return. All I could hear was crying, nothing we did seemed to settle the baby from its hunger. The group sat in the common area, Carl reluctantly trying to rock his little sister to sleep, he hadn't left her side for more than a minute.

Once Maggie and Daryl left, Glenn and I spent our day digging the graves for our friends. We hadn't had a day this bad since we left the farm. Rick still hadn't returned from the tunnels either, Glenn tried to go after him but he said there was no convincing Rick. He was broken. I knew Rick could handle himself, but the state that he was in continued to leave me worried for his well being. He was acting off of emotion and that will always be the first step to getting yourself killed.

"How's she doing?" Daryl's voice caught our attention. Maggie followed down the stairs behind him with a bag full of supplies. I sighed in relief. Daryl took the baby from Carl, shushing her as she wailed.

I walked over to help Maggie and she stirred the powdered baby formula with some water we had previously boiled for their return.

"Any problems?" I asked.

"None, God was on our side," she answered, screwing the cap onto the baby bottle and handing it over to Daryl.

The crying had finally stopped. There was silence in the room as she ate. She was happy, we were all happy.

"She got a name yet?" Daryl asked Carl.

"Not yet," he responded, "but I was thinking, maybe Sofia. Then there Carol, too. And… Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia. Or… Lori. I don't know." Carl listed off the names of all the loved ones we lost. The room was silent as he spoke.

Daryl flashed Carl a small half-smile to his ideas. Everyone at that moment felt their heartache at the thought of it. "Yeah, you like the food? Huh? You little ass-kicked," Daryl said, now looking down at the little girl in his arms. He then looked up at all of us, pleased with himself. "Right? That's a good name, right? Little ass-kicker."

We all laughed, taking in the moment. There was so much darkness looming over our shoulders that watching Daryl hold the newest member of our group shed some relief from that feeling.