Chapter 20: First Kill

I stepped off Hershel's porch with the map folded neatly in my hand. Kept walking until I found Daryl, sitting off to the side in a folding chair, chewing on a strip of jerky.

I walked over and sat beside him without saying anything.

He glanced at me.

"Need somethin'?"

I nodded.

"I found a place. Somewhere safer than this."

That got his attention. He pulled the jerky from his mouth and looked at me fully.

"Yeah? What kind of place?"

"A prison. Thirty to forty minutes out."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Not bad. Fences, walls... if it's not overrun completely, that is."

I looked at him.

"I want us to check it out. Just the two of us. Scout it. If it's manageable, we clear it."

He leaned back slightly in the chair.

"Why not bring it up to the group?"

"I told Rick I was looking for something better, but he's focused on this place. He wants to stay here."

I paused, then continued.

"And if there are people inside, survivors, prisoners, and they're hostile, we'll need to deal with them."

He chewed the last of the jerky and flicked the wrapper aside.

"Well... ain't like I've got better plans. If the place ain't picked clean, we might find gear, food, maybe even some meds."

I stood up, taking the map with me.

"We leave in two days."

He nodded.

"Alright. The princess needs her beauty sleep, I get it."

"Try getting some yourself. You need it more." I said it with a slight smirk, turning to leave.

Daryl let out a quiet scoff behind me.

"Dick."

As I was walking away, Amy approached me.

"Hey," she said, brushing her hair back as she caught up. "What were you two talking about?"

I looked at her.

"Me and Daryl are going to check out a prison in two days."

Amy blinked.

"A prison?"

She frowned a little, clearly trying to make sense of it.

"Why a prison? There's a town nearby, wouldn't it be safer to go there for supplies?"

I shook my head.

"It's not just about looting. We need somewhere to live, the farm won't hold forever."

She looked up at me, brows knit in confusion.

"You want us to live in a prison?"

"Why not?" I said. "Clear it out, paint the walls, maybe plant a few things inside. It's already built to keep people in. Reinforcing it would be way easier than starting from scratch. The housing's there, showers, a yard… space for everyone."

Amy went quiet, clearly picturing it.

"…You really think it could work?"

I just nodded.

"It wouldn't be that hard, and we've got ammo to spare. I think Daryl and I could clear the first cell block in a couple of hours."

She stepped a little closer. Her fingers brushed lightly against my arm.

"You better come back alive. And I mean it."

I met her eyes.

"I will."

She gave a small nod, then smiled again, wider this time, and bumped her shoulder against mine.

"And if we ever move to that prison…" she hesitated, then smiled. "I'm calling dibs on a room next to yours."

I looked back at her with a slight smirk.

"You know... prison cells have bunk beds in the same room."

She stopped mid-step. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.

"…Oh." Her voice was smaller now, a little shaky. "Wait—are you saying we'd share the same room?"

She looked up at me, clearly flustered, but she didn't move away.

I kept walking, the smirk still on my face.

"I was joking."

Amy didn't look convinced. She crossed her arms, still red in the face.

"Well… don't joke like that," she muttered. "It's not fair."

There was a short pause. Neither of us spoke.

Then she blinked, remembering something.

"Oh—right. That's actually why I came to find you." She motioned back toward the farmhouse. "We've got a problem with one of the wells. There's a walker stuck inside it, Glenn and the others are trying to figure out what to do, so they asked me to bring you over."

I nodded once.

"Alright, let's go."

She turned and started leading the way.

We arrived near the well where the others had already gathered around. Lori, Shane, Andrea, Dale, T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie. They were standing in a circle, all looking down into the open well.

Dale adjusted his hat and leaned over slightly.

"Looks like we've got us a swimmer."

Glenn crouched beside him.

"How long you think it's been down there?"

Andrea folded her arms and looked at him.

"Long enough to grow gills."

Amy stepped closer to the edge, then immediately took a step back, her face twisting in disgust.

"That's disgusting," she muttered.

Lori kept her eyes fixed on the well.

"We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water."

Shane nodded.

"We've gotta get it out."

T-Dog stepped forward a bit.

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head. I'll grab a rope."

But Maggie quickly stepped in, shaking her head.

"Whoa, whoa — guys, no."

Glenn turned to her, confused.

"Why not? It's a good plan."

Amy let out a dry laugh, still backing away slightly, arms crossed tightly.

"Yeah, if you want a little extra flavor in your water."

Glenn winced at that, and a few of the others groaned.

Shane rubbed the back of his neck, frowning down into the well.

"She's right. Can't risk it."

T-Dog shifted uncomfortably beside him.

"So it has to come out alive?"

Shane looked at him, confused, then smiled a little.

"So to speak."

Glenn looked around at everyone.

"All right, but… how do we do that?"

I spoke up next.

"Live bait. And a second rope, looped around its legs. Once it reaches the top, we pull it up that way. Otherwise, it'll tear in half under its own weight. It's too bloated and too rotten to risk lifting from just one point."

There was a pause.

Everyone turned towards Glenn.

His shoulders sagged instantly.

"Why me? It was his idea!" he said, pointing at me with exaggerated disbelief.

T-Dog let out a breath and turned to go.

"I'll bring the rope."

Shane just nodded at him, still watching the well.

Glenn looked around.

"Seriously?"

Glenn looked down at the rope around his waist, then back at the others with wide eyes.

"Alright, someone remind me why this isn't the worst idea we've ever had?"

Shane gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, bud. We're gonna get you out of here in one piece."

Glenn looked back at the walker in the well.

"Living piece... That living part is important."

I stepped towards the pump that had the rope wrapped around it.

"This won't hold," I said. "Not with that much weight pulling on it."

Before anyone could answer, I was already moving. I grabbed a second rope, tied it high around the top of the pump, and ran the other end toward the nearest fence post.

"Backup line," I muttered. "If the pump gives, the tension shifts here. Keeps the frame from snapping forwards."

I yanked it tight and tied it hard around the base of the fence post.

Not perfect, but enough to buy time.

We grabbed the rope, and Shane wrapped it around the water pump.

"Nice and slow, please," Glenn called out with a shaky voice as we started lowering him down.

Andrea glanced over at him.

"We got you."

Maggie let out a breath, clearly not convinced.

"Oh, you people are crazy."

Shane turned towards her.

"You want to get it out of your well or not?"

Dale glanced her way, then motioned with a nod.

"Give us an eye there, Maggie."

She sighed and walked over, crouching near the edge of the well.

"Doing okay?" she asked.

Glenn's voice floated back up, laced with sarcasm.

"Yup, doing great. Living the dream."

Maggie leaned forward a little more.

"Little lower. Little more."

That's when the sound shifted, a sickening creak and pop.

The pump jerked forward.

One of the screws holding the base snapped clean off. The entire frame lurched violently forward, only held in place by the rope I had tied to the fence.

Then the post started to bend under the strain.

Shane yelled with panic.

"It won't hold much longer! We have to pull him out — now!"

I sprinted to the well, planted my legs tight around the base, and grabbed the main rope, bracing against the well's frame.

"Get me out of here!" Glenn screamed from the well.

Everyone scrambled. All rushing towards me, grabbing the rope, digging their heels into the dirt.

Together, we started pulling.

Glenn collapsed to his knees, exhausted.

Lori ran over and dropped beside him.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded between breaths.

Dale stood off to the side, exhaling as he looked at the others.

"Back to the drawing board."

Glenn pushed himself to his feet slowly, handing Dale the rope with a faint smile.

"Says you."

Dale took it, raising an eyebrow, only to feel a sudden tug on the line.

The rope shifted with tension.

Everyone rushed back to the well and saw the line wrapped around the walker's body.

After everyone caught their breath, we started pulling the walker up slowly, inch by inch.

But just as half its body was pulled out, it got stuck.

I grabbed another rope and ran to the edge, looping it around the walker's legs. and I started lifting its lower body up to shift the weight.

After a bit more effort, we finally got the walker out.

It hit the ground with a wet thud, unmoving for a second, then began to twitch, trying to rise.

I turned towards Amy, who was breathing hard from all the pulling.

"You have the kunai on you?"

She looked at me, still a bit winded and confused, before nodding.

"Yeah. I carry it everywhere I go."

I let out a faint smile, eyes shifting to the walker as it started dragging itself upright.

"Good. Kill it."

Andrea shifted beside us, clearly uneasy, but stayed quiet.

"It's a good start," I added, lightly pushing the walker back down with my foot. "He can barely move."

"It'll be easier on you tomorrow."

Andrea frowned.

"What do you mean, easier for tomorrow?"

I glanced at her.

"Her first real walker kill."

Shane looked over at Andrea, voice steady.

"She needs to get used to this, and so do you."

Amy pulled the kunai from her belt and stepped forward slowly.

"Okay… I got this. Nothing to be scared of, just one stab," she started muttering to herself.

Lori's voice came from behind Glenn, a bit hesitant.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I turned towards her.

"And why wouldn't it be? She needs to get used to killing them. This one's perfect as he can't even stand."

Amy just nodded, eyes locked on the struggling corpse as she stepped closer.

She stood over the walker, the kunai gripped tight in her hand. She hesitated for just a second longer… then drove it down into the head.

The body twitched once. Then went still.

Silence followed.

She stayed there, frozen, staring down at what she'd done. Her breath hitched. The kunai slipped slightly in her grip as her fingers started to tremble.

I walked towards her, stopping just beside her. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her closer. She leaned against my chest, quiet and trembling slightly.

We stayed like that for a couple minutes, until her breathing leveled out… and the trembling in her shoulders finally eased.

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🧪 Author's Note:

Now a question for all of you — and yep, it's about the harem.

Should there be a third member?

➡️ Yes — and who?

➡️ No

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter.

Thanks again for reading! 🖤