Chapter 23: Clearing the Yard

The sun had barely risen when I stepped out of my tent wearing my full Anbu set, sword strapped across my back, kunai holster tight against my leg. 

Daryl was already by the truck, looking like he hadn't slept more than three hours.

He gave a small grunt when he saw me.

"Ready?"

I nodded once and moved towards the passenger side.

Just as I reached for the handle, I heard footsteps behind me.

Amy.

She walked up quickly, clutching the hem of her jacket, eyes locked on mine. 

"Wait," she said, a little out of breath. "I just… wanted to say good luck."

I paused.

She stepped a little closer.

"And be careful, okay?"

I looked at her for a moment.

She was really worried.

"I'll be fine," I said calmly. "We're just scouting. We won't do anything stupid."

She gave a tight nod, but didn't look convinced.

That's when Daryl muttered.

"Jesus. Just find a tent already."

Amy's face went red immediately.

"I—! W-We're not—!"

I said nothing and opened the door to the truck and glanced at her one last time.

"I'll be back before you know it."

She looked up at me, flustered but still worried.

"You better," she whispered.

I gave her a small nod, then slid into the seat.

Daryl was already in the driver's seat, shaking his head with a smirk.

He started the engine.

As we pulled away, I saw Amy in the side mirror, standing alone at the edge of the dirt path, arms folded tightly, watching until the truck dipped out of sight behind the trees.

The road was quiet. Just the hum of tires on cracked asphalt and the occasional bird overhead.

Daryl glanced over at me after a minute.

"You actually got a plan, or are we wingin' it?"

I lifted my head away from the map.

"I've got a plan."

He snorted.

"Figures. So?"

I leaned back slightly, eyes scanning the tree line as we passed.

"We park the car a few feet away from the prison. Hide it off the road under some trees, away from line of sight, I don't want to risk someone finding it and stealing it while we're inside."

Daryl nodded slowly.

"Alright. Then what?"

"We use the bolt cutters to get through the outer gate. Once we're in, we start clearing the walkers between the fences. No use rushing it—we take it slow. Keep our backs to the perimeter and push forward, bit by bit. Stay safe, keep distance, and conserve ammo when possible."

"And after that?"

"If we clear the yard, I'll reseal the gate behind us with the steel wire. That keeps new ones from wandering in. After that, we keep moving forward. I've got extra wire and a lock, just in case more gates are open inside the yard."

Daryl let out a low whistle.

"You really think two of us can clear a whole prison?"

"We're not clearing the whole thing. Just one cell block. And the cafeteria, too."

There was a short pause.

He tapped the steering wheel with his thumb, thinking.

"And what if we find prisoners inside? Or other survivors?"

"Simple. If there's another group staying there, the yard will be cleared and secured. If not, and there are people still inside, it means they were trapped. We judge by how they react, the first question they ask, and how they respond to being set free. If there's anything hostile... we take them down."

Daryl smirked.

"Almost seems like you've done this before."

I glanced at him.

"Not like this. But close."

He didn't push the topic. Just nodded again and looked ahead.

"Guess I'm glad you're not some dumbass with a death wish."

"Like you?"

He glanced at me before looking back at the road.

"Forget the drivin' lessons I was talkin' about."

I just shut up and kept staring at the road.

Daryl smirked.

"Thought so. Now be quiet if you still wanna learn how to shift gears."

We left the main road a few minutes back. The prison sat in the distance, hidden behind layers of fencing.

Daryl slowed to a stop near a thicket of trees. I opened the door and stepped out immediately, scanning the area for walkers.

We moved fast.

We grabbed our gear from the truck—two MP5s, suppressed Glocks, spare magazines, and the rest of the equipment we'd packed.

"Let's hide the truck," I said.

Daryl nodded. Together, we pushed it deeper under the trees, then grabbed a dead pine branch and a few loads of leaves and brush. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to break the silhouette. 

I crouched down and brushed out the tire marks with a bundle of pine needles, kicking loose dirt over the rest.

"Good enough. Let's move," Daryl said.

I nodded, and we started toward the fence.

It didn't take long to reach the outer gate. Walkers shuffled between the inner and outer barriers, just like I remembered from the show. Pressed against the wire, groaning.

I pulled the bolt cutters from my pack, found a weak point in the mesh, and cut open a narrow path between the fences. Daryl stepped through right behind me. I looped steel wire around the break and tied it off, closing us in and keeping anything else out.

We moved slowly along the narrow corridor, blades in hand. Every walker pressed close to the fence got a kunai to the eye socket or a hunting knife under the jaw. One by one, we killed them.

Once we cleared the fence line, we pulled our suppressed Glocks and started picking off the ones left in the yard.

We didn't speak, we just moved in sync, watching each other's angles, taking them down until the yard was mostly still.

When it was clear, we went through the second gate and stepped into the open courtyard. 

We moved back-to-back, slowly advancing, eyes scanning every corner. Every walker that moved died before it got close. 

We reached the far end of the courtyard just as a new wave started to emerge—walkers in torn riot gear, black vests, and scratched helmets.

I aimed for the head and fired. The bullets tore clean through the visors and dropped them on the spot.

"Go for the face," I said. "Doesn't matter what they're wearin'."

We kept firing, cutting them down one by one, until—

Daryl suddenly spun around.

"There's another gate open!"

I broke into a run.

Daryl dropped two walkers that turned towards me, keeping the path clear.

I reached the gate just as one walker slipped through. I fired one round through the forehead, and it crumpled at my feet. Then I grabbed the gate and slammed it shut, metal rattling against the frame.

I pulled out my steel wire and started wrapping it around the latch, twisting it tight as more walkers slammed against the other side.

Daryl ran up behind me, holding the gate with one shoulder as I secured it.

"Move faster!" he barked, shooting the walkers that were still alive in the courtyard and approaching us.

Finally, I finished tightening the wire around the fence and stepped back as the walkers were trying to get through.

We both stepped away from the door, watching it rattle as the dead pushed against it.

Daryl glanced over at me.

"Nice work."

I looked back at him.

"We clear what's left here and we move inside."

Daryl nodded, and we continued clearing the last couple of walkers left before finally turning towards the entrance to the first cell block. 

We reloaded in silence, stepping over the bodies.

Heading straight for the cell blocks.

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🧪 Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the support, we've passed 1000+ power stones! 

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter. Your feedback means everything and helps me improve with each update.

Thanks again for reading! 🖤