TWENTY NINE. to build a home
[ SEASON THREE OF THE WALKING DEAD ]

Eight months had passed in the blink of an eye since the death of Shane Walsh. The groups survival relied heavily on Daryl Dixon's hunting skills and their ability to kill the walkers they came into contact with. The chance to mourn the ones they lost had been ripped away from them, but mostly from a numb Adeline who had changed into a new person over the course of time. The group had to form a new relationship with her over the eight months. Rebuild what trust they had. They had to adjust to the abrupt changes - to the woman who would do anything to feel something other than the grief that smothered her.

Other than the few reckless things she had done, she had also become more selfless than she already was. In order to keep any one of them safe, Adeline did what had to be done. It was hard for her to do that same thing for her brother, and he even tried to rebuild their bond but the trust she once held with him had been broken and left in the field he killed her husband in. Over the course of eight months, she had spoken a total of four words to him. And they had been spoken all at once, "Stay away from me.", and he listened. After that, he never tried to get the bond back. But in retrospect, all she wanted was for him to try.

Adeline used to crave the silence, the moments where her mind received a chance to think. To reminisce on the past and the memories she had. But every memory clang to her sinisterly, constantly reminding her of everything she no longer had. Now she hated the silence - she despised it more than her own mind. Adeline Walsh kept herself busy, she made sure she never had a second to think. She never gave a second to the voices that dug into her brain with their serpent tongue. She made sure there was too much noise to go on, she didn't give herself the opportunity to grieve. To let it all out.

Surviving meant going from one place to another. It meant staying quiet, keeping the yells of anger in to make sure everyone stayed alive. There were a lot of moments for the survivors when they wanted to just scream, to curse at the world for not giving them the sanctuary they needed. The sun had risen to dawn, a new decaying day that they had to survive through, more hours spent on running from one safe place until it no longer became secure and they were forced to move on.

Nothing lasted as long as the farm did, the longest they had stayed since the dying fire was one week. That was at a couple of storage units, it gave them time to rest. But Adeline never let herself have a break - she kept watch most of the nights there and only fell asleep when her eyes were struggling to stay open. Another hopeful place confronted them, a home swallowed by the dense forest setting strongly before them. The weaker ones in the group stayed back and let the strong clear the house, Adeline standing next to the one person she allowed herself to confide in - Daryl Dixon.

The hinges of the wooden door cracked under the pressure of a blood stained boot kicking into it, bodies filtering through the house to clear and search it for food. Adeline rushed in behind Daryl, her fingers curled around one of the throwing knives she had become handy with over time on the never ending road. While the men (plus Carl) cleared downstairs, the stairs leading up creaked underneath her weight. The windows provided enough light to see through the home, her foot harshly kicking one of the bedroom doors open. Spotting one walker inside, she hurled her hand back and sent the blade whisking through the air.

It easily found itself imbedded into the mushy brain of the monster, it's body falling limp while a whistle sounding from downstairs to confirm the house was clear. Straightening her back, she pressed her boot against the walkers chest and bent to pull her knife out of its head. The golden necklace with the number 22 engraved on the surface dangled from her neck, clashing with her pale skin as she raised back up and slid the small knife into one of the many sheathes on her thigh.

Sparing a glance around the room, her careful eyes spotted the tin can resting against the bedside table. Stepping over the dead walker, Adeline felt a stroke of luck greet her once she read the label. Popping the blue lid open, a smile threatened to lace her lips at the sight of it being full of cashews. Tossing it around in her grasp, she stepped over the walker once again and made a beeline for the door. Leaving the bedroom, she met up with Daryl in the middle of the hallway and took notice of the dead owl in his hands. "Nice," He spoke before she could, nodding with pursed lips at the can she held.

"I think an owl beats cashews." Adeline stated with a tight lipped smile before making her way down the stairs that creaked underneath her weight. The redneck trailed behind her, the two of them greeted with the groups eager eyes. "Here," The widow broke the silence, slipping under the doorframe and handing the tin can to a very pregnant Lori. At any given second, the baby would arrive. Adeline just hoped it was someplace safe.

With a thankful look sent her way, she shook it off and slumped down against a wooden cabinet next to Hershel just as Carl waltzed into the room with two cans held in his hands. At first they felt hopeful that he had found something good, but then he sat the metal against the floorboards and the label faced them. Dog food. Had they stooped that low? The question raced in his aunts mind as he grabbed the can opener and began twisting it around the tin lid.

The sound caused Rick Grimes to turn from where he stood by the window, his footsteps padding against the floor. Reaching down, Adeline clenched her jaw while he grabbed the can and slung it angrily into the empty fireplace. His abrupt motion caused Daryl to flinch from where he sat plucking the feathers off of the owl, the widows careful eyes noticing it as the silence inside the home turned into an awkward one.

Remembering the energy bar she had found a few days back, Adeline was quick to slip her bag off of her shoulders and pull the small snack out of it. Placing it between two fingers, she leaned forward and held it out to her nephew. Carl tore his eyes away from his father who watched the scene and smiled at his aunt before taking it from her hands and tearing the wrapper off hungrily. But it wasn't long before the small piece of calamity was torn away, a psst sound coming from T who sat watch.

In the blink of an eye, they stood up from their places and gathered their things. Adeline slid her bag around her shoulders, unsheathing her machete after helping Lori up from the floor. The boards creaked underneath them, rushing out of the home as walkers slowly neared the structure. Slipping out of the back door, she followed Daryl to his motorcycle and slid onto the back while he revved the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

The other vehicles trailed behind them down the road, her designated ride being the bike over the past eight months. Adeline avoided getting in the green Hyundai, and she preferred not to ride in the same car as her brother unless it was completely necessary. But their means of escape had never gotten so serious that she had no choice in who to ride with. T-Dog fixed up a truck, and when her body became uncomfortable with the small seating on the motorcycle- she rode with him and Carol. But those times were rare, and she preferred to ride with the redneck due to him never badgering her in attempts to get her to open up and talk about how she was feeling.

Sooner or later when they were far enough from the now overrun home, they slowed to a stop in the middle of the road and teamed up at the hood of the Hyundai where Glenn had spread a map out. Adeline slid off of the motorcycle after Daryl, her fingerless gloves rubbing against her face tiredly as she stood to the ground and stretched her arms out. Reluctantly walking over to the vehicle, she placed herself next to Hershel. The elders hair had grown, a snow white beard resting against his face. Besides Lori, he had physically changed the most.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off." Maggie informed, placing small rocks on each corner of the paper to keep it from flying away. The movement caused the widow to think about the time they were looking for Sophia, but she quickly swatted away at the memory and focused on the task at hand. "We'll never make it south." The brunette spoke up, keeping her hand on the bottom corner of the map that was vacant of a rock.

Daryl leaned against the other side of the hood, "What would you say? That was about 150 head?" he questioned Glenn about the upcoming herd, eyes squinted as the boy took the spot next to Adeline. "That was last week. It could be twice that by now." He theorized, sparing a glance to the ones that circled around.

"This river could have delayed them. If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there." Hershel started, pointing at a certain spot on the map. His placement caused T to shake his head, "But if this group joins with that one, they could spill out this way."

"So we're blocked." Adeline finalized, her fingers curled around the hood as she straightened her back out and chewed on her bottom lip. Taking in all of the details on the map that she had looked over at least a thousand times by now, she let out a defeated sigh.

The sound of Rick shifting on his feet caused her to scoot farther away, his arm poking between his sister and Hershel - "Only thing to do is double back at 27 and swing towards Greenville." He informed, pointing at the map while Adeline moved from her spot and stood on the other side of Glenn.

"Yeah, we picked through that already. It's like we spent the winter going in circles." T-Dog spoke, itching the back of his neck while eyeing the survivors. Their leader nodded understandably, "I know. At Newnan we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet. We can't keep going house to house. Need to find someplace to hole up for a few weeks." He agreed while looking at Lori who sat tiredly in a vehicle.

Bending down to pick up an empty water jug, T-Dog glanced to Rick. "Alright but is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out? Won't take long. We got to fill up on water, we can boil it later." He inquired, the whole democracy change making them request permission from their leader to do anything.

The main one to fail at doing so happened to be Adeline, which was mostly expected by the group. The woman would trail away on her own and search for supplies - she had just been lucky enough to not run into any sticky situations she couldn't get herself out of. Luck isn't exactly the word she would use to explain her outcomes, but it was the only thing that explained it well enough. There were plenty of times at the start where Rick growled her out for running off, but he never received nothing more than a nod from the woman before she revealed the supplies she had scavenged.

Cocky was the word most of the survivors would use to explain the way she had changed. Adeline had turned reckless, willing to do anything to just take her mind off of her own thoughts. She locked it all away to deal with later, but she hoped that later never came. That she could just busy her mind for the rest of her life and muffle the breaks of grief she received when her eyes caught a glimpse of the necklace she wore. Or the rings on her finger, even the blood that stained her jacket she wore the night Shane was killed. But in her favor, the weather warmed up and she hadn't had to look at the material.

When Rick and Daryl returned from their short hunt and claimed they had found something, it set the group on another trip to the area. It was a overrun prison, walkers littering the courtyard. They still wore their blue jumpsuits, which gave the survivors enough faith that supplies still lingered within its well defended walls. A place to call home was how her brother described it to them.

Adeline slipped through the freshly cut hole in the fence that Daryl and Glenn held open for her, one of her prized throwing knives held tightly in her grip. The gravel crunched underneath her boots, walkers banging against the strong fencing in attempts to get at them. After tying the hole shut with some cables they had found long ago, they rushed down the well guarded walkway until they reached the larger fence that would lead them into the courtyard once opened, the widow glanced to the dozens of walkers that took notice of them. The grip on her throwing knife tightened, chest heaving up and down.

Rick walked up behind her and sat the gun bag against the gravel, "It's perfect." he spoke while examining the large structure of the prison. Like one of those rare moments, his sister agreed with him but kept it to herself as he continued. "If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers. We'll take the field by tonight."

"So how do we shut the gate?" Hershel retorted, watching as Glenn shifted on his feet. "I'll do it. You guys cover me." He offered, his girlfriend who stood behind him quick to deny the plan. "No, it's a suicide run."

Adeline switched her small blade out for her machete, gripping the handle tightly. "I'll do it, I'm fast on my feet. As long as you guys cover me, I can get there." She informed, sparing a glance around the group and even to her brother who opened his mouth to refuse the idea. "I'm not about to argue - so don't. I go alone or we go together," She swallowed all of the words she wanted to say to him and focused on what was important.

After a slight second of being taken aback by her words towards him, Rick nodded reluctantly before turning to the group who looked surprised at her actions. "Alright." He started, turning to Glenn - "You, Maggie, T, and Beth draw as many as you can over there." he pointed towards the other side of the courtyard, "Pop 'em through the fence."

"Daryl, go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot so go with him. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste." He instructed, the ones he had called out taking off to their designated places.

"Hershel, you and Carl take this tower." He spoke, motioning towards the tall structure beside of them. They nodded and took off, leaving the Grimes siblings and Lori standing by the gate. "And we'll run for the gate," Rick concluded, receiving nothing but a nod from his sister.

Readying herself, she pulled her husbands black pistol from its holster and pulled the chamber back. Cracking her neck from side to side, Adeline rolled her shoulders back and locked eyes with the blue sky before turning to face the gate. The loud shouts of the ones by the fence distracting the walkers rang through her mind, finger tapping impatiently against the side of the gun as Lori and Rick shared a look before the woman pulled the gate open.

Adrenaline coursed through, a feeling that distracted her thoughts from any and everything. Slipping through the open gate, Adeline raised the pistol and began firing shots into the approaching walkers. Over the eight months, she slowly got the hang of the gun and bettered herself in aiming it. She still preferred using her machete and throwing knives over firepower, that kind of silence being the only kind she liked. Gunshots rang all around the siblings, survivors standing atop the guard towers and preventing them from getting attacked by any walkers.

An arrow imbedded itself into a stalker that creeped up from behind, killing it before it could get its hands on Adeline. She lowered her pistol, ceasing her gunshots while she raised a thumbs up to Daryl who nodded back to her. Turning her head, she found a walker sneaking up behind her brother while he tied the gate shut with cables. Her body froze, but her mind quickly rejected any thoughts as she tore her right hand away from the pistol.

Curling her fingers around one of her throwing knives, the blade whistled a melodic sound in the air as it flew into the walkers mushy brain and resulted in it falling limp to its death. Rick looked back at the sound of a body thudding to the ground, eyes full of relief sent towards his sister as she brushed it off and rushed to the guard towers door. Slinging it open, she slipped through the dark area and sprinted up the steps to help deal with the rest of the walkers in the courtyard.

━━━━✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The night was peaceful. A much needed feeling of security and safety finally wavering over the group. Beth had even sung a song over the crackling fire, which brought a smile to Adelines lips that nearly reached her eyes. But had yet to make the travel, her sense of hope failing to return to her body. She gave her mind a chance to rest, actually receiving a moment of sleep that comforted her exhausted body. Rick became dedicated to breaking through a small part of the prison, hopeful to at least get a cell block to sleep in for the upcoming night.

Which was what led them to where they stood, six of them stood back to back in a circle while Hershel rolled open another gate that led further into the prison. Adeline stepped through the infected area, stuck between a sweaty Daryl and Maggie with her machete held tightly in her hand. The walkers that hid in every crevice crawled out of their hiding spot, making their journey over to them which inevitably led to their death.

Swinging the machete down into ones head, crimson red splattered her forearm at the kill. The walker fell dead as Daryl took care of one that limped over to them. The sound of heavy breaths and metal slicing into rotted skin was all that was heard - not counting the yells of Don't break rank! or Get tight! that were shouted into the air. Adeline swiped away at the hair that fell into her face, turning her chin for her eyes to land upon a riot shield. Doing exactly what she was told not to do, she stepped out of the tight circle and rushed over to the item.

"Don't break rank! Get back here!" Rick bellowed, watching with anger filled eyes as she curled her fingers around the shield and pulled it from the ground - "We need it!" Her voice was sharp, straightening her back just as a walker charged at her with a loud snarl. In one harsh shove, the riot shield clashed with its rotten skin and pushed it to the ground.

Maggie was the second to break rank, combat boots scuffing against the blood stained ground while she sent her curved knife into the walkers head. After killing it, the women rushed back over to the men and ignored the aggravated eyes sent their way. "See? We needed it." Adeline spoke up, her voice laced with sarcasm as she held the shield out to T who took it gratefully.

Steadying her grip on her machete, they took on another corner only for Rick to quickly usher them back against the brick wall. In one quick motion, Adeline reluctantly stuck herself between her brother and T who both breathed heavily and reeked of sweat. Daryl stood out into the open behind them, his crossbow aimed while they just waited for something to happen. It wasn't until four guards dressed in riot gear caused them to break formation; an arrow sent to ones head but proved to be futile due to the protective helmet it wore.

With her back pressed against the red metal door, she felt the door give away behind her. A pair of rotted hands tightly gripped her shoulders, pulling her into the dark room only for her to retaliate. Due to the long sleeve shirt she wore, its nails failed to scratch through to her skin as she jerked herself out of its hold and stumbled back into the sunlight where it followed her. Adeline took notice of the skin against its rotting face, blocking its mouth from chowing down on anyone.

Without second thought, she shoved her foot into the walkers chest and watched it tumble to the ground. Before she could raise her machete and kill it, an arrow whisked through the air and landed in its mushy brain. Blood splattered against the concrete, heavy breaths racking her chest as she gave him a thankful look before tearing the arrow out and handing it to him. Turning away from him, Adeline took notice of two riot guard walkers left and one normal one. Deciding on taking the easy route for once, she slid her machete back into it's sheath and curled her fingers around one of her throwing knives.

Hurling her arm back, the knife whistled through the air before imbedding into the brain of the walker and killing it. As it thudded to the concrete ground, the riot walkers fell along with it and left them in a breathless silence. Stepping over bodies, she made her way over to the dead walker and pulled her knife out of its head with a harsh tug. T-Dog watched with an impressed face, "You gonna have to teach me how to use those." he broke the silence.

"Nah," Daryl grunted while making his way over through the bodies. "Who you think taught her?" He questioned the man with a sly smirk, a breathless chuckle slipping from Adelines lips while a middle finger was sent his way.

"Keep on talking, Dixon. We'll see how far that gets you," She patted his back before sliding the knife back into its many sheathes. On the road, she had lost one of her throwing knives in total which left her with five on her side. It made her upset for a while, due to everything that had happened - she felt like it would only keep building up. But then Daryl mysteriously turned up with the missing knife and returned it to her.

Taking off towards the gate, Ricks sharp voice stopped Glenn in his tracks - "Stop." The leader ordered, causing the boy to furrow his brows and walk back over to the group. "Well, it looks secure." He spoke to them.

Daryl stood next to Adeline and pointed towards the gated fence, "Not from the look of that courtyard over there." he informed. At least forty walkers stood guard behind the gate, which caused the woman next to him to shift on her feet and look down to the stalker she had killed with her knife - "This is a civilian." She spoke up, softly kicking the dead body with her blood stained boot.

A sigh was heard from T as he leaned against the concrete wall, "So the interior could be overrun with walkers from outside the prison." He concluded with a defeated stare. Glenn shifted on his feet - "Well, if there's walls down, what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place." He enunciated with squinted eyes.

"We can't risk a blind spot." Rick began, turning on his feet. He pointed towards a gated entrance led by a short set of stairs, "We have to push in." He concurred before taking off towards the door. The group of five reluctantly followed after him, ignoring the curious stares sent their way by the other group of five from the fence.

The gate creaked as the leader pulled it open, Adeline falling behind in Daryls step which made her the third to enter. Maggie, Glenn, and T trailed behind her with their weapons held tightly in their hands. Unsheathing her machete, the sound caused the redneck to look back at her onto the nod before turning towards Rick who opened a heavy door.

Instead of being greeted with more walkers like they had expected, there was another gate before them. The building was dark - only source of light coming from the sun through the barred windows. Boots padded silently against the concrete ground while Rick pushed open the final gate, a small set of stairs leading them into a small cafeteria like area. Papers and sheets scattered the floor, Adeline trailed her hand against the stairs railing as she kept her machete held tightly in her hand for any surprise.

The silence seemed to be deadly, careful eyes searching every crevice and corner of the room while Rick made his way up to the small guards nest that overlooked the area they stood in. After making sure the dead body inside was actually dead, he shook the keys he had found and made his way back down the steps. Standing near a locked door, Adeline curled one hand around the chipped bars while she waited for Rick to reach through and unlock the gated entrance.

The metal of the keys clashed against the door, her hand softly swinging it open before they stepped into the cell block and began their search. Her brother and Daryl took the top half of the cell block while she and the rest looked over the bottom. Trailing behind the set of stairs, her eyes searched the last cell. Finding it locked, Adeline went to take a step forward but was cut off by the loud sound of a walker banging against the locked gate.

Jumping back, her heart beat harshly in her chest before she wrapped her hands around the stalkers shirt and kept it in place while sliding her machete into its brain. Sliding her weapon into its sheath, a loud sigh left her lips as she tugged the gate open and looked at the now dead walker laying against the bloodstained ground. Curling her lips in disgust, she took ahold of its ankles and pulled it out of the cell.

"HOME SWEET HOME."

AUTHORS NOTE.

HAHAH okay lmao
so adeline is perhaps a little
bit of a badass 👀 as she should be.
her and ricks bond is absolutely BROKEN
and there is nothing i can do about that
right now even if i want to fix it SKS oops

but y'all spot that friendship between her
and daryl??? 👀👀👀👀 thats all i'm saying