THIRTY. the second hand ticks

The bulky bulletproof vest she was forced to wear by the group itched uncomfortably against her skin, nose scrunched in discomfort at the feeling. Adeline had only received an hour of shut eye before Rick wanted to venture farther into the prison, but it was enough for her mind to be comfortable with. The group consisted of the same one as before when they cleared out the second courtyard, except this time around Hershel Greene trailed along with them. Convincing him to stay was near impossible, and having both of the doctors out worried the survivors. Adeline assured them she could defend herself, but ushered them to keep an eye out for the elder in case anything happened.

The barren hallways were littered with dead bodies, the sound of rats squeaking causing an eerie feeling to crawl up the nurses spine. Using her brain and deciding against holding her flashlight like the others were, she taped her own to the shoulder pad of the vest she wore. It provided her plenty enough light to see, and with the source of the others it almost looked as if there were windows. She kept both of her hands around her husbands black pistol, one of her throwing knives tucked into the material of her fingerless gloves for easier access.

Glenn shook the spray can loudly, painting an arrow that pointed towards the way back on the middle of a bloodstained wall. Continuing down the hallway, Adeline walked next to her brother and kept her fingers curled around the pistol. Looking around at the ground, her lips turned in disgust at a body laying against the surface. It's legs were there, but it was just bloody bones. The skin had been eaten off of the now dead prisoner, and there was a part of her that hoped he wasn't alive when it happened.

"I find that it helps if you don't stare," The kind voice of Hershel whispered through the silence, keeping it low enough so that he wouldn't attract any walkers. Turning her heard, she furrowed her brows at the smile lacing the elders lips.

Adeline nodded her head, "I'll keep that in mind for next time." she responded quietly in attempts to cease the conversation. It's not that she didn't want to talk to him, but that every time someone from the group attempted to spark a topic - it was about what she had lost and how she was strong enough to get through it.

Hershel kept his eyes on her and reached his hand out, pulling her back by her shoulder carefully. Before she could ask what he was doing, he motioned towards the walker she was bound to trip over. "I know how it feels to lose the person you love. And I know how it feels to be told the same thing over and over - so, I'll tell you something different this time round. You will get over the loss. But you'll never get over them. It's one of those things that just stick to you." He informed the woman - the two of them falling behind in the groups steps.

Adjusting to his words of advice, she shifted the vest on her chest and nodded slowly. "I-... thank you." She whispered with a small smile, the emotion nearly reaching her eyes which the elder took notice of before she met his eyes and squeezed his arm - "I'm sorry for what he did. Back at the farm, the barn. I'm sorry." Adeline added before pulling away and catching back up with the group.

Taking a few steps forward, she steadied her arms while turning another corner as the sound of Glenn painting another arrow echoed throughout the hallway. The light of her flashlight immediately landed upon a group of walkers, her heart beating harshly in her chest as she turned around quickly just as they snarled at her- "Back, back! Go back!" Adeline ushered, dropping one hand from the gun to push Rick ahead of her.

Making herself fall behind, she confirmed that Hershel was far ahead before she took off after the group. Daryl stayed behind with her, his crossbow raised as the two of them sprinted down the corridor behind the group. Maggie and Glenn took the lead, but it wasn't long before the couple got cut off from the rest of them. With walkers surrounding every corner, Adeline watched as her brother quickly found an empty room and ushered them all into it.

Being the last to slip into the tight space, she found herself to be the only woman in the janitors closet. That being the last thought on her mind, she holstered her pistol and switched it out for her machete in an instant. Heavy breaths were heard in the room, but no words were spoken until the walkers passed. Crouching in the center of the men, their flashlights shined brightly into her eyes which caused her to look away and run a hand through her tangled hair.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Rick hushed, looking over his sister who avoided his eyes and dug the blade of her machete into the concrete flooring beneath them. "We have to go back," Hershel spoke with a worried face.

Adeline furrowed her brows in concentration, "But which way?" she questioned - the thought to count how many turns they took to escape the walkers had left her mind due to adrenaline pursing through. The men looked to her defeatedly, neither of them remembering which way they had come from. It was a maze full of walkers.

Checking once more to make sure the stalkers were gone, Rick opened the door slowly. One by one, they all filed out back into the exposed hallways. Adeline stayed near the back, trailing behind Hershel who called out to his daughter and her boyfriend every so often. T-Dog stayed with them for a short second, but was ushered up to the front by Rick who had found a door.

"Daddy?" The hushed voice of Maggie filtered through the barren corridor, her father turning on his feet and walking towards the sound. "Hershel, Hershel." Adeline whispered in attempts to get him to come back, but seeing as nothing would make him do that - she spared a glance towards the end of the hallway where the men stood before walking away and moving to the elder with careful eyes. "Hershel, we gotta go. They'll find-"

The walker he had stepped over suddenly sprung to life, its hands grabbing ahold of Hershel while it chowed down on his leg. "No!" Adeline screamed, the pistol in her hand raising quickly to fire a bullet into the stalkers head. After it fell limp, she holstered the gun in a hurry and rushed over to the elder who cried out in pain.

In a split second, the men rounded the corner and found her pressing her hands against the bite wound on Hershels leg. Glenn and Maggie found their way to them, the brunette letting out a terrified scream at the sight of her fathers leg. Adeline looked back to her brother - "Rick, help me get him up!" She yelled out, the walkers they had once escaped coming right back due to the sound of her gun going off.

With one swift movement, the Grimes siblings slung both of Hershels arms over their shoulders and pulled him up from the ground. The walkers grew closer to them by the second, hearts beating rapidly in chests as the group rushed down the maze of a corridor until they were met with a set of double doors. They were forced shut by a pair of handcuffs, but with one swing of T's weapon, they broke into the room.

Ushering inside, the two of them laid Hershel against them concrete ground with Maggie and Glenn on their tail. Walkers banged against the doors, Daryl and T-Dog rushing to slam their backs into the metal to keep them shut. Sticking a pipe in between the handles, it held the walkers off as Hershel wailed in pain, Adeline keeping her hand pressed against the wound as while the group looked to her expectingly. Ignoring their eyes, she pulled her hand off of the bite wound and rolled the elders pant leg up to further examine the bite wound.

"Can you save him?" The voice of Maggie caused her to lift her head, meeting her brothers face while letting a shaky breath leave her lips.

"There's only one way." Adeline concluded, her eyes shifting to the hatchet on Ricks side. As he nodded, she moved away from Hershels leg and slid her belt off from around her jeans.

Tightening the leather around the bottom of the elders knee, she swatted away at the hair that fell in front of her face. Blood smearing against her skin, body shifting back just as Rick slung his hatchet down onto Hershels bitten leg. Flinching away, the crimson red splattered against her arms and face as she helped hold the leg still. Maggie laid her fathers head in her lap, his eyes rolling back - the shock and loss of blood causing him to fall unconscious.

The leg had been fully amputated, an silence packed with panic and fear cowering over the survivors. "He's... he's losing blood." Her brother spoke, words failing to be directed towards anyone except the open air.

Before Adeline m could respond, her careful eyes caught sight of something moving behind Rick. Looking away from the bleeding out elder, Adeline inched her hand to the gun on her side. Sparing a glance to Daryl, he nodded which confirmed that he had saw it too. Turning back to the grate - the two found five figures curiously looking through the structure.

"Duck." The instruction left Daryls lips in a hushed whisper, the man raising to his feet in the blink of an eye with his crossbow raised.

Unclipping her gun from her side, Adeline straightened her arms out and aimed the pistol towards the men in blue jumpsuits. With the tense silence taking control, she allowed her eyes to glance to Hershel who laid below her. Blood pooled around his amputated leg, the crimson color sticking to the bottom of her boots as she stepped over him and stood next to Daryl.

"Holy shit." One of them commented, eyes wide with disbelief at the sight before them. All of them had their fingers curled around the metal grate - peering in curiously.

Adeline pulled the chamber back on her gun, "Who the hell are you?" The words came out as a seethe, eyes sharp as she looked back to an unconscious Hershel behind her and Daryl. The two of them inched forward, keeping their eyes alert just in case the prisoners tried anything.

"Who the hell are you?" One of them retorted, causing her jaw to clench and bloodied hand to tighten its grip on the gun. Hearing the panicked sounds from Maggie that her father was bleeding out, Adeline looked back - "Put pressure on the wound, I'll see if they have anything."

One of them peeked out of the room, "You ain't taking shit, lady." He seethed, her eyes taking notice of the small gun tucked into the front of his jumpsuit. Daryl stepped closer to the woman - "Why don't you step outta there? Slow and steady." He instructed, the prisoners reluctantly stepping out from behind the grate and walking into the room.

"What happened to him?" The one with the gun asked, his hand trailing down to the weapon. "He got bit." Adeline was quick to answer, readjusting her grip on her own gun as he grabbed his - "Bit?"

Pulling the gun out fully, the sound of T-Dog unholstering his own echoed around the room. The prisoner pointed his weapon at Adeline, shifting it between her and Daryl who tightened his grip on his crossbow and stepped forward. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy now." The redneck hushed, standing next to Adeline who kept her gun raised.

Realizing his intentions were only fueled by confusion, she pushed past the raised gun and into the room they were previously standing in. "Hey, lady!" The prisoner yelled, only going ignored by the woman who holstered her weapon and began searching the room.

"Get back," Daryl threat to the man failed to go unheard by Adeline, her eyes landing on a metal cart. Rushing over to it, she quickly pushed the items that stood guard on the surface off and into the floor. With one harsh shove, she jerked the cart out of its place and wheeled it back into the room for Hershel.

"You all don't look like no rescue team. You follow me?" Another prisoner questioned, eyes stuck to the woman who pushed past them with the cart.

Rick looked up from where he sat kneeled by Hershel, "If a rescue team is what you're waiting for, don't." He seethed just as the walkers slammed into the doorway. The pipe stuck between the handles held them back, giving the stalkers no entrance into the room but also leaving them with no exit.

With a quick lift, Glenn and Rick placed Hershel onto the cart. Before they could roll out, Adeline slid onto the surface and sat into the blood that had already pooled around. Placing her legs on both sides of the cart, she pulled the bulletproof vest off of her chest and slid the long sleeve she wore off of her arms. Leaving her in just a tank top; she held the material to the amputated leg and ushered for them for go. "He's gonna bleed out if we don't get him to the cell block."

While T-Dog pulled the pipe from the door, the prisoners grew fearful - "Are you crazy? Don't open that!" One of them shouted, his voice cracking. "We got this." Rick assured, the doors slinging open while T took care of the walker dressed in riot gear.

Staying atop the cart as they wheeled it down the hallways, brown strands of hair messily stuck to the blood on her face as Adeline attempted to blow them away. The tank top soon found itself stained with blood, sticking to her skin like glue as she pressed her hands against the crimson soaked material of her long sleeve shirt. "Does this thing have any buckles?" She mumbled underneath her breath, lifting her head at the group.

"Shh," Rick hushed, stopping the cart abruptly at the sound of voices following after them. Furrowing her brows, Adeline adjusted her body on the cart as Maggie helped her and placed her dads good leg over the woman's lap to give her more room. Nodding thankfully to her, they fell quiet and listened.

"Follow the flashlight." The prisoners whispered, their bodies soon coming into sight for the group which caused them to turn around. "We can deal with them later, we have to get him back!" Adeline yelled, breaking the tense silence and causing the men to nod hurriedly and push the cart further down the corridor.

With trial and error, they made their way to the cell block and called out to Carl who had the keys. The kid came running, his eyes widening at the sight of his aunt sitting atop a cart covered in blood. While he unlocked the gate, it didn't take long for the women to hurry around the corner and shriek in fear at what they saw. Lori rushed to the nearest cell, throwing whatever was on the mattress off and ushering them into the small room.

Sliding off of the cart, Adeline helped them lower Hershel down to the bed. Questions thrown around by the women were ringing through her head, ignoring them all as she unwrapped her shirt from the wound. Blood splattered her face even more, her head flinching back as she looked back to the group - "I need bandages. I have some in my bag, the cell next to the perch."

With her information, Glenn took off in a sprint out of the room to find her bag. "Okay," Adeline breathed, her eyes turning to Carol who looked down at the leg in shock. "Do you remember what we taught you? On the road? Just incase anything happened to either one of us, so I'm gonna need your help." She spoke, causing the woman to nod and rush to her side.

"We need to elevate his leg." The nurse called out, her hand swatting underneath the bunk bed for any pillows that might have been hiding. Finding it empty, she looked to Rick - "Go get some pillows," She ordered, the leader nodding his head before rushing out of the room just as Glenn returned.

Handing the bag to the nurse, she took it in her blood stained hands and dug her knees into the concrete floor below her. "We can burn the wound to clot the blood. I can start a fire," Glenn suggested but only received a quick shake of the nurses head. "The shock would kill him. And it wouldn't stop the arteries from bleeding." She breathed, pulling the small amount of bandages inside of her bags.

Rolling the blood soaked pant leg up, Carol grabbed the pillows that Rick rushed in with and stuck them underneath the elders leg. Adeline slid onto the bottom half of the mattress, keeping his amputated leg in front of her as she wrapped the bandages around the wound. The blood already began to soak through the material, causing her to curse underneath her breath.

"We need to keep it dressed and let it heal on its own. Obviously we can't save the other half of his leg, but we can save his life. Carol, check his pulse for me." She ordered, reaching down for her bag only for Lori to quickly hand it to her.

Digging through, she pulled out the last two rolls of bandages she had and sat them on her leg. "We need more, the blood will slow down but when he pulls out of it we still have to keep it dressed. Two rolls isn't gonna cut it. There should be an infirmary here, it'll have everything that we need." Adeline informed, examining the blood soaked bandages wrapped around Hershels leg.

Glenn nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, we can make a run for that. Pretty sure Daryl is out there dealing with those prisoners, but I can ask him when-"

"Carol, can you take over here?" Adeline questioned, cutting the boy off and slipping off of the mattress as the woman nodded assuringly and took her place.

Walking out of the cell, she ran a bloody hand through her hair and took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. The rushed procedure made her mind go back when Carl was shot, when things were simple and when Shane was alive. It made her think about all of the things she wanted to forget. Adeline curled her hands around the metal gate leading into the small area, pushing it open for her eyes to land up Daryl aiming his crossbow at the five prisoners.

"What you got going on in there?" The one with the gun questioned curiously, looking at the blood that drenched Adelines shirts and covered her hands. Daryl tightened his grip on his crossbow, "It ain't none of your concern."

In the blink of an eye, the prisoner untucked his gun which caused the woman to unholster her pistol slowly. "Keep it in your pants, we have enough to deal with as is." She spoke, stepping to stand next to Daryl as she kept her gun by her side cautiously.

"Chill man, the dude's leg is messed up." One of the men spoke, his body noticeably taller than the rest surrounding him. He held a pipe in his hand, but it stayed by his leg. "Besides, we're free now. Why are we still here?"

"The man's got a point." Daryl added, keeping his crossbow raised and aimed to the one with a gun. Another prisoner nodded, "And I have to check in on my old lady."

"Group of civilians breaking in to a prison you got no business being in- got me thinking there ain't no place for us to go." The one with a gun sneered, causing Adeline to roll her eyes and prop her foot against the metal seating of the tables. "Go find out." She spoke.

"Maybe we'll just be going now..." The one with a curled mustache responded, his arms crossed over his chest as if he were hugging himself. "Hey, we ain't leaving!"

The sound of a gun clicking caused Adeline to turn her head, spotting T-Dog come around the corner with his gun raised - "You ain't coming in either." He threatened, the man with the pistol aiming the barrel towards the man which resulted in the woman slowly inching the throwing knife in her glove closer .

"This is my house, my rules. I go where I damn well please!" The prisoner bellowed, his voice only followed by a laugh leaving Adelines lips. They turned to the woman, taking in the crimson that decorated her face and stained her hands.

Pushing herself off of the seating, she inched towards the man - "This is your house?" She sneered, searching his face for any expression. With no response, she nodded slowly, "Last time I checked, you were locked in a closet. If you try to take this away, I'll slit your throat where you stand." Adeline threatened, a certain feeling bubbling in her veins that she hadn't felt before. The darkness that loomed in her eyes was one she was unable to see, but Daryl caught sight of it.

Before she knew what was happening, the gun that the prisoner held turned it to her - wavering the barrel inches away from her forehead. And at first, she thought she would fear it. The feeling of death creeping up, she thought her heart would start beating harshly in the chest due to fear. But it didn't. The beating in her heart didn't quicken because of the fear of death, it increased because of the adrenaline she felt when she took a step forward and pressed the barrel against her skin. "Do it."

"Hey!" The booming voice of Rick Grimes cracked through the tense filled air, his sister pulling away from the gun held to her head and slowly walking back. Keeping her eyes on the prisoner, she felt a calloused hand grip her elbow and tug her back. "There's no need for this," The leader continued as Daryl pulled the woman behind him with cautious eyes.

"Crazy bitch..." The one with a gun muttered before tearing his eyes away from Adeline, "How many of you are in there?" He questioned with furrowed brows.

Rick tilted his head to the side, "Too many for you to handle." he informed - sparing a glance to his sister who slumped down into one of the seats.

"You guys rob a bank or something? Why don't you take him to a hospital?" The prisoner continued to question, a laugh spluttering out of Adelines lips at his words. "Hey, what the hell is she laughing at?"

Meeting his eyes, she furrowed her brows and shook her head. "Your stupidity." Adeline answered, ceasing all laughter from her expression.

"How long have you been locked in that cafeteria?" Rick questioned, motioning for his sister to hush which she took with a grain of salt and leaned against the metal of the table she sat at.

"Going on like ten months."

"A riot broke out," The taller prisoner spoke up - his voice deep. "Never seen anything like it."

The one with the mustache nodded, "Attica on speed, man."

"Ever heard about dudes going cannibal and dying, coming back to life? Crazy." A shorter one questioned, his hands by his side.

"One guard looked out for us, locked us up in the cafeteria. Told us sit tight, threw me this piece," He motioned towards the gun in his hand, "said he'd be right back."

"Yeah, and that was 292 days ago."

The one with the mustache turned his head, "94, according to my calcula-"

"Shut up!" The gun carried seethed, causing Adeline to furrow her brows and glare at him even more than she already was.

"We were thinking that the Army or the National Guard should be showing up any day now." Another spoke up, a hopeful look lingering in his eyes.

Adeline shifted in her seat and moved to sit atop the table, her feet against the chair. "Sorry about your luck." She apologized, the expression not reaching full commitment as Rick nodded at her words.

"There is no Army. There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone." Her brother started, the prisoners looking at them with disbelief.

"For real?" One questioned, inching forward with shocked eyes. "Serious." Rick spoke in confirmation.

The taller one looked down to the ground, "What about my moms?" He asked, but it was more to himself than the survivors surrounding him.

"My kids? And my old lady?" The other inquired, "Yo, you got a cell phone or something that we can call our families with?" He continued, taking a step forward.

At this Daryl shifted on his feet, "You just don't get it, do you?" His southern drawl rang out. Adeline slid off of the table and stood next to him, her eyes simmering with a glimpse of sympathy towards the prisoners.

"There are no phones. No technology, no internet. Nothing. At least half the populations been wiped out. You might even be looking at the only people that are left standing. There were more, they just didn't make it." She said, words laced with a realization that slammed into them. At the last three words, she sent her brother a look that failed to go unnoticed.

"Ain't no way." The gun lowered in the prisoners hand, eyes wide with disbelief. Rick motioned towards the door that led to the courtyard, "See for yourself."

AUTHORS NOTE.

OWKDIEMCOFMEOEMJC
i'm worried for my bby she's losing her
mind because she won't let herself grieve
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

we finna get a lot of badass adeline