THIRTY NINE. the red handle

THE one thing Adeline failed to receive was sleep. After the attack, she had been told by her brother to take the first night watch up in the guard tower. She avoided even looking at Daryl Dixon upon his return, mostly because she had no clue what she wanted to say to him. The widow understood every reason why he left, but for some reason a part of her felt abandoned when he did.

Leaning against the guard rails of the tower, her umber colored eyes fell upon the walkers that littered the once clear courtyard. Yet another thing taken away from them by the Governor. The thought of his existence lead her shifting uncomfortably and pull away from the railing just in time to spot a familiar figure enter the inside.

"Adeline?" The soft voice of Carol broke through the midnight air, her skinny arms wrapped around her petite frame. The woman opened the door to the balcony, her eyes landing upon Adeline who had just turned around.

"Hey," The widow smiled softly, tucking her brown hair behind her ears as she spoke. "You doing okay?" She questioned, knowing Carol had been the one to grow closest to Axel out of anybody else in the group.

"We're losing too many of our own." Carol spoke, moving to lean against the raining beside Adeline. Pressing her elbows against the metal, she looked down at the stalker filled courtyard - "Too many good people."

"All over nothing." Adeline added, the guard rail digging into her back as her eyes fell to her boots; a splatter of Axels blood decorticating the black leather.

Carol nodded in agreement, turning her head to look at the lost look looming in the widows eyes. "Have you talked to him yet?" She questioned, gaining her attention.

Adeline knitted her brows, avoiding the woman's stare as she let out a deep sigh - "Haven't gotten the chance." She answered reluctantly, lifting her head to look at Carol.

A few silent seconds passed before the shorthaired woman smiled before patting the guard rail. "Go." Carol instructed, "I came to relieve you anyways. You push yourself too hard, Adeline. You deserve a break, too."

"Do you..." The widow started, feeling her throat tighten and her eyes sting as she swallowed the words she desperately needed to say- Do you still see Sophia?

"Never mind." Adeline faked a smile, pushing off of the railing and nearing the door into the inside of the guard tower. "Thank you, Carol." She spoke, turning to look at the woman who only nodded with a smile before turning to face the once empty courtyard below them.

Grabbing her pistol off of the desk, Adeline slid the weapon into its holster before her eyes fell to the familiar police hat that belonged to Shane. Next to it sat a poncho, the two items causing memories to surface in her mind.

Daryl looked over to the woman, noticing the slight shake of her body from the cold. Carefully, he pulled the poncho over his head and placed it over hers in one swift movement.

Adeline caught the hat that Shane threw her way, his attentive eyes noticing the red marks that the sun was leaving on her pale face. Situating it atop her head, relief greeted her when she no longer had to squint her eyes from the bright light in the sky.

Running a hand through her tangled hair, Adeline spared a glance at the items before walking away. Leaving them to simmer in her mind, she made her way down the ladder and out of the guard tower. Not even caring enough to look at the stalkers that desperately clung to the fence, she walked past them and made a beeline for the cell block.

Pulling the heavy gate open, Adeline stepped into the building and slid the metal door shut. The sound it made echoed throughout the prison, darkness engulfing the room. Her umber eye adjusted to the two lanterns that sat in the common room outside of the cell block, combat boots padding against the concrete stairs.

"Hey there, pretty lady." The familiar raspy tone that belonged to Merle Dixon was heard from the corner of the room. Turning her head, Adeline was quick to spot his figure in a cage with a makeshift cot pressed against the wall. He had a lantern, but it was clear to her that the door to the cage was locked shut.

"Huh." The widow huffed with a sarcastic smile. "Would you look at that." She spoke, walking over to him. "Looks like the tables have turned, Dixon." Adeline taunted, causing a dry laugh to topple from the man's mouth.

"Come on..." Merle stood up from his cot, curling his fingers around the metal fence. It was then when she noticed the blade attached that was usually attached to the metal encasing around his amputated hand was gone. "Let me out of here, we can have a quickie." He smirked.

Scrunching her nose in disgust, Adeline backed away from the cage and looked around the room. "Goodnight, Merle." She bid, crossing her arms over her chest before entering the cell block that she called home.

Immediately taking notice of Michonne who sat in her own cell ( the gate also being locked ), Adeline nodded with a tight lipped smile before making her way up the concrete stairs. Her umber eyes fell to the perch, looking around for the one and only Daryl Dixon but instead found an empty mattress - his crossbow against the rail.

Furrowing her brows, she anxiously chewed on her bottom lip. Uncrossing her arms from her chest, she ran a hand through her tangled hair; her attentive eyes landing on her cell. A sheet covered the entrance, but what caught her attention was the illuminating glow of her lantern.

Knowing she had turned it off when she left earlier that morning, Adeline neared the place she called her room and curled her hand around the black sheet and pulled it back. Almost immediately, her eyes spotted the nervous figure of Daryl Dixon standing in front of her desk.

"I think visiting hours are over, sir." The widow spoke, the sheet falling closer behind her as her voice broke through the air. Daryl jumped slightly at the surprise, turning around on the soles of his boots to find her standing by the entrance with a soft smile.

"Funny." The redneck muttered, his heartbeat calming as he lifted his hand to his mouth to chew on the side of his thumb, which was a nervous antic that Adeline took notice of over their eight months on the road. "Been lookin' for ya." He informed the widow.

"I've been on watch." Adeline spoke, walking over to her desk and sitting onto the metal surface while motioning for Daryl to join her. "And I helped bury Axel." She added, watching as the redneck joined her on the desk.

"Nice outfit." He complimented, motioning towards the clothes she wore that heavily resembled what Shane used to wear. Meeting his eyes, Adeline noticed the sarcastic features that laced his face as he spoke, the ghost of a playful smile twisted around his lips.

A laugh mixed with a scoff fell from her mouth, slapping her arm against his shoulder and softly pushing him away from her frame. "You're such an asshole." She informed, her umber eyes falling to the concrete floor below them.

The soft sound of a short lived laughter was heard from Daryl, a feeling of calamity wavering over the two. "I'm sorry 'bout leavin'. Wasn't really thinkin' things throu-"

"No." Adeline cut him off, lifting her eyes from the ground to look at the redneck - "You were. You made the right call, I would've done the same." She assured, "Can't leave family behind." The widow added quietly.

"Merle isn't the only person I care about anymore." Daryl spoke, fiddling with his hands. "That's how it used to be, leaving with him seemed right. Doesn't mean it was."

Nodding knowingly, Adeline allowed a soft smile to curl around her lips before placing her hand onto his knee and squeezing lightly - "I'm just glad you came back. That's all that matters now." She informed, "You're a good man, Daryl. Don't let your brother tell you different."

"Psh." The redneck breathed, "Since when did you get all sappy?" He commented, sliding off the desk and away from her touch that he felt he didn't deserve. "All this serious talk and I almost forgot." Daryl started.

"Forgot what?" Adeline inquired, crossing her legs.

Holding a finger up, Daryl made his way out of the cell and returned several seconds later. Carrying her machete in his grasp, a smile immediately surfaced to the widows lips once she noticed the new addition to her weapon.

"Handle started peelin', so I fixed it up with some tape that I found." The redneck informed, running his hand over the red tape that curled around the once black handle. "Here." Daryl finished, holding the weapon out.

Adeline laughed softly, curling her hand around the hilt of the weapon before examining it. "I love it." She gushed, tracing the blade carefully with her finger and trailing it down to the bottom of the handle where she discovered her initials curved into the flat surface.

Knowing she didn't spend time doing that, she looked up to meet Daryl's eyes. "Thank you, Daryl." Adeline spoke with a grin, the man taking notice of the excitement and gratitude lingering in her features.

With the ghost of a smile on his lips, his nerves whisked away as he leaned against the wall. "No problem."

━━━ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

MORNING had come quicker than night had fell, Adelines tired figure leaning against the guard railing of the second floor of cells. She stood next to Beth, their eyes focused on the conversation happening below.

Rick stood in front of the concrete stairs, reloading one of the AK-47's that the group owned. "We're not leaving." He repeated, glancing over at Hershel who sat on the steps with his crutches next to him.

"We can't stay here." The elder spoke, resting his elbows against his knees. Maggie paced the concrete floor, "What if there's another sniper?" She questioned, anxiously tying an old bandana around her knuckles. "A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds." She added.

Beth nodded from beside Adeline, "We can't even go outside." She spoke - causing Carol (who stood next to the girls) to speak up, "Not in the daylight, anyways."

"Rick says we're not running, we're not running." Glenn reassured, his voice sharp from where he stood beside of Michonne who cleaned her katana on the bottom floor.

"No, better to live like rats." Merles raspy voice broke through the air, his body standing behind the locked door that led into the cell block, restricting him from entering.

"You got a better idea?" Rick retorted, eyeing the man.

"Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we?" Merle sarcastically spoke, leaning against the locked gate.

"I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now." He added, only for Daryl who paced the floor next to Adeline and Beth to speak up - "We ain't scared of that prick." He assured.

"Y'all should be." Merle was quick to remind, his words causing Adeline to shift on her feet. "That truck through the fence thing, that's just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place - shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to." He informed.

Maggie scoffed, tearing his eyes away from him. "Let's put him in the other cell block." She requested.

"He's got a point." Adeline spoke up, looking down at the girl with a southern accent. "We're pretty damn lucky that we have him, wether you like it or not - he's useful to us. He knows exactly how the Governor works." She said, most of the group turning to look at her.

"Lucky?" Maggie retorted with furrowed brows, "This is all him, he started this!" She yelled, her voice echoing around the prison.

"What's the difference whose fault it is?" Beth quickly retorted, moving to walk halfway down the stairs to meet Ricks eyes - "What do we do?" She questioned.

"I said we should leave." Hershel repeated, "Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here." He started, only for Rick to glance at him before making his way towards the door that Merle leaned against, avoiding the conversation.

The elder stood with his crutches, "Get back here!" Hershels voice bellowed, echoing around the prison and causing Rick to abruptly stop in his steps.

Adeline shifted on her feet, raising her body slightly to curl her hands around the railing. Carefully keeping her eyes on the situation; she tapped her boot anxiously against the concrete flooring below her body.

"You're slipping, Rick." Hershel continued, his crutches clicking against the ground as he neared the leader. "We have all seen it. We understand why. But now is not the time." He began, "You once said this isn't a democracy- now you have to own up to that. I put my family's life in your hands." Hershel added, "So get your head clear and do something."

Rick turned around to face the elder, the entire group looking down at the confrontation in hopes that he would actually do something about the situation at hand. But after a silent pause of contemplation, the leader nodded his head and walked away from the group.

Adeline sighed deeply, digging her face in her hands before pushing off of the railing and entering her cell. Quickly grabbing her rifle that leaned against the wall, she threw the strap around her shoulder and made her way out of the room - "I'm gonna go check on the field."

Her announcement echoed around the cell block as she walked down the stairs, her boots padding against the concrete. "I'll come with you," Maggie spoke, grabbing her own rifle before catching up to the widow.

The two made their way through the prison, a comfortable silence wavering between them. Taking a step into the cage outside of the cell block, sunlight poured in between the fence. Wooden pallets were sat up around the metal grates, protecting them for whenever the Governor decided to retaliate, if he did.

Adeline crouched down behind one, glancing at the blocked off set of stairs before grabbing the pair of binoculars that had been left by the last person. Leaning her rifle against one of the wooden pallets, she curled her fingers around the grates before placing the binoculars to her eyes.

Looking out into the field, she grimaced after the dozens of walkers that littered the courtyard. "There's a lot of them." The widow muttered, shifting on her knees.

"Lemme see." Maggie requested, holding her hand out as Adeline pulled away from the fence and handed her the binoculars. "Looks like more came in overnight." The southern girl spoke, glancing over at the widow. "You okay?" She questioned, sitting the binoculars down.

"I don't like the feeling of being trapped." Adeline informed, rubbing her sweaty hands against her jeans before sitting down onto the concrete and leaning her back against the wooden pallets.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but.." Dale started, walking over to the man with questionable eyes. Motioning over to the wall, he pointed at the red numbers. "That clock - it's counting down. What happens at zero?" He asked, looking over to Jenner.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he glanced around the group. "The uh, the basement generators - they run out a fuel." He informed, not giving them the answer they looked for. Rick furrowed his eyebrows, "And then?"

Jenner walked away, avoiding the topic at all costs. With a thought springing to his head, Rick cleared his throat. "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" He let his voice leave the barrens of his throat, looking up the ceiling as he waited for an answer.

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur."

"Not having a choice..." Adeline continues, swallowing the memory. "It sucks," She laughed softly - finding humor in the dark situation. "It's stupid, I know."

"No, it's not." Maggie was quick to assure, moving it sit next down to the girl - "I know we haven't really talked that much but... Glenn told me about what happened at the CDC. Anyone would be scared in that situation." She informed, laying her hand on the brunettes knee.

"I had Shane... I had someone to turn to in that situation. Now it just feels like my back is pressed to the wall and no one is there to help me find a way out." Adeline spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

"I'm here." Maggie's voice was careful, her hand softly squeezing the widows knee. "You're not alone, Addy."

The widow let out a shaky breath, tears welling in her eyes as she slid her hand over Maggie's. "I..." She started, her voice cracking at the overwhelming feelings. "I saw him." Adeline finally admitted, keeping her eyes glued to the ground in fear that Maggie would think she was crazy.

"At Woodbury. In that storage unit, right before the Governor did what he did." She continued, "He was there. Right in front of me... it felt like he was still alive. Like he never left, and... he talked to me." Adeline breathed, "I saw Shane, and I wasn't scared of him anymore."

The moment she felt Maggie's hand slide out from under her own, Adeline regretted ever speaking about the subject. And she had already convinced herself of it, until she felt the warmth of the girls arms around her frame. It was then when she broke - the sound of a cracked sob leaving her lips as she wrapped her arms around Maggie.

SHE WASN'T ALONE.