Jolene, you need to go! We're surrounded!

No. No, I'm not leaving you!

Go! I'll hold them off so you can get away.

No, Will. I can't leave you.

We can't discuss this. You can get away. Please, baby.

I love you.

___

"Hey, wake up."

There was a muffled baby cry.

"I said, wake up!"

I felt a kick to my leg. My eyes slowly opened. They still felt heavy but not as heavy as before. As my vision focused, I saw a kid in front of me. He had dark hair that had grown out under a brown cowboy hat. I instinctively tried to reach for my own black one on my head but my hands were zip tied. With a new head on my shoulders, I looked around. I seemed to be tied up to a metal pole in the courtyard of the prison. I glanced up again to see the kid pointing a gun with a silencer at my head.

"Woah, woah, there's no need for that, kid," I said. "I'm a little tied up."

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and winced.

He kept the gun up. "Who are you?"

"That's kind of a loaded question, don't you think?"

The kid squinted his eyes. "Are you with the governor?"

I chuckled. "I don't think there's been a governor for a while now."

He took the safety off of his gun. "I'm not going to ask you again. Are you with the governor?"

"Carl!" a woman with short, graying hair shouted. She walked toward us with a man in a prison jumpsuit. The boy walked over to her. I noticed my gun sticking out the back of his pants. "You were supposed to wait until Glenn got back."

My hat and my duffel bag were a few feet away from me. I didn't see Poe anywhere. I heard the wailing cry of a baby again.

He shook his head. "She was waking up and he's not back yet. I was just trying to protect this place. Get information on the governor. What if he attacks us? She could know how and when."

"Hey!" I yelled. "I don't know who you think I am. But I have no idea who the hell this governor is. I've never seen him. But I've heard of him."

The three of them walked over to me with suspicious looks.

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

"You guys keep asking me that question and I don't know how to answer." They all continued to stare at me. I cocked my head to the side. "Fine. My name is Jolene Hawk. I've been on the run for a long time now. I was staying in a farmhouse not far from here when some guys pushed me out after they... after... that's not important." I cleared my throat before I looked away. "What's important is before I got away they said something about a governor. Said he told them they needed to put a bullet in my head and take my things before they went back. I was out of food and water and the corpses kept pushing me this way."

The woman nodded at the kid, Carl, before the three of them walked away from me. I groaned in frustration as I pulled at my restraints.

Suddenly, a bullet zipped through the air, right into the blond man's head. His blood splattered everywhere. His dead body landed on top of the woman with the short hair.

"Fuck!" I said as I tried to free myself desperately.

Carl dove down and found cover next to me.

"What's happening!?" I yelled over more gunshots.

"The governor!" he responded as he turned the corner of the building and let out a few shots from his own gun.

"Let me go. I can help you!" Carl looked around frantically. "You don't have a choice. There's a knife in my bag. Hurry!"

He hesitated for a moment then grabbed my bag. He got the knife out quickly and cut my ties with one swift motion. As soon as my hands were free, Carl handed me my gun.

"It's fully loaded," he informed me.

I nodded at him and grabbed my hat and placed it on my head. I had a feeling this would happen. In my gut I knew it would. Everywhere I went people seemed to die. Everyone. But I was the one that survived. Always.

Carl ran over to cover a young blonde girl. They both ran back to the concrete wall as I shot at a man on the guard tower. The shooting stopped for a moment.

"My daddy is out there!" the girl cried.

"Beth!" a woman shouted as she ran out of the prison with guns in her hands. She handed one to the girl.

The woman dove behind some filing cabinets and covered the woman on the ground. "Carol, go!"

Carol joined us behind the wall and received her own gun.

"Where's your daddy?" I asked Beth.

With wide eyes she said, "He's down in the field, near the fences." She pointed down the grassy hill.

Just then, the gun fire stopped again and a truck burst through the gates. A metal door opened and corpses filed out in the field.

My mind was racing. I quickly turned the corner and shot at the man in the tower again. I clipped his arm and the woman behind the cabinets got the opportunity to take him down. We made eye contact and she thanked me with a nod.

"Where's my horse?!" I asked these strangers.

Carol pointed. "Over there!"

The shooting was slowing down so I sprinted off to where she directed me. Poe was tied up on the side of a building. I quickly let him loose before I hopped on the saddle. My shoulder was killing me when I pulled myself up. I ignored it. I had more important things to do. If I could save someone. Just one person. That would be enough.

Carl opened the gate for me and I rode down to the field. I shot at a few corpses as I made my way to the old man. As I approached, he killed a corpse that got too close. Looking down, I noticed he had crutches and a missing leg. I stuffed my gun in my waistband.

"Get on!" I told him as I reached a hand down.

He nodded before handing me his crutches. He balanced himself on Poe. I set the crutches on my lap. Using both of our combined strength, I got the old man behind me. He held onto me as we rode back to safety. The men who had attacked us drove off as another pickup entered the field.

Carl opened the gate and the horse's hooves clomped on the concrete of courtyard. I signaled for Poe to slow down. Beth and the brown haired woman ran up and helped the man down. I handed them his crutches.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked.

"Yes, baby," he responded.

The pickup followed shortly behind us. A man and a woman with a sword got out.

"Maggie," the man said as he hugged her.

The touching moment soon ended as the Asian man turned his gun on me. "Give me your gun."

"Calm down," I said as I slowly reached for my weapon. As soon as he could, he snatched it from my hands.

"Glenn, she saved my life," the old man pleaded.

Glenn ignored him. "Get down." I did as he said without a word. "Get her inside."

"Come with me," Carol stated with a look that seemed to say she was sorry.

Maggie led my horse away to tie him up again.

Carol took me into one of the cell blocks. I saw food and water stacked up on a table in what seemed to be a common area of the prison. My mouth watered.

Carol noticed my longing. "You hungry?"

"Very."

"Sit down. I'll make you something."

I sat down at one of the tables. The old man entered and came over to me.

"Can I take a look at you?" he asked. I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I have medical training."

"Knock yourself out," I said.

He balanced himself on his crutches as he lifted my right arm.

"My name's Hershel. Maggie and Beth are my daughters."

"Jolene," I told him.

Hershel chuckled. "Were your folks Dolly fans?"

"Huge fans. They took one look at me and thought I looked like Jolene personified."

He continued to laugh as he grabbed my other arm. I immediately let out a yelp from the pain.

"What is it?" asked Hershel.

"Shoulder."

The man felt around a bit before sighing. "It's dislocated. Carol? Can you help me?" Carol stopped preparing my meal and walked over to us. "Keep her steady." Carol placed her hands on my other shoulder and back. "Okay, Jolene. This is going to hurt. I need you to stay as still as you can."

I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut. Hershel took my arm and pushed it up and in. I yelled out as the pain ran through me.

"God dammit," I breathed.

"You okay?" Hershel asked.

"Yeah. I think so. Thanks."

"It'll be sore for a while but you'll survive."

Carol handed me a bowl with noodles and a jug of water. I immediately twisted off the cap and chugged the liquid until it was gone. Carol smiled at me and handed me another.

The rest of the people entered the building. They didn't look at me as they went to the area with the cells. The last to go past me was a man with brown, curly hair and bright blue eyes. He carried himself with confidence. His gaze met mine and I could tell that confidence didn't go skin-deep.