For a moment, no one says anything. In that instant, desperation fills the air to an almost overwhelming point. You can see the regret in your father's eyes, he's sorry he didn't chase the governor further. He wishes he would've done so because now everything is about to crash and burn. Without missing a beat, Carl springs to his feet and runs out of the prison. You want to follow his footsteps, but the tiredness in your body and Judith clinging into your shirt stops you from doing it. Still holding Judith, you make an attempt to stand up. Your father notices and goes to stop you with a hand on your shoulder.

"Stay here with your sister, you're recovering," he orders before following Carl.

Of course, you're not going to do what he says. The Governor is a very dangerous person, and you're not gonna leave your family at his mercy. You stand up and enter one of the nearest cells. There, Lizzie and Mika are playing with some homemade dolls. You place Judith on the bed beside them.

"Watch out for her?" You tell them, "there's trouble outside." Mika scares at your words, "it's ok," you brush her hair back in a calming manner. "You know the drill, if things go wrong, go to the bus, alright?"

Mika nods in understanding, but Lizzie protests, "we can help."

"Yes, you can," you tell her, "by keeping an eye on Judith."

Lizzie isn't appeased by your answer, but before she can complain more, you leave the cell.

When you walk outside, you see some other people waiting by the inner fence. They're all looking at the same thing. At the border of the prison, there's a huge tank surrounded by smaller vehicles. All of them have people atop carrying loaded guns. In the center of it all, The Governor stands. There are a few yards in between, but you can see the pleased smile on his face. He's grinning like he's already worn. It's truly sickening.

Daryl, Shane, Sasha, Tyreese, Carl, Rick, Maggie, Beth, Bob, Sam, and Dean stand around you. To be honest, there are not many fighters on your side compared to the army The Governor has brought. You see the brothers share a glance and move near you. You've told them before about the troubles that Philip put your group through. However, you never expected to encounter him again.

"Rick," The Governor taunts, "come down here, we need to talk."

Your father waits for a moment. You see his stance, you know he's trying to come up with some plan. Finally, he responds, "it's not up to me, there's a council now. They run this place." He doesn't say, however, that half of the council is sick, weak, or gone.

The Governor thinks it over, "is Hershel on the council?" Your heart skips a beat. Then, they bring the old man out of one of the cars. He appears to be fine, but no one is fine on Philip's hands. "What about Michhone? Is she on the council too?" Just like Hershel, they bring her out. Her face remains stoical, but you know how much she must wish to kill The Governor right there.

You breathe in the picture, and you know something is about to go absolutely wrong. Not only do they have a tank, but hostages. Your father speaks. "I don't make decisions anymore."

And yet, The Governor's vendetta is personal, because he doesn't miss a beat. "You are making the decisions today, Rick." Your heart pounds rapidly in your chest. You don't want your father to listen to him, you don't want him to go. It's too dangerous, but you also don't want anything to happen to Hershel and Michonne. "Come down here, let's- let's have that talk."

Everything seems to stop for a few seconds, like the calmness before the battle. Then, your father looks at Daryl for approval. They hold gazes for a moment, and Daryl finally nods. It's decided, your father is about to venture down the wolf's den. Rick proceeds to glance at you and Carl. He says nothing, but you know he's reassuring you it'll be ok. Even though you know it might not. Carl nods at him, but you can't muster to do anything as he walks away. A hand holds yours, and you don't have to look up to recognize that it's Sam. You interlace your fingers with his.

The walk that your father makes from the safety of your group to the middle of the yard lasts forever. He keeps his hand by his gun, but you know that if something goes south, there's little he can do with so many guns pointing at him. When he gets a few feet away from The Governor, they start talking. The distance makes it impossible for you to hear clearly what they're discussing, but you capture bits of the conversation. Whatever it is, you know that it's probably not going to end well. At the end, this whole thing might be just a ruse for Philip to feel the advantage. The conversation between them could just buy you some time to escape and not really solve anything. You really hope to be wrong, you really want things to work out. Yet you doubt it.

Apparently, you are not the only one who thinks so, because you see Daryl warning everyone to prepare for a possible fight. He approaches the guns kept outside in case of an attack and starts handing them over discreetly. In case anything goes wrong, the group has established to go to the bus at the back of the prison. You're all supposed to board it and head south. Nevertheless, if things start to get ugly, it's most likely that some of you have to stay to delay The Governor's advances. Since you are one of the best shots, that means you. Possibly the brothers as well. Whatever happens, you just wish not to lose your family. Not to lose Sam, not when you just got together.

Daryl reaches you and hands you a machine gun, you take it. In your belt, you have your knives, and the pistols are in your holsters, but you know that the bigger gun is better in this kind of situation. From the corner of your eye, you see Dean and Sam take one as well. Your hand gives a little squeeze to Sam's before releasing him. You don't want to let go, but you need all of yourself to fight your way out of the prison.

Sam looks at you when he feels your retreat. His eyes bore into yours with a storm of unsaid words. He ravishes in your appearance like a thirsty man, like he might not see you again. You really hope that's not the case, but you can't stop yourself from doing the same. His long brown hair falls loosely on his shoulders, a rebel lock of hair in between his eyes. His strong hand raises and pushes it back. The spark in his orbs has you hypnotized. If you weren't in the middle of a conflict, you might've pulled him in for a deep kiss. Maybe he's thinking the same, you realize as he licks his lips subconsciously. Oh, how fast have you fallen for this man. No, you were already interested three years ago when you met. You're so in, that even if things go bad during this fight, you won't give up on him. You won't. You've lost so many lovers during your life, so has he. He won't be one of them. You survived without the ones before, you don't want to see if you can survive without Sam. If something happens, you know you will because you're strong, but it doesn't mean you want to. The moment feels eternal, yet it's merely a handful of seconds when you part gazes.

Further to your left, you see Carl discretely pointing his gun at The Governor, Daryl is beside him, and you know he'll be ok. The rest of you move discreetly into a balanced formation in front of the fence. The Governor's men don't seem to notice or to care because they do nothing. Time passes by, anxiousness creeps its way into your spine. The air shifts. You see Philip hop off the tank and take something from one of his men. The sun shines on it; it's Michonne's katana. He is angry. You hold your breath when you see him point its sharp end to Hershel's neck. Beth whimpers. He is furious. Everything goes quiet, you hear the end of your dad's speech:

"... we're not too far gone, we get to come back. I know, we all could change." For a moment, you think The Governor is considering the peace offer. The next thing you know, Hershel's proud smile gets cut off by Michonne's katana as The Governor slices his neck. Blood splatters everywhere, and you're too stunned to do anything. During that instant, you only have the morbid thought that Hershel is still alive because his head is not completely off. Then, Maggie's and Beth's cries for his dad wake you.

You lift the machine gun and point to The Governor's people. The shooting starts soon after. Through your haze you realize that you're not the only one firing, in fact all of your group is, including the Greene's sisters. They are screaming and crying, and most of the time they don't hit a target, but they're defending the prison nonetheless. Your mind goes to Hershel's gory death, and you inhale a breath to allow your mind back in the battle. You can mourn later. You see your father crouched behind one of the vehicles in the yard. He is shooting also. You feel the need to go to him, or for him to come. He's too exposed there.

Sam seems to read your mind because he flashes you a warning look and claims over the noise, "don't."

You want to tell him you're not stupid enough to actually believe you could get there well, but your train of thought gets cut off by the advance of the tank. The machine tears down the fences easily, and you know that the prison is dead for good. Those walls were the only thing keeping the hundreds of walkers at bay. They're all coming in at once. The Governor's people also come in, and you have to shoot both of them now.

As you hit down a man, you briefly wonder where your father is now that the tank has entered. You scoop the yard to catch a glimpse of him on the floor. Philip is above him, they are fighting for dominance. As much as you want to shoot The Governor, you know that it's not a good idea. You could hit your father instead. You trust he'll be ok, so you direct your aim elsewhere.

The chaos is looming. You feel Sam's hand tug on your arm for you to back away. You know it's the right thing to do. The need to help your father is strong, yet when Sam calls your name and tugs again, you let him lead you back. The tank is still advancing; it fires a shot to the prison's wall. The cement explodes in pieces and now there's a hole. The people that were inside -your people- are screaming and running. You see most of them head to the back, towards the bus. Looking around you, you can't locate your father or brother any longer. Maggie and Beth run past you, they're out of ammo. You see Tyreese and Shane shooting a few yards ahead. Dean and Sam are to your right. Dean's machine gun lays forgotten, and now he's firing with his hand gun. You know that you'll soon run out of bullets too. As the thought crosses your mind, your chamber empties. Shiet .

Your mind wanders off to Judith, who is probably still at the prison. "I'm going to find my sister", you tell the brothers.

"Wait," Sam calls, "we'll come with."

"No." You respond immediately, "it's too dangerous, she's at the prison. You go get the things out of Baby and go for the bus." You don't wait for their agreement as you sprint to the building. Faintly, you hear Sam call your name.

Whilst your group at the prison had a plan if shit hit the fan, you and the Winchesters had one too. You couldn't hide supernatural weapons on the bus, nor carry them with you. So you did the only logical thing and put them in the Impala. Dean had spent quite some time and tools fixing the car to run nicely, much to your father's dismay, who thought it was a waste. In case you ever needed to run, one of you would go to Baby to take the weapons and artifacts hidden there. Or it would take Baby and follow the bus, whatever worked. Supernatural objects were harder to come by during the apocalypse, and you could not afford to lose them if you wanted to fight Lucifer.

Before you reach your cell block, you think maybe Mika and Lizzie took Judith to the bus. They knew that was the plan. So you head there first. You pray that she's there, otherwise you have to back track to the prison. You are not leaving your little sister behind. On your way to the bus, you have to kill a few walkers that creep on you. They're not many since they just entered, but you know that's about to change soon. Your knife pierces their skin easily, and you have to shoot a few of them with your pistol. The one without the silver bullets because your right one still has them from the wolf hunt. You thought it was a nice precaution to keep them there.

When you reach the bus, you hop in. The scared faces from your people greet you. Some ask you what to do, but you pay no mind and inquire: "where's Judith?"

You don't see any of your close friends, the ones that were fighting in the fence with you. A man you don't care to remember the name answers, "she's back at the block, I think..."

You don't stop to listen to what more there is to say. You sprint to the prison in a hurry. Shiet , you shouldn't have left her with Mika and Lizzie, they weren't even on the bus. What were you thinking? Now you can't even find your brother and father either. Fuck, fuck. To make matters worse, you cross paths with a man from The Governor's army. He shots at you and you barely have the time to duck behind a wall.

"C'mon, little lady, come out." He taunts.

You draw your gun and shoot in his direction. Unfortunately, he hides behind a dumpster. He comes out and shoots again. You duck and when you try to shoot back you realize you've run out of bullets. He doesn't seem to notice as he keeps shooting your way. Your only options are either use the silver bullets or your knives. You holster your gun and decide to use the former. You need to be clever about this, he has a gun. You could probably put a bullet in his head if you had more ammo, but you don't want to risk using the silver bullets. You've never fired silver before, are they lighter than the normal ones? Do they fly at the same speed? Are they coated in silver or made of it? You never asked the brothers. You don't know if you can get a clean shot out of them. Knives are your best option.

You wait a moment until the shooting stops. You know that when you come out, he'll start shooting again. You glance to your left. If you go through that path and then left again, you'll be beside right where he's hiding. It'll be a clean shot with your knife. You follow your gut and head that way. When you reach the corner, you hesitate. You've never killed a human being with your knives, only the dead, will it be any different? You don't stop to wonder any longer, instead, you take out a knife, come out and aim. The man sees death coming his way too late. By the time he sees you, the weapon has already flown half of its course. He falls dead with the knife buried to the hilt in his skull. You don't even blink as you rip out your possession and walk to where you last saw Judith.

You enter the block as another bomb hits a wall, the ground shakes. You're lucky they aimed for another part of the prison. You hurry to where you last saw Judith at Mika and Lizzie's cell. There's no one inside. Panic raises inside you, but before it gets too deep, you hear a faint cry from down the hall. You know that crying far too well. You go to the source and find Mrs. Lynn with your sister in her arms. She's trying to soothe her and failing. When Judith sees you, she whimpers for you, extending her little arms, but doesn't stop crying. Mrs. Lynn hands her to you.

"What are you still doing here, Mrs. Lynn?" You don't give her time to answer, "C'mon, go to the bus."

She hesitates, "what about you, dear?"

"I have to find my brother and take a few things." You take a knife out of your belt and hand it to her, "here. Now, go!" She looks scared, but takes the weapon and runs out the door.

You don't have time to wonder if it was right to let her go by herself. You move fast as you enter your father's cell and take Judith's diaper bag, then the harness that ties her to your chest. That seems to calm her down because she stops crying. You work rapidly to secure her and then take off the block. There's no time to stop by your room. It's on the upper floor, and you've wasted enough time. You only stopped by Judith's because it was on the way. Once you exit, you think maybe even that wasn't a good choice.

Walkers are lining up left and right, and the only thing you have is knives. Further ahead, Mrs. Lynn is on the floor dead, being eaten by walkers. You don't allow yourself to drown in guilt. Instead, you take the distraction of Mrs. Lynn's feast and walk away without the dead noticing you. You run to the bus, but when you get there, you notice that it's gone.

"Grimes!" You spun around to come face to face with Dean. He's sweaty and has a gunshot wound on his shoulder.

"Where's Sam?" You ask, "is he..." you don't even dare to say it.

He shakes his head, and you let out the breath you're holding. "We got separated, he came in to find you then... I don't know" He explains, "some of the asshole's men got me and I couldn't go to Baby." The Impala was in the back east of the prison, the bus in the back west. That place is nearer to the gates, so it's probably already infested with walkers by now.

"Right," you murmur.

You take one last glance at the front of the prison. There are walkers everywhere, and they're starting to notice you. There's no way to go look for Sam, Carl or Rick without risking your lives. You look back at Dean, he's losing too much blood. And there's a baby strapped to your front. Besides, you're starting to feel the adrenaline wear off and your muscles ache from your recent recovery. No. You can't risk it. You know that Dean must think the same because when he looks back at you, there's resignation in his eyes.

"They'll be alright," you want to believe it, you really do, so you nod. Then, you take Dean's wrist and start running out of the prison.

A/N: You can vote and comment if you're liking the story so far.