"Yeah! There you go, man!" Austin cheered on Hershel when he pulled himself up, his voice echoing around the cell.

"Just take your time." Lori spoke alongside him.

Hershel rushed to try and get up as Beth cut in. "Daddy, don't push yourself."

He gave a chuckle. "What else am I going go do? Can't stand looking up at the bottom of that bunk anymore."

"I know, it's a pretty ugly pattern." Austin looked under the bunk, Lori flashed him a look as she helped Hershel with his crutches.

"You know, I think i'm pretty steady." Hershel spoke after getting use to them, Austin rubbed Beth's back as they watched their parents. Hershel walked good, with ease at that.

"That's a good start." Lori stayed by his side. "Want to take a rest?"

"A rest?" he laughed. "Let's go for a little stroll."

Austin gave Beth a little grin. "Better then I was when I had crutches."

"What happened?" she looked at him in questioning as they walked out of the cell together.

"Popped my knee out of socket trying to run after a robot." he answered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Bath gapped. "A robot?"

"For the robotics team." he nodded his head. "I was the captain."

"The captain of the robotics team?" Beth bit back a smile.

"Oh, yeah. You can imagine I was just the coolest dude around." Austin said sarcastically as they both laughed on sync. "You probably wouldn't have liked me as much as you do now."

"What? No way." Beth argued. "I would have totally liked the captain of the robotics team."

The group made it outside, all focused on making sure Hershel stayed up right now as he started to go down the steps. Austin was infront of him while Lori stayed by his side, as did Beth and Carl. He'd been doing good for the first time, stumbling slightly but having them their to steady him and encourage to take his time.

"You cleared all those bodies out?" Hershel asked as he got off the steps, walking much better and easier on his own now. "It's starting to look like a place we could really live in."

Austin flashed Beth a grin as Lori encouraged him to watch his step.

"All right, Hershel!" Glenn yelled from the fence.

"You're doing great, Daddy." Beth reassured him from his left side.

"Ready to race, Hershel?" Carl spoke up from next to Austin.

"Give me another day." the older man joked in rerun.

"Gotta stake up on his greens and protein powder first." Austin nodded his head in agreement. "Zero judgement from me."

They all smiled and waved to the few that were around the fence, seemingly such a good and gentle moment. Then, as all things do during the apocalypse, it was ruined. "Walkers!"

Austin turned quickly to see quite a few stumbling their way. Austin stepped infront of Beth, Hershel hoppling off. "Go with your dad. Go. Go. Go."

He yanked his knife from his waist band too quickly, wincing slightly when it cut from his hip bone to his bellybutton. He didn't have time to examine it, stabbing the walker and shoving it backwards. Lori kept him covered by shooting any of the walkers that got too close.

Austin stabbed another, stumbling slightly at its weight but managing to get it in the head. "Austin!"

He turned, being met with a walker that was right behind him. Because of the sudden fright, Austin stumbled backwards and hit the ground as the walker went with him. He pushed against it, only more were coming.

"Austin!" Maggie came to his rescue, stabbing the walker and yanking him off the ground before the others could get to him, firing her gun. Austin gave up on stabbing, taking out his gun and firing each one that was coming their way. The entire group had been, Rick and Daryl sprinting from the fence.

"Lori! Here!" Maggie yelled, opening the gate up as her and Carl, ran there way. Austin kicked the one close to the fence away.

"Maggie, get them inside." Austin spoke quickly. "There's too many, I gotta stay and help!"

"Austin-" Lori starter.

"It's okay." he promised her, double taking at the walkers. "Go, Mama, it's okay. I'll meet you there."

She hurried in with Carl and Maggie, leaving Austin to fire his gun at the swarming walkers. He didn't know where the source was, only knowing they were coming too quickly.

"Shit!" Austin panicked when his gun clicked, out of ammo.

A cry of pain echoed in the air as Austin looked over. "T-Dog!"

He'd been bite by the walkers, hitting it and shooting it. Austin's moment of weakness had a walker stumble onto him, panicking as he shoved it away, stabbing it in the head and take off in a sprint this time. He ran toward the fence. "Dad!"

"Austin!" Rick yelled, waving him over quickly as he shot the walkers in his way. "Come on!"

"I'm out of ammo, Mom and Carl went with Maggie." He spoke fast, Rick gave him his spare gun.

"Did you get bit?" Rick looked in worry at his bleeding side.

"No." he rose his shirt. "Just a cut."

"Those chains didn't break on their own. Someone took an ax or cutters to em!" Glenn hurried over, out of breath. Austin shot the walker close to him, keeping them as far away as possible.

Rick looked back at the two prisoners near the gate. Glenn followed his gaze. "You think they did it?"

"Who else?" he said in return. Austin jumped when an alarm blared above them.

"No, no, the noise!" Austin panicked, realizing it would bring more walkers.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Daryl shouted.

Austin held his gun up, shooting the walkers that were venturing toward the prison. Rick helped him do so, taking more out quicker and wasting less ammo. Glenn shot the speakers to blow the noise, though there was too many. Rick tried to help.

"How the hell can this be happening?" Rick pointed his gun at the prisoners.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa it has to be the back up generator." the taller one said with a head shake.

"The what?" Austin demanded an answer. "What's that have to do with this loud ass noise!"

"Electricity. There's three that's connected to a diesel tank, okay?" he repeated in his direction. "Each one controls a certain part of the prison. The hacks shut em all off when the prison was overrun."

"Can someone open up the main gates electronically with pull power?" Rick demanded an answer with a point of his gun.

"I only worked in there a few days. I guess it might be possible." he shook his head with a shrug.

"We gotta try." Austin spoke fast.

"Come with us!" Rick grasped the man's arm to drag him with, his friend close behind as they all took off back into the prison.

"Lori!" Rick yelled as they walked in.

"Mom!" Austin looked into the cells. "Mom! Carl!"

"We just took down five of em in there." Daryl ran in with the rest of the group.

"There were four in here but no sigh of Lori or any of them." Rick came down the steps again.

"They must have been pushed back into the prison." Glenn shook his head as he caught his breath. Austin was started to panic, feeling sick and dizzy He tried to keep it together though, not just for his sake but for the sake of the ones that needed him right now.

"Somebody is playing games!" Rick yelled. "We'll split up and look for the others. Austin, don't waste your ammo, son."

"Be carful!" Austin yelled his way.

"Whoever gets to the generators first, shut em down!" Rick shouted, his voice echoing in the prison as they all took off in separate directions.

"Beth!" Austin ran into the infirmary to find her and Hershel.

"Austin!" she met him in a tight hug. "I thought you were right behind me."

"There was a lot of walkers, I had to help. Maggie's okay, she got in with my mom and Carl." he spoke quickly, finding a breath for the first time.

"What's that alarm?" Hershel spoke up.

"Something with the back up generators, we're all trying to turn it right now." Austin shook his head.

"Where you bite?" Beth looked in a panic at his side.

"No." he rose his shirt. "Cut myself."

"That's deep, you're loosing a lot of blood." she spoke fast.

"Beth, I gotta find the generator first." Austin grabbed her wrist when she tried to treat the wound. "Just trust me, okay? You two stay here and I-"

The alarm stopped, they all were silent. Hershel looked at Austin. "Seems like someone found it then."

"Thank god." Austin took a breath, helping Hershel. "We gotta find the others, I don't know if it's safe in here still."

Beth hurried by his side. "There was a lot of walkers?"

"We took most of em down but they'll stop comin with the alarm off." Austin nodded his head, holding his gun while opening the door. "Go first, Hershel. I'll get the door."

He hobbled out first, Beth's help. "There's your dad!"

"D-" Austin came out of the door, but he stopped. His body froze, from the steps he stood on, he was frozen at the sight before him.

A crying baby in Maggie's arms, Carl next to her. Maggie was sobbing, everyone was so quiet. Austin grapes the bar as Rick started to cry, stumbling as he stopped next to Carl. "No. No. No!"

"Mom." Austin mumbled, his voice broke as he shook his head.

"Austin." Beth tried.

"No!" Austin cried out as he sobbed for the loss of his mother, his knees giving out as he fell onto the concrete. Beth leaned down and held onto him as he cried, trying to sink closer to the concrete, but Beth held him up. "Mom. My mom. My mom."

"Shhh." Beth held him tightly as Austin started to hyperventilate, gasping for a breath that just wasn't coming. His mom, his best friend, the person he loved most in the world.

Gone.

•

kylie speaks

when i wrote this one...i sobbed.