"oh, my life is changing every day in every possible way." - the cranberries

the sun's rays filtered through the prison windows, glaring against the cold metal tables below. the once-silent halls echoed with the faint murmurs of distant voices. salem sat beside jack on his cot, her eyes fixed on his face as the color slowly returned to his cheeks. despite the chaos outside, this moment of quiet between them felt like a brief respite.

jack sighed, breaking the silence. "i could use a vacation." he said with a weary grin. salem managed a small smile, the weight of the past few days pressing heavily on her. "yeah?" she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. jack turned to face her, propping himself up on his elbow. "you know we haven't really had a chance to talk about my dad. are you okay?"

salem nodded, her fingers absentmindedly picking at the dirt under her nails. "are you... okay?" she asked, her voice wavering as she avoided his gaze. the memories of her uncle still lingered, a painful reminder of what they had lost. finding this place, these people had been a big change, and she couldn't help but wonder how they would go back to just the two of them after this.

jack offered her a reassuring smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "i'll get through it. we always do." his tone was firm, but the sadness in his eyes was unmistakable. "what do you think of this place?" salem whispered, her voice barely audible as she tried to gauge his thoughts.

jack glanced around the empty cell, the cold stone walls and the faint smell of must lingering in the air. "i think it's nice, the people here are nice." he replied, his voice steady. "nice enough to want to stay?" salem pressed, her curiosity getting the better of her. jack hesitated, his gaze shifting to the barred window. "i think it's safer for us here. i wouldn't be able to take care of us on my own."

salem scoffed, her disbelief evident. "you could if you wanted. plus, we don't need anyone else we have the cold ones, they always protect us." their conversation was abruptly interrupted by maggie's sudden appearance at the cell door. salem jumped, startled, unsure of how long maggie had been listening. "here, morning meds." maggie said, stepping into the cell and handing jack a small cup filled with pills.

"thank you." jack responded, swallowing them all in one go. maggie offered them both a kind smile. "of course, we're all in this together now. you two are stuck with us." she said playfully before exiting the cell. jack turned to salem, his expression serious. "you don't need to be afraid anymore, salem. we're safe now."

salem nodded, though doubt gnawed at her insides. she wanted to believe him, but in this world, no place was truly safe. people died; that was just how it was. her thoughts were suddenly shattered by a deafening explosion.

the walls trembled as the ground beneath them shook violently. stone crumbled from the ceiling, filling the air with dust. salem's heart raced as she jumped to her feet, jack grabbing her hand as he climbed off the cot.

"are you okay to leave?" salem asked, her voice laced with concern. jack nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. together, they raced down the steps, bursting through the doors and into the yard where rick, daryl, and a few others were already gathered. "who are they?" jack asked, his voice trembling as his eyes darted to the line of cars parked at the farthest fence.

"rick! come down here! we need to talk." a man's voice boomed from beyond the fence. "it's not up to me! there's a council now; they run this place." rick shouted back, his tone edged with frustration. "is hershel on the council?" the man demanded, and as if in response, one of his people yanked hershel out of a car. maggie's gasp was audible, her little sister beth's silent tears mirrored in her own.

"what about michonne?! she on the council too?" the man continued, dragging michonne out next, her expression stoic as ever despite the situation. "i don't make decisions anymore!" rick yelled, the desperation in his voice unmistakable. jack and salem exchanged confused looks, the tension in the air thickening with every passing second.

"you're making the decisions today, rick. come down here. let's have that talk." the man replied coolly. rick sighed, rubbing his forehead as he turned to face the group. maggie stood there, holding beth close, their eyes locked on hershel kneeling in the grass. carl joined salem and jack, his gaze fixed on the cars below. "is that a tank?" jack whispered to carl, who nodded solemnly.

rick placed a hand on carl's shoulder, giving him a reassuring nod before walking through the gate and descending into the yard to face the man. salem and jack watched from within the gates, their confusion and concern growing by the second. "we can't take 'em all on." daryl muttered to sasha, who had been in the cellblock with jack. salem recognized her as tyreese's younger sister, a woman as formidable as the large man standing protectively beside her.

"we can go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned." sasha suggested, her voice tense. "yeah, we ain't got the numbers no more. when's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?" daryl asked, his voice laced with worry. "day before we hit the big spot. we were running low on rations then; we're even lower now." sasha replied grimly.

"we'll manage. if shit goes south, everyone heads for that bus. let everyone know." daryl instructed as he started to walk off. "what if everyone doesn't know when things go bad? how long do we wait?" tyreese asked, his voice deep and filled with concern. "we wait as long as we can." daryl answered before heading toward the supply carts.

salem's eyes followed rick as he walked right up to the man, the fence the only thing separating them. daryl returned, pulling a cart filled with guns, and handing them out to everyone. the group quickly lined up, their weapons aimed at the people below. salem adjusted her grip on the rifle, peering through the scope, praying to god she wouldn't have to use it. "we gotta do something." carl said, his voice urgent. "your dad's got it." daryl replied, his grip tightening on his own gun.

"they're talking. we could kill the governor right now." carl insisted, his frustration palpable. "yeah, or you could start something else. you gotta trust him." daryl countered, his tone firm. salem watched as rick spoke to the governor, his expression shifting as the conversation continued. the governor's men began to exchange uncertain glances, whatever rick was saying seemed to be working. the governor's grip on the katana eased, his demeanour softening. but then, in a flash, the blade swung back, slicing through hershel's neck.

beth and maggie's cries echoed through the yard as gunfire erupted. salem stepped back, shedding tears of her own, bullets tore through the air, the sharp clinks of shells hitting the ground and blending with the chaos around them. "this is some crazy shit." jack muttered, his voice barely audible over the noise.

the tank began to move, its chains tearing down the fence with a deafening crash. "back up!" daryl shouted, and the group scattered, running in all directions. jack grabbed salem's hand, pulling her along as they raced toward the entrance, carl close behind. "we need to get to the bus!" jack shouted, his voice frantic.

"i need to find my sister!" carl shouted back, his voice barely audible over the explosions and gunfire. salem felt the panic rising in her chest, her heart pounding as they ran. people were screaming, the air thick with smoke and dust. the tank roared as it plowed through the prison walls, sending shards of glass and debris flying around them.

"go get on the bus! we will meet you there once we get his sister!" jack yelled, urgency in his voice as he tried to push salem toward safety. "no, i'm not leaving you." salem mumbled, her voice barely a whisper amidst the chaos.

"salem, i'm serious. go! i will meet you there." jack insisted, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her away. another explosion rocked the ground beneath them, and salem stumbled, her heart racing as she realized how dire the situation had become.

"go!" jack yelled again, and this time, salem turned and ran, her feet pounding against the ground as she sprinted toward the bus. explosions and gunfire filled the air, drowning out everything else. the world around her was a blur of smoke and fire, the heat searing her skin as she ran.

suddenly, the wall beside her crumbled, sending her crashing to the ground. the impact knocked the wind out of her, the dust and smoke clogging her lungs as she struggled to breathe. she coughed violently, trying to push herself up, but the pain in her chest was overwhelming.

as she tried to crawl away, she saw a man approaching her. he looked at her for a moment, his eyes cold and merciless.  the smoke swirling around them seemed to close in, making it harder for her to breathe. her chest throbbed with a fierce, burning pain. she tried to push herself away, but the effort left her gasping for breath.

the man raised his gun, his expression unchanging as he aimed directly at her. the sound of the shot was deafening, and she felt a sharp, searing pain as the bullet tore through her leg. she cried out, her vision blurring with the intensity of the pain and the smoke. her attempts to move became sluggish, each movement more laboured than the last.

the man laughed, a harsh, cruel sound that seemed to cut through the chaos around her. he turned and ran off, leaving salem alone amidst the wreckage. she tried to push herself up, but the pain and the choking dust made it almost impossible to think clearly. she stumbled, falling onto debris that cut into her skin.

the smoke thickened, wrapping around her like a suffocating shroud. every breath felt like inhaling fire, her lungs struggling against the oppressive heat. her vision dimmed, spots of darkness creeping in as she fought to stay conscious. the ground beneath her felt unsteady, the shaking from the explosions making it hard to keep her bearings.

salem's breathing grew ragged, her efforts to crawl more desperate. she could barely see through the swirling dust and smoke, her world narrowing to a disorienting haze of gray and black. the pain in her leg was a constant, throbbing presence, pulling her further into darkness.

with one final, agonizing breath, her vision faded completely, and she slumped to the ground, the weight of exhaustion and the crushing effects of the smoke pulling her into unconsciousness. the last thing she heard was the distant, muffled sound of chaos and gunfire, growing faint as she lost the battle to stay awake.