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ACT TWO
(death follows us)

    VERONÍCA PANTED as the trio ran. They had been running through twists and turns for the last five minutes, so it wasn't a shock that each of them were breathing heavily. "There's a set of double doors that will lead to the corridor, that'll get ud back to our cell."

"We should stop. Stay put, they'll come for us."

"We need to get there." T-dog replied, shutting down Carol's idea as he panted. "Sooner we get there, sooner we save them."

"He's right, if we sit here and we die. No way they'll find us through these hallways." Veroníca said, pausing for a moment as she placed her hands on her knees. "Can we have a quick break though? I'm not good at running."

T-dog glanced at his friend for a moment, pausing for a few split seconds before shaking his head. "No time, hear those alarms?"

Veroníca temporarily silenced her breathing, finally hearing the alarms which blared through the halls. "I thought that was my head ringing from all the running." She joked.

T-dog cracked a smile at this, his smile dropping as he remembered the seriousness at hand. "We gotta go, now."

"He's right. The sound must be drawing walkers in from miles.. It'll only get worse." Carol muttered, rubbing Veroníca's back as the woman stood up fully.

"Let's go."

Rick, Daryl, Glenn and the prisoners entered the familiar cellblock. While Rick was screaming his wife's name, Daryl spoke up. "We just took down five of 'em in there."

"There were four in here, but no sign of Lori or Carl."

"Veroníca?" Glenn asked making Rick immediately shake his head. "None of 'em."

"They must've been pushed back into the prison.." Glenn attempted to brush off his nervousness.

"Somebody is playing games! We'll split up and look for the others. Whoever getd to the generators first, shut 'em down!"

"Let's go."

T-dog huffed as he glanced at the women beside him. "We're almost there."

Unfortunately his hopeful tone immediately left the air, now being replaced with a loud snarling from the hall ahead of them.

"We can take 'em."

Carol nodded, pulling out her gun. The dread in the air only grew when the gun clicked, completely out of bullets. "Shit, go back!"

"I got it." Veroníca said, slightly waving her knife as she took a step closer. Her steps turned more reluctant as two more walkers turned the corner, she could tell her friends were nervous making her force on a smile. "I got it." She repeated.

Just as she stabbed one of the walkers through the head, she was yanked back.

She turned to the person, confused on why they had pulled her away. "T. We don't have time for this, we're almost there."

"I know we are." T-dog said, not looking at her as he stared blankly at the walkers that slowly walked closer to the trio.

Veroníca furrowed her brows, shrugging off his hand as she pulled her knife up once more. Yet when T-dog's voice rang through the air she pulled her attention back to him.

"I owe you one, Vee."

Just as Veroníca was about to ask what the man meant, when he suddenly ran at the walkers she knew exactly what he was saying.

"No!" Veroníca screamed just as T-dog slammed the three monsters into the wall.

"Go! Go!" Though Veroníca could hear the man yelling, she couldn't fully process what he was saying. Seeing as her eyes were fixated on the walkers ripping into her friend's arms. "Go! Go! Go!"

Veroníca watched in pure awe, not moving an inch.

She was so in shock she didn't even realize that Carol had started to yank her towards the door. When she reached the door, now staring back at T-dog it only got worse.

"Go! I'm dead!" He screamed at her, making eye contact with the woman as the walkers continued biting his arms.

Tears sprung to her eyes, her head shaking back and forth as she spoke. "I'm sorry."

She knew deep down that T-dog didn't hear her apology, yet when the walker bit into his neck, she couldn't bring herself to apologize again.

So as Carol continued forcing the woman out of the hall, tears poured down her cheeks as the screams of her best-friend echoed behind them.

The group stared down at the the half-eaten body in sadness. While none of them tried to show it, their furrowed brows and deep-set frowns were enough evidence.

It was obvious the body belonged to T-dog. Though the man's face and back had been completely eaten, the top of his head was clear of bites.

Glenn took a few steps away, needing to calm himself down at the thought of his friend's end. As he did, Daryl picked up an item from the ground.

Carol's scarf.

Rick and Daryl then shared a silent look, their silence being broken when Glenn reentered the area. "Carol's scarf.. Wasn't—Wasn't Veroníca with them too?" Daryl nodded at this, throwing the scarf on the ground with some aggression.

"Maybe they went back to the cellblock.." Glenn said hopefully, knowing it was less than likely. While Rick didn't believe it, he did nod, signaling the group to leave the hallway.

"Hershel!" Rick yelled as he ran towards the man, Beth and Rory.

"You didn't find them?"

"We thought maybe they came back out here." Glenn added, earning a head shake from Beth.

"What about T? Carol? Veron—"

"My ma?" Rory interrupted, a worried look etched on the child's face.

The group felt instant pity for the kid, after all he had lost his uncle and now his mom. It was bound to take a toll on the boy. Glenn was the first to answer the boy. "She.. She didn't make it.."

Rory's mouth dropped open at this, his gaze shooting in between the group as if to check in they were lying.

Even though it was clear they weren't, he brushed off the frowns on their faces. Instead he shook his head back and forth in a quick motion. "No, no... She did.. She did make it! She had to.."

At the boys now-raised voice, the group stared at him, pity growing on their faces. "She couldn't.."

None of the group replied, giving the child a moment of silence as he continued shaking his head.

The silence didn't last long. Seeing as when Glenn opened his arms, gesturing the boy in for a hug, Rory rushed into them.

He let out a muffled sob, mumbling incoherent words into Glenn's shirt. Glenn frowned deeply at this, his eyes prickling with tears as well.

He continued hugging the child, patting the boy's back as he began to cry into him.

Suddenly the sound of a baby crying filled the air, while the entire group turned their attention to the sound. Glenn didn't, he wanted to but he knew that Rory needed his full attention.

Glenn kept his attention on Rory, only glancing away when the sound of Maggie's sob filled his ears.

Maggie had been holding a baby, yet Lori was no where in sight. While the group had already guessed what had happened, it was clear Rick didn't want to admit what he knew. "Where is she? Where is she?!"

The woman didn't reply, making Rick walk towards the cellblock, ignoring Maggie's pleas for him to stop.

The sight of his son is what ultimately stopped him, the boy was very clearly holding back tears. "No.. No, no!" Rick yelled, dropping onto the floor.

Glenn looked away from the scene again, placing a fatherly kiss onto the top of Rory's head.

Rory only tightened his grip on the man at the action, his cries growing louder as the death continued setting in.

The duo stayed silent, knowing there was nothing to say that would do any good.

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