While the others settled into their cells, Rick, Daryl, and Itachi stayed in the waiting area of Cellblock C with the three prisoners.
Oscar leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "There's four blocks total. Closest one is D, then B, and last is A."
Rick nodded slightly. "Where's the armory? Infirmary?"
Axel scratched at his beard."Both near Block B. The fastest way is to go through the tombs to get there."
Rick thought it over. "So we've got access to the cafeteria, and we can get the showers, and the boiler room."
Oscar shook his head. "Wouldn't get your hopes up about hot water anyti soon. It's been sitting dead for too long; we'd have to stabilize the pressure and find fuel oil tanks first, even to have a chance of it working."
Itachi glanced toward Oscar, then shifted the question. "What's near Block D?"
Big Tiny spoke up. "Nothing much. A guard office and a small library."
Itachi's interest was piqued. "What kind of books are there?"
Big Tiny shifted in his chair. "Mostly old literature… Shakespeare, Mark Twain, so history, a few beat-up westerns, and, uh… a whole shelf of Bibles, nothing fancy."
Itachi thought for a second. "What kind of history?"
Big Tiny blinked at him, a little surprised by the question. "Uh… so U.S. history, mostly. Old wars, presidents, and a couple of dieval history books."
Daryl finally pushed off the wall, shaking his head. "Are we seriously sittin' here talkin' about books right now?" His voice was edged with disbelief.
Itachi looked his way. "A book's priceless now. Without teachers, it's all we've got left to learn from."
Rick looked at Itachi. "You think we should start collecting them from now on?"
Itachi gave a small nod. "Yes. Every single one. If they're not useful, at the very least they'll give people sothing for entertainnt."
Big Tiny shifted. "He's right, books kept sane in here. Helps you relax… lets you see the world without ever leaving the room."
Oscar cracked a small smile, glancing at him. "That's how he got the nickna. Only one who ever stepped foot in that library was Tiny here."
Rick straightened, letting the mont settle before moving on. "Alright. Books are worth keeping, but first we have to secure the facilities we have access to and then we'll make our way towards Block D."
Daryl nodded. "But we can't use guns in the tombs if those gates are open to other sections, we're screwed."
Rick looked at Daryl, then at Itachi. "You wanna wait for Shane and Glenn, or we do it now?"
Itachi stayed quiet for a mont before answering. "The three of us can check the showers and boiler room. If we can lock it down, good. If things go bad, fewer people make it easier to retreat."
Rick looked between them. "Alright. I'll inform the others. In the anti, get ready." His eyes shifted towards the inmates. "You three stay in the cafeteria until we co back."
The inmates gave a simple nod, no objections. Rick turned away, heading back toward the others to lay out the plan, while Itachi and Daryl slipped off to gather their gear.
As Rick stepped out of the cell block, Itachi and Daryl were already waiting. Daryl with his crossbow in hand, and Itachi in his full anbu gear.
When they got close to the entrance to the tombs, Rick looked towards Itachi. "I left my keys with T-Dog. So it's up to you to try and lock the doors. We'll be covering your back, and if the keys don't work, we retreat imdiately and try to locate a set that does."
Itachi pulled a kunai from his pouch. "Understood."
He crouched low at the lock, easing it open slowly to avoid making any noise.
Itachi eased the door open inch by inch. He scanned the gap for any walkers.
When he spotted none, he opened the door wider, motioning for the others to follow him. Once they were inside, he locked the doors quietly behind them.
They began moving down the narrow hallway, Itachi in the lead while Daryl followed closely with his crossbow raised. Rick covered the rear, making sure nothing crept up from behind.
As they moved deeper into the tombs, the sound of growling echoed ahead. Three walkers staggered out of the dark.
Itachi started walking forward slowly. When the walkers started turning towards him, he suddenly burst into motion.
The first went down in an instant, his blade driving clean through its temple. The second lunged, arms snapping out, but Itachi yanked the kunai free, dropped low to avoid the grab, and drove the blade up through its jaw.
Without stopping, he ripped it out and sent it flying through the air. The kunai struck deep into the skull of the third walker, dropping it on the spot.
More growls echoed, but this ti from both sides of the corridor. Four walkers shuffled out of the dark, cutting them off front and back.
Itachi shifted forward, but Daryl raised a hand, stopping him.
Daryl raised his crossbow and fired. The string snapped, and the bolt buried itself deep through a walker's eye socket, dropping the thing instantly to the floor.
Before the second one even reached him, Daryl slung the crossbow down, pulled the hunting knife from his belt, and t it head-on. He grabbed the walker by the collar and drove the blade up through its head in one savage motion.
Behind them, two more pushed closer. Rick stepped forward, machete drawn as he split one's head down the middle, kicking it off the blade before it could drag him down. The second lunged, teeth snapping, but Rick shoved it hard against the wall driving the blade through its face.
From there, the killing didn't stop.
They pushed deeper into the tombs, the narrow halls twisting on and on. Walkers ca at them in twos, sotis threes.
Itachi moved in first, cutting them down one after another. Daryl stayed a step behind, firing a bolt or driving his knife ho whenever more stumbled out of the corridors.
Rick lagged at first, forcing himself to push harder to keep up with the two. But the more they fought, the more in sync he beca.
By the ti they passed the showers and the boiler room, the three of them were moving as a single unit.
When they reached the end of the hall, a tal door stood cracked open. Itachi stepped forward imdiately, crouching at the fra. He slid the key into the lock and turned it until the chanism clicked shut, while Daryl and Rick stood close behind, covering his back.
Relief crossed Rick's face for just a mont before he gave a small nod, motioning for them to move on.
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🧪 Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the support — over 800 power stones!
Sorry in advance for the shorter chapter :D I literally didn't have any more ti to write a longer one.
Now, a quick question for all of you:
My original plan for the prison arc was to make it a mix of slice-of-life monts (the group's interactions, daily survival, bonding, etc.) and expeditions/prison upgrades (exploring new areas, fights, etc.). But I realize this could drag out the story — it might turn into 5 chapters of just the group interacting.
So I want to ask: what would you prefer?
➡️ More focus on expeditions and prison upgrades — more action and fights
➡️ More focus on slice-of-life — group interactions, quieter monts
➡️ Or just keep both
Either way, both options will still be there — it's just about which side gets more focus.
Let know what you thought about this chapter — did you enjoy it, or not so much? Your feedback always helps to improve the story.
🖤 Thanks again for reading!
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