Black Roses

“Flashbangs, CS Triple chasers… not sure how they would work on walkers but we’ll take ‘em.” Rick surveyed the table covered with weapons that Rose and T-Dog rummaged from the walkers they killed the day before. His nose wrinkled when he noticed that Rose bought the armors in. From his position, he could see the human remains left on it. Hershel, T-Dog, and Daryl were huddled around the table but Rose was a few feet away looking remarkably relaxed. Her feet were crossed as she leaned back on the prison wall, eating an apple without any care in the world. Almost if she wasn’t just about to siege a prison with so many unknown variables. Last night, Rick and Rose had decided to attempt finding the prison cafeteria in hopes of finding more food.

Daryl picked up a helmet, seeing skin stuck to the material. He wondered what person in their right mind would actually wear this disgusting armor. “I ain’t wearing this shit.”

“We could boil them.” T-Dog suggested, looking at gloves. Rose fought back eye rolls while watching MEN squirm about the protective gears.

“Ain’t enough firewood in a whole forest! NO! Besides, we’ve made it this far without them right?” Daryl shot back, immediately dropping the helmet. She just knew that this group were just about the most idiotic group ever. Rose let out a deep exhale and reminded herself that they just weren’t used to being covered by guts and gore. Even though… zombie guts and gore were the best camouflage around.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carol leaving Lori’s cell with a look on her face that told Rose that she should investigate. “Hershel… Rose?”

“Everything’s alright?” Rick asked Carol, obviously noticing the same thing Rose did. Rose pushed herself off the wall, heading towards Lori’s cell. She vaguely heard Carol reassuring Rick as she laid eyes on the pregnant woman. Social stuff wasn’t Rose’s best area of expertise. However… it was hard for her to not respect Lori. There had not been a single complaint from her this entire winter. Lori was grateful for the food she was given, grateful for being alive another day. Rose couldn’t imagine the amount of stress she goes through every day. Being a woman in love, carrying a child and raising a growing boy and worse of all, dealing with a husband that was highly demanded by others. Hershel and Carol finally entered the cell, taking their spots next to Rose.

“It’s the baby. I think I lost it.” Lori bit her lips nervously. There were bags under her eyes and her face was dangerously pale and hallow. Rose adjusted her hip, swaying to the right as she wondered why she was asked to come.

“You haven’t felt it move?” Hershel questioned while he examined the thin woman.

“Nothing. And no Braxton-Hicks. At first, I thought it was exhaustion and malnutrition.” Lori managed to whisper back without cracking.

“You’re anemic?”

Lori nods and her lips quavered, “If we’re all infected, then so is the baby. So what if it’s stillborn? What if it’s dead inside me right now, what if it rips me apart?”

“Stop,” Hershel interrupted her. “Don’t let your fear take control of you.”

“Okay. Let’s say it’ll live and I die during childbirth.” Lori changed tactics. Then finally Rose understood why Lori asked for her.

“That’s not going to happen.” Hershel said sternly, narrowing his eyes on Lori.

“Why not? How many women died in childbirth before modern medicine? If I come back, what if I attack it? Or you, Rick, Carl….” Lori trailed off, making eye contact with Rose. She knew that Rose would uphold her promise no matter what was the circumstances. Tears began to form in her eyes. “If I do, if there is any chance… you put me down immediately. You don’t hesitate! Me, the baby… if we’re walkers, you don’t hesitate and you don’t try to save us! Okay? It might have been better if…”

“If what?” Hershel swallowed uneasily while Rose shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t know how to comfort this poor pregnant woman.

Lori broke eye contact with Rose and meekly whispered, “If I’d never made if off the farm.”

Hershel began to assure Lori, “You’re exhausted… frightened—“

“Yeah, that’s true. My son can’t stand me. And my husband. After what I put him through.” Lori sniffled. Hershel and Lori began to discuss her martial problems however Rose’s patience had ran out.

“Lori, you know who doesn’t give a shit about that? This baby. Now let Hershel make sure everything’s alright.” Rose didn’t even waste time looking back. She just spun around on her heels and joined the group. T-Dog, Daryl, Rick, Glenn and Maggie were preparing and arming themselves when Carl tried on a helmet. A small smile made its way onto Rose’s face as she gently pulled the helmet off, glancing down to the small boy. Daryl glanced up just in time to see Rose ruffle Carl’s hair, “You won’t need that. I need you to stay put.”

“You’re kidding!” Carl protested, wanting to join the redhead and the rest of the group. At this time, Hershel re-joined the group and Lori stepped out to watch the scene unfold. Daryl wondered how an assassin that’d been trained from a young age can have such gentle hands. It just confuses him even more.

“We don’t know what’s in there,” Rose shrugged, leaning down to have a level eye contact with Carl. “If something goes wrong, you could be the last man standing. I need you to handle things here.”

The cell block were completely silent as the entire group watched how gentle Rose was with the youngest member. It was rare to see Rose being anything else but steely and emotionless. The way she was with Carl was incredibly heartfelt and lifts everybody’s moods. Carl sighed, “Sure.”

“Great, let’s go.” Rose cut the snappy scene short as she handed Rick’s set of keys to Carl. The metal gate clicked, indicating that it was locked. Rick and Rose immediately nodded to Daryl to unlock another metal gate. The doorway groaned and echoed, sending the warriors on edge. Dripping pipes. Damp smell. No… that’s the smell of fear. Rose looked for small details… anything that would reveal what was hidden. But of course… the goddamn group were distracting her so much that she just gestured for Glenn to spray paint arrows on the wall. She couldn’t think over their pounding heartbeats, their rapid breathing and the way they’re shifting their weapon of choice upwards in attack mode.

Rose took few steps ahead in hope to think more clearly. A gasp behind her had Rose reaching for her katana sword for nothing. Maggie had accidently bumped into Glenn. The redhead clenched her jaws as hard as possible and walked quicker, setting the group into motion. Her eyes were well adjusted to the dark by now while the group used torch and flashlights to navigate through the corridors. Rick had moved up front to join her and she can hear Daryl’s footsteps behind her. After turning down maybe the third or fourth corridor, Rose’s acute hearing had told her to draw her weapons out. Please God… let the group see that this is a warning. She couldn’t say anything in risk of being noticed but she hoped that the group had prepared themselves after seeing her.

Unfortunately the next few minutes ensued in chaos. Rick had shone his flashlight around the corner, a group of walkers groaning had them all panicking. “Go back, go back! Go back! Move! This way!”

The fiery haired warrior became instantly annoyed as she watched Glenn and Maggie being trapped by walkers. Rick and the rest of the group escaped down another corridor. Rose sighed as she leaned back against the wall, knowing that the zombies probably won’t notice her. The group has to come back down this way anyway.

“Where’s Glenn and Maggie?” Rick alarmed T-Dog, Hershel and Daryl after doing a count of the group. Suddenly he realized that the warrior wasn’t with them either. Daryl’s heart skipped a beat as his eyes searched furiously for her familiar fiery red locks. Nothing. Hershel stated what was on everybody’s minds. They had to go back.

Back in the same corridor, Maggie and Glenn opened the door cautiously after the noise ceased. Rose sighed, meeting them in the middle of the hall after their panicked calls for the rest of the group. “You guys have to be quiet. The zombies are still within hearing distance. Anyway they went down this hallway.”

“Mag? Mag?” Hershel walked down the hallway that Rose pointed out. Maggie and Glenn saw the redhead’s face instantly turning pale.

“No. No. No. No. No.” Rose muttered under her breath, hurrying down the prison maze. The familiar soft ragged breathing were almost deafening as Rose tried to warn Hershel to be quiet. She knew that ragged breathing anywhere. Zombies. But it was too late. The zombie that was slumped on the ground grab ahold and sank his teeth into Hershel’s calf. A bloodcurdling scream escaped his throat as Rose sliced through the asshole zombie’s skull. Maggie and Glenn arrived only to find out that Rose was right to panic. The group were now back together and looking towards Rose to take control.

Rose was now in action mode as she snarled at Maggie to get a grip and shut up. As she pulled Hershel up, she removed her gun from the holster, knowing that she can only fight with one hand now. Glenn and Rick realized that Rose sure as hell wasn’t going to leave Hershel behind and immediately supported him. In this type of situation, Rose was glad that she liked to analyze her surroundings. Barging through a double door, she mentioned for the group to follow.

“Shut the damn doors and lay Hershel down on the floor,” Rose commanded. Daryl and T-Dog pushed the doors that threatened to explode with walkers any minute back. Hershel screamed in pain as Rose ran her fingers through her hair. Daryl could tell that she was scrambling for something to do. Assassin. That word kept running through his head as he held the doors back. The walkers were shoving back, trying to get in. But right now in this moment, she looked like an angel. Hell… she was born for this world. Daryl and the rest of the group were sure that she was going to kill Hershel.

“What are we doing to do?” Rick implored Rose to think of something. Rose nodded her head as if she decided something in her head.

“Hold him down!” Rose shouted, seeing that Glenn and Rick are complying with her decision. Maggie on the other hand began to sob uncontrollably as she began to pet her father’s head, whispering to him that everything’ll be okay. “Alright. Only one way to keep him alive.”

Alive. ALIVE. The entire group gasped, looking at the warrior grabbing an axe. Did they hear her wrong? She said alive… but how was that possible? Rose cracked her neck and began to hack just above Hershel’s knee. Maggie, Rick and Glenn held Hershel down to keep him from flailing. The heart-wrenching screams filled the room until he passed out. The sound of bone crunching and breaking replaced his screams. Rick swallowed uneasily… it was kinda making him sick to the stomach and had to look away. But Daryl on the other hand… couldn’t look away. Rose was an assassin after all. She didn’t seem to have any qualms about blood spattering into her face and removing the infected leg. Her face never changed… her infamous steely expression.

“Alright… he’s bleeding out. But we have another problem,” Rose gasped for air after dropping the axe. She nudged her head towards the metal grid in the room, “We have guests.”
Daryl glanced up, raising his crossbow towards the metal grid. There were… five HUMAN men standing behind the screen watching us with wide eyes. “Holy shit.”

“Who the hell are you?” Daryl asked, feeling that Rose and Rick were a little preoccupied at the moment. But one of the prisoners retorted the same question back.

“He’s bleedin’ out. We gotta go back!” Rick reminded Rose. Rose sighed and mentioned for Glenn and Maggie to come around.

“Put pressure on the knee! Hard! Hard! Push, push!” Rose yelled while Daryl mentioned for the prisoners to come out slowly and steady. She heard the strangers asking questions about Hershel as she made sure Maggie and Glenn were putting pressure on correctly. But in the next second, she had a gun cocked at one of the prisoners. The flash of shiny black material warned her that they had a weapon. T-Dog joined her with his gun.

Daryl tried to defuse the situation, “Whoa, whoa, whoa… easy now. Nobody needs to get hurt.”

Rose glanced back at Maggie and downwards at her other hand holding Hershel’s leg down. “I need you to hold this. As hard as you can.”

Maggie managed to nod as her hands tremble, taking over Rose’s position. A small spurt of blood shot out as they switched hands. Daryl still had his crossbow pointed at the prisoners and disliked the way the men ogled at Rose. Rick, on the other hand, found the situation quite amusing. Now Rose has two hands… she’s literally a lethal weapon and they didn’t even know it. Her eyes met with the Korean boy and cocked her head towards the small room that the prisoners just came out of. Glenn immediately understood what she meant.

“You got medical supplies?” Glenn inquired as he stepped in the room. The massive prisoner tried to emasculate Glenn and prevent him from going into the room. But Rose’s true nature revealed itself. In a blink of eyes, Daryl saw Rose on one side of the room and now on the other side of the room with her katana sword pressed against the prisoner… assassin. She was really an assassin.

“I’d think about what you would say next.” Her voice sounded deadly but calculated.
“Who the hell are you people anyway?” The prisoner with the gun asked again. Another prisoner mumbled under his breath that they weren’t a rescue team. Rick finally got his balls back and tried to pull Hershel up.

“If a rescue team’s what you’re waiting for, don’t!” Rick yelled as Glenn rolled over a metal cart. “Come on, we gotta go! Now! Come on, I need a hand here! One, two, three, go!”

A wave of protests came from the prisoners as T-Dog unleashed the beasts behind the door. Rose drew two katana swords out of her sheath, waiting for Daryl to come along. T-Dog, Daryl and Rose were protecting the group as they ran through corridors. However… Rose knew that the prisoners will soon follow them.