❛ I should be over all the butterflies but I'm into you. And baby even on our worst nights, I'm into you. ❜

SEASON 4, EPISODE 2

infected

━━━━━━ October 12, 2011

BIANCA WAS STRESSED WITH how quickly their simple run to the grocery store turned on them. There were good supplies inside that they couldn't even touch. Even their cart that was stock-piled with supplies was left behind as they escaped.

⠀⠀⠀Then, Daryl's voice rang in her head. Keep movin'. And so she did. Bianca knew she couldn't just stand by and wallow. Their plan failed, and that was that.

⠀⠀⠀So, the next morning, she dragged Cal out to the front gates, where she worked most days. Her head was racing with ideas, and she needed someone to bounce them off before she exploded.

⠀⠀⠀"So, if we're able to find high-tensile wire, we can re-fortify the fences. The amount of walkers that pile up on them has been stressful on the chain link out there. It'll bust by the end of the year. Maybe sooner. The wiring will take time, but we don't have any way to recreate walls like Woodbury's, which would be ideal. In a few years, when we can spare the people, maybe, but for now, we work with what we can likely find.

⠀⠀⠀"I was also thinking of jingle bells on the poles to attract walkers with the wind or as they hit the gates. It'd call them over and disperse them better, but it won't be loud enough to draw more over. And on top of that..."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca glanced at Cal and noticed him staring. She closed her mouth and furrowed her brow as she noticed. When she looked at him, she could see the softness in his eyes and the goofy grin across her face.

⠀⠀⠀"What?"

⠀⠀⠀"Nothing, just... you're so smart. Have I told you that lately?" Cal asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Not in a while," Bianca said. She looked up thoughtfully, then smirked. She pushed up on her toes so they were nearly eye to eye. "Tell me again."

⠀⠀⠀"You, Bianca Downs, are insanely smart," Cal whispered. He closed the gap between them and paused so their lips brushed against each other. "You are the glue holding this place together. No one would be here without you."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca rolled her eyes as she felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she didn't believe him for a second. "Not true."

⠀⠀⠀"Mm, very true." He smiled, pecking her lips. "Very, very true."

⠀⠀⠀"You're just saying that because you wanna get in my pants," Bianca chastised with a laugh. She tried to pull away, but Cal pulled her back.

⠀⠀⠀"You might be on to something," Cal mused. He started swaying in the wind, his curls brushing against his neck and forehead as he smiled at her. "But I'm also right."

⠀⠀⠀"You keep telling yourself that."

⠀⠀⠀"I will! Because you saved me from that shitty town. You saved so many people, Bianca, and damn, is it hot when you do."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes. She leaned forward before Cal could notice and pulled him in for a deep kiss. His hand wrapped around her neck, fingers knitting into her hair, and he pushed her down for a better angle.

⠀⠀⠀"Hey, lovebirds!" Michonne shouted, breaking the two apart.

⠀⠀⠀Michonne trotted toward the gate with a shit-eating grin as she approached. Bianca felt the annoyance leak from her body at the interruption. Cal only chuckled, and her eyes darted to him as her frown deepened.

⠀⠀⠀"Would you open the gate?" Michonne asked.

⠀⠀⠀"Of course!" Cal called back, waving his hand. He turned to Bianca, furrowing his brow into worry. "Hey, it's alright. We've got the rest of everything together," he whispered, reassuring. His thumb rubbed against her cheek and then kissed the spot.

⠀⠀⠀Cal parted with a sweet smile as he jogged to the gate. Bianca trailed behind with her arms folded over her chest as she watched them. Cal pulled the gate back as his muscled tensed under his white shirt. Bianca stared hungrily, missing him already, wanting him so much more.

⠀⠀⠀"Any closer to finding him?" Cal asked Michonne.

⠀⠀⠀"No," she muttered, a twinge of bitterness. "But he's close. He's too prideful to leave this place alone."

⠀⠀⠀Cal nodded, agreeing, but Bianca could see the doubt pass over his expression. He'd told Bianca months before that he thought the Governor was likely dead or cleared out. He had a lot of pride, but Cal was certain he wouldn't return unless he had a surefire way to break them down. Cal couldn't see him finding anything. Not close, and not so soon.

⠀⠀⠀"Be careful," he told her.

⠀⠀⠀"Can't promise that," Michonne laughed.

⠀⠀⠀Cal closed the gate behind her and waved goodbye. Then, he sauntered back to Bianca with a sly smile to her narrowed gaze. Bianca didn't like how Cal looked at her. As if he could look into her mind and read every thought and feeling that waded within her.

⠀⠀⠀"You know what I love about you?" Cal asked. His arms wrapped around her shoulder, and he returned to swaying in the wind.

⠀⠀⠀"What?" Bianca muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"How your scowl could intimidate an entire room. How your eyes are so dark and full of mischief and brilliant ideas, but when you look at me, what I see most is undying love. I also love how incredibly smart you are that you could take any of these chumps in circles. Especially when you go full mad scientist rambling and sounding absolutely insane. How your cold hands are an expert at—"

⠀⠀⠀"Okay! Okay!" Bianca cut him off before he could get graphic. "I'm sorry. I know. I'm not trying to be jealous."

⠀⠀⠀But that's what she was, always. Michonne was beautiful, a badass, and the person who actually saved Cal from Woodbury. She helped him escape, and the two grew a never-ending bond together.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca knew she shouldn't be jealous. She was close with people, too. Daryl and Glenn the most. But she had always been insecure about getting replaced. It crawled up from her stomach and into her throat, where she felt like she was choking on even the idea of losing Cal.

⠀⠀⠀"I know. I know that," Cal assured her, calming the jealousy with just a few words. The worry line between his brows returned, and she wanted to smooth it down. "But y'know what? You also need to hear it. And that's okay because I've told you once, and I'll tell you a hundred more how much I love you. I love you! I love you! I LOVE YOU, BIANCA DOWNS, UNTIL THE WORLD ENDS!"

⠀⠀⠀Bianca flushed red again as she noticed Rick and Carl a few feet from them, staring. She pushed her face into Cal's chest from embarrassment and could hear Rick chuckle. She wanted to melt into the earth.

⠀⠀⠀"You're so embarrassing," Bianca said, but she couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, you love it," Cal dismissed.

⠀⠀⠀They stood together for a few minutes, swaying in the wind like two teenagers dancing at prom. There was an innocence to them at that moment that could only be ripped away by a muffled bang. They split apart, their reality crashing down as they looked at the cell blocks. Bianca ran toward Rick and Carl first, with Cal behind her.

⠀⠀⠀"Cell blocks?" Maggie yelled down from the guard tower.

⠀⠀⠀"I don't know!" Rick shouted, then turned to direct Carl on what to do.

⠀⠀⠀"Go and help Maggie," Cal said to Bianca. "I'll go with Rick."

⠀⠀⠀"No! You stay. I'm better at close range than you," Bianca snapped back.

⠀⠀⠀Cal held himself back from an argument. There was no time. Michonne whistled at the gates for someone to open them. Whatever happened in the prison was still raging, and they needed to go.

⠀⠀⠀"Fine, fine, go!" Cal shouted. He raised his hand and flicked it toward the prison.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca squeezed Cal's hand, reassuring him she'd be all right. Then, she sprinted after Rick, already heading for the cell blocks. She caught up to him when Glenn, Sasha, Daryl, and Tyreese arrived from the other cell blocks.

⠀⠀⠀"Walkers in D!" Glenn screamed at them.

⠀⠀⠀"What about C?" Rick yelled back.

⠀⠀⠀"Clear!" Sasha said. "We locked the gates to the tombs. Herschel's on guard."

⠀⠀⠀"It ain't a breach," Daryl said.

⠀⠀⠀"We followed the plan."

⠀⠀⠀Inside, it was chaos. People screamed as they poured out of every cell, and gunshots fired rapidly. Bianca had her knife in hand as she stayed on the lower level. Rick was at the staircase as he asked everyone who had moved past if they were a bit.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca helped people move out of the cell block. She cleared each cell and closed the doors as they were emptied.

⠀⠀⠀Angela, a woman from Woodbury, was caught by the collar with a walker inches from her face. Bianca slipped in behind the walker. Her knife sunk2 into the base of its skull just as its teeth latched onto the skin of her cheek.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca pulled the walker off as flesh tore with it. Her heart raced as she stared at Angela's mangled face with no way to fix what had been done to her.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, God," Angela breathed out. Her eyes were wide with terror, and her dark skin paled.

⠀⠀⠀Angela was rooted in place. Her breathing shuttered, and Angela swayed on her feet as she lost an incredible amount of blood. Suddenly, she fell forward, and Bianca caught her. Bianca panicked, devastated she couldn't do anything but stare at Angela.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca laid Angela on the floor as she cried. Her head moved up and down slowly as she whispered, "Do it. Just do it." Bianca checked her surroundings for any approaching walkers. She returned to Angela, resting her knife behind her ear, and sunk it into her skull.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca wanted to curl up and cry, but a walker took her mind away from Angela. She stood, grasping the walker's shoulder, and slammed her knife into its forehead.

⠀⠀⠀With the help of Sasha, walkers were killed, bodies were moved into cells, and the floor was cleared.

⠀⠀⠀"Are we clear down here?" Rick shouted.

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah," Bianca said.

⠀⠀⠀"We're safe?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, yeah!" Sasha assured him.

⠀⠀⠀"Up here!" someone called from upstairs.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca peeled herself off the ground and followed Rick up the stairs. It was eerily quiet, bodies littered the ground, and she blocked them out to keep moving. She spotted Daryl and Glenn ahead. She stepped on her toes to keep silent as she checked each cell they passed. Glenn shouted in surprise as a walker jumped out of a cell at him.

⠀⠀⠀"Get down!"

⠀⠀⠀Glenn held the walker at arm's length and folded himself over to get out of Daryl's shot. The bolt whizzed from the crossbow and lodged into the walker's head.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca followed the three men into the open cell and looked down. Her stomach twisted as she recognized the boy, dead, on the ground.

⠀⠀⠀"Oh, it's Patrick," Daryl muttered gravely. He turned to look down the hall and gave them a moment of reprieve as he assured them, "That's all of them."

ONE WALKER WAS LOCKED inside a cell with a sheet covering the door for privacy. Rick moved the sheet away and then plunged the knife into its head. He paused. The quiet brought the realization that the walkers they killed were their friends. The walkers hadn't always been their enemies, but people. Real people with life behind their eyes just the day before.

⠀⠀⠀Caleb Subramanian, a doctor from Woodbury, entered the cell. Meanwhile, Bianca, Rick, Daryl, Bob, and Hershel crowded near the door.

⠀⠀⠀Caleb had warm sepia skin and dark brown eyes. He wore a pale blue shirt and a loose cream-colored button-up on top. His hair was short, an inch over his brows, and hardly touched his neck. He had a light scruffy beard and a pensive expression as he examined the walker.

⠀⠀⠀"No bites. No wounds," Rick explained with a shake of his head. "I think he just died."

⠀⠀⠀"Horribly, too," Caleb noted, his lips thinning. "Pleurisy aspiration."

⠀⠀⠀"In layman's terms?" Bianca asked, furrowing her brow.

⠀⠀⠀"Choked to death on his blood," Hershel answered. He glanced up to catch her eye, and she could see the sadness behind them. "Caused those trails down his face."

⠀⠀⠀"I've seen them before on a walker outside the fences," Rick said.

⠀⠀⠀"I saw them on Patrick, too," Daryl added.

⠀⠀⠀"They're from the internal lung pressure building up—like if you shake a soda can and pop the top. Only imagine your eyes, ears, nose, and throat are the top."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca didn't have to imagine it. It sat right in front of her. A pasty sheen to the skin, clouded eyes, blood-red death streaking from every orifice in the face. The disease was a nightmare. More or less the one they were already in.

⠀⠀⠀"It's a sickness from the walkers?" Bob asked. His arms were folded over his chest as he stood the furthest away.

⠀⠀⠀"No, these things happened before they were around. It could be pneumococcal. Most likely an aggressive flu strain."

⠀⠀⠀"Someone locked him in just in time," Hershel said.

⠀⠀⠀"No, man," Daryl said, shaking his head. "Charlie used to sleepwalk. Locked himself in. Hell, he was just eating barbecue yesterday. How could somebody die in a day from a cold?"

⠀⠀⠀Rick's head snapped to the side. His eyes glazed over as he realized something.

⠀⠀⠀"I had a sick pig. It died quick. Saw a sick boar in the woods," he said.

⠀⠀⠀"Pigs and birds," Hershel stated. "That's how these things spread in the past. We need to do something about those hogs."

⠀⠀⠀"Maybe we got lucky. Maybe these two cases are it," Caleb attempted to lighten the mood.

⠀⠀⠀"Nah, man," Bianca sighed. Her eyes darted to his, then back to the walker. "We've never been lucky."

⠀⠀⠀"Bugs like to run through close quarters. Doesn't get any closer than this," Bob said with a firm frown.

⠀⠀⠀"All of us in here, we've all been exposed," Hershel said.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

Hee hee, I love them so much :) They're my only OCs that actually interact as a couple and it's so refreshing to write.

This episode will sadly be broken up into three chapters instead of the normal two because the POVs between Bianca and Cal work well into episode three.

If I post on my board that I've updated will it link to a Bella Twilight fic again...? We will see :'( I literally link from the chapter why did it do this?!?!

SONG: Still Into You by Paramore

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you'd like, they keep me motivated! However, this is an all kind of reader safe space. So even if you ghost read or comment every chapter, I hope you know it means the world to me that you've come into this fic ♡ I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and until the next one.