❛ Die, withdraw, hide in cold sweat, quivering lips, ignore remorse, naming a kid, living wasteland. ❜

SEASON 4, EPISODE 2
infected

━━━━━━ October 12, 2011

AN EMERGENCY MEETING WAS called after the shootout in Cell Block D. When Rick displayed he was in no condition to lead after Lori's death, a group of trusted people was selected to handle that responsibility. Bianca, Daryl, Carol, Hershel, Cal, Michonne, and Glenn were all appointed for their individual skills and well-respected.

⠀⠀⠀Glenn sat on Bianca's left while the seat to her right was empty. Cal and Michonne were dismissed from the meeting since they didn't want to contaminate them.

⠀⠀⠀"Patrick was fine yesterday, and he died overnight," Carol said softly. Her hands rubbed over her mouth as she tried to process the situation. "Two people died that quick? We'll have to separate everyone that's been exposed."

⠀⠀⠀"That's everyone in that cell block," Daryl said. "That's all of us. Maybe more."

⠀⠀⠀"We know that this sickness can be lethal. We don't know how easily it spreads," Hershel said calmly. His hands rested on the tabletop as his eyes lingered over every member reassuringly. "Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?"

⠀⠀⠀"We can't just wait and see," Carol said plainly. "And there are children."

⠀⠀⠀"We can separate the kids, but there's hardly anything we can do if we don't know who's sick," Bianca said.

⠀⠀⠀"It isn't just the illness," Carol told her with a deep frown. "If people die, they become a threat."

⠀⠀⠀"We need a place for them to go. They can't stay in D. We can't risk going in there to clean it up," Hershel agreed.

⠀⠀⠀"We can use Cell Block A," Carol offered.

⠀⠀⠀"Death row?" Glenn asked. A chill ran down Bianca's spine. "I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade."

⠀⠀⠀"It's clean. That's an upgrade," Daryl retorted. "Think that'll work for Dr. S?"

⠀⠀⠀Hershel nodded. "I'll help Caleb get it set up."

⠀⠀⠀A cough alerted the room. The committee stood in unison, on high alert, and entered the hall to find the culprit.

⠀⠀⠀"You don't sound so good," Carol called.

⠀⠀⠀Karen, a tan woman with thick curls framing her face, and Tyreese passed them. They turned with soft expressions but didn't seem worried by her cough.

⠀⠀⠀"We're just taking her back to my cell so she can rest," Tyreese explained.

⠀⠀⠀"Tyreese," Hershel sighed sadly. "I don't think that's a good idea."

⠀⠀⠀"Why? What's going on now?" Karen asked with furrowed brows.

⠀⠀⠀No one was sure how to explain it without causing a panic, but Glenn answered after a minute.

⠀⠀⠀"We think it's a flu or something."

⠀⠀⠀"It's how Patrick died," Bianca tacked on.

⠀⠀⠀"Judith was in that cell block. She's vulnerable," Hershel continued. He limped forward so he stood at the forefront of the group. "Anyone that may be sick or even exposed should stay away."

⠀⠀⠀"It killed Patrick?" Karen asked, looking at Bianca.

⠀⠀⠀"She's gonna be okay," Tyree reassured them, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Now that we know what Patrick died from, we can treat it, right?"

⠀⠀⠀"Don't panic," Hershel said. "We're going to figure this out, but we should keep you separated in the meantime. We'll have Caleb take a look at you. I'll see what we have in the way of medications."

⠀⠀⠀"David from the Decatur group," Karen told them. "He's been coughing, too."

⠀⠀⠀Glenn sighed and parted from the group. "I'll get him," he said, then paused and looked at Sasha. "There are some empty, clean cells in the tombs, right?"

⠀⠀⠀"Yeah, we'll meet you there," Sasha said.

⠀⠀⠀"Okay," Glenn nodded and left.

⠀⠀⠀"Come on," Sasha said to her brother as she led him and Karen out. "Let's get you settled."

⠀⠀⠀When they left, Hershel released a worrying sigh. "Have to call another meeting later."

⠀⠀⠀"Alright," Daryl agreed. "I'll get to burying the dead ones."

⠀⠀⠀"You wear gloves and a mask," Hershel told him pointedly.

⠀⠀⠀"I'll help," Bianca offered, and Daryl nodded.

⠀⠀⠀Before they left, Daryl stopped by Carol when he noticed her distraught expression.

⠀⠀⠀"You alright?" he asked.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm worried about Lizzie and Mika," Carol admitted. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she turned to Daryl. "They were around Patrick."

⠀⠀⠀"We all were," Daryl said, trying to level her anxiety with reality. "Karen and David are gonna be separated till they feel better."

⠀⠀⠀"You're right," Carol agreed. "Are you okay?"

⠀⠀⠀"Mhm, gotta be," Daryl muttered. He thinned his lips and turned on his heel to evade further questions. He nodded toward Bianca and said, "C'mon, kid."

BIANCA AND DARYL WALKED through the high grass, past the gardens, and toward the south end. A few graves were outside already from the past few months, but not many.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca had a bright red bandana around her nose and sunglasses to keep the glare and dirt out of her eyes. The shovel weighed heavily in her hands as she dragged it to where she'd start her first shallow grave. Daryl worked beside her, both silent.

⠀⠀⠀The pain of losing this many people at once felt like their first. Back in Atlanta, when they lost Amy, then so many others in just minutes. It was like something they could've avoided. Back then, Bianca was angry. She believed she could've done the impossible and found a way to save them all. She believed that if she wasn't so in her head about her family, she could've done what she should've done for them.

⠀⠀⠀However, after living in this new world for a year, the realization dawned on her. Every death was a loss, but it had been a long time coming. It was a miracle they even made it this far. Dying of natural causes would be rare. Even then, they would still wake with only animalistic instincts.

⠀⠀⠀"Glad you were in there," Daryl said suddenly.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca looked up and noticed Rick standing above them. He blocked the sun where he stood and frowned down at them.

⠀⠀⠀"Wasn't much use without my gun," Rick muttered.

⠀⠀⠀"No, you were," Daryl assured him and removed his mask. "All this time you've been taking off, you earned it. We wouldn't be here without you."

⠀⠀⠀"It was all of us."

⠀⠀⠀"No, it was you first. You gonna help us out with this?"

⠀⠀⠀"I screwed up too many times."

⠀⠀⠀Bianca looked up, intrigued by his claim, but regretted it as soon as she did. His face was plain with guilt, and blue eyes pinned on her as they began to water. Bianca was thankful for the sunglasses she wore. She held a neutral, impassive expression for Rick. She didn't want him to see the rage, the boil in her veins, or how betrayed she felt by him.

⠀⠀⠀"Those calls you gotta make," Rick continued, sounding exhausted. "I start down that road... I almost lost my boy—who he was. Whatever else this place needs, I'm here for it."

⠀⠀⠀"Like I said, you earned it," Daryl repeated. "But for what it's worth, you see mistakes. I see when shit hits, you're standing there with a shovel."

⠀⠀⠀"RICK! DARYL! BIANCA!"

⠀⠀⠀Bianca's head snapped toward Maggie then her gaze shifted to the gates behind her. A stage-four tumor pushed against the chain link. The metal began to bend and threatened the whole structure to collapse. Bianca's stomach dropped. Of all the things she worried about and tried to prevent, it didn't work.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca hopped out of the grave and sprinted across the field with Daryl and Rick behind her. She grabbed a spear from a pile and stood with Maggie to make a dent in all those coming.

⠀⠀⠀"The noise drew them out, and now this part's starting to give!" Maggie shouted.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca thrust her arms through the wire, cracking the walker's skulls as more people joined them. The bodies fell to the ground, but more spawned with no change. She got through ten, twenty, a hundred walkers, and they continued coming like a sea of rotting faces.

⠀⠀⠀Too much was happening at once, and the gate shrieked toward the ground. Bianca dropped the stake and rested her hands against the fence while trying to keep it up. Her back bent like the fence as others started to join.

⠀⠀⠀"Everybody back! Come on, back, now!" Daryl screamed.

⠀⠀⠀Bianca moved back. Her nerves shot with only minutes before the walkers would climb over and move right for the prison.

⠀⠀⠀"Daryl, get the truck," Rick said. The leader inside him came to life and echoed through their ears. "I know what to do."

⠀⠀⠀The two men left those defending the gate to get the truck and piglets. Rick sat on the back of the truck as Daryl screeched out of the front gates. Rick's knife went to the squealing pig's neck, soaking the grass outside their home. It drew the walkers away. The fence was distorted but better than it could've been.

AUTHOR'S NOTE —

I'm trying out this new system on Wattpad where you can schedule your chapters! I'm excited to see if this makes it easier/more convenient and if, by doing so, views/votes/comments goes up by the time in which it's posted. Because typically I post at 10 PM central time and idk if that is a good time to post (analytics wise).

But anyways, after this chapter I think we'll really start to get into the thick of things! Thankfully... this is a very filler chapter with no Cal, but I hope it can satisfy until next Friday. 

SONG: Wasteland by 10 Years

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.