CHAPTER FOUR || ISOLATION

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the following morning began with digging. digging graves. Alex and Glenn had been digging graves for what felt like all day, yet it was only just approaching 11 am. The Georgian sun against Alex's Skin causing her body to be covered in a thin layer of sweat as she pushed the shovel into the Ground scooping out more dirt, her lungs heaved, the pain in her back begging for her to take a break yet she didn't. she couldn't.

Wiping the hair from her face she looked across from her to see Glenn digging, his sleeves rolled up, his sweaty hair falling onto his forehead, the sun accentuating the muscles on his forearms as he dug. he was beautiful, and he was hers...

looking to her left she could see other members of the prison Also digging graves. the tension hung thick in the air as the lives lost the previous day caused grief to hang between everyone. the happiness that had flooded the prison only days prior having diminished. 

Alex couldn't help but think what would happen if she lost anyone else; Rick, Carl, Judith, Glenn... anyone else in the group, anyone else she considered family. she still thought about Eli. all the time. she could barely go an hour without memories of her best friend, her brother flashing before her eyes. She couldn't do it.

lori lingered in her mind every time she looked at Judith, the promise she'd made to both herself and Lori wouldn't leave her mind. she had to protect them. but against a virus... she wasn't sure what she could do. and there it was again, that helplessness that never seemed to leave her mind, with Lori, Eli, Glenn...   

**

"Sam!" Alex caught sight of the brunette rushing into the Cellblock, Wiping the sweat from her forehead she jogged to catch up with him, his long strides making it take a second longer for Alex to catch up. Sam turned his head looking at Alex as she caught up with him, walking beside him.

"Look Sam I'm sorry about yesterday.. it's-" Sam. cut her off without a second word, his long strides making it difficult for Alex to keep up with him, he was in a rush.

"it's all good, it's PTSD. my dad had it." He brushed off her apology, understanding the struggles that came with PTSD yet a sense of urgency clung to his Quick apology catching Alex off guard as she noticed the blunt tone in his voice and the expression of panic covering his features

"Someone killed Karen and David. burnt them. just spoke to Tyreese said rick went crazy" He continued, his words completely catching Alex off guard. As her pace instantly sped up matching his, someone killed? rick went crazy?

"What?! where's Rick?" she exclaimed in disbelief, now understanding Sam's bluntness as she followed him. The pair rushed into the prison their long strides now matching as they rushed to figure out what the fuck had happened, Alex rushed ahead of Sam anxiety filling her stomach. rick went crazy... what was that supposed to mean?

"Rick, what the fucks going on?" Alex exclaimed as she barged into the infirmary, heart racing,  Sam right behind her as she saw Rick sitting at a table while Hershel Cleaned the wounds on his hands. a bruise forming on the side of her uncle's face just below his eye socket as she rushed toward him and Hershel.

"Karen, David. they're dead." He sighed his uninjured hand running down his face, The stress of everything was a shock to his system since the past few months had been relatively peaceful then in the past few days everything had taken a shocking turn for the worst filling everyone with the familiar dread that came from the fear of death, the fear of leaving the safety of the prison.

"How? What happened?" Alex questioned in disbelief stood staring at her uncle as Hershel worked on cleaning the wounds on his hands as her eyes looked over his face for other wounds.

"I don't know. killed. maybe burnt Alive. someone here did this" Rick sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, Alex cursed under her breath as she leaned back against the table, Sam stood at the door his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the conversation his eyes darting between the uncle and niece. 

"and you punching tyreese?" She questioned running a hand through her hair, unable to fathom how someone could've done something like that. who would've done that? why someone would've done that?

"he came at me. we're gonna figure this out we'll find out what happened.. we have too" Rick sighed the end of his sentence making his words barely audible, Alex looked over at Sam who just shrugged in disbelief before her glance shifted to Rick's hand.

"yeah... yeah we will. his hand okay?" She asked turning to Hershel as she looked down at her uncle's bloodied hand, she subconsciously picked at her nail something she'd grown to do when she began feeling anxious, who could kill innocent people. 

"good news. none of these cuts need stitches. I wouldn't plan on much typing the next few days." Hershel attempted lighting the mood yet Rick's glance was fixated on the table, Alex nodded receiving a knowing look from Hershel she stood from her leaning position against the table patting her uncle's shoulder.

"we'll start talking to people. see if they heard anything" She nodded her eyes flickering to Sam as he sent her a nod knowing that's what the pair were now going to try and figure out, Alex glanced down to her uncle again before sending a look to Hershel hoping he was okay. 

**

"It's spread. Everyone who survived the attack in Cell Block D. Sasha, Caleb now others, they all have it" Hershel explained how quickly the illness was spreading as, Glenn, Sam, Alex, Carol, michonne and Daryl sat around the table listening. Glenn's hand in Alex's under the table as they looked at each other with a mutual understanding things were gonna get worse before they got better. if they were going to get better. 

"Jesus" Daryl muttered under his breath, The illness was a shock. now Karen and David, a killer in the prison. tensions were rising. quickly. they needed to figure it out, at least come up with a plan, and help prevent people from panicking further.

"so what do we do?" Sam questioned looking between Hershel and Alex, his trust laid primarily with Alex despite what had happened in the cell block. he trusted her. she'd been training him, and PTSD, he was familiar with it. it reminded him of his father and his words rang in sams head. It's a disease it's not something I can control...

"First things first, Cellblock A is isolation. we keep the sick people there. like we tried with Karen and David." Hershel Explained, Alex noticed the temperature change in Glenn's hand, The way his clammy hand gripped hers. Raising a brow she put it down to the fact he'd been in the sun all day, digging. maybe overexerted himself. and kept a mental note to remind him to drink enough water if he was out in the sun all day, she gently caressed the back of his hand with her thumb before turning her attention back to Hershel.

"the hell we gonna do about that?" Daryl questioned in regard to Karen and David's deaths. alex and Sam both looked at each other, the pair had been out asking around, almost every member of the community if they heard anything yet it was pointless... no one knew a thing. 

"me and Sam asked around. no one heard anything. so I'm assuming they were killed and then torched. I'm a sniper, not a cop, but I'll do what I can. get rick on board. we'll figure it out." Alex explained as all eyes around the table shot toward her hoping for more of an answer than what she gave.

"yeah ill keep asking around but we'll probably have a better chance of finding out what happened when Rick looks into it" Sam added agreeing with Alex's statement as the pair glanced at each other again, michonne and Daryl nodded along with their words knowing rick was probably the best person to figure out what happened. he was a cop after all. 

"don't worry. we'll get Greg to look into it. make a timeline. find out who's where and when. but what are we going to do to stop this?" Carol brushed off Alex and Sam's idea to investigate themselves, as the conversation turned back to the illness making Alex raise a brow, a killer in the walls where Carl and Judith slept was just as important, at least to her. 

"There is no stopping it. you get it. you have to go through it." Hershel stated knowing the severity of the sickness better than anyone else sat at the table. alex's mind wandered to Eli, he was needed. he could help more than she could. 

"but it just kills you" michonne added, her monotone voice making Alex sigh knowing she was Right. Glenn's clammy hand gently squeezed Alex's as he took a breath, her thumb gently caressing the back of his hand as she focused on Hershel and michonne.

"the illness doesn't. the symptoms do." Hershel corrected as he turned to Michonne. He didn't want to panic people more then they already were. panic was dangerous, people could leave... people could die. they wanted to avoid spreading panic if they could figure out a way to treat it.

"We need antibiotics-" Hershel began only for Daryl to cut him off.

"we've been through every pharmacy nearby" He stated knowing there was no chance of antibiotics there. Alex felt glenn's clammy hand tighten around hers again, her thumb gently brushing against the skin on the top of his hand. he was sweating, She could almost feel his body heat radiating from him, assuming it was just the stress and too much sun she squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort him.

"that veterinary college of West peach tree tech. that's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. the drugs for animals are the same we need." hershel explained as Alex nodded along with his words.

"That's 50 miles. too big a risk before. ain't now. I'm gonna take a group out." Daryl stated getting up, picking his crossbow up from the floor michonne followed getting up from her chair.

"I'll go too" she offered, wanting to do anything to help the people of the prison Daryl nodded as Hershel got up shaking his head.

"he's been exposed. you get in a car with him-" michonne cut Hershel off shaking her head as she remarked;

"he's already given me fleas" Alex snickered at her words as Hershel nodded. sam got up from his chair his eyes darting to Daryl, agreeing to go and help them find whatever medication they need, Alex turned her head looking at him the look displayed on her face one as is to say 'are you sure' Sam nodded, as he rounded the table prepared to put the skills Alex had been teaching him to use.