WHITE FLAG

chapter fifty-six : death and sorrow
{ season four - episode five }

"HERSHEL!" LIZZIE SAMUELS yelled upon seeing the now-dead body beside Glenn, who was on the floor with blood trickling out of his mouth, gasping for air, moved his hand. "Kloe! Anyone!"

The walker's eyes shot open, the air bag still connected to his mouth. Hershel, who had left Kloe sitting with Sasha as she comforted her, snapped his head up when he heard Lizzie's yells for him and the woman.

Kloe, who also picked up on the yells from above, felt her eyes broaden when she heard the snarls of a walker outside of the cell she was in. With all of her strength, she pushed her body up, her eyes landing on the walker that lunged at Hershel.

Without hesitation, Kloe pressed herself forward, except she tripped up on someone's limp arm that was in the way of the cell. The person being dead and transforming into a walker.

She managed to balance herself before she could fall flat onto the floor, grasping onto one of the metal bars to a cell. Her head snapped over to Hershel, who was currently on the ground, his arm against the walker's neck to prevent it from biting into his neck.

"Everyone stay in your cells!" he shouted, his voice straining. A man that Hershel had been talking to stepped out of his cell, ignoring what he was ordering as he raised his gun, ready to shoot the walker.

"No!" a blonde girl cried, sprinting over to the walker on top of the man as she kicked the back of its knee in an attempt to get it off. Although, behind the man with the gun, a walker dragged its feet over to him.

The blonde woman grabbed onto the walker on top of Hershel, pulling it off of him. The walker behind the man grasped onto his arm, digging its teeth into his skin, causing him to yell with pain and pull the trigger, shooting the blonde girl directly in the head.

Kloe searched around frantically for a knife, the quick movement making her light-headed. The man fell to the ground, the walker shuffling on top of him as it sunk its teeth into his neck.

She rushed forward to Hershel, offering a hand to help him up. He took it, pulling himself up as Kloe grunted from the weakness she held. "Hershel, what the hell do we do? We don't have any weapons."

Kloe's attention got brought away from the walkers around her, which they were all distracted, and to the young girl above her. She lifted her head, catching sight of Lizzie, leading the walker that Glenn was keeping an eye on away.

"Come on. Everyone's safe in their cells," Hershel sprinted his way over to the staircase, making Kloe do the exact same. There was a reason why Lizzie was leading the walker away from the cell Glenn was in, and it scared her.

The moment the pair reached the top of the load of stairs, they subconsciously darted to Lizzie. The girl who was walking backward soon fell onto her back, causing the walker to crawl on top of her, causing her to let out a deafening scream.

Hershel reached out for the walker's shoulders, pulling it off of the Samuels' girl. Kloe took it from him, clenching her fists as she gained more strength. She struck her fist across its face, making it fall backward over the railing, landing on some sort of netting.

She shot her head over to the others, a concerned look plastering her face as she watched Lizzie panic. Hershel lifted her up, holding onto her shoulders as she searched the young girl's eyes. "You okay?"

"I called him nice," she squeaked out. "He didn't scratch Glenn. I thought maybe he listens."

Kloe felt her eyes broaden and the overwhelming emotion of worry taking over her. "What happened to Glenn? Where is he?!"

"In his cell," she responded, still attempting to catch her breath.

Without any sort of hesitation, the woman spun on her heel and sprinted down the cell, her heart pounding against her ribcage. As she got nearer and nearer to her husband's cell, she could hear his gasping and wheezing.

Her body crashed against the wall beside the cell, her eyes immediately landing on the silhouette on the ground in front of her. Within a millisecond, she grabbed hold of the battery powered lantern that was switched off beside him.

She switched it on from underneath, her heart sinking as she noticed the blood spilling out of Glenn's mouth, his eyes firmly shut. She crashed down to her knees, her hands immediately cupping his face.

The roles had switched around.

"What- what do I do?" she panicked, searching around herself frantically. Her eyes set on Hershel Greene, who rushed over to them. He knelt down, examining Glenn as he pressed his two fingers against his neck to check for his pulse.

He set down his flashlight as he peered over his own shoulder, noticing the walkers that were flooding the floor below them. It was beginning to get dark, and more people were dying as they started treading up the steps.

"You stay with him, make sure he stays awake. I have to take care of this," he told her, placing his hand on her shoulder and rubbing it comfortingly. She gulped, nodding immediately.

He rose to his feet, not taking two seconds to speed over to his partner, Caleb's, cell. Except, when he did, Caleb who was no longer alive lunged at him through the bars, but thankfully they stopped him from reaching the older man.

Kloe turned back down to her husband, an anxious sob leaving her as her hands trembled. "Keep your eyes open, Glenn," she muttered out, seeing that his eyes were about to shut. "Listen to my voice."

His eyes somewhat lifted to hers, trying his hardest to keep them open like she said. More blood ran out of the side of his mouth, causing her to remember some small parts of what had happened the night before.

She grasped onto his shoulders, shifting him onto his side as the blood clogged up in his throat began to stop him breathing. The blood poured out of his mouth, making her grimace nervously.

She sat there for around five minutes, continuously shifting him onto his side as more blood pooled into his mouth. She gave him small talks to keep him awake, which successfully worked.

Her body jumped when three shotgun bullets flew into walkers behind her, leading her to turn her head to the side, watching as Hershel panted heavily as the last walker fell to the ground in front of him lifelessly.

Without hesitation, he sprinted over to the married couple, kneeling back down beside Kloe. With the help of Hershel, she put her husband on his side again as even more blood flowed out.

His wheezes became more dominant as his eyes fell shut, making Kloe's heart pick up faster than it already was. "No, stay awake," she said, lightly patting the sides of his face.

He tried to do as she said, slightly lifting his eyelids. Hershel, who paused, realized they had the thing that they used to save the woman beside him only the night before.

"We still have it," he stated to himself, causing Kloe to look up at him with confusion. "We have the air bag, but it's on the walker on the netting."

Within an instant and before Kloe could even say anything, the man got up and limped over to the netting. She swallowed thickly, followed by a small cry as she looked back down at her husband.

A single gunshot went off on the first floor beneath her. She swerved her head to the side once again, her eyes widening when she spotted Hershel on the netting with the walker that tried to bite into his flesh.

His eldest daughter, Maggie, called up to him when she aimed her flashlight up at the netting above her. Jayce, who was beside his girlfriend, didn't waste another second as he raised his gun, ready to pull the trigger to save her father.

"No!" Hershel yelled back, "You could hit the bag. We need it for Glenn!" Just as he shouted out the last sentence, Jayce waited at least two more seconds before pulling the trigger.

Maggie stared at Jayce, a worried expression on her face. The walker beside Hershel went limp, the bullet successfully going through his brain and not the air bag.

"Where is he?" Jayce asked, lowering down his gun as he held onto Maggie's arm.

"He's up here with Kloe. Cell one-hundred."

With that, Maggie spun on her heel, jogging up the steps with her boyfriend directly behind her. Kloe, who had heard the footsteps, whipped her head up to the top of the staircase, her glazy eyes landing on two of her closest friends.

The pair stopped behind Kloe as she held his head, foam now dribbling out of his mouth. "Oh, Jesus," Jayce mumbled, his hand pressing against his forehead with anxiousness.

"He's turning blue!" Kloe shouted to Hershel.

"Kloe, you know what to do! Do exactly what you have been doing. Put him back on his side to clear his airway. I'm on the way," he instructed, dashing over to them.

Maggie crouched down to her knees next to her best friend, helping her put him on his side once again as the light red foam pooled on the ground. Hershel returned to the small group, air bag in hand.

"Put him on his back," he ordered the two women while Jayce kept watch behind them in case a walker decided to appear. They did as he said, putting him back onto his back.

Then, his gasping came to a quick stop when he could no longer breathe, his eyes widening. "Hershel! Wh- what do we do?!" Kloe continued to panic, her body trembling more than it ever had before.

"Hold his arms down." Maggie crawled over to the other side of the man, pushing down a firm hold on his arm while Kloe did the same with the other. Hershel got the air bag prepared, ready to put it inside his throat. "Come on. You know how this works."

Kloe sobbed as she felt his desperate attempts to move under her and Maggie's firm grasp, Hershel pulling his jaw down so he had a clear view of his throat.

"Come on, Glenn. Relax. I'm right here, okay," Kloe tried to comfort him, but she knew that it wouldn't do anything. Except, it did. His movement stopped as the tube went down into his throat.

"Stay with us," Hershel stated, squeezing the air bag. Now Kloe knew exactly what he had felt the exact night before, and it somewhat made her feel guilty. "Stay with us," he repeated as Glenn managed to breathe again, his gasping coming to an end.

Kloe placed her hand on the side of his face, stroking her thumb on it gently. "Everything's okay. You're going to be okay," she said just above a whisper as her heart rate decreased.

Jayce stood outside of the cell, a worried look on his expression as he watched them. Maggie rested her back on the side of the bed, panting heavily. Her father looked up at his daughter, "I didn't want you in here," he turned and looked up at the Bryant man, "Or you."

"I know," Maggie responded, supportively rubbing her best friend's shoulder as Kloe held onto her husband's hand, a tear escaping her eye. "I had to. Knowing some of the people I care about were here. Just like you."

Everyone's attention landed on the young girl that appeared beside Jayce, her eyes low on the Rhee man on the ground in front of her. Hershel watched her, "I told you to stay put."

Lizzie hesitated for a few moments, a sad look on her appearance. "Is it over?"

...

Kloe repeatedly smeared her hands against her jeans, desperate to get the stained blood off them. Again, she was covered in her husband's blood. She was currently sitting outside of his cell, Hershel and Bob were injecting Glenn with a medicine while he lay unconscious with the air bag still connected to his mouth.

Next to her on the ground, Jayce Bryant had his arms wrapped around her shoulder for comfort. His attention was brought to her hands, where they continuously harshly rubbed against her jeans.

"Hey," he began, bringing her attention away from her hands, "stop stressing, alright? He's okay now. You're both okay now." He sent her one of the biggest assuring smiles that Kloe had seen from the man.

She tried to return the smile she would always do, but she couldn't do anything. She was overwhelmed with the thought of losing the love of her life with just a snap of a finger and the guilt that she had put Glenn through the exact thing less than twenty-four hours before.

The pair's heads snapped over to the staircase, where they spotted Maggie Greene with a metal bowl filled with water. She sent the Rhee woman a look of sympathy before stepping inside the cell to where the other three were.

Kloe stood up, shifting inside the cell as Maggie exited it. She sat herself down on the stool beside Hershel, who was still squishing the air bag to supply Glenn the oxygen he needed.

She stared at him for a few heartbeats before looking up at Hershel Greene, whose eldest daughter stood merely behind him. "Dad," whispered Maggie, to which he looked up at her, "They're back now and we have this handled. Go rest."

The man turned back to the unconscious man, then the wife of the man who was already watching him. Kloe sent him a single nod, taking the air bag out of his grasp and began squeezing it.

He gave the two women a small, soft smile as he rose to his feet, walking out of the cell as he left them alone. Maggie sat down in the seat her father was in, sending the woman beside her a smile.

"You both were extremely lucky in these last twenty-four hours," Bob spoke up as he continued to inject the medicine into Glenn's veins. Kloe's head whipped over to him. "It's only been you two so far that have been saved."

Kloe's eyes flickered to the ground, already knowing how lucky they actually were. Glenn had almost died, but was saved. Kloe had died, but was also saved. Although everyone else who was put in the same position as they were had succumbed to it.

"I know," she muttered, almost like a whisper as she sent the man an appreciative smile. She liked Bob. He had a great sense of humor and he always managed to make her laugh or smile when he could.

"Strong son-of-a-bitches," Jayce chimed in, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood in the doorway. "They just never die. The Rhees are, in fact, immortal as the Kloe Rhee stated yesterday."

Kloe chuckled, "Daryl told you I said that?"

"He told most of us," Maggie replied, the corners of her lips rising. "He said that Kloe said and I quote, 'this bitch right here is immortal'."

"Yeah, and this bitch also never lies when saying shit like that," Kloe added, faint snickers coming from the other three. "Jokes aside, I'm glad we're okay too."

"We all are."

...

Kloe, who stared into the mirror in one of the cells, rested her hands on the edges of a sink. She was definitely getting better, the virus finally deciding to leave her.

She somewhat felt relieved, but was still severely anxious for her husband, who remained sick. It was late at night, and everyone else had gone to sleep, or so she thought.

"Why are you awake...?"

The Rhee woman's eyes were brought away from herself in the mirror and to the other Rhee, still looking exhausted like he usually did the previous days. She spun on her heel, instantly taking a seat on the stool beside the bed Glenn laid across.

She took his hands in hers, squeezing them carefully as a wide smile etched her lips. "I don't matter right now," she stated softly as she brushed a few strands of his jet black hair back. Her free hand traced over to a mug that was on another stool, waiting to be drunk out of. "Here, have some of this."

"Do you need any?" he wondered as his wife handed him the dark blue mug full of contents that would make him heal.

She shook her head, "I'm getting better. I'll probably be better by the morning." Without even having to put it on, a loving smile sneaked its way onto Glenn's face as he imagined her being able to live properly again - not live in a cell block of pure death and sorrow.

"Once you do get better..." he paused, catching his breath, "then I don't want you being in here...seeing more than you already have."

"Not happening," she objected. "I am a hundred percent not leaving you, Glenn Rhee. And I will not let go," she stopped for a moment, lifting the pairs' hands, "until you get better."

They watched each other's eyes for a solid ten seconds before she knelt forward, wrapped her arms around his waist as she slightly rested her head on his chest.

She made sure she didn't apply too much pressure to his chest, knowing that part of his body was most likely the most fragile at that moment. So after a few moments and seconds of listening to his heart, she sat back up.

"I miss your night time hugs," he informed her, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb as he examined her face for probably the millionth time in his life, still admired every time he watched her.

Kloe smiled widely, "Well, how about after all this is over in a few days, we can hug for as long as you want. We can talk about everything we want to talk about, watch the stars, laugh at old memories."

"I'd like that," he nodded, his fatigue eyelids sealing as he started to imagine what his wife had said, the smile becoming temporarily permanent on his lips. Although, while he pictured her words, he hastily drifted back to sleep, making sure he said the last few words he could before he did. "I love you."

"And I love you," she said back, beginning to rub circles on his hand when he stopped with hers. "To the moon and back."

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words: 3127
28th december 2022
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I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS !!