IF HE WERE to have kept counting, it would have been exactly five-hundred days since society collapsed. But unlike before, Y/N had stopped and simply started living.

THOKK!

The walker was taken down and Y/N went up to its corpse, retrieving his arrow. Behind him, Michonne came out of the house they were just looking through.

The two walked back to their horses. Y/N looked at what she had in her hand and questioned her.

"Kid who lived there had an entire stash." She held the booklets up. "And I ain't talkin' porn mags."

Y/N chuckled, taking them and seeing that there were comic books. They varied from Marvel, DC, and even a series he'd seen before called Invincible.

"For Carl?" Y/N asked.

She nodded. The man looked back at the booklets.

"These look neat. Might have to borrow some."

"Guess what else I found?"

Michonne took a small card out of her pocket. Upon seeing it, Y/N let out a chuckle, handing her the comics back and taking what she had.

It was a baseball card with him on it. He shook his head as he continued examining it.

"Kid had a few on the nightstand." She said. "Should've seen my face when I saw you there."

Y/N kept looking at the card. It was nice seeing a glimpse of his past self. He probably would've tossed the card aside afterward, but decided not to.

"Might give this to Ryan back home." He told her. "Maybe even sign it just for the fuck of it."

Ryan Samuels was a father of two at the prison who arrived a couple of weeks after the battle against Woodbury. It came as a surprise to Y/N that the man was practically a super fan of the Yankees and Y/N. He had bonded with him the last several months and in turn, Y/N and Liliana also formed a connection with his daughters, Lizzie and Mika.

"Do it now." Michonne suddenly said and took out a sharpie.

Y/N gave her a confused looked. He took it and let out a laugh.

"You just have a pen with you at all times?"

She simply shrugged. Y/N took the cap off and started to sign the card. Michonne decided to play along.

"Oh, my God. Thank you so much! I'm such a big fan."

"Stop it."

He handed the sharpie back to her and held the card, looking at it before putting it in a pocket within his bag. They continued to make their way to the horses.

Michonne and Y/N mounted their horses. The swordswoman spoke before they took off.

"So this quadrant's been dealt with. Doesn't seem to be around here."

"Any chance he's already dead?" Y/N asked.

"Do you think so?" She replied with a look.

Y/N let out a quiet exhale. "No."

The duo had been going on runs the last few months in an attempt to find clues on the Governor's whereabouts or the man himself. Only Rick and Daryl knew about their true mission, not even Liliana knew about it since she'd likely sway Y/N to stop.

"We'll keep looking in a couple of days." Michonne told him. "Come on."

She snapped the reigns and her horse galloped forward. Y/N did so as well and followed the woman down the road.

Rick had been tending to the garden with Hershel and Carl. They heard the gallops of horses and looked toward the gate, seeing their fellow survivors coming.

The man and the boy ran to the gate and operated a pulley system to open their repaired gate. It allowed the two inside and they immediately closed it back up. Y/N and Michonne dismounted their horses as Rick and Carl ran up to them.

"We're glad to see y'all." Rick greeted them.

"Glad to see you, too." Michonne replied, then looked at Carl. "Someone hit the jackpot."

She took the stack of comics from her satchel and handed them to Carl. His eyes lit up.

"No way. Awesome! Thank you."

"Sorry, couldn't find any bikini magazines for you." Y/N chimed in.

"Let's relax." Rick replied with a chuckle.

They laughed as well. Michonne spoke to Carl about the comics.

"I get to read them when you're done."

Y/N cut in. "Hey, I was going to ask first."

"I found them. I get first dibs."

Y/N shook his head and chuckled. Michonne started to speak to Rick and handed him a razor while Y/N spoke with Carl.

"That's part of the Civil War event." Y/N pointed out as he saw a Spider-Man issue in his stack.

"Yeah, I got a couple of others." Carl replied. "Sucks I won't be able to read the entire thing."

"If we can't find anymore, I'll tell you all about it."

Carl nodded with a smile at the fellow comic book nerd. Suddenly, a few cars came down the yard with Daryl in front on his bike. He stopped to greet the recently-arrived pair.

"Well, look who's back."

Michonne nodded. "Didn't find him."

Daryl knew who she was talking about. He simply nodded back.

"Glad to see you both in one piece."

"Michonne and I were thinking of looking over near Macon." Y/N told them. "I think it's worth a shot."

"70 miles of walkers. You might run into a few unneighborly types." He replied to two and then looked at Y/N. "You just had your little one. Is it worth a shot?"

Y/N let out a sigh as he glanced at Michonne, not giving a response. Daryl took the silence and looked at Rick.

"I'm gonna go check out the Big Spot. The one I was talking about, just seeing."

"Yeah, I got to go out and check the snares. I don't want to lose whatever we catch to the walkers."

"I'll go." Michonne abruptly said.

Carl called out. "You just got here."

"And I'll be back." She replied with a smirk.

"I'll go too." Y/N spoke up. "The more hands the better right?"

"I think we're all right." The lady stopped him from walking toward the car.

"You sure?"

Michonne had heard what Daryl said about worth and recalled that Y/N did just have his baby. Going out on that run searching for the Governor was enough risk for that day.

"Just go give that baby a kiss for me, Bambino."

Y/N chuckled, knowing the nickname was referring to baseball legend Babe Ruth. Michonne went to one of the cars and Y/N went to dap up Daryl.

"Y'all stay safe, then."

"Of course." Daryl replied.

He also bid farewell to Rick before revving his engine and driving away. Y/N helped Rick open the gate for them and watched them leave.

"Gonna go check the snares?" Y/N asked him as they walked back.

"Yeah." He replied. "And I don't need any help, just go on and see your folk."

Y/N nodded and Rick continued.

"I remember seeing Lili with the girls. You know how much they like being with the baby."

"I know." He chuckled. "Careful out there too, Rick."

The former officer nodded and went toward the stable where Carl was. Y/N jogged up the yard and entered the outdoor confines of the prison where its dwellers were around.

Many often greeted Y/N when seeing him. Alternating from a good afternoon, Mister L/N to a hey, Y/N or some other version of that. He was a part of the council at the prison so there was a form of respect there.

A couple of young guys were at the basketball court nearby and called out to him.

"Y/N! Want to get a game in?"

Y/N shouted back. "I'll get back to you!"

He kept walking. Ahead was Ramon who was speaking to a woman at the tables. He took notice of Y/N and excused himself.

"Aye!" He called out to Y/N and went up to him. "You're back."

"That I am." Y/N smiled.

"Everything went well?"

"Yeah." Y/N brought out his bag. "Got something for you, by the way."

He took out a lighter and handed it to Ramon. The man chuckled.

"Now you can stop asking for mine." Y/N said with a smirk.

"Thanks." Ramon replied and tested it. "Get any cigarrillos too?"

Y/N laughed as he started walking away, calling out as he left the Latino.

"That's all up to you now. And what I say about smoking? Your lungs are important!"

Y/N left the area and he could hear Ramon laughing behind him. He then entered the cell block where he saw other prison dwellers in the chow room.

Ryan was walking toward the stairs and ran into Y/N. The man greeted the former baseball player with a smile.

"Hey."

"Hey, Ryan. Seen Lili around?"

He pointed back over his shoulder. "Should be in the cell block with the kid."

Y/N nodded. "You headin' out?"

"Gonna go get the girls for storytime. Carol's reading some of The Outsiders today."

"Ah. That's a good book." Y/N replied.

Ryan quickly bid farewell and was about to leave, but Y/N stopped him.

"Uh, I got something for you on that run."

He took the baseball card out of the pocket of his bag. Y/N handed it to Ryan.

"What's this?" Ryan chuckled and then realized. "It's even signed?"

"I did that just now." Y/N said with a snicker. "I saw it and thought of you. I know that it may be nothing and it's—"

"No, it's cool. I collected a lot of these...to the chagrin of my wife."

The two shared a laugh. Ryan was only a few of the people Y/N knew that loved the sport as much as he did. Spending time with him brought a small feeling of pride that he used to feel during his time as a player.

Ryan looked at the card and spoke once more.

"I find myself thinking back at the times I'd watch the games with my wife...the girls playing in the backyard as it went on." He explained. "You know...my wife was never a fan...let alone a Yankees fan, but she started watching because of you. You came from her alma mater, her same hometown. She kinda followed you and I got to bond with her over it."

Y/N took in the words. He could only nod and let out a single wow in response.

"Again..." Ryan tapped the card. "Thank you for this."

The man walked up the steps and left the chow room. Y/N stood there, his hands on his waist and letting out an exhale as he still processed Ryan's story.

Y/N walked into the cell block and down to the cell at the end. He looked in and saw the folks he expected, a smile growing in his face.

They didn't see the young man at first. The blonde was looking into the small crib they had inside the cell and had her back turned to him. He went inside, hugging Liliana from behind and alerting her of his presence.

"My God! You're back."

"I said I would." Y/N replied and kissed the petite woman on the head.

Y/N looked at the baby inside, also smiling at the small infant. Lili bent over and spoke to her child.

"Guess who's back, AJ?"

They named their son after Liliana's father, Alan. The two preferred to call him AJ despite him technically not being a Junior. It rolled off the tongue better for them and their friends than saying Alan the second and it added more uniqueness than just Alan.

A/N: It's not actually AJ from the video games by the way I just wanted to pay homage to it.

The baby looked up at his parents and just cooed. Y/N smiled and brushed his cheek with his thumb.

"How have things been?" He asked Liliana.

"Nothing much. Beth offered to watch him while I spent time with Mika, Lizzie, the rest of the kids. Came back and fed him. Erica was here a bit ago."

Y/N nodded as he listened. Liliana always had a soft spot for kids (which is why she was studying to be a pediatrician before) and was loved by the children at the prison. She and Carol often worked together in reading and teaching them things.

"And you?" Liliana asked. "How was the run?"

"Didn't find much as we would've liked. But we got Carl some more comics and I even got Ryan a little present."

"Really? What was it?"

"You'll just have to ask him." Y/N replied with a smirk. "It's very special."

The blonde chuckled. AJ started to fuss a bit and Y/N immediately bent down to pick him up.

"I think little man wants to escape the confines of his prison." Y/N said as he carried him. "Pretty ironic, I know, considering where we are."

Y/N laughed at his own remark. He and Liliana walked out of the cell with their son to get some fresh air.

• • •

THE NEXT MORNING Y/N was with Rick and Carl in the yard feeding the pigs. He often found himself doing farm work with them thanks to being taught a few things by Hershel.

Y/N looked at a pig and pointed at it, calling out to Carl.

"Ain't this one Violet?" He asked. "The one you named?"

"Yeah. She's sick, though."

"Poor thing."

Rick poured food out for Violet and the other pigs in the pen.

"You know, worms will give them some extra protein." He remarked.

"Look at you, Farmer Grimes." Y/N joked as he rubbed the dirt off his hands. "Trading that six-shot for a shovel did do wonders."

Rick laughed. "I guess."

"Gotta give you a hat and some wheat to bite on and you'll have the look too."

The former officer remembered Hershel making that same joke the day before. He chuckled again and rubbed the top of Carl's head.

"My dad gets a hat and you get some overalls." Carl told Y/N. "It's only fair."

"Sure." The young man replied. "At that point, you'll wear a plaid shirt and we'll all be rocking the look."

blam!

Suddenly, the echo of gunfire caught their attention. They knew immediately that it came from within the prison. Michonne, who had just left and was outside of the gate, heard it too.

"Stay close." Rick told Carl and the three ran out of the pen.

Maggie came out of the tower. Below she could see Lizzie and Mika running out of the building and shouting at Carol.

"Help! Help! Please, come quick!"

"Cell block?" Maggie yelled at Rick and company below.

"I don't know!" Rick shouted back, then turned to Carl. "Get in the tower with Maggie. Don't argue, go."

Carl obliged and did as told. Rick turned to Y/N.

"Let's go."

Y/N began to run with Rick toward the courtyard. They went through the gates and ran into Glenn, Carol, and the two girls.

"Walkers in D!" Glenn exclaimed.

Y/N immediately thought about the cell block he lived in with Liliana and his son. He was worried there was a breach there too.

"What about C?" He asked.

At that moment, Sasha ran out of cell block C with Daryl and Tyreese. She overheard the young man's question.

"Clear! We locked the gates to the tombs. Hershel's on guard."

"It ain't a breach." Daryl said.

"We followed the plan." Sasha added.

They all ran toward cell block D. Y/N turned to Mika and Lizzie and spoke to the girls.

"Go to C! Don't get out until we tell you to!"

"Our daddy's in there!" Mika quickly replied.

Y/N reassured them. "We'll get him out. Go!"

Y/N immediately followed the group. Lizzie and Mika ran toward cell block C as the young man said.

Once inside, the shouts of prison dwellers and gunshots were prevalent.

BLAM!

A man shot at a walker with a shotgun which Daryl immediately took. Rick quickly asked for it and was handed the weapon.

"Are you bit?" Rick asked the man, who responded with a shake of his head. "Move! Get out of here!"

Y/N ushered some people who were running down the stairs out of the cell block, frequently asking if anyone was bit. Once most were out the young man unsheathed his knife and ran over to the straggling walkers within.

"Get up!" Daryl exclaimed at a kid on the ground. "Get back in the cell!"

He carried the boy and immediately shot a nearby walker with his crossbow.

THOKK!

Carol ran over to another child who was crying. A walker came down the stairs and was about to grab her but Y/N bolted in and stabbed it through the back of the head.

SULK!

Carol immediately took the girl to Karen who was in a cell. Rick nearby carried another child and called out to running passerbys.

"Go!"

Y/N killed another walker that was behind him.

SULK!

Ryan was struggling with a female walker nearby. Unfortunately, it got the best of him and bit into his arm. The man yelled out in pain which alerted Y/N.

The young man ran to Ryan's aid and immediately dispatched the walker with a stab through the top of its cranium.

SULK!

Y/N saw Ryan's bite that was gushing out blood. He only knew of one way to make sure he would survive.

"Carol!" He yelled out. "Carol! Carol!"

The woman heard and ran over to them. She too saw the bite and knew what she had to do.

"I got it!" She told Y/N.

Y/N pat Ryan on the back and let him be escorted by Carol into an empty cell. Y/N then moved to assist the rest of the group in dealing with the situation.

"Check all of them!" Rick exclaimed. "Every cell!"

Y/N ran down and saw a walker crawling toward a locked cell where a family was at. He immediately stomped on its head.

CRUNCH!

"Are we clear down here?" Rick shouted again. "We're safe?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sasha responded as she stood by Tyreese.

"Up here!" Glenn called out from upstairs.

Rick, Daryl, and Y/N ran up the steps. They saw Glenn checking one of the cells and was suddenly grabbed by a walker.

"Down!" Daryl exclaimed as he aimed his crossbow.

Glenn did as told, lowering his head and shoving the walker away a bit so the redneck could shoot.

THWICK!

The walker fell to the ground. Daryl helped Glenn up and the Asian man nodded in thanks. Rick and Y/N walked up to the cell Glenn was going to check and moved the curtain aside.

There were two bodies of prison dwellers that had been devoured, likely while they were asleep. Daryl looked down at the corpse of the walker he killed and realized who it was.

"Oh, it's Patrick."

The boy was one of Carl's close friends. Y/N let out an exhale and shook his head as he laid eyes on the corpse. He walked back, leaning over the railing and gazing upon the bloody cell block.

"That's all of 'em." Daryl said.

Afterward, some of the other survivors along with Hershel came in to help out with the aftermath. This included Ramon who checked the rest of the cells with Glenn.

Y/N walked downstairs. He passed by a cell with a woman kneeling over and covering a corpse with a white tarp. She sobbed as she did so, leaving Y/N saddened as he walked away.

He walked over to the cell Carol had taken Ryan to. The young man expected to see the result of a successful amputation and hear that his friend was going to be okay.

Y/N entered, seeing Carol beside Ryan who was lying on the bed. He still had his bitten arm intact, which perplexed him. Carol walked up to Y/N and spoke bluntly, albeit quietly.

"Wasn't just his arm. They got him in the back of the neck."

Y/N let out a shuddered breath at the news. He glanced at Ryan, who was already sweating bullets and breathing heavily. Y/N walked over to the man and stood beside him.

"I know—I know what's gonna happen." Ryan admitted. "I know—"

"Just relax, Ryan." Y/N knelt near the bed and spoke. "Do that for me, man."

Y/N stayed quiet for a moment as he looked down. Ryan spoke again.

"Lizzie and Mika...I can't tell you how much I appreciate you and Lili being there for them. Aside from you two and Carol...there's—there's nobody else."

Y/N took in his initial words. He glanced at Carol, who was also tearing up before leaving the room. The young man knew she was on her way to get the girls in order to let them say goodbye.

Ryan spoke again. "Kids on their own, they don't have a chance. I—I know you have one you have to look out for already but—but can you look out for them too? Like they're yours?"

Y/N looked directly at Ryan. The young man swallowed as he nodded his head.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it, man. I will."

Despite the pain and anguish Ryan was feeling, it seemed to all get better after hearing Y/N's reassurance. He laid his head back on the small pillow and let out a shuddered breath.

"Carol's getting them." Y/N said. "You're gonna have to let them say goodbye. Is that all right?"

Ryan turned to his friend and nodded. Y/N feigned a smile and lightly pat his shoulder.

Sometime later, Carol came back in with Ryan's daughters. She was also joined by Liliana, who was told by the older lady about what had happened.

Mika and Lizzie went up to their father. Y/N backed away and stood by the door with Carol and Liliana.

"Dad?" Mika spoke sadly, then looked back at the adults. "We have to go get Dr. S."

"He's been bit, honey." Liliana told the eight-year-old. "The doctor won't help."

The two girls held Ryan's hand. The man had his eyes half-lidded and spoke to them weakly.

"Take care of your sister."

That request was for no one specific as he wanted Mika to look out for Lizzie and vice versa. And those were his last words...as his grip loosened and his eyes finally closed.

"Dad?" Lizzie called out. "Dad?"

Mika was about to cry. "No..."

"Come on, it's time." Carol went up to the girls and ushered them back.

"No." Mika said again.

"You know what we have to do. What we're always supposed to do. You can wait outside if you want. Okay?"

Carol was about to unsheathe her knife, but Y/N stopped her. The man let out a breath.

"I got it."

The short-haired lady nodded and stood back with the rest. Y/N took out his knife and went up to Ryan's corpse. Suddenly, he was grabbed by Lizzie which caused him to halt.

"We should be the ones." Lizzie said as she looked back at Mika.

"No." She sobbed. "I can't."

"Lizzie..." Y/N spoke.

"Carol taught us. I can't do it."

The young man was speechless. It should have been an easy task to hand the girl his knife but something didn't let him.

"I...I—"

Carol went up to Y/N and took the knife from him, giving it to Lizzie. She started to coach her into doing the deed.

"Okay, well, you have to do it now. You need to do it right now because you have to do it before he turns. We're gonna stay right here."

Y/N stood beside Liliana and Mika. Lizzie stepped up to Ryan with the knife while Carol was close by.

"You remember what I showed you?"

Lizzie nodded. She neared the blade to her father's face when suddenly, she started to hyperventilate. She dropped the knife and walked back into the arms of Carol.

"It's okay. It's okay."

She looked at Y/N, letting him know that it was time for him to do it. The man swallowed before picking his knife up and leaning over Ryan. As he did so, Mika tried to calm her older sister down.

Y/N moved his head aside and looked for the easiest spot he knew to stab into. He inhaled as he looked at his friend's face.

SULK!

He finally put him down. Lizzie had gotten a glimpse of the act and cried harder. Carol was there to console Lizzie as she sobbed. Mika also shed tears and allowed herself to be comforted by Liliana.

Y/N knelt there...letting out the breath he just took in and looking down at the floor.

• • •

THE COUNCIL CONVENED later that day. Carol, Daryl, Sasha, Y/N, Glenn, and Hershel sat around the table in the prison library and discussed the situation at hand.

"Patrick was fine yesterday, and he died overnight. Two people died that quick?" Carol asked. "We'll have to separate everyone that's been exposed."

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

"We know that this sickness can be lethal. We don't know how easily it spreads. Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?" Hershel asked.

"We can't just wait and see. There's children." Carol said. "It's not just the illness. People die and they become a threat."

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

"What about cell block A?" Y/N brought up.

"Death row?" Glenn replied. "I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade."

Daryl actually agreed with the former ball player's recommendation. "It's clean. That's an upgrade. Think that'll work for Dr. S?"

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

Y/N let out a sigh. Hershel looked at the young man.

"You were in there too dealing with the dead. I'd recommend keeping your distance from Lili and your boy in case you get any symptoms."

"Right." Y/N nodded his head and sat back. "Good idea."

They then heard a woman coughing in the hallway. The council got out of their seats and walked toward the door.

Outside were Tyreese and Karen, the two having just become a couple earlier that week. The woman was coughing while her boyfriend had his arm around her and asked if she was okay.

"Mm-hmm." Karen replied but continued coughing.

Carol walked out and overheard. "You sure? You don't sound so good."

"I'm just taking her back to my cell so she could rest." Tyreese told them.

"Tyreese, I don't think that's a good idea." Hershel replied.

"Why?" Karen asked. "What's going on now?"

Each of the council members looked at one another. Glenn decided to answer her.

"We think it's a flu or something. That's how Patrick died."

Hershel stepped forward. "Judith and AJ are in that cell block. They're vulnerable. Anyone that may be sick or even exposed should stay away."

Karen was taken aback. "It-it killed Patrick?"

"She's gonna be okay." Tyreese reassured. "Now that we know what Patrick died from we can treat it, right?"

"No need to panic, Ty." Y/N said. "We're gonna figure this out."

"We should still keep you separated in the meantime." Hershel told Karen. "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, he's been coughing, too." Karen admitted.

Carol and Sasha let out a sigh. Glenn did so as well and started walking away.

"I'll get him. There's some empty clean cells in the tombs, right?"

Sasha nodded. "Yeah, we'll meet you there."

She went up to her brother and Karen and ushered them down the hall. Hershel looked on and stood by the rest of the council members.

"Have to call another meeting later."

"All right." Daryl said. "I'll get to burying the dead ones."

"Wear gloves and a mask."

"Mm-hmm."

Hershel walked away. Daryl was about to as well but Y/N called out.

"Need a hand?" Y/N asked.

"Nah. Can't risk baby ruth getting sick now."

Y/N softly chuckled. He still wondered if his nickname for his son was supposed to be Babe Ruth or if Daryl purposely named him after the candy bar.

"Again. Why man?"

He could hear Daryl chuckle as he left. Y/N let out a sigh and leaned against a wall, not noticing that Carol was still behind him.

"Everything all right?" She asked after noticing his mood.

Y/N thought back to earlier in the day. Ryan's dying wish lingered in his head.

"Lizzie and Mika, losing their dad...uh..." Y/N paused. "We gotta look out for them. We gotta."

Carol knew what was on the young man's mind. He had just had a baby and now he was entrusted with the care of two girls. It was overwhelming.

"You and Lili won't be alone." Carol reassured him. "I had a daughter before."

That was the first time Y/N has known that as Carol never mentioned it to him until now.

"Really?"

She nodded. "I can give a fella like you tips to be a girl dad."

Carol softly smiled and walked away. Y/N did as well, standing there for a few seconds before leaving the hallway too.