Reflections - TWD

25. It's starting.

When Isabella woke up the next morning, there was a faint smell of something burning. It didn't smell like cigarettes, no, it smelled like something was actually on fire, like if something were to burn on the stove.

She shrugged and ignored the smell, assuming that something had just been over cooked during breakfast. Nothing could go wrong, they were a community now. A peaceful community.

She walked outside, passing the breakfast hut and heading towards where Glenn was digging graves, happily running across the field, she felt great, honestly.

"Glenn! Hi, Glenn!" Isabella waved with a big smile on her face, he waved back but stepped back when she got close.

"Woah, you can't come near me." Glenn said, dropping his shovel.

Isabella shrugged. "I've already been exposed." She grinned.

Glenn laughed. "How'd you manage that?" He said, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"I was with Maeve and Theo." Isabella stated.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Glenn chuckled. "But you gotta tell me or Daryl if you start coughing or sneezing or anything like that, okay?"

Isabella nodded. "God, you're like a weird but cool uncle."

Glenn smiled. "Yeah, well, your uncle Glenn just wants what's best for little Bells."

Isabella scoffed and sat down, hanging her feet off the edge of the grave and swinging them. "Never call yourself 'uncle Glenn' again."

They both shared a laugh and continued chitchatting as Glenn dug more graves. Isabella occasionally smiled at Maggie, wishing that she was involved in the conversation but knowing that she couldn't come near them.

As they were laughing and talking, Isabella started to cough and she could feel a fever coming on. "Glenn...?" She mumbled, her words mashed as her head span.

Glenn sighed. "C'mon, let's get you to A."

Isabella shook her head. "No, I don't want to. Daryl will be mad."

Glenn climbed out of the grave he was digging and put a hand on Isabella's back. "What? Why?"

"John always used to get mad when I was sick...said it took up too much of his time." Isabella replied whilst she wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Daryl isn't John, though, is he?" Glenn asked as he began to guide Isabella to cell block A.

"No..." She mumbled.

Glenn caught up with Hershel and tried to shield Isabella from the conversation, but she could hear it loud and clear. "I mean, she's gonna be okay though right?"

Hershel tilted his head and decided to avoid the question. "Glenn, you aren't looking so hot yourself. Maybe you should stay with her."

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows when Hershel said that Glenn wasn't looking so hot. In her opinion, Glenn looked pretty good. She felt a bit stupid when she realised what Hershel actually meant.

"No. I don't feel anything, I'm alright." Glenn nodded, smiling.

Hershel sighed but nodded.

Daryl came out from the cell block, seeing Isabella's pale skin and the bags under her eyes, he immediately knew that she was sick.

"Shit, I'm so sorry." He mumbled rubbing his chin.

Hershel looked up, confused. "Why?"

"I-I mighta given it to her when we hugged, I dunno..." Daryl muttered, pressing his thumb and pointer finger into his eyes.

"It-" Isabella coughed. "It's not your fault."

Daryl shook his head. "You need anythin', you let me know, a'right?"

Isabella nodded. "Okay."

Glenn and Daryl both waved her off as she went into cell block A, both of them praying that this wouldn't be too bad for her.

"Bells? What're you doing here?" Isabella heard Maeve's voice from one of benches.

"Maeve? You're sick too?" Isabella asked, heading over to Maeve and sitting down next to her.

Maeve nodded and sighed. She had never been without Theo, and it was clearly hitting her hard.

"I'll keep you company." Isabella offered. "Ain't like I got any other friends in here anyway."

Maeve laughed. "Thanks. But you could have friends if you spoke to more people."

"I only like a few people though, I can't help it if people annoy me." The young girl laughed.

"You've gotta go see Dr. S, then we can hang out." Maeve explained and Isabella rolled her eyes but nodded.

She got up and began walking down the hallway, looking around for the doctor. "Dr. S?" She called out.

Horror washed over her as she saw other members of the community twitching and coughing up blood. At one point, even a walker lunged for her.

"We have to tell them. It's starting." Dr. S stumbled over to Isabella, now he was sick too.

More and more people were piling within the cell block, all of them coughing and spluttering. There was a knock on the door and Isabella looked up from the stairs she was sitting on, Daryl was waiting with a bag.

"Gotcha stuff in it, some pencils 'n paper, that tiger." He placed the bag on the floor and looked at her once again, more softly. "I'm goin' out, lookin' for antibiotics. I promise, I'll
find ya some."

Isabella nodded and covered her mouth as she coughed. He smiled sympathetically and walked away, giving her a short but meaningful wave as he left the cell block. Once he had gone, Isabella went outside and collected the bag.

She brought it up to the cell she was staying in, next to Maeve's and put it on the floor. Isabella took the soft tiger out and sat on her bed, hugging it tightly to her chest as she always did when she felt nervous or anxious.

"No. God, please no." Isabella groaned to herself as she heard Lizzie's voice, if there was one person she hated most, it had to be Lizzie, she was just mean.

Isabella furrowed her eyebrows as she heard Glenn's voice and then him coughing. "Glenn?" She sat up.

Glenn coughed and the sweat dripped off the black curls on his head. "I-I'm okay..." he mumbled, still coughing as he slumped to his cell.

Isabella couldn't help but blame herself for Glenn, maybe she gave it to him when they were digging graves. If Glenn died from this, Isabella would be at fault.

Isabella rolled over on her bed and kept on coughing and wheezing, it was like there was dust in her lungs and she couldn't get it up. Her temperature was rising and rising, she kept on expecting it to go down at some point, but it was never ending.

Hershel came in, a mask covering his face and he was carrying some supplies. Glenn was speaking to him.

"You shouldn't be in here."

"I have to be. I have to help." Hershel protested.

Glenn sighed and looked over at Isabella, who was sobbing through her coughs. "Alright, go see Bells first."

Hershel nodded and set up his station, he brought Isabella a cup of warm water with some herbs in it. "Drink this." He told her, demanding but still soft.

Isabella nodded and drank it, it helped for a short while. But she just started coughing again after an hour or so.

God, when is Daryl gonna get back?

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uh oh Isabella's sick :(

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sorry there wasn't an update yesterday, I'm finding s4 harder to write but I'm trying my best 🫶