Pulse➵Glenn Rhee

06

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" the woman asked Andrea, who was panting on the floor.

Lori took a tentative step towards the woman. "I'm Lori."

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now," the woman said, holding the bloody bat to her side. Her voice was laced in a southern accent. "There's been an accident. Carl's been shot."

"He's still alive, but you've got to come now," the woman said in urgency.

It took a few moments for the news to sink. We all stood still, stunned by the horrible news. Shot?

"Rick needs you! Just come," the woman insisted as Lori took the backpack off her shoulders.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Daryl said, pointing a finger to the woman on the horse. "We don't know this girl! You can't get on that horse!"

Lori didn't listen and climbed onto the horse.

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl? Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene," the woman said before tugging on the reign and kicking her heels into the horse's sides. She and Lori disappeared between the trees.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked confusedly before we started back towards the highway, this time at a hurried pace.

Dale stood at the railing, waiting for us. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

Glenn explained what had happened as we made our way up the steep incline to the highway. "Shot? What do you mean shot?" Dale asked, his eyes widened.

"I don't know Dale. I wasn't there," Glenn said, climbing over the railway. "All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori."

"You let her?" Dale asked.

"Climb down out of my asshole," Daryl huffed at Dale. He was still angry about the whole thing. He complained about Lori the entire walk back after she took off. "Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's."

"I heard screams. Was that you?" Dale asked Andrea, who was still frightened from her encounter with the walker. Andrea ignored Dale and made her way towards the RV.

"She got attacked by walker," I explained. "It was a close call."

"Andrea, all you all right?" Dale called after her. She paused before entering the RV and turned to look at Dale. The look she gave him was nothing short of anger. She slammed the door once she was inside.

Dale sighed, drawing his eyebrows together. He wandered to the side of the RV and sulked.

I walked over to T-Dog, who held his arm and sat atop a plastic crate. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

T-Dog looked at the ground, "It really really hurts. It's throbbin' something awful."

"Let me see," I said and motioned for him to extend his arm.

He held out his arm and I pushed the bloodied cloth away from his skin. He gritted his teeth when my finger accidentally grazed his wound. "Sorry," I said. "Didn't mean to touch it."

I studied his pulse and put the back of my hand to his forehead . "How long have you had the fever?"

"Started a little after you left," he said. "I've been gettin' chills too."

He was breathing rapidly and his pulse was fast. "What do I have, doc?"

"Nurse," I corrected. "And since I'm not really a doctor I can't say for sure, but I think you have blood poisoning."