Faded Scars (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 41

"I won't finish it." Lizzie replied, her voice small. "Why?" Hershel asked. "It's gonna get to dark." She answered back as Hershel crouched down in front of her. "Well, give it your best try and drink some tea." Hershel instructed the small girl as Scarlett began to cough and pressed her back into the wall.

In the room, Hershel stood at the foot of Mr. Jacobson holding a bible as Glenn pulled out his knife. Scarlett stood near the wall, using it as support as she watched on. "You haven't had to do this yet, have you?" Glenn questioned Hershel, who shook his head and looked at Mr. Jacobson with sad eyes. "There was one late last night. Sasha did it. People don't need to see it. I don't want them to." He said as the dead man quickly rose as a walker and began to groan. Glenn skillfully lodged his knife right through its skull, blood streaming down its face. Scarlett turned away as she violently coughed into her arm before turning back to meet Glenn's worried gaze.

Maggie watched as Hershel walked into the room that separated them by glass. His lantern lighting up the darkened room as he walked closer to the glass and stared at his worried daughter on the other side. "Where's Glenn? He said he would meet me." She managed out, tears threatening to spill. "He's resting." Hershel plainly replied back to his daughter. "Is he okay? Is Scarlett okay?" Maggie asked, her voice stuttering as she worried for her boyfriend and friend. "They were helping me and they got tired, that's all." He said to Maggie. "If you need help, I can help you." She pleaded and Hershel sighed.

"I don't. I was just keeping them occupied. Keeping their mind on helping people." He explained, but noticed the terrified look that continued to grow in her eyes. "I can come in there and help you." Maggie pleaded to her father. "No, you don't need to." He said firmly, not wanting to risk getting her infected. "You can rest-." Maggie pleaded, but Hershel stopped her as he rose his voice. "No!"

He rubbed the back of his neck while Maggie watched him with pleading eyes. "How's Bethy?" He asked, his eyes softening as he looked back up at his oldest daughter. "She's okay. Daddy, you look so tired." She said sadly. "I am." He chuckled dryly causing Maggie's face to drop in concern. "But I'm fine. They could return any minute now. It's hard in here. But we're holding it together. We're gonna make it. Don't you believe that?" He asked her as she looked through the glass.

"Of course." She said weakly. "Just hold it together a little longer. Please?" He asked Maggie, who turned away and met his gaze again with cloudy eyes. "I love you, honey." He replied when she gave him a small smile. She nodded. "I love you, too." She said with a small smile. Hershel grabbed his lantern and walked away from the room, leaving Maggie standing behind the glass to watch his retreating figure.

As Hershel walked out, Glenn stood there with Scarlett at his side. "Thank you for stopping her." He said, sweat glistening his skin. "We need someone out there taking care of things." Hershel replied.

"If she saw me, I couldn't keep her out. I know you didn't want to lie to her." Glenn managed out. "I wasn't lying. Look at y'all, you're resting." Glenn and Scarlett chuckled at Hershel's comment. "I'm almost done down here. Why don't you two go lie down?" Glenn nodded, while Scarlett stayed and looked at Hershel. "Go on, Scarlett." He said and motioned to the way Glenn was going. "Sleep won't...do me..no good." She managed out and Hershel gave her a soft look. "Try, Scarlett. Just try." Scarlett sighed and slowly followed Glenn, her feet feeling like concrete blocks and she made her way towards a cell.

The two laid in a cell just staring up at the ceiling, their bodies aching and begging them for sleep. "Think they're still alive?" Glenn asked, breaking the sounds of coughing that came from below. "Yeah...I know...they're okay. They..have..to be." Scarlett managed out and carefully sat up, so that she could cough. "You worried about him?" He asked and there was silence. "Yeah...I am. He's..fine though..and they'll...they'll get back." She said and turned her head to look at Glenn, who eyes were dull and colorless.

"Don't..give up..on me..Glenn. Everything is...is okay." A small tear ran down Scarlett's cheek. She was exhausted from fighting the illness, but couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Leona and so she felt there was no point to even try. "Scar, it's okay." Glenn said to the woman, knowing that these last few days had taken their toll on her. "We're gonna survive." She gave him a weak smile and laid back down to stare up at the ceiling again, the sound of coughing still echoing throughout the cell block.

Glenn was in Henry's cell pumping the air bag as Hershel walked up after letting Scarlett walk around the cell block and check on the others. "Thank you." Hershel said as he walked up to Glenn, who only gave him a weak smile. Hershel then went to the cell that occupied Caleb. "Let's have a look at you." Hershel said, walking into the cell where Dr. S sat. When he reached for Caleb's hand, Caleb quickly moved it away from Hershel's grasps.

"Doctors make the worst patients." Hershel joked as Caleb turned towards him. "Not everyone gets to live." He said, his voice shaky. "End stage is a point that no one comes back from or they....or they can't. That's where I am. No, you need to focus on the ones that can make it. I made some more IVs." He said and pointed lazily to some bags sitting on a table. "If you're not ready to lose one, then you're gonna lose them all. It's like turning off a light, it'll happen one after the other. And they don't just die." Caleb explained coldly, his face and shoulder hidden by shadows.

"We can hold on." Hershel said after Caleb stopped. Caleb sighed and began to stand up. "Caleb." Hershel said and tried to get the doctor to sit down again. Dr. S moved to sit on the ground away from Hershel instead of the cot, his voice becoming raspier. "After what happened in the other cell block, when I came in here, I brought these." He opened a chest that held shotguns and some ammo. "Get back in bed now. We're not that bad off." Hershel protested. "When we are, it'll be too late." Caleb argued as he moved back onto the bed. "You don't understand. You have a chance. This is it after this." Hershel quickly stopped the man. "I'm not giving up on anyone. Not yet." Caleb nodded. "Just make sure everyone's doors are shut." Hershel sighed and looked to the doctor. "Caleb." He said slowly. "Just make sure!" Caleb shouted and began to cough violently.

"Caleb, you've got to let me look at you." Hershel said and moved towards the man, holding the lantern up to his face. Caleb's eyes were bloodshot and sweat covered every surface of his face. "Okay, Hershel." He said. "Have a look." Blood streamed from Caleb's eyes and nose as he looked at Hershel in the dim light of the lantern.

Scarlett watched as Hershel cautiously closed the doors to all the cells, trapping the people inside. She suddenly saw a man pass Hershel, gagging painfully on his own blood and falling to the floor with a thud. She moved over to where Hershel was quickly moving to the man as he spit blood onto the concrete floor.

Her eyes scanned the people watching from their locked cells as the man gurgled the blood loudly before stopping completely, and she snapped her head towards the man and Hershel, meeting his worried gaze with her own. People looked out of their cell in fear as Hershel looked around and their panicked eyes.

"Everyone, get back in your cells. Go on, get back in your cells." Scarlett looked over at Sasha and they both moved towards the wheeled cot. "Let's get him on this." Sasha said as her and Scarlett pushed the cot over to Hershel. Hershel lowered the cot while Sasha and Scarlett lifted the man onto the cot. "Go rest." Hershel said to both of them, but Scarlett slowly shook her head. "Can you make it to your cell?" He asked Sasha and she nodded, but Scarlett stepped forwards. "Hershel." She said breathy. "Scarlett, go rest, now." He instructed and she stepped back with a nod. She grabbed Sasha's arm and carefully lead her back to her cell, then left to her own.

She closed the cell door and walked backwards until her back hit the wall, sinking down to take a seat against the floor. She looked around at the etched in names and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall as sleep finally consumed her aching mind and body.