Willow (Daryl Dixon)

~45~

The air was cold against my face, standing outside the watch tower leaning my arms over the railing. Scanning over the prison, not many people were up yet, I could see Rick and Carl down by the vegetable fields, and over by the other watch tower Glenn was climbing down the ladder to start his perimeter check. It was so routine, the same time everyday just like clock work. I felt a hand on my lower back, turning my head to see Daryl standing beside me, looking over the prison to. I was still getting used to this part of my own routine.

"You didn't sleep long," he grumbled, his thumb rubbing circles on my back.

"Never really do," I shrugged at him. His eyes looked down and he nodded his head. 

We both got dressed and headed down into the yard, I spotted Michonne perched on her horse getting ready to leave again. She was saying goodbye to Rick and Carl as they opened the gate and let her out. I wonder how long she'll be gone this time? Days, a week, it was always different.

"Help! Help! Please, come quick!" two voices were screaming.

I spun my head watching the two young sisters, Lizzie and Mika running from D block with fear in their eyes. Rick suddenly joined us, along with Sasha and Glenn who'd heard their screams to as we sprinted towards cell block D.

"It's not a breach, we closed off C and followed protocol!" Sasha informed us along the way.

We had to push past the people trying to escape, Rick and Sasha checking everyone for bites as they helped everybody get out. Daryl and I focused on the dead, shooting the people that had already turned. I put an arrow in a biters head as it stumbled towards me, I pulled my knife out for the next one, kicking its legs out and stabbing killing it. My torso flared at the sudden movements, but I pushed on watching Carol shuffle people into cells and locking them, then picking up a man who was bit. I followed after her, she was gonna need help amputating his arm if he was gonna live.

"Here, use this," I hurried, grabbing a belt and looping it around the mans arm. As I pulled it tight, I noticed some blood on the pillow and the back of his head. I turned his neck slowly, revealing another bite... Carol and I gave each other a bad look as I slid the belt off his arm and stepped back. He was gonna turn.

"I'll go find your girls, so you can say goodbye..." Carol told him, disappointment in her eyes.

I soon recognized him as Lizzie and Mika's dad, feeling a sadness wash over me. I returned to the others, as we began inspecting cell by cell and taking care of any other bitten or infected. Following the sound of sobbing, I opened the cell door to a mother leaning over a child, maybe 12 years old. She had a bite on her collar bone, and it didn't look like she was breathing anymore.

"I'm sorry," I knelt besides her.

She just continued crying as I but a blade into the back of her head before she turned. On the upper floor, we found Patrick dead and already turned. Looking him over he didn't seem to have any wounds or any bites, it's as if he just died? His face was covered in blood, seeping from his ears, nose, and even his swelled up eyes.

"I've seen this on a walker outside, is it some sort of virus?" Rick looked to Dr. S examining the body.

"Sickness like this had been around before the dead, it could be a lot of things," he shook his head at the group.

"And we've all been exposed," Hershel murmured, looking over all the corpses.

We regathered for a council meeting, it didn't last very long but we all decided that Patrick was our patient zero. The flu killed him barely over night, along with one more guy who luckily kept his cell shut avoiding more damage. Whatever it was, it was spreading fast, we caught Karen and Tyreese walking past, but Karen didn't look well and was coughing. We had to send most of cell block D into block A, it wasn't perfect but it didn't have corpses all over the place either.