Solitude -> The Walking Dead

43

"No bites, no wounds. I think he just died." Rick commented.

I scrunched up my nose in disgust at the dead body. There was blood from his nose down to his chest. His eyes, which were still open, seemed red as well.

"Horribly, too. Pleurisy Aspiration." Caleb stated.

I looked at Hershel with raised eyebrows waiting for an explanation that I'll actually understand.

He smiled at the gesture. "Choked to death on his own blood. Caused those trails down his face."

"I've seen them before, on a walker outside the fences." said Rick.

"They were on that kid, too," I replied, "Patrick, I think was his name."

At least there wasn't a breach in the cell block. We've spent months patching up the prison and working on its safety.

"They're from the internal lung pressure building up, like if you shake a soda can and pop the top. Only imagine your eyes, ears, nose and throat are the top." Caleb explained.

"It's a sickness? From the walkers?" Bob asked while crossing his arms over his chest.

As if them trying to eat us wasn't enough. Now we have to worry about them spreading diseases? We're constantly around them, there's no way we'd be able to avoid getting sick.

"No, these things happened before they were around. Could be pneumococcal. Most likely an aggressive flu strain." Caleb replied.

"Someone locked him in just in time." Hersel said.

Why wouldn't anyone report it? If he was feeling unwell, he would've come to Hershel. Maybe asked for some medication.

Daryl hummed in disagreement. "No, man. Charlie used to sleepwalk. Locked himself in. Hell, he was just eating barbecue yesterday. How could somebody die in a day just from a cold?"

I shifted uncomfortably at the prospect of it. If this sickness kills that fast, then we're all in huge shit. We saw what happened in this cell block. If it happens again, there'll be more of us dead than alive.

"I had a sick pig, it died quick. Saw a sick boar in the woods." Rick commented.

"Pigs and birds. That's how these things spread in the past. We need to do something about those hogs." Hersel added.

But how do we know who's infected and who's not? We thought everyone in this cell block was healthy and I doubt there's a test that we can do.

"Maybe we got lucky. Maybe these two cases are it." Caleb said.

I scoffed at his words. "Not to be pessimistic, but when was the last time any of us got lucky? We don't have the luxury of hoping this was an exception to the rule."

If we're wrong and these two cases aren't the only ones, then all of us here in the prison are at risk. And something tells me we don't have enough medicine to help everyone.

"All of us in here, we've all been exposed."

-------

The council meeting had begun. It consisted of me, Daryl, Carol, Sasha, Hershel and Glenn. Rick would've been included too but he chose farming duties instead.

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

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

"Most of the group has already come into contact with people who've been exposed. I don't think separating people would be of much use at this point." I argued.