Rio stood outside the abandoned office block. He tugged on the rucksack on his back, the weight reminding him why they were there. Carl was beside him, Rick and Daryl a few feet behind. The boy turned to face them but he was met only with a stern look.
"I just don't see the point." He sighed.
"We've got to keep you safe. All the children—, all the elderly." Rick began, explaining what he'd already done before. He fiddled with the tight bandage around his hand. Blood speckled the bandage wrapped around his knuckles, seeping through all the layers. Rio looked up to his face to see that it sported a matching bloody layer. His eye was bruised too.
"I can help."
"If you get sick—."
"I'm gonna die?"
"Probably." Daryl replied bluntly. The boy shot a look at him, dumbfounded.
"Okay." Rio nodded along, thinking about it for a moment. There wasn't much to think about. "I'll see you in a week. Hopefully."
"Yeah."
Rio walked into the block with Carl and the first thing he noticed was a mess. Empty office rooms with sheets of paper askew across the corridors. The floor was covered in a carpet stained by drinks and additionally blood. It seemed to be messier than the actual cells. The boys made an effort not to bump into the cabinet that leant against the wall in the corridor, the drawers hanging out and slowly breaking.
"What happened to your dads face?" Rio asked once they were comfortably inside the building. It looked smaller on the outside, the building not doing justice to the ample corridors.
"You know Karen?" Carl said.
"Of course I know Karen." The other boy frowned.
"Well, she got sick and someone killed her. David too. Tyreese got mad and then he got into a fight with my dad."
"Who killed them?"
"That's the weird part. Nobody knows."
"So, there's just a killer walking around?"
"Yeah."
"That's scary." Rio replied, stopping at a room towards the middle of the hall.
"This one is fine." Carl said after taking a look inside.
"That's why I stopped here."
Rio was busy picking up all the paperwork from the floor when someone walked past. Their figure blocked the door for only a split second but the boy could tell who it was.
"What's Hershel doing?"
"I don't know."
"Where are you going?" Carl called from down the hall. Hershel stopped what he was doing, turning to face the two boys.
"I'm down here away from y'all because you kids are supposed to stay away from me."
"We've been walking the halls. My dad told me to look out for everyone."
"That includes you." Rio added.
"Well, you should keep your distance."
"You're walking towards the exit." Carl pointed out.
"Where are you going?" Rio asked again.
"I need to go out there."
"To the cell blocks?"
"To the woods."
"So you're sneaking out?"
"Don't need anyone worrying about me and I damn sure don't want someone telling me I can't go." The man responded sharply.
"I can't just let you go out into the woods by yourself."
"Let me?"
"We can't stop you." Carl admitted. "But I'll have to tell my dad."
"Go ahead, then. I'll be out there by the time you find him." Hershel began to leave, turning the corner.
The boys looked at each other for a moment before calling out to the man.
"If you have to go. Then we have to come with you."
"Carl."
"At least let me come." Rio tried to bargain.
"I'm coming too."
"No, the one of you is fine." Hershel replied.
"Okay." Carl sighed.
"I'll go get my crossbow."
"Here, just take this for now." He placed his gun in Rio's hands, warning him not to break it.
"I won't." The boy smiled back before walking off, leaving Carl in the hallway.
Hershel was a few paces ahead, leading Rio out to the woods. The boy caught up with ease, falling into step besides him.
"What do we need?" Rio asked as they wandered into the tree line, the thick and bushy branches creating a thick shadow across the ground.
The man pulled a thin white sack out of his pocket, unfolding it and showing Rio. "We're going berry picking."
"To make medicines?" He asked hopefully. The boy liked to help Hershel in helping people. He'd found out pretty quickly. Now Rio would spend time with him and Beth down in the infirmary, watching as they wrapped bandages or cleaned wounds and took note of what sickness needed what medicine.
"Of a sort." Hershel responded. "They're elderberries, natural flu remedy. Might help everyone out a bit."
"That's cool."
Hershel knelt down besides Rio, telling him which ones to pick. He held the bag out for the other boy to put them in.
"How does it work?"
"The berries?"
"Yeah." He specified, grabbing a branch and pulling each berry off, careful not to squash it.
"I put the berries into a tea."
"But how do the berries work?"
"They just do." Hershel replied simply.
"Well, it's lucky for us that they do work."
"Yes it is."
Rio smiled at the man before shuffling over to another bush, grabbing more handfuls of elderberries. Hershel joked that he was thankful for the help, that his old knees "couldn't take it"
The man's laughter died down before he cleared his throat. "When did Carl get his gun back?"
"This morning I think. Or yesterday night, I'm not really sure."
"I think he's ready for it back."
"He's gonna keep it whether you think he's ready or not."
Hershel shot him a pointed look and Rio began stumbling over his words, trying to reason.
"I just mean, with everything going on now, Rick isn't going to take it back off of him." He settled for.
"I know what you meant."
"I think he's ready, too."
"He seems a lot more mature than all those months ago."
"Why don't you tell him yourself?"
"Maybe I will."
"What about me?"
"What about you?" The man quizzes
"Am I more mature?"
"I guess so." The man replied, dropping a handful of berries into his bag.
"And that's a good thing?"
"I'm not sure. I think I would've much preferred to meet you if you came knocking on my door because you'd lost your toy... not your brother. But then again you don't always get what you want."
"I think you should get to be a peaceful old man—."
"Watch your tongue boy, I'm not that old."
Rio started laughing.
"If it wasn't for walkers I wouldn't have met any of you. I wouldn't even be in Georgia." Rio not down on his lip. "That's one thing I'm thankful for in this. The rest is shit."
"Watch it." Hershel warned again.
Rio let out a whine. "I'm sorry."
"I would've been fine on my own." The man said. "It's peaceful out here."
Rio smiled at him, not sure of what to say.
"You know, these days we may be safer outside the walls than in."
"Not really. You get infected and die on both sides." He kicked a rock around by his boot. It went far, landing before a ripped up tent further into the forest.
Rio went to retrieve it, crouching down to pick it up, only to get distracted by the snarling of a nearby Walker. He turned around, pulling out Carl's gun.
The Walker lay between tree roots, moss crawling up its arms and across its sunken-in stomach. It was doing no harm, it just sat there. The walker's head turned as Rio approached, looking over at him with his white eyes.
"Let's wrap this up." Hershel said from behind him. Rio aimed Carl's gun when another Walker approached, dragging up mud behind her.
There was a bear trap clasped to her leg, dried up blood and torn flesh caught in between. Her flowery dress was dirty and ragged and a corner had been pulled into the trap.
Rio faced her, aiming again, about to take the shot at her head when Hershel stopped him. "Don't. You don't need to."
"I can't leave them like this." Rio pleaded.
"They're not hurting us."
Rio didn't reply, instead just dropping his gun and walking away.
"It was so peaceful." Hershel sighed, slinging the sack of berries over his shoulder.
"It was."
***
Rio ran over to Maggie ready to envelop her in a hug when he stopped a few feet short. She turned to face him, cheeks already tear stained and attempting to hide how her lip quivered. It wasn't working.
The boy looked between everyone in the room, trying to piece together some sort of answer. "What—."
"Don't." Maggie shook her head, a sad look on her face as tears began to fall down again. She brought a hand to her eye, wiping them away.
Rio stared up at her nervously. "What is it?"
She let out a sob as she announced. "Glenn's sick."
"Glenn?"
She nodded, biting down on her lip.
"Is— is he gonna be okay?"
"He's tough."
Rio wasn't satisfied with that answer, he spun around facing Hershel and asked again. "Will he be okay?"
"I believe he will be."
"Daryl said if you get sick you die. Give me a straight answer." The boy frowned. "Please."
"Not everyone dies."
"But most do?"
Hershel nodded gravely and Rio heard the muffled cry of Beth behind the door.
"Do you think he'll make it?"
"We don't—." Maggie replied despondently. "You know Glenn— you know what he's like."
Rio let out a small cry before heading down the corridor and into his temporary room. He walked past Carl who was standing by the door, and just handed the boy his gun back before sitting on the floor, between an old cabinet and a desk. He leant against the cabinet, feeling the cold of the metal through his shirt.
Carl came and sat against the desk opposite him, their legs clashing together as they tried to sit in the small space.
"I needa go see him." Rio frowned. "I need to see him, to see if he's okay." He took a long breath. "If he is gonna die, I need to see him first."
He felt a hand against his knee, giving it a small squeeze. "He'll be fine. They can beat it, everyone can."
Rio looked down at the floor. Then he clasped his hand over Carl's. "Yeah. They will." He replied, not really believing it himself. Even if Glenn did beat the illness, who's to say he wouldn't get bit by someone who didn't? That's what happened with Patrick.
"Daryl will get back soon with the medicine." Carl added.
"Can't wait." Rio replied. His voice was monotonous but he really couldn't wait. He didn't care what Rick said, he was going to see Daryl as soon as he came back.
The other boy opened his mouth, about to say something in return when there was a slam of a door followed by a shout and then another closed door.
Rio got up off of the floor, pulling Carl along with him. He hurried out of the room and down the paper-filled hallways. The boy peered into the other rooms, looking for Maggie or Hershel. They'd gone.
He made his way over to Beth and Judith's room, knocking on the door twice. Rio heard Beth's voice, it sounded close.
"Where did they go?"
"I don't know. Daddy left and then Maggie tried following him."
"I'll go get them." Rio assured her, stopping when she protested.
"No!" Beth shouted from behind the door. "They— they've gotta do their jobs and that's what they're doing."
"So, you do know where they went?"
"I mean, I could guess. They're probably in the cell block, trying to help. At least my dad will be anyway."
"That's not safe." Carl argued. "Why won't he just stay here?"
"I'm sure Maggie will get him to come back."
"Yeah." Rio sighed. "How are you doing, Beth?"
"I'm doing fine." She replied as Rio sank to the floor, leaning against the door. Carl sat beside him. "What about you?" Beth asked. "Better roommate than me?"
"Not really." Rio teased. "I'd take Judy any day."
"We haven't even spent one night here yet." Carl replied, pretending to be offended. "Besides, we have the whole room. You can just sleep right at the other end."
He stayed silent for a while after as Rio laughed back. Carl leant his head against the wall, looking towards the door sadly.
"Can we see Judith?" The boy asked.
Beth fumbled over her words. "I don't— I don't know. We need to keep her especially safe."
"Yeah." He sighed. "We do."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Carl frowned. Rio could tell that it wasn't. "Stay safe, Beth."
***
Rio sat outside the building, running his hand over the short blades of grass. He pulled his hoodie further over his shoulder as it fell down, the night chill getting to him. He waited to see if anyone would walk past, if there was anyone he could speak to.
From the corner of his eye he saw a figure sneaking around the back of the offices and towards Cell block A. The boy got up, stumbling over his own feet as he headed closer. Rio tread as Whitley as he could over the field, following the figure with the dimly lit lantern.
What if that was the person who'd killed Karen and David. Surely it wasn't, right? He unsheathed his knife anyway, catching up to the figure as they slowed down before reaching the gates of the prison. It then became apparent who it was, Maggie's silhouette became more apparent as she pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Hey." He said, tapping her on her shoulder.
She turned around quickly, looking down at him. "Why did you follow me?" The woman sighed.
"I needed to know what you were doing." Rio replied, tucking his knife back into his jean pocket.
"I'm just going for a walk." She smiled at him. It was an empty smile, Rio knew that.
"No you're not. What are you doing?"
"You need to go back to bed."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm seeing Glenn."
"I wanna come."
"You can't."
"You know I'd want to come. So why did you tell me? Why won't you let me?"
"It's dangerous."
"And it's not for you?" He cried. Maggie knelt down, shushing him and telling him to think of the time.
"I want to go."
"What if I say no?"
"I'm going to go anyway."
She let out a long sigh and picked her lantern back up, grabbing Rio's arm in her other hand and pulling him along.
Rio stood beside Maggie, nervously waiting for Glenn to show up. He drummed his fingers against his leg, he was already on edge about Daryl and his group not being back yet and not being able to see Glenn was only making it worse.
He waited in the dark, barely able to make out Maggie who was bedsides him until a small light appeared. It grew bigger and bigger, the light highlighting the man as he approached. Rios face dropped upon seeing Hershel limping over. The boy tried to hide his worry, flashing the older man a small smile.
"Where's Glenn?" Maggie squeaked out, voice trembling, probably expecting the worst. Rio was lying if he said he wasn't thinking about it too. "He said he would meet us."
"He's resting." Hershel answered softly. It didn't ease Rio in any way, how long until he wasn't resting anymore? Until he was dead?
"Is he alive?"
"Yes," Hershel let out a long breath. "Yes, he's alive."
"Is he okay?"
"He was helping me and he got tired, that's all."
"If you need help I can help you."
"Or me, I can help again." Rio added, reminding him of how he'd helped earlier.
"I don't need help." The man explained. "I was just keeping him occupied. Keeping his mind on helping people."
"I can come in there and help you." Maggie offered
"No you don't need to."
"You can rest, dad—." She replied, talking so fast that the two people's words were almost overlapping.
"No!" He backed up from the window, turning away and placing his hands upon his hips. Hershel breathed shakily, composing himself before talking again.
Maggie's lip trembled again as she took deep breaths, doing the same.
"How's Bethy?" Hershel asked.
"She's okay." Rio mumbled
"Daddy you look so tired." Maggie frowned.
"I know." The man chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. "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."
Tears started streaming down Maggie's cheeks as she tried to compress her cries.
"Don't you believe that?" Hershel asked.
"Of course."
"Just hold it together a little longer." He smiled. "Please?"
Maggie grinned back at him.
"I love you, honey." Hershel said.
Maggie nodded along, still wearing her smile. Her voice was high and wavering but she replied; "I love you, too."
Hershel dipped his head, picking the lantern back up from where he'd set it down and began walking away.
"Hershel!" Rio called out. The man stopped in his tracks. He was having second thoughts about asking the question but he needed to know. "How many people have died today?"
"Just one." He replied. "We're gonna keep it that way."
Rio watched as the light from the man's lantern faded and they were submerged in the darkness of the room once again.
"We gotta go." Maggie sighed, her palm resting against the dirty glass pane.
"Yeah," Rio agreed.
"You need to sleep." She said, turning around and heading out. She and Rio walked out into the field and over to the offices that they were staying in for the time being.
"You need to rest too." Rio said as she walked him to the door. "You need to come in and you need to sleep."
Maggie nodded along, pushing the hair out of her face and sighing. "Okay. Let's go."
***
double update bc it's just turned my birthday (0:55) and I'm feeling nice 😁😁