Before Rick left to check the snares, he told the two kids to finish their chores and then basically go be a kid. Lillian had nothing better to do so she stuck by Carl as he and Patrick messed with a ball. It wasn't long before something different grabbed their attention.
A group of four kids, around their age had been screaming at walkers near the fence. Lillian knew two of them as Lizzie and Mika. Carol has talked about them, suggesting that she made friends with them but she didn't want to be the one to talk to them first so she never did.
Patrick, Carl, and Lillian all walked up to the group of four kids to overhear what they were actually saying. They were calling the walkers names. Lillian got an eerie feeling from this. These things were dead, why are they naming them like pets?
"You're naming them?" Carl questioned the four kids, causing them all to turn around to face them. Lillian heard as Patrick coughed from beside her, his spit accidentally landing on her arm. She immediately gave him a disgusted look before she reached over to him and wiped his spit back onto his shirt.
"Sorry." Patrick apologize, letting out a small awkward laugh.
"Well, one of them has a name tag, so we thought all of them should." Mika stepped forward as she explained to them.
"That's weird." Lillian commented quietly. She didn't mean to say it out loud but she had gotten the attention of Lizzie. Lillian looked over at her as she left eyes on her, Lizzie giving her a stern look. Lillian furrowed her eyebrows at her, her jaw clinching.
"They and names when they were alive. They're dead now." Carl told the kids.
"No, they're not. They're just different." Lizzie sassed. Lillian scoffed.
"What the hell are you talking about? Okay, they don't talk. They don't think. They eat people. They kill people."
"People kill people. They still have names."
"But they're alive." Lillian shot back at her.
"Yeah." Carl pointed his thumb at Lillian. "Have you seen what happens? Have you seen someone did like that?"
"Yeah, I have." Lizzie responded to Carl, her voice annoyed.
"They're not people and they're not pets. Don't name them." Carl spoke sternly to all of them.
Lizzie rolled her eyes, looking over at her friends. "We're supposed to go read. Come on." Lillian watched as Lizzie began to lead the group, shoulder checking Lillian as she walked past. Lillian was quick to shoot out her foot in front of Lizzie, right after she shoulder checked her, causing Lizzie to trip over it and stumble forward. Lillian snorted quietly before quickly turning away, taking a step forward to avoid Lizzie.
"Coming to story time tonight?" Mika asked Patrick, hopefully as a smile painted her face.
"Uh, yeah." Patrick hesitated but answered.
"See you then." Mika smile became bigger as she rocked on her feet excitedly before running behind her friends. Lillian glanced over at Carl who was side eyeing Patrick with a smell grin.
"I go sometimes. I'm immature. You guys wouldn't dig it. It's for kids." Patrick explained. Carl nodded as he looked down, kicking rocks around with his foot.
"Mika thinks you're cute." Lillian grinned at Patrick as she told him. Patrick looked over at her quickly, scoffing.
"She's like 10. That's gross." Patrick pointed out.
"She's still got googly eyes." Carl wiggled his eyebrows at him.
"I bet you think Carl is cute." Patrick tease Lillian.
Lillian immediately made a distasteful face. "In his stinky dreams."
"Are you seriously saying i smell right now?" Carl sounded offended, but he was really just messing around as he held a hand to his hip.
"Yeah. Seriously dude." Lillian pinched her nose, waving her other hand in front of her face. She quickly turned on her heel and walked away.
Lillian spent the rest of the day cleaning her cell. She had accidentally let it get all destroyed and couldn't get herself to clean it all at once so she took many breaks.
Eventually Daryl and the rest of them came back home. Daryl stopped by her room to say goodnight but he didn't say much else, just peaked his head through and told her to get some sleep soon. She was confused by it but figured that he was probably just exhausted and didn't feel like talking much.
☆
The next morning, Lillian was woken up by Rick calling out her name. She felt like a rusty door as she turned to look at him as he stood in her door way, Judith in his hands.
"C'mon." He whispered to her. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as she threw off her blanket. Rick closed back her cell door so she could get ready.
She changed into a new pair of clothes, this time wearing a pair of overalls that she hadn't worn before. She liked them though. She felt like a real farmer. She quickly slipped on her shoes, almost tripping as she was pushing open the door and putting on shoes at the same time. She stepped out of the cell, stretching her arms above her head and yawning as she quietly walked down the stairs.
"Good morning." She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes once again.
"Mornin'." Rick whispered back to her, looking down at Judith who sat in his lap. It wasn't long before Beth walked out of her cell and Rick stood up, passing Judith to her. A couple of moment later, Carl walked out all ready for the day.
Then the three of them made their way down to the field. Both Carl and Rick holding buckets. Lillian offered to carry one but with her yawning every couple of minutes, Rick told her that he had it. They walked downtown he path, passing the first gate when Michonne approached them with Flame in her hands.
"Careful out there." Rick spoke to Michonne.
"Always am. Any requests? Books? Comics? Some stale M&Ms?" Michonne offered, causing Carl to turn to her.
"You're the one that likes stale M&Ms." He smiled at her, his voice light as he watched her walk behind them with Flame, a smile on her face too.
"Not just me, Lilli too." Michonne added. Lillian turned to her with a smile, Michonne sending her a wink. "I'll definitely be looking for some. I'll look for some stuff you like, too." She directed at Carl. "Why don't you wear your hat anymore?"
"It's not a farming hat. See you soon?" Carl turned around and slowed down to talk to her. Lillian continued forward with Rick.
"Pretty soon." Michonne smiled at him.
They all moved to the compost bin. Rick crouched down in front of it, slipping on his gloves. "Hold the bucket?" He asked Carl, who nodded and held up the bucket. Lillian watched as Rick shoved a bunch of dirt and leaves into the bucket. Inside of those things were worms. Lillian reached down, grabbing a worm despite the protest of Rick.
"Lilli—" Rick tried but quickly gave up as Lillian picked up the alive, wiggling worm and looked at it. She quickly dropped it after a minute.
"Worms are gross." Lillian sighed, wiping her hands on her overalls.
"What'd you expect?" Carl asked her, his voice humerus but she only shrugged as she watched Rick pile more compost into the bucket.
"They only took out one cluster yesterday." Carl started, his voice suggestive as he spoke. "Probably gonna need more people today. Maybe we could help." Carl suggested as he glanced over at Lillian and then back at his dad.
"I got other plans." Rick told him as he started shoving compost into the second bucket after he filled up the first one that Carl held. "Involving dirt and cucumbers. Keeping people fed."
"Well, if you don't want to, maybe Lilli and I could." Carl suggested. Lillian watched as Rick took a good look of his handful of compost before shoving it into the bucket and standing up. "Could we?"
"We have other plans. That's what I should've said." Rick corrected himself, walking past the two kids, his bucket in hand.
"Worth a try." Lillian mumbled as she turned to Carl.
Carl shrugged. "I guess."
"I can carry that since you carried it here." Lillian told him, pointing to the full bucket that he held. Carl held it out towards her and she took it, the two of them following behind Rick.
Rick led them into the pig pin, where the two followed. Lillian stepped forward, waiting for Rick to finish dumping the first compost bucket as Carl turned to crack the gate behind them. Rick poured the first one, then traded the bucket off to Lillian for the second bucket.
"Dad... I'm sorry." Carl sighed. "I've been trying."
Rick nodded. "Yeah, i know. And i'm proud. Of both of you." He glanced between them before pouring the second compost.
"Dad," Carl started again. "When can i have my gun back?" Lillian mentally face planted at this question. The entire reason why Carl got it taken away was because he killed someone. Lillian tried to forget about that fact about Carl. In his defense, he was very mentally unstable cause of his mom and everything but it still made Lillian worry about him now. Even if he was better.
Rick didn't respond for a bit. When it did, it was completely unrelated. "The worms will give them some extra protein—" Rick started as he bent down but was quickly interrupted by gunshots. Everyone's heads shot over towards the prison.
"Stay close." Rick told them quickly as he rushed out of the pin, pushing the gate open. That's when Lizzie and Mika came running out of the prison, screaming. Lillian heart raced as she closed the pin door as Carl grabbed the piece of wood to lock it.
"Cell blocks?" Maggie called down to them.
"I don't know." Rick yelled back to her before quickly turning to the two kids. "Get in the tower with Maggie. Don't argue. go." He pointed at them, quickly before running off towards the prison. Carl moved even faster to place down the wood.
"Hurry, Carl." Lillian rushed.
That's when a whistle sounded, grabbing both of the kid's attention. It was Michonne coming back in. Carl bolted towards the gate, Lillian following closely behind him. Carl threw himself into the string to get the big metal door, barely being able to get it open but he did. Michonne quickly got off of the horse when two walkers immediately sent themselves towards her. Lillian tried to push open the gate, but it was too heavy for her. She looked back at Carl who had a gun in his hands inside.
A loud shot rang, making her ears ring before Maggie showed up and helped her push open the gate. Lillian stayed inside the gate but watched as Michonne sent a walker flying off of her but let out a cry in pain. Maggie was quick to run to her side, shooting another walker. Lillian quickly ran over to Flame, grabbing her reins and leading her inside the gate. She quickly led Flame back to the pin as Carl and Maggie helped Michonne up to the prison. They didn't get very far before Lillian was able to catch up to them, walking along side them as they walked through the gate.
Lillian saw movement out of the corner of her eye as the approached their cell block. Carl catching it too, realizing it's his dad so he quickly ran towards him. Lillian was close behind.
"Was that in our cell block?" Lillian asked him urgently, worried because everyone else had been inside still.
"Hey, you might want to stay back. Carl." Rick told his son, holding out a bloody hand. Carl didn't listen though as he wrapped his arms around his dad, Rick wrapped them back around his son. Lillian was about to ask again when Rick answer her question. "Everyone in our block is okay." He gave her a nod. Lillian let out a sigh of relief.
"Dad. I'm sorry. I didn't see you come out." Carl's voice quivered.
"It's okay. I'm here. I'm fine. But back away." He told Carl, who back up next to Lillian.
"I had to use one of the guns by the gate. I swear i didn't want to." Carl admitted.
"I was coming back. I fell. They came out and helped me." Michonne elaborated.
"You alright?" Rick nodded his head towards them. Earning a nod from Michonne.
"What happened in there?" Maggie questioned him. Lillian looked to the side upon hearing soft sniffles. A blond woman was walking past them, holding what seemed like a small child wrapped in a blanket. A lump immediately formed in her throat.
"Patrick got sick last night. It's some kind of flu. It moves fast. We think he died and attacked the cell block." Rick explained. Lillian's heart skipped a beat. Not only because it was Patrick but because he was sick. Lillian remembered yesterday when Patrick coughing and spit on her. She took a couple steps to the side, her eyes widening.
"Look, I know he was your friend and i'm sorry." Rick leaned down, eye level with Carl. "He was a good kid. We lost a lot of good people."
He stood back up, now pointing over to Maggie and Michonne before back at the cell block. "Glenn and your dad are okay, but they were in there. You shouldn't get too close to anyone that might have been exposed, at least for a little while." Rick explained. Maggie nodded as Carl made his way back over to Michonne. "Carl. All of you." While the others went into the cell block, Lillian stood, frozen.
"You okay?" Rick crouched down as he looked at her confused. Lillian looked up from the ground, she felt like her body was numb as he eyes were wide.
"Patrick accidentally spit on me when he coughed yesterday." Lillian explained quietly. Rick let out a huff as he stood back up.
"C'mon." Rick's voice was low as he turned around and began walking.
Lillian walked with her head down, ashamed and afraid as she continued to walk behind Rick. He led them to the room that the council was gathering for a meeting. Lillian refused to go in at first but Rick told her that they had all been exposed, it didn't matter if she was in there. As soon as Daryl laid eyes on her, his eyebrows furrowed, his face morphing into confusion.
Rick had whispered something to Daryl before he pat Lillian on the shoulder and walked out. Lillian turned to look at Daryl whose facial expression went blank again as he nudged her towards a chair. Lillian sat down, crossing her legs as she picked at her nails anxiously.
She didn't want to die. She didn't feel sick but apparently it happens fast because Patrick was basically fine yesterday. Lillian felt her throat burn as she quietly cleared her throat.
After only a few minutes, whoever hadn't been there, arrived and Sasha was the first to ask why Lillian was there.
"She's been exposed. Rick didn't know what else to do with her." Daryl told them. Lillian continued to look at her nails in her lap. She heard multiple 'oh's from people at the table.
"How was she exposed?" Hershel asked.
"Patrick spit on me when he coughed yesterday." Lillian told them, still not looking up.
"Maybe— Maybe she shouldn't be here." Carol suggested as she stood up. "Come on, sweetheart." Carol called to her. Lillian looked up before she actually stood up and followed behind Carol. They stopped in the hallway. "Stay right here, okay?" Carol pointed to the wall right outside of the door.
"Am I gonna die, Carol?" Lillian asked quietly, a frown pulling at her lips as she leaned against the wall opposite of the room they just just been in.
"No. Of course not." Carol gave her a sad smile, reaching her hand out to tuck hair behind Lillian's ear before she walked back into the room. Lillian wanted to believe her but she couldn't. There was a good possibility she was sick and she was going to die.
Lillian slide down the wall, hugging her legs to her chest. She sat for maybe a minute, not long before coughing sounded down the hall. Tyreese and a woman walking down it. Lillian was unfamiliar with her name but she knew that the two of them were close.
"You okay?" Tyreese asked her, which she responded with a hum before continuing to cough.
"You sure? You don't sound so good." Carol suddenly stepped out of the room, looking over at the two who were now stopped in their track and turned around.
"I'm just taking her back to my cell so she can rest." Tyreese explained. Lillian looked back over at Carol to see the rest of them, stepping out of the room. Lillian was quick to get up and take a step behind everyone, standing kind of behind Hershel.
"Tyreese, I don't think that's a good idea." Hershel told him.
"Why? What's going on now?" The woman asked them, her voice seemed kind of nervous.
"We think it's a flu or something. That's how Patrick died." Glenn explained.
Hershel stepped forward. "Judith is in that cell block. She's vulnerable. Anyone who may be sick or even exposed should stay away."
"It killed Patrick?" The woman stuttered. Lillian pulled at her shirt, Daryl noticed this and rested a hand on her shoulder but she immediately tensed and stepped away from him. She didn't want him to touch her and get sick. She didn't want him to die, she didn't want to be the reason why he did either.
"She's gonna be okay." Tyreese retorted. "And now that we know what Patrick died from we can treat it, right?"
"Don't panic. We're going to figure this out. But we should keep you separated in the meantime. We'll have Caleb take a look at you. I'll see what we have in the way of medications." Hershel explained.
"David from the Decatur group, he's been coughing, too." The woman told them.
Glenn sighed. "I'll go get him." He began to walk down the hall. "There's some empty clean cells in the tombs, right?"
"Yeah, we'll meet you there." Sasha told him before he ran down the hall, mumbling a okay. She took a step towards Tyreese. "Come on. Let's get you settled." She told the two, leading them down the hall behind Glenn. She slowed down right as she passed Lillian, sticking her hand out toward her. "Come on, Lilli."
uhm
yeah..........
yeah.
uh
okay.
literally spitting out these chapters like carl poppas hot bars
i'm so tired guys
i literally have that song stuff in my head
I LOVE YOU
and incase you haven't heard it today, i appreciate you!<3