There's no excuse on why I was gone for so long but I was going through some things. I'm back now tho and in a happy place. I have an amazing, loving, supportive husband and two amazing kids now so I'm good. :) and I won't be gone anymore. Onto the story now...

Blurry - Puddle of Mudd


The 80's mixtape was playing hit after long forgotten hit as Tara drove the car carefully along the desolate roads. Following in a truck behind were Daryl and a few other survivors, all determined to make good use of this supply run to an abandoned grocery chain store about thirty miles away from their prison home.

Sitting in the passenger seat next to Tara was Alice, the scenery keeping her occupied. She had practically begged Tara to let her tag along on this supply run and make herself useful. Maggie offered to watch Adam while they were gone so Tara finally relented. So far Alice, Tara and Maggie all got along and kept things civil for Adam's sake. Maggie didn't trust Alice much at first but she kept her feelings hidden so Tara could spend time with her son. After some time though, Maggie and Alice were forced to talk while out on guard shifts, waiting for Tara to get back home and both realized that they had a lot in common. Soon, their talks weren't forced and they actually enjoyed each other's company for the most part. They were still a bit leery of each other at times but they respected one another. Tara was just happy that the two got along and there wasn't any baby mama drama.

Over the last few months, the prison had been running smoothly and was called home by many. Tara and Rick had been able to set up a fresh water pipe to the building from the river so the residents could enjoy fresh water from all the faucets and showers. Maggie and Hershel had helped Rick set up a few gardens, planting vegetables like tomatoes and green beans. They even had a few animal pens, one filled with five pigs and some chickens. The prison flourished as more people joined and helped keep the place intact and safe.

Soon families and children lived within the prison gates as Rick welcomed many newcomers and strangers traveling on the road. So far the small community had been left peacefully alone, the only threat were walkers that wandered up to the gates. Tara had become a popular figure in the community since she had an easy going attitude and let the kids jump all over her when they wanted to rough house or play around. Many people knew of her military background and respected her, looking up to her since she had survived so much.

Rick had a council set up to run the prison so no one had too much power and he didn't want the burden of being a leader. Tara didn't mind since she wanted to be more focused on her family instead of making hard leadership decisions. She couldn't refuse though when Rick asked her to be part of the council along with Sasha, Hershel, Glenn, Carol and Daryl.

Now, Tara was leading the small group on a supply run to pick up some much needed medicine, food, seeds, and whatever else they were able to scrounge up. Tara bopped her head in time to the music and sometimes sang along when a catchy song would play.

"You're a dork," Alice laughed at her ex's playful antics.

"It's what made me appealing to you," Tara joked as she glanced in Alice's direction.

"Maybe," Alice admitted as she resisted the urge to lean over and place her hand on Tara's knee. Tara was married to Maggie after all and she was very faithful to her wife. No matter how many times Alice had tried to flirt in the past, Tara never took the bait so she eventually quit.

Tara had been oblivious to most of Alice's flirting attempts since her main focus was Adam and making sure that he was taken care of. Tara was an amazing parent and Alice was grateful that she was in her son's life. After awhile, Alice settled on the fact that Tara would always be her friend and that was it. She wasn't exactly happy about the idea but she dealt with it. Plus, she didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize her growing friendship with Maggie.

Alice noticed that Tara seemed a bit troubled that morning. Her smiles and jokes didn't seem sincere like usual. "Hey is there something wrong? Something you want to talk about?"

"Ummm...yeah I guess," Tara didn't say anything else as Alice waited patiently.

"Well?"

"Maggie skipped her period and she just noticed today. So I've got to get a few pregnancy tests on this supply run," Tara said as Alice reached over and gave her shoulder a hearty pat.

"Congrats! This is good news, right? Maggie might be pregnant. I mean her and I aren't best friends or anything but we've talked and this is something she really wants," Alice couldn't help but be happy for the couple.

"It's good news but what if another miscarriage happens? I don't think Maggie could handle it after the last one and whole Governor thing," Tara kept her eyes on the road ahead, trying to keep her worries and anxiety hidden.

"Well, just take it one day at a time. We don't even know for sure if she's pregnant yet so just relax," Alice tried to keep Tara from overthinking about the situation.

"You're right. I'll just wait and see what the tests say," Tara glanced at the rear view mirror, making sure that Daryl and the others were still following.

"And if she is, well good thing we have a doctor around, right?" Alice mentioned which Tara was grateful for.

Dr. Caleb Subramanian had arrived at the prison about a couple of months ago. Tara had seen the disheveled man while she was out on guard duty one night, rushing to open the gates before walkers could become attracted to the doctor's movements. When she learned that the man was a doctor, he was welcomed into the community with open arms.

"Are we almost there?" Alice asked as she glanced at the decaying road signs.

"Just about," Tara made a left turn before stopping in front of a huge desolate grocery store. The building had definitely seen better days but the windows and doors were intact which led Tara to believe that this place hadn't been scavenged by anyone yet.

Daryl parked the truck next to the car, giving Tara a little nod. The other occupants in the truck were Sasha, Tyreese and two newcomers named Zach and Bob. Zach was about nineteen years old and quickly became sweet on Beth. Tara wasn't sure how she felt about the kid but he seemed harmless for the most part. She made sure to threaten to beat the crap out of him if he ever hurt Beth in any way. Zach made certain to stay on Tara's good side since she scared him.

The other newcomer was an Army medic named Bob Stookey. Daryl and Glenn had found the lost man walking along the road about a couple of weeks ago. Bob claimed to be the last survivor of a group that had been overrun by walkers. Glenn offered him the prison to stay if he helped out and earned his keep. Bob took the chance and soon the community was his home. Tara got along with Bob since they both had military experience and stories to tell. She could tell that he was troubled from his past and suffered from PTSD like she did. Bob had confided in Tara that he was an alcoholic but he was trying to be better.

The group walked up to the front of the abandoned store, the parking lot noticeably empty of walkers. In the distance the sweet melody of a Queen song could be heard.

"Ya hear that?" Daryl asked as the others nodded.

"That sick beat of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'? Yeah we all can hear that," Zach answered as he cautiously followed the others, wary of walkers but surprisingly the huge lot was empty.

"Yesterday me and Tara came up here, hooked up a giant speaker to a car battery and blared the music so the walkers would be too occupied wit' the noise to deal wit' us," Daryl took a second to admire his work and the resulting empty lot.

"Yeah, this parking lot was crawling with walkers yesterday. Now, we have the place to ourselves. Just gotta deal with whatever's left in the building," Tara hit the front windows with her fist a few times, creating a lot of noise. She leaned against the window as she waited for the left over walkers to make themselves known.

"So what do we do now?" Zach wondered. He was anxious to prove himself to Tara and Daryl during his first supply run.

"We wait to see if the noise attracted any walkers inside to the front. Shouldn't be too long," Tara nonchalantly stuck her hands in her pockets as she waited.

"So Daryl, what about homicide detective?" Zach asked. Over the past six weeks, Zach had made up a game of trying to figure out what Daryl Dixon had done for a living before the apocalypse. So far, he hadn't guessed anything right but he kept on trying.

Tara and Alice both burst out laughing at the guess. Alice leaned against the glass next to Tara, waiting. Zach didn't play them any attention as Daryl simply nodded.

"Yup, ya got me," Daryl confirmed as Tara just shook her head, chuckling a bit more.

Zach stared at Daryl, trying to figure out if he was getting his leg pulled or not. "Hmmm...I don't think that was it but I'll keep guessing. Don't you worry about that."

"Whatever, kid," Daryl shrugged, trying to keep the smile off his face.

Just then there was loud noise on the other side of the window as a couple of walkers started to hit the glass. There only seemed to be the two creepers so Tara knew this would be an easy job that she could handle on her own. Tara and Daryl nodded at each other, both already in-sync about what to do without saying anything.

"Step back" Daryl told everyone as he placed his hand on the door handle. Zach, Alice, Bob, Tyreese and Sasha took a few steps away from the store entrance.

Daryl glanced back at Tara. "Ready?"

"Let's roll," Tara replied, her knife out and ready. Daryl slowly opened the door, letting one of the walkers out. Tara easily grabbed the walker, stabbing it in the head, putting it down forever.

"Next," Tara kicked the dead walker out of her way. Daryl opened the door fully this time as a male creeper staggered out into the sunlight. Tara pushed the walker up against the glass before disposing of it quickly. The entrance was now quiet and walker free as Daryl opened both doors.

"So cool," Zach giddily laughed as he followed the group into the grocery chain store.

Tara noticed that there was a walker severed in half on the ground, slowly dragging itself up to the entrance. She glanced up and was shocked to see that there was a large hole in the middle of the tall building ceiling caused by a crashed helicopter. The muffled sounds of walkers staggering around on the rooftop caught her attention. She felt Alice grip her arm to keep from letting out a startled scream. Tara guessed that the walkers wrangling around on the roof were victims of the unfortunate helicopter crash.

"Well, we definitely couldn't see that from the road," Bob was in a bit of shock as he noticed a string of walker intestines hanging from the ceiling.

"Maybe we should get out of here," Tyreese suggested as Zach nodded in agreement.

"No, we should be alright as long as we're quiet. The walkers on the roof haven't noticed anything so as long as we don't make a lot of noise, we should be good," Tara knelt down next to the severed walker, quietly putting it out of its misery.

"Tara's right. As long as we don't cause a ruckus, we'll be alright," Daryl took the lead, strolling up an aisle that contained flashlights and batteries.

"Let's go see what the food situation is, Tyreese," Sasha whispered to her brother who nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna go check out the feminine hygiene stuff. Beth mentioned some stuff that she needed," Zach pulled out a note from his pocket, wandering away.

Bob glanced around the big store, not sure where to begin as he disappeared down a random aisle. "I'll take a look around. I'll try to see if there's any blankets or gun ammo."

"Wanna tag along with me?" Tara whispered to Alice.

"Of course," Alice nodded as she followed Tara further into the dark store. She made sure to stay close in case anything decided to surprise them, a firm grip on Tara's plaid shirt.

"It's alright, you know? I'm not gonna let anything get you," Tara teased. She felt Alice's grip lessen just a bit.

"I know, it's just a bit unsettling," Alice admitted as she followed Tara deeper into the store. She didn't notice where she was being led until they were at the jewelry department.

"Jewelry?" Alice gave Tara a questioning look.

"I wanted to get a wedding band for myself. I know it would make Maggie feel a lot better if I wore one," Tara glanced at the display cases, searching for a band that fit her style. There had been a few instances where some newcomers would try to flirt with Tara. The women made it very obvious until Tara told them that she was happily married. Tara thought the whole thing was funny but Maggie was never amused.

"Well, you are married after all, might as well show it," Alice held her flashlight up to get a better view of the wedding bands.

Tara searched for a couple of minutes before she found a black tungsten ring. She opened the display case careful not to make too much noise. Tara grabbed the band, slipping it on her ring finger.

"Fits good. How's it look?" Tara showed Alice the ring.

"Looks like everyone will know that you're off the market now," Alice smiled, a little sad but happy for her friend.

"Good deal. Now that that's over with, let's get some dog food for Harley and grab a couple of pregnancy tests for Maggie," Tara led the way with Alice right behind her.

A few aisles over, Bob stood glancing at the wine display, sweat pouring down his face. He wanted to fill his backpack with so many wine bottles but he tried to resist the urge. Taking a deep breath, Bob attempted to walk away from his demons but his legs felt heavy.

"Dear God..." Bob whispered to himself. He reached out to touch a bottle. The alcohol was calling to him, telling him that it could chase away all his daily nightmares.

Bob stepped back, trying to remind himself that he had been sober for about a week now. His heartbeat quickening, he grabbed a wine bottle and started to walk away.

"It's just one. Just one..." he tried to convince himself. He shook his head as he stomped back to the display, carefully placing the wine back where it belonged. His addiction was screaming at him to pick up the bottle but he ignored his inner demons.

Suddenly, the wine display started to tip forward from all the movement it wasn't used to. Bob tried desperately to keep the display from falling but he was unable to stop the inevitable as it crashed to the floor, landing on him, pinning his legs underneath. The sound was deafening as the floor rattled from the heavy display case.

"Shit..." Bob muttered as he tried to lift the display off himself, but it was too heavy. He could hear some surprised shouts from his friends in the building. Bob hoped that his stupidity wouldn't cost any lives that day.

Tara and Alice were in the children's department picking out some new clothes for Adam when they heard a loud crash from the front of the store.

"What the heck was that?" Alice asked.

"I don't know but stay close," Tara grabbed Alice's arm as they ran to where the sound had come from.

They reached the area as soon as the others did. Tara could see Bob pinned underneath a display, but just a few feet away was the gaping hole from the helicopter crash. The sound had attracted the roof walkers as they started to fall into the building. The sudden stampede caused the roof in that area to weaken, debris falling to the floor.

"We gotta get the hell outta here before that roof caves in," Daryl shouted as he yelled for the others to get out of the building.

Tara urged Alice to get out of the building while she went with Daryl and Zach to try to free Bob from the display. Just as Alice was about to run after Sasha to safety, a roof walker fell from above. Tara noticed the walker as she ran to push Alice out of the way. The walker landed on Tara instead, both falling to the ground in a heap.

"Alice, go!" Tara shouted as she pulled out her knife, stabbing the walker that was on top of her. Daryl pulled the corpse off Tara and helped her stand up. She felt a little relief when she realized that Sasha, Alice and Tyreese had made it out of the building.

"Come on!" Daryl led Tara to where Bob was trapped.

"One...two...three!" Tara counted as she, Daryl and Zach lifted the heavy display off of Bob's legs. Zach grabbed Bob's arms, pulling him out from under the crashed display.

"Can you walk?" Tara asked. She bent down to help Bob up, slinging his arm over her shoulder so she could help him walk.

"I think my ankle is sprained," Bob hobbled beside her as Daryl and Zach killed walkers that tried to attack them. Just as Zach was about help Tara with Bob, a walker that was on the ground, hidden in some debris, grabbed his ankle, taking a huge bite out of his calf.

"Shit!" Zach screamed in agony as he fell to the ground. Daryl ran in the teenager's direction but he was too late as more walkers started to bite into his flesh. Zach's cries of pain filled the store as Bob started to cry silent tears.

Just then the ceiling, barely supporting the fallen helicopter, collapsed, crashing on top of Zach, silencing him forever. Daryl and Tara helped Bob out of the store, barely making it out of the entrance before the rest of the front roof collapsed.

"Jesus..." Bob muttered as he collapsed in the parking lot, his heart racing.

"Tara!" Alice threw her arms around Tara, holding her close. She had been so scared that Tara wouldn't make it out in time before the roof collapsed. Alice had prayed that Tara would make it out alive, otherwise she would have bad news for Maggie back home.

"I'm ok..." Tara took a minute to catch her breath while Alice looked her over for injuries.

"What about Zach?" Sasha asked when she noticed that the boy hadn't made it out of the store.

Daryl shook his head. "He's gone."

"Damn..." Tyreese shook his head, glancing at the destruction in front of him. It was always a tough time when they lost someone, especially while out on a supply run. Suffering through loss always caused the group's morale to drop but somehow they kept moving on through the pain.

"Let's go home," Tara said as she led the way back to the cars after stopping to help Bob up. The others followed her, all with heavy hearts for their fallen comrade.

The ride back to the prison was quiet as Alice and Bob kept their thoughts to themselves. Tara had even turned off the music, the only sound was the wind coming in through the windows. Behind her car, Daryl and the others followed in the truck with Zach's seat empty. The gates of the prison appeared as they were opened for the two vehicles. Michonne and Carl both waved to Tara as she drove through. Tara parked her car in the designated parking area and glanced over at Alice.

"You ok?" Tara asked since Alice had been unusually quiet.

"Yeah...just Zach was a good kid," Alice sighed.

"I know..." Tara pulled Alice in for a quick hug. "Now, go check on our boy. I know you're anxious to see him."

"I'll give Maggie the tests also," Alice smiled as she got out of the car and headed into the prison to see Adam.

Tara helped Bob out of the car before he was assisted to the community doctor by Sasha and Tyreese. Tara grabbed the bags from their latest supply run as Daryl threw a couple of backpacks onto his shoulder.

"Can you help me tell Beth about her boyfriend?" Daryl asked.

"Sure. I wanted to be there when she found out anyways," Tara agreed as they both slowly walked to Beth's jail cell, dreading the task of telling the teenager that her boyfriend would not be coming home.

Beth was sitting on her bed, writing in a journal when Tara knocked on the outside wall to get her attention. Beth glanced up from her writing to see both Tara and Daryl looking at her with sad glances.

"Hey Bethy, we gotta talk," Tara sighed with a heavy heart as she and Daryl both stepped into the small space.

"What's wrong, Tara?" Beth was starting to get a little worried because of how serious Tara was being. Serious Tara never meant a good thing.

Daryl took a step closer to Beth. "Your guy...Zach. Well, there was an accident at the store and...Zach didn't make it out. I'm sorry, kid."

"I'm sorry, Beth. Zach was a good kid," Tara opened her arms, waiting for the tears and hugs from Beth. Instead, Beth slowly got out of bed and walked over to a small white board that had a tally and said "30 Days Without An Accident". She quietly erased the 30, the tally and then wrote 0 in the 30's place.

Daryl just looked over at Tara and shrugged. He didn't say anything as he left the cell, he felt like Tara had a better handle on Beth's nonchalant emotions than he did.

"Gotta start all over now. That was the longest we've gone without an accident," Beth simply said.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tara wondered. She thought maybe Beth was in shock but she was definitely expecting the teenager to at least cry a few tears.

Beth nodded. "I'm good. I don't cry anymore, Tara. I'm just happy that I got to know Zach for a few months. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just tired of losing people," Tara confessed as Beth stepped up and gave her a hug.

After spending a few minutes with Beth, Tara made her way to the jail cell she shared with Maggie. She wondered if Maggie had already taken the pregnancy tests. She wondered what the results would say. Tara was suddenly interrupted from her thoughts.

"Hey Tara!"

Tara glanced over to see Patrick, making his way towards her, holding onto a Lego figurine he had created. Patrick was about fourteen years old and had originally been from the Woodbury settlement. His mother had been one of the soldiers that the Governor had cold bloodily slaughtered. The teen adjusted to life in the prison and looked up to Daryl and Tara.

"Look! Look what I made!" Patrick excitedly showed his creation as he adjusted his black glasses.

"Wow! Long live the Alamo, right?" Tara inspected the Lego figurine which was a little replica of the famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.

"You've ever been there? My mom always wanted to go see it, but we never got the chance," Patrick sighed sadly as he thought about his mother.

"I've been there twice. It's a lot smaller than you imagine but a pretty cool historical place," Tara handed the small Alamo back to Patrick.

"Thanks for getting me these Legos by the way," Patrick shyly thanked Tara. She thought the teen was starting to look a little sick but she figured it was probably just allergies.

"No problem, buddy," Tara raised her hand for a fist bump which Patrick clumsily reciprocated. She ruffled up his hair a bit before continuing on her way.

Tara finally made it to her living area where Maggie was sitting on the bed. On the floor, Harley was sleeping quietly in her dog bed, not a care in the world. Tara quietly stood in front of Maggie, trying to gauge what kind of mood her wife was in. Maggie wrapped her arms around Tara's waist, pulling her close. She rested her head on Tara's stomach and closed her eyes.

"Not pregnant. I took two tests and they both came back negative," Maggie sighed sadly.

"Hey, it's ok. We'll just keep trying but maybe it's for the best. I mean...I don't know," Tara ran her fingers gently through Maggie's soft hair.

"Do you not want a baby?" Maggie asked, a hurt look on her face.

"I mean I want a baby with you, of course, but Maggie, I'm not afraid to admit that I'm scared about having a baby in this world. Adam was conceived before everything went to shit. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't be here," Tara glanced down, gently wiping a few tears away that were rolling down Maggie's face.

"We shouldn't be afraid to have a child together, even if the world is crazy right now," Maggie stood up, ready to leave the cell. Tara grabbed her arm, knowing she had touched a nerve with her wife.

"Hey, I'm sorry, alright. Let's not fight. You know I love you, right? Look," Tara showed Maggie the wedding band she had picked out.

"I like it," Maggie leaned over to place a kiss on Tara's lips. She was still a little upset about all the baby talk but it wasn't worth starting a fight over.

Tara pulled Maggie into a hug, placing a few kisses in her neck. "Hey, you should go check on Beth. There was an accident while on the supply run and Zach was killed."

"Oh no...poor Zach. Are you alright?" Maggie checked Tara over for any injuries.

"I'm fine, babe but you should go talk to your sister," Tara gave Maggie another kiss before gently pushing her into Beth's direction.

"Okay, I'll see you later. Maybe we can meet in the guard tower later? It has been awhile," Maggie grabbed Tara's shirt, pulling her in for another kiss before setting off to find Beth. Harley quickly took off, following after Maggie.

"Yes to guard tower later," Tara called after her.

Tara spent the rest of the day making sure that her family was happy. She played some checkers with Meghan and then helped Lilly kill some walkers that had accumulated at the fence. Tara then spent time with Adam and Alice before checking on Hershel. The older man now had a prosthetic leg that Tara had been able to find in an abandoned nursing home a few towns over. After months of therapy, Hershel was able to walk and get around with relatively no problems. Finally, night had fallen as Tara made her way to the guard tower. She hadn't seen Maggie for the last couple of hours so she was anxious to make sure that her wife was alright.

Tara opened the door, closing it softly behind her. Maggie was laying down on some blankets that were placed on the floor. She had her eyes closed, but Tara wasn't sure if she was asleep or not. Tara thought Maggie looked so beautiful with the moonlight shining through the window. Tara gently laid down next to Maggie, letting her hand run down her wife's body. She definitely didn't mind that Maggie was just wearing a tank top and a pair of panties. Maggie started to stir as she sighed happily.

"Took you long enough," Maggie teased as she pulled Tara on top of her, kissing her passionately.

"Sorry..." Tara panted as she could feel her arousal growing. She could feel Maggie deliberately move against her, causing the tent in her jeans to grow bigger.

Nothing else was said as they hungrily kissed each other, tasting one another as they made out. Maggie ran her fingers through Tara's dark hair as she bit Tara's lower lip, tugging it a little. Tara thrust her body against Maggie's, the friction driving them crazy with desire.

"I need you now..." Maggie huskily whispered as she quickly pulled off her own shirt, tossing it aside. Tara barely had time to enjoy the view before Maggie started to unbuckle her belt.

"You really want it, huh?" Tara teased, watching as Maggie hurriedly unzipped her jeans. She wanted Tara right that second, she didn't want to wait a second longer.

"Yes...I want you to fuck me," Maggie pushed Tara's jeans down enough so that she could grip Tara's hardness, leading it to where she wanted.

Tara decided not to tease Maggie anymore, the urgency in the air. Tara thrust forward causing them both to moan as she entered Maggie, reveling in the tightness that surrounded her. Maggie wrapped her legs around Tara's waist, pushing her in even deeper. Tara thought she was going to come right then and there, the feel of Maggie's wetness against her so incredible.

"Oh God..." Maggie moaned as Tara started to move her hips in a steady rhythm. There was no time for any games tonight, they both desperately needed to feel that perfect moment of bliss.

Maggie grabbed a handful of Tara's hair, roughly colliding their lips together in a frenzied kiss. Maggie kissed down Tara's neck, biting softly down on the sensitive skin. She let her hands slip underneath Tara's shirt, scratching down Tara's back.

"Fuck..." Tara muttered as she felt herself get close to the edge. She sped up her rhythm, thrusting deeper into Maggie.

"Oh Tara..." Maggie whimpered. She moaned every time Tara moved against her, loving the sensation of Tara on top of her.

"Faster...please..." Maggie breathlessly whispered as Tara picked up the pace. Maggie let out a cry of pleasure as Tara became a bit rougher.

Tara quickened her strokes as Maggie held her tight, both of them desperately so close to the edge. Finally, Maggie felt that moment of bliss as she pulled Tara closer, kissing her hard as she came all over Tara's hard dick that was still thrusting within her. Tara could feel Maggie tightening around her and she knew she wasn't going to last much longer.

About a minute later, Tara reached her point of ecstasy as she came deep inside of Maggie. Tara collapsed on top of Maggie, completely satisfied and sated. Maggie ran her fingers through Tara's hair as they both slowly came down from their high.

"I love you. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Tara whispered as she kissed Maggie again.

"I love you too and no you didn't hurt me. It was amazin'," Maggie wrapped her arms around Tara, holding her close, both of them too tired to move as they fell asleep wrapped up in each other.


Meanwhile, Patrick wandered aimlessly throughout the prison corridors. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, all he knew was that he didn't feel good. Patrick felt like his skin was on fire as sweat dripped from his forehead. A few hours ago, Patrick had started to feel under the weather so he went to take a nap, hoping to feel better when he woke up. He figured it was just one of those 24 hour flu that everyone got every now and then. Instead, when the teen woke up, he felt even worse. His body ached and his head hurt like he was suffering from a vicious migraine.

"Jesus..." Patrick let out a few strong coughs as he stumbled around. He became scared when he noticed that he was also coughing up blood.

Maybe I should go get Tara or Daryl? The teen thought to himself but he decided against it. Last he heard, Tara was going to the guard tower with Maggie and Daryl was somewhere outside. Plus, he didn't have the strength to go out looking for them.

Sweat dripped off Patrick's face as he stumbled into the shower area. He quickly turned on the cold water, welcoming the relief as the water hit his hot skin. He fell to the ground, passing out from his body working overtime.

About an hour later, Patrick quietly passed away, the water still running over his body. Blood slowly started to seep out of his mouth and eyes.


Maggie was suddenly woken up by the sound of a picture being taken by a Polaroid camera. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes as Tara came into focus, a camera in one hand, and a photo in the other.

"What the hell are you doin'?" Maggie grumpily asked as she pulled the blanket over her face.

"Taking your picture," Tara simply said as she pulled the blanket off Maggie.

"Why? I look awful," Maggie sighed as she tried to get her blanket back. Tara leaned down to give her a quick peck on the lips.

"You never look awful. You're the most beautiful woman ever," Tara kissed her wife again. Maggie grabbed the photo that Tara had taken while she had been asleep.

"This is awful," Maggie made a motion to tear the picture but was quickly stopped by Tara.

"I like it. Now, I have a picture of you wherever I go," Tara stuck the treasured Polaroid into her pocket.

"Whatever. You're lucky that you're cute," Maggie pouted as she tried to go back to sleep.

"Sleep in. I love you," Tara kissed Maggie again before standing up to leave.

"I love you too," Maggie sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

Tara was making her way back to the prison when suddenly Karen came running out with a wild look in her eyes. She quickly caught the attention of Daryl, Rick and Glenn.

Karen threw herself into Tara's arms, almost tripping them both over. "Tara! There are walkers in the Cell Block D! A whole lot of them!"

Before Tara could answer, the sound of gunshots filled the air. She knew that was a bad sign. Guns were only to used in life or death situations since the noise drew walkers and caused them to accumulate against the fences. Tara quickly took off to the block in question with Rick, Daryl and Glenn right behind her. They ran as fast as they could and weren't prepared for the scene in front of them. There on the floor was a man getting munched on by a couple of hungry walkers. The Woodbury man was already dead, his guts ripped out on the floor. Other residents had locked themselves in their jail cells, trying to keep a barrier between them and the walkers. Down the hall were three more residents turned walkers, stumbling around.

In the corner were two blonde sisters named Lizzie and Mika. The older sister sister, Lizzie, had a gun in her hand, a dead walker in front of her. She was crying and her younger sister was trembling beside her. Tara wasted no time as she grabbed the walker that was eating breakfast, stabbing the creature in the brain. Daryl, Rick and Glenn helped kill the other walkers until the area was clear. Hershel appeared and helped out, drawn by all the noise. Dr. Subramanian quickly stepped out of his cell, helping kill one of the stumbling walkers.

"Everyone get outta here! Go outside where it's safe. Lizzie give me that gun," Tara instructed as the scared residents quickly did what they were told. Lizzie handed the gun to Tara before running out of the cell block with her little sister. Tara was going to have to interrogate the girl later and find out where she had found the gun. One of Rick's rules was that children not carry around guns.

"What the hell happened?" Glenn asked as he glanced down at the dead bodies on the floor.

"Someone died last night and turned. Bit some people and then they turned. Maybe someone had a heart attack," Daryl inspected the bodies, noting that one didn't have any bites or scratches.

"Let me see that man," Dr. Subramanian knelt down next to the dead man, looking for any clues to what had caused his death. He immediately noticed the blood seeping out of the man's eyes.

"I'll check the rest of the block," Tara said as she walked down the corridor, looking for anything else amiss. She noticed that someone was still staggering around in their cell. Tara recognized the man whose name was Charles. He was in walker form but he had no bites or scratches, instead blood was dripping from his mouth and eyes.

"Hey guys! We have a situation over here!" Tara called to her friends. She was so busy paying attention to the locked walker in front of her that she didn't notice another one, quietly walking behind her.

"Tara! Look out!" Glenn yelled a warning as Tara quickly turned around coming face to face with the walker version of Patrick.

Walker Patrick pushed Tara roughly into the cell door in front of her. The door swung open as Tara felt herself fall onto the floor with the walker landing on top of her. Just then, Tara remembered that this jail cell also contained the reanimated corpse of Charles. As if on cue, the walker version of Charles dropped down, adding to the dog pile.

"Shit..." Tara held her arm out, keeping the two walkers from landing completely on her and ripping her neck out. She tried to grab her knife but cursed again when she realized the sheath was empty. Unfortunately, Tara couldn't grab the gun that she had taken from Lizzie since it was in a holster on the other side of her body where she couldn't reach. If she moved her arm just a little then the walkers would topple on top of her and kill her. Tara reached out with her free arm, desperately searching for any kind of weapon. Suddenly, Tara felt blood ricochet on her face as an arrow landed into walker Charles head. The walker fell to the side as Rick grabbed the teenage walker and quickly stabbed it in the brain.

"You alright?" Daryl asked as he helped Tara stand up.

"I'm alright now," Tara tried to calm her beating heart, leaning against the cell wall. Glenn grabbed a towel and wet it with some water from the sink. He could tell Tara that was still in a daze. They all thought Tara was good as dead when they were running to Charles' cell as fast as they could. Glenn carefully wiped all the blood from her face and neck.

"You sure you're good?" Glenn asked as he checked her arms for any scratches.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, man," Tara led Glenn out of the cell where Rick, Daryl, Hershel and Dr. Subramanian were crowded around the dead bodies of Patrick and Charles.

"There's no bites or scratches. So what gives?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah. Charles used to close his cell door since he always sleepwalked and he said it helped so there's no way a walker could go in there. He died from something else," Glenn added as Dr. Subramanian studied both bodies closely.

The doctor pointed to the blood seeping out of the eyes and mouth. "You see all that bleeding from the orifices? That could mean that they were infected with some kind of disease."

"Like what?" Tara asked. She remembered all the blood that had flew on her face just minutes ago.

"I've seen walkers with blood comin' out of their eyes and mouth at the fences and in the forest. Do you think it's contagious?" Rick asked Dr. Subramanian, who just shrugged.

"It's hard to know for sure yet," the doctor answered.

"Also our momma pig died this mornin' and she had blood comin' out of her eyes like this. Her piglets seemed to be alright though," Rick informed the doctor just in case the information was useful.

"Maybe it's just some kind of walker disease," Glenn added in a hopeful voice.

"Maybe. But even pre-apocalypse, I saw cases like this. It was spread by infected feral pigs and birds. And unfortunately, diseases like that thrive in close quarters like the cell blocks," Dr. Subramanian explained.

"So everyone that has been in this cell block is potentially infected?" Hershel asked.

"Yes," the doctor simply stated.

About an hour later, Hershel called an emergency council meeting so they could figure out what to do with all the people who had been in Cell Block D. Carol informed the other members that there had been a few casualties, including Lizzie and Mika's father, Ryan Samuels, who had been bitten on the back by a walker. Tara, Hershel, Daryl, Glenn, Sasha and Carol all sat around a table, discussing the day's events and what they could do to slow down the spread of the infection to the healthy cell blocks.

"What do we do? We can't let this thing spread. We have kids, Judith, Adam to think about," Carol said.

Tara could feel a headache start to come on as she tried to will it away. She didn't feel 100% but she figured that she was just tired. There was no way that she was already infected and showing symptoms in a span of just a couple of hours...or at least she hoped.

"Maybe we should quarantine all the infected to a part of the prison that is away from the main areas," Hershel suggested.

"What part is that?" Sasha asked.

"Cell Block A. Former death row..." Daryl answered as everyone could feel the severity of his words.

"We can do that. Just at least until this disease passes," Glenn agreed.

Hershel glanced over at Tara. He saw that she had a hand on her forehead as if she had a headache. He really hoped that she wasn't getting sick either. "Tara, you should limit your contact with Maggie, Adam, and Alice especially since all that infected blood landed on you."

"Alright, I can do that. So we quarantine all the infected to Cell Block A. All agree?" Tara asked the room as everyone raised their hands in agreement.

Just then they heard loud coughing coming from the other side of the door. Tara opened the door to find Karen and Tyreese on the other side. Karen was coughing up a storm as Tyreese tried to comfort his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry, Karen but you're gonna have to be put in quarantine," Sasha sympathetically said.

"What? No! That's crazy!" Tyreese started to argue but was stopped by Karen.

"It's okay, Tyreese. I'll be fine but you might want to talk to David also. He was coughing up a storm earlier," Karen informed the group as Hershel led her to the quarantine area.

Tara and Glenn went to go get the rest of the quarantine group as the others gathered the bodies for a quick burial. Tara could feel her body getting a little weak but she thought it was just fatigue. It had to be.


Meanwhile, while Tara had been dealing with all the infected walkers, Maggie had had quite an eventful morning herself. She had just gotten down from the guard tower when Karen's shouts sounded from the prison. She saw Tara and the others run as fast as they could into the prison.

Maggie was going to follow when she noticed that in all the chaos that Michonne was stuck at the gate with two walkers hot on her trail. It seemed like Michonne would be alright since it was just two walkers and she could handle herself. Suddenly though, Michonne accidentally caught her leg in a snare that had been set up to catch walkers on their way to the gate. Then the loud sounds of gunshots could be heard from the prison as more walkers became drawn to the noise and in consequence, became aware of Michonne.

Carl quickly opened the gate, stabbing a walker that was about to grab Michonne. Maggie ran as fast as she could to the gate. She could see that a walker had toppled an injured Michonne over and was ready to bite her shoulder. Maggie didn't think as she pulled out her gun and shot the creature. She knew the sound would draw even more walkers to the fence but it had been a life or death situation.

She finally made it to the gate, running to Michonne. She helped the other woman up and it became apparent that Michonne couldn't walk without help. Maggie threw Michonne's arm across her shoulders, helping her to the gate. They barely made it inside the safety area as dozens of walkers tried to grab them. Carl quickly shut the gate behind them, securing it tightly. The walkers rattled against the fence loudly.

"Come on. Let's get you to Lilly so she can check your leg," Maggie tried to catch her breath as she slowly helped Michonne to the prison.

Just as they made it inside, Rick appeared. "Maggie we have a situation."

Rick told them about the events that had just taken place in Cell Block D. He told Michonne and Maggie about the walker pile Tara had become apart of and how she had come in contact with a lot of infected blood.

"So your father and Tara seem to be alright so far but you might want to limit contact with them until this disease passes. Even limit your contact with me, just in case," Rick suggested as Maggie nodded.

"I'll try," Maggie agreed as she helped Michonne to where Lilly was stationed. She watched as Lilly cleaned and dressed up the Michonne's leg wound. She tried not to think about Tara possibly being infected with whatever deadly disease was going around. After a few minutes, Maggie couldn't stand being cooped up in the prison, not knowing where Tara was. She called for her dog and soon the boxer bounced to her side.

"Come on, Harley. Let's take a walk outside, get some fresh air. Maybe I'll be able to see Tara even if it's just for a few minutes," Maggie led the brindle boxer outside. They walked into the courtyard and Maggie almost couldn't believe what she was seeing.

There at one portion of the barrier was a huge group of walkers leaning against the fence. There had to be at least one hundred walkers, all gathered in one area. All the extra weight was causing the fence to give way. Just a few more walkers and the fence would break and cave in, leaving the prison vulnerable to the large walker herd. Maggie turned and could see Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Tara and Sasha in the distance digging graves for the fallen residents. The building blocked their view of the fence so they had no idea what was going on.

She ran as fast as she could to the group with Harley following. "Tara! Rick! Daryl! The fence! It's gonna break!"

Maggie's yells and Harley's urgent barking quickly caught the group's attention as they ran to her. Tara tried to keep her distance just in case she was infected.

"Maggie! What's wrong?" Tara asked as Harley ran past them to the fence.

"The fence is gonna break!" Maggie shouted as Tara looked over and saw what was causing Maggie's distress.

"Holy shit! Guys, we gotta get the fence stable and kill those walkers!" Tara shouted as she quickly ran to the fence. She grabbed a wooden pole and immediately started to kill walkers on the other side of the fence. The others followed suit as they all started to kill walkers. There were so many walkers and they couldn't seem to kill the creatures fast enough.

Sasha grabbed Tara's shoulder, pointing out something by the fence. "Look! There's half eaten rat carcasses here! Someone's been feeding the walkers here. That's why there's so many of them in this one spot."

"Who would do that?" Glenn shouted as he stabbed another walker in the face.

"Probably some sicko," Daryl muttered as he tried to kill as many walkers as he could.

"We need another plan! This isn't working! The fence is gonna fall," Tara yelled as sweat started to drip down her face.

"I have a plan. Tara, come on!" Rick grabbed Tara's arm, leading her away from the fence. He led her to the pig pen where four piglets were sitting there.

"Are you really gonna feed the walkers these pigs?" Tara asked. She wasn't sure she could do what needed to be done.

"We have to, Tara. The pigs are probably infected with the disease and it will buy us some time to get the fence sturdy again," Rick said with tears in his eyes. He didn't want to sacrifice the animals but there was no other way.

"Alright," Tara agreed with a heavy heart. She bent down to grab a couple of the pigs as Rick did the same.

They quickly ran to the truck where Daryl was waiting to open the gate. Rick jumped into the drivers seat after placing the piglets in the bed of the truck. Tara realized that she was going to be the one that had to do the sacrificing as she put the rest of the pigs into the truck and climbed into the back with them. Rick raced the truck to where all the walkers were. Some creatures quickly took notice of the vehicle but most kept their focus on the bending fence. Rick honked the horn, leading the walkers a few meters away from the fence.

"Fuck..." Tara muttered as she grabbed one of the pigs. She sighed as she cut the femoral artery. She quickly jumped out of the truck, leaving the pig in the field for the walkers to devour.

"I'm so sorry..." Tara apologized as she jumped back into the truck. She tried to block out the squeals as the walkers ripped the pig apart.

The next piglet coughed up a storm as she repeated the same process. Soon, she was on the last pig as the walkers left the fence, more interested in the prospect of a meal. Tara could see Glenn, Sasha and Maggie putting huge pieces of wood against the fence to help keep it sturdy.

Tara cut the artery of the last pig, the blood splattering all over her as she forced herself to keep the tears from falling. "I'm sorry..."

She left the last pig in the field as she felt so numb from what she had been forced to do. Tara loved all kinds of animals and she had helped Rick take care of the pigs. The truck drove back to the prison, crisis averted for now. Rick stopped the truck, parking it in the designated area. Tara halfheartedly jumped out of the bed of the truck.

"Hey...I'm sorry you had to do that. Go clean up. That blood is probably infected also so be extra careful with everyone," Rick patted her shoulder a few times. Tara wasn't showing any symptoms yet but they still needed to take precautions.

"Yeah, I'll go wash up," Tara said as she went to a sink to wash her face. She wiped all the blood off her face and arms as a sudden bout of dizziness hit her. Tara used the sink to keep steady, trying to keep herself from passing out. Finally, the feeling passed as a headache hit her. Tara closed her eyes, keeping her head down. She figured she was just really tired and needed to get a lot of rest. There was no way she could be infected with the deadly disease. Besides, one of the main symptoms was a horrible cough and Tara didn't have any kind of cough.

Afterwards, Tara went to the now empty pig pen and threw some gasoline on it. She lit a match and set the pen on fire, watching the flames silently. Carl joined her after a few minutes.

"Are you ok?" the boy asked as Tara nodded.

"Yeah. We just gotta burn this thing down. We either got the virus from the pigs or we infected them. You should stay away from Judith for a while to protect her from getting sick," Tara continued to watch as the flames grew, consuming the pig pen.

"I'll stay away from her. But can I tell you something?" Carl asked.

"Of course."

"Carol's been teaching the kids to use knives to protect themselves," Carl revealed. He knew that one of his dad's big rules was that the kids be unarmed so they could hold onto some kind of semblance of childhood.

"Do you think she's doing the right thing?" Tara shrugged off the plaid shirt she was wearing, revealing the black shirt she had on underneath. She glanced at all the blood on the red plaid shirt before she tossed it into the flames.

"Yeah I think she is," Carl answered.

"Then I won't say anything to your dad and we'll just let Carol keep on doing what she's doing," Tara promised as they watched the flames die down after the pen had been destroyed. She thought Carol teaching the kids how to protect themselves was smart. They were living in an unstable world after all and the adults may not always be around. After the fire was completely out, Tara and Carl went back into the prison. Tara was dead tired so she decided to sleep in a cell block away from her friends and family just in case. She kept her distance as she said goodnight to Maggie, which was hard to do.

"I love you, Maggie. Keep my dog tags safe for me," Tara said as she resisted the urge to pull Maggie close and kiss her. Her wife was wearing her treasured dog tags around her neck.

"I love you, too," Maggie said with a sad smile. She wasn't used to being away from Tara at night but she knew they needed to keep their distance.

Tara said goodnight to Lilly, Meghan and Alice before she walked to the isolated cell block where she would be spending the night. Tara picked a random cell, closing the door, just in case something happened while she slept. She laid down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep just a few minutes later.


"Hey Tara, wake up. We've got a situation."

A few hours later, Tara felt her shoulder being shaken roughly as she slowly opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to focus as she tried to wake up from her slumber.

"What the hell? What situation?" Tara sat up and wiped her eyes. Daryl was in the cell with her, a tired look on his face.

"Tyreese was goin' to check on Karen in the other isolated wing of the prison. Ya know how she was coughin' yesterday and was sick?" Daryl asked as Tara nodded.

"Yeah...is she okay?" Tara felt another headache already starting.

"Tyreese found the cell empty but he followed a blood trail that led to outside and that's where he found...the charred remains of Karen and possibly David. We ain't sure yet. They are burned and can't tell who it might be. Only reason, we know it's Karen is cuz she was wearin' the bracelet Tyreese gave her," Daryl explained as Tara looked at him with shock on her face.

"Someone set them on fire?!" Tara wondered who could commit a crime like that.

"Yeah and Tyreese is really riled up, understandably cuz that was his girl but we can't have him goin' around scarin' everyone. We need help calmin' him down," Daryl said.

"Alright, I'm coming," Tara jumped out of bed. She washed up real quick before following Daryl to the scene of the crime.

There standing around the charred, unrecognizable bodies were Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Tyreese, Sasha and Carol. As soon as Tyreese caught sight of Tara, he marched up to her, demanding that action be taken immediately after what happened to Karen.

"We need to find out who did this! You need to bring whoever killed Karen to me. They murdered her in cold blood!" Tyreese was almost shouting as he marched up to Tara.

Tara's headache was killing her and Tyreese wasn't helping any. "Just calm down and we'll try to figure out-"

"Calm down! Calm down! Are you fuckin' kidding me? What kind of leader are you?" Tyreese angrily pushed Tara back a few steps.

"Tyreese! Stop!" Sasha tried to stop her brother but he pushed Tara's shoulder again.

"Back off, man," Tara could feel herself start to get angry. She immediately pushed Tyreese back.

"Whoa! We don't need a fight right now," Glenn and Carol both tried to stop Tara but they were too late.

Tara landed a hard punch on Tyreese's face. He stumbled back a few steps, surprised by the hit. Tara then tackled him to the ground and started to land punch after punch on Tyreese. He tried to hit back or block the punches but he was unsuccessful.

"That's enough!" Daryl pulled Tara off, pushing her to the side.

Tara rubbed her fist which she was pretty sure was either sprained or broken. She glanced over at Tyreese who was bleeding from his nose and had a black eye.

"We'll find whoever did it, alright? I know that Karen was your girl and I can't imagine what you're going through but we will find who did it. Right now, just chill," Tara could feel her breathing become more labored. She couldn't stop the violent coughs that suddenly came out of her as she quickly turned away from everyone.

"Are you sick?" Glenn asked with alarm. He watched in horror as Tara coughed up a storm. She immediately started sweating profusely and her vision was becoming a little blurry.

"Maybe..." Tara mumbled as she coughed again.

Sasha placed her hand on Tara's forehead, alarmed at how warm her skin was. "Tara, you're really hot!"

"Thanks, Sasha but I'm happily taken but if I was single though...you know it," Tara winked, showing Sasha her wedding ring before she started to cough some more.

Tara suddenly felt really dizzy as the world seemed to spin around her. She felt her breathing become more labored as she passed out, the world filling with darkness.


Tara woke up an hour later in a bed. She realized that she was in the quarantine area in the death row block of the prison. Her body ached all over, her head was killing her, she was pretty sure she had a fever and she was so tired. Before Tara could look at her surroundings, she coughed up a storm, spitting up blood in the trash can by the bed.

"You're really sick. You've got a fever of 104.5," Hershel said from the doorway of her cell.

"Shit...I literally feel like I'm dying, Hershel. This shit don't play. How's Maggie? Is she okay? Is Adam is alright?" Tara asked as she coughed up some more blood. She could feel her ribs becoming sore from all the coughing.

"Maggie's fine. She's in the safe area of the prison. We literally almost had to fight to keep her and Lilly away from here. They wanted to check on you," Hershel recounted the short argument he had had with his oldest daughter. "And Adam is healthy and with Beth right now. She's the safest one for Judith and Adam to be with since she hasn't been exposed to anyone near the infected cell block."

"As long as they're okay..." Tara mumbled, closing her eyes. Sweat dripped down her face and her breathing became more labored. Her shirt clung to her skin from how much she was sweating but she still had the chills, pulling the blanket tight around her.

"Daryl left with Bob and Michonne to go get some antibiotics from an abandoned veterinary college about two hundred miles from here. I know it's a lot to ask Tara but you need to hold on. They'll be back in about three days, you need to fight," Hershel tried to encourage Tara to fight for survival. He was scared to admit that she was at death's door and could pass at any moment.

"I'll try..." Tara weakly said as she closed her tired eyes. Her body was shutting down and she wasn't sure if she could hang on for three long days.

Tara then noticed the bandage on her hand. Her hand was really sore and hurt to move. She must have punched Tyreese harder than she thought.

"You've got a couple of sprains but your hand should heal with time. You know you shouldn't have gotten into a fight with Tyreese. The man had just lost his girlfriend," Hershel said as he felt Tara's forehead which was on fire.

"I know. I just wasn't thinking and my head hurt. If I survive this, I promise to apologize," Tara weakly closed her eyes as Hershel placed a wet towel on her forehead.

"Hang on, Tara. You've got to hang on. Think of everythin' you've been through just to go out like this. You've got Maggie and Adam countin' on you. You've got to hang on there, kiddo," Hershel softly whispered as he made his way to the cell door. He securely locked the door, just in case Tara didn't make it and turned. He prayed to God that she would still be alive in three days when Daryl returned.

"I'll try..." Tara promised. She had been sick before, of course, but this was like nothing she had ever dealt with. Tara's body was in so much pain and she was having a hard time breathing. She wasn't sure she could suffer for three more days.

"I'm sorry, Maggie," Tara whispered as she allowed her tired body to fall into a restless slumber, holding the picture of Maggie.


Meanwhile, Maggie paced around the prison corridor, not sure what to do, wiping the tears from her face. She had just watched Daryl's group leave on a quest to the veterinary college to get some antibiotics. She hoped that they would all make it back home safe and in time. Maggie knew that Tara was running out of time.

When Maggie found out how sick Tara really was, she couldn't believe it. Yesterday, Tara had seemed healthy and fine. Her father hadn't sugar coated the details, telling her that Tara's only chance of survival was getting the medicine in time. Maggie hated that she was separated from Tara when she was needed the most. All she wanted to do was talk to her but she wasn't even allowed that.

Before Daryl had left, he had stopped to talk to Maggie, trying to give the young woman some kind of hope in an utterly hopeless situation.

"Hey. Tara'll be alright. She's a tough son of a bitch. If anyone can survive this, it's her," Daryl pulled Maggie into a quick hug which she readily accepted.

"What if she doesn't, Daryl? My dad said she was really sick. I can't lose her, I just can't," Maggie started to cry, unable to hold back her tears.

"It's gonna be alright. Tara's my best friend and I ain't gonna let her die. We'll find this medicine and make it in time," Daryl hoped that he was right. He didn't want to tell Maggie but Tara was in the ending stage of the fast moving disease. Hershel had told him that Tara wasn't allowed any visitors when he had gone to see her. The older man also told him that it wasn't looking good and they needed to prepare for the real possibility that Tara wouldn't make it through the night. Dr. Subramanian had looked over Tara and his prognosis wasn't good - she had literally hours left if she didn't find the will to fight.

Daryl gave Maggie another hug before he left with his group that consisted of Bob and Michonne. The less people they had away the better, just in case more people became sick and needed help. After her talk with Daryl, Maggie visited Lilly and Meghan. She could tell that Lilly was keeping something from her but she didn't pry.

Lilly knew how sick Tara really was after she pried the information from Hershel. He made her promise not to tell Maggie, at least not yet. If Tara survived the night, then Maggie could maybe handle how serious the situation was. Lilly was numb, the possibility of losing her sister was real and there was nothing she could do. She had begged Hershel to let her into the death row block so she could look after Tara and be there in case the unimaginable happened. She didn't want her sister to be alone when she died. Hershel wouldn't budge or unlock the doors, telling Lilly that she needed to stay away from the sick area since she was still healthy and symptom free.

After spending some time with Lilly, Maggie went to check on Alice and make sure that she was doing alright. Adam was safe with Beth and Judith in another part of the prison away from everyone. Alice knew about Tara's situation as she hugged Maggie close, both promising to be there for each other, no matter what happened. Maggie never thought that Tara's ex would become such a good friend but here they were, comforting one another in a time of need.

Now, Maggie was back in her jail cell alone, praying as hard as she could for a miracle. She prayed to God that Daryl would find the antibiotics and that Tara would make a full recovery. Maggie was so scared that Tara was going to succumb to the deadly illness and leave her all alone in this cruel world.

"Please Tara, fight for me. You can't leave me..." Maggie whispered as she clutched Tara's dog tags. She prayed the rest of the night, hoping against all hope that Tara would survive this newest lethal enemy.


Thanks to everyone who has ever read, reviewed, followed or favorited anything I have ever wrote. You guys are awesome. Next chapter should be up in a couple of weeks.

Also thanks to the special reviewer who made me feel super great and keep on writing. You are amazing! Here's the next chapter for you to print out and add to your book.

Also to my best friend/fanfic buddy, K. You are super awesome and thanks for putting up with me lol. You always listen to my ideas or brainstorm with me. And you always have time to read whatever crazy stuff I send you even if it's just a few sentences. And you put up with my Tara/Maggie shipper heart and all my crazy ideas lol. Thank you! Love you! :)