A/N: Only three more chapters until season 5! I discovered what kept me so strained with writing, and it was the fact that overall first half of season 4 was kind of boring, and it was hard for me to place Elena in it. But I have more written, and I feel like it's some good quality shit.
Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this one, and if you do leave a review! Cheers :)
Today was the longest day we had in a long time. It was just afternoon, and already so much fucking shit happened. My first stop after leaving the toombs was to see Merle. I had to inform him of what was happening and check if he was OK. As annoying as his comments were, he was still a family, and I haven't seen him since this morning.
I spotted him down by the fences, with few other people, all of them stabbing and trying to spread the walkers around.
Not coming too close, I stood on the other side and yelled his name, waving him over. His face lightened up, and he smiled widely, coming over to the chain-link fence that separated us.
"Doll, fuckin' hell, what a day, huh?"
"Good to see you didn't lose your cheerfulness," I commented dryly, and he furrowed his brows, tilting his head.
"What's wrong?"
"What's not fucking wrong?" I threw my hands up and let them fall to my sides, worry finally setting in. I glanced behind him, making sure that others couldn't hear us, and I cleared my throat.
"The illness is spreading, and someone killed Karen and David."
"What?" He shouted, getting others' attention, but I put a fake smile over my face and waved at them to show that everything is alright.
"Be quiet. We don't need to alarm people. I think whoever did it tried to prevent the spread of the flu."
"Well, ain't worked well, right?" His face lacked his usual smugness, and his hand was stroking his chin, which he often did while thinking. "Ya know who?"
"No," I said slowly. "But I have my suspicions. Tyreese wants Rick and me to solve it. Fuck, I want to solve. For all, I know it could be you or me."
"Snake in a fuckin' nest, that what it is, Sugar."
"You got that right, Hook. Can you tell me who was on guard duty today so far?"
Merle scrunched his nose and reached his back pocket, pulling out the small notebook I spotted him carrying around.
"Maggie was in the mornin', second shift started at midday, and it was Sasha, but she left earlier, 'bout two hours ago, said she ain't feelin' well, so I put Matt up. Then it's me, and ya got balls."
"Fuck, I hate those." I rubbed my face with frustration and tried to wipe the sweat off my forehead. I looked back at Merle and gave him a crooked smile. "We going to have another meeting soon, but I wanted to make sure you're OK. And- have you seen Lucy?" I added quietly, biting my bottom lip, scared of the answer.
"As ordered, all kids and elderly moved to offices. She was with Beth the last time I saw her. Nothin' to worry, she's tough, and Blondie knows how to take care of lil' ones," Merle said in his normally gruff voice, but there was a tenderness to it. I knew for a fact that he liked Lucy and often played with her in the fields if he didn't have a duty.
"Thanks, Hook. I'll come talk to you after the meeting. Um, before I go. Can I see your keys?"
Merle raised his eyebrow at me but dug into his pants pocket and stretched his hand out, a set of metal keys dangling in front of my face.
"Whatcha need it for?"
"Just checking something," I answered, scanning the keys over. The set was exactly like mine, plus a keyring presenting a hook attached to it. Birthday present from yours truly. Everything looked normal, they were dirty, and some of the metal parts were covered in rust. I nodded when I finished my examination, and he put it back, his face growing dark for a moment.
"Is Darlina OK?"
"Hey, nothin' can kill Dixon but a Dixon, right?" I answered in a horrible southern accent, making the man in front of me laugh out loud before he turned around, going back to stabbing walkers through the fence.
Sitting down by the table, I was tapping my foot nervously on a concrete floor. Pen in my hand and the sheet in front seemed to be mocking me, playing games with my mind. Everything I knew so far was barely anything.
Two bodies burned to a crisp with a trail of blood, proving that they were killed in their beds before someone decided to grill them.
The cells were locked after the fact, which by the way, was kinda stupid, which means that only someone who had access to them could do it. That would be council and watch.
Small handprint on the wall by the entrance to the courtyard.
And that's fucking it. Chances are that person responsible lays now in A, suffering from the disease they tried to prevent from spreading. Because the handprint was small, female-like. So unless someone borrowed keys from one of us, it left only three possibilities.
I wrote down three names on a piece of paper and knitted my brows.
Screeching of a door made me jerk my head up, and quickly I stashed the paper in my pocket, not wanting anyone to see it until I had a chance to speak with Rick. No need to make people panic. Or to spook my suspects.
"Sasha got it," Glenn said, his voice laced with worry as he sat down next to me. I shifted my gaze to Hershel, and he just sadly nodded to confirm what the young man said. Fuck. That leaves two. Or one, if you look at that properly, and that awful feeling settled down at the pit of my belly once more. Could I be wrong? Were my assumptions incorrect? Was there something I missed?
"She went to A about half an hour ago," Hershel added just when Daryl, Carol, and Michonne came in. The latter leaning against the doorframe while the other took their seats.
"Then we are ready to start. Merle is working on fences and controls the watch shifts," I spoke, my voice all business-like, glancing around the room, controlling the urge to look at Carol for longer than necessary.
"Well, it's spread," Hershel started the most urgent topic. "Everyone who survived the attack in Cell Block D. Sasha, Caleb, and now others."
"Jesus," Daryl commented, his eyes connecting with mine, an evident worry in them. I felt fine so far. No itchy throat, no fever, but as the illness showed us, it could hit you quickly, at any given moment.
"So what do we do?" Carol asked quietly, and their eyes landed on me, as always recently, when we were lost for the ideas.
"They are separated in A. We keep them there just like we tried with Karen and David," I started, just to be interrupted by Daryl.
"The hell we're gonna do about that?"
"Rick and Eli will look into it. But what are we going to do to stop this?" My eyes narrowed for a second at Carol's dismissal of the subject, but that was not the moment to voice my concerns.
"Keep the most valuable separated. I'm sorry, Hershel, but that includes you too."
"I know, I just hoped to do some good before it comes to that," He admitted with a soft smile.
"But the most important is that we need meds. I got some herbs. I'd like everybody to take them in tea, sick or not, just to be sure. It won't hurt to try. But we need antibiotics."
"Elena's right," Hershel took over me. "There's no stopping it. Once you get it, you have to go through it."
"But it just kills you," Katana, so far silent, finally spoke up, her arms crossed in front of her.
"Just the symptoms."
"Plan's good, but we searched all the area nearby, all pharmacies, all shops," Daryl pointed out, and I sighed, realizing that he's right, and we will have to take a look at the maps to find some location.
"That veterinary college of West Peachtree Tech." Or maybe not. Apparently, Hershel already had a plan. "That's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. The drugs for animals there are the same we need."
"That's fifty miles. Too big risk before. Ain't now. I'm gonna take a group out. Best not waste any more time."
"I'm in," Katana stepped forward, and I was grateful that she will be going. Because as much as I wanted to go with them, ensure that we got the meds for our people, I simply couldn't. Rick and I had to catch that killer.
"You haven't been exposed, Daryl has. You get in a car with him-" Hershel told her, warning in his voice evident. Michonne smirked playfully and winked in my direction before replying.
"He's already given me fleas."
I snorted, catching the hunter's attention, and he motioned for me as he started for the door, but I shook my head gently, making him furrow his brows.
"I can lead the way," Hershel was still laughing at Katana's comment when he said it, standing up as if ready to go.
"Um, Hershel-" I started, noticing how everyone got quiet and uncomfortable, unsure how to tell him the ugly truth. "Once you there, almost always at some point you have to run."
"Or I could draw you a map, then." He deflated, realization washing over him. True, he had a prosthetic, something we found a few months back, but it wasn't perfectly fitted and definitely not made for running away from walkers.
"Why ya not comin'?" Daryl asked me, moving over to where I stood. I lifted my hand and pushed loose strands of his hair away from his face. My smile was soft, and I tried to imprint his face in my mind, even though I knew every aspect of it.
"You know why," I answered quietly and stroked his cheek. "I have to make sure that whoever did this to Karen and David is found. And punished."
Daryl leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine, his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer. I got lost for a moment in his scent, in the warm embrace that always made me feel safe. Home.
"Don't catch it, El."
"I won't. Be careful out there."
"Always am." With that, my hunter tilted his head and planted a soft kiss on my lips. My eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the slow pace until it was over, and he pulled away from me. I looked around, noticing that Carol left already, and Glenn was talking to Hershel in a hushed voice.
"Hey guys, can I see your keys?"
When I was satisfied with the state of the keys presented by Glenn, Hershel, and Daryl, I walked the hunter to our cell, where he collected a few items, preparing himself for the journey. And then we said our goodbyes, in the confinement of our small room, as well as we could considering we were on a clock.
I delegated Oscar, who still didn't show any flu symptoms, to take care of the tea, ensuring that the herbs are distributed equally between ill and healthy. That will give him something to do, besides fences.
And then I made my way to find Rick, after asking and searching; finally, I realized that he must be in the toombs, investigating.
He was indeed there, looking around, and when he heard my footsteps, his eyes landed on me. I could see old Rick peeking through. That hardness in his eyes, and clenched jaw, hand every so often reaching towards empty gun holster.
I didn't say anything, just let him get to his own conclusions. After a few minutes, Rick stopped right in front of me, with hands on his hips.
"So, what did you noticed, sheriff?" I asked him calmly, and he released a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand over his face.
"They obviously were killed in their cells and then dragged out. Probably knives, as no one heard any gunshots, and there are no shells. But that's my most interesting clue," Rick led me to the courtyard and pointed at the bloody handprint that covered the wall next to the door. He layed his hand next to it, showing the size difference, and I smiled sadly at him.
"I found similar one in David's cell. As if the killer had trouble with his weight. So what does it mean?"
"A woman, or a teenager," Rick admitted with furrowed brows, and I nodded.
"Look, there's no way Carl did that. But woman, yes. That still leaves us with a lot of suspects. So, I guess it's my turn to tell you what I found."
I turned around and walked back inside, standing in front of both cells, motioning for them.
"What about them?" Rick asked, unsure of what I'm trying to tell him.
"They were locked. When I got here, I had stew and herbal tea for them. That's when I heard Tyreese, so I checked on him and saw- well, what we all saw in the courtyard," I started telling him and slowly took out my set of keys. "When he went to get you, I had a look around, but when I tried to enter the cells, they were locked."
That's when I passed him my keys, and he inspected it for a moment, every dirt marks, every blood splatter they collected over the months.
"I checked everybody's set, except for two," I continued and leaned against the wall. "We have three suspects Rick. Unless someone borrowed the keys, but again the guys denied. So you have Sasha, who did leave her shift in watchtower earlier, around the time it happened. Carol, I don't know where she was or where she supposed to be, and me. So let's have it, sheriff."
Rick narrowed his eyes, shaking his head and taking a deep, steady breath before getting to his questions.
"Sasha left, 'cause she didn't feel well, and now we know that she's really infected, so I doubt she would be strong enough to do this. She barely got herself to A," Rick told me, and I nodded because that's something I also suspected. I haven't seen the woman, but I trusted what Hershel and Glenn told me, and apparently, she looked like hell. Plus, would she really kill her brother's girlfriend? Sasha wasn't that kind of person.
"I agree. Leaves two. I know where I stand, but you and others don't, so ask away."
"I know what you're capable of, and you definitely could do it," Rick started, and as much as I agreed, it still hurt a little to hear from a friend. But I knew that it's not because he didn't trust me. No, he needed to see if I was dangerous towards the others.
"Well, yes."
"Did you?" With a tightly clenched jaw, Rick was waiting for my response.
I stood up straighter, pushing myself off the wall, and dropped my blank mask, staring right at the sheriff's eyes. "No. I didn't have any issue with either Karen or David, and- I knew we will have an outbreak on our hands."
"What you mean?"
"I think the person who did it tried to stop it. But flu is an airborne virus. You, me, Daryl. All of us that are not infected, it just means we have a better immune system, but we still carry it."
"I see," Rick considered what I told him and nodded to himself before asking me another question. "And where were you when it happened?"
"In the cafeteria, making food for them, seeing what herbs we got that can help with the immune system and fighting infection. And no, I don't have witnesses. Oscar walked me over there, but then he went to work on fences, so I was by myself."
"You said you checked the keys. Why? What could it prove?"
I shook my head and breathed out heavily, furrowing my brows. "No clue. I wanted to see how others were taking care of them because I noticed Carol's keys. Very clean and shiny."
Rick didn't say anything else at that, but his face showed sorrow, but also something else, similar look he wore when we traveled through Georgia all those months ago. Determination.
"If she- how? I can't even fucking imagine her doing something like that. And what we're supposed to do with it?"
"First, we should found out if it was actually her, Rick," I told him softly, placing my hand on his shoulder. "And the rest we'll figure out after."
With that, slowly, we made our way through the prison. It was a dire view. There weren't a lot of people left who weren't sick. Our resources stretched. I swallowed a lump in my throat when I noticed Mark coughing, his face was sweaty, and his eyes bloodshot.
Everything we worked so hard for the past few months was crumbling to the ground. If Daryl doesn't come back soon with any kind of medicine, we are bound to lose almost everyone, not that there are many left.
I followed Rick out of prison, through the courtyard, and onto the fields. Carol was nowhere to be seen until we heard a characteristic rustic sound from the fences.
"Damn you, Carol," The sheriff mumbled and sped up, making me knit my brows together in confusion.
"Is she out there?"
"She was complaining before, wanted to go, but I said it's too dangerous without others," Rick answered, and I nodded, speeding up. I could see few walkers coming out of the woods, and some were losing interest in a metal construct that was supposed to gather their attention.
"Carol!" I yelled and started running, pulling machete out of my belt. Rick's heavy footsteps sounded heavily on the ground next to me when we run for the opening in the chain-link. I was first there and quickly undid the clasp and let the sheriff through the hole. My heart leaped at my chest when one of the geeks got way too close to Carol, who just managed to take the other one down.
I squeezed through the hole and grabbed the knife, throwing it without thinking twice. Shifting my body, I launched under the geek's arm and stabbed its brain from behind. Spinning to face the others, I ran towards Carol and kicked at the walker closest to her, sinking the blade in the head.
"Hurry up!" I outstretched my hand to the woman and yanked her up when her fingers grabbed my wrist. I pushed her towards the hole when a hand gripped my shoulder, pulling me back to the ground. A small yelp escaped my lips, but I focused on using my momentum to kick at the walker and scramble to my knees.
Cowboy boots showed in my vision, and Rick pulled me up, urging us to get back inside.
"Run!" Not one for disobeying that kind of orders, I pushed my legs to move, panting heavily once we were safely behind the fence. I helped Rick tie the cable around the chain-link and watched as several new walkers pushed at the wall, trying to follow our steps.
"Piece of cake," The woman cracked a joke, and I felt anger rising inside me.
"What the hell were you thinking?" I yelled, turning towards Carol, just to be met with her steady gaze. Peltier certainly changed last year, and that thought didn't help with my suspicion about her deeds.
"The pipe was clogged. We need water, you know that Eli," Carol replied calmly and went through the fence, crossing the field. I glanced up at Rick and saw how tightly he clenched his jaw, hand going around the hilt of Colt.
"We agreed to do that tomorrow," Rick spoke loudly, following Carol with me right on his heel.
"We don't know if we get a tomorrow," The reply was cold but laced with sadness.
"We never do, Carol. And we definitely won't get it if we're going to take stupid risks," I told her sternly, catching up to her.
We followed the woman all the way to the inner courtyard and watched her from the steps that led to the entrance of our cellblock. Rick stood rigidly next to me while I sat down, watching with hollow eyes the woman I considered my friend. She carried two buckets towards the big blue container we stored the water in.
I took a deep breath and forced my face to remain blank when Carol came within earshot.
"You really care, don't you?" I asked her, happy that there was no sign of shakiness I felt inside me.
Her head snapped towards us for a moment, but she carried on with a task at hand. "Of course, I do!"
"And you would do everything for our people?" Rick added his own question.
"Wouldn't you?"
"Is there anything you wouldn't do?" The sheriff pressed on, and Carol finished pouring the water in, placing the bucket gently on the ground. Slowly she turned towards us, a scowl forming on her face.
"No." So simple, but that one word made me shut my eyes for a second. That one word giving me all the answers we needed.
She started walking away, and slowly I rose up, standing next to Rick, who called her over. "Carol!" The woman stopped and shifted to look at us, her expression emotionless.
"Did you kill Karen and David?"
She didn't cringe. There was no surprise in her gaze, no shock that we could suspect something so foul out of her. "Yes."
I climbed the stairs to the watchtower slowly. My step felt heavy; my whole body felt like that, actually. It was such a long day, and it was not over yet. I still had to spend the next six hours stuck in the box, looking out at the line of walkers surrounding us.
After admission from Carol, I felt utterly drained. When everything changed? When did she change so much that she would consider killing someone just to save 'her group'? Because in my mind, there was no doubt that even if she was always accommodating, she still separated others from us, the ones who found the prison.
She wasn't the only one who felt that way, but I never suspected her of doing something like that. And I knew there was another question that needed to be voiced, but right now, I was too much of a coward to do so.
Gently I pushed the squeaky door, and I was met with Merle's grim face. He would never admit it, but he cared for those people as much as the rest of us. After all, Dixon saw in what state we all were after Governor, and how much effort we all put into making it a home.
"What's new, Sweetcheeks?" Merle's gruff voice was surprisingly comforting after the long I had, reminding me of his younger brother.
"You have no fucking idea, Hook," I told him and dropped my bag on a metal table, plunging myself on a chair next to Dixon's. He furrowed his brows at my response and placed his gun next to my bag.
"Worse than last time we saw each other, Doll?"
I sighed heavily and nodded. "Yeah. Way worse. We found who killed Karen and David." I took the plastic container out of the bag and popped the lid open, revealing a rice stew Carol prepared just this morning. I scoffed at that thought, not quite believing how everything shifted in a matter of hours.
"No fuckin' way! Who did it?" Merle rose his voice, straightening in his chair, his blue eyes drilling into mine.
"Carol," I whispered, and Dixon's eyes went wide for a moment, but then he smirked. The bastard had a cheek to fucking smile at that.
"Fuckin' hell, I knew Queen had balls, but that's a different level of crazy."
"How can you fucking laugh at that?!"
"'Cause it's so fucked up, Doll," Merle answered and shook his head, staring out of the window into the dark night.
"I just- How could she?"
"Carol ain't the same woman we met at the quarry, Sweetcheeks. She's tough. She threatened me when I came in here." I snapped my eyes to Merle at that and sighed again, picking up the container and scooping some stew on the fork.
"Rick is going to take her out tomorrow," I told him, shoving food into my mouth.
"Darlina ain't gonna be happy for killin' her. She's like a mother figure to 'im."
"He's not going to kill her," I scoffed after swallowing and glared at him. "He's gonna pack some supplies and drop her in town. For now, only three of us know Merle. You need to keep your trap shut."
"No worries. But ya better think what's ya gonna tell 'lil brother."
"Trust me, it's all I can think about for the past four hours," I told him sternly. "Did they make any contact?"
"Just before sunrise, they were getting outta range. Shouldn't be much longer, don't worry, Dollface. Darlina will come back safe as always."
"I know that, Merle. It's not a question of if but when. I'm afraid they going to be too late," I admitted quietly, and at that, he didn't have any answers.
A few minutes later, Merle bid his goodbye and descended the stairs, leaving me alone with my food, a small oil lamp, and dozens of lingering walkers on the horizon.
