Shortly after I get into the quarantined area, Carol is bringing in more people from the cell block that it all started from. A women tries to argue it's allergies, but we all know it's not. At the end of the train of people, comes Glenn. He and Carol exchange a sad look and she locks us all inside. I stand against the far wall and Glenn spots me. He makes his way over, looking worse than I feel "how'd you mange to stay out there so long?" I ask him when he's closer.
"Kept busy, getting things ready for everyone, getting things we needed in here" He tells me.
I step off the wall "so you knew you'd be locked up?"
He shrugs "Me, you, Daryl, Carol, Rick, Hershel.. one of us was wound to get it." He says back. He coughs a bit, and I help him walk over to a cell and sit on a bed "I just want everyone to be comfortable" he finally says when he's done.
"Who cares if you're comfortable if you're going to die" I mumble back to him, letting my fear show.
He looks at me, sweat dripping from his brow "we won't die. They'll come back with the medicine and Dr. S will take care of it."
"Dr. S?" I question out loud. He's been keeping busy enough to not know that Dr. S is worse off than he is. He must get what I'm saying by the way his face changes and I can see just a glimpse of his hope leave them. "Look, I'm sorry" I tell him, feeling bad now. "I'm just angry" I try to explain what I'm feeling. I'm not angry about getting sick, I'm angry at Daryl, and the way he's been treating me. I don't want to care as much as I do, but I can't help it and it just frustrates me further now that I have all this time locked away to think about it.
Glenn nods, thinking he knows what I'm talking about "I get it" he says back with a huff of air before leaning back onto the bed to rest.
Two people die that night, the attempts to save them getting harder and harder as we all get worse as minutes tick by "How are you doing Sadie?" Hershel comes into the cell I'm resting in. I lay on the concrete floor, trying to stay cool although my fever has spiked.
I open one eye to answer "Oh, you know, ready to pick Daisies" I try and joke, although I wasn't doing it to be funny.
"Hershel!" Glenn calls out weakly. Hershel turns his head and then his body out of the cell. I get up as quick as I can, which was rather slow and stumble behind him down the hall into another cell. "Henry, he's seizing or something" Glenn puffs out in a huff. Sasha has now joined us in the hallway and all 4 of us make our way into the small cramped cell to help the ill man.
He's not seizing but he's having a convulsion, choking without oxygen "we need to intubate, he can't breathe on his own" I tell them, seeing things like this before. Hershel drops a bag of medical supplies on the floor and fishes for what we need.
"You two hold him down" He directs to Sasha and I, knowing Glenn has been showing more signs of exhaustion than us. It may not be by much, but it's still worse. We try to hold him down from moving, his body tense. Glenn tried to keep his mouth open for Hershel to get the tube in "Henry, I need you to calm down." He says holding a light with with his other hand "We're trying to help" he tries to explain. The tube finally goes down his windpipe and Glenn attaches the bag to it, pressing on it every once in a while to give Henry's lungs the air that they need. Sasha, Glenn, and I begin coughing after letting him go, more exhausted from the work. "Drink some of that, all of you" Hershel demands looking towards the drink on the ground. Glenn pours Sasha a cup, and she passes it to me after drinking some, her cough subsiding temporarily. "Some council meeting, huh?" Hershel breaths out heavily while pumping.
"We're two members short." Sasha reminds him through an exhale.
Glenn speaks up "Sadie-Mae can take their spot, she's earned it" He says. I give him a small smile of gratitude for thinking that.
Hershel says "I think we should make some new rules before they get back." He looks at each of us while talking "I hereby declare we have spaghetti Tuesdays every Wednesday." Sasha exhales out slowly, not laughing at his humor. "First we have to find some spaghetti." The cell stays quiet before he speaks again "you okay to take over?" He looks to Sasha.
She nods, moving a bit closer to Henry to grab the bag. "Every five to six seconds, squeeze." I tell her before using the wall to stand up.
"You start feeling lightheaded, grab somebody else to take over." Hershel directs her and she nods again. "We'll take it in shifts." He says to us all. "You want to help me go on my rounds?" He asks Glenn.
"Yeah. Sure." Glenn says now going to stand.
"I'll go, you rest" I say to him. Glenn looks to me, a small smile now coming across his face.
"How long will that keep him alive?" Glenn asks before we leave.
"Just as long as we're willing to do it. As long as it takes." Hershel responds to him. I follow behind Hershel to check on the others. We go into a cell to find Mr. Jacobson dead. His mouth covered in blood and his eyes opened in pain. I sigh out, mentally keeping track of who we lost in here while going for my knife to stab him before he turns. Hershel grabs my arm "No. Not here" He whispers before limping out. I put it back in the holster and he brings over a gurney "help me get him on this." He directs it into the room.
I turn to him "okay, but in a couple of hours when Henry's dead-" I go to say to him.
"Sadie-Mae" He urges me to stop.
"How are we gonna get his body down the stairs, across the cell block and through those doors without anyone noticing?" I push on.
"If that happens- if- you're gonna help me." He explains.
I quip back "and what if I'm gone? What is Sasha and Glenn are gone?" I ask him, trying really hard to keep my voice from shaking.
"Shut up and help me get him on this." He doesn't answer my question. I do help him, and we slowly start to wheel him out of death row.
"What are you doing?" Lizzy comes out of her cell and asks us.
Hershel turns to her "We're taking Mr. Jacobson to a quieter place." He knows to change the subject "Go get my copy of "Tom Sawyer" from my room. I want you to read it by tonight. We all got jobs to do." He thinks quickly and Lizzie coughs "that one's yours." He tells her.
"I won't finish it." She says back to him.
"Why?" He asks her.
"It's gonna get too dark."
He touches her gently on the shoulder "well, give it your best try." She beings to walk away "and drink some tea." He calls to her. She turns for a moment looking at him before going back on her way.
We get him to a secluded area. Hershel opens his bible and I hover over the body, ready to stab him and move on. "You haven't had to do this yet, have you?" I ask him, my hand shaking. This is the same thing I've been doing, he's dead and he will turn if I don't do this, I start to tell myself when I feel the anxiety and fear creep in.
Hershel shakes his head "there was one late last night. Sasha did it." He tells me. "People don't need to see it. I don't want them to." He adds on.
Mr. Jacobson begins to stir back from the dead and I quickly jab the blade into his skull. He slumps his head back down and as I glance up I see the silhouette of a little girl in a blue dress, blood dripping onto the floor.