11
When Hershel was carried to the cell blocks, he was unconscious and bleeding out uncontrollably. Carol was the one taking care of the mutilated leg, she was doing her best and even Lori who'd give birth any of these days was helping. But in my mind, I tried to remember but I couldn't, not even in movies I've ever seen so many blood in my whole life. I was terrified. I said before that I didn't have enough time to be afraid but now I was. We couldn't loose Hershel; I didn't even want to think about that unfortunate possibility. Everything had happened so fast, one minute I was killing undead and the next I found them cutting Hershel's bitten leg like a scary butcher horror film.
I wouldn't be able to think that.
I stepped out the cell in intent of pull myself together again. I heard Carol asking for more pillows to stop the hemorrhaging and I saw Beth bringing more from the other cells. I walked out the cell block facing the bars door closed and finding Daryl aiming his crossbow to one of the inmates; he had his back to me and the men were looking at him.
- Who the hell are you? – Daryl said menacingly.
- Who the hell are you? – The man replied with a confident gesture.
- Today's your lucky day, fellas. You've been pardoned by the state of Georgia. Y're free to go.
- What you got going on in there? – The inmate asked.
- Ain't any of yer concern – Daryl spat at him.
- Don't be telling me what my concern is. – The long haired inmate reached for the pistol in his pants – To me, it seems like you got pretty girls in there.
I stiffened stepping back, aiming my shotgun through the bars directly at the strange man. Daryl looked at me by the corner of his eyes. The man stepped forward and Daryl tightened his grip on the weapon.
- Back off! – Daryl shouted and the inmate stopped – Mary, get your ass out of here – He mumbled so I could only listen. I was about to protest when Rick walked in and gave me a warning look.
- Go back to the cells – Rick whispered to me without looking away from the inmates – Keep an eye on the kids, we can handle this – I nodded a little hesitant but finally I lower my gun and left.
I stopped for a moment in the common area, taking my breath and sitting in one of the chairs. I had closed my eyes to calm down but I heard footsteps and when I glanced I found that Carl and Sophia were walking heading out the cell block.
- Stop there, where do you think you're going? — They stopped on their tracks and looked at me with doubt.
- We're going to find the infirmary.
- Sophia! — Carl hissed at the girl and rolled his eyes.
- You two? Alone? — They both glanced at me with hesitation and then nodded.
- Hershel needs bandages and other things — Carl said — We just want to help, please don't tell my mom.
- Don't tell mine either — Sophia muttered looking with concern.
They were worried and trying to do something to help and fix up this mess, I felt stupid for let my own panic took control over me, I really needed to put my emotions aside, stop feeling upset about seeing someone getting wounded and start keeping my cool. I would not let the emotions control me.
- I won't tell them — I told to them and they smiled at my response — I'm going too.
- But...
- No questions little man, Carol and Lori would hang me if they know I let you wander the prison alone — Grabbing my shotgun I lead to the prison hallways again — Stay behind me, and don't shoot if I can handle it, okay?
- Okay — They answered in unison.
I leaded the way the whole time and like a miracle we just found two walkers on the hallways. Most like I suspected, the infirmary was untouched, every single thing was in the right place, covered in dust of course but all the medical supplies remained sealed. We took as much as we could in the kids bags; bandages, medical gauze, analgesics and antibiotics. I felt relieved; we had found supplies for Hershel. Sophia smiled the whole way back, holding her bag like a carefree girl having a walk in a park. Carl smiled a little bit too, I knew this whole idea of looking for the infirmary was his and he deserved the credit. Deep down I knew they both could had handled going through the prison alone. But just like I said, I didn't have I'm mind getting hanged by their mothers.
Back at the cell block again, Carl was the one who took the bag into Hershel's cell. I was about to sit again when I heard how Lori was scolding him. I stood on the cell door beside Glenn who had remained there looking after the old man. I wanted to talk but Lori was furious.
- You went by yourself?
- No, I went with Sophia and...
- Are you both crazy? — She almost yelled. Carol on the other side just glared at her daughter but didn't say a thing.
- No big deal, we killed two walkers — Carl shrugged it off. Lori looked to Hershel who remained unconscious on the bed.
- All right, do you see this? This was with the whole group.
- Lori, is okay — I stepped inside the cell — I went with them, I killed the walkers by myself and never took my eyes off the kids, I had cleared most of the aisles before, I knew we'll be fine.
- We needed supplies mom, so we got them.
- I appreciate that, but...
- Then get off my back! — He shouted at her. It surprised me for a moment, I placed my hand on Carl's shoulder and he glanced at me, his blue eyes were red for containing the anger.
- Carl! She's your mother. You can't talk to her like that! — I saw Beth shouting at him. That wasn't a good idea, it was only increasing the problem. Lori looked at us, then at Hershel again, she was hesitant to speak.
- Listen, I think it's great that you want to help...
He stormed out of there. Sophia looked at us hesitant and then Carol gave a nod to her daughter, the girl went out the cell following Carl.
I didn't want to say anything, this was kind of a family issue, I wasn't blind. I knew things between Rick and Lori weren't good, they barely talked to each other, barely even treated each other. So I just kept myself silent and stepped out the cell too. While walking to my own cell, something inside Beth's cell catched my attention. Effy was there, with needle and threads sewing a pair of pants. I didn't comprehend at first what she was doing, until I saw it. The lower part of the fabric in one of the pants boot had been cut and she was patching it.
- What're you doing Eff? — She looked at me; I noticed by her puffy eyes that she had cried.
- Beth was cutting them up, with her hands you know? — She wiped her nose a little — I told her I had this sewing kit — Effy raised the needle in her hand — And that I could fix it while she is looking after him.
I approached her and sat by her side. I brushed the hairs off her face and glanced directly at her. She kept sewing.
- Why you cried?
- Maggie told us there is a good chance he won't wake up — Effy mumbled still sewing in the fabric. — Beth refuted that, I did too; Maggie just said that we're not equipped for something like this.
- We got supplies, I went inside the prison with the kids and we found the infirmary. He's gonna be fine. — I lightly smiled at her when she looked up.
- He has treated us like his own daughters — She mentioned all of sudden — I've come to care about him like a father, to care about Beth and Maggie as our sisters.
- I know.
I noticed a person standing on the cell door. I looked up finding Beth staring at us, little tears shining in her big doe eyes. She walked to us and sat beside the bed close to Effy. She grinned at us, took other pants and began cutting again. I left them there and head back to the cell block. I checked how Hershel was and he remained unconscious. Carl and Sophia were sitting in the common area talking when T-Dog came in.
- Food's here!
- What you got? — Carl asked walking towards the big sacks.
- Canned beef, canned corn, canned cans! — I laughed at his enthusiastic behavior.
- That's fantastic — I carried another sack. — Where are the others?
- Clearing a cell block, they gave us half the food and we help them doing that.
- You need help with that? — He looked at me with hesitation and gulped.
- I don't think that's a good idea. I mean Rick don't want them to know there's women in here, got it? — I nodded and with that T-Dog started leaving the cell block rapidly. I know the inmates had already seen Maggie and me, but it was better if they didn't know who else was here.
I turned around finding the kids hardly carrying one of the food sacks.
- Honey, Carl, leave that. Help me here we need to put everything on place.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing the same thing, keeping an eye on the kids and going to see how was Hershel. Just before sunset the men came back. Rick had blood staining on his shirt; he looked at us and nodded at me before walking straight to the cell. T-Dog looked exhausted and collapsed in one chair. And Daryl just seemed to be in his grumpy mood, he placed his crossbow on the floor a sat against a wall. My heart skipped a beat when I saw blood on his arm. He had a cut. I stood up quietly and went to grab some things from one of the bags with medical supplies.
He had his eyes closed, I knew he wasn't sleeping. I liked seeing him in that way, because for a second you could notice a hint of tranquility taking on his features. It wasn't the first time I've seen him this way, I always wondered what it was. He just sits and closes his eyes but keeps himself awake.
Weird.
I sat by his side with legs crossed and dampened a gauze with antiseptic, when I pressed it into his bleeding cut he stiffened and snapped his eyes open.
- Is going to sting but you're tough enough to handle it. — He glanced at me and grunted, as always. — What happened?
- One of the sonsbitches tried to kill Rick, threw a walker to him — I pressed a bit hard at the cut when I heard that. He hissed and cursed under his breath.
- Sorry, what about the others? — I asked while I took another bandage and started covering the wound.
- Rick killed the crazy one, another got trapped by walkers, and the two left are havin' a holiday cleaning one of the cell blocks — I finished with the bandaging and glanced at him.
- At least you're safe and now patched up — He tilted his head and stared at me, the corner of his mouth almost curved on a little smirk.
- Yeah — I stared at him for a moment catching my breath in my lungs, I didn't knew how in almost nine months of surviving around him, he still managed to make me feel nervous in some situations. I averted my eyes from him and started to stand up.
- I'm going to make dinner, you hungry?
- Ya gonna cook some fancy meal? — His gruff voice had a slightly jokingly tone. I couldn't help but grin at him.
- We'll see, Dixon.
When I turned around I nearly stumbled with Glenn, he grabbed me by the shoulders and embrace me into a big hug. I giggled against his chest asking him what the hell was he doing and Glenn mumbled the best words I heard in that day. He let go of the hug and then I looked up, the Asian had this big smile on his face and nodded at me with enthusiasm.
Hershel had woken up.
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