"I'm not gonna fucking interrogate her." Daryl snapped.
Rick leaned on the back of a chair and hung his head. "I'm not asking you to interrogate her. I'm asking that you just talk to her. As a friend."
"And then come run and tell you what she tells me?" Daryl asked, standing up from his seat. "What she tells me, stays between me and her. If she wants to tell you, that's up to her." He nearly shouted before climbing the steps to the second floor of cell block C and disappearing into his cell.
Lori glared at Rick and he sighed. "What now?" He asked, looking over at her.
"Nothing. I didn't say a thing."
"You think it's wrong that he tries to find out what she knows?" He asked. "We have no idea who she is."
"I just don't think this is the time." Lori said, rubbing her stomach as the baby kicked.
"And when is the time, Lori? When she has another freak out and hurts someone?" He said in a harsh whisper.
Lori huffed. "She isn't dangerous. You're treating her like some….some criminal, when she's the victim."
"The more we know about her, the safer the group. Daryl's the only one she'll talk to. What am I supposed to do?" He argued. "I am doing what needs to be done."
Lori glared at him. "What you're doing is pushing a damaged girl who needs time to heal." She ground out through clenched teeth before storming out of the cell block.
Daryl leaned against the frame of the cell and watched Elizabeth. She lay on her side, her hair covering the bruises on her neck. A frown sat on her lips and he tilted his head, noticing her breathing was uneven. He leaned back and looked out the cell to see that they were alone. Looking back at her, he folded his arms over his chest.
"You can stop pretending to be asleep. It's only me." Daryl whispered.
Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, not moving from the bed. "They don't trust me, do they?"
"just worried."
"That I'm going to hurt them?" Elizabeth sat up, hanging her legs over the edge of the bed.
Daryl watched her from the doorway in silence before he replied slowly. "To them you're new. And that freak out didn't help."
Elizabeth looked down, her hair hiding her face. "Sorry about that."
Daryl licked his lips and moved to sit next to her. "Wanna tell me what that was about?" He rested his forearms on his knees and leaned forward, his hands clasped. "I need to know why the CDC was so important."
"It doesn't matter anymore." She whispered.
"You said its what you've stayed alive for." He looked over at her. "I'd say that it matters."
Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Well tough shit." Daryl straightened his back when Elizabeth looked at him. "As much as I don't want to say this to you, I'm putting my ass on the line for you, Lizzi. I've been through hell and back with these people. I need to know that by having you here, I'm not putting them in danger."
Elizabeth stared him in the eyes. "I have no intentions of hurting anyone."
"Then I need to know why it was so important."
Daryl walked over to Rick as the rest of the group ate their supper, and pulled him aside. "We need to go to the infirmary. See if there's a microscope or some shit."
Rick gave Daryl a look. "Why?"
Daryl looked around to make sure no one was listening. "We need to look at her blood. Compare it with ours." He said, holding up a small glass with blood in it.
"What? Why? Who's blood is that?" Rick and Daryl began walking towards the doors to the cell block. "Glenn, stay on guard. Daryl and I are going to check out more of this place."
Glenn nodded as he unlocked the doors and locked them again as Daryl and Rick walked out. Daryl shook his head as they continued towards the infirmary. "She told me why she needed to get to the CDC. But before I tell you, I want to make sure she's telling the truth."
Daryl stood watch as Rick looked at a sample of his own blood under the microscope; A black virus attacked the blood cells. Taking the sample away from the scope, he replaced it with one he had made with the blood Elizabeth had given Daryl. Looking into the microscope, his heart skipped a beat and the breath hitched in his throat. He stepped away from the table, realizing what this meant. What it could have meant. Rick leaned against the wall, his legs weak and slid to the floor.
Daryl rushed over and crouched down beside him. "What is? Are you okay?" Rick continued to stare at the microscope on the table, tears in his eyes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "Rick?" Daryl shook his shoulder. "Rick!"
EARLIER
Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Well tough shit." Daryl straightened his back when Elizabeth looked at him. "As much as I don't want to say this to you, I'm putting my ass on the line for you, Lizzi. I've been through hell and back with these people. I need to know that by having you here, I'm not putting them in danger."
Elizabeth stared him in the eyes. "I have no intentions of hurting anyone."
"Then I need to know why it was so important."
Elizabeth's eyes were watery, her hands gripping the edge of the bed. She opened her mouth to say something as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I…I could have stopped it."
"Stopped what?"
"The outbreak."
Daryl shook his head. "No one could have stopped this, Lizzi."
Elizabeth stood, pulling her fingers through her hair. "I could have! All I needed to do was go to the CDC and I couldn't even do that!" She cried as she began to pace.
"How?" Daryl snapped. "How could you, out of all the fuckers working at the CDC, stop what happened?" Daryl stood up angrily. "They gave up because there's nothing that could have been done!" He yelled.
"You don't understand!" Elizabeth yelled, pushing Daryl back.
"Then make me understand, damn it!" Daryl stared her down. "You think you could have stopped all this? Then fucking tell me how!"
Elizabeth stared at him in awe, her hands trembling as she reached out for him. "I…I'm not infected." She whispered.
Daryl furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about? We're all infected. "
Elizabeth shook her head and rushed forward, placing a hand on either side of his face. "No," she licked her lips. "No, I'm not. I'm not infected. There's….there's something different. In my blood." She shook her head again, her eyes searching his. "I'm. Not. Infected."
"RICK!"
Rick heard Daryl calling him and tried to snap himself out of shock. He pointed weakly to the microscope before running his hands over his face. "She…She's not infected." he whispered.
"That's what she told me but how is that possible? Are you sure?" Daryl asked, standing up and looking into the microscope.
Rick stared into nothingness as shock washed over him. "She could have a been a cure."
HEY! Hope you guys liked this chapter. Let me know what you think!
