Chapter 4 –

Beth could hear and feel everything around her. She felt Daryl's forehead on hers and heard his promise to be back soon. She heard everything her daddy told him and how he responded. If she could have reacted, she would have jumped into Daryl's arms and given him the biggest kiss she could. But she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She was just so tired and her throat was sore. She could hear and feel the air being pushed into her body by the squeezing of the bag that was now in Glenn's care. Without him, Sasha, or her daddy, Beth knew she would have been dead hours ago, before Daryl had even left to get the medicine he was now risking his life for.

She could only imagine the terror Maggie must be feeling, stuck outside the cellblock watching as her dad, Glenn, and her sister all fought the illness in one way or another. Beth felt the bag and tube jerk suddenly as a gunshot rang nearby and Glenn gave a surprised shout as chaos erupted in another part of the building. Beth could hear Glenn's breathing getting raspier and more labored as time went on and now she could hear him choking slightly. But there was nothing she could do.

"Her…Hershel!" She heard Glenn shout before she heard him collapse beside the bed and she felt panic set in. Her lungs were already burning for a need of air. Come on, Beth, wake up. She thought to herself, hearing something walk into the door to her cell and let out a groan. A walker was reaching hopelessly into her room and the two people inside it were slowly dying.

WAKE UP, DAMMIT! She shouted internally and fought to push her eyes open. Her lungs felt like they were on fire and she felt her eyes water at the desperate need for air. In her peripheral vision, she could see Glenn laying on his side, coughing and gasping for air with blood and saliva running down his cheek and chin. She slowly lifted her hand to her eyes to clear them off the tears but froze when she saw blood instead.

This is it, she thought, I'm dead. Her eyes moved to Glenn again and his glazed eyes met hers for a moment. She saw the fear and concern in them before focusing on his blue lips and paled skin. But I can save you, Glenn.

Beth shakily began undoing the bag from the tube and fought the blackness that was beginning to see into her vision. Once she had the bag disconnected, she braced herself and began pulling the tube out of her throat. It hurt and she could instantly begin feeling the blood in her lungs. Once that tube was out, she knew she didn't have long to take care of Glenn before she was gone. She could only hope that someone arrived to help him breathe and put her down before she turned. Beth gagged and choked on the tube as it cleared her tonsils and from there she practically ripped it the rest of the way out. Her vision was darkening faster than she had hoped and she felt her body collapse to the floor beside Glenn's.

Please, God, let me save him first… she prayed. The walker at the cell door began fighting harder to get inside the cell, but Beth knew it wouldn't be able to and refocused her hazy vision on Glenn. She didn't have the proper tools to help her intubate him, so she had to do it blindly. Almost literally if the darkening around her vision kept going. She roughly rolled Glenn onto his back, pried his mouth open and forced the tube down his throat, tilting his head more to see what she was doing. His coughing and choking stopped and Beth quickly attached the bag to the tube.

I hope I got it in correctly, she thought to herself and she finished sealing the bag onto the tube and squeezed it. Glenn's chest rose and fell and his eyes drifted shut. Thank god…Now please, someone…help me…She gave the bag one more squeeze before darkness consumed her and she collapsed next to Glenn.

To Maggie

With the sound of gunshots, Maggie's eyes quickly flew to Rick's with open terror and concern. The fence needed reinforcing, but her family was in there.

"Go, I've got this," he pushed and Maggie halted before nodding and running as fast as she could to the cellblock. I have to check on Glenn and Beth first! She thought to herself and she threw the door open and ran to the visitation window to Beth's room. She froze when she didn't see Beth laying in the bed or Glenn sitting in there with her. The sight of arms reaching through the cell door grabbed her attention and anger boiled in her veins as she watched the Walker trying to get into the cell.

Maggie beat the ax against the cellblock door and almost cried in relief when the door finally gave and opened for her. She quickly pointed her gun at the walker in front of Beth's cell and shot it before kicking its body out of her way so that she could enter the room. What she saw when she looked in made her freeze and her heart stop.

Beth lay unmoving on the floor next to Glenn, blood surrounding her head and pooling out around the both of them. The bag and tube were in Glenn's mouth and his skin was turning a blue-ish color.

"No, no, god please no, Beth!" Maggie raced around Glenn to sit between the two of them and shakily put her fingers on Beth's throat. There was no pulse. A sob tore its way out of Maggie and she collapsed on top of her sister, running her shaking hands over Beth's hair and the side of her face. A shudder from Glenn pulled Maggie's attention to her fiancé and she grabbed the bag with one hand and squeezed it, pushing air into his lungs. Maggie put her other hand on Beth's chest and began doing compressions, attempting CPR.

"Please, don't you leave me Beth…" she choked out around her sobs.

To Daryl

The prison gates opened and Daryl slammed on the gas, speeding up the gravel driveway as quickly as the car would let him. The minute he got close enough to the cellblock door, he slammed the car in park and turned it off. He could see Rick running up to them and quickly climbed out of the car.

"How's…" he started but Rick interrupted him.

"There were gunshots. Maggie ran in but I have no idea what's going on," Daryl froze, fear hitting his chest like a ton of bricks. A few screams echoed out of the cellblock and Daryl's head whipped to look in that direction, though he found his feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. Michonne walked around to him and punched his arm, snapping him back to reality.

"Go, you dumbass!" She yelled at him and he turned, running for the open cellblock door. Whoever left the door open put everyone in this place at risk, he found himself internally lecturing. He heard a couple of gunshots ahead of him and then silence. Daryl's eyes flew to the visitation window of Beth's room and his heart seized when he didn't see her. The door to where all of the sick were staying was wide open and Daryl could see numerous bodies lying on the cellblock floor.

He ran into Beth's cell, but froze when he saw Maggie sobbing over Beth's body while she squeezed the bag for Glenn to breathe. Her red rimmed eyes rose to Daryl's and she shook her head.

"No, she's…she's supposed to be…" he ground out and he had to fight to breathe past the lump in his throat and the burn in his chest. He collapsed next to the blonde and laid his forehead on hers again. This time it was cool and clammy to the touch. "Did…did you try CPR?"

"I only…had one hand. I did compressions…" Maggie choked out around her sobs and hiccups. Daryl carefully slid Beth's body closer to him and placed his hands on her chest and began giving her CPR, placing his mouth on hers to push air in with every couple of compressions.

"Daryl…she's…she's gone…" Maggie sobbed out but Daryl ignored her as he continued.

"Please, Beth, please…you have given me hope again. You showed me that there are still good people in this world…you made me see that I can still trust people; that I can trust you. You shattered every damn wall I built around myself…You can't leave me now. I'll have nothing…" Daryl whispered to her between giving her breaths as tears burned down his cheeks. A pair of rushing footsteps approached, but Daryl didn't need to raise his head to know who it was. A broken sob came from Hershel as he took in the sight before him.

A twitch came from Beth's body and Daryl froze, hope blooming in his heart.

"Daryl, she's turnin'" Maggie groaned out but he shook his head, refusing to believe it. The sound of a weak gasp and groan came from the blonde and Daryl's hope was crushed.

"I can't…I can't do it, Beth…Please, don't make me have to do it…"