Hey everyone!

Been up aght and figured I might as well be useful. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Here's the first new chapter of the year.

Also,HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORMAN REEDUS! Without him and his beautiful badassness,I don't think this story would even exist. HAPPY 45th (though your looking in your damn twenties in some recent pics) NORMAN/DARYL/MURPHY/REEDINSTEEN (only a few of you will understand that last one,I bet)

Enjoy :)

Everything had gone wrong.

Carl watched as Glenn and Maggie dug the many graves needed, their expressions hard and unfeeling. It was only yesterday that so many had been alive,all happy and content and working on making the prison on being a even better place.

Just yesterday he had been joking around with Patrick. Now he was dead too,just like the rest of the world. He was barely processing the fact that his friend was dead,let alone some sickness had killed him and so many others.

Someone touched his shoulder,pulling him from his depressive thoughts. He turned and found Riley standing there,two shovels gripped in one hand. Her expression was stone hard,but when he looked in her eyes,she was truly like heated glass,ready to break any moment.

She has a bandana hung around her neck,easily accessible to cover her mouth. Carl thanks God that they we're together when it all went down last night,though they were both separated for the aftermath. He could barely handle that his father was contaminated. If something bad had happened to Riley,Carl would've gone mad with worry.

"I'm relieving Maggie for a bit," she says. "I was wondering if you could relieve Glenn too. He looks like he needs it."

Carl nods,taking one of the shovels and a spare bandana she offers him as they make their way to the other couple. Maggie thanks them,though her eyes are sad as she casts a look over to her husband,who looked back at her just as sadly. When they leave,a safe distance between them,Carl and Riley set to work,both quiet for a few minutes.

"Its so sad to see that," Riley murmurs after awhile of digging,pulling the bandana down from her mouth. Carl looks up at her,pulling his cover away as well.

"See what?" He asks,leaning against his shovel.

"People forced apart like that," she gestures to the way Glenn and Maggie had gone. "They could barely speak to each other,let alone touch. It's horrible and unfair."

"How?" Carl asks,though he mostly knew,he honestly wanted her opinion on the situation.

"Look at us Carl," Riley gestures to the prison. "Two or something years into the apocalypse that destroyed humanity but here we stand,a bit ruined but alive. We have all gone through many horrible things to stay alive but we are. We all try so hard and it seems the world just likes to see us break."

She points at him then. "Look at you,look at at me. We are barely teenagers and yet we've killed countless things,from walkers to people. I know life isn't fair,it never was,but this is ridiculous. People survive the unthinkable,some lose who they are,but we still manage to make it work,all be simply happy for once then some flu hits us and what? We all just lay down and die?"

Rileys eyes look out into the distance,to the walkers piling at the fence. "Its just not fair," her voice cracks,her eyes welling with tears. "We do everything we need to do to survive. We found a home,somewhere safe. We have food,water, even enough weapons to keep the walkers at bay. Then after all that,after looking onto one another for trust,for acceptance,we still are torn down."

She leans her forehead against her shovel then,a stray tear falling from her eye. "Glenn and Maggie can barely speak to one another,Rick can't hold your sister,his own daughter,and I haven't even seen Daryl. Our group, our family, is being torn down,brick by brick,and we can't do a thing about it. All because of some stupid,fucking flu."

Carl watched another tear stream down her face,though she tried to wipe it away from her now dirt-streaked face. He knew she was really upset now,giving the fact that she only cursed like that when she was. He throws his shovel aside before walking towards her,dropping into the grave she was finishing for Maggie. He doesn't know what to say to his teary girlfriend (he guessed they were a couple again,though they both disliked the whole labeling thing),so he just pulled her against his chest and let her cry into his grimy shirt.

Carl knew this would take a toll on everbody,and he felt her pain as well. He was worried sick about her,his father,Judith and the rest of their family. He just never knew how heartbreaking it would be to see.

"Hey," he says,trying to sound soothing and non-cliche at the same time,which was difficult. "Riles,look at me." When she did,her irises like glimmering platinum as they swam through her tears.

"Were all going to be okay,Riley," he says. "It may sound like a hopeless long shot,but we're going to make it through this. People are going to die,yes,but no matter what,we and are family are going to survive,just like we always have. We just can't give up. We may not be sick but we're at just as close to death as they are. Giving in to those demons,that'll destroy us all. I've seen it happen."

Carl painfully remembers Shane,a man that was once his hero,someone who had looked up to and dreamed of becoming, going mad due to his own twisted thoughts. They had fled from the farm due to him. If he hadn't lied about Randall,lured Carls father out to kill him,then that shot that was fired between his father and him fighting would've never gone off,of the one Carl had shot to officially end Shane. If those shots hadn't gone off then the herd wouldn't of found them and they could have possibly still living at the farm and his mother still could be alive.

Shane had ultimately destroyed everything Carl had held dear to him at the time,though the man had promised to do the exact opposite and protect him and his mother from any danger. He let his demons control who he was,destroying him and unknowingly many others in the process.

Carl pushed those thoughts away,managing to smile at his girlfriend. "And its me and you,right?" He says brightly. "We stick together through all this,wether Daryl likes it or not."

They both laugh,remembering the weeks after Michael's death that Daryl learned about how they had became a couple before Riley had broken it off. Carl swore Daryl avoided him for two weeks just to keep from killing him.

"Well," Riley wipes away the remainder of her tears. "I am glad I have you. I'm relieved I chose last night to talk to you because I have no doubt you would've gotten your dumbass sick if we hadn't been together."

They both chuckle,the smile on her face calming it would've been anyone else,Carl'd be offended by her statement. But he knew Riley. She was relieved he was okay and still torn up about the situation. And honestly,he believes she would be right about it.

The days dragged on,more people dying or infecting others,though no walker attacks occured again,much to the group's relief. Glenn and Sasha getting sick was a huge blow,something Carl had even more trouble believing.

Glenn was a part of their family,he had a wife for God sakes. This flu couldn't kill him,not free everything they had gone through.

Another problem was the fact that there was a murderer among them,Karen and Davids charred remains scaring everyone.

Surprisingly,there was an upside. Daryl had gathered a small group and left for a run to get the medicine that could save the sick. Later that day,after the group and left,Carl learned Riley and Daryl had talked before he had left. It was through a closed door,Riley had told him,due to the man's contamination to the sickness,but Riley seemed better and that's all that mattered.

Riley had been seeming even more off latley,though Carl was hesitant to ask. She seemed better,for the moment at least.

Carl just wished it would all work out in the end,like he had told her. They had to survive this. They had to.

Riley was on edge.

She knew she needed to calm down but she just couldn't. She thought she would be able to pull through after her whole ordeal with Carl,but then it happened.

She had been walking back from breakfast,making her way to the sick cell block with her bandana on,just in case. Maggie had asked her to help Carol outside the block anyway she could,the woman running herself ragged from all she was doing.

She had made it to the door to find Carol missing,her also not being in the cell block when she looked through the widow. Strange.

Riley had remembered that their was another area for the sick,a more secluded hallway that had rooms where some others were staying,such as Karen,so Tyreese could visit her without the crowd of tge other sick. Carol could only be there.

Riley headed there,securing her bandana and zipping up her leather jacket over her hoodie,pulling the hood over her head. She knew it probably did nothing to help protect her,but it helped her believe it did.

She had just entered the hall when she heard it.

"Please,Carol. Ty won't be able to do it. It hurts too much. David is already slipping,he'll be dead before he wakes up."

Riley looks into the nearest rooms the moment Carol slips her knife into Karen's head,her face one of devastation. Riley gasps,and the women jumps,looking over at her in horror.

"Riley,"she says. "This isn't as it seems. She was begging and . . ."

"I heard," Riley murmurs,nodding at Karen's body. "But what about David?"

"He had fallen asleep awhile ago,but he looked pretty far gone even then. He could really be dead by now." Carol stood,sheathing her knife.

Though Riley knew it would cause trouble,she helped Carol carry the bodies outside,into a secluded area. Carol had checked David and he was gone,Riley making sure he didn't come back as a walker.

It was sad,but seeing Carol light the bodies on fire was sickening. She loved the woman,but this was too much. She knew it was in the end,the right thing to do,but like this . . .

"What about Tyreese?" Riley asks after awhile. "He'll be pissed."

Carols cool composure didn't change. "And that's exactly why we won't be telling him."

"What?" Riley gasped.

"The man will be infuriated,Riley." Carol says. "Vengeful,even. He'll hurt you and me if he found out. So you need to stay quiet about this. I'll deal with the questions,but you were outside the cell block,making sure no one escaped,okay?"

Riley swallowed the bile rising in her throat and nodded.

"Okay."

Longest chapter yet!

Sorry for any misspelling,the auto correct was being really weird. Sorry for the long wait,but with holidays and writers block and such,I got very little done. Sadly,there will probably be another horrible wait again due to my God awful grades. Pray for me, my Cileyers. XD

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Abby 'Zombie Slayin' Dixon,over and out.