For the first time since I arrived at the prison, I'm awake before Carl. Maybe his Dad was letting him sleep in for once. I, on the other hand, had a mission.

Like her brother, Judith was sleeping soundly.

I get dressed in our confined room before heading out of the cell. The dim sunrise, lighting up the cell block with a warm orange glow. I make my way down the long line of cells until I reach Tyreeses one, where Karen is now staying.

I want to get the book back, determined to get an early start on the second half. As much as I tried to seem uninterested yesterday, the truth is that I need to know what happens to the fawn greyhound who got lost in the world before.

I knock on the bars, but no response comes from beyond the sheet, so I pull it back, revealing an empty cell.

I scratch my head, confused. I know neither of them are working today since Karen told me yesterday at lunch that she wants the three of us to go for a walk around the field before breakfast.

I find the copy of Born to Run on the bedside table. Picking it up, I take another look around the tiny cell, going as far as to check if they are hiding beneath the bed.

They aren't.

I return to my cell, Carl hearing me this time, stirring and pushing himself up on his elbows, eyes barely open. I throw the book onto my top bunk.

"I think your Dad let you sleep in," I whisper to Carl as he rubs his squint. His bedhead pointing in many directions.

I slip my shoes on silently as not to wake Judith before heading back out, "I'm gonna find Karen. She said she wanted us to go for a walk before breakfast."

"Us?" Carl yawns.

"Yeah, If I have to suffer. So do you."

"Really?" He whines.

"Yeah, they get all romantic when they're together. It's pretty gross."

I dodge his pillow as I leave the cell, ignoring his complaints of sore feet.

With each second that passes, the cell block gets lighter, the orange glow replaced with the usual grey gloom.

Bob rounds the corner of the door at the same time as me, managing to dodge out the way at the last second.

"Woah!" His usual cheerful look was a now sullen stare, "Careful there, Rhys!"

"Sorry, man." I grab the bars of the prison block exit, stopping myself from falling over.

"My fault too," Bob holds his hands up. "How are you liking that banjo? Carl tells me you only know guitar."

"Pffft. Please, it's basically just a guitar with five strings."

My confident scoffing gets a chuckle from Bob, "Alright..."

I remember what I'm doing. "Have you seen Karen or Tyreese?"

"Yeah, Rhys, go talk to Hershel. He's just out there." Bob points towards the exit of C block. Towards the courtyard.

"Thanks!" I grin as a leave Bob behind, thinking it's weird how serious his expression had gotten.

The light blinds me for a moment before my eyes adjust to the morning view. I see Hershel speaking with Sasha and Beth. They also look like Bob. Solemn.

"Morning guys!" I give them a wave.

They all wave back. Sasha is holding her sniper rifle from yesterday, propped up on her shoulder. She gives me a silent nod.

"What's going on?" I ask. "Has anyone seen Karen?"

Hershel looks at the other two before answering me.

"People have been showing symptoms of the sickness that made us close D block, the day that you got here."

"Which people?"

Hershel takes a deep breath. Like he doesn't want it to end. Because then he'll have to tell me what I've already figured out.

"Karen and David." Sasha answers.

"Karen is sick?" I ask, starting to feel like I'm going to be vomit.

"She and David have been coughing. Runnin' a high fever too," Hershel explains, "We need to keep them separate for now."

"Where? C-can I see her?"

"Tyreese is with her. She's in a cell in the tombs. Just don't get too close."

I'm already gone, sprinting towards the tombs.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you."

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay, Rhys."

"Food? Or another pillow?... Why did they only give you one?"

"Rhys."

Karen sits on the edge of her cot, looking up to the wire grate in the cell door, my head peaking through it. I have to stand on my tiptoes to see into her room. It's horrible. A stained toilet sits in the corner of the cell with a dinky looking sink to its right, not a foot from her bed. A small vase on a crooked nightstand holds some fresh flowers, doing their best to give the dark room some life.

"I'll talk to Hershel about getting you into a better room," I tell her.

"Don't you start. Tyreese has been saying that all morning," Karen chuckles.

"How can you be laughing right now?"

I don't know why I'm angry. Maybe because I don't want to be alone again. Maybe because I can't do anything to stop it.

"What is there to smile about!?"

Karen keeps her smile, maybe even widening it.

"I'm alive. Tyreese brought me some beautiful flowers, and I've got you two boys to look after me. I have plenty to smile about."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You know there is actually something I would like."

"Anything."

"Could you get me a book from the library? I may be safe, but I'm bored out of my mind already!"

"What kind of book?"

"Your choice." Karen tells me, "Just make sure it's a good one."

Mr. Peterson, the librarian, greets me as I enter the open library.

"Rhys, right?"

His voice is gravelly, his eyes sunken behind a pair of dented spectacles. He strikes me as a wise man.

"Yep." I nod while browsing the self-help section.

"I'm surprised to see you back so soon."

"Yeah, I'm not browsing for me."

Mr. Peterson sits up in his chair, curious.

"Who are you here for?" He asks.

"Karen, you remember her?"

He seems to find my question amusing.

"Yes, I know miss Paver quite well. She's the reason I got this job. Always seems to forget that she has to return her books."

I forgot about their quarrel from the other day.

He doesn't seem annoyed. Instead, his expression seems that of an entertained parent talking proudly about their child with behavioral issues.

"Miss Paver?"

"That's right, Karen Paver has been known for her love of books."

"I know that. I just didn't know that was her last name."

"Did you ever ask?"

My silence betrays me, Mr. Peterson letting out a low chuckle.

"Well," he starts, "you won't find a book to her taste on that shelf. Try this."

He holds up a book from behind his small desk, throwing it to me.

"Runaway?" I read the cursive font.

"She'll like it." Mr. Peterson waves a dismissive hand, turning his attention back to his own book.

"Thanks,"

Karen is grateful for the book, reading it while I sit outside the door to keep her company. She reads aloud when I refuse to leave.

"When two human beings divided by hostility are both, at the same time, mystified- no, frightened -by the same apparition, there is a bond that springs up between them, and they find themselves united in the most unexpected way. United in their humanity."

Karen stops reading when a face filled with familiarity rounds the corner. Into view of her cell door's window.

"Hey, Tyreese." I greet the giant man.

"Hey, Rhys, I'll take over. Go have a break."

I can see in his eyes that he needs some time alone with Karen.

"Sure thing."

I get up to leave, but Tyreese stops me.

"And call me Ty, man."

"Sure. Um, what's your last name?"

Tyreese finds this funny. "Williams."

I find Carl in our cell, Judith no longer in her crib.

We stand there in silence for a few moments until Carl decides to break it.

"Sorry about Karen. I'm sure she'll be okay."

I think about what Karen had said about smiling. Think about what you have to smile about.

I try.

But I can't find it. My smile missing.

"She will be."

"Wanna hang out in the music room?" Carl offers, his voice hopeful.

"Nah." I don't know why I say no. "Think I'm going to go for that walk. I need some air."

"Want some company," he asks.

"No," I responded bluntly.

With that, I leave and Carl doesn't say anything.

As I walk I curse myself for being such a dick to Carl.

I find two little girls on the outskirts of the garden, Lizzie and Mika. I have seen them around over the last few days but never spoken to either. Why not now?

"Hi, you two," I wave as I approach, tripping a few times in the long grass as it snakes around my ankles.

"Hey, Rhys. Sorry to hear about Karen." Mika was sweet, smiling up at me.

I had heard how they lost their father in D block.

"That's alright. Not your fault."

Lizzie was the next to speak. Keeping her eyes on the walkers beyond the fence.

"If she dies, they shouldn't put her down."

Taken aback by this, I ask her why.

"Because then she's still here."

I don't know what to say to that. I don't know how to tell her how wrong she is.

Luckily, Carol appears. Saving me from responding to what Lizzie just said.

"Hey, Rhys. Beth was looking for you, something about music, sounded pretty fun. I think she's up by tower one. See you in a little bit."

And with that one sentence, I am removed from the conversation. Carol waving at me until I disappear from earshot. Heading to the tower closest to the prison.

Just like Carol had told me, I find beth standing beneath tower one. Two Big Cat chocolate bars in her hand.

Beth waves a Big Cat at me. "Hi, Rhys!"

"Alright, Beth?"

She's clearly very excited.

"I'm fine." Her southern drawl, really lingering on the fine.

She takes a moment to calm down before speaking.

"Since everyone's so worried about this disease. I thought we could put on a show for everybody."

"A show?" I don't mean to sound as skeptical as I am.

"Yeah! We could play some music for them all since you got your banjo. You sounded pretty good with it last night!"

"You heard that?"

My cheeks are heating up without my permission, something that keeps being an issue lately. I want to change the subject, but Beth speaks first.

"Actually I think most people heard it. Sound really carries in the cell block."

My cheeks are on fire.

"So anyway," Beth goes on, not noticing my embarrassment. "I thought you could play and I could sing? Or we could both sing if you sing? You said you sing, right?"

The questions are increasingly overwhelming me.

"Sorry," Beth finally seeming to catch on. "How about we go grab your banjo then head to my cell and find a song we can do for tonight?"

"..."

"Rhys?"

"Yeah, sorry. That sounds great."

"Awesome! Oh, and I got you a big cat." She holds her hands out. "Peanut butter or chocolate?"

"Obviously chocolate."

On our way to Beth's room, we tell everyone we see about the performance, asking them to spread the word. I'm not entirely sure what I've signed myself up for, but it's keeping my mind off Karen's sickness.

Beth and I spend the rest of the day deciding on and practicing a song. At some point, I realise that I told Karen I would keep her company this evening.

"Hey, Beth I need to go see Karen. Mind if you let everyone know about the performance without me?"

"Sure! Tell her I said hi."

"Will do."

Beth and I both go our separate ways from her cell. Beth knocks on other people's bars, while I head to the exit.

I decide that I'm going to tell Karen my last name. Seems only fair now that I know hers.

"Rhys."

I turn to see Carol.

"Where are you off to sweetie?"

"Just going to see Karen before the performance."

I'm already sick of calling it that.

"Is Tyreese going to come to watch you?" Carol asks.

"I'm not sure he wants to leave Karen on her own. I don't mind."

"Okay, sweetie. I don't want you to miss your performance though, why don't you go see her after?"

"Oh, um. I've still got time-"

"It's just with everything going on- people really needed this. I'm sure they wouldn't mind talking to you before you start!"

I realise I can always see Karen after.

The rest of my life- just like Rick said.

"Okay, Carol."

When I see the price that you pay,

I don't wanna grow up,

I don't ever wanna be that way,

I don't wanna grow up,

Seems like folks turn into things,

That they'd never want,

The only thing to live for is today...

The number of people that have shown up to listen to us performing, surprises me. I didn't even realise this many people live here.

With the last line sung and the last note strummed, I look to Beth, sitting next to me on the cool metal stairs in the middle of C block. I can see that she's nowhere near as nervous as me. The silence that rings out after us is deafening.

Clapping comes from above, I look up and behind me to see Daryl perched on the catwalk as he applauds us. Everyone else following his lead.

My eyes find Carl amongst the crowd, leaning against our cell door and clapping along with the others. We give each other a smile as if apologising for earlier.

A little overwhelmed, I get up and slip through the crowd of hands and congratulatory backslaps, finding an applauding Tyreese as the clapping storm behind me begins to swarm Beth in a sea of compliments.

"Hey, Ty."

"I didn't know you were so talented," Ty tells me, his grin giving away that he knows he's embarrassing me.

I shrugged, "Beth did all the work with her voice," I tell him, "I just pretended I knew how to play the Banjo."

"You sang too!"

"Barely," I mumble.

"Hey, Ty," I start, realising something strange. "How come you're not with Karen?" I give him my best and most suspicious squint.

"I wasn't going to let you perform without your biggest fan!" he says unconvincingly, barely believing his own words.

"She made you come, didn't she." I gather.

"Yep."

"Yeah, I thought so," I reply, proud of my deduction.

my feet leave the ground, as I try to steal the beanie from his head.

"I mean, they teamed up on me," He tries to defend his pride, dodging away from my hand and lifting his hat out of reach.

He goes on explaining, "Karen was trying to convince me to come, then Carol shows up from nowhere and takes Karen's side," he explained, "I swear, the two of them make quite the convincing team," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"You going to see her now?" I ask.

"Nah, said she wanted to get an early night."

"Okay man, I'll see you on the fence tomorrow."

He nods, messing up my already tangled hair as revenge for trying to steal his beanie.

I'm thanking people left and right. Taking praises and serving thank you's as I pass. I realise I'm starting to put names to the faces, starting to feel at home.

I find Beth pushing through the crowd, trying to hide from everyone.

I stop her with a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Beth, I think I needed that."

Before I know what's happening she leans forward and kisses my cheek, pulling away quickly. "Me too."

My face explodes into a fiery flush to match my blood-red trainers.

Beth is gone before I can string a sentence together, an assortment of 'um's' and 'I's' being the only words to leave my stunned body.

I find a quieter spot to gather myself, not having long by myself before someone bumps into me. I recognise the back of Carol's head as she passes me.

"Amazing job in their sweetie," She says without looking at me. She's gone before I can thank her, melting into the crowd, which is now beginning to disperse.

I can't find the banjo by the steps, so I decide to head back to my cell, finding the banjo in Carl's arms as he lies on his bottom bunk.

I pull the curtain that covers our bars across, blocking the view of the stragglers outside. Carl is strumming away at the banjo I left by the stairs. He stops when I come in, leaning over the bed to put the instrument on the floor.

He looks up to me, shuffling to get comfy again, "That was pretty amazi-"

"Not. Another. Word," I cut him off, "I've about had my fill of kind words for this evening." Carl mimes zipping his lips. Eyes wide.

"It was pretty great though," Carl whispers as I fall down next to him on the small bunk. Shoulders pressed together, we lie and listen to the chatter outside die out.

"I'm sorry for being an asshole earlier," I whisper back.

Carl stays quiet. Like he's scared I'll bite his head off if he speaks.

"I just was scared of what I might say if you came with me," I keep explaining.

"Like what?" he asks quietly, barely a whisper.

"Just something mean. I don't want to ruin our friendship."

Carl lets out a small snicker at this. I turn to him. "What's funny?"

He shakes his head still staring up at the top bunk, "Firstly, You haven't got a mean bone in your body, that's why Karen likes you so much- she's the same," he pauses, "and secondly, you couldn't ruin our friendship."

"How comes?"

"Because it means too much to me, to let you ruin it. Dumbass."

We giggle at this together. The laughter becoming silence, the cell filling with it.

I let my arm drop to my side. I don't mean for it to land on his, but it does. We just lie there for an unknown amount of time, as my hand lies atop his. Neither of us moving or speaking.

After the long comfortable silence, his fingers twitch. I open my hand slightly, and his fingers clumsily interlock with mine. We lie in the dark cell, listening to each other's breaths. Holding hands.

Then heavy footsteps are approaching, and I shoot up, smacking my head into the top bunk.

"Fucking son of a-"

"Hey!" Rick's voice fills the room from beyond the curtained door, "Language."

He walks in.

I apologise, sitting on the edge of Carl's bed, rubbing the bump forming on my forehead. Rick gives me a stern look.

"You okay?" he finally asks, pinching the bridge of his nose.

I grumble some kind of answer, which he takes as a yes.

"Jus' came to say night," turning to Carl, "Be at the farm on time tomorrow, yeah?"

"Okay, Dad," Carl responds, not looking up from a comic book he'd stealthily pulled from under his pillow while Rick had been focused on my idiocy.

"G'night boys."

"Night."