Destination Life or Death

5.

Over the next 30 days, we were safe. Nothing had happened. Moving past what happened with the man I know 100% as the Governor. Until one night when everyone was asleep. A boy, Patrick, died and came back, making his way through his cell block. He walked into mine, I had traded cells with Karen, she wanted one that wasn't around all the teenagers. I had just laid down and closed my eyes, until I heard dragging feet stop at my curtain. I thought it was Carl or Michonne, so I got up and whispered, "What are you doing he-" Who stumbled in, was not Carl, was not Michonne, but the limp dead yet, walking body of Patrick. I screamed, I know I did. Then I felt his teeth dig into my forearm. It hurt worse than I ever imagined. I screamed louder, and before he had time to rip the flesh off the bone, Beth came in with a knife and shoved it right through the head of walker Patrick. I looked at Beth with tears in my eyes. "I'm gonna die!!" I said quickly, looking at her and the fresh bite that laid on my arm. I looked behind Beth to a boy, Carl, standing with the curtain pushed to the side. "Dezzy?" he asked, confused, not knowing what had happened. Beth had a belt she went and grabbed quickly and wrapped onto my upper arm and looked at me with scared eyes "You are not gonna die!" She said grabbing the machete Carl had brought from his cell. She looked at me again, "I'm sorry Dezzy" she said, then she started cutting at the flesh below the belt. I screamed. This pain was worse than death. All I remember is looking at Beth when she was done, tears in her eyes, then everything went black.

I woke up a few days later, with a white bandage wrapped around what was left of my left arm. I sighed and looked at the ceiling. I remembered what happened, but I didn't realize what had happened. I stood up and stumbled to the door of the cell I was in. It was completely filled with people, coughing and crying. I looked around and headed for the door before Glenn stopped me. "Wait, Dezzy," he said, stepping between me and the door. "We need to talk." He looked sick, really, deathly sick. I nodded and then followed him back to what seemed to be his cell. "We are quarantined." He said, looking at me and not moving his gaze. "Why? Is everyone okay?" I asked, looking at him, confusion written on my face. He shook his head, "Patrick was sick and it was contagious. Karen and David were the first ones to show symptoms." He paused before coughing. He was coughing up blood, and I saw it, but didn't say anything. "Karen and David were burned, Tyrese found their bodies." He said, closing his eyes and coughing once more. My eyes widened. I wasn't close to Karen or David but I was utterly surprised that that had happened to their bodies. I shook my head, "Do you know who did it?" I asked as I looked around outside of his cell and then back at him. He shook his head no and then coughed again. "Not yet. Maggie is keeping me updated from outside." He paused and quickly changed the subject from death to something I would want to know. "Carl has been coming the past few days, asking about you. I think he blames himself that he wasn't there sooner." He said, putting his hand on the one hand I still had remaining. He smiled "It's good to see you kiddo, I'm glad you're up!" His smile was almost out of pity but I could tell he meant what he said. I stood up and nodded, " you too Glenn". I didn't dare look at him after I almost slipped. It was the conversation I needed, something that gave me the comfort my dad used to give me. I went to my cell and waited for Herschel to come and give me the same meds he gave everyone else but he didn't. He just came in and talked to me. "I'm glad you're okay. I was starting to worry you weren't gonna wake up." He said, sitting on a metal chair that sat against the wall across from me. I chuckled and shook my head "Nope, not getting rid of me that easily!" I said smiling and then letting out a sigh "Can I help? I'm not sick and I've been reading a lot about medical herbs." I said, still keeping a slight smile on my face. He looked at me a bit shocked but then nodded his head "Come on kiddo, lets go finish the rounds." He said as he slowly got up from his chair and walked with his cane out to the hallway lined with rooms of infected people. Herschel and I spoke to Michonne about going to some college to get medical supplies to help the sick. Michonne, Daryl, Tyrese and Bob all went on the run, but Bob never returned. I never asked why, I just knew that he didn't necessarily die in a good way. After we got the meds, people slowly started getting better, feeling almost like it did before. People were healing rapidly, but after the horrid week we were dealing with the sick and dying, we weren't expecting something worse to happen. We weren't thinking that the governor would come back. Not now.