There is no cure (Carl Grimes)

Chapter 18

I run. I can't kill all of them. They keep coming at me one by one. I don't know how much longer I can run, but I still have enough energy to keep going. I don't know why I decided to go hunting. Maybe, I'd find Daryl. I fall over a tree's root. I hurry to my feet, and run more. I look back, and find nothing. I look around, and that's when I see him. Merle.

"Hey lil' sister." I fall to the floor. My head hitting the tree behind me.

"Merle?" I gasp, as I rub my head.

"Why don't you give your old pal Merle a hug?" I blink a few times.

"How-How are you still alive?" I blink rapidly.

Then, Merle is gone, and a walker is charging at me. It's rotting flesh dangles over me, as I wrestle to get it off. Another one comes behind this one, and the weight is too much. I hurry, and grab my knife stabbing the first one, but the second one falls on me. Blood drips all over my face, and neck. I groan, as I try to push it off. My knife falls out of my hand, and farther than arm distance. The walkers face gets closer, and closer to my stomach. Right when I kick it off I stab its head. I look down at my stomach. Blood is sliding down my stomach, and above it is the bite mark. I gasp, and fall to the floor crying. I'm bit. The agonizing pain doesn't matter. The fact that I am bit scares me more. I stand up, and pull my shirt down. I wipe the tears away, and walk to the church. I didn't even find a damn rabbit. I walk in, and see him. Daryl.

"You left." I say out loud. He turns his head towards me.

"Where did you go?!" I shout walking towards him.

"I found the guy who took Beth. I know where they are now." He says.

"Really? Where's Carol? Where's Beth?" I look around, and that's where I see him. The dark skinned boy across the room.

"Who the hell is that?!" I shout. I raise my crossbow at him. He throws his hands up in the air terrified.

"Noah. Now, put you're damn crossbow down." Daryl growls.

"You don't just run out. You can get bit, Daryl!" I shout more angry at myself for getting bit than Daryl leaving.

"I'm fine. You ain't my mom." He grunts.

"No. I'm you're sister." I say, and walk away. Carl boards up the windows, and I am left sitting in the Church alone. I run into the bathroom, and light the candle. I stare at my reflection. My brown hair is frizzy, my eyes have dark bags beneath them, and my skin is dirty. I lift up my shirt, and see the horrid bite mark. Blood slowly gushes out, and the bite mark swells.

"Mary?" I hear Carl's voice call. I throw my shirt down, and walk out of the bathroom.

"Mary, what's wrong?" I couldn't even feel the fresh tears fall down my face.

"I-I saw Merle?" I shake my head. Carl stares at me confused. More tears fall down my face. I grab my shirt, and slowly pull it up.

"I'm bit, Carl." I wipe the tears, and look away.

"I didn't see Merle after I was bit. I saw him before I was bit. Then, the walker charged at me, and..." I point at the bite mark. I avoid looking him in the eyes. I pull the shirt down, again, and walk away.

"Mary!" Carl grabs my arm, and pulls me back. He forces me to look into his watery eyes.

"I'm fine. I-I'm fine, Carl." I sigh hugging him. I feel droplets of water fall on my shoulder.

"You're not fine, Mary. You're bit." He sobs. My heart shatters at the sound of him sniffling, and tears falling from his face. I sigh, and rest my head on his chest, and let all the tears fall from my eyes.

"Whoa, what happened here? It's like a damn sob fest." Daryl says. I sniffle, as I wipe the tears away.

"I'm bit, Daryl." His eyes soften for a slight moment, but they go hard.

"No you ain't." Daryl walks past me, and grabs his crossbow. When he turns around I pull my shirt up. He drops the crossbow, his eyes barley inside his skull. The water in his eyes gather, and spill.

"What happened?!" He rushes over, and falls to his knees inspecting the bite mark.

"I saw Merle. Then, it turned out to be a walker, and another walker, and it bit me." I sigh.

"Merle? Merle's dead." Daryl said standing to his feet.

"I know he is. I hallucinated him before I got bit." I sit down on one of the benches. My legs close to my chest.

"He's dead, Mary." Daryl says, again.

"I know, Daryl! He's dead! I get it okay?! Merle is fuckin' dead!" The tears fall down my face. Merle is hard to talk about for me. He stands to his feet, and hugs me.

"You can't die. You can't. I can't let you." He says.

~

"Just lay down here, okay? I'll find water, and maybe some rabbit." Daryl lays me down on the sofa Bob died on.

"Stop treatin' me like a lost cause, Daryl! I feel fine. I will go huntin' with you okay? I want to help before..." I don't finish my sentence. I just stare at my boots. I feel his eyes burn on my skin. I sigh in defeat, and let him leave.

"Mary?! Mary!" I hear Maggie, and Glenn's voices. They rush into the room.

"What happened to DC?" I look at them confused.

"It was a suicide mission. Eugene isn't even a scientist." Maggie says. A smirk pulls on my lips.

"I knew it." I mumble.

"Is it true?" Glenn looks at me. I pull up my shirt for the thousandth time, and show them the terrifying mark on my skin. I close my eyes not daring to look into Maggie's green eyes, or Glenn's brown eyes. I hear the gasps, and the sniffles, but I don't open my eyes.

"We'll come back, Mary." I hear the door close, and I open my eyes.

"Look at Lil' Bo Peep. Mmm... mm.. mm. Grew up a lot since I've seen her." I look to my right, and see Merle with a grin plastered on his face.

"So this is it? Hallucination. What's next, the damn fever?" I look up at Merle, my eyes are blurred, but I can see that his grin is gone.

"You ain't givin' up that easy are you? Hell you ain't. Look at you lil' sister; playin' around with a bunch of pansy-asses. Foolin' around with Officer Friendly's son." Merle laughs hysterically.

"Oh please, Merle. You'd be here stuck here with this group if you were still alive, too." I roll my eyes, and scoff.

"Looks like you've gone soft on me. Just like you're brother, now. I saw it. You slowly growin' kind, and sweet. You were just like me when you were younger. Look at you now. Growin' up lil' sister. You're growin' up." Merle shakes his head.

"Growin' up, Merle? I'm dyin'! I'm bit. I'm not like you! I'm not like Daryl!" I shake my head shouting.

"You really think there's no cure?" Merle crouches down beside me.

"I know there ain't." I'm sure about that.

"Look at your bite one more time lil' sister." I look at him confused. I lift up my shirt, and see the bite mark. It looks awful. The blood stopped pumping out, and the skin is dried up. It looks like it is healing?

"Well would you look at that. It's healin'. You're the damn cure." Merle scoffs, and laughs.

"I'm the what?!" I look up at him, but he's gone. I start to panic, as I stare at the healing wound.

"Daryl! Daryl!" My voice strains for him. The door comes slamming wide open.

"What?!" He comes in with wide eyes, worry filled with them.

"It's healin'. The damn bite is healin'!" I shout, panting. Daryl stares at me confused, and at the bite mark.