Run ↠ D. Dixon | The Walking Dead

29. Pandemic Control

I'm outside with Carol and Milly when the gunfire starts.

"Stay here, Lilly," Carol says sternly, pulling out a weapon. I go to argue with her but she glares before running ahead. Milly follows her as well.

I look down at Cash, carefully standing up as I still wasn't comfortable after giving birth. Daryl comes up with Rick. Others come out of Cellblock C, confirming that whatever is going on, it has to be in Cellblock D.

Lizzy and her little sister Mika run out, two blonde kids from Woodbury, asking for help. I hope that Tiff and Ashley aren't in that block with them.

"Stay outside, Lil!" Daryl commands, running into the cellblock. If I'm told to stay put one more time, I'm going to lose my mind.

"Lilly!" Carl calls out, coming up with a clearly injured Michonne, Maggie supporting her other side. I open the fence, letting them into the inner courtyard. Rick comes out, blood on his hands and clothing. Carl rushes him with a hug.

"You need to back away," he tells him, putting some distance.

"What happened, Rick?" I ask, taking a step back.

"Patrick got sick last night. It's some kind of flu. It moves fast. We think he died and attacked the cellblock." Rick starts to comfort Carl, as he was friends with Patrick. So was Tiff.

"Rick, were any of my girls in there?"

He shakes his head. "I didn't see them. They might be in cellblock C."

"They could still be exposed, though, with being around Patrick, right?"

Rick looks at me, slowly nodding, sadness in his already tired eyes. "You need to stay away from this as much as possible with having a newborn. We're having a meeting later, but under no circumstances are you allowed around the exposed."

"I'm not going to put my son in danger, Rick."

"I know."

We sit in the library, myself next to Daryl. Cash is cuddled in the crook of my arm asleep. Daryl is terrified even to touch him, afraid he might pass on this new virus.

"Two people died that quick?" Carol asks, looking around at the table. "We'll have to separate everyone that's been exposed."

"That's everyone in that cellblock," Daryl speaks up. "That's all of us, except for Lilly."

"We know that this sickness can be lethal." Hershel is the next to speak up. "We don't know how easily it can spread. Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?"

"We just can't wait and see. There are children." She looks pointedly at Cash. "It isn't just the illness. If people die, they become a threat."

Hershel nods. "We need a place for them to go. They can't stay in D. We can't risk going in there to clean it up."

"We can use Cellblock A," she responds.

"Death row?" Glenn questions. "I'm not sure that's much of an upgrade."

"It's clean, that's an upgrade," Daryl retorts, crossing his arms. "You think that'll work for D. S?"

Hershel nods. "I'll have Caleb set it up."

There's loud coughing coming from the corridor. I make eye contact with Carol, and both of us head out to see who it is. It's Tyreese's girlfriend.

"You don't sound so good," Carol says, causing Tyreese and her to turn around. I haven't learned to remember her name.

"I'm just taking her back to my cell so that she can rest."

"Tyreese, I don't think that's a good idea," Hershel adds.

"Why? What's going on now?" she asks.

We look at one another before Glenn answers. "We think it's the flu or something. That's how Patrick died."

"Judith and Cash are in that cellblock. They're vulnerable," the older man says, walking closer to the couple. "Anyone that may be sick or even exposed should stay away."

"She's going to be okay. Now that we know what Patrick died from, we can treat it, right?"

"Don't panic, we are going to figure this out, but we should keep you separated in the meantime. We'll have Caleb take a look at you. I'll see what we have in the way of medications."

"David has been coughing too," the girl tells us.

"I'll get him," Glenn says. "There are some empty clean cells in the tombs, right?" he asks me. I nod.

Sasha walks the couple out and once out of earshot, Hershel turns to Daryl and me. "We need to call another meeting later."

"Agreed," I reply.

"I'll get to burying the dead ones," Daryl says, readjusting his crossbow.

"Daryl, let someone else do that. They could still be infectious even postmortem."

"Someone's gotta do it, Lil."

"What happens to Cash and I if you get sick and die?" I plead, desperately wanting to get closer to him, but refraining for our son's sake. "Please, Dare."

"You'll carry on, just like when Tiff's father died."

"Wear gloves and a mask," the older doctor tells him as he walks away. I hear inaudible verbiage from him. He looks over at me. "You need to wear a mask, too. If you get sick, I'm afraid that your supply will drop and we'll have two babies needing formula."

I nod. "I can do that."

He goes to leave and I stop him once more. "I regret bringing him into all of this. Daryl and I thought we could do it, that we did it with Judith. I just brought another thing to care about into this world."

"What would you do if you had nothing to lose? Would you have even chosen to live?" he asks, not waiting for the answer.

Carol comes in, looking slightly frazzled. "I need to talk to you, privately. Do you think you can have Milly watch Cash?" she asks. I nod, rushing to find my sister. I can tell whatever is on her mind is urgent.

I follow her outside, out of earshot of the others.

"We need to stop this."

"Stop what?" I ask, not following her.

"This virus. Karen and David are going to turn soon. Tyreese won't stop visiting her. This will not stop."

"Carol, where are you going with this? Are you suggesting murder?"

"No, what I'm suggesting is pulling the lever on the railroad tracks. A few lives to save many." I want to say she's crazy but the even look she's giving me lets me know that this was thought out. "I can't go to Rick about this."

"And I'm just going to allow you to kill people?" I ask incredulously.

"No, you're going to help me."

"And why is that?" I cross my arms.

"Because if this is killing adults, a newborn has no chance."

I pause, sighing. "We need to burn them after. I don't want Daryl touching more infected by this."

I meet up with her outside of the tombs where David and Karen are. We both have hoods over our hair and masks across our noses and mouths. "Ready?"

"For this? Not really."

Carol opens the door.