Ellie Dixon

We Need a Cure

I was walking to go collect some water when I saw Sophia. She was using the wall to help her walk, she was pale, sweating and looked delirious. "Soph?" I questioned, walking closer to her.

She put her hand up and took a step back. "Don't come close to me, El. I'm sick."

I froze. "No... You can't be sick, Soph. People are dying from this."

Sophia nodded slowly. "Which is why I'm going to cell block A. Isolation."

"No, that's not fair. I need you." I responded.

"I'll be okay." She smiled, not so convincingly. I started running down the hallway. "Ellie!" She called after me weakly, but I ignored her.

I knew the council were having a meeting, so I burst through the door before slamming it behind me. "Sophia's sick. We need a cure now." I demanded. Some members of the council were sick, so it was just my dad, my mum, Michonne, Hershel and Glenn.

"Sophia?" Carol asked, a scared look on her face as my dad paled.

"There's not a cure, you get the illness, you have to go through it." Hershel responded.

"But it just kills you. We need to find a way to help Sophia... And ya know, everyone else." I replied.

"It's not the sickness that kills you. It's the symptoms." Hershel told me. "We need antibiotics."

"We've been through every pharmacy nearby." Michonne spoke up.

"That veterinary college at West Peachtree Tech, that's one place people may not have thought to raid for medication. The drugs for animals there are the same ones we need." Hershel explained.

"That's fifty miles." Glenn stated, but he wasn't looking so great.

"Too big a risk before. Ain't now. I'll take a group out." Dad volunteered.

"I'm coming." I told him.

"Ellie-" Dad started.

"Sophia's sick, daddy. I ain't sitting around here while I could be helping cure her." I crossed my arms over my chest.

Dad nodded. "Alright, but you know the rules."

I nodded and tried to hide the growing smirk on my face. "I'm in." Michonne agreed.

"I can lead the way. I know where everything's kept." Hershel stood up with his prosthetic leg we'd found him a month ago. Well... Dr S found for him. Dr S was the only other doctor the prison had; my dad rescued him two weeks after we started taking people in. Dad found him while he was out trying to track down the Governor. We never did find that one eyed psychopath.

"When we're out there, it's always the same. Sooner or later, we run." Dad shook his head.

Hershel sighed and nodded sadly. "I can draw you a map... There are other precautions I feel we should take."

"Like what?" Mum asked.

"There's no telling how long it'll be before Daryl and his group return. Wouldn't it make sense for us to separate the more vulnerable?" Hershel suggested. "We can use the administration building. Separate office, separate room."

"Who is the most vulnerable?" Glenn questioned.

"The very young." Hershel responded, glancing at me before back to Glenn. I looked down, purely worrying about Sophia.

"What about the old?" Glenn pushed.

Hershel and the other old folks had been separated with Carl, Lizzie, Mika and Adam. Carl didn't like that I was going and he wasn't, he was worrying about keeping me safe. I told him I needed him to keep the old and the young safe since he was the best shot out of the isolated group.