There’s nothing quite like being an immortal, inhuman being during a potential pandemic. I held little fear for myself, quite confident in my assumption that the disease currently worming its way into the prison population wouldn’t affect me. There weren’t many human illnesses that could infect one of the fae. Usually, it required a halfling – a creature that was half human and half fae – to catch it, allowing the sickness to mutate with faerie blood. That was how I imagined the walker virus had grown to affect my kind.
Whatever this was hadn’t evolved that far – of that, I was almost certain.
Which made sitting at the table alongside the others, discussing the severity of the situation, somewhat difficult. And marginally awkward.
For me, anyway.
Carol sat beside me, staring almost blankly down at the circular table in the D-Block library. She looked more troubled than any of the others. Exhausted, almost. The insides of her hands were tainted a dark crimson, her mouth pulled into a tight line. It wouldn’t surprise me if her current mood had something to do with the distinct sounds of sobbing I’d heard from Lizzie and Mica’s cell earlier.
“Patrick was fine yesterday,” Carol spoke after a moment. “He died overnight.”
Hershel let out a troubled sigh. “We’ll have to separate everyone that’s been exposed.”
“So, everyone?” I asked, cocking a brow. Except me.
The old man gave me a solemn nod. “We know that this sickness can be lethal, but we don’t know how easily it spreads.” He looked between all of us, brows furrowed in thought. “Is anyone else showing symptoms that we know of?”
On my other side, I heard Daryl let out a low sigh. “We can’t just wait ‘round and see.”
“There’s kids in here,” I added in agreement, cringing slightly at the distant sound of a nasty cough filtering in down the corridor.
“It isn’t just the illness,” Carol put in, straightening from her slumped position on the wooden chair and leaning forward against the table. “People die, they become a threat.”
“We need a place for them to go.”
Sasha, who I hadn’t even known had followed us inside earlier, lifted a hand to gesture to the neighbouring building. “We can use cell block A.”
Glenn’s already troubled frown only grew deeper. “Death row? Not sure that’s much of an upgrade.”
“It’s clean,” Daryl remarked.
I pointed at him. “I’d call that a partial upgrade. At the least, it will be a community bonding experience.”
The group of them gave me a blank look, except for Glenn, who at least offered me a non-committal half-shrug in response.
“Think it’ll help Doctor S?” Carol asked after a short pause, looking back to Hershel.
The old man signed as he pushed himself up onto his feet – uh, foot. “I’ll help Caleb get it set up.”
That nasty coughing sound I’d heard earlier grew louder as the proximity between our room and the victim of the cough grew. It didn’t take long for the slight jerk of my head to be mimicked by the others. As soon as I was sure everyone could hear it, I stood from my chair and began to make my way towards the door, ensuring I kept myself at the front of the line.
YOU ARE READING
The Monsters Among Us ➳ Daryl Dixon
Fanfiction𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯/𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 Not human. She was not human. They all knew it. Could almost feel it, but couldn't make sense of it. That was why they were afraid. Not because of what she used to be Before. But...
