Self Inflicted

40

I had assumed that since Pete was dead that I would become the doctor for Alexandria. There is a woman, named Denise, that stepped forward admitting that she went to medical school. I suppose she didn't see a need to come forward before because there was already an experienced surgeon. I taught her some basics that I knew but she outdid me on a lot. Medical school is a lot more in-depth than EMT schooling. Generally, as EMT's we just have to do everything in the field to keep someone alive. It's not clean or pretty, just whatever works. 

So instead of wasting away in the infirmary and organizing things, I am out helping with everyone else. "I know this sounds insane, but this is an insane world." Rick stands on top of a vehicle addressing a group of us. Here we stand to meet our match. We found an old, dried-up quarry that is filled to the brim with walkers. Thousands. 

"We have to come for them before they come for us. It's that simple." The noise erupting from the quarry is sickening. The dead are snarling and moaning, shuffling around. There are semis backed up together to a point as a blockade for this monstrosity. At the far end, one of the semis is nearly on the edge with its back tires. Every so often, the walkers push further against it and dirt rolls down the side of the ledge. The problem with that is, those walkers are headed directly toward Alexandria.

"This is where it all starts tomorrow. Tobin gets in the truck, opens the exit and we're off. He hops out, catches up with his team at red staying on the west side of the road. Daryl gets on his bike--" more dirt barrels down the side of the ledge. 

"You see that?" someone shouts. The metal from the truck groans loudly in the distance. First, the back tires drop off and soon after, the rest goes tumbling down with it. Walkers begin pouring out onto the road. Headed straight for our home. 

"It's open! We got to do this now! We're doing this now!" Rick is shouting and jumps off the car, rushing around. "Tobin's group, get moving, go!"

"No, Rick, we're not ready." A bald man, Carter, with beady eyes. 

"Sasha! Abraham!" Rick flips to someone he can trust. 

"Damn straight, we'll do it live," Abraham confirms and grabs his weapon, hopping into the vehicle with Sasha. Daryl hops on his bike and starts it, the engine purring. 

"Come with me," Daryl orders.

"No, I'm going to help Rick follow along the sides. Keep them moving." 

"No, ya ain't." 

"You can't tell me what to do. I'll be fine, just go. And be careful." I put my hand on his shoulder and he looks pissed, but I take it off and move on. I have my sword with me today. If this happened tomorrow like it was supposed to, I'd have a gun too. I guess I'll have to make-do. Michonne and I are calling Rick after us, it's time to go. 

-

"You all have your assignments. You know where to rendezvous. Daryl leads them out. Sasha and Abraham join him at the bottom of the hill. Glenn, you hit us when you take care of the walkers at the tractor place." We stopped to fire flares to keep them moving through a turn in the road. We started preparing for this weeks ago. We used cards and scrap sheet metal to form a long curve to steer the walkers in the right direction, away from Alexandria. I peek through the metal and I can make-out Daryl on his bike, driving very slow to let the walkers through. 

I don't know what I'd do if something happened to Daryl. Die maybe. We've been really good since we had our talk. Daryl has actually started to soften up a little bit around me. "That's the one thing we gotta get ahead of. Everybody keep your heads up. Just keep up." 

Michonne and I both walk up to the side of the metal and in between cars. Raising flare guns, we shoot off two flares in the direction we want them to go. I hold my breath as walkers approach. Their bodies start slamming into the wall, but most of them keep moving. I can hear it on the other side, there are walkers that get stuck and killed because there's so many of them. Bodies snap and crack against the metal, but the shuffling feet don't stop.