Shared Blood (A Walking Dead fan fic.)

Confidence In Death - Chapter 14

"Caylx?" Hershel mumbled, shaking her arm slightly.

The red head had been sound asleep for the last week, doubled over with a fever and an infected wound. Although she hadn't turned, Hershel was still worried. What if she was just taking longer? What if this was different? Caylx couldn't become one of those things just from falling could she? It had to be direct. No, more than direct, exact physical contact. She only fell...

Right?

"Cay?" Hershel tried again, giving her arm a slight squeeze.

"Gahh!" She started, waking abruptly, gripping Hershel's arm.

"Woo there Cay. Relax." He sighed, letting his fingers brush against her wrist in a soothing motion.

Caylx sighed, looking up at the older man before moving to sit up right on the bunk bed, never letting go of his hand. It had been a long, and awful painful week. After her quarrel with Daryl, things had seemed to be going down hill for Caylx, in more ways than just her health. She could feel herself treading on the brink of death, just barely there but yet so far away. Or was she destined for something worse? Was she slowly turning? Was this the painful process that everyone went through instead of just dying?

"I'm gonna die arn't I." She muttered, starring straight ahead at the cement wall.

Hershel shook his head, gripping her hand. "Don't say that."

"But it's true. This is what happens, right? The long, painfully slow journey to becoming one of-" Her small voice choked mid sentence and Caylx couldn't finish the word. Saying it meant she was accepting the possibility. And if there was one thing about the bright haired, bow slinging teenager, it was that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Caylx, we need to talk...about a few things." The old man nods, scooting his stool in closer.

"Shoot." She said, a sigh escaping her lips as she willed tears away. 

"You're...knee. It needs...It needs to heal but we don't have the material. Glenn and Maggie have scavenged what they could and Carl found those medical supplies but...I'm afraid your knee is shattered and would require surgery to fix...I'm a vet." Hershel said, his voice husky and low like it always was when he was breaking bad news.

Caylx nodded. "This isn't new news, Hershel just come out with it. I can-...I can take it." She gulped, letting her fingers grip onto his slightly more than before.

Hershel never liked discussing complicated medical issues with patients. Especially when they were dangerous and possibly crazy ones... Daryl had done his fair share of talking since their little fight, everyone knew. The entire group was convinced that she was nuts, except for Hershel who was getting to know her as he took care of her. For the old man didn't have the heart to think of a fourteen year old girl to be so hostile. Maybe her sullen attitude was a cover to get by. If she had acted like she was scared and vulnerable to other groups that might not be as forgiving, Caylx wouldn't be alive. It was understandable that she didn't want to be stepped on in hastes to survive. She wanted to prove herself a worthy piece in this world. Hershel could see that, while the others perhaps had not yet.

"I can't fix your knee. While it may be shattered, the infection from the open wound could be blood poisoning. I'm worried for gang green as well. You need proper medical care. And without it..." His voice dropped off once again.

Caylx sighed, turning away. "I'm gonna die." She nodded, shutting her eyes for a moment. Caylx had pictured her death many times. She was positive everyone did, and if you didn't before the outbreak, you certainly were now. She had planned for every possible scenario. Bite, stab wound, torture, gun shot, eaten, the list went on and on but never once did Caylx think she would die just from taking a small fall. This wasn't right. She wanted to die on her own terms, the way she planned. Not like this, not this simply when she had prepared for the worst.