Zedler, M.D. // Daryl Dixon

Chapter Forty-Six: Hershel's Leg

•forty-six•

Beatrix

"We have to clear the rest of the prison," Rick says once Daryl and I join the rest of the group. "And somebody needs to be on watch at all times, starting right now."

"I'll go," T-Dog volunteers, standing up and heading out to the guard tower.

"We will secure this place," Rick assures everyone. "We'll need to get in formation and head out to the other cell blocks today. Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, Beatrix, Hershel, Sebastian and I will go."

Daryl opens his mouth to speak up, but I jerk his hand to stop him. Looking up at him, I try to communicate that I will be okay and with him, that he has nothing to worry about. He simple nods and squeezes my hand tight. I grab my katana and gun from one of the metal lunch tables, putting them in their places on my body so that they're easily accessible. My knife is in its sheath, and I'm all set.

"No guns unless you absolutely have to, and whatever you do, don't break formation," Rick tells us before opening up the door that will lead us into the rest of the prison. We begin our slow walk into the rest of the prison, all holding our knives high, ready to attack.

"Walkers coming," Glenn whispers as we approach the undead. There are only a few, so we're easily able to take them out.

The deeper we get into the prison, the more walkers we run into. There must be a breach somewhere that they're able to be coming in from the outside. Our mission is to find it. Looking up, there's a sign on the wall that tells us the main entrance is around the next corner and the main cafeteria is straight ahead. Of course, we head around the corner to the entrance, only to be met with an entire horde of walkers.

"Oh, shit," Rick says, reaching out to take one out. "There's too many. Go back. Go, go, go!"

Despite what Rick told us in the beginning, everybody starts breaking away, running to get away from the horde. Daryl grabs my hand, pulling me straight forward towards the cafeteria, which is where Rick, Hershel, and Sebastian seem to be heading, until Hershel lets out a loud yelp, sinking down to the floor.

"Fuck!" Rick curses, killing the walker that bit Hershel's leg. With Sebastian's help, they're able to pick him up and run to the cafeteria.

The doors to the cafeteria are locked and chained shut, with walkers closing in on us. Daryl and I turn back to back, trying to keep the walkers off of Rick until he can get the doors open. I can hear him chopping the chains with his axe until they finally break, letting us in. Daryl pushes me in first before slamming the doors shut behind him. Rick and I get Hershel onto the floor while Sebastian and Daryl hold the doors shut. Sebastian grabs an arrow from Daryl's sheath and sticks in in the door handles, so that they can leave the door while it stays shut.

"No, no, no, no," Rick repeats, running his hand over his beard while he looks at Hershel. "Hold him down"

The bite is on his calf, and it's a bad one. Hershel screams as I poke around it, trying to see if there's any way I can save it, but I know it's useless. I turn to look at his face when he lets out the loudest, most ear piercing scream I've ever heard in my life. I turn back to his leg, only to see Rick hitting it repeatedly with his axe.

"Rick, stop!" I scream, trying to stop him, but it's too late. "That is unsanitary, Rick, he could get a nasty infection from that! It has walker blood on it!"

"Would you rather him be dead?" Rick shouts back at me, causing me to wince, so I shut up when his leg is detached from the rest of his body at the knee. Hershel's screams stop, and he passes out from pain.