Don't Close Your Eyes [TWD]

°•eight•°

Despite how much I was sweating, I continued to shiver. I pulled Glenn's jacket closer to me and I coughed into the sleeve. I stayed in the corner of the train car, away from the others. I had caught a bit of a sickness that Bob had determined was the flu. So, I stayed secluded as it was contagious.

"Is the girl sick?" A voice calls from the outside. Glenn and Maggie immediately stand in front of me.

"No! She's fine!" Maggie calls out.

"Sniffling and sneezing all night. If she's sick we can help her," The voice offers.

Glenn and Maggie trade looks and both shake their heads to each other.

"She's-"

"Flu! It's the flu," Abraham calls out, after cutting Glenn off. Glenn and Maggie's eyes glare at him with daggers in their eyes.

Almost as soon as the words leave his mouth, the door is pulled open.

"C'mon," the leader, who we learned was named Gareth motions.

"No, she's fine," Maggie denies. He sighs and points for one of his partners to come in. The others pull their weapons on everyone, keeping them back.

"C'mon girl, we can't have you getting the rest sick," he says, holding a hand out for me.

"Can one of us go with her?" Glenn asks, taking a step forward only to back up again when the guy pushes his gun closer to him.

"She'll be back by tonight or tomorrow morning. Just gonna give her some medicine and knock this out of her system. Everyone we have we need, rather we like it or not," Gareth says.

"I can't trust that," Glenn shakes his head.

"I don't expect you to," Gareth shrugs.

The man instead reaches down and picks me up. I weakly look back at Glenn and Maggie who desperately begin pleading with the leader. They can't get much out as another man closes the door once we're outside.

"Take her to the infirmary, Alex," Gareth tells the man carrying me.

Alex? Alex and Gareth? My mind begins racing at the sudden realization but my throat is too dry to speak.

The Alex man nods and begins walking the other way. I can only look at the train car where Maggie and Glenn are banging on the door and screaming for him to bring me back.

--

"You don't have any weapons on you right? Known of a few to sneak some arts and crafts in here once or twice," Alex asks as he sets me on a table.

A woman steps in behind him and chuckles.

"Believe me Alex, she's warm to the touch. She's a sick one," the woman says.

"How do we not know she's bit?" He asks.

"'m not," I groan out, immediately coughing afterward.

However, that didn't stop them from checking me anyway. And afterward I was given water and a pill. After a few gulps of the liquid alone, my throat was a bit better.

"Sleep here, the meds will make you drowsy. I'll be back to check on you after an hour," Alex says and before I can argue, he's walked out of the door.

"Please, lay down," the doctor politely asks.

I trust that eventually Alex will come back and I can ask him the questions circling in my head and follow her instructions. I wearily watch as she begins piddling around with things in the cabinets but after ten minutes, Alex's words became true and my eyes felt as if they were boulders. My instincts kick in though, even in a near sleep state, and I try to scan the room.

There was a pair of scissors on the desk just a foot away from me, likely used for stitches as I remember Hershel using the same kind back on the farm. At the mental reminder, I shakily pull my left hand up, my right pointer finger tracing over the scar.

Multiple bottles of pills and liquid medicines, some with labels and others are tore off. Although, a few do look homemade.

A jacket hangs on the door, presumably the doctor's. However, it did seem larger, like a male's coat. After a moment of thinking, I come to the conclusion that nobody really cares where or how a piece of clothing is made anymore. Just as long as it fits and keeps you warm.

My own clothes were a combination of random findings. My shoes came from one of the many runs at the prison, they squeezed tightly at my toes and sides of my feet, signalling I'd need to go up a size or two if I were lucky to find any.

Jeans that had been tossed between Kate, Beth, Carol, Maggie, and myself back at the prison.

The tank top I wore under another shirt, I've had since Woodbury and was now tight around my chest, a sign that I've grown and 'filled in' over time.

The shirt over it just so happened to be one that I took from Carl's cell, as well as the thinner plaid shirt over it. I didn't button it, instead using it more as a jacket than a shirt.

Of course, I still had Glenn's jacket on over all that. Due to winter being here, my sudden illness, and needing to use our bags for other necessities, we were forced to begin wearing layers of clothing. It was a hassle at times, like when running, but it was better than having nothing.

I couldn't stand to keep my eyes open much longer, the medicine being too strong. As I tried to force them open and continue scouting, I realized it was a lost cause. Finally, I gave in and allowed myself to sleep.

--

I slept for five hours, as the doctor informed me. When I woke up, Alex was standing at the door with his arms crossed. I knew I wouldn't get any other opportunity and I couldn't let it slip this time.

"Alex," I speak then clear my throat. He looks at me questioningly. His hand near his gun just in case.

"Your brother, Gareth, he's older right?" I ask. He nods slowly.

"Your mom, Mary, right?" I ask hesitantly, nearly crossing my fingers. He takes a step closer with widened eyes.

"Who- what are you? How'd you know?" He asks, "You met her at the gate but she didn't say we were her sons. We didn't even tell you we were brothers."

"Better question," I start carefully, knowing now that I've got the exact person, "What the hell made you think breaking into a gas station was a good idea?"

"Excuse me?" He asks.

"And why did you leave your sister in Juvey?" I ask again.

"How do you know any of this?" He asks, his voice shaking and I realize he's nothing like what Kate said. At least not anymore.

"I know Kate," I state and bite my inner lip.

"Alex what's she talking about?" The doctor asks.

"Mariah, can you step out?" He asks rhetorically. She nods and walks out of the room.

When the door clicks behind her, I take a deep breath to calm myself down and he turns back to me with watery eyes.

"You know my Katherine?" He asks, his voice breaking.

My heart speeds up a little, her full name.

"Can I?" I motion to stand. He nods and takes a cautious step back.

I keep one hand in his sight, my palm facing him as the other reaches in my back pocket. Slowly, I pull the photo out and hand it out to him.

"Known her for awhile now," I lightly smile.

He carefully takes the photo and looks at it. He scans over it, it's obvious he's spotted her when he chokes out a little cry. His hand cups his mouth and he lets out a couple cries mixed with a laugh or two.

"That's my sister," he smiles through tears and looks up at me then back down to the picture.

A tinge of jealousy strikes through me suddenly as he looks down at the photo in admiration.

'She's my sister, too,' I think to myself.

--

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