𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 ↠ 𝘤.𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

38: Sicker

TW: mentions of blood, lots of mentions of blood...

Elle's eyes fluttered open, the morning sun casting it's orange glow upon her face and eyes, causing them to burn slightly. She squinted at the sudden light and rolled over to see she was the last one to wake up, per usual.

"Well, good morning." Cody greeted with a weak smile on his face. She furrowed her brows at him.

"Shut up." She groaned. Everybody knew that Elle was not a morning person and that her least favorite time of the day was waking up. "Where's Hershel?" She asked, noticing the one legged man to not be in sight. She hoped he wasn't following through with his idea of going into Cell Block A.

"Council meeting." Ryder said, looking up from his comic.

"And you didn't wake me up?!" She panicked, struggling to get out of the blankets.

"Cody told me not to." Ryder blamed. Elle looked at her older brother like he was crazy.

"You're mean when someone wakes you up." Cody shrugged. Elle rolled her eyes and put her shoes on, wearing the same jeans, flannel, and Ryder's tshirt from the previous day. She threw her hair in a messy bun as she ran out the door. She ran down every hallway, taking every turn, until she met the exit.

Shoving the door open, Elle ran across the pavement that lead to the prison's main building. She pulled back the metal door as fast as she could before yanking it shut again. If there was an Olympic event for opening and closing big, metal doors, Elle gets the gold, silver and bronze. She ran through Cell Block C, seeing some people greet her. She only waved as she ran past them. There was no time to stop and chat.

Now, running through the hallways they called the 'tombs', she made sharp turns around each corner until she reached the library. Again, she shoved the door open and ran past the shelves full of books to the back. She sat down in her chair and caught her breath.

"Where were you?" Michonne asked.

"Sleeping. Anyways I'm here now, what'd I miss?" Elle asked, looking to Hershel. He had explained, briefly, how they were going to fight the sickness. They had learned that it wasn't the illness itself that kills you, it's how your body handles the symptoms. Hershel had given some locations as to where they could find the needed medication. It was a veterinarian office. Hershel says they should have the exact medicine they needed. Nobody questioned his decision, because after all, Hershel was a veterinarian before the turn. But, now he was everyone's doctor after seeing how skilled he was digging a bullet out of Elle.

"I'll go with him." Michonne volunteered to go on the supply run with Daryl.

"Daryl was exposed to the sickness, so you sitting in a hot car with him-" Hershel interjected.

"He's already given me fleas." Michonne joked, causing chuckles to arouse from everyone at the table. Glenn seemed to choke on it a little, but played it off as he was clearing his throat. Elle glanced at him, worried. He just shook his head as if to tell her he was just fine. But something in Elle's gut told her that he wasn't just fine. She could be mistaken though, it was the time of year when spring is transitioning into summer, which can cause allergies.

_____________________________

"I'm gonna go get some things, I'll be back." Hershel announced. The three kids looking up at him as a sign that they heard him before resuming their comics. He walked out the door on his fake leg. The leg wasn't anything more than a peg, but it was better than crutches.

"What happened to Mom and Dad?" Elle asked all of a sudden. She was even a little surprised by the words that came out of her own mouth. Cody looked up and met her eyes. "I never found out." She said quietly. Cody shook his head slightly, and took a sharp breath.