Adapting (A Daryl Dixon/ The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 39

Gemma's P.O.V
"Henry, I need you to calm down, we're trying to help." Hershel says, shining a light down the thrashing man's throat.

Glenn, Sasha and I hold down Henry's flailing limbs as Hershel inserts the interbator into his throat. He pushes the tube down and Henry thrashes against us, me almost losing my grip. When it's in far enough Hershel attaches the breathing apparatus, squeezing it in even beats. Henry stops fighting and begins to breath properly. Sasha, Glenn and I begin to cough and Hershel looks between us all, "Drink some of that, all three of you."

Glenn passes Sasha a cup and she begins to drink it down as Glenn drinks from another cup. When he's done he passes it to me and I quickly drink down some.

"Some council meeting." Hershel mutters.

"We're two members short." Sasha retorts.

"I think we should make some new rules before they get back. I hereby declare we have spaghetti Tuesdays, every Wednesday. First we have to find some spaghetti." He smiles.

We all roll our eyes at his lame attempt to cheer us up and I pass the cup back to Glenn. He takes it from me and places it beside the thermos.

"You okay to take over?" Hershel asks Sasha.

She nods her head and holds her hands out to take over. "Every five to six seconds squeeze. You start feeling light headed you find someone else to take over. We'll take it in shifts." He says.

He turns to me and Glenn, "You want to help me go on my rounds?"

"Yeah." I say, getting to my feet.

"How long will that keep him alive?" Glenn asks.

"As long as we're willing to do it." I say.

"As long as it takes." Hershel adds.

We walk away from the cell, leaving Sasha to take care of the man. We walk down the steps and walk into a man's cell to see his mouth surrounded by blood, his body unmoving. Glenn and I walk into the cell and he pulls out his knife when I stop him and he looks at me confused as Hershel leaves the cell.

"Not here." I say, nodding towards the onlooking eyes of the other patients.

Hershel comes back in with a gurney and wheels it beside the body.

"Help me get him on this." Hershel says.

"Okay. But in a couple of hours when Henry's dead-" He begins.

"Glenn." Hershel interrupts.

"How are we gonna get his body down the stairs, across the cell block and through those doors without anyone noticing?" He asks.

"If that happens, if... You're gonna help me." Hershel says.

"What if I'm gone?" Glenn argues.

"Shut up and help us get him on this." I say, giving him a look.

He helps us lift the man on the gurney and we wheel him towards the execution room where Hershel and I have placed all the bodies.

"What are you doing?"

We all turn to see Lizzie standing not to far away from us, her curious eyes taking in the scene.

"We're taking Mr Jacobson to a quieter place." Hershel says, walking towards her.

He places a hand on her head and then speaks, "Go get my copy of Tom Sawyer from my room. I want you to read it by tonight. We all got jobs to do, that ones yours." He says.

She coughs into her arm before looking up at him, "I won't finish it."

"Why?" He asks, slightly angered.