twenty four.

My body was ripped from its slumber to a frantic series of gunshots outside. I sat up. Were we under attack? A couple more pops made me stand up, my legs wiggling from how weak my muscles were. I stumbled over to the door of the cell, wrapping my hands around the metal bars. The cell door jolted. My eyes went wide, glancing over at Daryl in hopes I didn't wake him. Lord knows he wouldn't want me leaving. He stirred in the corner but didn't wake. I slowly opened the door again, a loud creaking noise filling the air. I cringed at the sound. I awkwardly stepped into the general population area, spotting my sword tucked away up the stairs behind a mattress. I stumbled as I climbed the stairs, pulling my sword out from behind its hiding spot. Another shot went off, sending me into a frenzy. We must be under attack.

I pushed my way through the doors, bursting outside into the daylight where the sun had already fully risen. No one else had come out yet. Didn't they hear the gunshots? Was this all a dream? A man outside the fence fell to the ground, a biter pinning him down. I started to run as fast as I could down to the entrance, getting a closer look of the situation. The biter hungrily snapped its jaws at him, desperate to get a bite of his flesh. The man hollered out in agony as he struggled to push the determined biter off of him. I cranked open the door to help. I couldn't stand by and watch him die. What if that was me out there again? The biter noticed me moving about and rose to its feet, hissing at me. I sliced its head down the middle with one swipe of my sword. It fell to the ground, its blood oozing out onto the grass.

"Well I'll be damned to hell," the man who had been in danger drawled, huffing for breath as he rose to his feet. I glanced down at him, my stomach dropping once I noticed; he was a member of my father's army. I slowly started to back up towards the gate, my heart increasing in speed. "We never thought we'd find you: the infamous little daddy's girl." He followed me as I backed away, smirking with every step he took. "I can't wait to get my hands on you; your daddy's got a big price on your head." I took that as my cue to run, turning around and sprinting to the gate. He ran after me, leaping through the air and tackling me. I yelled out in pain as I made contact with the ground, my sword falling out of my hand and landing out of reach. I elbowed the man in the face as hard as I could. I was able to slide out from underneath him and grab my sword while he held his eye. As I army crawled away, he seized my foot and held it tightly.

"Let go," I screamed, trying to kick my foot free from his grasp. My foot made contact with his nose. He let go and held it. Blood trickled through his fingers and down his bruised knuckles. I struggled to clamber to my feet, but managed to stand tall over him. I pointed my sword at his head. He gazed up at me, his expression morphing into worry. He held out his blood filled palms to me in surrender. Someone shouted my name from back inside the prison yard. I made the mistake of taking my eyes off the man, turning my head to look at who called for me.

"Aften," Daryl shouted, charging towards me. I quickly turned my head back to the man before me. He raised his gun, his finger on the trigger. Without thinking twice I brought my sword down on his wrist, cutting his hand clean off. The gun fired and fell into the grass, the bullet missing me. The man shrieked in pain as he watched blood squirt out of the stump and onto his clothes. I took notice of a group of biters that had stepped out from the trees, hobbling over to the scene. I glared at him, breathing heavily before stabbing him in the chest. He grunted, his eyes widening. I gritted my teeth, twisting the sword inside of him to make sure he felt pain. Once I was satisfied with his screams, I drew my sword out from his body and knocked him over with my foot. I spun around on my heel, letting the biters close in and tear him apart. I came face to face with Daryl; he was right behind me the whole time I killed the man. He grabbed my wrists lightly.

"You hurt," he asked, looking me over frantically. Once he realized what he was doing out of loving habit, he let go of me. He let out a disappointed huff. "The hell'd you leave for? You can't do that shit."

"He was gonna kill us; he was gonna kill me," I whispered, letting out a sickly cough. Daryl fumbled for his bandana and tied it around his face like he did last night. I clutched my stomach, continuing to cough. I eventually keeled over and vomited in the grass. Daryl gently wrapped his arm around my waist, pressing the red rag he kept in his back pocket to my mouth. He carefully dabbed my lips, freeing my mouth of any left over spillage. His gentle touch surprised me. It made me feel safe. He grabbed my hand, slowly walking me back to the cellblock. 

Upon entering the prison, Daryl led me into a more deeper, darker block. 

"Where are we?" I asked him, confused at our whereabouts. Daryl kept quiet, opening a door. The sound of coughing suddenly filled my ears. People were in cells all over the place, hacking and rolling around in pain. My eyes widened in shock at the sight while Daryl opened an empty cell for me. I stared at him, tears pricking my eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but he already knew what I was gonna say.

"Just until you get better," he said softly. "I'll check on you a little after sundown, talk to ya through the window." He awkwardly pointed towards the large window on the wall overlooking us.

"W—what if I can't hear you?"

"It'll work just fine, promise," he concluded before brushing his fingers against my hand, his face lightly shaded with a tiny hint of red. He exited the room, locking me away with a bunch of diseased people. A lot of them looked like they were dead, lying on their beds motionless. I sat down on my bed, glancing over at the person in the cell next to me: Glenn.

"You got it too," he asked.

"I guess," I sighed. "How long have you been in here?"

"A day." Glenn wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. "These people were already in here. I'm not sure if some of them are gonna make it out."

"Why? It's just the flu," I mumbled. "It'll pass."

"You haven't heard," he whispered, putting his face up to the bars. "People've been turning from this. We could be next. Anyone could be next."

"What," I whispered back, anxiety beginning to set in. "I can't die from the damn flu. I don't wanna die." I coughed as I finished my sentence. It felt like someone was sucking the air outta my lungs. The door opened, Hershel stepping in with a cart of medicine. He had a bandana around his face just like Daryl did. He handed me a small cup of medicine and continued on down the line. I downed it as soon as I grabbed it, hoping it'd set in right away. I laid back against the bars, relaxing and closing my eyes.

Once nighttime rolled around, everyone in the room was knocked out except for me; the pains in my stomach kept me up. A knock on the window startled me. It was followed by a distant voice.

"Aften," it said quietly, yet clearly. I rose to my feet, shuffling over to the window. A small light illuminated Daryl's features, making my heart flutter. "It's me."

"Hey," I said back with a small smile, my voice shaky. Daryl set the lantern he held on the windowsill.

"Hey," he muttered back. An awkward silence swept over us as we stared at each other through the dirty glass.

"I-it's really hot in here," I stated to break it. "I think it might be making me feel worse."

"I'll fix that before I leave in the mornin'," he promised me. "We're gettin' low on medicine. Gotta go out, get some more."

"By yourself?"

"Mhm."

"Be careful," I told him sincerely. "There could be more of them out there, my dad's people."

"I will." Daryl's voice was laced with sleep.

"You sound really tired," I said. "You know you don't have to keep talking to me; you can leave if you want."

"I'm stayin'," he fired back. I smirked, blushing.

"If you're leaving tomorrow morning, you should get some sleep," I suggested, restraining a full blown smile. Daryl was quiet for a moment.

"I'll go if you sing," he said, leaning up against the wall. I bit my lip, stifling a laugh.

"I guess I can try for you," I sighed, briefly looking at the ground.

"Sing a lullaby," Daryl requested.

"Why? So you can try to fall asleep standing up," I chuckled, poking fun at what he'd said to me a few nights ago. I could see him smirk. My stomach flipped at the sight. I quickly pushed away the jittery schoolgirl feeling, clearing my throat.

"Stay awake, don't rest your head.
Don't lie down upon your bed.
While the moon drifts in the skies, stay awake, don't close your eyes.
Though the world is fast asleep,
Though your pillow's soft and deep,
You're not sleepy as you seem.
Stay awake, don't nod and dream.
Stay awake, don't nod and dream."

Daryl softly sighed on the other side of the glass. I placed my hand on the window as a subtle sign of flirtation, the glass cool against my warm sickly skin.

"Goodnight," I smiled, my heart beating rapidly at his mere presence. He lifted his hand and put it up to mine, his fingers moving as if he was touching my skin soothingly.

"Night," he whispered. We held our hands there for a moment, lingering in the mere affectionate feeling before taking them down. Daryl picked up the lantern and shuffled away. I stood frozen in my spot, reveling in the moment that had just occurred. I attempted to shake it off, struggling to walk back to my cell and wipe the smile off my face. I flopped down on the bed, letting out a few wheezy coughs as I closed my eyes and fell asleep within minutes.