What Comes After • the walking dead ²

5 • Survivors

The metal door clanged open, jolting Alexa awake from organizing her backpack for the third time. "Alexa?!" Rick yelled. "It's Hershel!"

By the time he yelled it, the girl was already flying down the steps, and Rick and Glenn were already lifting Hershel's unconscious body onto the lower bunk in one of the cells.

Beth was in hysterics, the only person holding her back being Maggie. Lori had pushed the boys behind her. T-dog and Daryl were nowhere to be seen and Carol was grabbing every towel she could find.

"What the hell happened?" Alexa asked as the group cleared a path for her. "And where's T and the Redneck?"

"He got bit," Rick explained but didn't answer her second question as he instead asked, "You think you can stabilize him?"

As Alexa pressed two fingers against Hershel's neck, checking for a pulse, Carol came rushing back into the cell. She pressed towels against the man's bleeding stump, where his leg no longer was, while Alexa nodded, quickly taking over for Carol.

"I need to keep his leg elevated. Get me some pillows." She said over Beth's sobs. Rick dashed from the cramped cell.

"He's already bled through the sheets!" Maggie cried, staring at the bloody cloth that now stained Alexa's hands.

"We can burn the wound to clot the blood. I can start a fire." Glenn said, almost running out before Alexa's voice stopped him.

"NO! The shock could kill him. And it's not gonna stop the arteries from bleeding. The best I can do is keep it dressed and let it heal on its own." She said her voice on the edge of calm.

The group stared at her, mouths gapping, not fully understanding what she was saying but at the same time knowing there was nothing they could do.

Rick came back with pillows and another set of towels, which he handed to Alexa and Carol. Silently the women worked, ignoring Beth's cries as she, Maggie, Lori, Glenn, the kids, and Rick hovered over them. As Alexa pressed the cloth onto Hershel's stump, muffled voice from the common area caught her attention. But only for a moment.

"What was that?" Lori asked, gazing at her husband, who sighed.

"Prisoners– survivors."

"What?" Carol breathed, looking up at the man in shock. He held up his hand.

"It's alright. Everybody stay put." He said. He and Glenn left shortly after.

Chase shifted, watching his older sister work until he couldn't stand the sight of blood on her hands any longer. He left, Lori quickly shooing Carl out behind him. The small boy, his bangs falling thickly over his left eye, hurried to the door and into the common area, his own interest peaked by the voices.

"... you guys rob a bank or something?" A man asked, his dark greasy hair falling past his shoulders as he aimed a gun at T-dog's head. "Why don't you take him to a hospital?"

Daryl, Rick, and T all glanced at each other. "How long have you been locked in that cafeteria?" Rick asked.

"Going on like ten months." The man answered, confused. Rick looked down as he realized they didn't know...

Meanwhile, Chase pressed himself against the wall so that the group would not see him. However, he stuck his head out a little bit, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes so he could get a better look at the group of prisoners. There were five of them, all wearing dirty blue jumpsuits.

"A riot broke out." The biggest man in the room spoke. "Never seen anything like it."

"Attica on speed, man." Another prisoner with dice tattooed on his neck said.

"Ever heard about dudes going cannibal, dying, coming back to life?" The smallest prisoner asked. "It's crazy."

"One guard looked out for us and locked us up in the cafeteria. Told us to sit tight, threw me this piece said he'd be right back." The leader explained.

"Yeah, and that was 292 days ago."

"94 according to my calcula-" The prisoner with dice on his neck said in response to his fellow's statement only to get cut off by the leader.

"Shut up!" He hissed, his pistol still raised on Rick's group.

"We were thinking that the army or the national guard should be showing up any day now," Oscar said, shrugging his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

Chase squinted at the man. They didn't know.

"There is no army," Rick explains in a flat tone.

"What do you mean?" Andrew asks, shocked.

Rick sighs. "There's no government, no hospitals, no police. It's all gone."

The two groups fall into silence before someone speaks up.

"For real?"

"What do you not get by it's all gone." Chase questions, accidentally reviewing himself when he can no longer keep his mouth shut.

Everybody looks at him, Daryl practically dropping his crossbow as he turns to look at the boy. "Hey, man what t'hell?!" He shouted without thinking. "Go back to your sister before I have to tell you twice!"

Chase didn't even flinch at the man's voice. He just glared at him before turning away.