Fade To Black - Daryl Dixon (BOOK ONE)

Chapter Ninety Seven

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The next few weeks, they had spent hours building showers for everyone in the prison while they had already established schooling for the children.

Later Hershel noted that some vitamins and possible vaccines for the kids were needed if they were to stay healthy, especially for Judith.

Natalia, Axel, Tyreese and Johnny had volunteered to get the items written down on Hershel's list.

Before leaving, Carl hugged his aunt goodbye, still persisting to go with them but Natalia and Rick refused for the boy to join them. Rick had warned his sister many times to always be on the alert and to watch out for herself- Daryl had volunteered to go with them but Rick needed his help back at the prison. The four days that Natalia was out of the prison's safety, Daryl had waited for her to come back anxiously.

On their first day, they had only managed to get a bottle of vitamins from a pharmacy that had several Walkers awaiting them inside. They had to continue their search further away from the prison. At night, they had found a clinic, but everything was raided.

Natalia, Axel, Johnny and Tyreese sat in a circle with their hands shoved inside their pockets from the cold. Trying to save their energy, they would only continue their search when the sun was up.

"Can't believe I'm out." Axel said with a scoff. "Never thought I'd leave prison when it's literally the end of the world. Thought I'd at least be out when the world was still...nice."

"Eh, the world was never great to begin with." Johnny said with a simple shrug.

Natalia, however, didn't comment. Before the Walkers took over the earth, Natalia watched Johnny struggle with his addiction. She always knew that Johnny lived in difficulty.

"Come on- I'm sure there were great things you've done that made you forget about the shitty things." Tyreese said to Johnny.

Johnny did not answer Tyreese, he simply offered him a little shrug for an answer.

"Well- forget about the past and the Walkers taking over. I think we can start fresh in the prison." Natalia jumped into the conversation. "It might be different from normal, but it's going to be the best we can have."

"We're already half way there, aren't we." Axel said positively.

"We don't know that, though." Johnny commented on Natalia's words.

"If something bad happens- we can handle it." For a second, Axel and Johnny could see Rick in Natalia. The way she spoke and handled different situations was similar to her brother.

"Now in the mean time, gimme some of that biscuit- I'm starving." Johnny passed Natalia the box of biscuits that they shared amongst them.

In the morning, the cold pierced their bones as they walked to a hospital. Right outside many Walkers surrounded the area; learning from her experience in Atlanta, Natalia covered herself and the others in Walker's blood, smearing it all over their clothes.

The group imitated the Walkers' way of walking and they immediately merged together. Natalia's eyes drifted slowly to Axel who was beside her, she noticed the man growing anxious. Natalia slowly moved her hand towards him and squeezed his hand in hers to comfort him.

Axel's wide eyes met hers and slowly nodded his head as a thanks to her- the man tried to regulate his breathing as the group walked further towards the hospital.

Natalia did not let go of Axel, afraid that the man would lose his cool and risk everyone including himself. Once the group were at the entrance of the hospital, Johnny and Tyreese opened the sliding door of the hospital slowly, trying to minimize any noise that would catch the attention of the Walkers.

The sliding doors only managed to open slightly; each one of them had to squeeze through to get inside the hospital. Once they were successfully in, Johnny and Tyreese closed the sliding door gently.

Axel let out a sigh of relief but Natalia raised her hand and whispered. "Don't be too comfortable yet, we don't know if it's safe."

Each step they took, was calculated and quiet. Natalia tried to hear for any Walker moans but there weren't any.

The basement of the hospital was pact with Walkers, shocking the group and Natalia. They quickly avoided it and made their way out without being detected. The first floor had Walkers in each room, but the group were capable of taking them out of their misery.

After getting rid of the Walkers smoothly and quietly enough, they searched for the medications that were on Hershel's list but couldn't find majority of it.

Natalia could say they were lucky enough to find vitamins but what made her feel even more lucky was something she didn't expect to get.

"I think we can find something even better than those vitamins." Natalia said to her group with a big smile.

"What?" Axel asked.

"Some of our friends could possibly get their limbs back."

To be continued...