Bleeding Souls (Daryl Dixon)

25. Cell Door

          The rest of the group was still further in the prison while the rest of us where still in the cell block. I had kept everyone's mind occupied with the cleaning and I'm glad I did. We all had loved ones out in the prison.

          "June... you think dad and the others are okay?" I hear Carl ask me. I turn and look at him and shake my head. "I'm not answer that because I don't know." I say to Carl. Carl nods his head at me and walks to another part of the cell block and starts picking up trash. I know I probably shouldn't have said that, but in this world, I'm not gonna promise shit I can't keep. I bend down and pick up the rest of the trash. I throw the bag in a pile and just as the bag hits the ground, I hear shouting. "Open the door! It's Hershel! June! Come on." I hear Rick hollering. I got to the door and see they have Hershel on a table.

           I grab the keys and open the door. I see blood dripping from the table and see Hershel no longer has a leg. I open the cell door as wide as a can. "Oh, my god." I hear Lori repeating over and over. I hear Beth frantically calling out for her father. I hear so many voices going at once, I get dizzy for a second. "In there!" Rick said towards an open cell. Rick, Glenn and Maggie turn the table so that Hershel comes head first into the room. "We need to get him on the bed." Rick says. "He got bit." Rick says to everyone. My eyes go wide at the realization that Rick cut off Hershel's leg. "Did you cut it off?" Lori asks Rick. Rick nods his head. "Maybe you got it in time." Lori states.

          In my head, I was hoping and praying that Lori was right. Hoping Rick caught it in time. Rick and I grabbed Hershel's upper body while Lori got his midsection and Carol got his leg. We picked him up and put in on the bed. I let out a huff of breath and look down at Hershel. "Woah." I say. Rick looks at me and I think he can tell how scared I am. Rick puts his hand on my shoulder. I nod my head at him and he nods back.

          Carol removes the cloth around Hershel's stump and I just see blood start to come out like it was a waterfall that had been held back. "Oh! Oh, I need bandages." Carol states to everyone. I look around the room and don't see anything we can use. "We used everything we had." Glenn said. I looked up at the ceiling and something clicked in my head. The infirmary hadn't been checked yet. "Well, get more. Anything." Carol says with frantic in my voice. "Carl, go get the towels from the back, right next to my bed." Lori said to Carl. Carl nods his head and runs out of the cell.

          "Is he gonna die?" I hear Beth ask. I look back at her. I grab her and hug her. "No. He's gonna be okay." I say to Beth. I feel her crying against my chest. I kiss the top of her head. I look over at Lori and nod my head for her to grab Beth. Lori grabs Beth and I bend down to Rick. "Rick... the infirmary. I'm gonna go. Get some supplies. See what's left." I say to Rick. Rick looks at me and shakes his head. I don't give him time to argue. "I'm going." I say to him with determination in my voice. "Then I'm coming with. You aren't going alone." Rick says to me. I nod my head at him. We both stand up and get ready to head out of the cell when we hear people arguing.

          I look back at Rick with confusion on my face. "Who the hell is that?" I ask him. Rick looks around the room and then back to me. "Prisoners, survivors." Rick says. I let out a sigh. Rick looks back into the cell toward Carol and Lori. "It's all right. Everybody just stay put." Rick says to them. Rick looks back at me and nods his head for me to follow him. I start to follow him when he turns around. "Do not leave the cell block. Not without me or someone else to go with you. You understand?" Rick says to me. I look him in the eyes and nod my head. Rick nods back and the runs toward the cell block entrance to deal with the prisoners.

          I look back at Rick and then into the cell with Hershel. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I could either let Hershel die or let Rick rip me a new one later for leaving to get the supplies. It wasn't even a question. I leaned against the bars of the cell. "Rick's gonna kill me, but I gotta go get those supplies. Try to keep him stabilized till I get back." I say to Lori and Carol before running out the other entrance to the cell block. I hear Lori and Carol hollering for me to stop, but I don't care. I can't let Hershel die. I just can't.