Serpents Tongue, The Walking Dead

xlix. a turn for the worst

FORTY NINE. a turn for the worst

THE distant coughs and moans of sickness were the only sounds heard throughout the infected cell block. An hour after she had fallen victim to the illness, Glenn had joined her. By the time night fell and the sun rose, the virus had spread faster than they could have ever imagined, and Doctor S grew weaker by the second. It called for Adeline to be placed in charge, digging a deep hole each time she slipped into a cell to help someone. The nurse could feel her body grow more vulnerable. She was pushing herself to keep going, even when she knew that she shouldn't.

Her skin had turned so pale that she started to resemble a ghost, and it began to grow harder for her to steady her hands. Adeline knew that it was only a matter of time before she collapsed and couldn't get up without the help of Glenn or Sasha. And, she forced Theo to stay in a cell by herself, making sure the girl had very little contact with anyone else that was sick. But, that didn't stop her from going by the closed cell door to check in on her.

"Theo," Adeline spoke up, her hands trembling on the bars of the door as she leaned against them for support. Letting out a shaky breath, a small smile curled around her lips as Theo turned around from where she sat by the desk to face her. "Hey. How you feeling?" She questioned, a cough slipping past her lips, using her shoulder to wipe at the thick layer of sweat on her pale skin as Theo stood from the chair and walked over to her.

The small amount of light from the morning sun reflected against the ghastly figure of Theo, her skin pale while the bags underneath her eyes were full of discoloration. "Everything feels sore." She informed, a raspy sound to her voice as she coughed into her elbow. "Is Daryl back yet?" She asked, curling her fingers around the bars of the door while meeting the nurses worried eyes.

"No, he won't be back for a while." Adeline notified, softening her features as she bent down to her level while grabbing the bars of the cell for support. "It's a long trip, sweetie, we all have to keep on fighting until they get back with the medicine, okay?" She spoke, her knees trembling weakly from the pressure she had put onto them. "I'll see if I can find anything for you to take."

"Save what you have." Theo spoke up, her voice soft as she watched Adeline stand back up to her feet with a face painted with discomfort. "For the people that need it most. Like you." She added, motioning towards the obvious state of weakness that the woman had entered. "I'm okay. I'm strong, like you said." Theo assured, moving away from the door and crawling onto the surface of the small bed. "But, I know you won't listen to me."

Adeline allowed a sigh followed by a rough cough slip past her lips, a feeling of hot pain spreading throughout her chest as she grabbed the guard railings for support. Breathing deeply, she shifted on her feet and closed her eyes in attempts of regaining her strength. "I'm gonna be okay." She whispered, removing one of her trembling hands from the rail and curling her fingers around the golden 22 pendant that hung from the necklace chain.