Chapter 022

A week has passed since Hershel lost half of his leg and everyone fell into their roles perfectly. Lori and Beth took turns tending to Hershel, while Carol helped to keep the wound cleaned so it could heal properly. Rick, Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn took turns going down by the fence to kill the walkers that were piling against them, while also cleaning the dead walkers out of the courtyard with the help of Maggie, Carl and Sophia. I occasionally helped by the fence or pulling open the gate that way T-Dog and Maggie could drive the cars in.

Which is what I did now with a rifle hanging against my back. Grunting as I pull the gate open once more, I motion for Maggie to pull in once there is enough room. She bids a small wave before driving through, careful to swerve past the few dead walkers just outside of the gate. Closing the gate, I pull out my knife and stab another walker that came too close to it. Pulling my knife from the base of its skull, I watch as it slumps down before looking away.

Tilting my head to the right, I notice that Rick, Daryl and Glenn are still working on the walkers in the makeshift alley between the two fences. The walkers were beginning to pile up, no doubt coming in small herds due to the gunfire a few days ago. So they took it upon themselves to kill them through the fence, so they didn't knock down the fence. Daryl looks over at me, offering a small smile before he goes back to work.

Turning my body to look up toward the cell block, I watch as T-Dog motions Maggie to a stop once she reverses enough. Not far from them Carl sat on a picnic table, a smile plastered on his face as he watches Beth and Lori, as they help Hershel. The much older man supported crutches as he carefully uses them to make his way through the courtyard. Smiling at the sight, I begin to waddle toward them now that I wasn't needed by the gate.

      The summer heat is now in full effect, which mixing in with pregnancy damn near feels like we are in the pits of hell. So walking and doing anything, really feels like I could croak. As I walk, I reach T-Dog who offers me a kind smile, before he places an arm over my shoulder loosely. Watching as Sophia walks over to Carl, Millie closely behind, my smile soon fades as I look past them.

      Before I can react, Carl pulls out his gun as T-Dog and Carol are pulling me away from the advancing herd. I try and fight at first before I see that Sophia locks herself in an area with Hershel and Beth, keeping her own gun drawn as she protects the two. I turn and run with T-Dog and Carol, the two leading us toward another cell block, shooting at the walkers as we go. T-Dog helps me lean against a fence, allowing me to catch my breath as he hammers his gun into the cell block's door.

      Tilting my head, a scream tears through my throat painfully as I come face to face with a walker. My arms go out instantly, applying pressure to the walkers shoulders to try and keep it from tearing into me. Struggling against it, it is soon lifted from me, my eyes growing wide as I notice Carol had pulled it off - her body pressed against it as another walker comes up behind them. Not having time to react, tears sprung to my eyes as I watch the walker bite into Carol's shoulder.

      Pulling the rifle around, I aim at the walker that bit Carol and pull the trigger, killing it instantly. The woman cries as she holds her shoulder, rushing toward me as she pushes me to follow after T-Dog who finally got the door to open. As we enter the building, I notice that lights were reflecting off the walls, signaling that some sort of alarm is going off. Ignoring it, I grab Carol as we follow after T-Dog as he tries and leads us through the halls.

      We didn't stop, we couldn't stop - we needed to get back to the cell block so that we could try and help Carol. We helped Hershel, so who's to say we couldn't help Carol? Looking toward the woman, I notice that she had stopped crying but she still applies pressure toward her wound. Clapping my hands together, it causes the both of them to come to a stop, their eyes locked on me.

      "We need to stop, at least long enough for the alarms to get shut down," I sign tiredly, leaning against a wall as I try to catch my breath. Carol shares a look with T-Dog, almost denying my request as she holds her shoulder, blood seeping through her finger. "We can't keep going through the tombs, not with walkers everywhere."

      "We need to get you back to the cell block, T too," Carol urges as she winces as the infection seems to bringing her immense pain. She looks at me, almost pleading with me to do as she says. "Sophia needs you to be alive, Katherine. She has lost so much already. Her dad, even if he was the biggest piece of shit, she still loved him."

      "I'm dying too. We know this, I know this. There is no helping me, not with this," Carol continues, motioning toward the bite on her shoulder. Tears burn in her eyes as she spoke, the mere thought of her daughter damn near bringing her to tears. "There is no helping me, but I can help you get back to Daryl and Sophia. We all have jobs to do, right? Beth said it. Let this be my job."

    "Carol..."

     "No, Katherine. My.... your daughter needs you. I am going to get you back to her. Now come on."

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     Separated.

      Carol and I had been split from T-Dog as a herd had torn through us, separating us in the depths of the tombs. We tried to find him, but after thirty minutes of no luck, Carol urged us forward toward the cell block. Her skin is warm to the touch, the fever has finally settled in and each move she made, makes her bones feel as if they're breaking. She is drenched in sweat and keeps stumbling the more we pushed further, killing walkers as we go.

      Kicking down a Walker with a bit of struggle, I push my knife into the base of its skull. Blood squirts out, covering my hand and splashing onto my clothes as I pull the knife out. Grabbing another walker by its hair, I push the knife through its chin, pushing it far enough to stab its brain with ease. Taking my knife back, I grab Carol who had been leaning against the wall and pull her after me as I begin to run down the hall.

      Sweat, dirt and blood covered every exposed skin from the amount of running and killing I've done since entering the tombs. My hair is matted due to the blood and sweat, my clothes clung to my body as my shoes felt like they are two sizes too small. My chest burned as my lungs begged me to stop, but Carol wouldn't let me as she wanted her last mission to be getting me to safety. We were running for our lives, trying to find a way out of this nightmare.

      We are terrified as we continued through the tombs, both for different reasons. Carol is dying, there is no stopping it, no way of helping - she knows it and I know it. And I could see that she is terrified out of her mind and the mere thought of death, any sane person is. But with death knocking at your door, Carol still manages to put someone else above her; in this case, me.

      She doesn't want to die until she knows that I am back with Daryl and Sophia, until she knows that I am safe. But I can tell that her body is wearing thin, pushing itself to its limits as she tries to force herself to make it. Glancing toward the dying woman, I lean her against a wall as she breathes heavily. Breathing heavily myself, I force her to look at me, tears filling her eyes as she knows her time is limited.

      "We can stop if you need to, I'll be fine to make the rest of this journey on my own."

      Carol only shakes her head, dismissing my words as she pushes herself off the wall. She grabs my hand, a small smile on her face as she begins to stumble forward - the tiredness evident in her steps. Knowing not to push further, I allow her to lead me through the tombs. She isn't ready to leave just yet, but her body is fighting against her.

      Rounding a corner, the two of us skid to a stop at the sight of four walkers blocking an exit. The panic begins to settle in at the sight of being outnumbered. I couldn't take all four of these walkers on my own, not in this heat and not being pregnant and already worn down. And Carol can't take these walkers either, she can barely fight back as is.

      "Change of plans," Carol mutters as she looks at the walkers that have yet to notice us, despite our heavy breathing. She turns to face me, a tired look in her eyes along with determination. "I'm going to distract them, you're going to run through that door. Do not argue with me on this. I can't take much more. Just.... just keep Sophia safe, tell her that I love her and I'm so proud of the fighter she's becoming."

      My hazel eyes grow wide as I watch the woman run forward, killing a walker before she pins three of them against the wall. "Go! Go!" She yells as the walkers begin to bite into her, tearing her flesh with ease as they begin to eat their meal. "Kat, go!" A sob leaves my parted lips as I rush past her and the walkers, giving her one last look before I open the door.

      Tears roll down my face, sobs breaking through my body as I slam the door behind me - finally not able to see who the walkers are feasting on. The sun blinds me after all the time I spent in the tombs, causing me to bring my hand up to shield my eyes. Looking around the boxed in area, I noticed the walkers that lay dead on the ground, causing me to look around confused. Who killed these walkers? Is T-Dog still alive?

      Seeing that a door to another cell block is open, I take that as my sign to go through it - hoping that T-Dog isn't far behind. Pushing myself forward, I close the door behind me before walking further into the cell block. My knife settles in my hand with ease, as I keep myself ready for any pending surprises. In Carol's honor, I have to reach cell block C.

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      Wiggling my knife free from the skull of a walker, I hiss as another pain shoots through my belly causing it to become really tight. Leaning against the wall as I try to breathe through it, I mentally curse whatever God is out there. I know what the cramps mean, I know what the tightening means and I know that I am nowhere near any sort of help. Once the pain passes, I continue to lean against the wall as I begin to walk further into the tombs.

      I was following each turn in hopes it'd lead me to someone, anyone for the matter. I still have yet to find T-Dog, who I assumed killed the walkers in the outsides boxed in area that Carol led me to. I am beginning to lose hope in finding him or anyone from the cell block. As I continue walking, I suddenly feel a pop before something gushes down my leg - causing me to stop and look down.

      "No." I repeat, my throat vibrating and aching with each repeated no. Blood and fluid poured out of me, soaking my jeans and the floor with ease. Tears sprung to my eyes as I begin to shake, my heart hammering in my chest. My water just broke and I don't even know what to do, this is all happening a little too fast for my liking.

      A scream suddenly tears through my lips as another cramp tears through my stomach, suddenly worse than the ones I've felt before. Leaning against the wall, I felt my legs grow weak as I collapse down to the floor. "No, God, no," I cry out, my throat raw from the sudden use to my voice from force. Sitting on the floor, I curl up in a ball as I hold my belly as the pain doesn't subside. "Please, please not right now."

Clamping my eyes shut as the pain just keeps coming back, I grit my teeth as I squeeze the fabric of my shirt. Suddenly a hand is on my shoulder, causing me to scream again as I force my eyes open. Fighting against the grip, as I try and move away from what I assume is a walker, I cry out in fear. Suddenly my face is forced to look up, my eyes growing wide at the sight of a familiar face.

"Kat.... Kat, it's me."

"T...." I cry, a sob leaving my lips as I look up toward the man that held onto my shoulders. He pulls me into him, allowing me to grab his shoulders as he lifts me into his arms with ease. He smells of sweat and blood, but I didn't care as right now I'm just thankful he is alive and that he found me. Clutching my belly as another contraction tears through me, I grit my teeth just as T-Dog slams his shoulder into a door.

"I was in here when I heard you," T-Dog explains as he sits me down on the floor, carefully moving my hair from my face so I could see better. He notices how much pain I am in, before shrugging off his flannel, leaving him in a stained white tank-top. "Are you okay? Are you bit?"

"The baby.... I think it's coming." I say through gritted teeth, shocking us both by actually talking rather than signing. I never realized that I could actually use my voice, having been mute due to my deafness. I just remember my mom taking me to speech therapy as a little girl so I could learn to mouth words if needed, but I never really did. I guess I had learned to talk then too without ever really realizing it.

"I don't know how to deliver a baby," The man admits as he looks down at me panicked, before he begins looking around the small closet. He quickly grabs a few rags he spots by a cleaning cart, before using one to wipe the sweat off of my face. "But I remember Hershel saying to let the body do its thing."

"Help me with my pants please," I sign, my throat feeling raw from the amount of talking and screaming I have done. T-Dog hesitates for a moment as I unbutton them, before he helps me take them and my underwear off. "I know this is weird and uncomfortable, but I feel the need to push, I need you to look and see if the baby is coming at all."

He only nods at my words before he moves to sit by my knees, placing his hands on them as a form of support. I nod in return as another contraction hits, the urge to push becoming more evident so I do so. Grabbing my thighs, I grit my teeth as I push, bringing my chin to my chest as I do so. Pain shoots through every part of my body as I do so, but I don't back down.

"You're doing it, Kat. You've got this."

As another contraction hits again, I push once more, a scream pushing past my lips as I can feel the head. The ring of fire, as some women have stated it to be but I don't let it stop me. Pushing again, this time harder and more intense, I cry out as I feel their head come out, followed by their shoulders. My body feels weak and tired, yet as another contraction tears through my body, I grit my teeth and push again.

Relief suddenly falls onto my body, as I lean back against the wall, sweat and blood coating each inch of me. Looking down, I notice that T-Dog is wrapping a baby, my baby in his jacket - his own coos leaving his lips as he tears down at them. T-Dog looks up at me, a smile on his lips as he carefully hands the baby to me. "She's got a set of lungs on her." T-Dog explains, referring to her cries.

Tilting my head to look down at the little girl, in my arms, I couldn't help but to cry. I have a daughter, someone who is dependent on me. Someone who needs me to beat this world, just so they can. Placing a shaky kiss on her forehead, I look back up toward T-Dog. "Take my knife and cut the cord. We need to get the placenta out." I order, before handing my knife to him.

He carefully cuts the umbilical cord before he grabs the end attached to me. He nods giving me the signal that he is ready, causing me to push a little more as he tugs - causing the placenta to come out. "Are you okay?" T-Dog asks, as he tosses the placenta out the door, that way it didn't stink the closet as much as it already smells due to the birth alone. "I'm fine, just in pain and tired." I answer truthfully, before looking down at my daughter.

Welcome to the world, Thalia Louise.

May it be kind to you, sweet daughter.

____ Word Count: 3,083

Welcome back to chapter twenty two!

A lot of almost nothing has happened in this chapter really, aside from a crap ton of running, killing walkers and running some more.

Two major events did happen in this chapter, Carol's death and the birth of Katherine and Daryl's daughter.

Shout out to h2oguy for the idea of killing Carol off. Basically gave her T-Dog's death just to keep him alive.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed!

Lots of Love, Crimson Rose