The priest walked ahead with a pig slung over his shoulder, while Daryl and Maggie carried the stretcher. The rain began to ease, leaving the woods eerily quiet; only our footsteps broke the silence.
"You look about sixteen. How do you know so much about treating broken bones?" Carol asked as she walked beside me. Her eyes held a strange mix of hope and curiosity; I couldn't quite tell which.
"To survive, I've read a lot of medical books and learned from a few doctors at the camp where I was staying."
Carol's eyes lit up with excitement, but before she could respond, Daryl's voice came from ahead.
"Do you know anything about illnesses? How to prevent them? Medicine, or anything like that?"
There was that same unusual excitement in his voice. What was going on? Why were they all so eager?
Then it clicked.
They didn't have a doctor.
In a world like this, you could replace a soldier or even a leader, but not a doctor, not easily. With limited medicine and supplies, even a small wound could turn deadly if left untreated. A doctor was essential for any group.
"I can't say I know everything," I replied carefully, "but I know as much as a medical student would...with some hands-on experience."
I kept my tone modest. Revealing too much would only complicate things. I glanced subtly at the priest behind me, silently signaling him not to say anything more. From his expression, he understood.
"That's excellent news," Daryl said, hope creeping into his voice. "If you don't mind, could you take a look at some of our people? They've been sick for a couple of days."
"If you can help us," Maggie added, "we'd really appreciate it. We don't know what kind of illness it is, and more people in the camp are getting sick every day. On top of that, my father is sick too...he can't help."
That surprised me. The prison outbreak that killed so many hadn't happened this early, not in the original timeline. Things were changing… moving faster than expected.
To understand the situation better, I asked, "You said there's a doctor in Woodbury. Why not go there?"
Maggie answered, "Because it costs too much food to get treatment, and we don't have enough. If medicine is needed, it costs even more. We only take the seriously injured there."
"I see," I said. "I can't guarantee anything, but I'll take a look."
That seemed to satisfy them.
Before we could say anything more, walkers began drifting through the woods, forcing us into silence. We moved carefully, slipping between trees and keeping low. After several tense minutes, the prison finally came into view.
Relief barely had time to settle in.
Glenn suddenly woke up, screaming in pain.
The sound tore through the silence and drew every nearby walker straight toward us.
"Shit...run!" Maggie shouted.
We bolted toward the prison gates, feet pounding against the ground as the dead closed in behind us.
"Open the door!" Daryl yelled at the top of his lungs.
No answer.
No movement at the gate.
No one in the watchtower.
Carol and Maggie started shouting too, their voices edged with panic but still nothing.
Then, finally, someone appeared inside, running toward the gate.
Too far.
Too slow.
He wouldn't make it in time.
Panic surged through the group. Everyone ran harder… everyone except the priest.
He still carried the pig over his shoulder, moving steadily as if the chaos behind him didn't exist.
Daryl and Maggie struggled forward with Glenn, who was still crying out in pain, barely aware of what was happening.
The gate wasn't going to open in time.
So, I ran.
I pushed forward at full speed, leaving the others behind. Their surprise was obvious, even in the middle of chaos.
As I reached the fence, I knew I could clear it in a single jump.
But that would reveal too much.
Instead, I grabbed the chain-link and climbed, ignoring the razor wire biting into my hands. I swung over and dropped inside, then rushed to the gate and forced it open.
"Come on...get in!" I shouted.
They were almost there.
"Oh God...there's a Runner!" Carol cried.
One of the Runner sprinted toward them...fast, too fast.
Before it could reach Maggie, Carol raised her pistol and fired.
The runner dropped.
But two more were already closing in.
"Maggie, Daryl....go! I'll cover you!" Carol yelled, stepping back to hold them off.
They hesitated, then kept moving.
Carol fired again but missed the head in her panic.
The walkers were getting closer. More were gathering.
She fired repeatedly until—
Empty.
Realizing she was out of bullets, Carol turned to run, but it was too late.
One of the runners grabbed her arm. Another seized her shoulder.
"Carol!" Daryl shouted, panic rising as he fumbled for his crossbow.
They dragged her back.
Carol struggled, but they were too strong.
Then—
Both runners' heads exploded.
Carol froze, stunned, unable to process what had just happened.
"What are you doing? Run!" I shouted.
That snapped her back to reality.
She broke free and sprinted toward the gate.
I raised my Glock and fired at any walker that got too close. Daryl did the same with his crossbow.
"Come on!" Maggie yelled, glancing back at the growing horde, at least fifty now, and still coming.
Carol pushed forward with everything she had left.
At the last possible second, she made it through.
Maggie and I slammed the gate shut behind her.
The walkers crashed into it immediately, slamming and clawing, shaking the metal violently.
No time to rest.
We all drew our melee weapons and began striking at anything that reached through the fence, driving them back one blow at a time.
"Thank God you're all okay!"
A man came running toward us, huffing and short of breath.
Daryl snapped the moment he saw him.
"T-Dog! Where the hell were you? We almost got killed because of you!" he shouted, grabbing his collar.
More people began gathering, drawn by the noise.
T-Dog shoved Daryl's hand away. "Man, how the hell was I supposed to know you needed help right when I was taking a dump behind the bushes?" he shot back.
"You were supposed to be in the watchtower," Daryl fired back. "That was your only job...and you screwed it up."
"Just so you know, I'm human too," T-Dog snapped. "When nature calls, I answer."
Daryl stepped forward again, ready to argue, but Maggie cut in.
"Can you both stop fighting and help us deal with the walkers instead of arguing about stupid crap?"
That did it.
They both paused, realizing she was right.
Without another word, they grabbed their weapons and joined the rest of us, striking down the undead pressing against the fence.
As for me…
I just watched them for a moment, a faint hint of amusement crossing my face.