Chapter 45
Perhaps the tense atmosphere affected Daryl and Lina; in any case, the two used this opportunity to reconcile.
Rick felt relieved to see the two of them reappear hand in hand.
This is finally some good news.
“The car is ready,” Michonne said, closing the trunk and stepping forward to look at Lina and Daryl, following Rick’s gaze.
“They’ve finally made up,” Michonne sighed helplessly. “I thought it would be a stalemate for a while, with neither of them saying a word. It was a disaster.”
“Yes,” Rick nodded, “you lost.”
“Who bet correctly?” Michonne asked.
“Beth?” Rick thought for a moment and said.
"Just her?" Michonne was somewhat shocked.
“Yes, everyone thought it wouldn’t be that fast, and only Bass made the right bet before Daryl gave in first,” Rick remarked.
“Where is Mor?” Michonne asked.
“He pressured Lena to back down first,” Rick said. “Although Amy said he actually thought Daryl would back down first, but that doesn’t count if it’s done privately.”
“No wonder,” Michonne raised an eyebrow, wondering why Moore had been so kind as to let Lina go out with Daryl’s squad that day. She looked at Rick curiously, “And you, who did you bet on?”
As the two drew closer, Rick lowered his voice, "I'm the one who's breaking up." He wasn't surprised that Daryl would back down first; he just thought Lena would be hard to coax—she was too young and too stubborn.
And, while Daryl is great in every way, his relationship with Lena... well, Rick thinks it's too early.
Michonne raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to pressure them to break up almost all of them, are you?"
“Yes.” Rick nodded quickly, then took two steps forward. “Did you guys have your temperatures checked?” Rick looked at Lina and Daryl.
“Uh, not yet. I thought we’d be in a hurry,” Lina said.
"There's no other way. It'll take some time to collect fuel, and the round trip is too far. We don't have enough fuel. Let's pack up today and set off again early tomorrow morning," Rick said.
“Okay,” Lina glanced at Daryl, “I’m going to get my temperature checked, what about you?”
“I already tested it, you go ahead,” Rick kept winking at Daryl, who glanced at him and then said to Lina.
“Okay~” Lina squinted at Rick, “You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”
“No, how could that be?” Rick looked at Lina helplessly. “Go quickly.”
Lina reluctantly let go of Daryl's hand and ran to find Herschel.
Watching Lina leave, Rick looked at Daryl and asked, "You've made up?"
“Yes,” Daryl said somewhat awkwardly, as he didn’t like talking to others about his relationship with Lena.
"Lina's coming too? Are you sure?" Rick asked again.
“Yes, I can’t leave her here. I’m worried about her,” Daryl said. He was afraid that Lina would run away if no one was watching her. He didn’t doubt Lina’s abilities, but the outside world was too dangerous. Walkers, humans—no matter how strong you are, you can’t guarantee your safety alone.
“Okay, there’s one more thing,” Rick said with some concern. “Glen just had his temperature checked, and it doesn’t look right.”
"What?" Daryl was shocked. "He was also..."
“I’m not sure. He doesn’t have any other symptoms, just a slightly elevated temperature,” Rick said.
"How could this happen?" Daryl frowned. Sector D was sealed off that night, and they hadn't been in contact with anyone else outside...
If that's the case, wouldn't the entire prison be unsafe?
“We need to get the medicine quickly,” Daryl said anxiously. Lena had been inside Sector D before, and although she was wearing a mask, she was carrying Patrick’s body, so she was probably in more danger.
“I’m going to get some fuel,” Daryl said, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder and taking the empty bucket from Michonne’s hand as he headed toward the motorcycle.
“I’ll go with you,” Rick said, still worried.
“It’s best not to. I’ve been in contact with Lina,” Daryl said.
“I killed Violet,” Rick said with a helpless raised eyebrow. If it were bird flu, he would have marked it as dangerous.
Daryl thought for a moment and gestured for Rick to get in the car.
"Be careful, and remember to come back before dark." Michonne watched the two leave as they packed their things and walked back.
Thinking of Lina, she took a detour to find Herschel, only to encounter Lina, who seemed somewhat dazed, just as she reached the door.
"Have you had your temperature taken?" Michonne asked worriedly.
“Uh, right,” Lina nodded, snapping out of her daze, “Where’s Daryl?”
“He and Rick went out to find fuel,” Michonne said. “Are you alright?”
"No, maybe not so good. Anyway, you'd better stay away from me." Lina gave a wry smile; she had a fever.
Everyone's been wearing masks lately, so maybe it's not a big problem. Lina is a little worried about Daryl; they just talked for so long, what if…
“Daryl is fine. I’ll have him come back to take his temperature again,” Michonne reassured him.
"Okay," Lina smiled helplessly. She was hoping to get the medicine herself, but now she'd be lucky not to die in prison.
“Let’s go,” Herschel said, having finished packing and disinfecting his things. He came out, greeted Michonne, and led Lina to the empty room.
Karen and David's symptoms were not quite the same as Lena Glenn's for the time being, so Herschel separated and isolated them.
Glenn, who was contemplating life in his room, was surprised to see Lena and Herschel pass by the door, and Lena even waved to him.
"Hey! What's going on?" Glenn had a guess in his mind. What else could it be? But he didn't want to accept it.
“I have a fever too! Congratulations, your Korean language lessons can continue,” Lina called out from next door.
Glenn was speechless for a moment. Herschel, who had just closed the door, glanced helplessly at Lina. "Rest quietly. I'll come back later to take your temperature."
“Don’t worry,” Lina raised her arm, mimicking Popeye’s gesture, “I won’t be defeated by a little infectious disease.”
Herschel was somewhat worried. He remembered what Lina had said on the farm: she had been bedridden for two years because of a car accident, which meant her immune system would be very weak.
Don't let his usual lively and energetic demeanor fool you; once he's exposed to a virus, things could get complicated. But he couldn't show his worry. Herschel smiled gently and said, "You're right."
After greeting Glenn, Herschel glanced at Karen and David, who were coughing and didn't look very energetic.
Back in the makeshift medical room, Herschel continued taking the temperatures of the others. Patricia was in charge of bringing people over; there were so many of them that they had to take temperatures in round after round. Once the first round was finished, the second round would begin.
The disinfectant was almost used up, so Herschel had no choice but to have Patricia help him move the items outside and conduct the inspection in an open space.
Starting with the second round of testing, more and more people showed symptoms of fever, mostly low-grade fever, and the surge in numbers made Herschel's heart sink.
The rooms intended for isolation were almost all packed with people, and Karen and David began coughing up blood.
Patricia, as a nurse, also realized the danger; they were probably infected.
“Let’s take all the patients with cough symptoms to Area A, Pat. Dr. Caleb will take over there.” Herschel put away the thermometer and sighed heavily.
Patricia nodded helplessly; there was nothing she could do about it.
Supplies in the vicinity were dwindling, and Rick and Daryl didn't return until nightfall with a barrel of oil. This would at least ensure their journey there, and they could collect some more from the surrounding area on their way back.
Unexpectedly, the two were immediately taken to a meeting upon their return. The situation was becoming increasingly serious, and they couldn't wait until tomorrow.
“Let’s go now, where’s Lina?” Daryl asked.
“Daryl,” Herschel looked at him hesitantly. Daryl seemed to sense something, his mouth forming a straight line. He nodded silently, trying to appear calm, but his eyes betrayed his panic.
“With medicine, everything will be fine, right?” Daryl asked, staring at Herschel, needing to hold onto that belief.
“I’ll prepare, you go check on her.” Rick patted Daryl on the shoulder. Two members of the committee were already missing: Karen had been diagnosed, and Sasha was running a fever.
According to Herschel's afternoon data, nearly one-third of the people were diagnosed with COVID-19 and had a fever.
It might get even worse tomorrow.
“We need to isolate the vulnerable,” Herschel said. “Children.”
Rick nodded. "You too," Rick said seriously. "The elderly and children should stay away from here."
Herschel paused for a moment, then said, “We can use the administration building.”
“That’s it,” Rick said, looking at Andrea. “Andrea, I’m leaving her to you.”
Andrea nodded. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of them. You two too, be careful."
Rick nodded without saying anything more. He quickly left the meeting room; he needed to make arrangements for Carl and Judith as soon as possible, and then call Michonne.
When Daryl knocked on the door, Lina felt dizzy and lightheaded, thinking she was dreaming. She was covered in a cold sweat and sat up shakily, looking at the small window by the door. The room was pitch black, but a faint glow emanated from the window, and in that glow, Lina saw Daryl.
“Hey,” Lina forced a smile, “It’s really bad luck that I can’t go with you.”
“I’ll be back soon, you have to hold on, okay?” Daryl said, staring at Lina’s figure with a mixture of urgency and longing, as if trying to etch her image into his heart.
Lina smiled. "Don't underestimate me."
“Okay,” Daryl said, pursing his lips. He looked at Lina and gripped the crossbow strap tightly.
“Daryl, if,” Lina paused, “you will live well, right?”
Daryl choked up; he simply nodded, mechanically and stiffly.
"That's good," Lina said, looking at Daryl from a distance. Luckily, there were no lights in the room, and Lina was far enough away from him. She thought Daryl must look very disheveled.
"Go quickly, and be careful," Lina said.
“You too.” Daryl looked at the shadow in the darkness, then turned and left.
Lina couldn't hold back any longer and started coughing on the bed. She really had won the lottery, Lina thought to herself as she looked at the bloodstains on her hands.
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