𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄
𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒
︶꒦꒷★꒷꒦︶

Claire rubbed a hand over her face as Eli packed some of his things into a backpack. The boy huffed and puffed as he did so, making Claire sigh and lean towards him, "It's where you'll be safest, Eli."

"Why can't I stay here with you? Carl and I can both be useful-"

"You and Carl will be right where we all want you; safe. That is all that matters." She tried to comfort him, reaching out to cup his cheeks. "I need to be out there helping, trying to figure out how to help these people, help your friends and our family. I cannot properly help them if I'm constantly worried about your safety, okay?" Eli paused and looked up at his sister, eyebrows softer than they were before, "Okay, fine." She smiled, pressing her lips against his forehead, "I love you, now finish packing your shit."

★

Claire looked out from her spot in the courtyard, leaning her forehead against the fencing, her teeth dug into her bottom lip in an attempt to contain her despair. So many lives lost in the outbreak, friends, whole families, wiped out in one morning. Claire had been sitting here for what felt like hours. She had watched Rick burn the old pig den, and had watched Glenn and Maggie dig graves while keeping their distance. So many bodies. She was hyper-aware of everything.

She was sweating, bad. And nauseua was building in her stomach.

"Hey, sweets."

Claire spun around, eyes wide as Michonne carefully approached her with a smile, keeping a few feet away from Claire just in case. Claires lip trembled as she smiled at the woman, "Hey, Michonne. How's everyone doing?"

Michonne shrugged, "Some sick, some not. All the sick are separated for now, and we just finished  seperating the children and elderly. Eli and Carl seemed to be having a good time together, despite me hearing them put up stinks about having to do it." Claire chuckled weakly at the woman and nodded, "Yeah, he wasn't too happy about that. I think they have a hard time accepting that they're just boys."

There was a small silence between the two, a comfortable one, before Michonne spoke again, "Glenn is sick, so is Veronica. And Sasha. And we're nervous that Nick might be too, but he's suspicially good at hiding it." Claire's face fell at the mentions, and Michone continued, "We need medicine. So, me, Daryl, Bob, and Roman are all going." Claire opened her mouth to argue with her about the attendees of this run, Michonne stuck up a finger, "Ah-we're all that's left of the exposed, only us that aren't sick. And we're not gonna ask Rick to seperate from his kids." Michonne tried to soothe the blonde with a small smile, "We'll be back, hopefully sooner than you think. We'll all come back-I'll make sure of it, alright?"

Claire nodded in defeat, leaning back against the fence as a wave of nauseua washed over her. "You okay, Claire?"

The blonde nodded her head, reaching up to wipe the swdat from her forehead with a weak smile, "Mhm. Little nasaeous, probably the heat."

"Mmm." Michonne nodded and gestured her head in the direction of the prison, "Why don't you head inside, then." Claire nodded at that, pushing off the fence and pausing when the world began spinning. "I'm okay." She put her hand out towards Michonne. "I haven't eaten since yesterday and I've been slacking on water."

Michonne nodded, not believing the girl one bit as she started the walk back up to the prison. Michonne waved over at Daryl, Bob and Roman, signaling she'll be there soon. Claire's mouth began going dry, vision falling weak and her muscles going soft. Then she was on the ground, hot concrete under her fingers bringing her back to the growing itch in the back of her throat.

Michonne's eyes went wide at the blonde on the ground, and before she could call for help, Roman had crossed the courtyard and was reaching down to look over Claire.

"Claire? Claire? Are you okay?" Claire looked up at him through her lashes, unable to keep her eyes open to fully look at him. Romans face fell at her pale, sickly and sweaty skin. "Shit, shit. Claire can you hear me?"

"Roman, back away from her, she's sick-"

"Fuck off, Bob!" Roman shouted back, looking up at Michonne, "Get back, quick." Michonne stepped back away from the blonde, watching as Roman reached out and wrapped his arms around Claire's back and under her legs, picking her up effortlessly, "Someone get the door, we have to get her in with the sick."

Daryl shook his head at the man, "She can barely walk, Roman, and Hershel won't be in there-"

"I'll go in with her, I'm already exposed, might as well. Someone tell Beth to check Eli for symptoms! Go without me, take Tyreese!" Daryl huffed, looking down at the blonde sadly before rushing over to Block A to allow Roman into the sick cells, while Michonne rushed to Block C to let someone know.

︶꒦꒷★꒷꒦︶

"Hey." Roman's voice cut through the sound of the groans in the filled cells around them, Claire's eyes popping open in surprise before a groan of her own left her lips. "No sleeping. Stay awake." Roman mumbled, adjusting his hold on her.

When he had gotten into the cell block, the cells were all already occupied by the sick, and Roman had resorted to finding a quiet empty corner and sitting on the ground, keeping Claire in between his legs with her head propped against his arm to keep an eye one her. "Why are you even in here, Roman?" She used the rag given to her to cover her mouth, a muffled, thick cough escaping her. "You're gonna get sick,"

"I dont care-ah! Eyes open, Smith. You gotta stay awake. You fall asleep, that fever takes over." Roman mumbled, reaching up with his free hand to wipe her sweat-stuck hair from her cheeks. Claire sighed, wincing as she adjusted herself in his arms. "Seriously, why are you here, Roman?"

"Well, the world ended, there was this virus outbreak that spread around the-" Claire used her left hand to pinch the mans thigh, making him chuckle, pulling a small smile from her, "I meant in here, asshole. I would've been fine. Should've just put me down next to Glenn, we could've died together. You should be out there, getting medicine, helping and shit."

Roman sighed, "You're not gonna die, and neither is Glenn. I'd rather be keeping an eye on you, anyway." Claire rolled her eyes, weakly batting his hand away from her cheek, "You should be keeping an eye on Veronica, she's sick too, right?"

Roman furrowed his eyebrows, staring down at the girl. Her eyes were sunken, skin a sickly pale shade, dark circles under her eyes, but Roman couldn't help but smile at how pretty she still looked. "Yeah, she's sick too. What's your point?"

 Claire rolled her eyes with a chuckle, which triggered a violent cough, causing the girl to sit up and cover her mouth with the rag. Roman leaned forward and placed his hand on her back, sothingly rubbing his thumb back and forth. Claire sucked in a deep breath, looking back at him over her shoulder, "You should be with Veronica, isn't she like...immunocompromised?"

Roman chuckled, using the hand on her back to gently pull her back into him, "Yes, she is, that's why she's being looked after by Nick, who is taking this sickness like a champ. You, however-" He adjusted himself a little against the brick wall, "Are a bit more of a pressing concern for me right now."

Claire sighed, trying her best to relax into him. Her bones were weak and her muscles were on fire. And she couldn't even remember what it felt like for her chest not to hurt at this point. She would've teased Roman more about Veronica, but then Eli crossed her mind, "I want to see Eli, just in case."

Roman sighed, "I'm not sure we'll even be able to get him into the viewing room, Claire-"

"I need to see him, Roman. If...if I die-"

"Hey," Roman stopped her, placing his hand on her cheek and rubbing his thumb over her skin, "You're not gonna die, I won't let you."

★

Claire held in her cough as she entered the execution room, side-eyeing the electric chair shoved into the corner before averting her eyes to the glass window separating them from the viewing room. Eli stood there with tears in his eyes, hand pressed against the glass, while James stood in the back of the viewing room, "Claire?"

Roman helped the girl over to the glass, and the blonde smiled at the young boy, "Hey, Eli-"

"You can't die, Claire. What would I do-"

"I'm not gonna die, Eli. It's just a little flu, okay?" She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she could only guess how pathetic it might've actually looked. "Just, I might be in here a while, and Roman's been exposed so he has to stay with me. Which means there's no one to really look after you right now, so I need you to promise me something." She lined her hand up with his on the glass and held back her tears. "Remember to read those History books Daryl got you, not just your comics. And go to class. And don't stay up to late with Carl. And keep our room clean, okay? I don't want to come back to a mess. And-" 

A cough bubbled out of her, violent and thick, and Roman stepped forward to place a hand on her back.

"Claire?" Eli mumbled, pressing his other hand against the glass and giving it a pat, "Claire?"

When the blonde looked up at him, she somehow looked worse, but she continued, "And help Marcus keep Kira out of trouble for me, okay?" She weakly chuckled, looking over at James, "Take him back."

James nodded, looking between Claire and Roman before grabbing Eli by the shoulders, "I love you, Eli. I'll see you soon."

James guided a crying Eli out of the viewing room, and once the door closed behind him, Claire fell into the glass and leaned her forhead against it, releasing the coughing fit she was holding back. "Claire, lets go back," Roman mumbled, wrapping his arm under hers and guiding her back towards the cell block. "I'm not sure how much longer I can do this."

Once the two were back in the cell block, they paused in surprise at the older man standing in there, talking to some of the sick. 

"Hershel, what the hell are you doing in here?"

︶꒦꒷★꒷꒦︶

Claire was getting worse, and so was everyone else. They lost someone, a man from the Woodbury group, and Roman was able to lay Claire down in the cell bed after he cleaned it up.

Hershel, that idiot of a man, was leaning over her, pressing a cold cloth to her forehead and helping her drink as much water as she could stomach. Roman had left to help Glenn, and Claire took this as her oppurtunity.

"Hersh," She mumbled, reaching out to gently grab his hand that rested on the bed beside her, "Roman doesn't want to admit it, but I'm not doing good. I don't know if I'll last much longer and I need-"

"You are not dying, Claire." Hershel spoke sternly, hand gripping hers as he patted her forehead with the cloth. He looked down at her with a sift smile, "It's just a flu. You will be fine."

"Do I look fine, Hershel? I don't feel fine. I've had the flu before, and this is nothing like it. Daryl and Michonne aren't back yet and-" "Just, stop, Claire. You will be fine, they'll be back soon and you'll be back on your feet in no time."

Claire sighed, frusrated with his and Roman's lack of understanding, inability to see the severity of the situation. Her bones were jelly at this point, muscles eating away. She could barely breathe and her throat felt like a brand new sheet of sandpaper. Her head was spinning and it was like a brick wall had collapsed on top of her. They'd already lost three people to it, and they were clearly going to lose more.

"Hey, Hershel. Glenn is asking for you."

Hershel looked back at Roman, nodding and looking back down at her, "I'll be back soon. I'm gonna check on everyone too."

Claire nodded weakly, watching as Roman helped him to his feet and took the spot the man was once in. "You look like shit, by the way." He smiled, grabbing the water and helping her drink some, "Yeah, way to make a girl feel special, Ro."

Roman laughed, chin falling against his chest, "Yeah, I always was good with the ladies." Claire rolled her eyes and smiled, but the laugh that escaped her turned into a cough fast, and she quickly turned her head towards the wall to keep it away from Roman. The man frowned, reaching out to move her hair from her face when she turned her head back towards him.

It was the wrong time to admit it, but he missed spendig time with her. Back when their group was just the people from the farm, they spent months on the road together, they were best friends. And then the prison, and Woodbury, and the past few months they'd kinda drifted way. Found their own little groups, busy with work and daily tasks. He felt...bad. He'd been spending so much time doing other things with other people that he'd barely had time to check in on her.

"Eli has gotten tall."

Claire chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. He's uh-he's hitting puberty for sure. I don't even know how to handle it. You know the other day, he pulled me aside and asked why, and I'm fucking quoting him, his 'penis hurts in the morning, and it's hard to pee when he wakes up'. I just about had a stroke, Ro."

Roman began laughing, "Is he talking about morning wood?"

"Yes!" Claire breathed out a weak laugh, "He didn't know what a boner was, and I didn't think I would have to have that conversation with him! I thought our dad gave him the talk before, but I guess I was wrong. Luckily Kira came in and asked for my help with teaching the young ones about american history so I didn't answer him but-" She sighed, fiddling with her fingers against her stomach, "I do not know how I'm going to have that conversation with him."

Roman smiled, reaching out to grab her hand, "I'll help you with the talk when you're better, how's that?" She sighed, glancing down at their entwined hands resting on her stomach. "Yeah, that sounds good."

★

Claire had gotten worse, but so had everyone else, and the others weren't back from the vet hospital yet. Tensions were high and Hershel ahd too many sick people on his hands, as well as another death. Roman could only do so much to help when Claire was the only thing on his mind, and Glenn and Sasha could only help as much as their bodies would let them.

Claire had fallen asleep, against her own better judgement, she didn't know for how long, but when she awoke, Roman wasn't at her bedside, instead, Glenn was in the cell with her, leaning against the wall on the ground.

She sat up quickly, releasing a cough that felt worse than it sounded, before looking back at Glenn. "Hey, G."

"Hey, C. You look like shit." Claire smiled, wiping sweat from her face with the rag, "Yeah, well you've looked better too, asshole." Glenn smiled weakly, and Claire looked over at the cell door, which had been closed. "So, they're locking us in here now?"

Glenn shrugged, "It's for the best, I guess. Make sure if we turn in our sleep we can't get out. Roman wasn't too happy about having to leave, but." Claire rolled her eyes, grunting as she put her feet over the side of the bed, "Yeah, well he isn't too happy about a lot of things."

Glenn rested his arms against his knees, wiping his face with the back of his hand, "It was stupid of him to come in here. Called him a dumbass more times than I can count."

"Yeah, well, he is a dumbass. So we shouldn't be surprised." Claire grunted and stood to her feet, wobbily knees guiding her over to the cell gate. "But I'd do the same thing if it was Maggie in here and not me."

Claire raised an eyebrow and looked back at him, "Two different scenarios, pal. That's your wife, of course you would. To be brutally honest, I probably wouldn't have followed your sister in here if she was sick."

"But you would've if it was Roman."

Claire's face fell at the smug look on his face, before she turned her head back around and leaned her forehead against the cold metal, "Shut your big mouth, Rhee. Before I smack you on the head." Glenn let out a chuckle, followed by a cough, which somehow triggered a cough of her own.

"How're you feeling?" Claire mumbled, keeping her weight on the cell door to help her stand. She'd noticed it was helping her feel a bit better than she did laying in the bed. "I feel like a flying bird on a sunny day- how do you think I feel, Claire?"

Claire laughed, sending him a middle finger, "You get mean when you're sick." Before Glenn could retort, the sounds of growls and a scream came from down the stairs, and Claire quickly perked up, gripping the bars and attempting to see past the railing. "Hershel! Roman!" She shouted.

"Everyone stay in your cells!"

Claire looked back at Glenn, who was now laying on the floor releasing ragged breaths, before she quickly opened the cell door, hoping to stumble over to the railing and see the commotion. When she opened it, her attention turned to the left, where Lizzie was guiding Henry, now a walker with a breathing pump attatched to him, in her direction. "Lizzie!" She whispered, trying to get the girls attention, but Lizzie ignored her. 

Claire swallowed thickly, gathering as much strength as she could to help, and then Lizzie fell backwards, the walker falling on top of her. Shrills escaped Lizzie, and Claire rushed forward, pooling all of her strength into her arms and yanked Henry off Lizzie, a grunt escaping her as she pulled him back and managed to throw him over the edge of the railing and onto the fencing.

"Come on," Claire mumbled, lifting Lizzie to her feet and opening a separate cell, "In there, quick." She coughed, nudging the young girl into the cell with another young boy and closing the door, "Don't come out, Lizzie. Stay put."

Claire rushed over to the stairs as fast as she could manage, keeping herself up by leaning against the railing, "Hershel!"

Hershel rushed up the stairs, Claires eyes wide at the sight of walkers at the bottom, "Where's Glenn?"

"In-in my cell. Hershel-"

"Come on." Claire followed close behind the man back to her cell, eyes going wide at the blood now seeping from Glenns mouth. "Hershel, he was okay like 5 minutes ago. I don't-"

"Stay here with him, keep an eye on him. You got your knife?" Claire nodded, pulling it from the holster on her leg, "Roman went out, he went outside I don't know where, said something about the fence. I need to go get Caleb and the gun."

Claire nodded, looking down at Glenn as Hershel rushed out. "Hold on, Glenn." She coughed, using the end of her long sleeve to wipe the blood from his mouth and cheek, "Hold on, G."

She sat down fully, bringing the mans head into her lap to keep his mouth elevated. Glenn coughed violently, blood coming out of his mouth. Claire shook her head, throat burning at the rise of her own coughing and eyes drooping from the raging pain at the back of her skull, but she prevailed, grabbing some of her water and forcing it down Glenns mouth. He tried to fight it, but she shook her head, "You gotta keep it down, Glenn. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

A gunshot echoed through the cell block, making Claire jump in surprise, followed by three more gunshots. She sighed, wiping the rest of the blood from Glenns mouth before Hershel appeared in the doorway. "Turn him on his side, Claire."

Claire followed his directions, and Glenn gasped for breath as a flow of blood fell from his mouth onto the cement. "We have something, we do-we still have it. Hold on, Glenn!"

Claire watched as Hershel rushed from the room, tears beginning to escape as Glenn continued to struggle. "Just hold on Glenn." She mumbled, reaching up to wipe the sweat from her face. But when she looked down at her sleeve, a trail of fresh blood had stained the grey fabric. She reached up with her fingertips to touch her mouth, eyes widening at the sight of blood on her skin. "Shit, shit." She mumbled, wiping away any trace of it and swallowing the metallic substance.

A gunshot rang in her ears, a few seconds later, Maggie ran into the room, and Claire shook her head, "Maggie, no, you shouldn't be here-"

"I don't care."

Claire nodded, moving away from Glenn so Maggie could sit with her husband. "He's turning blue!"

"Clear his airway! I'm on the way!"

Claire leaned back, wiping her tears as Hershel came in and began shoving the airbag tube down Glenns throat, the Korean man resisting as best he could. "Hold him down." Claire reached out, holding down one of Glenns arms. "Come on, son, you know how this works."

Glenn resisted against Claire and Maggie, before Hershel finally managed to get the tube in and began squeeszing the bag to get air into his lungs.

Claire smiled when Glenn stopped resisting, weakly standing to her feet and giving Maggies shoulder a squeeze, "Hershel, you're a freaking superhero, I need to lie down."

Hershel chuckled, and Claire stepped out of the cell, eyes widening at Lizzie. "I told you to stay there, Lizzie."

The little girls eyes were locked on Glenn, "Is it over?" Maggie sighed, "I hope so, honey." Claire sucked in a shaky breath, squeezing past Lizzie into another empty cell, collapsing onto the bed. 

She hadn't realized just how much pain she was in until then, adrenaline finally wearing off. She was so tired, so so tired. And it was getting harder and harder to breathe. She thought about grabbing her knife and ending it there. The only way she could stop it now is with that breathing tube and she'd be damned if she took that damn thing from Glenn.

It'd be easier. They wouldn't have to fight her, they wouldn't have to be forced to shoot her or stab her in the head. She could do it for them, she could die human, be buried like a human instead of burned like a walker. Eli would never have to see her eyes change, would never have to see what she looked like snacking on an innocent person.

The more she thought about doing it, though, the more tired she got, and soon, she was drifting off again.

︶꒦꒷★꒷꒦︶

A pinch in her arm is what woke Claire up, and she hissed, looking over at Bob, who now had his back to her, as well as Roman, who was kneeling next to the bed with her hand in his, "Ow, what the fuck was that?" Her voice was course, thrat dry from lack of speaking.

"That's medicine." Roman chuckled, squeezing her hand. She looked up at Bob, who smiled gently down at the girl and gathered his stuff, "You should be feeling better soon, just get some sleep. Roman here will keep an eye on you." Bob patted Roman on the shoulder before exiting the cell, and Claire glanced over at Roman, a small cough leaving her.

"I told you that you wouldn't die."

Hey besties. My TikTok account got HACKED, and I'm trying to get it back, it will probably be a little while unfortunately, TikTok support is close to useless.

I got a weird burst of inspo to continue this book, so we're here. And I have more
chapters coming as well, keep an eye out for that and updates for other books.

And I'll keep you all updated on my TikTok account. I love you💋.