𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒.
chapter thirty-two; Behind Glass Walls
" That aside, V, it made me realize there is no world in which you get to die before me. "

VEX HADN'T WANTED to stay in a different cellblock than her own, and with limited options, she had taken up residence in one of the watchtowers.

It wasn't much. Vex missed her bed and her blankets, her books, and her clothes-- but the watchtower gave something her cell never could.

Privacy.

As if on cue, the hatch opened, disturbing Vex's slow rise from slumber. The woman glared, her eyes softening just barely when Daryl's head popped up.

"Might have to get me one o' these," He noted, looking around.

"Find your own," She grumbled, pulling her blanket around herself, "Did you take Dean's job as a human alarm clock? 'Cause it's less annoying if it's not my brother, but I still hate it."

"Nah," Daryl said, "Shit went sideways. Come on."

That was all Vex needed to hear, the woman not even caring enough to change into something other than running shorts and her extra-large Led Zeppelin t-shirt, pulling on her boots and climbing down alongside Daryl.

She followed him, asking sparse questions as they approached Cellblock A, but it was rather clear once they arrived.

"Oh, my God," Vex breathed out, skidding to a halt in the courtyard.

Two burned bodies, still smoking, sat side by side, Tyreese standing over them, with Rick and Carol behind him.

Daryl had informed her preemptively that the bodies were of Karen and David, but he'd left out the burned part.

"I came to see Karen," Tyreese stated, clearly out of it, "And I saw the blood on the floor. . . Then I smelled them. Somebody dragged them out here and set 'em on fire. They killed them and set them on fire!"

Vex had known loosely that Tyreese and Karen were in a relationship, so it was no shock the man was taking the situation how he was.

But Vex and Daryl both jolted as Tyreese took a quick step toward Rick.

"You're a cop," He said, "You find out who did this and you bring 'em to me, you understand? You bring 'em to me."

"We'll find out who--" Daryl tried, attempting to grab the man's arm, but Tyreese wrenched his arm out of the man's grip, his eyes never leaving Rick's.

"I need to say it again?" Tyreese asked Rick.

"No," Rick responded, "No. I know what you're feeling. I've been there. You saw me there. It's dangerous."

"Karen didn't deserve this. David didn't deserve it. Nobody does."

"We all agree on that," Vex said softly, "But we're all--"

"You're not listening--!" Tyreese said, approaching the woman.

"Alright, man," Daryl tried, grabbing the man's arm, "Let's--"

Tyreese spun around in an instant, putting a hand to Daryl's chest and pinning him up against the metal gate to the courtyard.

"Man, I ain't goin' nowhere 'till I find out who did this!"

Rick and Carol both moved quickly, Vex already had her hands on Tyreese.

Until Daryl held up his hands, telling the three to stay back.

Vex let go reluctantly, her eyes focused on Daryl.

"We're on the same side, man."

"Hey, look," Rick spoke up, though Tyreese still held Daryl by his vest, "I know what you're goin' through. We've all lost someone. We know what you're going through right now, but you've got to calm down."

"You need to step the hell back," Tyreese yelled, throwing Rick off of him.

"She wouldn't want you bein' like this."

Tyreese punched Rick before the man could finish his sentence.

Vex moved quickly, grabbing Tyreese just as he went for another punch. She managed to pull his arm quick enough that the punch didn't hit Rick, but all that momentum had to go somewhere.

Tyreese seemed to realize what he had done as Rick stood and Vex's hands shoved the man away from herself.

He'd hit not only a woman who had no interest in harming in but a woman who, coincidentally, happened to be one of his closest friend's sister.

Rick punched Tyreese before the man could speak. Again and again, Rick kicked the man in the stomach, all noises surrounding him blurred until Daryl grabbed him, pulling Rick away from Tyreese.

Only this made him see the blood on his knuckles and the remnants of what he had done.

"Hershel said Zep has a higher pain tolerance than you."

"Hershel did not say that," Vex deadpanned, accepting a fresh wad of tissue from Daryl. "Stop being an asshole."

Vex leaned her chin up, until Daryl's hand gently guided her head tilting down.

"Oh, is this the Dixon way?"

"S'better," Daryl noted, "Surprised you don't know that."

"You know, surprisingly, I didn't get punched in the nose a lot," Vex laughed. "Too visible for Paul, not in my job description in the Navy."

The woman rubbed her forehead, still trying to catch up from waking up far too early the past two days, and running around before she had any food or water.

Today, it was getting punched before breakfast.

"Can you grab me some water?" Vex asked, "Think losing blood before I eat is messin' with me."

"Yeah, 'course," Daryl nodded, patting her thigh as he stood.

Vex removed the tissue from her nose, wincing at the blood, re-folding it before pressing it back to her nose.

She let out a deep sigh, looking up at the sound of footsteps and feeling herself get woozy.

"You alright--"

"Stop," Vex said, holding out a hand, "I feel like shit."

"Drink this, I'll grab you--" Daryl tried, taking a step toward her.

"No," Vex shook her head, attempting to cover her mouth, "No, Daryl I feel like shit."

Daryl shook his head, looking around the courtyard.

"Vex, you just need to eat."

"Trust me, I do, but I'm sick," Vex said, "I'm dizzy and hot-- I'll start coughing soon. I gotta go before--"

"You're not sick."

"Yes, I am," Vex said, pulling herself to her feet, "I'm goin'. Go find a cure, be the hero."

Daryl couldn't speak, holding a bottle of water, watching Vex Williams, of all people, walk slowly to death row, her hand on the wall to keep her balance.

"Hershel!"

The man was quite shocked at Daryl's shout, looking up at the intrusion.

"We gotta figure this out right now," Daryl said, looking between the man and Rick, "Vex's got it."

🗡

Dean Williams was beginning to get really frustrated with the entire situation. Now, he understood why he was forced to stay with those who hadn't been exposed, and why he was to stay with the very young and very old in the administrative building as the sickness began spreading.

But he could hardly keep himself calm once hearing the news and managing Zeppelin was entirely impossible.

"She's gonna be okay, you know."

"I want to go see her," Zeppelin said, her eyes stinging with tears, "Please, Uncle Dean--"

"Even sick, your mom would murder me," Dean said with a frown, placing a hand on Zeppelin's head, "We just gotta sit tight, okay? Daryl's gonna get those meds for her, and Glenn's in there keepin' her company."

Zeppelin's lip trembled.

"You know, your mom had pneumonia once," Dean said quietly, "She acted totally fine. Just like normal. Whatever this is, she'll beat it just like that. But you know she wants you safe, before anything else."

The girl nodded, wiping her cheeks even though no tears had fallen.

"I'm gonna go find Carl," She said quietly.

"Alright," Dean nodded.

And then off she went.

Dean sat with Beth and Judith, while Zeppelin went in search of Carl.

She came up empty-handed, reminding herself to chew Carl out the next time she saw him.

🗡

"Brought cards."

Glenn breathed out raggedly, craning his neck to face Vex.

The woman looked as bad as he did. After only two days on death row, her skin had lost its color, aside from the deep purple bags beneath her eyes. Sweat dotted her pale skin, Vex had already tied her hair up and swapped out her t-shirt for a tank top, but this did little to help her fever.

"Cards?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah," Vex smiled tiredly, reaching into her pocket, "Ever played Rummy?"

Glenn laughed, though it turned into a cough, as Vex pulled the cards from their box, shuffling them slowly.

"We're on death row playing Rummy."

"What the hell else are we supposed to do?" Vex questioned honestly.

And when he had no response, Vex began dealing.

Glenn was at least half sure Vex was cheating. After her fifth win in a row, he was sure of it.

But Vex denied these allegations ruthlessly.

"So, where'd you get the ring?" Vex questioned breathlessly, sorting her hand.

"Maggie's?"

"That's the one," Vex nodded.

Glenn smiled.

"A walker."

Vex laughed, though hers turned into a cough as well.

"What a way to be proposed to," She smiled, shaking her head.

"Want. . ." Glenn breathed out slowly, "Want me to give. . . Daryl a few tips?"

Vex laughed loudly, and she didn't even mind the cough that came after.

"You think it's like that?"

"Oh, it is," Glenn nodded, taking a deep breath, "Even if you don't know it."

"We catch the same flu together. . ." Vex breathed out, looking up at the man, "Now you know things that I don't?"

Glenn smiled, laying down cards.

"Everyone sees it," He said, "Except you two. . . I guess."

Vex breathed out a laugh, resting her head against the wall as they kept on playing in silence.

Vex couldn't find it in herself to contemplate what he had said. To give it much thought beyond delusion from the fever.

She figured if she did think about it too hard, if she gave the idea any life, it would drive her crazy before the sickness would kill her.

And even if she did survive the sickness, the thought would ruin what had taken so long to build.

So Vex just brushed it off and played Rummy with him.

She paused only to scold Hershel for entering the area, before allowing the man to tend to both her and Glenn.

"I believe you have a visitor, Vex," Hershel noted, passing the woman a damp towel, "Go downstairs-- there's a window the separates you."

"It's not Zeppelin, is it?" Vex all but wheezed, "She can't. . . see me like this."

"No, darlin', she's with the other kids," Hershel nodded, "It's your brother. And I think he's worse than she is."

Vex nodded, accepting Hershel's hand up. The woman shuffled her way through the cell block, before finally making it to the visitation room.

  Dean was already on the other side of the glass, standing quickly when he saw his sister enter. She gave him a weak smile, before taking a seat in front of him.

  "How's Zep?"

  "Worried," Dean breathed out, "But she's holding it together."

  Vex's breathing was ragged, exhaustion clear as she stared at her brother.

  "You should've just let me go," Dean said after a moment, "You should have stayed with her."

  "Dean. . ."

  "You can't keep being the hero," He said strongly, "Not with Zep countin' on you the way she does."

  Vex raised a brow.

  "You'd be with her if you didn't go running into danger."

  "I'd be a poor example for her," Vex wheezed, "If being with these people has taught me anything. . . It's that being selfish doesn't get you very far."

  Vex could see Dean's anger bubbling up. The one thing he had inherited from their father, the temper he'd worked so hard to erase.

  "You have to be selfish sometimes."

  "Dean--"

  "We thought you died. When walkers got loose, and you went down to solitary," Dean said, "Two days, you were just. . . gone. I couldn't console Zeppelin. I couldn't talk to anyone-- I hated them. For bringing us here, for letting that prisoner live, for not following you."

  "It wasn't anyone's fault."

  "That aside, V, it made me realize there is no world in which you get to die before me."

  Her expression softened, watching Dean Williams, who rarely took life seriously, speak with such conviction she swore he was telling God how it would be.

  "So once you're out of there," He continued, "Stop being reckless."

  "I'm not reckless, Dean," Vex said calmly, "I'm not. . . I haven't been the best welcoming committee for new people. . . but they are our people. And everyone else, our group, the ones from the farm. . . they're our family. A life where I don't protect them is a life I don't want to lead."

  Dean pursed his lips, lifting a hand to the glass.

  "Then from here on out, when you're running into danger, I'm running in beside you," He said quietly, "That's what brothers are supposed to do, right?"

  Vex lifted her hand, resting it on the glass to match Dean's.

  "We all got jobs to do," Vex said, quoting Hershel, "Right now, yours is looking out for the people in that administration building. Mine is helping the people in here."

  Dean pursed his lips, looking at the woman who was supposed to be his little sister but had never quite acted as such.

  "Go, rest," Dean nodded, "Daryl and that group left. They're going 50 miles out for the meds. . . it'll be a little while."

  Vex nodded, standing from the chair as Dean did.

  "Love you, V."

  "Love you, too, D."

WORD COUNT : 2292