Author's Disclaimer:
The Walking Dead is the product of Robert Kirkman, who created the Comic Books, and AMC, who creates the TV series inspired by Mr. Kirkman's comics. The characters and the zombie-filled world belongs to them; however, the concept of the afAmxnt (effa-mech-net) is mine and mine alone.
Prologue
He raced down the road, avoiding obstacle after obstacle as he hurried to his destination. He knew that he was disobeying orders, but as the world around him quickly descended into chaos and hell, his orders could be damned for all he cared. He had to reach his destination. He had to save the one thing that mattered the most to him.
He soon skidded to a halt and quickly jumped out of his vehicle, not caring that he left the car running with the keys still in the ignition for anyone to steal. He raced into the hospital, dodging and pushing the doctors and nurses out of his way in order to reach his destination. Instead of waiting for the elevator, he took the stairs, two at a time. Still in uniform and heavy with his gear, he pushed his body to move faster. Time was running out for him.
He could hear even through the emergency stairwell the sounds of the soldiers evacuating the medical staff and the all too familiar sounds of gunfire. His lungs and legs burned as he tried to out run the military to his final destination, to where the most precious person to him laid defenseless.
By some unknown grace, he reached the floor where his precious partner laid. Before reaching his partner's room, he grabbed a nurse as she tried to run by him.
"Please…" He begged, "Help me…"
But his pleas fell on deaf ears as the nurse broke free from his grip and ran away, screaming. He rushed into his partner's room, seeing his partner still lying there as he had for the past several weeks.
Despite the fact that his partner was still lying on the hospital bed, he found himself finally being able to breath. But his relief was quickly shattered by the sounds of gunfire. Instinctively, he drew his weapon and moved closer to the door. From the small viewing window in the door, he watched in horror as soldiers began executing the terrified people in the hallway.
Holstering his firearm, he quickly went to his partner in order to move him to safety. As he was about to lift his precious cargo, he heard a steady beep and faint hissing surrounding his partner. He found himself staring at the machines that had been monitoring and keeping his partner alive. His eyes suddenly began to sting as he tried to keep the tears of frustration and anguish at bay.
"I don't know what to do!" He cried, "Please, tell me! Tell me what to do!"
But he received no answer.
As the sounds of gunfire came closer, he heard a voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like his partner; telling him to hide.
He quickly ducked behind his partner's bed just as he heard the door open. He clamped a hand over his mouth to mask his breathing and to keep from making a sound. He listened as two pairs of booted feet moved into the room. It felt like an eternity before those heavy boots left, leaving him alone with his partner. He waited a few more minutes to be sure that the soldiers had truly left.
Slowly, he emerged from his hiding spot then scrambled up to his partner's side.
"Please, wake up!" He cried as he clutched onto his partner's gown as if he could shake his partner awake, "Please, don' leave me! I can't do this alone! I need you! Please! I… I love you! Don' leave me alone!"
But nothing; his partner in more ways than one remained unresponsive to his heart-filled pleas.
"Please, please, please." He prayed, "Wake up. If not fer me then do it fer yer family, please."
Still nothing; then he heard a sound that shattered his world for a second time.
The first sound to have shattered his world was the sound of the single gunshot that put his dear-heart into the hospital and then in the coma. And now, the second sound to shatter his world was the high screeching noise of the heart monitor … flat-lining.
"Nononononono…" He cried as he shook his partner, "Please, baby! Wake up! Please!"
The room then went dark.
"No!" He cried into his partner's unmoving chest.
He laid his head on his partner's chest; hoping against hope to hear the faint thumping of his partner's once strong heartbeat, but he only felt a deep numbness. His world was gone.
There was nothing left for him; the world outside had gone to hell and the center of his world had left him.
He was perfectly content to remain there and let the rest of the world continue its downward spiral into hell. After all, what was left in this world without his partner?
Eventually, the foreboding silence of the room roused him from his daze. He did not know how long he had rested against the still chest of his loved one; minutes, hours? It mattered not. Slowly, he began to pull away; eyes still blurry with tears. He leaned forward and placed his lips against the cool lips of his partner; pouring all of his love that he never shared into the chaste touch. He should have told him sooner how much he loved him, but he never did; fearing to lose the one good thing in his life had he confessed. And now, he never will nor will he ever know if his partner cared for him in the same way.
He leaned forward again.
"I promise to take care of 'em." He whispered into another chaste kiss, "I love you."
He forced himself to pull away with one last mournful look at his partner. With each heavy step away from his partner, he could feel himself shatter even more. He knew that without that promise to take care of and protect his partner's family, he would have remained there beside his bed until the very end.
He closed the door behind him. He looked through the viewing window one last time as he placed a gurney before the door; protecting his love from the monsters that now walked the earth.
Then he ran…
Slithering silently into the sleeping room, a tiny snakelet snuck in to see her new Big Brother, who had been sleeping for many moons. Mama said that it was normal for new arrivals to the Realm to sleep for a time. Mama said that the healing sleep helped the new arrivals to adjust and that she should be patient. But the little snakelet did not want to be patient! She wanted to get to know her Big Brother to awake up now!
Ever since he had been found in Father's gardens nearly a fortnight ago, she had snuck into her Big Brother's room after dark and simply spoke to him; hoping that by hearing her voice and by hearing her tales he would wake up.
Slowly shifting from her serpentine form to her two-legged form, the little snakelet drew closer to her sleeping brother. She quietly knelt next to him and began whispering about her day as she had always done. And while she spoke, she was unaware of her sleeping brother beginning to stir to wakefulness. It was not until she felt a strong hand grab her thin wrist that she realized her Big Brother had finally woken!
Her golden serpentine eyes stared mesmerized by a pair of stunning grey-blue orbs that were warm as a mid-summer's day.