Summary: If fear of consequence prevents you from leaving the city of your comfort, the wilderness of your intuition will be infeasible and thin. The Dixon duo knew from the start to trust no one and forget nothing. But still they found themselves at the side of a survivor. And no matter the ending, it was the start of a changing world.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon / Meryl Dixon [female]

Category: Family / Adventure / Hurt / Comfort / Horror

The Walking Plague

The United States Government has officially declared a worldwide state of emergency after being pressured by members of congress to implement Project MOD. With great reluctance, Private James Thompson reports that in an apocalyptic event, Project MOD will provide military support to the civilian authorities.

"Project MOD is not to be taken lightly," He began. "It is a highly dangerous maneuver which could take the lives of many innocent men, women and children. At present, we have stationed over one hundred military personnel throughout the streets of our nation. There aim is to take those civilians and move them to designated safe zones. Once each area has been cleared out, government agencies – including the FBI and other police task forces, will wipe out those infected by the virus".

Doctor Candace Jenner, a leading scientific researcher and CEO at the Centre of Disease Control has declared this virus to be deadly and easily attained.

"The characteristics of this virus is phenomenal but highly alarming," She paused. "I have studied the behavioral aspects of those infected and have multiple theories but no solid evidence. What we do know is that being in close contact with those infected contracts the virus. How it contracts, we are uncertain. It attacks the ventromedial hypothalamus or, in common terms, the brain. The body shuts down after a certain period of time; leaving the victim to experience high fevers, muscle ache, and hallucinations. It could take minutes or even hours for somebody to feel the symptoms and for the virus to consume the individual."

Captain Erick Mendez with the FBI encourages parents to allow their children to be armed.

"These are very dangerous times. We don't know if these people can be saved, but the more we protect, the more that survive. I'm not saying that your children should be armed with guns or knifes. A simple baseball bat will do justice."

There are heavy delays on major freeways, incl-

The reporters voice began to crackle, a long eerie sound droning from the radio. She glanced around the sterile room, noting as the lights flickered and the power slowly faded away. She shook her head and pushed her bangs from her brown eyes. Her hair was clammy with sweat, dirt and other disgusting stuff. She briefly wondered whether the water was on.

Deciding to give it a try, she walked over to the small bathroom before pushing open the door and stepping inside. It was pitch black when she entered so she was forced to leave the door opened, emitting the natural light that creped through the window. To her astonishment, the cold water was still on. She hurriedly tossed her boots, cargo pants, black jacket and white t-shirt aside. She didn't even flinch as the cold water cascaded down her sun kissed skin. The water was a much greater improvement then aimlessly tossing bottled water over her head, trying to rid the tangles and gunk within the strands.

Instead, she let her mind wonder.

Having come from the fifth floor of the hospital, she stumbled across this room quite by accident. She had noted that someone or something had tried sealing this room off, using chairs and gurneys to barricade the door. Thinking that this may had been an alternate route out of here, she quickly dragged the items away only to come across a middle aged man, pale and ghastly looking, with a gun shot wound to his abdomen. She wasn't sure what probed her to stay. But as she contemplated her options, she wondered what was happening. Military where roaming around the hospital as they searched for any living patients. They had yet to bother with the psychiatric ward. She was able to escape her bindings, find her effects, and leave without being spotted.

But now she was stuck. What would happen to this man if she left? She didn't particularly care if he survived or not. Safety in numbers was the only thought prompting her to stay put and to be patient as he drifted out of his comatose state. He had begun mumbling, telling something to someone named Shane. That was almost half an hour ago.

Sighing, she turned off the water. She reached for a nearby towel when she spotted him. He was leaning heavily against his IV stand, panting as he tried to steady his rapid breathing. Quickly, she wrapped the towel around her before bending down and throwing a boot at his shoulder. He stumbled back slowly and she slammed the door close. Without worrying about the darkness, she searched for her clothes – taking only a few minutes to get dressed.

When she next saw him, he was in the hallway. She huffed and he turned around cautiously. He looked apologetically at the young woman before him. She huffed again.

"Have somethin' yah wanna say to me?" he frowned sheepishly, moving his stand forward.

"S-Sorry … thought you where a nurse."

She stared into his eyes, seeing nothing but honesty. She signed softly, shrugging her shoulders and taking two steps forward. His gown was partially opened and his hairy chest peeked out behind his bandages, which, surprisingly, covered his well-defined stomach muscles. There was a slight limp as he walked but he didn't seem to notice.

Whilst she looked him over, he did the same. Her brown locks where dripping water onto the ground beneath her, stopping mid back. Her clothes clung to her body like a second skin. It was apparent that she dressed in a hurry, not bothering to wipe herself dry. The man almost chuckled. He thought of his son and how he had refused to dry himself until the age of ten, saying that his hair looked a lot like his when it was wet.

"If you're not a nurse, then why are you here?" she stared at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Same as you, I guess. Seeking answers, visiting patients, monthly checkups…" she wasn't about to tell him she was a permanent resident within this hospital's loony bin.

He contemplated her words. "Answers? Answers for what?"

She smirked and beckoned him over as she started walking off in the direction of the exit. He followed her slowly, glancing around at the carnage that lay beneath them. The hospital looked as though a riot had occurred within its walls just moments after his awakening. Blood splattered the wall, furniture was turned over and the halls remained deserted – apart from the decaying corpse behind the ER doors.

She led him further down the hall and towards the two doors. When he caught up, he looked at the gun shot holes across the right and then towards pools of blood below his feet. He was careful to watch where he stood as he walked without shoes.

"It's not the livin' yah have to fear no more."

She watched him take a few staggering steps back, staring in horror as something banged from the other side, forcing the door forward and reaching through. Without warning, he began walking backwards before making his way towards the elevators. She sighed drastically and followed after him, making her way down the stairs behind him.

He continued walking, trying to withhold the contents of his stomach. Bodies lay scattered across the fields, a thin bed sheet covering their bodies. He had glanced back at the girl noting that she seemed relatively calm given their predicament. He shook his head and headed down the road. She called out to him.

"Where are yah goin'?"

"My wife, my son. They could be alive. They could be here," she raised an eyebrow towards the man. He raised one back.

"What makes yah think that?" she went to stand beside him.

"I don't know," he raised a hand to his hair, then to his chin. He looked at the woman and then forwards. A red bicycle lay not far from here.

She scoffed. "Do yah even know what's happenin'? Dead are walkin' the earth and yah not askin' me nothin'. Think yah know what's out there, huh?"

"I don't even know your name, let alone what's been happening the last couple of weeks," he admitted, walking forward.

"So yah just gonna keep movin'?" she shook her head incredulously.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

He bent down slowly and grasped the bicycle's handles. She almost chuckled when the groaning of a young, dead girl knocked him to the ground. He crawled backwards as she stepped forward, reaching for her hunters' knife concealed at her waist.

"Only if yah kill yourself from blind ignorance," she thrust the blade into her head. He yelled out in protest but she didn't pull back.

"She's already dead. Don't matter no more."

Pulling the blade out, she helped the man stand. She smirked.

"Wanna talk yet?"

He contemplated her words, staring down towards the young adolescent whose head was brutally stabbed not moments ago. He sighed and looked away. This was not his week.

"Fine, but not now. We head to my house and then we'll talk."

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