Disclaimer: Not mine, which sucks. But this story is mine! :)

Notes: I forgot to mention in the previous chapters (I'm a terrible person) Huge thanks to my Beta and general insanity cohort Angelinaa! You lady are awesome, you rock hardcore! xD

Since I was so remiss in adding that as punishment I am posting another chapter! Sorry Lina! :O

Thank you guys for the reviews and PM's you guys are amazingly fun to write for! Keep it coming please! It's great for the muse! :)

Chapter Three

Alarms are going off behind the curtain. Hospital staff are shouting instructions and barking orders almost drowning out the snarling growls making my skin crawl, prickle with unease.

"What the Hell is going on in there?" I can feel my eyes darting back to the moving curtain; trying to understand the sounds behind it even as I turn my head to the order clerk sitting behind the desk. He looks up from his computer screen face pinched in disgust.

"If I had to guess Cupcake? I'd say it's one of those tweekers they keep putting on the news. Guy in there's all hopped up on those bath salts or PCP or something fierce. They've been trying to sedate him for almost ten minutes now…"

We both turn back to the curtain faces doubtful when a particularly enraged snarl echoes down the hall followed by one of the nurses cursing up a storm. The nearest nurse rolling back from his desk draws our attention back to the pod.

"Yeah, I think Doc Harper's about ready to call the zoo. Have them just send over those guys with elephant guns." He mimes holding a shotgun in his seat leveling its imaginary barrel at the closed curtain across the hall firing off two fake rounds with his own sound effects.

"Don't you let Silvia from admin catch you doing that Sugar, She'll have your butt written up for violence in the work place."

The nurse snorts in derision both of them rolling their eyes dramatically before he twisting his chair back around scooting back towards his desk pushing with his feet leaving our conversation once more to the two of us.

The order clerk turns back to me. "You one of those new interns?"

"Fresh Meat!" A passing nurse chimes over his shoulder grinning at me and winking while he drops another heavy stack of clipboards containing yellow slips that must be lab orders and pharmacy requests onto the clerks desk.

"Now what the Hell is this?" He turns away from me again waving his hand at the new stack. "Do you not see me working my tail off here people? Come on." He turns back to me snapping his fingers between us impatiently. "Well, clearly I haven't got all night Sugar these patient's aren't going to see themselves; what Service are you so I can set you up with something?"

"Uh…" I push a few loose strands behind my ear. "Family Medicine?"

He stares at me leaning back in his seat making the chair creak. "Good Lord, and they stuck you down here first week overnight? Threw you to the wolves didn't they Honey? Here take this: kids puking in twenty-two. Think you can handle that?"

"Uh yeah, sure." There's a large commotion behind the curtain again, two security guards racing down the hall dive behind it.

"Good, Now when you're done there come see me again; I'll keep you alive. That's my job."

He's already staring at the next order in his hands, shouting over his shoulder to the whole Emergency room.

"Alright, who didn't sign this? What you guys think Percocet rains from the sky? Not without a signed order it don't. Mallory… Where's Nurse Mallory? Here get this order back to Doctor Teger and tell him to do it right this time. Thank You Sunshine. I swear this place would fall apart without me. Don't you forget to sign your orders now."

"Yeah, I won't..." I start to move away jerked back to the desk stopped mid-stride when he grabs my arm yanking my face close to his lowering his voice for the first time since I've met the man.

"Listen, between you and me Sugar; Don't go near Room Two. It's not just drugs; I've seen a lot the last twenty years; keep thinking I've seen it all, But that right there? It'll put the Fear of God into you."

He lets me go just as quickly. "Right, Thanks."

I have to force myself not to cross to the far side of the hallway when I walk past the curtain listening to the growling snarl still coming from the other side.

I lay still in the darkness, scarcely breathing; listening to the steady rhythmic press of the ventilator to my left. The slow reassuring beep beep beep tracking his still beating heart without having to turn my head.

My own heart is racing.

Something woke me.

I'm just not sure what. The possibilities seize in my chest, kick my pulse into another frantic rush in my ears.

I shift as quietly as I can on the stretcher's mattress; turn my head to stare at the darkness cloaking the room in nothing but faint outlines of furniture and the muffled glow of Carl's heart monitor covered with a pillowcase to mute the light. The longer I stare into the darkness the more shadows dance and shift before my eyes momentarily converging in the darkness into nightmarish forms that stop my heartbeat before snapping back into the sterile reality of an empty room.

Maybe it was a dream that woke me. I've had nothing but nightmares since that day on the road. My nights and a large portion of my days are now consumed with fit-filled unrest that leaves me each time feeling more exhausted and heavy then I was before I closed my eyes.

I can't stop reliving it; all those final moments, they blur and melt morphing into the perfect agony with scenes of Abby and Thomas and Tobin, always ending on that highway now; seeing his outline hearing him call my name… but in my nightmares now when they turn on each other the first one they destroy is me.

I shudder, draw in a heavy breath taking in the whole of the room once more; satisfied that it must be a dream that pulled me back to reality this time. I've just closed my eyes again shifted on the mattress ignoring the creak of the steel tube frame when I hear it again.

A simple burst of unmistakable static and a muffled voice.

I jerk upright so hard the stretcher clunks against the wall despite the locked wheels. I silently curse the sound even though it's no louder than the beep and continuous wheeze of Carl's equipment; which can hardly be silenced.

I stare at the door still firmly closed, my heart pounding in my chest hard enough to break my ribs. I'm straining to hear it again, the silence stretches on in the hallway beyond the door.

Maybe I imagined it? Maybe I'm still dreaming. I slide to the floor on bare feet, cringe at the squeak of the stretchers frame and mattress as even my slight weight shifts.

How did I not notice how noisy the damn thing was before this?

I bend forward grab the handle of my machete, slip it from its sheath silently and move towards the door. I time my footfalls with the steady muffled beeps of the monitor already echoing in the room. When I reach the door I press my back against the wall beside it, pause there listening once again intently for any sound on the other side. Straining to pick up even the faintest traces of life; or not life in the hallway outside.

I count my heartbeats while I wait. When I reach a hundred and there is still nothing I reach slowly for the handle; pry the door open wincing at the heavy click of the latch I can't avoid no matter how slowly I turn the handle. I stare out into the dark empty hallway for another full minute.

No walkers, No people.

I sigh after another moment; press the door shut with my hands again trying to keep it quiet now out of habit more than fear that someone or something will overhear it.

I spin to face the room at my back heart leaping into my throat.

There it is again.

I'm searching the darkness when a small reflection of green flashes against the floor only visible from this angle in the room; which is how I missed it before… The small green hued light pulses in the far corner under the window drawing my attention further. I move closer, kneel down and realize I'm holding Carl's jeans in the darkness.

His walkie talkie flashes in the back pocket where it's still somehow clipped securely while mine is long gone; lost on the roadside.

I pull it out with one hand tossing his ruined clothes forgotten back to the floor while I stare at the flashing beacon in the darkness that surrounds me.

I should press the button, let them know I'm here; let them know that Carl is alive…at least for now.

Dread claws at the tight knots twisted around my insides. The bowling ball in my throat swells pressing against my vocal cords, choking out any hope for sound—making it almost impossible just to breath past the strangling pressure.

What the Hell would I even say?

The burst of static makes me jump; nearly dropping the box to the floor.

"Fin? Are you there?" Mika's voice fills the darkness burns the spaces behind my eyes.

Do I answer?

I press the button hear the soft beep signaling my response and open my mouth but nothing comes out; not even air. My eyes burn blurring the darkness as I let the button go again, press the back of my hand to my lips struggling not to choke on the air my lungs can't seem to get enough of in gasping greedy swallows that ache all the way down, roar back out with panting hitches refusing to stay long enough to ease the burning behind my ribs.

I drop back to the floor, wrap one arm around my knees keeping my cheek pressed to my thigh gasping for air. Trying to ignore the shake of my hands; the tremble working its way up my whole frame quickly turning into whole body shudders that I refuse to acknowledge as sobs.

"I know you're there. It's okay; no one else knows what to say either…"

A bitter bark of laughter claws out of my chest riding on a sob I can no longer ignore; can't contain when it feels like my chest is exploding with it.

I drop the walkie to the floor with a heavy clatter, press both hands over my face trying to muffle the sounds.

Because I can only imagine what is being said on the other end.

"Is he alive? Please tell me he's alive, you have to bring him back."

Static fills the space between my gasping breaths.

Eventually she falls silent and the static stops leaving me alone to fight to breath around the great heaving fits seizing my lungs; squeezing the life out of my heart while my throat closes up and I can't find any more tears left to cry.

I pull myself up off the floor leaning heavily on the rail of Carl's bed while he sleeps on; blessedly oblivious to the pain of the world I live in. I set the silent walkie on Carl's nightstand as dawn is greying the room, peeking around the edges of the blinds and the heavy blanket draped over its frame. I lay back down closing my eyes, not even bothering with a wet washcloth to cover my swollen eyes. I just stare at the ceiling for a long while watching the light creep in before the pounding in my head becomes too much and I turn my back to the room bury my face in the blankets and pray for the darkness to take me back.

:: Walking Dead ::