Ha! It didn't take me a year to upload this time (this is where I smirk triumphantly) okay, so that's not really an accomplishment. I shouldn't brag about that. But give me props, and review after reading, please! :) oh, and I own nothing. Except Callie and her uncle... and my lame sense of humor throughout this fic :)

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Chapter 6: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

We drove in relative silence the rest of the way to the CDC. I drew in deep, steady breaths as I sat between the Dixons, determined to remain cool and level-headed. My fear of tight places would be my downfall.

The RV pulled to a stop, causing the rest of the convoy to slow and eventually put the vehicles in park. As we climbed out, we took in the sight before us. Surrounding a tall building with walls made of glass were piles of dead bodies. Some were in uniform, the soldiers who had tried to make a stand. Others were dressed in scrubs or white lab coats, probably employees of the CDC who had attempted to make a run for it. The rest were regular civilians. Some looked more "fresh" than others. The more rotted ones were probably the attackers that had taken everyone else down.

Flies buzzed around our heads and the rotted flesh of the dead. The sound was almost deafening to us, and I had to resist the urge to childishly cover my ears as a result. But the sound from the flies wasn't even the worst part.

The smell made me stumble. If I hadn't caught myself on the truck, I would've fallen to my knees. Bile rested at the back of my throat as my stomach churned. I grabbed the backpack Wes had left for me and a duffle bag of clothes and other supplies. My knife was strapped to my waist, the rifle across my back, and my handgun was held tight in my grip as I looked around.

Usually, I could keep a loose grip on my gun and be fine. But with the bodies strewn about, I was unsure and nervous. Any one of these corpses could get back up. It seemed impossible that each one had a bullet hole in its skull. I was terrified that I would try to step over one, and it would roll over and reach for me. The Dixons and I exchanged glances as we cautiously moved forward. From their expressions, I could tell they held the same fears I did.

We all covered our noses and mouths with our shirts or bits of cloth. It did little to help, and muffled coughs sprang up throughout our group. We tried to stay quiet as we hurried to the metal doors of the building, our eyes straining to see movement from the bodies around us.

The doors wouldn't budge and I felt a stab of panic. Shane and Rick both used their strength trying to lift the door, and it didn't move. Shane banged on the door and the metal rattled. I winced. The sound was sure to draw walkers, especially as light faded from the sky.

"There's nobody here!" T-Dog called out. My throat felt like it would start closing. We were backed against a building, and walkers would probably start to swarm.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick retorted.

"Walkers!" Daryl shouted. Right on cue. He shot an arrow, hitting his mark in the middle of its forehead. There were a few more close by, but we could hear others as they came down the street. Everyone began talking over one another, until I could barely decipher what was said.

Shane: "He made a call!"

Daryl: "It was the wrong damn one!"

Shane: "Shut up. Shut up! Rick, this is a dead end."

The children's wails and sobs almost covered up the adults' words.

Carol: "Where are we gonna go?"

Shane: "Do you hear me? No blame."

"What'll we do?"

"Where will we go?"

"How we gonna get past all them walkers?"

"We're dead if we stay here, and there's no way out!"

I covered my ears for a moment, overwhelmed by all the noise and panic. "Everybody just shut up for a second! There's no way in hell we'll ever make a plan by talking over one another." The group was quiet for a split second.

Lori spoke up next. "We can't be this close to the city after dark."

Shane looked around. "Fort Benning, still an option."

Andrea snorted. "On what? No food, no fuel. It's a hundred miles!"

Glenn looked like he would be sick. "A hundred and twenty-five," he said. "I checked the map."

I dragged a hand through my hair. "Look, forget Fort Benning." It was now a moot point. Discussing it over and over again wouldn't get us any closer, and it couldn't be an option anymore. Not with the position we were finding ourselves in.

Merle was nodding along. "There's no way we'd make it. Not this late, not without more gas and supplies."

Lori let loose a sigh that sounded a lot like a huff of frustration. "We need answers tonight. Now!"

"We'll think of something," Rick bit out.

We all turned to head back to the vehicles, ready to take down walkers on our way. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least we weren't going to be trapped against the wall anymore.

Rick began shouting about the camera, claiming it moved. We rushed back, desperately trying to pull him away and get him to be quiet. Daryl and T-Dog took down a few more walkers, even as Rick's shouting drew more to our future graveyard.

I groaned and grabbed Merle's elbow. He glanced at me and I knew he could see the fear, panic, and determination to live on my face. Even if he and I had to drag Daryl away and escape, just the three of us, we both knew we wouldn't die here tonight. The thought was a sobering one. I didn't want the others to die either, but my life meant more to me than theirs did.

Just as Rick turned away from the doors, one slid up, revealing a blinding white light that made us freeze and stare in awe. We were rooted in place, totally shocked. Finally, we all jerked out of our daze and hurried inside.

Daryl and T-Dog closed the glass doors as we stared out at the approaching undead. The metal door was still up, and it would only be a matter of time before the walkers broke through the glass. I looked around.

The inside of the building was startlingly white and clean. It seemed like this place was from a time before all this death and destruction. Its walls and floors weren't yet marred with the blood and death the zombies left in their wake. It looked as if a walker had never set foot past those doors. I felt hope leap up inside me.

I heard a gun being cocked and the feeling fled. An ordinary looking man held an impressive military-grade gun. It was aimed at all of us, and I wasn't too pleased to flee one certain death just to face another. He looked shocked to see us standing there before him. Right back at ya, dude.

"Anybody infected?" he called out.

We all stiffened at the reminder of Jim. He was a walker now, there was no doubt about it. "One of our group was," Rick finally said. "But he didn't make it."

The man studied us. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"A chance," Rick whispered. The hope was clear in his voice, as well as the desperation. The man's expression softened a bit.

"That's asking an awful lot these days," he murmured. Rick merely nodded in response. His eyes scanned over all of us, taking us in. We kept our weapons lowered, although I knew many in our group were itching to keep the man in their sights.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." We nodded vigorously. He gestured at the doors behind us. The walkers were just feet from it. "You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed."

We grabbed the rest of our things and hurried back in as he swiped a card and punched in a code. "Vi, seal the main entrance," he said authoritatively. The metal door slid home, brushing the walkers' outstretched fingers. "Kill the power up here." The lights faded.

We followed him to an elevator. I tried to cover up the sound of my gulp, but when Dale glanced over at me, I knew I hadn't succeeded. The guy introduced himself as Dr. Jenner as he swiped his card again and the doors to the elevator opened. We all moved inside.

I discreetly wiped my sweaty palms against my thighs. I was just about plastered to Glenn and I clenched my teeth together in an effort to calm myself. I almost had a full-blown panic attack when the elevator began to move down instead of up.

"Doctors always go around packin' heat like that?" Daryl broke the silence.

Jenner shrugged nonchalantly. "There were plenty left lying around," he murmured. "I familiarized myself." There was a pause. "But you all look harmless enough." His eyes fell on Carl. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Carl grinned.

We walked into a large, open room. Before us was a platform, presumably the work stations of those who had worked here, if all the computers were any indication. A large screen faced the platform, taking up most of the wall. Other than my group and Jenner, the room was empty.

"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner turned to us, watching our faces as we took in all the equipment around us. "Welcome to zone 5."

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked him. "The other doctors? The staff?"

Jenner shrugged again, but his expression was solemn. His next words were not to be taken lightly. "I'm it. It's just me."

Lori looked doubtful. "What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?"

He looked up towards the ceiling and let his voice boom again. "Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them 'welcome.'"

A computerized female voice came through the speakers. "Hello guests. Welcome."

A shocking coldness spread through my limbs. This wasn't the paradise we had hoped for. It wasn't a refuge for us. Had something terrible happened to the people here? Unconsciously, I began to trace the scars on my forearms. When I noticed Carol glancing over and looking down at my scarred skin, I hastily yanked down the sleeves of my shirt. She looked shocked as she jumped and then turned away.

"I'm all that's left," Jenner was saying. "I'm sorry."

He led us to a hallway that led to a room with lots of chairs. He pulled supplies out of the cabinets and began to prepare us for blood to be drawn. Glenn looked queasy and jumped when Jenner inserted the needle. Amy gagged as she saw the red liquid filling the test tube. Daryl visibly paled when he saw the size of the needle, but gritted his teeth and sat still as a stone after Merle teased him and called him "Darlina."

When it was my turn, I pulled up my sleeve, baring my scarred forearm. To most people, it would look like I had cut myself- all over my limb. But when Jenner glanced up and met my eyes, I knew he realized this wasn't the case. He hurried with me, hoping to avoid the others' scrutiny of my arms. I didn't bat an eye, even as I heard Lori gasp and Merle grunt.

My scars could be traced back like a timeline. Some were still purple, evidence that they had been put there about five to ten years ago. Others were white. The smaller cuts that were barely visible were among the first, occurring over fifteen years ago. The thicker white scars were between ten and fifteen years old.

Hidden from their view were even more scars. They crossed by back, my stomach, my thighs. Luckily, only the ones on my arms were visible, which is why I almost always wore long sleeved shirts. There was one on my left hip though, and I prayed none of them would ever have the misfortune of seeing it. They could think what they wanted about the scars on my arms. I had never cut myself in my life. The other scars would discredit that theory. But my scars were my past, and I didn't owe them any kind of explanation for what had happened to me.

When Jenner pulled the needle out and gave me a sympathetic look, I pulled down my sleeve and moved away. I avoided their eyes, knowing they were looking at me with varying degrees of sympathy, pity, horror, and disgust. I'd seen it all before.

Only Wes had ever looked at my scars with something other than those feelings in his eyes. He looked proud that I had bested the bastards who did this to me. He had looked over my arms and back with calm acceptance and told me to think of them as battle scars. He called me a soldier, said I'd fought in a war that had no true winner. But I'd still been victorious.

I stood off to the side, waiting on Jenner to finish up. Then I suddenly felt a hand slide into mine, grasping me like a lifeline. I glanced down and met the gaze of Sophia. According to Glenn, her father Ed had beaten Carol and found various ways to abuse his daughter as well.

I offered the young girl a small smile, thankful that she had decided to lend her support, and squeezed her hand back. It was an odd moment for me. I didn't do well with kids. Never had. The tension in the room eased just the slightest and soon, Jenner was finished.

He took us to another room, one that held a dining table surrounded by chairs. "You'll find food in there," he told us as he gestured to another door. We went through and found a kitchen and pantry overflowing with food.

"Holy Mary mother of baby Jesus," Merle muttered.

Alcohol lined one wall of the pantry, junk food was located at the back, and canned and boxed food was packed onto the shelves of another wall. There were even cases of bottled water stacked on the floor.

My stomach, along with everyone else's in my group, growled loudly at the sight. As one, we all dove forward and began to grab things for our dinner. I selected a couple of bottles of whiskey, along with a case of beer. Lori and Dale made quick work of the wine selection. Jacqui, Amy, and T-Dog grabbed things to start cooking a meal. Most everybody else grabbed cookies or chips.

I sat down next to Daryl and offered him one of the bottles of whiskey. He grinned when he saw it and hurried to remove the lid. We touched bottles and then both of us started chugging.

Dale began pouring wine into glasses that Carol had gotten from one of the cabinets while Glenn busied himself with plates and silverware. The rooms were full of energy as everyone excitedly snacked on whatever they could get their hands on. I was satisfied with my whiskey, at least until dinner was finished cooking.

I continued to avoid holding anyone's gaze for more than a few seconds. I didn't want pity. I had no use for it and it wouldn't change anything. It was pointless feeling sorry for myself. I had learned that a long time ago.

"Oreo?" Carl asked me as he held out the delicious cookies in an offering.

I smirked. "I'm American. Of course I want an Oreo!" He laughed.

Shane was staring at me from across the table as I ate the cookies. Finally, I turned to him. "Something in my teeth?"

Shane didn't look offended by my sarcasm. "How long?" he murmured.

I frowned. Surely he wasn't that blunt? "What?"

"How long have you had those scars?"

Activity in the room ceased. Silence grew until it was louder than all that noise had been. I stared at Shane and he stared at me, while everyone around us glanced back and forth. I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached.

"That happens to be none of your business, Shane." My message was clear: let it go.

He shrugged. "What? I thought we were a group. Kind of like a family. Don't families share?"

Carl and Sophia sank down in their chairs, clearly uncomfortable. Rick cleared his throat. "You don't have to talk about it, Callie. You're right; it isn't anyone's business but yours." He was pointedly staring at Shane.

"Hold up now, Rick. Let the girl think it over. She can talk about it if she wants." His eyes bored into mine. "So? What happened? Get mad at some boyfriend you had in middle school? Pissed off at your parents? All alone in this big ol' world?"

Rick leapt up from his chair, about to dive towards his friend. "Rick, stop," I said. He went still and everyone waited with bated breath.

"You want to know who gave me these scars? Because I sure as hell didn't cut myself up." Shane looked surprised but made no comment. "I got my first scar when I was eight." I pointed to my knuckles, the faintest scar of all. "My dad gave it to me."

There was no movement, no sound as everyone took that in. "I never put a blade to my skin. I don't want that kind of attention. I never did. Sure, I wanted to die sometimes. But when you're getting beaten every night, it kind of takes away your drive to self-harm."

Shane shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with my answer. "I never asked for these scars, Shane," I sneered his name. "But I'm not running from it. I learned a lot about life through those beatings. Wes was the one who rescued me, kept me sane."

Carl frowned, his brows drawing together. "Why didn't your mom stop him?"

A pained expression crossed Carol's face. Sophia had been abused by her father as well. Luckily for her, her scars were only on the inside, and she was still young enough to cope with it all. I shrugged. "When she was sober, she just didn't pay attention. When she was shooting up or downing booze, she couldn't pay attention. I didn't have a mother there for me, who would take my beatings or help me block him out." I aimed my last sentence at Carol without looking at her.

"My mother liked to lock me up in this trunk we had. So when my dad wasn't beating me, I was trapped in a box. Wes let me stay with him for extended periods of time, until he finally took care of it and took me in."

Merle was frowning. "Took care of it?"

I blinked slowly, fighting to keep any expression off of my face. "Wes killed his own brother. By then, my mom had overdosed and left me alone with the bastard. I got tired of hiding what was happening. Wes ended my suffering."

There was silence for several long minutes. "Where was your sister?" Jacqui asked quietly.

I shrugged again. "She and I had different fathers. She didn't have to live with my parents, and her father wouldn't have let her near them. The only time I saw her growing up was when I could sneak across town to go see her."

Rick gave Shane a scathing look. "Are you satisfied? Now that you know what happened to the girl?"

Shane held my gaze for several long moments, then slowly nodded. Some might think he was answering Rick's question, but I knew the nod was meant for me. I nodded back.

I stood up and went to the pantry to grab another bottle of whiskey, seeing as how mine was now empty. Once I was alone, I leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling drained. I closed my eyes and pushed thoughts of those days from my mind. Amy walked in as I was gulping some of the fiery liquid.

"You okay?" she asked timidly.

I shrugged and smiled. "Thanks, but I'm good." I began looking around at the food as my stomach suddenly growled, making me a bit queasy with a belly full of liquor. "You know if they're gonna have dinner ready soon? I'm starved."

She shifted. "Should be ready in a few minutes. I'll bring you a plate once it's done."

I inclined my head in thanks and she left me alone. I grabbed a bag of almonds and started chomping away. I wasn't halfway through the bag before Dale wandered in. I turned my head so he wouldn't see me roll my eyes. I wasn't some charity case. I should never have let Shane get under my skin like that. These people would always look at me in that light, as the sad little girl with Daddy issues.

"Come to check on me Dale? Wonderin' if little ol' me is gonna finish what my Daddy started?"

He smiled gently. "I don't think you'd ever do that. I'm not concerned that I'll need to take away your gun. Or knife," he joked.

I just shook my head. "Then what do you want?" Even to my own ears, I sounded tired.

His expression turned sympathetic. "You know if you want to turn in early, we won't think any less of you. And there are several people who would be more than happy to bring you a plate once the food's done cooking."

I snorted. "I don't need a shoulder to cry on, Dale. I'm a big girl."

He raised a brow. "Do you always feel the need to be so defensive?"

I turned away. "Did you see the looks they gave me?" I whispered. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Shane pushed your buttons. It's understandable."

"Shane's an asshole," I growled. "But that isn't an excuse. I should've just walked away." I shook my head in disgust. "Wes would have been pissed if he heard that conversation."

Dale cocked his head. "Are you always haunted by what you think Wes would want from you?"

I turned back. "Wes saved my life. He taught me everything I know. He made sure I knew how to walk away when something reminded me of my past. With him, my scars were never a reminder of how weak I was. He said they were battle scars from a warrior who endured a brutal war." I paused as I thought about Wes. "I owe it to him to stay strong. He wouldn't want me breaking down. He'd want me fighting to keep my head high."

Dale looked thoughtful. "Have you ever broken down before?" I shook my head. "Was it always in the back of your mind, the pain you went through when no one was there?"

I met his gaze with a frown. I hadn't allowed myself to consciously think about my past, but it had been at the back of my mind. No matter what, my past had haunted me.

"Now you can heal," he said simply. "You laid it all out there, you confronted it. Now you can move on. You'll never forget it, but it'll no longer rule you."

He reached out and patted my shoulder before he left me to my thoughts. I don't know how long I was in there, left to my own thoughts, before Jacqui poked her head in. "The food's ready, honey," she said gently. I followed her out.

The group was talking and laughing until they saw me and then an awkward silence filled the room. I sat down next to Jacqui and Merle and rolled my eyes. "You guys gotta quit starin'. Unless I've got somethin' on my face. Then tell me."

T-Dog shifted in his seat. "We just don't know…"

"Do I look upset by what happened? No. So quit freaking out. I'm okay. I know this, and you can see it. My father is dead and no one is gonna do this to me again. Yes, it sucked that it happened. And you can say you're sorry all day long. But you won't change anything. So move on. I did."

A short silence followed my rant and I did what I could to ignore it as I dug into my food. Cautiously, the others started picking at their food and throwing in tidbits of random information. After several minutes, they loosened up and conversation once again flowed like water.

That is, until Shane ruined the light mood once more. "So what happened to the others, Doc?"

I sighed and dropped my fork with a clatter. "You honestly don't know how to relax and have a good time, do you?" I bit out.

Shane ignored me. "Well? You said that you were the only one. I just wanna know how that came to be."

"Drop it, Shane," Rick growled. Shane merely sent him a glare before turning back to Jenner.

"For some people, the end of the world was… too much," he supplied, looking resigned to the fact that he had to relive the past. "While others left to be with their families, or were getting killed outside the building, others…" He searched for the right words. "Well, they gave up," he finished simply. "Opted out. Threw in the towel. It doesn't matter how you say it. They're dead. And I'm all that's left."

We were silent again. Glenn sighed loudly. "Man, you're such a buzzkill." I second that motion, Chinaman, I thought bitterly.

Once we finished eating, Jenner led us through a door down a long hallway. "There are some offices through here. Not much, but they've got couches, pillows, and blankets. Each one also has an attached bathroom with a shower. Please, try not to use up all the hot water."

We stared at each other in shock. "Did he say…"

"Hot water?!"

He pointed towards the end of the hallway. "Through there is a game room. It's got books, cards, a pool table. Just don't plug in the video games and we should be fine."

The children looked extremely excited about this. I was just happy there was a pool table. I really missed going to the bars with Wes all the time and playing for money. Or shots, which was even better.

As soon as Jenner stepped back, everyone raced for a different room. I slipped past T-Dog and snagged one, slamming the door closed so no one else would try to claim it as their own. I even locked the door for good measure. Just through another door was a bathroom, shower, and warm water. I was going to lose myself in the bliss of what was previously a common luxury, but was now something I never thought I'd enjoy again.

The icing on the cake was the conditioner, which would take care of the mangled knots my hair had accumulated since I'd chopped it off. I hummed softly as I stepped into the steaming water, not caring if anyone could hear me through these paper thin walls. I was no longer living through the end of the world. I was simply a girl aiming to be clean. I was in heaven.

Things seemed to be finally looking up.

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Several people have sent me messages, worried about when I was gonna spill the beans about Callie. Well, there ya go. Except, that's not everything she's got hidden away. There are a few more skeletons in her closet... mwuahahahaha! But, I gave you a little something, so give something back? How bout a review? :D I wouldn't be mad, I promise. Also, a few people have expressed concerns with everyone I've kept alive. I had a purpose, I promise. Just trust me :) anywho, review or PM me! Love y'all, and thanks to everyone who's still reading!