Chapter 10:

"Anybody infected?" he called out to us, not lowering his gun even an inch. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles and I realized that this place may not be all Rick made it out to be.

"One of our group was, but he didn't make it." I scowled at Rick. The perfect thing to tell the man pointing a gun at us.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" I couldn't help myself, and I found myself shivering.

"A chance." I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes, hoping this man didn't just save our lives to end it in a massacre.

"That's asking an awful lot these days." Daryl grabbed my elbow and pulled me closer to him, obviously not a fan of this man's tone. The stranger however looked at us in pity and lowered his weapon.

"Thank god." I breathed, a wave of relief washing over me.

"You all submit to a blood test, that's the price of admission." The entire group began to nod in unison, everyone as relieved as the next. "If you have stuff to bring in, get it now, because once this door closes it stays closed." That statement brought shivers to my spine and my hair stood on end. There had to have been a better way to say what he actually meant, right?

"Me, Shane and Glenn will go out, it will be safer than having everyone go." After a few minutes everyone's stuff had been gathered and the ground had claimed a few more dead walkers.

"Vi, seal the front entrance." The man said, causing the gates to close. I watched in somewhat hopelessness as they latched.

"I don't like this…" I muttered to Daryl as we picked our bags up off the ground.

"Not one bit." He completed my sentence, running his thumb on his lip again. "Stay close to me, when shit goes down I don't wanna have to find you." He didn't have to tell me twice.

After our introductions to the man I now knew as Dr. Edwin Jenner, he pointed us in the direction of an elevator. We were to go down.

It was uncomfortable in the elevator, 15 people all crammed together, and I swore up and down in my head we were breaking some form of safety regulation. Daryl's eyes never left the man standing in front of me, Dr. Jenner, as he studied him from his shoes to his hair and then back down to his gun.

"Doctor's always go around packin' heat like that?" He asked. I smiled because the tone in his voice made him sound so menacing. Dr. Jenner turned, looking at him coolly before replying.

"There were plenty left lying around, I familiarized myself." I shifted uncomfortably and Rick cleared his throat awkwardly. "However, you look harmless enough. Except you." He looked down at Carl. "I'll have to keep my eye on you." I snickered and Daryl elbowed me, rather pointedly, in my side.

"Ow." I whispered, taking a millimeter step away from him.

The elevator dinged and the double doors slid open effortlessly. Everyone piled out together, entering into a hallway equally as cramped. As we began walking I quickly started feeling the onset of claustrophobia. Doors kept passing by on both sides, and the hallway seemed to never end.

"Are we under ground?" Carol asked, shifting her bag.

"You claustrophobic?" Jenner called back.

"A little." She muttered in reply. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.

"I know the feeling…" I muttered. Daryl's lips pulled into a tight smile as he glanced down at me.

"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." I stood on my tippy toes trying to look over the tall doctors shoulders, but tripped. Daryl caught me before any real damage was done and gave me a look that a father would give a misbehaving child.

We entered a fairly large room, filled with rows of computers and multiple levels. It reminded me of command central from Apollo 13. Lights lit up the entire room, and for the second time I was nearly blinded.

"Welcome to zone 5." Jenner said, gesturing towards the room. It was massive, much bigger than I had anticipated in the dark. After a few moments of aweing, Rick spoke up.

"Where is everybody? The Doctors? The staff?"

"I'm it." Jenner announced, looking at our fearless leader. Lori looked up at the ceiling and then back to Jenner.

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Dr. Jenner smiled at her question. The other survivors looked around, getting antsy at the thought of no other doctors on the premises.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them…" He paused for a second, thinking. "Tell them welcome."

"Hello Guests, Welcome." The monotone voice made me shiver and I took a step closer to the rest of the group, catching Daryl's eyes.

I bit my lip nervously; I had a serious problem with this place. The whole idea of it was unnerving. We were welcomed with a gun in our face by a man whose been here alone talking to a computer for god knows how long. I looked away from Daryl to the clock on the wall. When were first walked in I thought it was just a clock, but now I realized it was a timer. Before I could even ask about it, Jenner spoke up.

"Alright, now as promised, blood tests."

...

We filed into a room, very reminiscent to that of a college lecture hall. Jenner fiddled quietly in one corner, getting together the necessary supplies and i wondered to myself why the hell not do this in a lab? A pang of anxiety came over me. I knew I wasn't infected, it was simply the "what if?" that got to me. Would he shoot me then and there? Maybe run tests on me? I looked over to Daryl hoping to share my anxieties, but he was busy studying the room.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" There were obviously no takers. Especially not me, I hated needles. "No volunteers?" Jenner was amused and looked at all of us before his eyes settled on me. "Alright, you then. Hop up." He patted the chair. The blood drained from my face.

"Oh no, I don't like needles. I would prefer to go-"

"You agreed to it."

"Yeah, but I didn't agree to go first!" I pleaded.

"Ain't you a nurse?" Daryl teased, smiles pulled at the lips of most everyone in the room, and I dared not even look at Daryl, I knew he was having a field day. Begrudgingly I stepped up to the chair and plopped down, extending my arm for him.

"A nurse with a fear of needles, fascinating." I glowered at the doctor as he tied up my arm.

"Don't like doctors either." I muttered, causing him to smile. After sanitizing my inner elbow, he brought the needle to my arm and I looked away, biting my lip. There was a slight pinch and a few seconds later he handed me a clean gauze pad and wheeled over to the microscope.

"You're clean but… If you want I can take a look at that eye of yours, it doesn't look infected yet, but it could use some stitches." I knew the look I was giving him was one of horror and he smiled at me. "It'll be quick and painless."

"We'll wait outside." Rick chimed in. I shook my head, begging them not to, but the others agreed, leaving the room. Daryl however, stood by the inside of the door, his arms crossed over his chest, looking at the situation with a watchful eye.

"I'm comfortable here."

"Suit yourself." Jenner shrugged, grabbing out his suture kit, placing a numbing pad on my cheek. "So you don't feel anything." He reassured me. I wanted to say duh, but he was giving me free medical attention so I bit my tongue. "I'll have to use an alcohol pad to get rid of the super glue, can't leave that in there." He placed it on my cheek without warning and I inhaled sharply, the numbing medication not in full swing yet.