Greetings, fellow TWD fans! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and got fat! (: I probably would've had this chapter up sooner, but I had almost finished chapter ten when BAM. My iPad deletes everything I'd written.
Oh my gosh, you do not even begin to comprehend my rage. And I was so proud of it too D: Well, I couldn't post this chapter until I'd finished that chapter, so that was why it took so long!
Enjoy!
9
Birds With Broken Wings
The man laughed loudly, pressing his hand against the small of her back. Riley knew he was just trying to claim his dominance over her, jealous of the way the other business men were staring at her. She did look rather stunning in her satin, blue, backless dress.
The phone nestled in her strapless bra began to vibrate. Riley's heart leaped; that was her work phone.
She shot the men a dazzling smile. "Excuse me," she muttered, standing up and walking away.
Riley went into the bathroom, pressing the phone to her ear. She watched as the cheerfulness in her green eyes faded, replaced by a grim certainty. She seemed to age several years, listening to the static from the phone. Her perfect, chestnut curls darkened to their actual color, scrunching into a wild, frizzy mess. Dirt appeared on her skin, and her dress began to rip like she had been in a fight.
"Mark?" she questioned, her voice trembling. "What's happening? Mark?"
Mark suddenly rose in the mirror behind her. The phone slipped from her shaking fingers as her blood turned to ice.
His flesh was rotting and bruised, and his eyes were glazed over. His stomach was torn apart, and his intestines were trailing on the ground. She could only watch in horror as he wrapped his arms around her, sinking his teeth into her neck.
She screamed as blood squirted from the wound, covering her face and dress. Her legs gave way underneath her as Mark pulled away, taking a chunk of flesh with him.
Her eyes snapped open, and she sat bolt-upright. Sweat dripped down her face, and her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. It took her a second for her eyes to adjust to the dark of the room.
Sky leaped onto the bed, licking her cheek and running over to the door. Riley sighed, pulling her hair into a low ponytail as she slipped into her dirty tank top and jeans. She let the whining dog out, heading down the hallway. Her head was pounding painfully, and she squinted from the glare of the bright lights.
She stumbled into the kitchen, collapsing into a seat.
"Somebody's hungover," T-Dog sang, plopping a plate of eggs down in front of her.
"Coffee," she groaned, the smell wafting over to her.
"Got it," he stated, patting her on the back. She put her elbows on the table, wrapping her hands around the steaming cup of coffee T handed her.
She could've danced. Coffee. Oh, she'd missed coffee.
Daryl was the last one to trickle in. Feeling more awake, she grinned at him. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."
He rolled his eyes, too hungover to respond. Rick handed Riley a bottle of aspirin, and she downed three of them, snatching a piece of bacon from Lori's plate.
Jenner took them back into the main room, a video appearing on a huge screen. Riley stood next to Daryl and watched the screen light up.
The "synapses" were gorgeous. The blue lights flickered around them, dancing across their faces and the computers. It was like they were in an aquarium.
The brain started to go dark. Black branches over took the blue, replacing all the beautiful life with nothing but cold, empty death.
That's what happened to Mark, Riley thought somberly. That's what'll probably happen to all of them.
She watched quietly as the red lights flickered onto the screen, looking sinister and malicious compared to the tranquil blue of before.
"So... They don't come back?" Riley asked after Jenner explained that the human part doesn't return. "What if the red lights go further, and it restarts more of the brain? Like, if they turned right after they died."
Jenner nodded, but he looked doubtful. "Could be. Have you seen it happen?"
Riley shook her head, silent again as Jenner explained to everyone about how he was alone. Her heart sank. No one was trying to fix this. They utterly were alone.
"You say you've been here a month... Have you found a cure?" Riley questioned, crossing her arms and leaning against a computer.
Jenner snorted. "No. I ran out of samples to test."
"We can get you some," she offered. "We'll stay with you, keep you company while you try and find it."
He didn't answer. Riley's eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward. Something wasn't right... It-
"That clock," Dale stated, pointing at the countdown on the wall. "It's counting down. What happens at zero?"
"The...basement generators run out of fuel," Jenner explained, his eyes casting towards the ground as he wandered away.
Riley's eyes widened. "I have a bad feeling," she admitted lowly, glancing at Daryl. He nodded in agreement as Vi announced that "decontamination would occur" at zero.
Her heart fluttered in her chest; whatever that meant it couldn't be good. She looked in the direction Jenner had walked, but he was already gone. T, Rick, Shane, and Glenn went down to the basement to try and find out more information.
"What do we do now?" Lori asked, looking around cluelessly. The confusion and apprehension was clear on everyone's faces; they were like chickens with their heads cut off without Rick.
"We go back to our rooms," Riley answered after a beat of silence, willingly stepping in for Rick. "Wait for some answers."
They all agreed, meandering back to their individual rooms. Riley fell into step beside Daryl, pushing her caramel locks behind her ear. "I have a bad feeling," she confessed quietly.
"Naw kiddin'," he scoffed. "Ain't nobody tryin' to find a cure."
"That too, but I meant about the basement generators." Simmie walked up on the other side of Riley, her eyebrows pinched together in obvious worry.
"There's nothing to worry about, right?" she asked, obviously seeking reassurance. Though why she'd come to Riley, the agent didn't know. She wasn't one for reassuring, and her Indian friend knew that.
"As of right now, no, you're good. But I have a feeling-"
Simmie groaned. "I hate it when you have a feeling."
Riley snorted. "Yeah, well, my feelings have saved my ass to many times to count. Hey, you got anymore beer?" she suddenly asked, looking at the redneck on her other side. "I ran out, for real this time."
A smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. "Yeah; I'll get sum," he said, waltzing down to his room. Riley stepped into her room, Simmie right behind. The two girls dropped onto the couch.
Daryl swaggered back in, tossing Riley one of the two whiskey bottles in his hands. He sat down on the edge of her bed, uncapping the lid and downing a large gulp.
Riley's fingers tightly clenched and unclenched the bottle, rolling her bottom lip under her teeth. Something wasn't right, and she knew it.
"What's wrong?" Simmie asked.
"Go get your stuff; bring it in here just in case," Riley stated, quickly taking a small sip.
Simmie's eyes widened in fear, and she visibly gulped before nodding and walking away.
"Ya treat her like a kid," Daryl pointed out.
"Someone's got to look out for her," Riley responded. She suddenly turned her blazing green eyes on him, urgency seeping into her voice. "Look, I have a really-"
The lights in their rooms suddenly went out. Sky let out a low whine whilst Riley snapped up to her feet. "Simmie?" she called through the open door, running over to the bathroom and stuffing in the few things she'd removed back into the bag.
Simmie strode in the doorway, brown eyes wide. She had her bag strung over her shoulder, and Daryl stepped around her, into the hallway. "The hell's goin' on?" he demanded as Jenner walked by.
"Go, follow Daryl," Riley ordered, nudging her out into the hallway, where all the others had congregated.
"The building is shutting itself down," Jenner explained, snatching the bottle from Daryl. "Prioritizing."
"Light's not a priority?" Riley demanded, right behind him.
"Wha' the hell can a buildin' do?"
"You'd be surprised," Jenner muttered, striding quickly into the main computer room. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog, and Shane all came running out from under the stairs, joining their group in the room.
"The system is designed to keep the computers running until the last possible second. We should be hitting the half hour mark. Right on schedule."
Jenner handed back the whiskey to Daryl, who glared angrily at the man as he started talking about the French. "The world runs on fossil fuels. How stupid is that?"
"We can get you fuel," Riley informed loudly. "We can take turns siphoning gas from all the abandoned cars-"
Jenner stubbornly shook his head. "It won't be enough. All the gas in the city wouldn't last a day." He turned around and headed off towards a computer.
"Lori, everyone, go grab your things!" Rick ordered.
An alarm suddenly pierced through their ears, making Riley and Simmie jump violently in surprise. Simmie whimpered, grabbing onto Riley's arm, her whole body trembling in fear. Riley forced herself to be calm; she had to be, for Simmie.
There was a loud, metallic clang, and Riley whirled around to see the door had closed. Horror creeped into her veins as she started to feel trapped. She hated this: she felt like a bird with a broken wing locked in a cage. Simmie clung on as tightly as she could to Riley's arm as the whole group turned to Jenner for an explanation.
Daryl suddenly charged Jenner, who started videoing himself. Shane and T pulled him away as Rick demanded for the door to be opened. Riley listened, Sky whining at her feet, as Jenner told them that they were trapped.
"What happens in twenty-eight minutes?" Rick asked urgently.
"We've protected the public from very nasty stuff!" Jenner shouted. "In the case of a catastrophic power failure or terrorist attack, HITs are deployed."
"HITs?"
Riley listened in utter horror as Vi defined HIT. Her heart sank to her feet, and she couldn't hide the terror slapped onto her face. Simmie let out a hopeless sob, clutching onto Riley, who looked shell-shocked.
"It sets the air on fire. No pain," Jenner muttered.
They couldn't die. They'd gotten through so much to die here, now. Riley wasn't going to let a damm building decide when she was going to end; it would be her decision to make.
"Open the door," she breathed, her wide green eyes flickering onto Jenner. He didn't even acknowledge her. She untangled herself from Simmie, passing the sobbing woman over to Jacqui, who comfortingly wrapped her arms around her.
Riley stalked up to the door, yelling at the men who were attacking it with axes to move as she wrenched her gun out of her holster. Aiming at the edges, she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away as she let loose three bullets. She looked back to see nothing had happened. They hadn't even left a dent.
"Get out of the way!" Shane hollered, dashing up the ramp with an axe. Riley quickly jumped to the side, running back down to the floor.
She instantly started searching for an alternate way out. A door, a vent, something.
Shane descended as well, leaning against a computer and giving Rick a hopeless shake of the head. "We're not making a dent."
"Those doors are meant to withstand a rocket," Jenner retorted.
"Your head ain't!" Daryl shouted, launching himself at the doctor. Riley jumped in, holding his arm back.
Panicking wasn't helping. She wanted to scream in frustration; didn't these people see that?! She ran her shaking hands through her curly hair, forcing herself to think.
"Last night, that's what you said! You said it was only a matter of time before everyone you knew was gone!" Jenner exclaimed.
Riley exhaled shakily, pressing her palms against her eyes. Rick may have said the words of a man who'd given up, but he certainly wasn't acting the part of one.
"There IS no hope!"
"No hope?" Riley intervened, her voice as gentle as she could make it. Puppy eyes and screaming wasn't going to work; he was a scientist. But logic and reasoning would work. A calm, rational discussion is what he needed. Riley took a step forwards, standing next to Simmie, who was standing next to Carol and Lori on the ground.
"You say there's no hope," she continued, "but you keep a video diary. Why would you do that unless you believed that someday, someone would find your videos and try to piece together what happened?"
Jenner shook his head, but Riley could see the conflict in his dark blue eyes.
"Somewhere there are people out there-" Rick started before Andrea cut him off with her pessimistic views.
"We can't just give up!" Riley intoned, pointing a finger towards the crying children. "We owe it to them, to give them a chance!"
Shane suddenly yelled, aiming his rifle right at the man's head. Rick talked him down, but not before he took out his frustration on the computers. Riley flinched as glass shattered everywhere, grabbing onto Simmie and shielding her commotions flying shards of glass. Sky started barking, sprinting around the room, only adding to the chaos.
Riley glanced up at the Indian woman, whose brown eyes had taken on a dull light. Simmie looked up as well, making eye contact for a second. With a quiet moan, Riley realized that her friend had given up. Anger swelled in her chest; Simmie had given up hope that Riley would be able to save them. She had always believed in Riley before, but now Riley had let her down.
Not today, Riley inwardly growled. She let go of Simmie, who swayed softly on her feet, turning and listening to Jenner's story about his wife. Rick begged for a choice, but Jenner wouldn't hear him. The stubborn scientist sat down, tuning out Rick and staring forlornly at the big screen.
Riley stepped up to Rick, grabbing his shoulder. "Let me try," she muttered, and Rick gave in with a hopeless nod-what other option did he have?-, going to help Daryl with the door.
"Edwin?" Riley asked softly, crouching down next to him. He turned a fraction of an inch, surprised at the calm, gentle tone that was so different from everyone else's current voices. "Please, look at me." He turned the rest of the way, his depressed eyes locking onto hers. She reached forward, taking hold of his hands with hers.
"Edwin, you see that man attacking the door right now?" she questioned, glancing over her shoulder at Daryl before looking back at him. "It's a long story, but his brother was left handcuffed to a roof in the middle of Atlanta with walkers all around him. So his brother cut his own hand off, cauterized it, then jumped out a second-story window. He took our van and hightailed it in the other direction. His brother, the only person he cares about, left him. But he's still fighting. He hasn't given up, and he couldn't care less about the rest of us. Andrea's sister turned into a walker right before her eyes, and she had to put a bullet through her brain. Carol's husband was chewed down to a skeleton. But do you see any of them giving up? They're still fighting, because they believe they have a chance out there."
He wasn't responding. Riley knew that what she'd said hadn't been enough; he'd need one more little nudge to win him over. She glanced down at her hands, licking her lips and preparing herself for what she was about to have to say.
"Edwin, I had a little sister." She turned her melancholy gaze on him, trying to push the overflowing pain over to him. She reached into her back pocket, carefully unfolding the picture and showing it to him. "Her name was Spencer. She was nine when she was diagnosed with leukemia." She tucked the photo away, blinking and trying to not start crying. "Edwin, you would do anything to keep your promise to your wife right?" The man gave a small nod, and Riley continued.
"That little girl made me promise to live. She made me swear to live so she could live her life through me." Edwin looked down at his lap, his brow crinkled in pain. Riley inhaled shakily, feeling tears gather in the corner of her eyes. "I've never begged for anything in my life, not when I was being tortured, not when I was dying of thirst in the rainforest, not even when my sister was dying. But right now, Edwin, I am begging you. Not for me, but for her. For Spencer." Her voice broke at the end, and she dropped his hands, looking down at the ground as she struggled to recollect herself. She pressed her palms against her eyes, feeling him suddenly stand up.
She jerked her hands away, watching as he slid his access card, making the door suddenly open. She leapt to her feet, eyes wide.
"For your sister," he said solemnly.
Riley kissed his cheek, nodding to him in thanks because she didn't trust herself to speak. She ran forward, whistling for Sky to follow. Her green eyes scanned the group of people at the doorway, and she realized that one vital person was missing.
"Simmie?!" Riley called, turning to see the woman standing stolidly next to a computer. The color drained out of Riley's face as she realized what Simmie had resigned herself to.
She had misread the look in her eyes earlier. She hadn't given up because she thought they couldn't get out; she'd given up because she wanted to die.
Riley charged the younger woman, grabbing her elbow and pulling her. "Come on!" she shouted.
Simmie pushed against Riley's arms, shoving her away. A tear slid down her cheek as she shook her head. "I can't- I can't go back out there, Riley!"
Riley's mind was spinning, the panicked screams from the group falling on deaf ears. Riley always had to fight for something; that's what got her through things. It used to be her sister she fought for, but, since she had died, it had been more for her sister's memory. And since the world had ended, it had become Simmie.
"You can't leave me alone, Simmie!" Riley yelled, shaking the woman. "I need you!"
"C'mon!" Daryl's voice hollered from behind Riley, grabbing the woman's arm and tugging her towards the door.
"No!" Riley exclaimed, wrenching her arm away from him. "Go, I'll be there in a second!"
Daryl was torn for a second before growling in frustration, turning and following the group down the hallway.
"Simmie, please!" Riley pleaded. "I can't do this without you! You can't die, not like this!"
"And you want me to be eaten instead?!" she screamed back.
"I won't let that happen!"
"You can't promise that!" Simmie wailed, dropping her head into her hands.
"No, you have to watch, because I'm not leaving without you," Riley growled, grabbing the woman's wrists. "I've lost Spencer and Mark, I can't lose you too! Please!"
Simmie just let out a sob. Riley's heart banged in her chest, seeing that they only had 3:40 left to get away. She whirled around, keeping a death grip on Simmie's wrists as they sprinted up to the first floor.
They arrived just as Rick stepped close to the window, clenching something in his hands. It took Riley a heartbeat too long to realize that everyone was running in the opposite direction. Daryl stood up from behind her, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her onto the ground, rolling on top of her. It finally clicked that Rick had had a grenade as Simmie smacked onto the ground, covering her head with her arms.
A deafening roar blasted through the building and a searing heat washed over them. Riley had her eyes squeezed shut, her ears ringing as Daryl snapped to his feet, wrenching her up as well. He pushed her through the window, and she stumbled, frantically grabbing onto Simmie as their group sprinted towards their caravan. A few walkers were heading their way, but Daryl easily dispatched the closest ones.
Riley shoved Simmie into the RV, Sky quickly scuttling up after them. She felt someone grab the back of her shirt, pushing her towards the end of the caravan. She stumbled again, nearly falling in her disorientation before Daryl grabbed her arm and hauled ass to his truck. His mouth was moving, but she couldn't hear over the buzz in her ears. He opened the side door, unceremoniously pushing her in before slamming it. His words finally registered in her brain, a hurried, "Get down!" as he jumped in the driver's side.
She dived face-down in the small space between the dashboard and seats, clapping her hands over her ears and squeezing her eyes shut. Daryl fell down on top of her as a thunderous sound rumbled out, making the grenade sound like a whisper. The truck gave a massive shudder, sliding a few inches away from the CDC.
Riley didn't move, her muscles clenched and teeth gritted painfully tight until she felt a hand pat her back. She removed her shaking hands, glancing up at Daryl, who was sitting up and staring in the direction of the building. Riley slowly pushed herself off the floor, crawling up into the seat. She turned her green eyes, shivering at the sight of the destruction. That could've been them. They could be nothing but ashes right now. Simmie could be ashes.
She looked over at Daryl, realizing that she had tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was at a loss for words. There was nothing to say.
"What'd ya say ta change his mind?" Daryl asked.
One of the tears slipped down her cheek, and she turned her gaze towards the dashboard, not bothering to wipe it away. Daryl grunted, realizing an answer wasn't coming as he shifted the car into drive and followed the caravan out of the city.
He didn't say anything else as she sat unmoving like a stone, silently crying.
Chapter Nine everybody! Honestly, I'm SO happy to be done with season one! I can't wait to write about Hershel's farm; I have so many ideas :D
A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed! Y'all make me so happy when I get that special email; keep 'em coming!
Lahey: ...You're phsycic. That's the only explanation. But seriously, I'd planned for her to stay for forevsss and then you said it, and I had a mini spazz in the car.. Yeah, awk, but I was amazed! And thank you! You'll definitely like the next chapter: lots of Daryl/Riley-ness! Thanks for reviewing! :D
Leyshla Gisel: haha she kicks butt! But I guess anybody would be able to if you'd been training since you were twelve! And thank you (:
Band131: Aw, thank you! (: