Author's note!: First, and foremost, OMFG! WE REACHED OVER ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! :DDDDDDDDDDD! You know, funny story, my goal for the whole story was the big 1-0-0...so obviously, this means I have the most amazing readers in the world :] So, right now, I want all of you out there to pack yourselves on the back, and say "I'm awesome!" :D everyone take a moment are realize just how awesome you are!
Secondly, the song that so aptly explains our dear Cali was indeed "Howard" by Bayside :] They just happen to be my favorite band, and I will be shamelessly plugging them right now :] look them up, I mean, might as well! The title of this story is also a Bayside song, and it's the song I was listening too when Cali popped into my head, so give it a listen if you feel so inclined :D
Disclaimer!: Believe me folks, if I owned this show, we wouldn't have to wait until October to wait to find out what happened!
Chapter 12!: It's The Calming Before The Storm, Alcohol Sits Nicely In Your Stomach Warm
*Cali*
The overall 'funness' that the road trip held before, what most definitely cut short by the abandonment of Jim. None of the adults wanted to talk, and Carl and Sophia just sat at the table, eyes cast down, unable to grasp the understanding of the situation.
But, to be fair, I was having a difficult time of it myself.
On the other hand again, no one really grasped it. This was unlike anything we had ever faced before, and the magnitude of our situation…well…it wasn't exactly painted in a very good light.
I've been in plenty of situations where the tension was to thick, you could cut it with a knife. But right now, in the confined space of the RV, with everyone who didn't have their own car? I could practically taste it.
Fear, mixed with anger, mixed with paranoia.
I wonder which one of those were the most dangerous.
"How long we got?" Jacqui asked, Dale glanced back at her from the mirror.
"I'd say, we only got another five miles to go."
I leaned back against the cupboard, and glanced at Glenn, who kept pulling off his hat, only to put it back on. "You nervous?"
"Yeah."
"Least you got a gun." I attempted a smile, and glanced over at my bat. It had been liberated from Glenn's care, and he had even spent a couple evenings back in the quarry teaching me the best way to use it.
"Just be really careful alright, the thing with a bat is, if you're close enough to use it, you're too damn close." that was his brilliant advice as he handed me the aluminum life saver.
It was a good one too apparently, looks like little Glenny had stopped by a sporting goods store on his scavenging outings.
"Yeah…well, there's no denying that. I will need that gun." he grinned. "But hey, after I'm done saving your life, maybe we could play ball with a Walker head or two. Since that's pretty much all you're good for."
"You best watch your tone!" I stuck my pointer finger out at him. "I have seen every Mob movie out there, and let me tell you, I could give you a genuine Brooklyn beat down if I need to."
"Really now?"
"You have no fu-" Two pairs of maternal eyes cut to me. "-dging idea!" I quickly amended. "No fudging idea."
Boy I was not on a roll with them lately.
Glenn only rolled his eyes, and our attention was refocused towards the windows, where the green foliage that had done it's job in protecting us has become more and more sparse, while the concrete and train tracks began to take over and create a new landscape.
The entire RV seemed to hold it's breath.
"CDC or bust!"
"Cali…Shut up." someone laughed.
Someone who sounded suspiciously like Carl.
.:.
Dale parked the RV, and turned back to us. I was in the middle of a staring contest with the CDC. The building was bigger then I expected, with so many windows. Windows, that had somehow managed to remain untouched by the destruction of the surrounding areas.
"Alright people," Rick sighed, standing up. The Lawman looked a little nervous himself. "Take what you can now, and we'll come back for the rest later. Those of you with weapons, well, they sure couldn't hurt at this point. Now, we move up there, and we do it fast. Stay as quiet as you can, and do not panic. Easier said then done, I know, but the Walkers can see movement, and they are attracted to loud noises. So quiet and calm. Can we do that?"
Everyone nodded, more or less. As everyone formed a queue, I grabbed my bat.
Like the Lawman said, couldn't hurt right?
I took my spot behind Lori, and front of Glenn, and marched on.
It was nice to be back in fresh air…well it would've been, if the air hadn't reeked of death and decay. I had to switch over to mouth breathing once that first wave had assaulted my nose.
Shane, Daryl and T-Dog met up with us, and we began the jog towards the CDC. Quiet. I was focused on staying quiet, alert, and not throwing up.
All three of my objectives got even harder once we approached the doors to the CDC, and were met with the bodies of several soldiers. Blood, bullet casings and guns littered the area. Hell, we should stock up here before we leave. There were enough guns for the entire camp.
Lawman ran to the front of the building and froze. "It's locked!"
"What the hell do you mean it's locked!"
"It can't be locked!"
"Shut up!" Shane hissed.
Locked? Oh come on! This was just getting ridiculous…the CDC was locked. And locked tight by the look of it. My grip around the bat got tighter.
All we had to do was stay calm. Right?
"Walker!" Daryl growled, and the group turned their heads. Sure enough, there were some geeks right on their way over. And shot rang out, and the Walker dropped dead.
Shit, maybe we should invest in some silencers or something!
"Come on man, let's go!" Shane ordered Lawman as he tried to pull him away.
"No! Look! We're okay! The camera moved!"
"Those things are automatic! Come one!" he turned to the rest of us. "Get ready to run back!"
You want us to run towards the army of Walkers headed this way?
"Open up!" Rick screamed at the door, which was really not helping with the whole 'quiet and calm' game plan. "OPEN UP! YOU'RE KILLING US! YOU'RE KILLING US!"
"Let's go!" Shane grabbed Rick around the waist and started to pull him back, the rest of us already on our way back towards the cars.
That's when there was a metallic sound added to the cacophony of sounds already ringing, and a blinding light poured from the building. Like the fucking entrance to Heaven.
Or Narnia.
"Move!" Rick ordered. Hell, I didn't need to be told twice, and apparently, neither did Camp Clueless, they hauled ass into that building, only to freeze once they got inside.
We had made it in.
The lobby was huge, and clean, and reminded me of something similar to a doctor or dentist's office. Decorative tile, potted plants, the works.
The group squished closer together, and surveyed the area. "Hello?" Rick called. The sound of a gun cocking echoed through the huge area, only to be reiterated by the men in our group.
"Are any of you infected?" A figure called from the shadows.
"One of our group was." Rick responded. "He didn't make it."
Why the hell did you tell him that!
The man walked into the light now, looking us over. He was tall, blonde, and pale. How was that possible, then again, Andrea and…
"Blood tests are the admission ticket."
"We can respect that."
"Alright. Well. Go get anything you have left. Once those doors close, they won't open again."
A few man ran to get the rest of our stuff, and Glenn, never one to fail me, tossed me my bag as he walked back into the building. Rick walked over to the man, and held out his hand. "Rick Grimes."
The man stared at his hand. "Jenner. Doctor Edwin Jenner." he looked at all of us again. "Come with me.
Not seeing much other choice, the rest of us followed him into an elevator.
Now, elevator rides are awkward in any situation, but you take a small metal box, and add in two cops, a battered woman, a black man, a racist, a ninja porno pizza boy, two kids, an old man and a doctor with a gun longer then my leg…Then it's a recipe for awkward so strong, it makes you want to bang your head against the wall, rather then endure it.
There wasn't even any cheese ball elevator music.
"Doctors always pack heat like tha?" Daryl asked, looking at the gun with a mix of suspicion and envy.
"There were plenty lying around. I familiarized myself with it. But you all seem pretty harmless." his eyes dropped to Carl. "Except you…I'll be watching you."
"Good instincts." I muttered, and Carl made a face at me. I made one back.
Because, I have the mentality of a nine year old apparently.
The elevator finally stopped, only to lead into a small, narrow hallway.
"Are we underground?" Carol asked.
"You claustrophobic?"
"A little."
"Try not to think about it then." he smiled. The hallway lead into a huge metal room that looked like something you'd see in a sci-fi movie or something. A bunch of computers, everything chrome. A computer that turned on the lights.
Pretty epic.
"Welcome to section five." Jenner sighed, and threw out his arms.
"Where is everybody?" Rick asked. "The other doctors? The staff?"
"I'll admit. It's just me here."
"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori asked. I mentally face palmed my Camp. How old were they? I mean, wasn't that obvious?
"Vi. Say hello to our guests. Tell them, 'Welcome.'"
The computer repeated Jenner's message to us, and Dale looked like he was about one second from calling witchery on Jenner.
"I'm all that's left." the Good Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry…now, blood tests."
Needles? Oh shit.
.:.
Glenn walked next to me as we followed Jenner to wherever he was taking us now. He must've felt bad for us, after the whole 'Andrea almost passing out from hunger' thing. I kept checking at the tiny hole in my arm from the needle. "That hurt!"
"That didn't hurt."
"You didn't look so rough and tough up there either."
"Yeah? At least I didn't try to kick Jenner!"
"I told him I was sorry!"
"I don't get you! You can take a punch from Ed, stand up to Daryl, climb a tree in record time, wield a bat against the undead-"
"You forgot breathtakingly hot."
"-But you can't take a needle?"
"I spent some time in the hospital when I was a kid. IV after IV. Forgive me if I don't like needles. It's a legitimate fear!"
"Not worth kicking the man who saved our lives…"
"I almost kicked him. That's a little better."
"Not by much…" Glenn's voice trialed off as we arrived at our final destination. Food. Holy hell, there was food!
We tried to maintain some humanity by walking calmly to the food, and by God, if that wasn't willpower, I don't know what was. But as soon as we sat down, it was on.
Not only was there food, but there was wine.
Thank you God!
Dale began to pass out cups of that, liberally too, and he even included me. Carl protested, and everyone got into a huge debate on alcohol and children.
"Now now, in Italy, children are allowed to drink!" Dale threw out there.
"Yeah, well, when Carl goes to Italy, he can have some there." Lori shot us down. "Same for you Cali."
"Excuse me? I can hold my own here, thank you den mother." I smirked and emptied my glass, just to prove the point. Glenn rolled his eyes.
"Just give him a little." Rick urged his wife, once he was done laughing at me. "Come on, what could it hurt?"
"I…okay."
"Here you are, my good man." Dale smiled and gave him a little. Carl took in the mouthful, and gagged.
"Ewww!"
"That's my boy." Lori smiled as everyone cracked up.
"It grows on you Carl. Just wait until you get accepted to College." I winked at him.
"You might just want to stick to soda pop there bud." Shane sniggered.
"Not you Glenn." Daryl spoke up from where he was nursing a bottle of Southern Comfort.
"What?"
"Come on lil' man, drink up. I wann' see how red yer face can git." the table 'ooh'ed and Glenn took a bold drink.
"Come on Glenn, do it like you know how!" I ordered him. He raised his eyebrows at me.
"Why don't you show me how it's done, resident alcoholic?"
"I dare you. In fact, I challenge you."
"Well fine. Toss me that bottle Daryl."
"Nah, screw ya, this here's mine."
"Come on Hicktown, just pass it here." I held out my hand, and the bottle was tossed to me. I popped the cap off. "Now, what's the challenge."
Glenn turned to Jenner, "Got any shot glasses?"
The Good Doctor returned with three. He set them down in front of me. Glenn smirked. "Name game."
"What is that?"
"Take as many shots as in your first name."
"You ass!" I scoffed. "C A L I F O R N I A? That's ten shots!"
"You can just do Cali then, but they have to be back to back. No stopping."
"Can I just do 'Nia'? There's only three glasses anyways."
"That's not fair." he scoffed. "No one calls you that."
"I'm ruling it fair." Dale said, with a very amused smile. "Daryl only calls her Nia."
"Come on Cali!"
"Show us what college taught you!"
"Let's do it." I smiled, and poured the shots up to the very top.
"Ready?"
"Set?"
"Go!" The table (Minus the Maternal Minions) cheered.
I grabbed the first shot and tossed it back. The liquid scorched down my throat, much worse then I remembered, but hell, my pride was on the line here. I took back the next one, ignoring the tears that had gathered up at the corners of my eyes. The table was cheering. It was just like being back at school.
The last shot I took too fast, and had to fight to keep down, but the embarrassment of choking, in front of Glenn, Daryl and the rest of the camp was just too much. I swallowed that sucker, and smacked the glass down.
"I rock." I coughed. "Remember that."
I was also feeling warm. Very, very warm.
"That's a real great example there Cali." Lori shook her head.
"Hey Carl, do as I say, not as I do, okay?" I smiled. He nodded and grinned. I took a pull from the bottle, then gave it back to Daryl. He clumsily reached for it.
Looks like Best Friend Killer was drunk as a duck.
"Now now," Rick stood up. "Seems like we need to gather our manners, and thank our host."
"He's more then just our host."
"Here here!" the table echoed for Jenner, who smiled, and held up his glass too.
"Booyah!" Daryl threw out there.
Oh yeah, he was drunk.
The rest of the table just laughed, and copied his cheer.
"So when the hell you going to tell us what happened here Doc? To you, and the rest of the others. Weren't you trying to figure out what was going on here?" Shane asked, staring at his glass of wine.
"Buzzkill!" I hissed. Glenn nudged me. Not my fault, when I'm drunk, my little brain filter shuts down, I'm more honest then fucking Abe.
Shane then gets bitchy with Rick, who gets bitchy back, and I just take in more wine. I can't deal with their girl drama. Not today.
Finally, Jenner speaks. Tells us how the workers left to be with their families when things got bad. And when things got worse, they…opted out. In his words.
"You stayed." Andrea pointed out. "Why did you stay?"
"I kept working." He answered. "Hoping. To do some good."
"Dude, you are such a buzz kill man." A little tipsy Glenn sighed as he dropped into his seat.
.:.
"Alright, so, the facility has pretty much powered down. Which includes housing. So you'll have to make due here. Couches are comfortable. And there's some cots in storage. Oh, a rec room for the kids, but hey, no plugging in the video games. And that goes for the rest of you! And if you shower, go easy on the hot water." Jenner instructed us, as we were lead down another hallway.
Well, the camp was lead. I was being 'slightly supported' by Glenn. Who turned to look at me.
"Hot water?"
"That's what the man said!" T-Dog grinned.
"Thank God!" I smiled. "I'm not sure how much of my tan is actually tan anymore!"
"Cali, that's gross." Glenn snickered.
"Says the guy who hasn't showered in two months!" I retorted, a little slurred. "So where we staying?" I asked him.
Glenn lead me to a room, and dropped me on the couch. "I get first shower!"
"That's not fair!"
"It is!" he grinned lewdly at me. "Why dontcha just go ask to hop in the shower with Daryl?"
"Glenn, I'm too drunk to fuck right now." I moaned.
"Come on Cali! You're never to fuck to drunk!" He grinned as he walked towards the bathroom. "Wait…no…you're never too luck to fuck…wait…no…"
"Don't hurt yourself." I giggled.
After a few minutes, I heard the water running, and I reached into my bag, and pulled out my phone.
"Now or never Wade." I slurred, and turned the little device on for the first time in two months. I set it on the table, and held my breath as the screen lit up.
Thank yous!
Constanlylost- Awh! Hand holding rocks :] and I can promise that it will be shocking, to say the least!
Assiage- I had to look up what Tabula Rasa was. I dug it. And I laughed when I read your review, because whenever I work on a chapter for this, it's totally finished in the wee hours of the morning :] people do their best thinking at four am!
Viktorskrumpit- What can I say? :] I love my saints! I hope I didn't disappoint!
Rickii101- Now if I told you, it wouldn't be foreshadowing, would it? :]
Elizabeth- Thank you! I'll spit them out as fast as I can!
LillianaKay2011- Yes, a conscious is a bitch, isn't it? :] and you guessed it, so you tell me! Do you want the shock and awe pathway? Or the high tension pathway! :D
Lucy Freebird- I do love your love :] lol enjoy!
Willoeshine- I baby sit, so the Shi-p thing happens quite often :D and it was too ironic for her not to ask Lori! And besides, no one likes Lori, so I thought I'd throw her a bone :] and the little Cali that lives in my head says thank you for not thinking she's a whore, and she would love it if Minty could find her something to knock her the fuck out!
Amanda- Why thank you for the review! :D I'm glad Cali doesn't bother you!
PeytonLane- My dear, you will be receiving some yummyness!
TayaHearts- Ding Ding Ding! Same for you, shock and awe, or high tension? And thanks! My characters thank you was well!
Hope you enjoyed!
*Hearts!* Eris
