It was about a hour after the guys left that the air conditioning stopped and made Andrea and Trixie glance up from the bag on the floor. Trixie immediately started to react before Andrea tried to clam her down and then a second later the lights cut off. Trixie glanced to Andrea before they heard footsteps out in the hall and she opened their door and glanced out into the hall. Carol was there with Sophia and Lori was looking out with Carl while Dale and Jacqui looked out as well.
"What happened to the lights why are they off?"
"And the air conditioning?"
"Whats going on!" Trixie looked down the hall and saw Rick rushing up it now, trying to get back to the main room, and as he passed Loris door Trixie noticed her grabbing Carl and their stuff and rushing after him. Trixie grabbed her things, throwing Daryls crossbow over her shoulder as Andrea went to get her things as well and when she got into the hall T-Dog collided with her and hard.
"Sorry Trixie! Didn't see ya there."
"I know, its dark. The main hall, it will still have power." T-Dog nodded as Trixie felt another pair of hands going around her waist and she turned expecting to see Daryl but saw Shane holding her upright as Daryl was rushing up behind them.
"Whats going on here?"
"Everyone followed Rick to the main room, something happening. Was the fuel still good?"
"No go darling, the drums are empty. We running on fumes woman." Trixie frowned to Daryl before Shane shoved her forwards and they made their way to the main room where Rick was already shouting at Jenner.
"Hey! Hey what does that mean! Im talking to you! What do you mean its shutting itself down!" Trixie stopped short near the door as she overheard this and started to back up.
"No. NO! We got to go! We got to get out!" Jenner and Rick glanced back to Trixie as she shook her head but Daryl was there to try and calm her down before Jenner smiled slowly to her.
"Whats going on!"
"Its going to shut its self up! Blow itself to nothing! We got to go!" Daryl glared at Jenner as Trixie tried to get them to move to the door but they were determined to know what was going on.
"Jenner what is going on here, why is she freaking out, is there something you haven't told us. Is what shes saying true!"
"Yeah. The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. Its designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule. It was the French by the way. They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors, committing suicide in the hallways, the French stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution."
"What happened to them?" Jenner glanced from Daryl and Rick to Andrea as he turned and looked back at the empty computer screens.
"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid, no juice. The world runs of fossil fuel. I mean how stupid is that right?" Jenner was talking to himself now as Rick turned to Shane and nodded up to Trixie.
"To hell with it Shane, hes gone crazy and she says we need to leave. Grab the things and lets go. We're out of her now!" Everyone was nodding and grabbing their things now off the floor as Trixie smiled, finally they were going to be going, but everyone stopped as an alarm blared and they covered their ears.
"30 minutes until decontamination."
"Doc!" Daryl glared at the guy as Glenn shook his head and rushed to Daryls side.
"Yall heard Rick and Trixie. Lets get out of here!" Glenn was one step away from Trixie, she was smiling and happy that they were moving now, before a metal door suddenly slammed down between them and cut Glenn off from Trixies view. Trixie was immediately scared and as she screamed loudly everyone turned to Jenner. T-Dog and Glenn had to hold Daryl back as he went to jump the doctor while Rick was trying to figure out what had happened.
"He just locked us in here!"
"You son of a bitch!" Shane was about to attack now as Daryl tossed Glenn and T-Dog aside but Jenner didn't pay them any mind.
"Weve hit the 30 minute window. I am recording." Rick and Shane both turned Jenner around and were pointing to the doors as Glenn and Andrea were trying to talk to Trixie who was on the outside. Trixie was crying now, scared for her life being separated from the group and when Rick slammed his hand down on the computer screens Jenner looked at him.
"Jenner, open that door now." Daryl and Glenn glanced to Jenner and Rick as Jenner just shook his head while everyone heard Trixie crying on the other side.
"Theres no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Daryl glared at the doctor, anger and fear pulsating through him as he rushed up to the doctor and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"Open the damn things Jenner! My girl is out there and shes alone! Get them doors open now!"
"Its not something I can control, the computers do. If shes out there then she should be considered lucky."
"What? Why in da hell…"
"She will pass peacefully first." Daryl glared at Jenner, about to punch him before Rick, Shane, T-Dog and Dale pulled him back.
"You have to open the door Jenner!"
"I told you when you came in that once the doors shut they stayed shut, you heard me say that! Its better this way anyways."
"Jenner what happens in 28 minutes!"
"Why ask him Trixie knew! She warned us! Open the damn doors Jenner!"
"You know what this place is. We protected the public from very nasty stuff. Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country. Stuff you dont want getting out…EVER! In the even of a catastrophic power failure….in a terrorist attack for example…H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."
"H.I.T's?" Daryl glared to Jenner as he nodded to Rick. Daryl glances to Andrea who is at the door as she tried to figure out what was being said.
"What is an H.I.T Jenner!" Jenner looked to her but before he could say something Trixie knocked on the door, everyone turned her way and froze as she cried and called out to them.
"Its like I said! A big fire! H.I.T. stands for high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives. It will be in two stages that light the air on fire and then destroy the whole place in a ball of fire! Its only used when the greatest loss of life and damage to a place is needed. Like now!" Trixie hit the door again, making everyone turn to Jenner as he nodded, confirming her words and making everyone start to panic. The kids were crying with Lori and Carol as Glenn tried to clam Andrea down and Dale tried to help Rick and Shane get Jenner to open the door.
"Open the damn door Jenner!"
"Its an end to the sorrow, grief. Regret. Everything. A means to the end."
"Daryl! It comes form the outside in! It makes sure everything is dead! I don't want to die first." Trixie whispered the last part as Daryl touched the door and growled. Lori glanced to Jenner as Rick grabbed him by the jacket and shook him.
"Get those dame doors open and let us go!"
"You should have left well enough alone. You should have never come here. It would've been so much easier."
"For who!"
"All of you, you know whats out there….a short brutal life and an agonizing death. Your sister…what was her name?" Jenner was glancing to Andrea as she walked closer to them and watched him.
"Amy."
"Amy. You know what this done. You've seen it. Is that what you really want for yourself. Your wife and kids? Your girlfriend?" Jenner looked from Andrea to Rick and Lori then Daryl before he shook his head.
"I don't want this!" Lori cried to Jenner as Rick shoved the guy away and went to Shane to talk as Daryl grabbed an axe that was in a nearby 'in case of emergencies' box and rushed the door. He swung on it a few times, startling Trixie and making her scream before he grunted and Glenn grabbed his arms.
"Your not making a dent!"
"You cant. Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Daryl glared back to Jenner as he turned and started to head for him.
"Yeah well your head aint!"
"Whoa! Whoa!"
"Daryl! Daryl don't!"
"Just back up! Back up!" Glenn, Rick and Andrea were shouting to Daryl as he tried to kill Jenner, but it was Trixie calling out to him that got him to stop and return to the door.
"You do want this. You said last night you knew it was just a matter of time. Matter of time before everybody you loved was dead."
"What?" Rick glanced to Jenner as he grinned.
"You really said that?" Lori glanced to Rick and then Shane before she gripped Carl tight and eyed Jenner.
"I had to keep hope alive didn't I!"
"There is no hope. There never was."
"Theres always hope!" Jenner glanced to Rick as he grabbed his head and growled to Jenner.
"Maybe it wont be you, maybe not here, but somebody somewhere….what part of everything is gone do you not understand?" Rick and Jenner glanced to Jacqui. Jenner nodded.
"Listen to your friend. She gets it." This si what takes us down, this is our extinction event."
"This isnt right!" Carol held onto Sophia as she cried and looked over the group.
"You cant keep us here Jenner!" He smiled as he glanced up to Daryl with his hand on the door.
"Its only one tiny moment. A millisecond. No pain."
"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!"
"Wouldn't it kinder to just hold your loved one and wait for the clock to…." Jenner stopped talking as Shane cocked his gun and put it to his head. Daryl grinned, now they were getting somewhere, but as Andrea and Lori went to stop Shane Rick beat them to it.
"Shane no!"
"Stay out of the way Rick. Stay out of my way. Open the door or Im gonna blow you head off. Do you hear me?"
"Brother, brother this is not the way yo do this."
"We will never get out of here!"
"Shane listen to him! If you kill him no one gets out!" Shane glanced to the door, hearing Trixie call out to him like that really hurt him and as Rick started to nod and agree with him but when Shane went to pull the trigger Daryl jumped him, making Jenner back up and away from the struggle.
"It will be over quickly you know. No pain."
"Your lying!" Everyone turned to the door, watching as Jenner grinned before he walked up to it and looked at the spot where Trixie was on the other side.
"Im sorry?"