This Night

Chapter 229

Author's Note: I am addressing the Beth situation in this author's note. I have a poll on my profile that's up until the 17th. I probably will keep her alive (FOR NOW) only because I hated the way she died. This is the Walking Dead, no one is safe. I kept Merle alive only to kill him later as his death was wasteful on the show. Axel isn't talking to me, so he may go. Ronnie's death is written in my head. So, even if she is saved now, she may not be safe. I think being on the road with them and dealing with Maggie (who by the way never mentioning her sister once was wrong) will make the story better. I already figured out why they will still go to Noah's home. And Jewel is going to be moody cause of post partum. Changes occur, it's fan fiction. But please, realize I can not and will not promise she will live 'forever' in the story. If a time comes (like she is not making her presence known and not making an impact and just alive because I chose to save her) she will be free game, as is any of the people. Merle told me his story was done, and this was the way he wanted it to go. Ronnie is telling me her way to go. Axel isn't talking so he may be getting bit here real soon. They dictate what I write. I write one chapter at a time, and if they don't like what I have to say, they make me rewrite it. Please vote, but if she does stay alive, please do not get mad at me later if she dies saving Hope or Jewel or whoever. And Tyreese is going to die, because Lexi and Sasha are already having it out in my head in Alexandria. I haven't got that far ahead! Please review.

Washington Group:

Jes sat on the floor of the bus cleaning her gun as she listened and watched everyone. This was how she gathered information, just sat and listened.

Rosita played with Abraham's hair. "It's getting a little messy for you."

Abraham smiled as he drove the bus. "Gettin' ady for retirement. Relaxin' the grooming standards. Thinkin' about becomin' a plumber, a sheepherder, or something," he said.

"You aint herding sheep right now, Abraham, eyes on the prize," Rosita told him.

"Damn right, that's my girl. Maybe I'll let you shave me down all over, dolphin smooth," Abraham said.

"I think that's one image I can live without," David interjected.

"I think that's something we can all live without," Jes said.

Rosita laughed as she smacked him. "I'll cut it for you tonight," she told him.

"If I could borrow the scissors, I'd like to trim my mustache," Axel told her.

"No problem," Rosita told him.

Tara looked over at Eugene. "Hey, maybe Rosita can give you a trim while she's at it. Party's getting a little long in the back. Or is it your source of power?"

"Who knows, the end of the world, maybe the mullet is coming back into style? Along with Axel's mustache. Maybe they are leading the fashion sense into the whole apocalyptic world," David teased from beside Tara.

"Each there own," Jes told him.

"I ain't slayin' a lion anytime soon. I wouldn't be placing any wagers on seein' me dispatch a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass," Eugene told Tara.

"Oh you'll just settle on saving the world, right?" Tara asked.

"Yeah," Eugene answered.

Tara looked at him. "What's up? Last night?" she asked.

"I think we're all a little unnerved by last night," Axel spoke up from beside Eugene. "It was more of a bloodbath then I expected."

Jes glanced up. "It could have been a lot worse. I've seen worse, I've done worse," she said. "Nobody gets to ask me what I did before, the only person I let get away with that is dead now. So, Eugene, last night getting to you?"

"Nope," Eugene answered as he sighed. "That and tomorrow. And I'm thinking about what the preacher did," he answered. He turned and looked at Jes as she sat on the ground. "I'm sorry about Merle. The two of you seemed like a cute couple."

Jes arched an eyebrow as she put her weapon back together. "Did you just call me cute?"

"There is nothing wrong with the word cute," Eugene told her.

"I think she doesn't like being referred to as cute," Axel interjected.

"Or being called a part of a couple with Merle," Maggie told them.

"That's because Merle and I were friends, friends who liked to get down and dirty once in a while," Jes told them.

"Now that's something we don't need to have burned into our memories," Abraham told her.

"Just don't call me cute again, Eugene. Cute is for babies, horses, baby animals and the like," Jes warned.

"She means business, don't want to cross Jes," Glenn said after he finished his conversation with Maggie.

"Smart man you got there Maggie," Jes answered.

Maggie smiled. "Don't I know it?" she answered more of a statement then a question. "How long will it be? After you get on that terminal and do what you have to do?" Maggie asked Eugene.

Jes put her gun down beside her and stretched her legs out and looked at him. "I think we're all anxious to know that."

"Depends on a number of factors including density of the infected around target sites worldwide," Eugene answered.

"Wait, target sites? Are you talking about missiles?" Glenn asked.

"He can't be, can you?" Axel asked his seat mate.

"It's classified," Eugene answered after a second of hesitation.

"I though we were over that," Glenn told him.

Jes didn't miss the look of hesitation on his face and jumped on it. "We're putting our asses on the line, to go on this mission, for you. Do you even know if the other nine people are alive? If these people made it? I'm going to guess that if you all were part of a team, world wide, these people, like you, all had the same instructions to get to Washington. That not all of you were given all the top secret codes, that you are just one piece of the puzzle. Will it work if say, only seven of the nine are there. If only five on the nine are there. It's just common sense when dealing with something as important as this, that whoever was running this thing wouldn't have put his or her apples in one basket," she said as she looked at Eugene.

"I have sufficient amount of information to make this work without the others," Eugene told them.

"So, why the whole classified thing?" David asked.

"If we all live, it'll matter," Eugene answered. "Anyway, the speed with which things normalize depend on a number of factors including worldwide weather patterns, which were modeled without the assumption that cars, planes, boats, and trains wouldn't be pouring hydrocarbons into the atmosphere this long. Changed the game quite a bit when it comes to air-transmissible pathogens," he told them.

Axel looked at him then at the others to see they had as a confused look on there faces as he did.

Glenn was the first one to speak. "So why the hair?"

"Because I like it. And no one is takin' scissor or clipper to it anytime soon. Do you hear me, Miss Espinoza?" Eugene asked.

Rosita laughed. "Loud and clear," she answered as the group laughed.

"Y'all can laugh all you want," Eugene told them.

"No one was makin' fun," Maggie said.

"Speak for yourself," David answered.

"The smartest man I ever met happened to love my hair. My old boss, T. Brooks Ellis, the director of the Human Genome Project. He said my hair made me look like, and I quote, "a fun guy," which I am. I just ain't Samson," Eugene told him.

"Fun is not a word that I would ever associate with you," Jes said as they hit a bump which caused her to be raised off the floor. "What the hell Abraham? I assumed you could drive!"

"Bitchnuts!" Abraham yelled as the bus swerved and he lost control as it rolled over. "Eugene! Eugene!" Abraham yelled as he started to sit up.

"Eugene are you alright?" Tara asked.

"The preacher…he didn't see any…other way," Eugene mumbled.

"Come on man, get off of me," Axel told him as he maneuvered himself from under Eugene.

"Hold on OK? Everyone else OK?" Abraham yelled.

"Yeah," Glenn answered.

"Yeah, I'm good," David answered.

"Yes," Tara responded.

Jes stood up and then almost fell before David grabbed her. "Her head is bleeding," David said.

"I'm good," Jes answered as she tried to stand again but failed miserably.

"Yeah, not good, at all," Rosita said. "The engine's on fire, we have to get out of here."

TBC

Author's Note: I know it's short but I wanted to get something out before work. Today's payroll and I'm exhausted when I get home from payroll. Please review.