~Charlotte~
I relax in the waters of the lake in the quarry. I continuously look at where I stood up to Ed, the place where I was doing laundry with the other women. Half of my head bobs out of the water. I take a deep breath, hold it and dive right into the water. I keep my eyes closed. The water is freezing, but I somehow really really like it. It cools down my anger that was heating in me. I blow bubbles out of my mouth and they tickle my nose.
I need to get air into my lungs so I swim back up and gasp in the air. I look back at were I done the laundry with the women.
Ed is dead. I don't know if I should feel glad or sad. Amy is dead. Alicia is dead. Jim is going to die. Everyone is going to die in this world.
Everyone is at the funeral. Dale and Andrea are carrying Amy's body that is wrapped up in a white sheet and are putting her into a grave. Amy turned into a walker, but Andrea put her down. I wasn't there as I was cooling off in the water.
Dale and Andrea are having difficulty in putting her body in the grave.
"I can do it. I can do it. I can do it! I can do it." Andrea says over and over again to Dale who tries to help her put her dead sister in the grave.
When the funeral was over, I immediately go to the RV that Jim is resting in. I sit down next to him.
"How are you feeling?" I ask him, my voice trembling. I am somehow scared that he will turn in this moment.
"Considering the fact I got bit, I feel fine. I'm okay. Everything will be okay." he looks weak and pale. He tries to put on a brave face, but I see right through it. He already looks dead.
Carol walks in. "How is he doing?" she asks me.
"He says he is doing just fine." I say as I put my hand on his forehead to feel his temperature. It's scorching hot. I stand up and move nearer to Carol. "Fever has gotten worse." I whisper to Carol, trying hard to not let Jim hear.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. Everything's okay. It'll be okay in the end." Jim is saying.
Lori and Rick enter the RV, with concerned looks on both of their faces.
"Fever's worse." Carol tells them.
"You need anything?" Lori asks him.
"Uh…water. Could use some more water."
"I'll go get some."
"Okay."
"Carol, could you help me?" Lori asks her.
Carol nods and they both leave together.
Rick sits next to Jim. "I'm gonna head over to my tent, Rick. Tell me if he needs anything." I tell him. Rick probably has some important things to talk about, without my company. Rick nods at what I say and I leave the RV.
"I've been, uh…I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no…there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Everybody listen up. Those of you with CB's, we're gonna be on channel forty. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"
Everyone is gathered around by the cars, we are about to take off to the CDC. I have my rucksack hanging on one shoulder, fully packed and my small red suitcase is in the RV.
"We're, uh…not going." Morales tells us.
"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." Miranda then says.
"I'm also going to go off." Daniel said. "I need to go to my parents-in-law and tell them about Alicia." I don't agree with anyone going. How do they now if those that they loved survived? They are filled with hopefulness, and they are going to raise their hopes and will probably have to mourn the deaths of those that they loved.
"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane tells them.
"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family." Morales replies.
"So have I." Daniel said.
I look down at the four children, Tom, Alex, Louis and Eliza. All look blank and sad.
"You sure?" Rick asks them.
Daniel nods.
"We talked about it. We are sure." Morales explained.
"Alright. Shane?"
"Yeah."
Rick then gives Morales a gun and Shane hands him over a box of ammo. They then do the same for Daniel.
"Both of those boxes are half full."
"Thank you all…for everything." Miranda said sadly. Lori then takes Miranda into a warm hug. I look at Sophia and Eliza, both in tears, they are going to miss each other.
"Bye." Eliza whispers. When they let go, Eliza hands Sophia her doll that I've seen her play with many many times.
"Channel forty if you change your minds." Rick tells Morales.
"Yeah."
Sophia returns to Carol and they both hug, sad about the family who are about to leave us.
"Sure you want to go?" I ask Daniel.
"They need to know."
I look down at the ground. "Okay." I whisper.
"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed one form the cube van." Dale explains. En route to the CDC the RV's radiator hose burst, so everyone had to stop at the side of the road and now we have to wait for the RV to be patched up.
"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asks him and my mind starts to think of what the definition of jury-rigging is.
"That's all its been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape."
"I see something up ahead!" Shane calls, pointing down the road. "A gas station if we're lucky."
The door of the RV opens and Jacqui steps out. "Y'all, Jim…it's bad. I don't think he can take anymore." She tells us, then goes back in to the dying Jim. My bottom lip quivers.
No. No more crying. It's weak and those who are weak die.
"Hey, Rick. You want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back." Shane said.
"Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up." T-Dog tells Shane.
"Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back." Shane tells us.
I slowly make my way over to Glenn who is staring at the RV.
"How are you hanging?" I ask him, crossing my arms.
"I'm fine. Just worried."
"About what? There is a lot of things to be worrying about nowadays."
"I am worrying about everything. Mainly Jim and what we are gonna do about him." As soon as Glenn says that, Rick goes into the RV, probably to check up on him.
"It's hard," I say quietly. "What's going on. I don't understand what we did for this to happen. Why did the dead start walking around?"
"Maybe when we are at the CDC we will get some answers."
"Maybe."
I scratch my sweaty forehead, thinking of what to say next as I want to change the subject. My head is thumping and I hear my heartbeat in my ears. The heat is starting to get to me.
"It's hot, huh?" I say.
"Boiling." he agrees.
I then see Rick coming out of the RV, looking glum.
"Jim…he wants…he wants us to leave him here. He wants to be with his family."
We all look at him and I want to say something, but I cannot form words.
Shane and T-Dog came back quickly and Rick was talking to all of us about the situation with Jim.
"It's what he says he wants." Rick tells us, looking at me.
"And he's lucid?" Carol asks.
"He seems to be. I would say yes."
"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood." Dale begins. "I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer."
"We just leave him here?" Shane asks. "We take off? I'm not sure I can live with that."
"It's not your call, either one of one." Lori tells him.
Rick looks up at Shane.
"D'you mind helping me take him out?"
"Course." Shane replies.
They headed into the RV and grabbed Jim, carrying him to a nearby tree. Jim is groaning when he is set down. "Hey, another damn tree." Jim chuckles, and I am unsure as to what he means.
"Hey, Jim. I mean…you know you it doesn't need to be this." Shane informs him.
"No. It's good. The breeze feels nice." he says with a small smile on his face.
"Okay. Alright."
"Just close your eyes, sweetie. Don't fight." Jacqui says sadly, her eyes sparkling with tears. She leans down to kiss him on the cheek. Rick takes out a gun and shows it to Jim.
"Jim. Do you want this?" He asks,
"No. You'll need it. I'm okay. I'm okay."
"Hey, thanks for, uh, fighting for us." Dale tells him.
"Okay."
I was never close to Jim, but he was a good man. I want to say something as a goodbye, but I can't think of anything to say.
The group departs, leaving Jim resting at his tree. He looks so peaceful, staring up at the sky.
We managed to make our way to the CDC with no more problems. There were military checkpoints and all were filled with walkers. There was an unbearable stench of dead bodies and I had to wrinkle my nose. We all jogged up to the doors of the CDC. Finally we are here. We started to pound on the large metal door, trying to get someone's attention.
"Nothing?" Shane asks.
"There's nobody here." T-Dog complains.
"There has to be." I mutter.
"If no one is here then why are the shutters down?" Rick asks.
"Walkers!" I hear Daryl call. I turn to see where the walkers are coming in from. They are a few, making their way down to us. One goes down as Daryl shoots it in the head.
"You led us to a graveyard!" Daryl shouts. My heart starts to beat hard and it feels hard for me to breathe.
"He made a call." Shane says.
"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yells
"Just shut up! Shut up! Rick, this is a dead end."
"Where are we gonna go?" I ask.
"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Lori explains to the men.
"Fort Benning, Rick…still an option."
"On what? No food, no fuel. That's a hundred miles." Andrea said.
"One-twenty-five. I checked the map." Glenn says.
"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight. Now." Lori says.
"We'll think of something." Rick tells her.
I look at Glenn and he looks back at me. I thought that we could find answers here, but I was wrong. And so was Rick. My breathing feels weak and I start feeling light-headed.
"The camera! It moved!" Rick shouts. I look at him and my eyes drift to the camera. It's still.
"You imagined it." Shane says.
"It moved, it moved."
"Rick, it is dead, man. It's an automated device. It's gears. They're just winding down. Now come on!" Shane tells Rick. I can't help but believe Rick. There's a small bubble of hope still inside of me.
Rick starts to slam on the shutters and my ears ring from the noise. "I know you are in there!" Rick calls. "I know you can hear me!"
Shane and Lori both attempt to drag Rick away, but his determination makes his feet stick to the ground.
"Everyone get back to the cars." Shane tells us, but I stay still, watching both the shutters and the camera.
"Please! We're desperate. Please help us! We have woman, children, no food, hardly any gas left."
"Rick there's nobody here!" Lori tells him, still trying to get away from the shutters. He continues to pound on the metal shutters.
"You're killing us! Please!" Rick pleads to get entrance
The group start to walk off, but soon the area turns bright with blinding light. I shade my eyes, but it does nothing. Everyone is being drowned in the light and all I can see is silhouettes around me. I can just make out the shutters being raised slowly. I smile at the sight. I lower my arm and take in the light, even though it hurts my eyes. We can get the answers that we have been longing for. Get the information we need.
The CDC is open.
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