~Charlotte~
We all left our food and followed Jenner, which I didn't want to do as the food was delicious. I did not want it to go cold, but questions had to be answered. Jenner lead us to a huge room that had many work desks and computers. A huge screen was in the room, my jaw dropped slightly from the size of it.
"Vi, turn on the video." Jenner commanded to one of the computers in the room.
Then, the huge screen flashed and a picture of a human skull showed on the screen, showing the persons brain.
"This is a representation of what happens during the transformation. Test-subject 19, or TS-19." Jenner explained to us. Small balls of light started to travel through the brain. Transformation? This is a representation of someone who got bit and is in the process of turning. My stomach started to feel odd at the sight of the brain.
"What are those?" Dale asked, curious about the balls of light that are travelling around the brain.
"They are everything that make you who you are." He tells us. My eyes follow the white lights that are travelling through the brain. Then, the twinkling lights faded.
"What happened?" Andrea asks him.
"They died." Jenner muttered. "This brain recording is of a person who got bitten and they said that they would help us see what would happened."
Then in the centre of the brain, tendrils of red started to fill the brain, flowing through it like ink.
"What's that?" Lori asked.
"That's the infection. It acts like meningitis, invading the brain." Jenner explained.
"It brings them back?" questioned Carol.
"Yes, but the 'you' part, is gone. There is nothing human left. It can take from a few minutes to eight hours." The dead human was reanimated, it started to move about, moving its jaw.
I looked at Andrea, tears started to form in her sad eyes. Jenner also looked at her.
"She lost her sister." Dale explained.
"I'm sorry." Jenner said. "I too lost someone I loved."
My attention was drawn back to the screen as suddenly, something showed at the edge of the screen, pointing at the head that was moving. No longer human. It was a walker. Then, there was a flash and the skull was split in two. The walker stopped moving.
"What was that?" Andrea asked.
"He killed his patient." Lori exclaimed.
The screen cut to black. Dale started to make his way over to Jenner. "Hate to ask one more question, but that clock is counting down. What happens when it reaches zero." I look at the red numbers on a small screen. Counting down. I never noticed that, due to my obliviousness.
Jenner shuffled on his feet, staring at the countdown. After a moment of hesitation he gives a long sigh and then answers.
"The…the generators run out of fuel." He states.
"And then?" Rick waits for him to answer, but he doesn't respond. "Vi, what will happen in the event of power shortages?"
"In case of power shortages, the decontamination of the entire building will be executed." The computer said.
In that moment, everyone stops. Not a breath can be heard. We all take in the words, proceeding them, not sure of what they mean.
Everyone went into their rooms to gather all their belongings. I drag my suitcase out from under my bed and my rucksack, swinging it on my back. Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog went into the basements to check out the generators.
I made sure that I had all of my possessions and I done this all in a rush, afraid that time will run out. This place was about to blow. As I checked that I had all my stuff, my brain was thinking of different situations that could play out.
What if we stayed? An easy death. If we leave, we will get eaten. Maybe it's best if I stay. Go in the flames. A quick death. My parents are probably dead and if I die, I will be reunited with them. Won't I?
"Fifteen minutes prior to decontamination." I look up at the countdown.
"Doc, what is this shit?! Tell us!" Daryl yells.
The air in this building was going to ignite, killing us, but it'll be a quick and painless death.
Dr Jenner wants to stay here and blow up in the flames and locked us all in the control room. None of us can escape, but maybe that's for the best. Maybe it is best if we stay here. My mind was sitting on the fence, unsure whether we should stay and die painlessly, or go out and face the cruel world.
"You best let us out of here or I'll kick your ass!" Daryl demanded. I looked around at the survivors, close to tears. Carl and Sophia were bawling, so was Carol along with Lori.
"Why do you want to go out there? Out into a world where you could get eat alive? Are you willing to go through more pain? More suffering? You can just get it over and done with here. In one short second." Jenner was telling us, persuading us to stay.
"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" Carol sobbed as she hugged Sophia close.
"Your daughters are going to die if you take them outside. There is no hope." Jenner told her, in a calm manner.
"I think you're lying." Rick said to Jenner.
"What?"
"Yeah, you're lying. When you say there's no hope. If that were true, you would run away with all the others. You chose to stay. Why?"
"It isn't important."
"Oh, yes it is. Everything is important. You decided to stay, while others went running. Why?"
"I made a promise. To her. My wife."
"Was Test Subject 19 you're wife?" Lori asks him.
He gives a small nod, "She wanted me to continue the search as long as possible. What could I do? I couldn't say no. She was dying. I should have been in her place. Not many people would miss me. She ran the centre, I was just an employee. She was an Einstein. Me, I've never been more than Edwin Jenner. She could find a solution to everything. Not me."
"She didn't choose to opt out. You can make a choice. Let us out." Rick begged.
Jenner looked at him with sad eyes. "I have told you all the doors on the ground floor are close and I cannot open them."
Then, I hear the swish of the metal doors opening, allowing us to leave.
"Let's go!" Daryl called. Everyone grabbed their bags and started to run out.
Unlike the others, I was walking. I was still making my choice, my nbrain was sitting on the fence on what choice I should make. Should I go for the easy way? Or should I try to survive? If I do try to survive, it'll probably not last long.
"C'mon, Jacqui!" T-Dog calls. I look behind me and I see Jacqui stand by Jenner's side. She has made her choice.
"I'm gonna stay." She calls.
"Me too!" Andrea shouts, sitting on one of the chairs in the room. I stand their, looking at the three of them.
"Charlie?!" I look back at the metal doors and see Glenn standing in the doorway. Dale is running over to Andrea, probably trying to talk her out of it.
I run over to Jacqui and give her a tight hug. My tears soak into her shirt and my sobs are muffled from the fabric. "Is this what you want?" I ask her, barely getting the words out.
"Yes." Jacqui says. I let go of her and stare into her eyes, still deciding.
I don't think I am brave enough to face the world again.
"Charlie? C'mon let's go!" Glenn calls for me, his voice in panic. I look back at him, I can just about see him. I shake my head. Glenn stares at me in shock. He then looks at the countdown, knowing that he has to go or he will die in the flames. I take my rucksack off my shoulders and set it down at my feet.
"Glenn. Go." I tell him.
He stares at me, wide eyed. Shocked. He turns. And leaves.
"Charlie? You can't seriously be staying here?" Dale looks at me.
"I think Jenner is right."
"No. No he isn't. If you and Andrea are staying," he pulls up a chair. "So am I."
"No. Dale, don't do this." Andrea tells him.
"Dale, please. Just go." I then say. My mind is forming so many thoughts. Now I really don't know what to do. If I stay, I will have Dale's blood on my hands. I can't have that. I look at Andrea and see glares at Dale, full of anger and hate. She is probably thinking the same as me.
"Fine." I snap. I pick up my rucksack and swing it on my shoulders. "Better get going if we don't want to die." I mutter. My emotions are on a rampage because of Dale.
Andrea stands up from her chair, followed by Dale.
"Good. Made a good choice."
I look around for my suitcase. "Where is my suitcase?" I mumble, my eyes scanning around for my purple luggage.
"No time. You better go." I hear Jacqui say. I stare at her. She is definitely staying. My hand is then being tugged on, taking me away from Jacqui.
Dale, Andrea and I run out of the CDC, sun beating down on us.
I look at our vehicles, all filled with our friends. Waiting for us. We all sprinted as fast as we can towards the cars. Suddenly, I am being brought down. The three of us hide take cover.
The sharp high pitched sound was unbearable. The CDC, explodes in an immense orange fire. Debris falling everywhere and I cover my head, hoping that none of it will hit me. I could feel the heat, the air become scorching and my skin felt like it was about to boil. It felt like an earthquake had struck, the ground was rumbling.
When everything started to quiet down a little, we got up and ran to the cars. I the three of us got into the RV which started to back up from the chaos. Nothing of the CDC remained, about from a big, black cloak of smoke. Jacqui and Jenner have now been reduced to ashes and I could've been a part of that. As well as Andrea and Dale.
Glenn is in the RV and he glares at me when we enter. Rick starts the engine and we start to drive away from the smoldering rubble.
The people in the group are probably disappointed in me, wanting to die in there. But I am not as strong as they are. And if I am to be a part in this group, then they need to accept that fact.
~Glenn~
We made a quick stop, but quickly continued our drive. No one spoke to each in the moments we were out of their vehicles. I wanted to speak to Charlie, but the fact that she was willing to stay there…I don't know what to say to her. She is a good friend and the fact that she was going to suicide and leave everyone just makes me sad, angry and disappointed.
Jacqui is gone. Andrea was going to be in the flames too. But the fact that Charlie was going to toss her life away makes me feel more sad.
I was in the RV, Dale was driving, I was in the seat next to him, Andrea and Shane were sitting at the table. Shane was teaching her how to clean her gun. Charlie was at the back of the RV with T-Dog, but she wasn't speaking. She was sitting down, listening to her music, daydreaming.
"Oh, jeez."
I look at Dale, then look at the road in front of us. The road I wasn't paying attention to. A huge truck was turned on its side, blocking us from going any further. I looked back at Charlie and saw her take off her headphones, coming up to the front of the RV to take a look.
There were a ton of cars, most with their doors open. No way to get around. I gave a long sigh. I felt Charlie's presence next to me, leaning on the seat I was sitting on. I look at the road, Daryl coming up to us on his bike.
"See a way through?" Dale asks him.
Daryl looks back at the mess and drives around the RV. He cuts in front of us, starting to lead us through the chaos. I analyse the map in my hands and Charlie looks over my shoulder to get a look at it.
"Uh…maybe we should just go back. There's am interstate bypass-" I was cut off by Dale.
"We can't spare the fuel."
We continue to make our drive around the mess, in a slow pace.
~Charlotte~
I left tense as we drove around the maze of cars. I felt like at any moment, a walker could come out of a car and attack us. Daryl rode his bike, leading us through the mess. The car behind us held Rick, Lori, Carl, Sophia and her mom, Carol.
"Jeez." I mutter. Clothes and other assorted objects were scattered across the road. The cars doors were open, probably from where people tried to escape.
"Can we get through here?" Glenn asks. I realise that Glenn is mad at me, he keeps on giving me these looks. But let him be mad. I wanted to end my suffering there, at the CDC. That was my choice. Now I am here, in this mess.
I jumped out of my skin, when smoke erupted from the hood of the RV and the RV started clanking, making odd noises that didn't sound good.
Dale groaned as the engine spluttered.
We made our way out of the RV. "I said it. Didn't I say it?" Dale said when he comes out of the RV, staring at the hood of the RV. "Thousand times. Dead in the water."
"Problem, Dale?" Rick asks,
"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no-hope of…" he drifts off, looking around at the grave-yard we were stuck in. We all look at Daryl who rummages through the back of the nearest car.
"If you cant find a radiator hose here…" Shane says.
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl continues.
"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog says.
"Maybe some water." Carol inputs.
"Or food." I add.
"This is a grave-yard." Lori says sadly. Everyone stops what they are doing and looks at her. "I don't know how I feel about this." Lori adds, looking at her husband.
We all look at each other, taking in Lori's words.
"Everyone, gather what you can." Shane tells us.
The first car that I head into had its doors wide open, spewing contents. I open the rucksack that was hanging out of the car, kneeling down to rummage through its contents.
Unlike Lori, I feel fine with going through this mess.
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