Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the reason I keep writing! :) Please enjoy and leave me a review! Also, I didn't get a chance to really proofread this chapter, so if there are any errors please let me know! ~Disclaimer~ I do not own The Walking Dead, because if I did, the Mid-Season finale last night would have ended VERY differently...
Shock was coursing through Piper as Shane continued to kiss her. At first she didn't respond, but quickly found herself surrendering herself to the kiss, tangling her fingers in Shane's dark, curly hair as he cupped her face in his hands.
They were quickly losing themselves in each other when a sudden knock sounded at the door, causing them to pull away quickly. They both fought to regain their breath as Shane stood and walked to the door, pulling it open to a teary eyed Bailey and an apologetic looking Carol.
"I'm sorry, they were all asleep when Bailey woke up crying for Piper." Carol explained apologetically. Piper jumped up from the couch and rushed forward, meeting Bailey partway and picking her up.
"Aww, what's the matter baby?" Piper said softly. Bailey sniffled and wrapped her arms around Piper's neck, squeezing desperately as she buried her face in the crook of her neck.
"I has bad dweam… the bad guys took you away and I was all awone…" She continued to cry as Piper looked down at her sadly.
She walked over to the couch and sat down, settling Bailey in her lap. "Look at me sweetie." When Bailey pulled her head up to look at her, she continued. "I'm not going to leave you okay? We're going to make it through this and we'll always be together all right?" The little girl nodded her head and leaned against Piper's chest.
"I'm really sorry you two. I should have settled her down and left you alone." Carol said meekly. Shane and Piper shook their heads at her.
"Nah, s'all right Carol." Shane smiled at her kindly.
"Don't ever apologize for bringing her to me if she needs me Carol. Thank you for watching her for a while." Piper smiled appreciatively at Carol, who nodded before smiling shyly and walking back to her room.
"Sorry Shane, I can take her out in the hallway for a while. She probably won't relax for a few hours." Shane shook his head and sat next to the pair on the couch.
"Don't even think about it. Just lie down and try to get her to sleep. She won't bother me any." He kissed Piper softly on the top of her head and rubbed Bailey's back before rising from the couch and lying down on the cot.
Piper smiled at him and rose, grabbing one of the blankets from the arm of the couch and tossing it at Shane. She walked over to the doorway and turned off the light, causing Bailey to whimper quietly.
"It's okay Bailey, we're safe." Piper cooed to the little girl who had begun to doze. She walked them over to the couch and settled the little girl in next to her, pulling a blanket over the both of them and humming a lullaby to her until they both fell asleep.
The next morning, Piper woke up with a slight throbbing in her head, but nothing unmanageable. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, looking over to see Shane sleeping on the cot and Bailey sitting on the floor flipping through a book with her toy wolf by her side.
"Morning Bailey." Piper greeted with a yawn. Bailey hopped up from her spot and jumped into Piper's lap.
"Mornin' Mama! I'm hungwey… bweakfast time now?" Piper chuckled at her enthusiasm and nodded her head. She debated waking Shane up, but figured he could use the extra rest. She picked Bailey up and quietly carried her out of the room, silently pulling the door closed behind her.
When they made it into the dining area, Piper noticed that the whole group, besides Shane, was up and moving, though some were moving much slower than others.
Piper sat Bailey down in a chair next to Carol, seating herself next to her. T-Dog walked up with a pan and scraped some eggs onto two plates for the pair. Piper thanked him and instructed Bailey to do the same.
She shyly looked up at him and smiled. "Fank you mister." T-Dog let out a hearty laugh before mussing the little girl's hair.
"None of that 'mister' stuff. Just call me T-Dog or T." Bailey nodded once before digging into her eggs. Piper reached over and poured them each a glass of orange juice. Eventually Shane shuffled into the kitchen, groaning and rubbing his face.
"Feeling a little rough Shane?" Piper asked with a smirk. Shane just moaned in response and grabbed a plate of food and a cup of coffee before plopping himself down in the chair next to her.
Jenner walked in and started pouring himself a large mug of coffee. Dale rose nervously from his seat and cleared his throat.
"I don't mean to bombard you with questions first thing…" He trailed off quietly.
"But you will anyway." Jenner said with a somewhat amused smirk on his face as he turned to face them.
"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea said sharply. Piper raised her eyebrow at her tone. Dale sent her a disapproving look before turning back to Jenner.
"That clock that's been counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asked suspiciously. There was a tense silence that followed until Jenner rose from his seat without a word, and led the way into the large room we were in when we first arrived. Piper had Bailey perched on her hip as she leaned against one of the computers, watching as the rest of the group nervously filed in around her.
Jenner went on to explain the experiments that had been performed on people who were infected. Piper only half paid attention. She was playing and talking to Bailey, keeping her attention off the disturbing images being shown on the screen.
Suddenly, the men rushed out, leaving the women and children nervously pacing the room. Their faces were grim as they returned.
"What happens when the generators run out of fuel?" Rick asked tensely. Jenner looked to the ground before sitting on a chair and typing on one of the computers.
"The power runs out." He said simply.
"What about when the clock hits zero?" Jenner said nothing, causing the group to fidget nervously.
"Vi, what happens when the clock runs out?" Rick asked the computer.
"Facility wide decontamination will occur." Piper pulled Bailey close and walked over to Lori and Carol and their children, sitting down on the floor next to them.
"H.I.T's…" Jenner added solemnly as he spun around in his chair.
"What are those?" Piper asked warily.
"Vi, define." Jenner stated simply.
As the computer went on to describe the explosion that would inevitably take place, the group began to panic. Rick rushed forward suddenly.
"Everyone, get your things. We're getting out of here." Daryl and Shane ran for the doors when a siren started going off and the doors slammed shut. There was a moment of stunned silence.
"D-did you just lock us in?" Glenn asked. "He just locked us in!"
Piper clutched Bailey to her chest as the screaming and yelling from the group made her start crying. She rocked her gently as she watched with terror at the scene in front of her. Shane had just shot a computer, then was thrown to the ground by Rick.
Piper blocked out everything as she sung softly into Bailey's ear. Her mother always sang to her when she was young and afraid and it always calmed her. She felt Bailey's sobs let up slightly. When she looked up, she saw Jenner punch in something into a keypad and the doors opened slowly.
"C'mon, let's go!" T-dog yelled. Lori and Carol jumped to their feet, pulling Carl and Sophia along behind them. Piper rose and held Bailey tightly as she rushed to the doorway. Shane gripped her arm firmly, pulling them along. As they ran, he handed her duffel bag over to her and she slung it over her shoulder. When they got into the main room, Shane, Daryl and T-dog desperately tried to break through the glass.
"The glass won't break?" Sophia said nervously as she clung to her doll. Carol dug through her pockets before turning to Rick.
"Rick! I think I have something that will help." Everyone's eyes widened at the sight of the grenade. He took it from her carefully and rushed up to the window.
Piper dove behind a counter, tucking Bailey in the middle. She felt someone cover her head and lean into her back. She turned slightly and saw Daryl covering them protectively.
The grenade exploded, causing glass and other shrapnel to fly. After the coast was mostly clear, Daryl pulled Piper and Bailey up and led them out of the building. He killed walkers as they made their way to his truck. When they reached it, he opened the passenger door and shoved them inside, slamming the door shut behind them.
Piper tucked Bailey on the floor by the shifter, laying over her. She heard Daryl get in the truck and soon felt him leaning over her. "Keep your head down!" He commanded. A split second later, an earth-shattering 'BOOM' was heard and an enormous wave of heat rushed over the group.
Piper's ears were ringing from the deafening blast, but quickly pushed Daryl off of her so she could see what had happened to the rest of the group. She saw movement in the RV as well as Shane in his jeep. She then saw Andrea and Dale pop out from some rubble and rush into the RV.
Before they started driving, Piper took one last look at the CDC. It had been their last hope. And it was still burning brightly as the angry flames danced to the sky.