Chapter 13
The wind tore past me and Shane as we sped down the highway in his open-topped car. We were last in the queue, following directly behind Daryl's truck. This was the first moment I'd had on my own with Shane since we first arrived at camp, and I sure as hell wasn't going to waste it!
"We need to talk," I say, as boldly as possible, causing him to turn and look at me. I could see in his eyes that he knew what I was going to say, and as he naturally does, he tries to cover it with humour. "And what's that about?" He says, chuckling to himself in his own amusement. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, you and Lori. Ever since me and Rick got back you've been exchanging all these worried looks. And she was the one who put you in a bad mood before you nearly killed god damn Ed."
Now the smiles were gone, he just sat there, staring at the road ahead. "Look, I'm not asking for details. But that man, he trusts you with his life; he loves you like a brother. You need to accept that whatever happened is over, okay?" Still no response. "Listen, Shane, I'm not saying this to hurt you or to insult you. I'm saying it cos' I don't wanna see anyone else get hurt- in any way"
We spent the rest of the journey in silence, until we finally reached our destination- the CDC. Now nerves were running high, this couldn't be a dead end, it just couldn't. Swiftly, we left the car and met the rest of the group by the side of the RV. Dale and Glenn both greeted me with a small nod, and the others began moving towards the gates for the centre.
The scene was horrific. Rotting corpses were scoured all over the streets; most were dressed in military attire, which was not promising at all. Also, you had to be careful where you placed your feet- there were small splatters of blood and body parts all over the place. I could only imagine what thoughts were going through Carl and Sophia's innocent, young minds as they clung to their mother's arms.
When we finally reached the entrance gates, myself, Rick and Shane all began clawing at the doors, desperate for them to open. However, this was not the case. The doors wouldn't budge a single, solitary bit. "Walkers!" I heard T-Dogg scream. Several members of the group shrieked as I pushed through them, attempting to help protect the women and children alongside Daryl and Glenn. As I scanned the horizon, I could see multiple groups of walkers descending upon us. I knew one thing for sure we needed to be quick.
I took one look back at the group, Lori and Carol clinging to their children, as if they would never let go ever again. Daryl started verbally abusing Rick for making the wrong decision. Shane defended him, whilst trying to explain that we needed to move. Me, Glenn and T-Dogg all exchanged worrying glances whilst holding our aim against the approaching un-dead. And whilst all of this took place, Rick looked like he just couldn't process it. He'd let his son down, his wife down. He'd let all of us down.
Shane began dragging Rick away as he began screaming at the door, "I know you're in there! Please we have women and children. No food, barely any ammo! Please! Please! You're killing us!" And as Shane finally pulled him away, the stubborn gates finally shot open, blinding us with a pure white light.