Chapter Nineteen

Sophia leaned over and rested her head against her mother's shoulder. She was dry-eyed, not having known Jim other than just another face in their group, but from what she'd seen, he'd been a nice man. Death was never easy, and no one deserved the fate of becoming one of those things.

Daryl's fingers were gripping the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles were white. "Y' ok?" he asked quietly as the caravan got on the road once more. They still had about another hour before they reached the CDC, barring any major pile ups left from the beginning of the outbreak and the following bombing of Atlanta. He winced as she shot him a pained smile. He'd been asking that question a lot lately. "M'sorry."

Carol stroked a gentle hand over her daughter's soft hair. "I'll be ok. We all will in our own way. Just can't give up, right?"

Daryl nodded, pleased with her attitude. It made him swell with pride to see how strong she was becoming. They rode in silence, lost in their own thoughts, Daryl still angry with Rick for bringing Jim along and putting everyone in danger, and Carol worried about what they'd find at the CDC. Her mind could never have imagined the nightmare which awaited them.

Daryl slowly pulled the truck to a stop behind Shane's jeep, chewing the inside of his lip to keep the horror he felt from showing on his face. He couldn't let Carol or Sophia think he was less than calm. The rest of the group filed out of their vehicles, and he opened the door, reaching in for his crossbow.

"Soph, keep your bow handy," he ordered. "Carol …" He didn't need to say more, her gun already in hand. "Put your jackets on, just in case." He doubted the walkers would be able to bite through the heavy fabric; one of the reasons he'd chosen them for his girls. "Stay close t' me, y' hear?"

He could see the fear and desolation on everyone's faces as they all began to move forward. The stench of rotting corpses was unbearable. He'd never seen anything more horrible in his life, and having a brother like Merle? Yeah, he'd seen his share of horrible shit. It looked as if the military had formed a blockade at the front of the building, but they'd been no match for an army of the undead. The bodies of civilians and military alike littered the ground, and they were forced to pick their way carefully through the carnage.

Carol covered her mouth with her free hand to ward off flies as well as the smell. It was all she could do not to reach out and pull Sophia close to her.

Rick looked back at the others as he took point. "Keep moving and stay together," he commanded, his rifle held at the ready.

Shane covered him, trying to be strong for his friend and encouraging towards the group. "C'mon, people, we're almost there."

Daryl scowled at them both, but never lowered his weapon. "This was a mistake," he murmured lowly to Carol. "Th' place is deserted."

Rick banged on the shuttered door as they finally reached what had once been the entrance. He looked as if someone had just kicked him in his teeth. Shane tried to pull him away. "It's a dead end, man. C'mon, we gotta go."

Daryl's temper exploded. "Walkers!" he yelled, firing on a soldier who'd probably succumbed trying to defend his post. All around him, the group began to lament on what to do. He was furious. "Y' led us into a goddamned graveyard!"

Shane whirled on him. "He made a call!"

"It was th' wrong damn call an' now we're all screwed," he growled, not backing down an inch.

Carol laid a hand on his arm. "This isn't helping," she hissed quietly. It was taking all her strength to keep from falling apart, inwardly panicking but calm on the outside.

He shook her off and let his gaze sweep the courtyard for other dangers, trying to bring himself in check.

Shane once again tried to pull Rick away from the door, but he was having none of it. "Rick, man, we can't stay here!"

"Someone needs to make a decision," Carol said, tired of all the bickering. If Rick was going to have a nervous breakdown, he needed to do it on his own time and not when all their lives were at stake.

Lori hugged Carl close. "She's right. We can't be this close to the city after dark."

Sophia went to Daryl and pressed herself back to back with him, an arrow nocked in her bow. "What're we gonna do?" she whispered, surprised he could hear her over Andrea and Glenn arguing with Shane about how they were supposed to reach Fort Benning without resources.

"I dunno, kid. We're on a sinkin' ship an' th' captain's been drinkin' th' petrol," he snarked.

"The camera … it moved! Someone's in there!"

Daryl shook his head as Rick went off on another tangent. "See what I mean," Daryl scoffed. He couldn't have been more stunned when a moment later they were blinded by security lights as the door rumbled open.

*.*.*

"Are any of you infected?"

Daryl didn't so much hear what else the man had to say. He was more focused on the semi-automatic rifle he held up before him.

Sophia peeked out from behind the hunter, a bolt aimed at the man's head. "How 'bout you let us in and we can talk about it?" She regarded him steadily through a narrow-eyed gaze and didn't lower her weapon until Daryl put a hand to her arm and shook his head. She raised her chin obstinately. "He looks kinda shifty, Daryl."

Carol covered her daughter's mouth with her hand. "Sophia!"

The girl shrugged. She didn't know what kind of stand the man expected to make when he was outmanned and facing a heavily armed group such as theirs. He looked jittery and harmless, despite the weapon he held in his trembling hands.

He actually smiled at her. "You their leader?"

Sophia rolled her eyes as Rick stepped forward with a hesitant smile. "No, that would be me."

Daryl had to force himself not to roll his own eyes as the man asked, "What do you want?"

"A chance," Rick answered, his eyes pleading with the man to take them in.

Daryl ignored the exchange, his gaze taking in the lobby to make sure the exits were sealed now that the shutters had been opened. Carol remained at his side and lowered her weapon, though she didn't holster it. He shifted slightly in front of her and Sophia should their host change his mind and open fire.

"You'll all have to submit to a blood test. That's the cost of admission," he offered. "You got stuff to bring in, you do it now."

*.*.*

"I'd almost forgotten what it was like to cook in a real kitchen," Lori said as she sat at a stainless-steel work table peeling potatoes.

Carol sent a faint smile her way. The elevator down into the bowels of the earth, which made up the hive of workspace, laboratories and sleeping quarters for the CDC's staff, had been torture. It almost made that day on the ladder at Marty's seem like a walk in the park. She couldn't relax knowing how far underground they were. It was as if the walls were slowly closing in on her. And what had Doctor Jenner meant when he'd warned once the doors were sealed, they wouldn't open again? Were they well and truly trapped? She fought to steady her breathing and concentrated on the ham steaks she was grilling on the flat top range. If she let her panic overwhelm her, she doubted even Daryl's meditation techniques would be enough to talk her down.

Carol still didn't know what to think of Edwin Jenner. Sophia wasn't far off when she'd called him shifty. She didn't trust him. She knew Daryl didn't trust him because her fierce protector didn't trust anyone. He was hiding something, and it left her uneasy. It had startled everyone to find out he was alone there, the only scientist to have stayed to continue working. She wondered if perhaps he'd gone a little mad from no contact with another human being for so long. A little insanity could possibly be what was giving her such bad vibes.

"Carol? Hey, you ok over there?" Lori asked with concern.

She shook off her fugue and added another steak to the grill. "Mhmm … Just thinking. Why d'you suppose Jenner demanded blood tests from us all? Kinda strange."

Lori brought the potatoes to the sink for a quick wash before she added them to the pan. It only took her a moment to add salt, pepper and dried dill weed to the diced spuds and put them in the oven. "Considering he let us in, I'd have given him a kidney if he'd asked."

Carol laughed and started on the canned green beans she'd found in the pantry. "Lori!" Her brow furrowed again. "Seriously though, what's he going to do with all those blood samples? If we're not infected with the virus, it's not going to do him any good to start testing."

"I think he's just being cautious," the brunette said as she popped a handful of cheezits. "Who cares? We have food, hot showers and actual beds to sleep in, without having to worry about walkers."

Carol was just taking several loaves of bread from the top of the double oven when Daryl came into the kitchen and groaned. "Shoulda known you'd be in here, woman. Gawd! Smells so good. When's dinner?"

She moved the loaves to a cooling rack and shared a smile with him. "Don't you want to know what we're having?"

He reached into the box Lori held out to him and took a handful of the cheesy little squares of goodness for himself. "Nope, don't care. Don't matter whatcha cook; s'always good."

Carol beamed at the praise, her cheeks tinting. "Um … Where are the children? I thought you were watching them."

Lori quickly got up from her stool, ready to rush off to find them, but Daryl waved off her worry. "They're fine. After their showers, I left 'em in th' game room th' doc mentioned. Y' don't wanna go in there unless you're prepared t' join their board game marathon. Least I talked 'em outta target practice."

Carol arched a brow at his unrepentant smirk as Lori paled. "No, I don't suppose Dr. Jenner would appreciate holes in his walls," she snarked back at him. "Did you find us somewhere to sleep?"

"Yeah … I'll show y' after dinner," he mumbled around another mouthful of cheezits. "Soph has th' room next t' ours. Carl said he was gonna ask if he could bunk with 'er, make sure it's a'right with you," he said to Lori.

"I guess. They should be ok. Our room is two doors down, so they'll be between us."

Carol swatted him with a dish towel. "Stop nibbling. You'll ruin your dinner."

"Never." But he left the kitchen regardless.

Lori raised her brows high in surprise. "He seems awfully cheerful. Anything you want to share, oh friend of mine?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Carol murmured, staring at the doorway where he'd disappeared. "Maybe it's just the thought of a good meal and a warm bed."

"Can't tell with that one," Lori shook her head.

Carol gave the pot of green beans a stir. She didn't want to discuss her burgeoning friendship with Daryl. It was like a gift on Christmas morning, one she wanted to keep a secret for as long as possible before she shared it with anyone. "So how are things with that husband of yours since he returned from the dead?" she asked, changing the subject.

Lori fidgeted nervously with the paring knife she'd used on the potatoes and shot a searching glance towards the closed door. "It's … uh …"

Carol turned the beans down to a simmer and went to sit next to her friend. Everything had happened so quickly after Rick's return to camp, what with them running off to Atlanta to try to rescue Merle, and then coming back to camp to find them under attack, she and Lori hadn't had any time for girl talk. "It had to have been a shock to find out he was alive, but you are happy, right?"

"Oh, god, Carol … It's such a mess," the brunette moaned, burying her face in her hands. "Things hadn't been good for a while before the outbreak, and then he was shot."

Carol nodded, remembering Lori's story of Rick's accident.

"When Shane told me he was dead, I felt so guilty. Maybe if I hadn't been so angry with him that morning, it wouldn't have happened. I think this was God's way of punishing me, of making me see not to take Rick for granted."

"Lori, you can't think that way."

Lori's eyes misted with tears. She looked absolutely miserable. "I really thought he was dead. I mean … Shane's his partner, his best friend … those two are like brothers. Why wouldn't I believe him when he told me Rick was gone?"

Carol reached across the space between them and took Lori's trembling hands in her own. "And Shane? You care for him?"

Lori huffed out an exasperated sigh. "I'm really angry at him. He lied to me."

"But he saved you, Lori," Carol pointed out. "He saved you and Carl. He got you to safety, looked after you, cares for you … both of you." She thought of the feelings Daryl stirred within her. "That type of experience creates a bond."

"Like you have with Daryl?" Lori asked.

Carol smiled. "He's my best friend, Lori. I never had that before. What I'm trying to say, is I understand how you could care for Shane. Despite what he did, what he told you, he does care for you. And I know you care for him too."

Lori groaned. "That's the problem. Rick is my husband. He went through hell to get back to me, and it's my duty to try to make our marriage work."

Carol tilted her head to the side and took in the mixed emotions on her friend's tired face. "Duty and obligation? That's not all there is to marriage. Trust me, I'm an old hand at reasons not to stay in a marriage. What does your heart say?"

Lori pulled her hands from Carol's gentle grasp and scrubbed them wearily over her face. "I don't know."

Carol rose from her stool to begin collecting dishes and flatware to set the table. "Listen to it, Lori. The heart doesn't lie. Then you'll know and be able to make a choice."

"I just don't want anyone to be hurt."

Carol hummed thoughtfully. "Either way, one of them will be hurt, but if you choose wrong, you'll be hurt. You're the one who will have to live with your choice, Lori. Just make sure it's the right one."

*.*.*

Carol whacked Shane's knuckles with a wooden spoon as he reached for one of the loaves of bread she'd just set on the table. "Ack! Not until everyone gets here," she admonished.

He rubbed the reddening marks with a grin. "Yes, ma'am. You remind me of my granny. Never had the patience to wait on her food either."

"'Cause it's th' best, right, Soph?" Daryl winked at her and set another bottle of red wine on the table.

There was a good bit of mumbling and groaning going on around the table, and Carol knew she wouldn't be able to hold them off much longer. Finally, Dale and Andrea ambled in, looking fresh out of the shower. Andrea's platinum locks were still damp, and her nose was red. She wasn't surprised her friend had been crying.

Carol wrapped her arms around the blonde and gave her a hug. "How are you coping?" she asked, waving the others ahead to start without them.

"I'm okay," Andrea replied, folding her arms across her chest. "It's just so hard to be here, knowing we're safe, when Amy's lying in the cold ground."

Carol grimaced. "C'mon … Try to eat something. I even made dessert." She was pleased with herself as Andrea cast her a small smile.

"Woman!" Daryl bellowed across the room. "Get your ass over here before Short Round eats all th' food."

Glenn blushed, unable to defend himself around a mouthful of ham and potatoes. Carol took the seat to Daryl's right, Sophia to his left. She was surprised to see he'd already piled a plate high with more than she'd likely be able to eat. The conversation turned a bit more boisterous, the group happily guzzling wine as if it were water with their meals. It was the first time they'd been able to relax in a really long time.

After Carl had been allowed to try a bit of wine and nearly gagged, Daryl leaned over and asked a giggly Sophia if she'd like to have a taste. Daryl had already drunk his way through a bottle himself. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't think it's for me. Ed drank too much, and he wasn't a nice man to start with."

Daryl ruffled her golden hair. "Good girl."

Neither her choice nor her admission swayed him from opening another bottle and tipping some into Carol's glass. He wasn't a mean drunk like his daddy, and he'd never had a desire to do drugs after seeing how they'd affected Merle. His girls wouldn't be in danger should he over imbibe.

"Daryl, no!" Carol protested. One glass was usually her limit, and then only when Ed had allowed her to drink at all.

"I know what's goin' on in that head o' yours," he murmured lowly, close to her ear, so the others wouldn't overhear. "What do you want? Stop thinkin' about Ed and what he made y' do. Do somethin' you want for a change."

Carol turned her head to stare at him, and her lips brushed the corner of his mouth. She'd known he'd been close … but not that close. Her eyes grew wide, unsure how he'd react. It was a testament to how much the alcohol affected him that he didn't jerk away and run from the room to put as much distance between them as possible. Instead, his smoky blue gaze became hooded and dropped down to her mouth. She forgot she was in a room full of her friends, forgot Sophia was there, forgot how to breathe. All she wanted with every quick race of her pulse was to have his lips on hers.

"Didn't someone say something about dessert?" Dale asked, leaning back in his chair to rub his full belly.

Lori was just coming back into the room with a tray laden with bowls of peach cobbler. "I got it," she sing-songed as she began to pass them out, her voice dragging Carol out of her trance.

Carol hid her blushing face behind her wineglass and prayed the others would think it was the alcohol which had turned her cheeks rosy. Glenn, already deep in his cups, was about as red-faced as he could get.

"I have to say, Mr. Dixon," Jenner said jovially. "Your wife is an amazing cook. Best meal I've had in longer than I can remember."

The redneck's jaw stilled as he paused mid-chew. The rest of the table grew exceedingly quiet as they waited for his temper to explode. Wife? Was he talking about Carol? He gave his muddled head a shake. "Ain't no one can cook like her," he said, but he didn't correct the doctor's mistake and he was a little surprised Carol hadn't either.

He could feel his face heat, feel her searching gaze like an intimate touch, and he shifted uncomfortably. For once he was glad when Debbie Downer started in with his questions and took the focus off of him.

"So, Doc, not saying we ain't grateful for the hospitality, but when are you going to tell us what's going on here? Why is it just you? Surely you had a reason for staying," Shane asked, ready for answers.

"Shane, we're celebrating. There will be time for that later," Rick said calmly as he set his wineglass back on the table. They didn't need Shane to upset their host.

"Naw, man, s'why we're here, ain't it? To find answers?" His dark eyes swung back to Jenner. "So, c'mon, Doc … lay it on us."

Carol felt rather sorry for the solitary man as he sat there under their scrutiny. Daryl, on the other hand looked bored as he poured another glass of wine. She'd be lucky if she didn't have to ask T-Dog and Rick to help carry him to their room.

"There were more of us when it all began. We just kept working, trying to continue with testing to find a cure. We weren't even told how it all started," Jenner relayed in a hollow voice.

Shane sat up and ran a hand over his face. "Wait … are you saying it started here? Right here!?" he snarled.

Jenner shook his head. "No. I don't know anything about the bio weapons department. That section is need to know with the highest level of security. My department specializes in cures for certain viruses and bacterial infections."

"Christ!" Daryl hissed. "Fuckin' government, I'm tellin' y'. Our tax dollars at work." He drained his glass and scowled at it. "Knew they'd try t' kill us eventually."

Dale stared at the doctor, aghast. "So out of what? Guilt? You stayed behind to keep working? What happened to the others?"

Jenner looked down to where his hands were folded atop his lap. "They stayed for a while, but when the military cordon was overrun, they bolted. They went home to their families. Some just … opted out."

Carol couldn't stand much more. It was bad enough she was fuck only knew how many stories underground, but now she had to hear they'd chemically engineered the horror spreading over the earth in some bid for the government to declare germ warfare. She hoped those idiots in Washington DC were the first to be some walker's gourmet meal. They deserved it for sheer stupidity.

Daryl grabbed her wrist in a gentle grip as she began to gather up the dirty dishes to take into the kitchen. She wasn't going to cook breakfast in the morning if she had to do dishes first thing. She'd much rather have it out of the way. "Whatcha doin'?" he slurred slightly.

"I'm going to clean up," she said as if it should be obvious.

"Nuh uh," he snapped. "You an' Lori cooked. Somebody else can do th' damn dishes."

"Daryl, really I don't mind."

Daryl looked at the others. "Any volunteers? 'Cause anyone not willin' to do their fair share don't need Carol cookin' their breakfast for 'em."

Carol sighed and cut him a look that would have withered stone. She put the dishes on the tray and headed towards the kitchen. She knew he was trying to help, but he needed to understand how she felt. She could have used an hour to herself where she didn't have to think about Jenner's revelation and simply concentrate on her task.

"Carol?" came his soft query from the doorway.

Crap! she thought. Now he wouldn't even look at her. He looked like a kicked puppy. She focused on running water in the sink. "Where's Sophia?"

"She went t' th' game room with Carl." He peeked up at her from beneath his lashes, searching her face to see if she was angry with him.

Carol added dish liquid to the water and turned off the faucet, smiling sweetly up at him as she handed him a sponge. "It was so nice of you to offer to do the dishes, Daryl. You're always there to step up to do your fair share."

She bit the inside of her lip to hold her laughter at bay as she flounced out the door, leaving him with all the dishes he'd tried to get the others to scrub. He might be sulky for a few days, but he'd get over it … eventually.