(Be warned, a Sex Scene is in this chapter!)
The convoy had reached their destination; Abel hops out of Daryl's truck to see bodies littering the ground in and around the CDC. Some wear civilian clothes while others have military uniforms, the smell of decay and death fills the air.
Abel walks to one of the nearby bodies that holds a military styled shotgun, he hops the sandbag barrier to see more bodies with other guns in their hands. Rick glances back at the group to see Abel looting the corpses and whistles.
"Abel, what are you doin?" He questions, everyone turns to see him slide a M1911 in the small of his back.
"We could use all of this.. look at it all." He says motioning around, they glance to see weapons in the hands of dead bodies.
"This area isn't safe, come on, Abel. Everyone stay quiet, and keep moving. Let's go." Shane says as he racks a shell into his shotgun.
The young man hops the sandbag barrier and grabs the shotgun he found, he pulls the pump back to see if there's any shells loaded in, and to his surprise a shell racks ready to fire.
The stench of death permeates the air as they get closer to the CDC, Abel keeps looking around as he tightly holds his shotgun. Daryl next to him glances at him before looking in the other direction.
"You know how to use that thing?" Daryl whispers.
"I know a thing or two. It's way too quiet." He whispers back as they walk forward, Daryl nods his head in agreement as he slings his crossbow over his back and racks a shell into his shotgun.
"Eye's like a hawk. See any of them undead bastards, we kill 'em."
As they walk through the valley of death; they reach a giant door that's sealed up tight. Rick and Shane try some of the shutters but they don't budge. Abel walks over and tries to help them, it shifts but remains locked tight.
"Nothing?" Shane asks walking over to the group, Abel sighs and shakes his head frustrated.
"Nah, it's locked tighter than a nun's chastity belt." Abel says, Shane kneels down again and tries to pull the shutter open but it doesn't budge. Frustrated he punches the door.
"There's nobody here." T-Dog whisper shouts, Rick points at the door.
"Then why are these shutters down?" He says looking between the doors with a panicked expression.
"Walkers!" Daryl shouts alerting the group, he unslings his crossbow and shoots the walker clean through the head. He turns with and growls with anger at dumb enough to follow along with Rick's suicidal plan.
"You led us into a graveyard!" Daryl shouts as he walks towards Rick with a glare, Abel steps Infront of him and holds him back.
"D, now's not the time. We gotta protect the group!" He says loudly as lightly pushes him back, he aims his shotgun at another walker that appeared and fires off a shot. The walkers face disappears as it falls backwards dead.
"He made a call." Dale says trying to keep the peace, he aims his rifle ready to fire it. Daryl glares at them as he paces back and fourth.
"IT WAS THE WRONG DAMN CALL!" He shouts drawing more attention, Shane walks over to him with his own glare and lightly pushes him back.
"Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!" He shouts quietly before turning to Rick with a worried expression on his face.
"Rick, this is a dead end." He says trying to make him see the logical side, Rick shakes his head as he stares at the shuttered doors.
"Where are we gonna go?" Carol cries out while tightly holding onto Sophia.
"Do you hear me? No blame."
"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Lori says while tightly holding Carl, her eyes are wide with fear as she looks around for any walkers. Abel notices more walkers appearing and goes to fire another shot but his gun clicks.
"Someone's in there! I know it! We can't leave, not yet!" Rick shouts desperate as he looks at the shuttered doors. Shane walks up to him and grabs his arm trying to pull him back.
"Rick, come on! We need to get outta here—now! Fort Benning, Rick, still an option."
"We don't have time for this, Rick, we gotta go."
"Please! We need help! Open the damn door!" Rick shouts as he keeps punching the shuttered door, he looks up at the camera just above each time he speaks.
"He ain't listening man! We gotta go, now!" Daryl shouts. Abel and Shane step towards Rick and grab him by the arms and start dragging him away.
"All right, everybody, back to the cars. Let's go. Move." Shane says as he helps Abel drag Rick back towards the convoy vehicles, but just as Rick was about to take his eyes off the CDC; the camera he was shouting towards moves and looks directly at the group.
"The camera, it moved." He says stopping everyone in their tracks.
"You imagined it." Dale says glancing at him, Rick shakes off Abel and Shane's hold and walks back towards the door while looking up at the camera.
"It moved."
"Rick, even if it did, man, it's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now, come on." Shane says grabbing him by the arm again but he shakes off his hold.
"No, no, it moved."
"Hey, man, look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick." He shouts trying to make him see to reason, the obsessed man walks towards the shuttered door and slams his hand against it rattling the door.
The sound of groaning and shuffling grows louder as a herd of walkers approaches from the streets behind them. There's no time for debate. Abel looks toward the barricade of vehicles, then back at Rick, who's still banging on the doors of the CDC, refusing to give up.
Abel making a split second decision, tightly holding his shotgun and stepping forwards.
"Either get everyone to the cars or figure something else. I'll hold em off." He says racking a shell, before he walks off Shane walks towards him and hands him a handfull of shells.
"If it gets too dangerous, you get the hell outta there. You hear me? I'm gonna keep trying to get Rick back to the cars." He says to the young man, he nods and places himself between the group and the walkers. He shoulders his shotgun, firing off shots as the walkers get closer. Every blast knocks one down, but more keep coming, shambling out of the shadows.
"I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Please, we're desperate! Please help us! We have women, children, no food. Hardly any gas left." Rick shouts at the camera, Lori quickly walks Infront of him and tries to plead with him.
"Rick. There's nobody here." She says but it falls on deaf ears as he walks around her and pounds on the door some more.
"Come on, just a little more time..." Abel mutters through gritted teeth as he slowly reloads.
Eye's narrowing as he picks off more walkers, but they're closing in fast. His heart pounds in his chest, but he keeps his cool. Every second he buys gives the group time to make a choice. But Rick still hasn't moved.
"If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please! YOU'RE KILLING US!" Rick shouts in desperation as he slams his fist into the shutters.
"We don't have time for this! GET IN THE CARS!" Abel shouts frustrated.
The walkers are almost on top of Abel now, and his shotgun runs empty. He swings it over his shoulder and pulls out a small hammer he'd forgotten in his pocket earlier. It feels absurd, but it'll have to do. He tightens his grip on it, stepping forward to meet the walkers head-on.
The sound of a loud buzzer catches their attention, they all turn to see the shuddered door open with a blinding white light shining from within. Abel shoves a walker into a few more before running over to the group. They all slowly enter cautious of the sudden open door.
"Abel, Daryl, cover the back." Shane says keeping his shotgun aimed Infront of them. Abel nods and walks backwards to see more walkers emerge from the darkness of the night. They're snarls in the distance echo but are silenced as they enter the large open room.
"Hello?" Rick calls out, his voice reverberates around the big open room. No response is returned as Dale turns to Daryl and Abel.
"Close those doors and watch for more walkers." Before they could move the sound of a gun cocking echoes around the room. In defense everyone aims their guns where the sound came from. The sound of slow footsteps echo before a man emerges from the shadows, his face disheveled with dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep.
"Anybody infected?" He asks, his voice echoes around the room.
"One of our group was, he didn't make it." Rick says sadly, the man stands there with his gun aimed at them.
"Why are you here? What do you want?" He asks cautiously and Rick responds without missing a beat.
"A chance." The man takes a couple steps closer to the group revealing his features even more.
"That's asking for an awful lot these days." Abel steps forwards with his hands raised in surrender.
"We know." They mystery man looks at Abel before his eyes travel over each member of the group.
"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." He says lowering his rifle, Rick nods his head.
"We can do that."
"You've got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed." He says speed walking towards them.
Daryl, Abel, Glenn, Rick, and Shane all rush out towards the vehicles to grab everyone's gear, the snarling of the undead gets louder as more emerge from the inner parts of the city. The group quickly run back into the building and T-Dog and Dale shut the doors behind them.
"Vi, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." He says into a code lock, the sound of a mechanical lock, followed by all the lights shutting off. The same shutter door slowly closes and locks them inside the CDC, Rick offers his hand too the man that potentially saved their lives.
"Rick Grimes." The man gives him a skeptical look before slowly shaking his hand.
"Dr. Edwin Jenner."
-XXX-
Everyone piles into an elevator, as Jenner slips in he hits a sequence of buttons at the bottom of the board. A small buzzing sound emits from the speaker as the doors slowly close and they begin their descent.
Daryl keeps glancing at the doctor with a curious gaze, his eyes fall onto the military styled rifle held at his hip.
"Doctors always backing like that?" He questions and nods his head towards the weapon in his hands, the doctor gives a small nervous smile.
"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself." Jenner says as he slings the rifle over his shoulder, his eyes travel over the group. "You all look harmless enough," his eyes land on Carl and he smirks playfully.
"Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you." The young boy lets out a quiet chuckle as the elevator comes to a stop, it opens revealing a long hallway with white florescent lights.
"A-Are we underground?" Carol stutters out nervously, Jenner turns to her with a small smile.
"Are you claustrophobic?"
"A-A little..." She says embaressed. Jenner steps through the open doors and leads the group down the hallway.
"Try not to think about it." He says just as they reach a large metal door revealing a large room with a screen that covers the far side wall. Abel looks around in awe seeing the tech the CDC has.
"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room."
Bright white lights slowly fill the room, almost like hospital lighting. Rows and rows of computers and advanced tech sits at each station, Abel smirks for the first time in a while. He's always loved technology.
"Welcome to Zone 5." Jenner says with his arms wide open as he walks backwards to the stations in the center.
"Where is everybody? The other doctors? The staff?" Rick asks confused, the room is completely empty except for Jenner. The doctor stops and slowly sets his rifle down and looks at the group with a sad expression.
"I'm it. It's just me..." He says with nothing but regret. Lori looks around just as confused as her husband.
"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" She asks. Jenner lets out a soft chuckle as he nods his head slowly.
"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them... Welcome."
"Hello, guests. Welcome." A female robotic voice echoes around the room, the group looks all around for the source but no one is around except them and Jenner.
"I'm all that's left... I'm sorry." Jenner says regretfully again, Rick looks around in disbelief that Jenner is the last doctor at the CDC. Abel sighs and runs a hand through his hair, at least their is someone. It could have been full of walkers.
The group sits silently as Jenner finishes drawing blood from Andrea's arm. The woman in question looks down and watches as the crimson is drained from her arm and into a small vile.
"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever." She says annoyed with the test, Jenner sneaks a glance up at the woman before keeping his focus on drawing a few more drops of blood.
"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough." He says removing a band that's wrapped around Andrea's arm. As she stands up a sudden wave of dizziness hits her making her stumble, Abel notices and quickly catches her. She stumbles into him and tightly grabs onto his arms.
"Easy." He says in a calm voice, Jenner looks at the woman with a concerned look.
"You okay?"
"She hasn't ate anything in days. None of us have." Jacqui calls out from across the room, the doctor looks at each member of the group as a thought fills his head.
20 Minutes later...
The sound of laughter fills the air as Dale stands up to pour a glass of wine for Lori with a large smile on his face.
"You know, in Italy. Children have a little bit of wine with dinner." He says handing a glass that's half full to Lori.
"Don't forget about France." Abel says taking a sip from his glass, this causes Lori to roll her eyes.
"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." She says before taking a sip. Rick glances at her with a smile on his face as he chews a mouthful of food.
"What's it gonna hurt? Come on." Abel chuckles and pours some wine from his bottle into a cup and hands it too Carl. The young lad takes it with a small smile and slowly takes a sip. The laughter dies down as they wait for the young kid's reaction, a sudden look of revolution crosses his face as he sets the glass down.
"Eww.. that tastes nasty."
Abel grabs the glass and looks at him with a small smirk.
"Drink it all in one go, like this." He says before downing the wine in one large gulp before looking at Carl with a smile.
"Ah..." He says feeling refreshed. Rick slaps the table in amusement while Lori looks at him with wide eyes, a silent angry look in her gaze as she stares at Abel. Daryl claps his hands and smirks at his young friend.
"That's what I'm talking about!" He cheers before taking a large swig from his own bottle. Abel chuckles and pours some more into a glass from his own bottle. Rick glances at Lori to see her silently steaming with anger as she looks at Abel, he rubs her thigh with a small smile trying to cheer her up.
"It's fine, one tiny glass won't hurt them. Come on, lighten up." He says before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.
"Not you, Glenn"
"What?" The young man asks confused with a large smile on his face, Daryl stands up and starts pouring a glass for Glenn.
"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get."
More laughter echoes around the table as everyone can finally let their guard down and enjoy this small moment.
"I'll make you a bet, Glenn. If you can drink more than three glasses and not be blasted, I will do what ever you want for the whole day." Abel challenges his friend, Glenn smirks at the opportunity and grabs a nearby bottle with a large smile.
"You're on!" Daryl and Abel clap at his enthusiasm, Rick slaps the table again as he laughs at the challenge. He glances around the table with a large smile until his eyes fall on the doctor that opened his doors for them, the man has his eyes glued to his plate of food with a stoic mask on, not joining in the laughter.
Rick grabs his glass and starts to tap it with a butter knife quieting everyone down. Abel who is sat next too Andrea feels something on his thigh, looking down it was the blonde's hand as she gently rubs it up and down slowly making her way towards his crotch.
"It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly." Rick says standing up, T-Dog raises his glass slightly slurring his words.
"He is more than just a host.."
"Here's to you, Doc. Booyah!" Daryl shouts with a large smile before taking a long swig of his bottle.
Andrea leans closer to Abel with a flirtatious smirk as she deliberately rubs his crotch. Abel smirks and leans forwards propping his head up with his left hand; he uses his right hand and puts it on her thigh before trailing up towards her crotch. She lets out a whispered moan, she smiles and quickly grabs his hand and puts it directly on her womanly entrance. She slides two of his fingers into her.
Abel sneaks a glance around the table to see if anyone has noticed, he and Daryl make eye contact. The young man's eyes slightly widen, until Daryl winks and gives him a knowing smirk.
"So... when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" Shane asks, the good mood in the room starts to die out causing Abel to look over at the commotion but his face is turned by Andrea's free hand.
"Look only at me, I wanna stare into your eyes while you please me." She says in a breathy whisper. Abel's face heats up and he slowly nods.
"Will we be sharing a room or..?" He asks slightly confused but Andrea nods her head with a small smile. His thumb gently brushes over a small circular object causing her to shiver and stiffen up.
Rick glances over at Shane with a stern look as he takes a sip from his glass.
"We're celebrating, Shane. Don't need to do this now."
Shane lets out a small chuckle and glances over at Rick with a small smirk.
"Whoa, whoa. Wait a second, this is why we're here, right? This was your move—supposed to find all the answers, but instead we," he lets out a chuckle and shakes his head before looking at Jenner. "We found him. Found one man, why?" He questions as he stares at the doctor.
The man in question leans forward and looks at him with a sad expression.
"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just... left, Went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."
With the mood now somber, Andrea and Abel have stopped pleasuring each other but are still stuck close together. Shane scoffs and runs a finger around his glass.
"Every last one?" He questions before leaning back in his chair. Everyone turns their attention to Jenner, his gaze seemed distant, lost in memories he couldn't escape.
"No. Many couldn't face walking out the door. They... opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." Jenner says sadly as his eyes glazed over, his lower lip trembled slightly as the words left his mouth but he kept his composure as he straightened his silverware. Andrea's eye brows furrowed in confusion.
"You didn't leave. Why?" She asks. The atmosphere now being the lowest it can go, everyone waited for Jenner's reason. The man offered a sad smile in return but Abel could see he wasn't all there with them.
"I just kept working, hoping to do some good."
Glenn had stood up and slowly walked around the table, his steps were slightly awkward from being into his sixth glass of wine, he looks at Shane with slightly red eyes.
"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man." He says before taking a seat next to Daryl who was no longer smiling and just drinking silently.
-XXX-
The good doctor leads the group down the rooms previous members of the CDC lived in, he turns his head slightly and talks while walking.
"Most of the facility is powered down, including housing. So, you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you'd like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power," He says slightly kneeling down towards Sophia and Carl, both nod with small smiles on their faces. Jenner stands up and gives the rest of the group a friendly smile.
"Same applies... if you shower, go easy on the hot water."
Glenn slowly turns too T-Dog and Abel with a large grin on his face. Abel chuckles and matches his excitement.
"Hot water?" Glenn asks just making sure if he heard Jenner properly.
"That's what the man said."
With renewed stamina, everyone quickly rushes towards their respective rooms. Abel hangs back as Andrea lightly pulls on his hand with that same flirtatious spark in her eyes.
"How about you and me shower together? Pick up where we left off?" She asks in a breathy whisper, Abel slowly nods his head with a small blush on his face.
"A-Are you sure?" He stutters out. Andrea leans towards his ear and whispers sweetly.
"I'm very sure. After all, Jenner said to go easy on the hot water. I'm also curious to see what your packing down here." She says grabbing his crotch. Instantly his member gets hard from the contact. She smirks at what she felt and gives Abel a peck on the cheek.
"Meet me in my room, in five minutes." She says before walking off with a sway in her hips. Abel stays stood in the hallway with a red face when a sudden chuckle catches him off guard. Turning around he sees Daryl standing a few feet away leaned against an open door.
"D-Did you hear all of that?"
Daryl nods with a smirk on his face and throws an arm over Abel's shoulder.
"Every little bit, little man. Now, you better not keep a lady waiting." He says lightly pushing Abel forwards.
"We still bunking together, right?" Abel asks as turns to face Daryl, the older man chuckles and points to behind him. Turning he sees Andrea disappear into one of the rooms with a sway in her hips.
"I don't know, man. You and Blondie over there are getting awful close." Abel rolls his eyes but smirks.
"I bet you ten bucks that this is a one time thing." Daryl chuckles and rubs his hands together.
"You're on. I expect that nice, crisp ten."
They both shake on it as they walk towards their shared room. Abel sets his gear down near the door, and grabs a towel that hangs on a rack. He gives Daryl a two finger salute and gets a wink in return as he leaves the room.
Abel makes his way towards the room he saw Andrea walk into, the door suddenly opens revealing the woman in question, who's wearing nothing but her undergarments.
"Follow me, big boy." She says before gently grabbing his hand and leading him into the room. He closes the door behind them before being lead further towards the sound of running water; steam comes from the crack. He quickly takes off his shirt and pants, leaving him in his boxers, when suddenly two pieces of clothes land Infront of him.
Abel follows suit and takes off his boxers to the side before walking into the steam. He's suddenly pulled into something, looking down it's Andrea who's revealing her voluptuous curves.
"You are stunning..." He says taking in her naked glory. She smiles and grabs his member before pumping her hand.
"Flattery will get you everywhere." She whispers in his ear before kneeling down Infront of him. As a reaction, his member stands up and gently smacks her in the face.
"A-Are you sure about this? I mean, I wouldn't want you to regret this.." He says feeling slightly embaressed having a woman Infront of his most vulnerable part. Andrea stares briefly at his throbbing member before smiling up at him.
"I'm very sure." She says before taking him in her mouth, her head bobs up and down his full length. She slightly gags from the girth, as she pulls her head back a string of saliva falls out of her mouth and onto his joystick.
"Jesus, you're huge." She says looking up at him. Abel lets out a groan in pleasure from her jerking him off.
"T-That's surprising, I've always felt I was average." He says before groaning again.
Abel caresses the side of her face before kneeling beside her and sits next to her. She looks at him confused until he pulls her on top of his lap.
"It's only fair if I return the favor." He says before he starts kissing her neck.
"Wow, y-you're good at this.." She moans out as she tightly grips his hair. Abel travel's down her neck and towards her chest before giving them a lick.
"These are nice, but I really like this." He says taking one of her nipples into his mouth, his hands hold onto each of her ass-cheeks. He tightly squeezes both and gets a breathy moan in return. Pulling his face away from her breasts he looks up to see Andrea looking down at him with half lidded eyes.
She grabs the sides of his face and pulls him into a kiss, as their lips collided in a rush, their bodies pressed together as the kiss deepened, intense and full of longing.
After a handful of seconds pass, Andrea pulls away breathing heavily before a smile graces her face.
"I need you in me, right now." She says in a breathy whisper as she lines up his member to her womanly entrance.
Quickly she brings her face towards his and kisses him again as she brings her hips down, letting Abel enter her. She moans but it's stifled by the kiss, she slowly begins to bounce her hips up and down in a rhythm. The sound of her ass slapping against his thighs echo around the room but are drowned out by the running shower head.
She breaks the kiss once again and lets a loud squeal of pleasure escape her. Andrea grabs Abel's hands and puts them on her breasts before she squeezes them tightly. Getting the message, he begins to fondle her breasts as she continues to bounce on his cock.
"If you keep going that hard... I'll-" He's cut off as Andrea cups the sides of his face and turns his head down so he can watch as his hard cock enters in and out of her dripping wet honey pot.
"Inside. I want it inside, you better not pull out!" she says in between moans. Abel bites down on the inside of his cheek to suppress the urge to cum, Andrea throws her head back in pleasure and moans in ecstasy before her walls clench around his member.
A stream of liquid sprays out around Abel's member, her legs begin to twitch every so often as more comes out. A sudden release escapes Abel as he thrusts his member deep as he can and releases a loud grunt.
Slowly coming down from their release both breathing heavily from the sudden wave of pleasure, they stare into each other's eyes.
"T-That was the best sex I've ever had..." She says as she tries to catch her breath. Abel's heart races in his chest, he glances up to see Andrea smiling.
"Glad I didn't mess it up. That was my first time." Andrea's eyes widen slightly and is taken aback.
"I took your virginity?" She asks not sure if she heard him properly. He lets out a quiet chuckle and nods.
"Yeah, that you did. Glad you enjoyed it. Wouldn't mind doing that again." He says with a small smirk.
Andrea leans down and kisses him on the forehead before getting off him. She uses turns the warm water up a little more and uses it to wash away any sweat and other bodily fluids. Abel sits up and slides against the floor till his back is against the wall, his eyes travel up and down as he watches Andrea clean herself.
The woman rubs her face but stops and realizes what they just did, not only did she want to feel something other than the pain of losing her sister but she took his virginity, she slowly begins to feel a little bit of guilt and regret of what that means.
The Next Morning...
Abel stirs, slowly blinking awake. A lazy smile creeps across his face as he remembers the night before. The warmth of Andrea's body next to his still lingers, and for the first time in a long while, he feels... content. Maybe even happy.
He turns his head slightly, seeing Andrea still sleeping beside him, her bare shoulder peeking out from under the blanket. He can't help but feel a surge of pride, a small, quiet victory he hadn't expected—he had given in to the moment, taken a chance in a world that rarely offered them.
"Guess the end of the world isn't so bad after all." He quietly whispered to himself.
Andrea begins to stir as well, feeling Abel shift beside her. Her eyes flutter open, and for a moment there's peace. But then the weight of everything floods back— the night before, the loss of her sister, the reasons why she'd let herself fall into Abel's arms. She feels a twinge of guilt, a knot forming in her chest as she remembers what happened.
"What did I just do?" She thinks.
She turns her head to look at Abel, catching his eyes. He's still smiling, clearly feeling good about the night. That stirs something bittersweet inside her—she hadn't expected to regret it, but now, the next morning, it's hard to not feel like she'd taken something from him. He's so young. His first time.
"God. What have I done?" She thinks.
But she doesn't let those feelings show. Instead, she forces a soft smile, not wanting to spoil the moment entirely. Maybe it was what they both needed, even if it wasn't right.
"Morning." Andrea said softly trying to sound casual. Abel's smile widens slightly as he props himself up on his elbows.
"Morning." He says before stretching his arms above his head, the satisfaction still evident in his voice. "Didn't think I'd wake up feeling this... good." He laughs lightly, rubbing his hand through his messy hair. "Guess I've got you to thank for that."
Andrea chuckles softly, though the sound feels forced. She sits up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders as if shielding herself from her own emotions. She glances over at him, still seeing the youthful excitement on his face, and it twists her stomach again.
"Don't get used to it, hotshot." She said in a light teasing tone.
Abel laughs, not picking up on the hint of regret in her tone. He's still riding the high of the night, the intimacy, the connection. He feels alive in a way he hasn't in a long time—like something clicked in a world that's only been falling apart.
"I don't know, might be hard not to."
Andrea's smile fades just a little She doesn't regret it fully—last night had been a brief escape, a moment of comfort in the midst of all the pain and loss—but she can't shake the guilt. She had been searching for something to fill the void left by her sister, and Abel... well, he didn't deserve to be a replacement for that emptiness.
"Look, Abel... last night, it was... good. But..." She hesitates, trying to find the right words without breaking the moods completely. "I just hope you know I didn't... I didn't mean to take something from you. Your first time, I mean."
Abel's expression shifts slightly, but he's still smiling, more understanding than she expected.
"I know. And I'm not... I'm not mad or anything." He looks at her with sincerity. "I wanted it too. Hell, it might be the only time I get to do something like that, you know? I'm not sure if I'd make it long enough to even have that moment."
Andrea nods, appreciating his honesty but still feeling the weight of her own conflicted emotions. She reaches over, placing a hand on his arm, her touch gentle.
"Just... I don't want you to regret it."
Abel shakes his head with a gentle smile and puts a hand over hers.
"I won't. I don't. I don't know what's coming tomorrow, but last night felt... right." He meets her eyes. "At least to me."
She gives him a small, sad smile, appreciating his perspective even if she can't quite let go of the complicated feelings inside her. For a brief moment, they sit in the quiet, both lost in their own thoughts, before Andrea finally gets up, pulling the blanket around her as she moves toward the edge of the room.
"Well, better make the most of today while we still can, right?"
Abel's mind races with thoughts, his brain finally catching up to what they had just done last night and the magnitude of what happened. He and Andrea had sex... Abel runs a hand over his face as he just realized what he done. He took advantage of a woman who's not in the right headspace.
Andrea finishes putting on her clothes, the blanket now discarded on the bed. She glances back at Abel, who is sitting up, watching her but his mind is elsewhere. The mood between them has shifted slightly—still comfortable, but with a lingering uncertainty. The weight of what happened is there, unspoken but present.
Andrea knows they can't avoid talking about it forever. The morning light makes everything feel more real, more grounded, and she can't shake the feeling that they need to set things straight.
"So... about last night." She says turning to face him.
Abel snaps back to reality and raises an eyebrow, still looking at her with a small smile. He seems more relaxed but feels the weight of what he just realized, Andrea feels burdened by the awkwardness slowly creeping in.
"What about it? I mean, we both know what happened, right?" He says playfully.
He chuckles, but Andrea's face is more serious, and he picks up on it quickly. He shifts, sitting a little straighter as he realizes this conversation is about to get more real.
"Look, Abel... I don't regret it, and I know you don't either." She pauses, searching for the right words. "But... I just don't want you to get the wrong Idea, you know?"
Abel frowns slightly, his smile slowly fading a little as he nods.
"Yeah, I know. I didn't expect anything more, Andrea. I mean..." He pauses, rubbing the back of his neck. "With the dead rising. I wasn't exactly thinking about what comes next. I just... I don't know. Last night was good. I needed that."
Andrea softens a little, relieved that he's being understanding, but she knows there's still more they need to talk about.
"I needed it too. But... we're not exactly in the right place for anything more than that, you know? I'm still... dealing with so much. With what happened to... everything that's happened." She looks down, her voice growing quieter. "And you're... well, you're young, Abel. You've got your whole life ahead of you, and I don't want to complicate things."
Abel listens, his expression thoughtful. He understands where she's coming from, but a part of him still feels conflicted. They had shared something special, something that felt real, even in the chaos. But as much as he wants to hold onto that feeling, he knows she's right.
"Yeah, you're right." He sighs, then looks at her with a faint smile. "We're probably not in the best headspace for this kind of thing. Doesn't mean last night didn't mean something to me, though."
"It meant something to me too. But right now, I think it's best if we just... stay friends. No strings, no expectations."
Abel takes a deep breath, letting her words sink in. He's still young, still figuring things out, and while he feels a pang of disappointment, he knows Andrea is right.
"Friends. Yeah, I can do that." He chuckles softly. "Honestly, it's probably for the best. I wouldn't know how to be in a relationship even if I tried."
Andrea laughs, the tension easing between them as she sits back down on the edge of the bed. She reaches over, gently nudging his shoulder.
"Don't sell yourself short, kid. You're a good guy. Just... not right now, okay?"
Abel grins, feeling a bit lighter now that they've talked it through. The conversation had needed to happen, and now that it has, they can move forward without any lingering awkwardness or confusion.
"Right now, I've got more important things to worry about. Like, you know... staying alive." He says playfully.
Andrea rolls her eyes but smiles, appreciating his humor. They sit in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of their previous conversation lifting slightly. The world outside still waits for them, full of danger and uncertainty, but for now, they've found a little bit of peace in the midst of it all.
"We should get going. The others will be up soon."
Abel nods, standing up and pulling on his shirt. He glances over at her as he finishes dressing, his expression more serious for a moment.
"I'm glad we talked about this. I mean, I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow or the next day, but I don't want things to get weird between us."
Andrea smiles at him, standing up and adjusting her clothes.
"They won't. We're good, Abel. Just friends."
Abel smiles back, feeling a sense of relief, but also a pang that hurts him slightly. He's not stupid but this is a foreign feeling he's never felt before.
"Just friends.."
As they prepare to leave the room, there's a quiet understanding between them. The night before had been what they both needed—a brief escape from the pain and uncertainty of their world. But now, with the morning light filtering in and the reality of their situation setting back in, they know that being friends is the best choice. For now, anyway.
-XXXX-
Morning lights flicker on into the CDC's dining area as the group gathers around for a makeshift breakfast. T-Dog stands at the stove, stirring a pan of powdered eggs, the smell filling the air. The group sits at the table, still recovering from the wine-fueled night before.
Glenn groans, rubbing his temples, his head pounding from a hangover.
"I swear, I'm never drinking again. My head feels like it's about to explode."
Abel, sitting across from him with a smug grin, leans back in his chair. He looks far better off than Glenn, even though he had more than his fair share the night before.
"Told you, Glenn. Should've known you couldn't handle the bet." He says teasingly.
Glenn glares at Abel, though there's no real malice behind it—just the pain of his hangover.
"You said five glasses, not six. I didn't realize you were trying to kill me." Abel smirks at his friend.
"You passed out after three. I just wanted to see how far you'd go."
Dale chuckles from his seat, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Abel's got a point. You were out like a light."
T-Dog serves up the powdered eggs onto plates, passing them around as everyone digs in. The mood is light, though some are nursing headaches worse than others.
"Gonna have to build your tolerance, Glenn. Not everyone can handle a few glasses like Abel here." Rick says lightly patting Abel on the back with a smirk.
As soon as Rick says it, Lori's eyes narrow. She's been quiet all morning, sitting next to Carl, who's eating his eggs silently. Her discomfort with Abel has always been simmering just beneath the surface, but now, it starts to bubble up.
"So, you've been drinking for a while, huh? Before all this?"
Her tone cuts through the light mood, causing a few glances around the table. Abel's eyes flick over to Lori, sensing the shift. He knows where this is going, but instead of backing down, he meets her gaze with a cool expression.
"Yeah, I had a few drinks before the world ended. Nothing major."
"Underage drinking is illegal, Abel. You think it's something to joke about?" He says leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. Her voice tightens with anger as she slightly glares at the young man.
Rick frowns slightly, sensing Lori's irritation, but he doesn't step in yet. Carl glances between his mom and Abel, looking uncomfortable, the young kid had been in this situation many times before. Abel smirks and leans back in his seat, keeping his cool.
"What can I say? The world was ending, figured I'd get a head start."
"This isn't funny. Just because the world's gone to hell doesn't mean you get to brush off what you did. What else were you getting into, huh? Drugs? Stealing?"
The table grows quiet as Lori's voice rises. Abel glances at Rick, who seems torn between stepping in and letting it play out. Andrea watches silently, her eyes flicking between them, while Dale looks uncomfortable with the sudden tension. Glenn groans softly, still holding his head, not wanting to deal with any of this.
"Seriously? You wanna interrogate me over this? Alright, let's see..." He counts on his fingers, pretending to think hard. "Got into a couple of bar fights... stole a car once—nah, not really. Oh, and I guess breaking curfew counts as some major crime, right?"
Lori's expression hardens as Abel throws sarcasm at her, but he keeps going, his tone light, mocking her accusations.
"Oh, and let's not forget... I was the mastermind behind a candy heist when I was twelve. Robbed the local convenience store of at least four Snickers bars. It was a big deal."
The others at the table try to suppress their smiles, but a few chuckles escape. Even Rick cracks a smile, though he tries to keep a straight face.
"I'm not joking, Abel."
Abel leans forward slightly, his expression softening but still challenging.
"Neither am I, Lori. I wasn't some delinquent before all this. I had a couple drinks with friends. Sue me. But if you think I was out there robbing banks or doing hard drugs, you're barking up the wrong tree."
"You're still a kid! You think it's funny to act like this? What if Carl starts following your example?"
At this, Carl looks up from his plate, clearly uncomfortable being dragged into the argument. Abel's eyes flick to Carl, then back to Lori. He sighs, shaking his head.
"First of all, I'm seven-teen years old. And secondly... Carl's got a better head on his shoulders than I ever did at his age. And trust me, he's not gonna be following anyone's example but his own. I'm not a bad influence just because I had a couple drinks, Lori."
Lori clenches her jaw, but before she can respond, Rick finally steps in, placing a hand on her arm.
"Lori, that's enough. Abel's not the problem here."
Lori looks at Rick, her expression conflicted, but she doesn't push further. Abel, still calm, glances back at his plate of eggs and starts eating again, seemingly unbothered by the exchange.
Andrea watches Abel with a quiet smirk, clearly amused by how he handled the situation. T-Dog and Dale exchange a glance, both relieved the tension is easing. Glenn groans again, his headache pulling him out of the moment.
"Can we talk about something less... loud?"
Abel grins, taking a bite of his eggs.
"Sure, Glenn. How about how you lost that bet last night?"
Glenn groans again, and the table erupts in quiet laughter, the tension finally broken. The too the canteen, Shane walks in with small bags under his eyes telling the group he barely slept.
"Morning." Rick says.
"Morning..." He replies as he walks towards the coffee maker, T-Dog gets up and walks towards him with a plate.
"The hell happened to you? Your neck?" He asks looking at the large scratch marks along his neck and on the upper part of his right pectoral.
"Must've done it in my sleep..." He says pulling a chair out and sitting down, Rick looks at him skeptical.
"Never seen you do that before."
"Me neither... not like me at all..." He says while sneaking a glance at Lori, the women who was all bark earlier is now quiet as a mouse staring at her plate.
The door opens once again revealing their host Jenner, the man looks exhausted as he makes his way towards the coffee maker.
"Morning." He says tiredly, Shane glances over at him before turning back towards his cup.
"Hey Doc..."
"Doctor... I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing..."
"But you will anyway." He says walking towards the table, Andrea takes her eyes off Abel and looks at the doctor.
"We didn't come here for the eggs."
4 Minutes Later...
Jenner leads the group back toward the main viewing room with all the equipment and big screen. He walks over to the only light up screen and sets down his mug on the table. The other's followed him and stand around the computer as he presses a handful of key combinations.
"Give me play back of TS-19."
A few digital beeps come from the machine before Vi's voice echoes around the room.
"PLAYBACK OF TS-19."
The big screen powers on showing a big loading screen and blue bar before switching to a handful of different things. On the left side some scans of what looks like a human brain while on the other side has another large loading bar.
"Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few." He says facing the group before turning back to the screen, everyone looks up curiously and watches at what looks like a scan of a live human's brain and how it functions.
"Is that a brain?" Carl asks curiously, Edwin smiles down at him and nods.
"An extraordinary one. Not that it matters in the end..." He says grimly.
"Take us in for an EIV."
"INHANCED INTERNAL VIEW."
The screen shifts enhancing the scan, it zooms into the inner walls of the brain showing a bunch of different pathways that light the screen up brightly in different colors.
"What are those lights?"
"It's a persons life. Experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you. The thing that makes you unique, and human."
Daryl looks up at the screen with a confused expression before glancing at Jenner.
"You don't make sense ever?"
Jenner turns to the group and starts pacing Infront of them slowly before motioning to the screen.
"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death."
"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick questions as he walks towards Jenner, the man turns to him holds a defeated, sad look in his eyes.
"Yes. Or rather... the playback of the vigil..."
"This person died? Who?" Andrea questions quietly, Jenner stares at the screen with a melancholy look.
"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected, and volunteered to have us record the process... Vi, scan forward to the first event."
"SCANNING TO FIRST EVENT."
It fast-forwards revealing the once brilliant blue and healthy brain to a black infection that spreads through the brain, the dark ripples of red and black mix with the blue before over taking it destroying.
"What is that?" Glenn questions while looking at the black mass invading the brain. Abel who was quietly watching looks at his friend.
"I think that's what turns people into walkers."
"Correct. It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs."
They watch as the person being recorded started to writhe around, the brain slowly was overtaken with black before it filled the screen. They watched as the person took his or her last breath before falling still. The whole brain is now black with no sign of life or lights.
"Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be... gone."
Andrea who was looking at the screen turns away and stares at the ground as the though of her sister going through that pains her. Sophia looks up at her mother with a curious look.
"Is that what happened to Jim?" Carol nods her head with a sad smile.
"Yes."
Andrea begins to tear up as she thinks about her sister, she tries to wipe them away but they keep coming back. Jenner turns to her with a confused look.
"She lost someone close to her, a few days ago... her, uh... her sister." Abel says sadly. Jenner leans towards her with a look of sympathy.
"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." He says before backing away, he turns his attention back to the screen.
"Scan to the second event.."
"SCANNING TO SECOND EVENT."
"The resurrection times vary wildly. We have reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was... two hours, one minute... seven seconds."
They all watch as the black brain lays still with no activity, until a small red light forms at the bast of the brain near the stem. Everyone stares at the screen with bewilderment.
"It restarts the brain?" Lori asks confused.
"No, just the brain stem. Basically, it gets them up and moving." Jenner explains, Rick takes a few steps forwards with a confused look on his face.
"But they're not alive?" Rick questions, Jenner looks at him and motions to the screen.
"You tell me."
"It's not like before... 97% of the brain is dark. How is that alive?" Abel questions looking at the moving red electrical current.
"Dark, lifeless, dead. The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part, that doesn't come back. The you part." Jenner explains before looking back at the screen.
"So... what? It's a shell?" Abel asks to which Jenner nods his head slowly.
"A shell driven by mindless instinct."
The person slowly begins to move like before as the brain restarts it's motor functions, a sudden bright flash of light and the movements stopped just as fast as they restarted.
"God... what was that?" Carol questions confused to what happened.
"He shot his patient in the head. Didn't you?" Andrea asks. Everyone turns to Jenner waiting for a response only to see him staring at the screen with a defeated and sad expression. He quickly turns away from the screen and composes himself.
"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations."
"POWERING DOWN MAIN SCREEN AND WORKSTATIONS."
"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea questions slowly losing her composure from what they've seen.
"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal."
"Or the wrath of God?"
"There is that."
"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere." Andrea says with desperation.
"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asks hopeful as Jenner hesitates to respond.
"There maybe some. People like me..."
"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick asks shocked to hear that.
"Everything went down. Communications, directives, all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month."
"So, it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere. Nothing... that's what you're really saying, right?"
Jenner doesn't respond and just looks at the ground, his lack of response fills the group with helplessness they haven't felt before. The hope that it would get better kept them going but now with the hard reality of what their new world is...
"Jesus..." Jacqui says silently praying to God, Abel runs a hand through his hair as Daryl starts to pace from the new information.
"Man, I'm gonna get shit-faced drunk again." Daryl says rubbing his eyes, Abel leans against some of the workstations.
"Me to, this shit sucks..."
Dale steps forwards but kept his eyes on the large wall clock that has been counting down since they arrived, he can't take his gaze away from it.
"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but... that clock... it's counting down. What happens at zero?" The older man questions concerned. Jenner still stood still quickly responds.
"The... basement generators, they run out of fuel." He says before he walks away from the work area. Rick who watches calls out to him.
"And then?" He asks pushing for an answer but Jenner doesn't respond and keeps walking towards the door.
"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Abel asks the room, the female robotic voice words echo loudly around the room.
"WHEN THE POWER RUNS OUT, FACILITY-WIDE DECONTAMINATION WILL OCCUR."
-XXXX-
The lights in Daryl and Abel's room suddenly flicker a few times as the air conditioning goes out. Confused the two glance at one another before a commotion out in the hallway catches their attention. Abel walks over and opens the door to look outside to see everyone looking around confused.
"Why is the air off?" Carol questions as Jenner appears from around the corner, his face has a defeated look as he walks past them without a word.
"And the lights in our room?" Lori adds but Jenner once again doesn't offer a response as he continues down the hallway. Daryl appears next to Abel and peeks his head over his shoulder with a bottle of wine in his hand hanging loosely at his hip.
"Why's everything turning' off?" He questions also confused. Jenner notices the wine in the man's hand and grabs it as he passes their room. He pops the cork and takes a long swig before finally answering the questions.
"Energy use is being prioritized." He says before taking another long swig of wine. Everyone slowly follows after the doctor confused wanting more answers.
"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale questions concerned by the vagueness of the answer. Jenner shakes his head as he walks past the older man.
"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down."
Daryl and Abel share a look before quickly making their way to the front of the group directly behind Doctor Jenner.
"Hey! Hey, what the hell does that mean?" Daryl asks loudly as all the lights turn off around them. The sound of the power whirls down as more pieces equipment power down.
"Jenner, what the hell does that mean?!" Abel shouts, his voice reverberates around the stair well as they enter the main workstation room.
"Hey, man, we're talking to you! What the hell do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" Daryl questions impatiently to witch Jenner lets out a dry chuckle as his grip tightens on the bottle of wine.
"You'd be surprised..."
A hoard of rapid approaching footsteps get closer to the group, Lori quickly walks over to the railing and peers over the banister to see Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Shane all jogging towards them with worried looks.
"Rick?" She calls out to her husband, the man holds up a hand for her to wait. Jenner walks down a small staircase and Rick quickly walks over his breathing heavy.
"Jenner, what's happening?" He questions, Edwin keeps walking past him but gives him a response as they walk with quickly.
"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule." He says pointing to the large clock that has been counting down since they entered the C.D.C.
He suddenly stops near the middle workstations and takes a huge swig out of the bottle, he turns and holds it out for Daryl who takes it back with a confused and irritated look on his face.
"It was the French..." He says before climbing a few steps to the upper workstations.
"What?" Abel and Andrea say at the same time, Jenner turns to face them with the same look of defeat and sadness in his eyes.
"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution..."
"What happened?" Jacqui questions.
"The same thing that's happening here, no power grid. Ran out of juice," he turns away from the group leaving them in a state of despair and shock knowing that others, like them are trying to cure it but failed. "The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?"
A flash of anger covers Shane's face as he grips the railings on the small staircase he quickly climbs up walking towards the doctor as he takes a seat in one of the chairs.
"Let me tell you..." He says through gritted teeth but Abel and Rick grab each shoulder to hold him back from hurting the man.
"To hell with it, Shane. I don't even care." Rick says trying to calm his friend down.
"He's not worth it, we need to get the hell out of here. Now." Abel says. Rick nods and turns towards the others and looks at his wife.
"He's right. Lori, grab out things. Everybody get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" He says snapping the group out of their trance. Everyone begins to quickly run towards the walkway when a loud siren blares through the room.
"What is that?!" Shane shouts at the loud noise, the main screen lights up with a timer that starts to tick down.
"30 MINUTS TO DECONTAMINATION."
"Doc, what's going on here?!" Daryl shouts angrily but Jenner doesn't respond and quickly gets up and walks over to a lower workstation.
"Everybody, you all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now! GO!" Shane shouts ushering them to hurry.
As Jenner presses the final button on a keypad, a mechanical lock sounds along with metal doors rising out of the ground.
Abel runs over to one of the closing doors and tries to hold it open but isn't strong enough to overpower the motor pushing it up. A sudden feeling of anger fills him and he punches the door a few times before turning to glare at Jenner.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU LOCKED US IN HERE!" He shouts angrily. He keeps pounding on the door trying to force it open but only puts a small dent in the surface metal, his knuckles slowly begin to split and stain the metal with red splatters.
"You son of a bitch!" Daryl shouts as he rushes towards Jenner.
"SHANE!" Rick shouts pointing towards Daryl. Shane quickly intercepts him and pulls him away.
Daryl uses his free arm and grabs Jenner's lab coat and tries to smash the bottle of wine over his head. T-Dog quickly assists Shane and runs over and takes the bottle before putting himself between the two.
Abel punches the door a few more times as adrenaline fuels him. His hand completely stained crimson red as it drips down to the floor. He turns and walks towards the others with his anger slowly rising.
"Hey, Jenner, open that door now." Rick says with his own look of anger.
"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Jenner explains and fixes his lab coat. Dale steps forwards with a look of worry on his face.
"Well open the damn things!" He shouts.
"That's not something I control, the computers do. I told you, once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say it!"
Rick looks around in disbelief, the plan he thought would save them ends up killing them. Carol pulls Sophia close to her as a look of pure fear crosses her face, Lori mimics and pulls Carl towards her with a terrified expression. Abel rejoins the group breathing heavily and walks towards Jenner with a look of anger on his face.
"It's better this way."
"What's good about this? Hmm?" Abel asks calmly as he stands Infront of him. Edwin ignores him and turns back towards his workstation ignoring Abel. The young man irritated as it is, walks towards the workstation and kicks it causing Jenner to stand up with his own look of anger.
"What happens in 28 minutes?!" He shouts in his face, Jenner steps up to him and motions to everything around them.
"You know what this place is?! We protected the public from very nasty stuff!" He shouts in Abel's face before looking around at each member of the group. "Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! EVER!"
"WHAT HAPPENS IN 28 MINUTES?!" Abel screams in back in his face. Jenner takes a step back and calmly fixes his lab coat again before taking a seat back at the workstation. He adopts an almost emotionless and hard expression, like he separated himself, detached as the reality of the situation sinks in.
"In the event of a catastrophic power failure, in a terrorist attack for example, HITs are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." Jenner states in a cold voice, Rick takes a step towards him confused.
"HITs?" He asks, Jenner takes a deep breath and looks at the floor.
"Vi... define..."
"HITs, HIGH-IMPULSE THERMOBARIC FUEL-AIR EXPLOSIVES CONSIST OF A TWO-STAGE AEROSOL IGNITION THAT PRODUCES A BLAST WAVE OF SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER POWER AND DURATION THAN ANY OTHER KNOW EXPLOSIVE EXCEPT NUCLEAR."
A wave of dread and fear washes over the group hearing Vi explain what's going to happen if they stay locked in. Carol and Lori tightly hold onto their children, panic starts to spread throughout the group as death hangs over their heads. Rick is cursing himself at how stupid he was with his plan.
"THE VACCUM-PRESURE EFFECT IGNITES THE OXYGEN BETWEEN 5,000 AND 6,000 DEGREES AND IS USEFUL WHEN THE GREATEST LOSS IF LIFE AND DAMAGE TO STRUCTURE IS DESIRED."
Abel glares at the doctor sitting before him, his hand balls up into a fist causing blood too rapidly drip down his hand. The thought of everyone dying, angers him beyond belief.
"It sets the air on fire." Jenner says quietly as he stares off into nothing. His mind thinks back to times with his wife as a sad accepting smile graces his face.
"No pain. An end to sorrow, grief, regret... everything." He says staring directly at Abel and Rick.
-XXX-
Daryl speed walks towards one of the metal doors and throws the bottle of wine at it, the glass shatters on impact.
"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" He shouts walking down the walkway. Shane grabs an emergency fire axe from it's holder before running past him.
"Out of my way!" He yells as he cocks his arms back and swings the axe. The blade scrapes across the metal causing sparks to fly, he inspects where he hit only to see a scratch on the surface. Growling in irritation he swings again and again.
T-Dog grabs another axe and tosses it towards Daryl, he catches it and runs towards the door that Shane is working on and tries to help him. Lori, Carol, Sophia, and Carl are on the ground crying and holding each other.
Abel's anger reaches a breaking point as he looks at everyone's scared faces, he grabs Jenner by the collar and lifts him off the chair.
"Easy, Abel..." Rick says trying to calm him down so he doesn't kill the man but it falls on deaf ears as the young man tightly grips Jenner's collar.
"You best find a way to open those fucking doors, or so help me... you will wish for a painless death. Do you hear me?!" Abel threatens, Jenner looks down with the same cold, defeated look in his eyes.
"You should've left well enough alone. It would have been so much easier."
"Easier for who?!" Abel shouts pulling him closer. Jenner motions to everyone around them.
"All of you. You know what's out there. A short, brutal life and an agonizing death."
"You're giving up. I get it. You've lost everything. But we're still here. We're alive. You're gonna tell me it's all for nothing? You didn't let us in just to trap us like rats." Abel says through gritted teeth.
Jenner shifts his gaze back to Abel, his expression still hard and emotionless. But there's a flicker of something in his eyes—doubt, maybe. The silence stretches for a moment.
"You don't understand what you're asking. You know what's out there! You've seen it, experienced it! How could you want to go back out there? How would you not want a painless death?" Jenner said quietly. Abel's glare didn't falter as he let the man go and fall into his chair.
"We still have a chance. If you give it too us. I don't want this for my family." Rick says, Shane slowly walks over to them and leans on a nearby workstation out of breath.
"Can't make a dent..."
"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner says. Daryl walks over to join them and tightly holds his axe.
"Well, your head ain't!" He shouts getting ready to swing and decapitate the doctor but is quickly restrained by Dale and Rick.
"Whoa! Whoa! Daryl!" Rick shouts holding him back, T-Dog quickly runs over and manages to pry the axe from Daryl's grip as he's pushed back. Jenner stands up and looks at Rick with a look of disbelief on his face.
"You do want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead. That's what you said." He says staring at Rick, Lori looks up at him with wide eyes. Shane looks up as he tries to catch his breath, a look of anger on his face.
"What? You really said that? After all that big talk?" He taunts his friend, Abel glances at Rick with a questioning gaze.
"I had to keep hope alive, didn't i?" He fires back at Shane who scoffs. Jenner shakes his head.
"There is no hope. There never was."
"There's always hope. It's out there somewhere, not here with you. Somebody somewhere, its out there... and we'll find it." Abel says not being swayed. Andrea glances up with a sad smile on her face.
"Sweetheart, what part of everything is gone do you not understand?" She asks quietly, Abel looks at her to see tears rolling down her face. Before he could respond Jenner stands up.
"Listen to your friend, she gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Jenner says staring off into nothingness, Carol's loud sob echoes around the room as she looks up with tears streaming down her face.
"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here!" She cries out as she holds Sophia tightly.
"One tiny moment, a millisecond. No pain."
"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" She chokes out in a shaky voice, Jenner slowly sits down and leans back looking at her confused from her refusal from a painless death.
"Wouldn't it be kinder? More compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"
The sound of a shotgun racking a shell echoes around the room. They turn to see Shane walking towards Jenner with a look of pure rage on his face as he tightly holds his shotgun in his hands.
"Shane! No!" Rick shouts as he tries to stop his friend from killing the man but he's shoved out of the way.
"Out of my way Rick! Stay out of my way!" He shouts as aims the barrel at Jenner's face.
"Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!" He threatens. Jenner just looks up at him without fear but acceptance.
"Brother. Brother, this is not the way you do this. We will never get out of here." He says pleading with his best friend to not kill their only way out. Abel stands on his other side, Shane lets out short breaths of anger the veins on the side of his head become visible.
"I'm with you on this one Shane. I wanna wring this fucks neck, but listen to him. He dies, we all-" He's cut off as Shane lets out a roar of rage and aims at nearby workstations and starts letting rounds fly.
Quickly Abel dives down taking cover from the sudden rounds flying through the air, Rick quickly reacts and grabs the stock and pump of the shotgun and pushes the barrel up causing a round to hit the lights over them.
He and Shane struggle for control over the gun but Rick ultimately wins the struggle. He pry's the firearm from his friends hands and slams the stock into his side sending a wave of pain through Shane's body. He falls to the floor on his back with a grunt, Rick quickly stands over him getting ready to hit him again if he resists.
"Are you done now? Are you done?" He asks sternly, Shane glares up at him.
"Yeah, I guess we all are." He says before lightly hitting the ground in frustration. Rick nods and steps away from him and hands the firearm to Abel.
"I think your full of shit." Rick says turning to Jenner, the doctor looks at him confused.
"What?"
"You're lying... about no hope. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?"
Jenner lets Rick's words sink in, he slowly turns away from him as a grim look makes it's way onto his face.
"It doesn't matter." He says quietly. Abel takes a few steps towards him and leans against his workstation.
"It matters. You stayed while others ran. Why?" He asks reinforcing Rick's words and breaks down Jenner's wall. The man looks at the young man with heartbreak and despair in his eyes.
"Not because I wanted to, I made a promise. To her... my wife." He says pointing towards the large screen counting down.
"Test subject 19 was your wife?" Lori asks quietly. Jenner nods his head slowly as a look of pain covers his face as he remembers her last moments.
"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?! She was dying! It should have been me on that table, I wouldn't have mattered to anybody! She was a loss to the world! Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here... In our field, she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just... Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me..." He says as his voice begins to break.
"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's-That's all we want. A choice, a chance." Rick pleads with the man, he turns his gaze towards him and looks at the other members of the group.
"Let us try for as long as we can." Abel says. Jenner looks between the two of them, he takes a deep breath and walks over to a nearby workstation.
"I told you topside is locked down. I can't open those." He says quickly as he swipes a card across a scanner. The metal doors suddenly shift and open revealing the hallway towards their stuff, Daryl's eyes widen as he turns to the group.
"COME ON!" He shouts.
"COME ON, LET'S GO!" Glenn shouts running past Daryl. Abel lets out a breath he was unconsciously holding and runs towards Daryl.
The two run alongside each other, Abel shoulder charges through the door breaking the frame. Quickly they begin grabbing all their scattered gear.
"D, catch!" Abel says tossing his quiver of arrows, Daryl catches them and slings them over his back.
"Come on, we gotta hurry, little man." He says stuffing a bag with his things that litter the floor. Abel notices his fathers journal on a nearby nightstand and quickly grabs it. He slips it into his bag before slinging it onto his back.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" He says grabbing Daryl's crossbow, the sound of a zipper closing a duffle bag reverberates around the room. Abel stands near the door waiting for his friend and holds out his crossbow.
"Let's get the hell outta here." Daryl says as he grabs the crossbow before walking past Abel. The young man follows suit and runs alongside him towards a flight of stairs that lead towards topside.
Flight after flight of stairs, breathing heavily they see the others coming from some of the other staircases. Breathing heavily everyone sees Light shining through the glass.
"Get them doors open!" Shane shouts as he runs towards a set and tries them but they are locked shut.
"It doesn't work!" Glenn says panicking as he pushes on the doors they entered but they also remain shut.
"D, axe!" Abel shouts, Daryl tosses one of the fire axes to him and he runs towards a set of double doors. They both begin to hit the window with all their strength but the blade just scratches the surface.
"Stay close, sweetheart." Carol says to her daughter.
They keep swinging hoping the glass will shatter but it's only scratching it. Glenn grabs a nearby metal chair and starts slamming it against the glass joining them in the effort. Shane grabs his shotgun and racks a shell into the barrel and slowly walks over.
"Abel, get down!" Shane shouts as he racks a shell into his shotgun. Abel dives out of the way and watches as the pellets from the shotgun round just bounce off the glass.
"The glass won't break?" Sophia questions, T-Dog grabs another steel chair and begins swinging it like his life depended on it.
Carol walks over to them with a bag, her hands are shaky as she reaches into it.
"Rick, I have something that might help."
Shane glances at her than towards the glass.
"Carol, I don't thin a nail file's gonna do it." He says with slight anger, she keeps rummaging through the bag with shaky hands.
"Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform. I found this in your pocket.." She says pulling out a frag grenade and holds it on her palm. Rick's eyes widen at seeing it, he thought he had lost it at the walker attack. Before he could reach for it, Abel grabs it from her.
He quickly ran towards a set of the windows as adrenaline fuels each step.
"LOOK OUT!" He shouts alerting everyone. They all run a good distance away from Abel as he kneels down.
The young man takes a few quick breaths before pulling the pin and setting it down. He quickly stands up.
"Jesus Christ!" He shouts as he runs toward the group, he takes a few steps and leaps for cover but the grenade explodes behind him. The shockwave sends him forwards causing him to slam into a railing, he quickly scrambles to his feet.
"You all right?" Rick asks checking him over for injuries. Abel nods his head and grabs his back.
"Yeah, lets get the hell out of here." He says before running out of the shattered window.
Shane aims his shotgun and shoots a shambling walker through the head, it falls limp to the ground.
"D, toss my an axe." He says, Daryl tosses one of the axes as they run. Abel catches it and slams the blade into the top of ones head splitting it in two. Rick aims his revolver and shoots another one in the head.
They break apart and run towards their respected vehicles, Rick and his family, and Glenn towards the RV. Daryl towards his truck, Shane and Abel towards his Jeep.
The young man tosses his bags into the open backseat, Shane throws the bag of guns on top of the other luggage they put in.
"The sound of the RV's horn blares through the air, Glenn peaks his head out the small window and screams for everyone to hear.
"GET DOWN! GET DOWN!" He shouts before diving for cover in the RV. Shane and Abel share a look before their eyes widen. Abel dives for cover behind the Jeep outside while Shane takes cover in the passenger seat. In the matter of seconds a loud explosion ripples through the air and sends a shockwave of heat into the air.
Abel slowly peeks his head over the hood to see giant fire and rubble fly through the air.
"That explosion is gonna draw all the walkers from the city. We gotta get the hell away from here!" He shouts as his ears ring from how close they were. Shane sits up and opens the passenger door.
"Agreed! Hop in!" He says turning the Jeep on. Abel hops into the passenger seat. His eyes are drawn to the pile of rubble that was once the CDC, the RV slowly starts to drive down the road before turning around towards the exit that leaves the city behind, Daryl follows in his truck while Shane follows in his Jeep.
Abel looks in the side mirror and watches as the giant fire that was once the CDC slowly began to fade in the distance.
-XXXX-
The sky is dark, the CDC now just a distant memory of fire and destruction behind them. Abel sits in the passenger seat of Shane's Jeep, the engine rumbling softly as they follow the convoy. His eyes are fixed on the horizon, but his mind is far away, still processing the explosion, the near-death experience, the fight to survive.
With a sigh, he pulls his father's journal from his bag. and flips to a blank page. He hunches over the notebook, the dim glow from the dashboard barely enough to see by, and begins to write, speaking to the one person he wishes could still hear him.
"Hey, Dad. I don't know if you're listening up there, but I hope you are. I've been telling myself that you're with Mom now, the two of you watching everything unfold from heaven. I hope you both found peace."
"We just left the CDC. Thought it was gonna be our salvation, our chance to get back some kind of normal life. Turns out, we were wrong. The place is gone now—exploded, like it never existed. There's nothing left, except us. We almost didn't make it out. It was close, way too close."
"Jenner... he'd already given up. He thought the fight was over, that there was no point in even trying anymore. Locked us in, like he was doing us some favor by letting us die. But I couldn't let it end like that. I couldn't let Carl, Rick, or the others go down without a fight. I guess I got some of that stubbornness from you."
"I stood there, face-to-face with him, begging him to give us a chance. And you know what? He did."
"It's been hard without you. I think about you every day. Wonder what you'd say if you saw the world like it is now. Would you still be telling me to keep going? Or would you have been like Jenner, thinking it was better to just call it quits?"
The Jeep bumps along the road, and Abel glances over at Shane, who's focused on the road ahead, lost in his own thoughts. Abel leans back against the seat, the pen hovering over the page for a moment before he continues.
"Rick's holding it together, but barely. I can see it wearing on him, the weight of leading us. It's the same look you had before you died, that kind of quiet exhaustion. And Lori... well, she's been a pain in my ass since day one. It's like she wants me to disappear, like I'm some kind of burden. But you know what? Carl still looks up to me, and that makes it all worth it."
"I miss you, Dad. I miss both of you. I know Mom's with you now, and that helps. I don't know if I'm doing the right things all the time, but I'm trying. You always said to keep my head up, no matter how bad it gets. Well, it's about as bad as it can get, but I'm still here. I hope you and Mom are watching, and I hope I'm making you proud."
"Anyway, we're on the road again. Don't know where we're headed, but I'll keep writing. Feels like you're with me when I do."
"I love you both. Until next time.
-Abel