(Anne Marshall belongs to AquaDestinysEmbrace.)
(Chris Rudy, Misty Rudy, and Chelsea Jernigan all belong to Chris Rudy!)
(I DO NOT own The Walking Dead, Code Lyoko or any of the names or brands that appear in this story. But I do own my OCs)
In the kitchen of the farmhouse, the teens with the exception of Yumi and the puppy Blaze had gathered in an anxious wait for Otis and Shane. The two men had only been sent out to the FEMA center about half an hour prior, so they knew it would still be a while until they returned.
As the teens sat in silence and contemplation, T-Dog was finally getting the cut on his arm worked on by Patricia, who by then had cleaned it and was now stitching it up.
"You got here right in time," Patricia stated, not even looking away from the cut she was stitching, "this couldn't go untreated much longer..."
T-Dog let out another hiss of pain - the latest of who only knew how many he had let out thus far. The painkillers he got from Daryl helped out but he would've gladly taken a couple more if offered...
"'Merle Dixon'..." Patricia spoke the name which she saw listed on one of the pill bottles. "Is that your friend with the antibiotics?" she wondered.
"Merle's no longer with us..." Rick muttered, which made Patricia immediately assume the worst had happened to the guy.
Glenn nodded. "Daryl gave us those.. his brother." he further explained.
Another pained hiss escaped T-Dog's mouth when Patricia accidentally pushed her needle and thread a little too deep into his skin. She didn't mean to do that, obviously, but she was rusty at stitching up someone. Practice will have to make perfect in this case and T-Dog would just have to tough it out while she does.
"Not sure I'd call him a 'friend'..." T-Dog hissed out, toughing out the pain as best he could.
"He is today. This doxycycline might have just saved your life." Patricia told him while focusing on her work.
"What was Merle even taking those pills for anyway?" Anne knew the risk of asking such a question but her curiosity got the better of her.
"The clap." Glenn answered. "Um, venereal disease. That's what Daryl said."
... suddenly Anne regretted ever having the ability to speak. She and everyone else in the room regretted having the ability to hear as well.
It took a lot for Anne to hold in what little she had to eat in the last couple of days...
"I'd say Merle Dixon's clap was the best thing to ever happen to you." Patricia joked to T-Dog as she got close to finishing up his stitches.
Now it was T-Dog's turn to struggle holding in his lunch.
"I'm really trying not to think about that..." T-Dog told the woman. The memory of Merle Dixon was bad enough without something like that making it worse for him...
Patricia simply chuckled, continuing to work on the man's arm as she did so. A few more stitches, some clean bandages, and a lollipop - he'll be fine.
Maggie smiled to herself before she noticed Glenn slipping out of the room. She watched him as he went out the side door and out onto the porch outside.
Out of curiosity, and just because she wanted someone to chat with, Maggie decided to go outside too. Like that 'Glenn' guy, Maggie slipped away from the room and she went out the side door to the porch. She was greeted with the sight of the sun finally starting to set behind the distant trees.
Taking a moment to glance around, Maggie noticed that "Carley" woman standing by herself out by the fences, her rifle still in her hands as she kept watch for any sign of trouble. Maggie cringed at the sight, feeling uncomfortable at the idea of an armed guard watching over the farm... her dad wouldn't be happy.
Turning, Maggie finally found where Glenn went. When she saw him sitting in the porch's rocking chair, Maggie was greeted with the unexpected but understandable sight of Glenn... praying...
Without saying a word, Maggie approached Glenn and stopped a short distance from him, casually leaning herself against one of the porch's pillars as she watched him.
"Are you praying?" Maggie asked with a slight tone of surprise in her voice.
Glenn's head shot up for a moment to look at her, then he sighed and brought a hand to his slightly-annoyed and slightly-embarrassed face.
"Why do you sneak up on people so much?" Glenn wondered aloud, though his voice didn't hold any of the annoyance his face showed.
"You're easy to sneak up on." Maggie shrugged at him with an amused look on her face.
Maggie took a step or two forward toward Glenn, then gently hoisted herself up onto the railing so she could sit on it. The pillar she was leaning against now served as her back rest.
"I was praying." Glenn admitted as he turned to face her, but he looked back down again after only a moment. "I was trying to..." he added with a slight hesitance.
"You religious? You pray a lot?" Maggie wondered. She figured that he didn't get much praying done, judging by how awkward he looked as he did.
"... actually, uh... this was my first try ..."
Maggie blinked with surprise.
"Ever?" Maggie asked, and when the man nodded she sheepishly nodded. "Wow. Sorry... I didn't mean to wreck your first time." she apologized to him.
Glenn nodded at Maggie and he didn't hold anything against her. He knew she didn't mean anything bad by it.
"God probably got the gist." Glenn said, hoping that his statement was true.
Silence fell between the man and woman for a few moments, both taking the opportunity to look out to the distance and watch as the last portion of the sun disappear behind the distant trees. Night had finally arrived...
"Praying for what?" Maggie now asked. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
"My friends." Glenn responded. "Looks like they could all use a little help right now..."
Glenn's voice held a tiredness behind it, just a symptom of all he and his friends had been forced to go through ever since the outbreak began. Maggie admired that although he was clearly trying his best to deal with his own horrible experiences, he was still praying for those he cared about rather than himself.
Maggie saw Glenn suddenly turn to look toward her.
"You think.. you think God exists...?" Glenn hesitated as he asked her this question.
It was a question which Maggie had to think on for a moment or two. Her relationship with God was strong while growing up, but these days... it was a little complicated.
"I always took it on faith." Maggie told him, neither a 'yes' or a 'no.' "Lately I've wondered. Everything that's happened, there must have been a lot of praying going on, and, um... well, it seems quite a few went unanswered..."
"... thanks. This is really helping."
That sheepish smile returned to Maggie's face almost instantly. She seemed to have a habit of saying the wrong things at the worst times...
"Sorry..." Maggie apologized for a second time. "Go ahead, really..." she urged him to continue without her 'ruining it' any further.
Glenn smiled at her before he lowered his head and went back to praying for his friends, with Aelita being the one he was praying for the most at the moment.
He kept up his prayers for a good minute or two before he looked up again, seeing that Maggie hadn't left the porch. She had just been sitting there, just being present.
"You gonna watch?" Glenn asked her.
Maggie chuckled before she stood up from the porch railing. She walked over to Glenn and then leaned down to pick up the now-empty cup of orange juice she had given him when she made him and T-Dog some food earlier.
"I'll get you a refill instead." Maggie smiled at him as she picked up the cup, then turned to head back inside.
As she went to the door and gripped the handle to open it, she stopped for a moment to look back at Glenn.
And what she had to say would impact him...
"I know its not my business, and feel free to believe in God..." Maggie began, "but the thing is you've got to make it okay somehow. No matter what happens."
Maggie then turned and headed into the house to refill Glenn's drink, leaving him wide-eyed and speechless as he contemplated her words...
The farmer's daughter was wiser than Glenn initially gave her credit for...
Back inside, T-Dog's wound had finally been taken care of by Patricia, who cleaned it up well, bandaged it up, and, as promised, even gave T-Dog one of the last lollipops from her stash as a reward for being "such a good patient."
T-Dog felt a little like a kid right now thanks to that... but admittedly he didn't refuse the candy. Watermelon lollipops were pretty fucking good anywa-
Suddenly, the whole house heard the sound of a door in the hall being pushed open so hard that it slammed right into the wall next to it. Then they heard a really loud thump before they heard the sounds of someone running...
Yumi was already in the room by the time everyone turned their heads. The Japanese teen had a look of shock, and she was holding onto her now-throbbing elbow after she accidentally tripped and fell onto the floor in her haste - which explained the source of the loud thump.
Some opened their mouths to ask if she was okay or what was wrong, but Yumi managed to speak before they could. And what she had to say shocked them all...
"... AELITA'S AWAKE!!!"
A brief moment went by where everyone just stared at Yumi with shock and surprise. But in the next moment, all of the teens in the room bolted straight past Yumi and ran straight towards the guest bedroom. Even Ulrich did this, though he'd feel a little bad about it later.
T-Dog, Glenn, Rick, and Carley - who had come back inside for a break - all stayed behind so that the teens would have this moment to themselves.
Yumi followed close behind the rest of the group as they hurried down the hall and to the guest bedroom. Jeremie was ahead of everyone, and he practically kicked down the door once he got to it...
When he and the others hurried inside, they froze at what they saw...
... Aelita was still laying in the bed, as she had for hours now. But now her eyes were open, and she had a weak, tired, and happy smile on her face.
"... hey guys." the pinkette said so softly to her friends that it was almost a whisper. Blaze, who had been laying on the bed, was happily licking at her hand.
The teens were all gathered around Aelita's bed within seconds. Jeremie and Chase both had tears of joy going down the sides of their faces as they went to either side of the pink-haired teen, both taking her hands into theirs as they each thanked God for Aelita's reawakening.
Dylan and Yumi both couldn't hold back their joyful tears either, though they settled for simply leaning next to Jeremie and Chase to look at Aelita.
"Easy, guys..." Aelita chuckled a little towards her boyfriend, her brothers, and her best friend as she was feeling a little suffocated by them.
... wait, best friend? Aelita blinked with astonishment when she noticed that Yumi was there at her bedside. The others must've found Yumi and the others while she was unconscious, however long that had been for her...
Aelita would've tried to get up and hug Yumi if she wasn't feeling so sore and weak. That'll have to be saved for later then...
"Y- You're awake, Princess! You're awake!" Dylan laughed with joy as he wiped away some of his tears.
"Thank god!" Anne smiled, relieved to see her friend awake.
Aelita smiled a bit more when Jeremie leaned down and gave her a tearful kiss on the lips, one which she gladly returned as best she could.
Having been drawn by the noise (including Yumi's accidental fall earlier), Hershel made his way through the group of teens and he went to Aelita's side to check up on her. Jeremie and Chase and the others all pulled away for a moment so they could give the man some space.
The pink-haired teen looked about as confused as she did tired. Where was she right now? And who was this man who was examining her...?
"What happened to me...? Was I bitten...?" Aelita asked with a bit of a raspy voice.
"No, but you accidentally got shot by a hunter. Anne got hit in the shoulder too..." Dylan gently explained to his step-sister.
"Shot...? Really...?" Aelita asked as her tired eyes widened a bit from shock. She couldn't believe something like that...
The last thing Aelita could remember was that she was approaching the buck in the forest, but nothing beyond that. She honestly didn't remember getting shot at all. Nor did she remember waking up during the removal of that first bullet fragment earlier, something which no one intended to try and remind her of.
Aelita tried to sit up further on the bed, but Hershel immediately set his hand on her shoulder and he gently laid her back down. It was very unwise for her to move around too much in her current condition, plus she had to remain very still so that he could get a good idea of how she was holding up.
"Easy, don't move too much..." Hershel told her as he grabbed his old stethoscope from the dresser. "My name is Hershel Greene and you're at my farm. Jeremie brought you here and I've been treating you since then..." he explained to the injured girl.
Jeremie's tired-but-happy eyes met Aelita's shocked ones when she turned to look at him. She realized that Jeremie must've carried her in his arms all the way to this farm... probably for miles and miles on end.
He had saved her life again... Aelita could only look at Jeremie with genuine love and gratitude in her eyes. She loved him more than ever before.
After giving Jeremie a thankful nod, the pinkette's attention was drawn back to Hershel, who was just now placing the stethoscope down on her skin.
"Nice to meet you, Hershel..." Aelita wearily replied, flinching slightly from the sudden cold feeling WHICH the stethoscope had on her chest.
The group watched as Hershel continued to examine Aelita. The pink-haired teen had never felt so weak, sore, and tired in her life, and she felt very hungry and thirsty. But she was now conscious, and above all else she was still alive...
Satisfied with how his patient was doing at the moment, Hershel decided to head out and allow the teens some privacy and time to catch up.
As soon as the former veterinarian moved out of the way the group clamored around Aelita and she was hit with what seemed like a million words at once.
"How are you feeling?"
"Does the wound hurt at all?"
"Do you need anything to eat?"
"I can't believe you're awake!"
"Seeing you get shot was the worst thing I've ever seen!"
"Princess, do you want something to drink?"
"What happened to you was worse than anything on Lyoko!"
"Aelita, you missed a lot while you were asleep!"
"We were worried sick about you!"
"'Lita, do you need another pillow?"
"When I heard you were shot-"
"Guys..." Aelita cringed a bit and held up her hand to gain everyone's silence.
Once everyone went quiet again, Aelita lowered her hand and spoke to everyone.
"Guys," Aelita began, "I really appreciate the concerns and I appreciate, all of the nice words you have to offer, but, um... can you give me some breathing room...?" her voice was sheepish as she asked this from them.
The Lyoko Warriors realized that they had gotten a little carried away thanks to their relief, so the majority of them pulled away a bit so as to give Aelita a bit of breathing room like she asked for. The only ones who remained locked at her bedside were Jeremie, Chase, Dylan and Yumi.
The others watched as the four by the bed spoke to her. Jeremie had tears welling in his eyes again as he thought back to how he felt when Aelita was first shot...
"I- I was so worried about you, 'Lita..." Jeremie sniffled, wiping away the fresh tears. "I thought you wouldn't wake up. I thought I was going to lose you... I- I..."
Aelita didn't let Jeremie finish that sentence. She simply reached out and took Jeremie's hand into hers, gently rubbing his palm with her thumb.
"I swear that I'm not going anywhere, Jeremie... You won't lose me." Aelita assured her boyfriend, telling him exactly what he needed to hear. Her hand gave a gentle, loving squeeze to his after she told him this.
Jeremie felt relieved by Aelita's assurances, and he made sure to give a kiss to her lips before he pulled away. Aelita smiled back at him before she turned her attention over to Yumi, Dylan and Chase. It was obvious that they and everyone else were all extremely worried about her...
"I am going to be okay, guys... I'm going to get through this. I swear it." Aelita assured the three teens and everyone else in the room. Her voice was very fatigued, but she still was managing to form a weak smile.
"That's what all of us is hoping for, sis..." Chase said with relief at his sister's awakening.
The pinkette watched as Dylan and Chase leaned in, each giving her a gentle but careful hug. Then she giggled as Dylan and Chase both reached over to affectionately ruffle her hair a bit.
Aelita honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen or what her chances for survival were... but as long as her boyfriend, her brothers, and all of her friends were there to support her, then she knew she would get through this mess and live to fight another day.
She wouldn't die from this... she was determined to continue her struggle to survive.
Parking the truck around the corner from the high school, Shane and Otis gathered their weapons and they cautiously tried to find a spot to do some recon on the area.
They had to know what they were going to be walking into here. If the place was clear then that'd be a godsend, but if it was infested with walkers then they'd have to figure out a way to get through them. And it wouldn't be easy.
Taking cover behind an abandoned police car in the parking lot, the two men cautiously peeked over to see what awaited them. Unfortunately this high school was the exact opposite of clear. Dozens of walkers were wandering around the abandoned FEMA camp and the wheelchair ramps which led up to the school itself.
Otis quickly recognized the place that they had to go to find the respirators...
"You see that big mobile medical trailer across the way?" Otis quietly asked the former cop with him.
Shane kept a tight hold on his Mossberg shotgun as he glanced over the police car again. Across the parking lot and near the school there was a large mobile medical trailer, but alas it was sitting dead-center in the middle of the walker horde. At least a couple dozen of the undead bastards were scattered across the parking lot...
If they were to get to the damned trailer then they'd have to distract the undead or go straight through them... but how?
The shocked officer lowered his head and turned to look at the hunter with him.
"That's where we gotta get to...?" Shane quietly asked with a tone of bewilderment after he saw the trailer.
"Yeah..." Otis sighed, knowing that actually getting to that trailer and back alive was easier said than done.
Both of the men felt pretty dispirited about what they had just seen and they began trying to think of a way to either distract the walkers or fight through them. After all, the life of a young girl was at stake and they simply couldn't afford to fail her. Otis and Shane were going to get those respirators laying within that trailer, or they'll die in the attempt.
... this was going to be a lot harder than they thought it would be.
As Otis watched the walkers in the parking lot, Shane suddenly had an idea pop into his head. It was risky, but if he could do it right...
With great caution, Shane rounded the side of the police car and to the driver's door. He was visible, out in the open, but as long as he didn't get too close or make too much noise then he should be okay... Otis realized what Shane was doing, so he kept an eye out on the walkers to alert him if any looked their way.
Silently praying that the battery wasn't still live and that the door was still unlocked, Shane carefully reached for the door handle and tensed as he pulled it. Thankfully his prayers were answered. No alarm sounded.
Shane reached to the center console and pressed the button to unlock the trunk door. Otis was forced to take a step back when the damn thing suddenly opened on him, but he didn't make any noise. Nor did Shane as he sneakily made his way back to the trunk.
The two men checked inside and found the answer to their immediate walker problems. With a chuckle, Shane grabbed the road flares stashed in there and he lit them, tossing them all out into the parking lot. The walkers thankfully took the bait.
Drawn in by the light and the sound of the burning flares, Shane and Otis found no difficulty in sneaking over to the medical trailer.
Once they made it inside, the two men turned on their flashlights and started looking for the stuff on Hershel's list.
Shane found the oxygen canisters needed for Aelita's respirator. Stuffing them all into his duffle bag, he then found the tubing and sutures and all of the medical instruments which Hershel had written down for them to find.
Otis let out a sudden silent laugh of triumph, making Shane come over to see what he was so happy about. When Shane reached him, Otis proudly showed off to the former deputy the two most important things which Aelita needed to survive.
"Endotracheal incubator, baby - for my new respirator." Otis grinned, showing off both the incubator and the respirator.
"Atta boy!" Shane grinned, giving Otis a pat on the back before he and Otis loaded up the two items.
Having grabbed up everything Hershel needed, the two men went back to the door and opened it. Outside they saw the flares had already died off, and the walkers had gone back to stumbling across the whole of the parking lot.
Unfortunately, it was then that Shane accidentally lost his grip on his duffle bag. He caught it, but the oxygen canisters inside clattered against each other, creating a noise which drew the attention of more than a few of the walkers...
They saw they were already cut off from Otis's truck...
"Damn it!" Otis gasped as he saw all of the walkers in the parking lot were now going straight for him and Shane.
Shane growled. "Come on!" he told the hunter, making a dash around the trailer and toward the high school itself.
As the two men rounded the corner of the trailer, they heard the sounds of snarls and growls from dozens of walkers coming after them. They were too close for comfort. And both men knew they didn't have nearly enough bullets to escape the way they came.
"C'mon, stay with me!" Shane urged Otis to keep moving, both men running as fast as they could.
Otis, God bless him, was trying his best, but both he and Shane knew that he couldn't keep this run up for much longer. The man was middle-aged and out of shape, both of which were lethal when it came to outrunning walkers.
The two reached a flight of concrete stairs and they rushed up them. They ran around another corner after making it to the top, but they were forced to stop in their tracks when a walker unexpectedly jumped out and grabbed at Shane's shirt.
"NO! No, no, no, no, no, no!" Shane exclaimed, struggling against the walker's grip for a few moments before he finally got ahold of his knife and stabbed the creature in its rotting skull. It all happened so fast that Otis didn't have time to try and help.
As that walker's corpse fell, the walkers which had been chasing Otis and Shane had reached the top of the stairs and charged at the men.
The two men ran once again, making their way in-between a couple of the school buildings. They tried to go around the front of the school complex so that they could loop their way back around to Otis's truck, where they would hopefully escape before the walkers could catch up.
As they made it to the front of the high school's main building, they saw another mass gathering of walkers.
Sandwiched between two huge groups of walkers and with no clear way back to the truck, Shane came up with what could only be viewed as a desperate idea.
"In here!" Shane shouted to Otis as he pointed to the front doors of the school itself.
The walkers were closing in all around as the men hurried to the doors. They were locked, so Shane had to fire a couple of his shotgun shells into the glass to make them shatter. The two men had no time to get safe, so they didn't bother being careful while climbing through the ruined doors and all the broken glass strewn on the floor.
Shane pulled the security gate as the walkers reached the doors. He just managed to get them shut and locked before any of the walkers could reach through...
Trapped within the high school now, the two men could only look at all the walkers on the other side of the security gate and the unbroken glass surrounding the doors. The creatures wouldn't stop trying to get to the men, their meals...
"Damn it!" Shane cursed with frustration. The longer they were trapped here, the more likely it would be that Aelita dies...
As Otis worriedly raised his hunting rifle in case any of the walkers made it through, Shane could only look on as he struggled to think of how they could escape this mess...
Back at the farm, Jeremie, Chase, Dylan, Miranda, Odd, Ulrich and Yumi were busy helping to fill Aelita in on whatever she had missed while she was unconscious. They also stayed just chat with her and to bring her anything she may need, such as some food or water or a comfy pillow.
Despite her current predicament and weakness, Aelita looked and felt extraordinarily happy. The same could be said for the rest of the teens.
The teens shared a laugh as Dylan told them of a funny story of when the other Lyoko Warriors were in Washington D.C. together. The story involved him, Charles, Miranda, Patrick, the Washington Monument, a camera, and finally two angry but pretty-overweight security guards.
"-and before we took off running as fast as we could, Charlie tried to claim diplomatic immunity since he's Australian!" Dylan laughed as he finished telling the story.
"Y- You guys certainly had a great time, huh...?" Aelita tiredly laughed with her step-brother.
"Yeah we did!" Chase grinned as he wiped away a tear caused by his laughter. "Man, you guys should have came with when we left with the other people from Kadic. We all would've had a hell of a time together..." he told her.
Aelita's face and the faces of the other teens fell a little bit when Chase mentioned the teachers and other students from Kadic Academy. Those people were all still missing after the military began to drop napalm on the streets of Atlanta, so who knew where they were now if they were even still alive.
Principle Delmas, Sissi...
Milly... Tamiya...
Emily... Jim Morales, Yolande... Taelia...
Johnny... Thomas... Magali... Caroline...
Matthias, Herb, Nicholas... Alexandre...
Bryjna... Tania... Jean-Baptiste, Romain...
Mrs. Hertz, Mrs. Meyer... Mr. Fumet... Mr. Chardin...
Laura Gauthier... Patrick Belpois...
... Hiroki...
Those people and so many others from Kadic were with the Lyoko Warriors in Atlanta. Most if not all of them could already be dead by now.
It hurt the teens to not know whether their friends were alive or dead...
Yumi looked especially upset as she thought about her little brother. Hiroki was with the group in Atlanta and she hadn't seen him since she bid him goodbye over a month earlier when he and the others from Kadic first went to New York. Her parents were likely already dead, but she couldn't lose her little brother too.
She couldn't lose Hiroki... but where could he possibly be? Georgia was a huge place to look for one person, and that's assuming he was even still in Georgia.
Aelita could tell that Yumi was upset about Hiroki, so with great effort she managed to reach over and take Yumi's hand into hers to give her a little bit of support.
"You'll see Hiroki again, Yumi..." Aelita assured her friend with a soft smile. "We'll find him and all of the others from Kadic Academy. I promise we will..."
The Japanese teen glanced down at Aelita's hand holding hers. Yumi blinked and seemed to be a bit surprised, but only for a moment, and afterwards she chuckled and went to give Aelita a weak hug so she could thank her for the kind words.
"We're the ones who're supposed to be here for you, not the other way around." Yumi pointed out to her best friend with a tone of amusement and gratitude.
"I aim to please, Ishiyama." Aelita jokingly replied with a tired grin.
The teens shared another laugh at this conversation while Aelita managed to find the strength to chuckle. Yumi soon broke the hug, giving Aelita another smile before pulling away.
The teens all stopped laughing when they heard the door open and shut. They saw that Hershel had come back with his stethoscope, as he was wanting to check up on her one more time that day to see how she was holding up.
"Hello Hershel... how's the patient?" Chase quipped as he gestured down to his pink-haired sister, causing her to tiredly giggle.
"That's what I'm here to find out." Hershel cheerfully replied as he approached the bed.
Yumi politely stood up out of her chair and backed away so that Hershel could sit in it. Hershel thanked the teen and he sat in the chair, gently placing the chest piece on Aelita's heart while he listened to its beat very closely.
The elderly doctor instructed his patient to slowly take deep breaths in and out, and Aelita did so as best she could on account of her injuries. Her heartrate and breathing was still weakening, and it was definitely weaker compared to the last time he checked them. But regardless, her heartrate and breathing were still somewhat-adequate for now.
Aelita was definitely in rough shape both inside and out. Hershel just hoped Shane and Otis would get back soon...
"Man, can you imagine how Yolande or Jim or Principle Delmas or anyone else from Kadic would react if they saw all of this?" Odd quipped to the pink-haired teen.
Aelita chuckled again. "Well, Odd, I'm certain that they all would... be... would... b-be...
...
...
..."
The group noticed how Aelita suddenly trailed off from what she was saying. To their instant alarm, they saw that her eyes had glazed over and that she was staring blankly at a wall, her mouth slightly agape.
Hershel immediately took the stethoscope off and set it on the bed's end table as he looked pretty concerned as well. Hershel snapped his fingers in front of Aelita's face to try and get her attention, but this elicited no response whatsoever from the poor girl. Needless to say, the Lyoko Warriors quickly began to feel worried about their princess.
It was clear to all that something was wrong with her... something terribly, terribly wrong...
"A- Aelita...? You okay...?" Chase cautiously asked as he took the pinkette's hand, his expression full of concern.
"'Lita...?" Dylan asked with a similar feeling of worry.
Jeremie moved to the other side of the bed so that he could look at Aelita's face. It was extremely unnerving for him to see Aelita in such a strange state.
"Aelita? Are you okay...?" Jeremie worriedly asked his girlfriend.
"Hershel, what's wrong with her?" Ulrich asked the doctor in the room.
Before Hershel could answer Ulrich's inquiry, Yumi screamed in horror.
The group looked back at Aelita to see that she was now beginning to violently shake and convulse on the bed. Her eyes had rolled back into her skull, and she grunted over and over again with every last uncontrollable shake of her body.
Hershel immediately went to pull the pillow out from under Aelita's head and he gestured for the group to just stay back and to let the poor girl have the space she needed. It was evident to all that Aelita was having a seizure, and what was worse was that there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it...
"AELITA?!" Odd gasped, horrified to his core at what he was seeing.
In a desperate effort to keep her safe, a tearful Jeremie and Chase tried to get through Hershel so they could pin Aelita down throughout the rest of her seizure. But Hershel managed to keep the panicked brother and the panicked boyfriend from getting to Aelita, as she had to ride this out without any interference.
"Don't. It's a seizure..." Hershel told the two teens as he held them back. "If you hold her down then you could hurt her." he warned them and the others.
"YOU CAN'T STOP IT?!" Chase gasped, literally trembling from fear and worry.
"She just has to go through it..." Hershel sorrowfully replied to the teens, as he had absolutely no other medical option left than to let the seizure go on until it stopped.
"You have to stop it! It's hurting her, Hershel!" Jeremie begged with tears going down the sides of his face. "You have to stop it! PLEASE!!!"
Sadly, Hershel couldn't do what they wanted. All they could do was to allow Aelita ride this out...
The group continued to watch with horror as Aelita convulsed and shook on the bed, her seizure seemingly growing more and more intense. Jeremie openly began to sob and so did Yumi. Chase was so distraught that he had to leave the room before he could break down right alongside them, causing Anne to hurry after him.
Ulrich hurried over to pull Yumi in for a tight hug, allowing her to muffle her sobs in his chest while he reluctantly watched his friend have her seizure.
As Jeremie sobbed, Miranda leaned over and pulled him in for a hug which she knew he needed. The girl made Jeremie look away from Aelita, and she did the same. Miranda simply didn't want to watch her friend suffer, and she knew that Jeremie shouldn't have to see something as horrible as this either...
Like Miranda, Odd simply turned away from the pink-haired teen, unable to watch any more of this. The boy shut his eyes and he tightly covered his ears with his hands so that he wouldn't have to see or hear what was happening to her... but it didn't work well.
Dylan simply sat in silence, a sad expression on his face as he watched his step-sister go through such pain...
The sight and sound of Aelita's seizure would haunt all the teens for the rest of their lives...
After what seemed like a hellish eternity, Aelita finally stopped convulsing and her seizure ended. Aelita's body went completely limp and her head fell back down onto the bed with a soft thud as she fell into unconsciousness yet again.
As Anne led Chase back into the room, as Ulrich continued trying to comfort his girlfriend, as Odd struggled to look back toward the bed, and as Miranda gently released the still-sobbing Jeremie, Hershel went over to Aelita's bedside and he put two fingers on her neck to feel her pulse.
Her heart... it was weak... very weak...
"Her brain isn't getting enough blood. Her pressure is bottoming... She needs another transfusion..." Hershel informed the others in the room about Aelita's condition.
"... okay..." Jeremie muttered, wiping away his tears before he looked up to the elderly farmer. "Hook me up to that machine. Take as much of my blood as you need and give it to her." he instructed.
"If I take any more out of you then your body could shut down. You could go into a coma. Or cardiac arrest..." Hershel logically warned the supergenius.
"Mine." Chase suddenly interjected, wiping away the last of his tears before he rolled up the sleeve on his left arm. With the situation worsening, the teen's sadness suddenly was replaced with a firey determination to keep Aelita alive.
When Hershel hesitated for a moment, Chase frowned at him. "Take mine." he demanded. "Take as much as she needs and don't you dare stop draining blood from me until Shane and Otis get back here..."
Knowing that Jeremie simply wasn't going to take his warnings into consideration even at the expense of his health, Hershel moved to hook Chase up to the blood transfusion kit instead. He used alcohol wipes to disinfect a small portion of skin on Chase's forearm, then he stuck the needle in, causing Chase to wince in pain for a moment. Anne reached out and took his hand into hers, letting him know that she was there for him...
As Chase's blood began to fill an IV bag, he and all the other teens glanced down at Aelita again, all feeling a worry more intense than any they ever felt before...
Shane and Otis needed to hurry the fuck up before Aelita dies...
Walkers.
Walkers were everywhere. All around.
Just a few bullets left between them.
Soon zero.
Soon death.
Amazingly, Otis and Shane managed to get out of the high school despite overwhelming odds. After the walkers broke through the windows and the security fence, Otis and Shane were forced to run through most of the school before taking shelter on top of the bleachers, which were thankfully stacked. After thinking through their situation, the two men came up with a risky plan to get out of the building.
Shane broke and hopped out of a small window in the gym, though he busted his knee pretty bad when he landed. Otis knew that a man his size he couldn't fit through those windows, so he was forced to run all the way to the locker room and hop out of one of the more-larger windows in there. It was a miracle he wasn't cornered in there. It was an even bigger miracle that those windows were unlocked.
The two men met back up in the parking lot, but the herd of walkers followed them back out of the school. Neither men was in any shape to run, one due to weight, the other due to injury, and both due to sheer exhaustion.
As they limped, the walkers kept inching closer and closer. It was only a matter of time...
"I'm down to my last bullet..." Otis tiredly told Shane as he held Jeremie's pistol, now with just a single bullet in the chamber. His rifle was expended of bullets and now just hung limply by the weapon's strap.
"Me too..." Shane frowned, his Mossberg also with just one shell left.
Things were desperate before. But now, both men knew that they were likely going to die within the next few moments...
Shane... he had an idea on how to survive and get the medical supplies to Hershel, but he didn't want to do it. After all, who would want to? Otis genuinely seemed like a good guy despite the accidental shooting...
Hell, if things were different, then Shane probably would sit down on Hershel's front porch and have a couple of nice cold beers with the guy, and they'd talk for hours about stuff like old girlfriends or the good times from before the outbreak. Even on the way to this damn school they had a nice chat, finding some things in common...
... but there was only one way that these supplies could get to Hershel now. And if Shane didn't do what needed to be done, then he'd die and so will Aelita Schaeffer.
... it was time to make a sacrifice.
Stopping for a second, Otis glanced over at Shane and noticed that the former cop looked to be very conflicted about something. It drew the hunter's curiosity and concern.
With a solemn sigh, Shane reached behind his back and gripped something that was hidden in his waistband, looking directly at Otis's eyes with an expression of pure guilt at what he was about to do...
"......I'm sorry."
Before Otis could even question Shane's statement, the former cop pulled a hidden snub-nosed revolver out from his waistband, aimed it at Otis's right leg... and then pulled the trigger.
As the bullet fired, Otis screamed with pure agony and fell as he felt his kneecap be torn to shreds. Shane immediately rushed to Otis and he took both the hunting rifle and Jeremie's pistol away from him before he could get any chance to shoot back. Once the guns were secure, Shane worked on trying to get Otis's duffle bag off since it had all the precious supplies inside.
But before Shane could get the bag and leave Otis for the walkers, Otis pulled Shane down to the ground with him as he struggled to fight for his life.
Otis wanted to live. He wanted to go back to the farm. He wanted to be there to apologize to Aelita in person once she awoke. And most of all he wanted to see Patricia again and let her know just how much he loved her...
... but Shane was not going to let Otis get out of there. Otis was now his distraction so he could slip away from the walkers.
And he couldn't risk Otis letting the people at the farm know what he had just done...
Shane struggled to get the bag off. He kicked and punched Otis in the face over and over again as the walkers inched closer. The hunter was fighting for his life just as much as Aelita had for the last hours...
By nothing short of a miracle, Otis managed to get a hold of Jeremie's gun again and aim it at Shane's face. But Shane grabbed Otis's arm and forced him to aim it away just as Otis fired the last bullet in the gun. Shane then grabbed Jeremie's gun, but Otis grabbed Shane's hair and yanked hard on it in a clumsy effort to fight back.
But the former cop was stronger than this farmhand. Although Shane felt a lot of pain from his hair being pulled, he managed to get a hold of the pistol, and then he used the butt end of it to viciously beat Otis in the face over and over again, putting all of his strength into each hit...
Despite this, Otis kept a firm hold on Shane's hair. He even managed to get a good kick against Shane's injured leg, which only infuriated the former cop more.
"LET GO OF ME!!! LET GO!!!" Shane growled as he hit Otis's face over and over again with the gun.
At long last Otis, finally let go of Shane's hair. His face being caved in and covered with his own blood, his nose being crushed, his teeth being turned into powder and one of his eyesockets being destroyed by hard steel was simply too much for the poor man to bear...
In a desperation to survive, Otis reached for Shane's pant leg as if to beg his would-be murderer for help... but in refusal, Shane crushed Otis's hand with his boot as he stood up, causing the helpless man to scream in agony once more. It only drew more walkers...
Through his remaining good eye, Otis could only watch as Shane picked his duffle bag, his empty hunting rifle, Jeremie's pistol, and his own Mossberg shotgun up from the ground. Shane then turned and hurriedly began to hobble back in the direction of Otis's pickup, abandoning the farmhand to the grisly fate which soon awaited him.
The walkers enveloped Otis just moments later. The poor hunter could only scream as he felt his flesh be torn from all over his body... But as planned, none of the walkers bothered to continue going after Shane now that they had a feast to enjoy.
The brand-new murderer looked back and watched for a second or two as Otis was devoured. He honestly couldn't believe what he was looking at just now...
Although he was in disbelief at his own actions, Shane also knew that the sacrifice of Otis to all of the walkers meant that he could get away with the supplies. Now, if he could just get back to the farm in time, Aelita would have a chance to survive...
Shane resumed walking as Otis's screams finally died down to silence, signaling his demise. It didn't take long for the former cop to get back to the truck, and he loaded the shotgun, the rifle, both his duffle bag and Otis's, and Jeremie's pistol all into the passenger seat.
Having succeeded in getting everything Hershel needed, Shane got in the driver's seat and drove away as the walkers continued to eat their fresh meal...
He didn't dare look back, and he was silent for the rest of the drive...
Back at the farm, Hershel was busy checking Aelita's blood pressure again. It was low. Too low. Almost lethally low.
The farmer had no idea where Shane and Otis were or if they were still alive, but they couldn't afford to wait another minute for them. Aelita desperately needed this surgery and it was now or never, otherwise she was most likely going to lose her life within the next couple of hours...
Jeremie, Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, Chase, Dylan, Anne, and Miranda were all in the room with the farmer as he examined Aelita. Judging from the expressions on the old man's face, they all knew that the situation wasn't good and was getting worse with each passing moment.
"Aelita's still losing blood faster than we can replace it." Hershel told everyone in the room.
"Is there anything else you can do for her? Anything to buy her time?" Yumi asked, her heart racing from worry.
Hershel solemnly shook his head. "With the swelling in her abdomen we can't wait any longer, or she's just gonna slip away..." he informed the people in the room.
"Oh my God..." Anne gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes widened.
Time was of the essence. The longer they waited, the more likely Aelita will die on this bed tonight.
"Now I need to know right now if you guys want me to do this, because I think your girl is out of time." Hershel warned all of the teens. He sympathized with them all, but he needed an answer on what to do next.
The present Lyoko Warriors all shared a glance, each silent and unsure as to what decision to make here. If Hershel did this risky surgery on Aelita without the equipment he needed, then it'd very likely kill her if and when she woke up in the middle of it again. But with Shane and Otis not returning with the respirators, there was no other choice left...
If Aelita didn't have this surgery then she was definitely going to die. But if she did have the surgery without the respirators, then, again: there's a huge likelihood that she'll still die. She could, or even would, wake up in the middle of it and Hershel would accidentally kill her by severing an artery or something.
Aelita's life was on the line now... Her fate is in the hands of those she loves, and in God's.
Sensing the group's hesitation and uncertainty, Hershel frowned. He didn't do so out of anger, but out of a genuine need for their consensus. He wasn't exaggerating when he said that he needed an answer right now.
"You need to make a choice!" Hershel told the teens in as serious of a voice as he could muster.
"A choice?!" Jeremie asked, not even bothering to hold back his tears anymore. What kind of choice was this?! Aelita dies on this bed or she dies on an operating table?!
"A choice..." Chase told him, his voice soft since he was still feeling weak after the blood draw.
Dylan nodded, lowering his gaze. "Right now, Aelita's life is in our hands... now what the hell do we do here, guys?"
The Lyoko Warriors all glanced at each other as if to ask amongst themselves what should happen. No one really had an answer at first...
The teens have made their fair share of hard choices during their fight against XANA... but this...? This was on a whole different level...
Wait for Shane or Otis and risk Aelita dying from her injuries. Take their chances on doing the surgery without the respirators and risk Aelita dying from a variety of causes...
Either choice carried risk and consequence for someone they all cared for... and who they loved.
After a few silent moments with each other, the Lyoko Warriors and Anne all finally came to a unanimous consensus on what to do. Jeremie was given a supportive pat on the back by Chase, and the super genius took a step or two forward and he gave the answer to Hershel on the group's behalf.
Taking a deep breath, Jeremie looked Hershel in the eye and gave him a determined nod.
"... Do it."
Within minutes, the preparations for the surgery was underway.
Patricia and Hershel rolled in a large metal cart into the bedroom and they parked it next to the bed Aelita was on. Hershel, after putting on a pair of latex gloves and going through the whole sterilization process as best as he could in a situation like this, walked over to Aelita's bed, gesturing for a few of the teens to come over and assist him with something.
"Okay... get the corners of that bed." Hershel instructed them all. "Let's get the sheets off, everybody!"
Dylan, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi all went to the bed and each of them grabbed a corner of the sheets. As they did, Jeremie made sure to set the IV bags down in the crook of Aelita's left arm.
Aelita needed to be lifted by the sheets and she had to be placed upon the metal cart, all without moving her too much due to her obvious injury. Absolutely nothing could be allowed to go wrong here, and no one could dare take a chance with anything.
On the count of three, the four teens lifted the unconscious pink-haired girl with the sheets and they inched her over to the cart. Then they gently set her down onto it without any major movement on their part.
One task down... about a million more to go.
Maggie entered the room with a medical tray covered with blue cloth. She carefully set it down by Aelita's leg, and the group was taken aback when the cloth was taken off since the tray had many of the surgical instruments which were going to be used to open up Aelita... minus the ones Shane and Otis were supposed to have returned with.
Jeremie felt a bit sick when he saw all of the metal cutting tools, knowing that they'll all be used to slice open the person he cared for the most.
"... oh god ..." Jeremie muttered to himself, unable to stop himself thinking of all sorts of different ways that those tools will be used on Aelita.
The rest of the teens were pretty disturbed by the sight of the tools as well. God, they hoped Hershel knew what he was doing here...
As Hershel went to position himself on one side of the metal card, Patricia, who was to be his surgeon's assistant during Aelita's operation, brought over a bedside lamp and set it down next to Aelita's chest. Patricia took the lamp shade off and then she turned it on, making a rudimentary operating light for the ex-veterinarian to use while they opened up Aelita.
The goal for this operation was to stitch up the wounded artery and probe for whatever remaining bullet fragments were in there. It was easier said than done...
Hershel picked up a scalpel as Patricia and Maggie backed a few steps away to give the man some space. Then he looked down to check his watch, wanting to memorize the time the procedure was going to take from preparation to finality.
8:03 PM. Hershel made a mental note of that time... and he prayed.
"... y'all may want to step out for this ..." Hershel warned the group of teens. Within the next few minutes, Aelita's surgery would begin.
The Lyoko Warriors in the room took Hershel's advice and one by one they began to filter themselves out of the room. But before they left, each of the teens went to Aelita and they bid her the best kinds of best wishes that they could make. All knew that this could very well be the last time they would ever see Aelita alive...
Jeremie realized this as well. He struggled very hard not to break down as he gave his princess a final kiss on the cheek...
Chase and Dylan then went to tell their unconscious sister that they loved her and hoped to see her again after the surgery. Each of them left a kiss on her forehead as well, giving the pinkette a final token of their affection before they reluctantly pulled away...
All of the teens got their moment with Aelita in the end. Even Blaze was lifted by Yumi onto the bed, where the saddened pup gave a loving lick to the pinkette's cheek before being lowered to the floor again...
... despite this sense of finality which plagued the air, no one dared said the word "goodbye" to Aelita. Whether she would live or die, no one could find the strength to say such words...
As the teens began filtering out, Ulrich peeked out of a window and saw that a pair of headlights were rapidly approaching the farm from down the road...
The teen's eyes widened. It had to be Shane and Otis with the respirators and the other supplies!
Ulrich watched as the blue pickup truck approached the farm and parked a just little ways away from the front porch. The noise and lights from the truck drew the attention of Hershel and the others in the room, making them glance at the window.
"It's Shane and Otis! They're back!" Ulrich announced to everyone in the room.
Almost immediately the teens bolted out of the guest bedroom. Hershel instructed Patricia to stay and keep an eye on Aelita before he and Maggie hurried after the teens. Along the way they told T-Dog, Carley, Rick, and Glenn about what was going on.
As the teens, Hershel, and the other adults all ran out to the front porch, Shane had already pulled the two duffle bags out of the truck and shut the door behind him. The man was ragged and sweaty,
The group couldn't help but notice that Otis was not with him...
As Shane limped his way forward, he saw the teens, Rick, and the others had already gathered on the front porch to await him...
Shane tried as hard as he could to not look suspicious as he approached them...
"... Aelita ...?" Shane cautiously asked, a mental prayer going through his mind that he wasn't too late.
"You made it just in time." Odd assured the former cop, feeling beyond happy to see that he made it with the respirators.
Shane was relieved to hear that. He made it. He made it back in time with the respirators, and the rest was up to Hershel now...
Hopefully that man will ensure that Aelita's life will be saved... that will make everything that happened at the high school worth it.
Hershel walked over to Shane so he could take the duffle bags, but he was crestfallen to see that Otis wasn't with him. He was sure that Otis was gone, but he needed to get a confirmation so no doubt will be left over.
"Otis...?" Hershel reluctantly asked as the former cop handed him the duffle bags.
Shane wanted to lie to Hershel. He wanted to tell him that Otis died a brave death and that he willingly sacrificed himself so that he could get away and save Aelita life...
... But he couldn't. Shane, a police officer sworn to uphold law, was an honest-go-god murderer now. He simply didn't have the will to lie when looking Hershel in the eye.
In lieu of words, Shane simply lowered his gaze and remained silent. Luckily for him, this made Hershel believe that Otis had succumbed to the walkers...
Realizing what had happened, Maggie began to break down in tears. The woman stayed in place while Carley went to put her arms around her, trying her best to sooth the young woman...
Hershel was deeply saddened at the loss of a good friend like Otis, but he couldn't allow himself to grieve right now and he certainly couldn't allow Patricia to do so either, as the knowledge of Otis's death would grieve her to no end and make her useless for the entire operation.
A little girl's life was at stake! Mourning the death of a good man and friend simply had to wait until the surgery was over...
"We say nothing to Patricia." Hershel ordered to all who was listening to him. "At least not 'til after... I need her!" he reasoned before he hurried back into the house with the duffle bags and their precious cargo.
As Hershel hurried back inside to finally begin the now-less risky surgery, Rick made his way out from the group and he went straight to Shane, pulling his best friend in for a much-needed hug.
Shane returned the hug after a moment. Rick falsely assumed it was because he was mourning Otis... if only he knew that he had murdered the man.
After a few long moments, the two men broke, and Shane opened his mouth to speak to everyone who was there.
"They kept blocking us at every turn..." Shane started to explain while thinking of a convincing end for the fallen farmhand. Judging by the looks on the faces in front of him, Shane was doing a good job so far.
Shane continued. "We had nothing left," he told them. "We were down to ten rounds... Then he said he'd cover me, and... and that I should keep going." he cringed, the guilt from killing Otis eating him up from the inside.
Most of the people who were listening was buying into Shane's lies. Even Maggie was beginning to cry at Otis's death... After all, she had known him her whole life, and she considered him a good friend ever since she was a little girl.
In the eyes of most, this was simply just a thing that went terribly wrong and Otis tragically lost his life... so who could possibly find any reason to go against Shane's story? Especially in this terrible day and age where simply walking down a road could become lethal?
The answer was Miranda and Odd. The two teens had absolutely no idea what it was, but something about Shane's story was... off.
As the two suspicious teens and everyone else continued watching him, the normally-stoic Shane seemed to be struggling not to break down in front of them. The death of Otis seemed to affect him pretty terribly, even if it was a forced sacrifice to save the life of a young girl.
"So that's what I did." Shane continued, clearing his throat as he continued his lie to the group. "I just... I kept going. But I- I looked back and he... he was already gone..."
Reaching up to wipe his eyes, Shane's expression suddenly turned to that of frustration.
"... I tried!" Shane again told the group.
"He wanted to make it right..." Rick assured his friend to try and alleviate some of his guilt.
"And he did..." Yumi agreed. Otis had proved that he was truly worthy of forgiveness... and Yumi only wished she realized this while he was still alive.
Shane still seemed to be unconvinced, but he didn't press the issue any further. Right now all the man wanted to do was nurse his wound, ask Hershel if he could get a hot shower in the farmhouse's bathroom, and then get something to eat and go to bed.
He had no clue if he was going to get any sleep that night, though. What happened with Otis was still burnt into his memory...
Before he headed into the farmhouse to get a glass of water, Shane walked over to Jeremie and gave the teen his revolver back. The super genius was deeply disturbed to see the butt-end of his pistol completely covered in blood, but, as he believed that it was from the walkers, he didn't bother to ask any questions.
Shane then limped his way up the steps of the front porch with Rick's aid while Jeremie made a mental note to clean up his pistol later. However, Miranda and Odd glanced at each other with similar feelings of thought.
Both of the teens were sure that Shane was hiding something about what happened at that high school... but what?
Later that night, the Lyoko Warriors who were present all waited outside of the farmhouse together for news about Aelita. Hershel had been working on her for about four or five hours already, and Beth gave the teens an update about once or twice every hour. However, the teens understandably were still worried sick about Aelita.
Was the surgery going well? Anybody's guess... Jeremie was a nervous wreck and he just wouldn't sit still. Whether it be him pacing back and forth for hours or checking his wristwatch every thirty seconds, Jeremie had only his girlfriend's survival on his mind.
Aelita was in good hands... she had to be.
The rest of the Lyoko Warriors were spread out amongst the huge front porch of Hershel's home. Thankfully this was one of those really old-style plantation homes from the mid 19th century, so there was more than enough leg room for them. If all sixteen of the Warriors were here at the moment, the porch was so massive that they'd all have been comfortable too.
Jeremie, however, was out on the dirt path which led to the front porch and that's where he's been pacing for the last hours. Several of the teens watched him since there was really nothing else to do while they waited for more news about Aelita, but most of the teens were left to their own devices while they waited.
Chase, Odd, and Miranda were resting on the porch swing and they were letting the breeze move them back and forth ever so slightly. Dylan and Anne were leaning against a railing and they were counting how much animals there was on the farm.
Carley and T-Dog were further away, both sitting on the steps of the front porch and thinking about things. Rick was standing on the porch but further away from the others, keeping his space for the moment.
Shane... the murderer... he was out by Otis's truck, leaning against the front hood in an effort to rest his injured leg.
Glenn was in the house. He was in the kitchen with Maggie, who was still mourning the loss of Otis, and he was just trying to be there for her during this time since he knew she needed someone to open herself to... even a psuedo-stranger such as himself.
Outside on the porch, Ulrich was laying down on the floorboards while using Yumi's leg as a pillow, since she was leaning her back against one of the wooden posts and dangling her leg over the side of the porch.
"You think she's gonna pull through this...?" Ulrich cautiously asked his girlfriend, staring up at the ceiling of the porch as she ran a hand through his hair.
"I honestly don't know, Ulrich... but she's in good hands." Yumi sighed, feeling deeply scared about her best friend.
"We can't lose Aelita too..." Ulrich stated with concern. "After all of that time we spent trying to get her out of Lyoko? Then that stuff about getting her parents back and helping rebuild her old home? And now surviving the end of the world...?"
Ulrich's expression turned crestfallen the more he spoke. Aelita dying now... it just wouldn't be right.
"We just need to hope that Hershel will succeed." Yumi explained as she worriedly looked off into the distance, listening to some distant birds chirping.
Ulrich sighed, and like Yumi he continued to feel pretty worried about his pink-haired friend. He'd already lost his family, along with Amy, William, and probably all of the others he knew from Kadic Academy...
It was unfathomable for Ulrich think of any sort of life without Aelita Schaeffer in it. To him and the rest of the group, that pinkette felt like a light in the darkness during this terrible outbreak...
As the German and Japanese teens went silent, Chase, Miranda, and Odd continued to slowly rock back and forth on the porch swing. All three of them tried not to think about the odds for Aelita's survival as they gently swung on the porch swing.
"... Jennifer was going to teach her how to ride a horse one day ..." Odd commented, almost as if he was nearly resigned to the all-too-real possibility that Aelita was going to die on the table during the surgery.
"When she recovers from the surgery then I'll hold Jenny to that." Chase replied with a stern tone, almost as if he was scolding his friend for believing that the worst was going to happen.
Odd looked a little taken aback by Chase's stern tone, and he began to feel a bit of shame for having allowed himself to feel that Aelita was going to die. Chase, however, began to feel guilty for being more stern with Odd than he initially intended...
"...She's been wanting to learn for quite a while now. It'd be good for her to learn how to ride a horse, especially from a master like Jenny..." Chase continued, not daring to give any more attention to the thought of his sister dying.
Chase then patted Odd on the shoulder, a sign of him being apologetic. "Plus you've still gotta teach her how to make some awful music videos." he made his first joke for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Hey!" Odd pouted, though more out of humor than actual offense.
For the first time since before Aelita was shot, two of the Lyoko Warriors shared a laugh. A small, barely-audible one... but a much-needed laugh nevertheless.
Suddenly, the teens and adults all heard the front door open. Everyone immediately went to their feet while Jeremie hurried up the steps of the front porch past T-Dog and Carley when Hershel came out to meet them. The group saw that Hershel's hands and his shirt was coved with some of Aelita's blood from the surgery...
The group mentally prayed for good news. Everyone gave their full attention to the man and awaited to hear whatever they had to say, whether it was good or bad.
Finally, Hershel smiled at everyone.
"Aelita made it through the surgery." Hershel happily told them all. "We got the rest of the fragments out, and we got that artery stitched. She's gonna pull through..."
... to say that the Lyoko Warriors were "relieved" was an understatement, and so was saying that they were "overjoyed." The ecstatic teens immediately cheered, celebrated and happily hugged or, in the case of Yumi and Ulrich kissed each other at the news of Aelita's assured survival. Even the adults, with the exception of Shane, either shared high-fives or whatever else got their happiness expressed.
Amazingly, Blaze had grown so excited from everyone being so suddenly happy that he did several twirls in place... then a backflip. Much to the shock of everyone.
In gratitude to Hershel for everything he's done, Jeremie, Dylan, and Chase each went to him, and one by one they met the old man in hugs or handshakes.
Aelita made it...
Aelita actually made it...
Dylan, so happy that he had grown emotional, couldn't help but laugh to himself as he wiped away the tears which welled in his eyes.
"I... I don't have any words!" Dylan admitted. The look on his face was one of pure joy - something which Anne noticed and smiled for.
"I don't either. Wish I did." Hershel warmly smiled. It was clear that the old man thought the surgery wouldn't have gone well... he had never been so happy to be wrong.
Then, suddenly... that warm smile on Hershel's face went away, replaced by a sad look.
"... How do I tell Patricia about Otis ...?" the old man asked the teens and everyone else around him.
Shane, his mouth slightly agape, couldn't dare look toward the man any longer...
Silence fell over everyone, as no one really thought of what they were going to do once this moment came. Patricia's husband died a brave death and ensured the survival of an innocent teenage girl... but they knew fully well that Otis's heroism wouldn't lessen the impact of his death. Not at all...
The group might've kept Aelita... but Patricia lost the man she loved...
With a solemn sigh, Jeremie nodded at Hershel before he looked over to Chase and Dylan, giving them both a nod as well.
"I'll go with Hershel..." Jeremie volunteered himself for the sad task of breaking the news. "You guys go be with Aelita." he told the two brothers.
Otis's sacrifice meant that Aelita would live... As Aelita's boyfriend, he should be there to help Hershel do this... he owed that to Otis, along with a lot more.
"I'll go with you too, Jer..." Chase told him, volunteering himself as well.
Hershel nodded at Jeremie and Chase before he led the two boys back into the house, dreading how this would go. One by one, the rest of the Lyoko Warriors went back into the house as well, all planning to go straight to the guest bedroom and to Aelita's side...
But before they would enter, Odd and Miranda stopped for a moment to take a quick glance back at Shane...
That man... they knew that man was hiding something from everyone...
A few moments after Hershel and the teens went back into the house, Carley decided to go inside too.
The woman still had her rifle, but she kept it lowered and unloaded out of respect to the Greene Family. She walked through the front door and cautiously went into the living room, where she got a front-row seat to the sad sight in the kitchen...
They had already told Patricia as Carley went into the living room. Carley's heart broke as she saw Patricia began to break down, her knees giving out from under her before Jeremie and Hershel quickly caught her so she wouldn't fall to the floor. Chase pulled out a chair from the table in there so she could sit...
The next person to come inside the living room was Shane. Carley didn't notice him nor how he stared at Patricia for a long moment... she also didn't see that guilty look on his face as he did so.
Wordlessly, Shane left the living room and went to the guest bedroom. He saw the teens were all there, and he saw Aelita laying unconscious on the bed, her surgery now fully complete and her survival assured...
The teens noticed Shane. All except for Odd and Miranda flashed him a warm smile to show their thanks and gratitude for saving Aelita's life.
"Stay here for a while, Shane..." Ulrich offered the man to stay and rest, to take the time to be with Aelita for a bit.
Shane stared at Ulrich, though he shook his head in a polite refusal. The teens understood, and soon they each turned their attention back to the pinkette.
Without saying anything to the teens, Shane hobbled back out of the guest bedroom and came across Maggie a little down the hallway. The woman was still upset over what had happened to Otis, but thanks to Glenn she had gotten a lot out which she needed to get out...
In Maggie's arms was a bundle of clothing which she handed out toward Shane.
"The bathroom's upstairs. I brought you some clothes..." Maggie informed him, knowing how much he wanted a shower.
"Thank you..." Shane told her as he gathered the bundle into his arms. They looked a little bit too big for someone like him, but he didn't complain...
Maggie nodded. "They won't fit well," she warned him. "they were Otis's."
Flashing the former cop a brief smile before turning around, Maggie went back upstairs and to her bedroom, leaving Shane...
Having been made speechless for what felt like the tenth time in a day, it took Shane a moment to finally get moving again. He went straight upstairs to the bathroom Maggie mentioned, placing the clothing on the closed toilet seat and locking the door for his own privacy. After turning on the shower and placing the water as hot as it could go, Shane stripped from his awful-smelling clothes and took a moment to look in the mirror...
Shane could see fresh cuts and bruises on his body. Leftovers from the school and from events before that...
... but he could also see that he was missing some hair. There was a bald patch on his head... the exact spot where Otis had pulled some hair from.
The still-fresh memories of what had happened at the school came back to the forefront of Shane's mind. The sounds of Otis's screams... the sensation of beating the man's skull in with the butt of a revolver... memories like those caused Shane so much distress that he had to lean against the sink and try to keep himself under control.
He murdered a man in cold blood...
He saved Aelita...
He... He did what he had to do... Shane sacrificed Otis's life to save Aelita's... This whole thing wouldn't have happened if Otis didn't shoot Aelita to begin with!
Aelita was part of his group... her life mattered more... Rick would've done the same thing if he had gone to the school instead...
"......I'm sorry."
Shane tightly shut his eyes. Only one of them was going to make it out of that school alive... He knew that if he didn't sacrifice Otis like that, then both of them would've died and Aelita would've been doomed to join them in death...
With a grunt of impatience, Shane kept his inner turmoil under control before he pulled open one of the drawers next to the sink and started rummaging through it. He soon found what he was looking for... a hair trimmer.
The sensation of Otis's fingers digging into Shane's hair, the punches and kicks of a desperate man trying and failing in the fight for his life...
"LET GO OF ME!!! LET GO!!!"
Shane turned the trimmer on and went to work. He looked himself in the mirror, staring into his own eyes as he trimmed the hair off of his head...
Otis's screams wouldn't leave his mind...
Why did he kill that man...?
After several minutes, Shane's hair was trimmed so short that he had gotten rid of the evidence of Otis's struggle. Satisfied, but still plagued by the memories, Shane set the trimmer back into the drawer where he had found it, and then he climbed into the hot shower which he had earned...