They don't know about us (Daryl Dixon x Reader)

Part 10

"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?" Dale asked.

"The basement generators... they run out of fuel." He responded

"And then?" Dale asked. 

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Jenner asked.

Vi: When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur."

 "Decontamination... What does that mean?" Glenn blurted.

Jenner stayed silent.

"I don't like the way Jenner clammed up. The way he just wandered off like that. What's wrong with him? Seriously, man, is he nuts, medicated, what?" Shane pushed.

"In there."

I went back to mine and Daryl's room. I knew what this meant. Daryl followed me shortly after.

"Darlin'?"

"Mhhmm?"

"Whats wrong?" 

"Nothing." I lied.

"Bull. You're twisting the ring on your index finger," He pointed out. "What is it?"

"He's gonna blow us up."

Right then the lights went out.

"What the hell.." Daryl muttered as we exited the room and went to the main area.

Vi: Emergency lighting on. 

"What the hell is this?" Glenn yelled.

"Hey, you guys kill the lights?"

 "Nah, it just went out." 

"Anything?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, a lot of dead generators and more empty fuel drums than I can count. It can't be down to just that one." T responded worry evident in his voice.

"Mom? Something wrong?" Carl asked Lori.

"Nothing. It's just... The air conditioning stopped." She responded. I gave her a half-smile knowing she was doing what she could to ease her son's nerves.

"Why is the air off? And the lights in our room? What's going on? Why is everything turned off?" Carol asked as she brought Sophia into the room.

"Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner's blunt reply came.

Air isn't a priority? And lights?" I asked.

It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down."

"Hey! Hey, what the hell does that mean?" Shane shouted.

"Hey man, I'm talking to you. What do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" I asked.

"You'd be surprised." Goddammit Jenner, can you give us an explanation 

"Rick?" Lori urged him to figure it out. 

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick blurted. 

"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."

"What the hell man!?" I yelled.

"It was the French." He started.

"What?"

"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? The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs of fossil fuel." He responded helplessly. 

"I mean, how stupid is that?" Shane asked bitterly.

"Let me tell you... "

"To hell with it, Shane. I don't even care."

"Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" Rick yelled urgency in his voice.

 An alarm started blaring deafaninly loud

" What's that? What's that?" I asked not bothering trying to cover the fear in my voice. Daryl stepped closer to me and grabbed my hand in an effort to comfort me

 Vi: 30 minutes to decontamination. 

"Doc, what's going on here?" Daryl asked.

"Everybody, y'all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now! Go! Let's go." Shane yelled.

"Come on!" Glenn urged.

Just then the metal doors slammed shut with a thud. I heard the others yelling but it was all muffled and I tried to keep breathing.

"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here." Carol sobbed clutching onto Sophia.

"One tiny moment... a millisecond. No pain." Jenner responded.

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." 

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"

"Can't make a dent." Daryl said hitting the doors with an ax.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner responded with zero emotion.

I wordlessly stood up grabbed my machete and said, "Your head ain't."

"Whoa! Whoa!" 

"Daryl! Daryl!" Glenn yelled from behind me restraining me.

"Just back up! Back up!" Daryl said pulling me over to him.

Glenn held me back because they all know I would've done it. At that point, I didn't care. It didn't matter. Daryl pulled me over to a corner and wrapped me in a hug. "I'm scared Dar-bear...." I whispered clutching onto his vest.

"I know Darlin', I know." He whispered back. We reluctantly let go of each other and he tried to open the doors again.

I kept silent and curled myself up in the corner. Accepting that this, this is how I'm gonna die.

"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?" Rick asked.

"It doesn't matter."

 "It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?" I could barely hear rick over the others crying or desperately trying to find another way out.

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise... To her. My wife."

"Test subject 19 was your wife?"

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?" Jenner responded his voice raw with sadness.

"She was dying. It should've 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." Jenner responded now shaking with sadness. 

"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's... that's all we want... a choice, a chance."

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." 

"I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those."

I barely registered that anyone was talking. The doors opened but I still didn't move. I blacked out at some point. The next thing I knew Daryl was sprinting with me in his arms, as I slipped into unconsciousness again.

A/N

I decided to continue this story, but as always I hope you liked the story and let me know what you think. :)

Word count 1042

~Shy