before the end

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍-no hope

𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 the desks, hugging backpack tightly against his body. He had went back to the room and got his things even though just about all hope of getting out of the CDC was gone. "Open the damn door!" Daryl yelled.

"Out of my way!" Shane shouted, running up the ramp to the door with an axe. He started hitting the metal and soon Daryl joined him.

"Dean honey come here." Lori softly said, waving Dean over to where she was sitting on the floor with Carl under her arm and beside them Carol was holding Sophia.

Dean slid out from under the desk and placed his backpack in the chair. He then got in the floor on the other side of Lori. The woman wrapped her free arm around him and pulled him closer to her body.

"You should've left well enough alone." Jenner said, looking at Carol and Lori. "it would've been so much easier."

"Easier for who?" Lori harshly asked, glaring at the man.

"All of you. You know what's out there—a short, brutal life and an agonizing death." Jenner looked over at Andrea. "Your—your sister—what was her name?"

"Amy." The blonde replied, nodding her head.

"Amy." Jenner repeated. "You know what this does. You're seen it. Is that really what you want for your wife and son?" Jenner asked Rick.

"I don't want this." Rick emphatically said.

"Can't make a dent." Shane panted leaning on a desk.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner told him.

"Well, your head ain't!" Daryl yelled running over. Some of the guys grabbed onto him and took the axe from him so he couldn't kill Jenner.

"You do want this." Jenner told Rick. "Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead."

"What?" Lori asked looking at her husband shocked.

"What? You really said that?" Shane asked Rick. "After all your big talk?"

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick questioned.

"There is no hope." Jenner piped in. "There never was."

"There's always hope." Rick walked back over to Jenner. "Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here, but somebody somewhere—"

"what part of “everything is gone”do you not understand? " Andrea asked snobbily.

"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Jenner said.

"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here." Carol sobbed as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Jenner leaned over in his chair. "one tiny moment—a millisecond. No pain."

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." Carol hugged Sophia tighter.

Dale helped Sophia up and Carol stood up too. "Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to rundown?"

The sound of a gun cocking caused attention to turn to Shane. He walked back over with his shotgun in hand. "Shane, no!" Rick yelled.

"Out of my way, Rick!" Shane shoved Rick out of his way.

Lori pushed Dean and Carl up and Dale grabbed the two boys and moved them out of the way followed by Lori. "Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!" Shane aimed his gun right at Jenner's temple.