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10. the cdc

Katherine pulled Harlow, and Carl who she still was holding onto into the building, quickly and carefully with the rest of the group, not wasting another moment outside. Katherine took note of how clean it looked, almost untouched by the outside world, like the apocalypse had never happened.

"Hello?" Rick called out, his voice echoing slightly.

The sound of a gun clicking caught their attention, those with guns spun around and aimed their guns at stranger, Katherine takes note of how he's holding the gun incorrectly, compared to those of her group who held their high and correctly.

"Anybody infected?" the stranger calls out.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it" Rick replied.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" the stranger asked.

"A chance" Rick answers.

"That's asking an awful lot these days" the man says in return.

"I know," Rick replies.

The man looks over at everyone's faces; the exhausted Jacqui, Carol and her daughter Sophia, who clung to her mother's side, much like Carl who was cradled into his mother's side, and Harlow, hiding into her sisters side, the teary eyed Dale, who looked absolutely horror struck and tired.

The man caves in, "You all summit to a blood test. That's the price of admission" he tells them.

"We can do that," Rick nods.

The stranger lowers his gun, "You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door close, it stays closed"

Daryl, Rick, Glenn and Shane all leave the CDC to gather whatever belongings they had in their cars. Shortly they return and the man slides his keycard to seal the doors.

"Vi, seal the main entrance" he orders, and the shutter doors shut again, "Kill the power up here"

⋆ ★ ⋆

They learnt the stranger's name was Dr. Edwin Jenner, and he was a scientist at the CDC before the fall occurred. Now, the group were gathered in an elevator, taking them down. Katherine was between Glenn and Carol, with Daryl behind her, Harlow was standing between Carl and Sophia, it was a very tight squeeze, Katherine found it hard to even breathe without feeling someone's elbow in her ribs.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl suddenly asks.

Jenner looks back at the group, "There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough" he looks around at the group, before looking at Harlow and Carl, "Except you two, I'll have to keep my eye on you"

Katherine smiles after seeing her own sister smile, ever since Jim and Amy, and the departure of Morales and his family, Harlow hadn't been smiling as much, Katherine tried cheering her up, but most of the time, she was met with a small smile that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Harlow James was a kid, just like Carl Grimes and Sophia Peletier were. They didn't deserve to grow up in this world. They should be outside playing games with their friends, going to school, playing sports, not surviving an apocalypse just like in the video games they'd play.

When the group gets off the elevator, they follow after Jenner through a hallway.

"Are we underground?" Carol asks softly.