𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃 │ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍 ¹ [✔]

[21]: disappointment

I obviously didn't realise, but I had fallen asleep on the rest of the way there. One of arms was lazily hung out the window, my cheek pressed on it in a sleepy malice. Then a very rude hand decided to wake me up by shaking my shoulder violently.

I swatted it away at first, but when the stench of decaying bodies reached my nose, I truly woke up.

I rubbed at my eyes with the balls of my wrists. I looked to my left, and saw Daryl had already left. I jumped out my skin when he banged the passenger side door. That being my side.

He was standing there, with his crossbow on one arm, paired with my purple backpack in the other hand.

"Yes, it is your colour, Daryl." I said tiredly, but he just shoved it through the window and onto my lap.

I hopped out and put it on my back, following everyone to the entrance of the C.D.C. It was getting darker, and I had to cover up my nose. It was extremely horrendous. It almost made my eyes water. It only got worse as we got closer to the building.

I currently was quite proud of myself. I didn't have my arm hooked around a certain someone. But I did feel kind of lonesome, so I grabbed the first hand I found, which was Carl's.

When we got to the door, it looked like no one was home. They were closed, and no lights were coming out anywhere at all.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog said.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick snapped.

All of a sudden, someone, I didn't know who, spoke up, "Walkers." The kid's started sobbing, and the hand in my grasp soon became too painful to hold, as Carl squeezed it for dear life. I let it go, and stepped further towards the shutters.

"You led us into a graveyard," Daryl yelled at Rick, aggravated.

I turned to him, wide-eyed with annoyance and fear. "Shut up!" I said to him calmly, but angrily.

"He made a call," Dale defended.

"It was the wrong damn call," Daryl yelled louder.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" I screeched equally as loud. A hand lay on my shoulders, and I knew it was Shane.

"Marley, calm down," he ordered.

"Calm?" I started, spinning around. "We. Are. Fucking. Fucked! We are getting further down the river. A river, I am sure is riddled with shit!"

"Marley!" Shane now grabbed my shoulders, but I was pulled away from him when I was going to yell some more.

Carol was the next to speak. "Where are we going to go?"

Shane walked up the pacing Rick. "This is a dead end. Do you hear me? No blame."

"We can't be this close to the city after dark," Lori said.

"Fort Benning, Rick," Shane started, "it's still an option."

"On what? No food, no gas. That's one hundred miles," Andrea argued.

"One twenty-five," Glenn corrected.

We really didn't need that right now, I thought. I was still trying to calm myself down. I agreed to this! I thought this would be a good choice! Just highlights how much of a not-survivor I am.

Lori then said, "Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now."

Everyone started moving back, but I wanted to see what Rick was doing. I followed his gaze, and he was looking at the tiny security camera above the shutters. It did something unexpected - it moved.

"The camera. It moved," Rick said.

"You imagined it," Dale said firmly.

"It moved," Rick repeated.

A hand roughly grasped my upper-arm, and I turned to see Daryl, urging me to go.

"It moved," I told him sincerely.

He didn't seem to comprehend what I had just said, because he was just trying to drag me back.

I wasn't budging though. I tried to pry my arms away, repeating that the camera moved.

He gave up with my arm, hooked his crossbow over his shoulder, and put his arms around my waist. He picked me up like a child, but I kicked my legs, screaming for him to let me go.

Everyone was either shouting, crying, or arguing. I was shouting and arguing at the same time.

Suddenly, a burst of light came from the shutters of the C.D.C. It blinded my eyes, and I stopped struggling. Daryl still kept a firm grasp on me. We all stopped dead our tracks.

I kicked myself away from Daryl, dropping down to the ground. I curiously walked towards what seemed only to be heaven. But thankfully it was just the building.

"Hello?" Rick called, as we were all inside.

A mysterious gun cocked, and in the shadows, a voice shouted out. "Anybody infected?" they asked loudly.

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

"Why're you here? What do you want?" The person inquired. They stepped into the light, and revealed themselves to be a tall, tired looking man, with blank blonde hair.

"A chance," Rick replied.

"That's asking an awful lot these days."

"I know."

The man looked around the group. "You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

Rick nodded. "We can do that."

The man dropped his gun, obviously not threatened, and told us to get our bags.

Once everyone did just that, the shutters closed. We all then started following the man, who had introduced himself as Dr. Edwin Jenner.

We were then all cramped up in a small elevator. I was currently pressed between Daryl's shotgun, and Glenn's backpack. Not the most comfortable situations to be honest.

I was thankful though for there being no more stench. It's the one thing I hated most about the dead. They could look bad all they wanted - maggots an all. But you can't close your nose like you can your eyes.

"Doctors always go round packing heat like tha'?" Daryl asked out of nowhere.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. You look harmless enough." Jenner looked down at Carl. "Except you," he teased. "I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Sooner than later, the elevator dinged as we arrived at an unknown floor.

We again followed Jenner through what seemed to be a hallway of uncertainty. At the end of the hallway, there was a large office-like room. Jenner said, "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Lights soon flooded the room. "Welcome to Zone Five."

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked. "The doctors? The staff?"

"I'm it," Jenner replied. "It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori then asked. "Vi?"

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them... welcome."

A monotone voice echoed out, "Hello, guests. Welcome."

"Vi?" I started. "As in virtual intelligence?"

He nodded. "I'm all that's left. I'm sorry."

Well that's a bummer, I thought. What now?