No Tomorrow

.

*

The CDC was in total upheaval when the first bombs fell over some of our neighboring towns, and many of the every day citezens were blaming us for the outbreak that was causing all of the panic, hell, even some of our own coworkers were turning against us in pure rage; most of the labs had been ransacked and someone had even gotten stabbed in their attempt to rob us blind. Jay had a secret vault like area built into his room that the two of us were holed up in ever since a riot broke out a few days ago and killed some of our most genius-minded men.

"All of them are idiots, every single fucking one of them."

Jay had just ran in from grabbing a few supplies from the canteen and lower-grade armory and his brown hair was sticking up like he just stuck a finger into a light socket, I hadn't eaten in days  and nearly cried when I saw that he swiped me a granola bar, an orange, a container of grape-juice, and an apple.

"They don't know what they're doing, I don't blame them for what the panic's making them do."

He handed me the food and I instantly devoured half of it, starting on the granola bar last before the tang of the orange had left my tongue; I also noticed that he had a rapidly healing cut on the left side of his face but I didn't say anything about it.

"I'm gonna pretend that I didn't hear you say that. We can't stay in here for much longer Belle, we might need to make a trip up top before all the stores are ransacked. Do you think you're up for that?"

Knowing that he was talking about the first round of experiments, I just shrugged my shoulders before I finished the rest of the food and the juice and tossed all of the garbage into a tiny green trash-can by the little door close to the bed.

"I feel a little weak, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

*

"Belle? Go to our tent. Now."

I removed my hands from over my ears and sniffled when I stepped back away from Daryl, it sounded like the barn had finally been cleared of walkers but there was another growling close by that I couldn't seem to place; Carol was on the ground crying her eyes out and a few people were glaring at me.

"Huh? Why? What happened- let me look!"

I tried to look around Daryl when the growling started up again but he just nudged me with the back of his foot until I nearly fell on my ass in the dust; ahead clouds were trying to scuttle over the sun and I smelled a hint of rain, although it may be hours away still.

"Go back to the tent n o w I said."

I turned around and ran back to the tent as fast as I could go and as soon as my foot breached the nylon doorway I dived headfirst into the little bed, my head under the tiny pillows.

Daryl's POV:

Jay ran after Belle but I didn't move until Rick shot Sophia's corpse in the head and Carol's cries tripled in volume, her body had a big bite on the left side but there were weird teeth markings of a large animal on her right side.

"The wolves need to go."

"Why? What did they do except help us?"

Rick pointed at a few of the bodies on the ground and sure enough some of them had the same weird teeth markings that Sophia had, bites here and there and even deep slashes; I got close to one of them and kicked at its back with the toe of my shoe but nothing else seemed to be abnormal with it other then the bites.

"So they've got bites- how's that grounds to get rid of them? They keep to themselves for the most part and if I recall right, if they weren't around we wouldn't have made it this far with so little death on our own.''

Rick sighed and shoved his pistol into its belt before he dusted off the shoulders of his shirt.

"I know, I know, but people are going to start asking questions and panicking- and I'm sure if one of them gets sent away, the other will follow so it'll elliminate both problems."

I felt a twinge around my heart and some of my face muscles twitched, ever since I let myself get close to Belle I found that I was starting to get attached to her; a combo I knew could only mean danger. But....there was just something about her laugh that made me feel good, her eyes would light up like bright gems and every time she got excited her face would stretch into a wide smile...not to mention there was just something euphoric about how her warm skin felt under my hands....

"You love her, don't you? You're making a face."

I tried to relax my face but Rick just snickered and gave my right shoulder a rough pat.

"...I think so..."

"Then you have something to think about, don't you?"

"....no, I really don't."

I shoved his hand away before I pointed at the bodies on the ground, irritation mixed with the general heat was starting to put me in a pissy mood today.

"In case you forgot, those things aren't alive, they're dead. If they were attacking them, who gives a shit? It's not like they're going to complain."

"It's not the attacking that bothers me...what that m e a n s, is one of them, if not both of them, knew about the barn being full and didn't bother telling anyone. I just want you to be prepared for the meeting later if anything, you'll have a choice to make once we bury Sohpia."

"I hope for your sake that I don't."