𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒔 | ᵀᵂᴰ

7: The CDC

The door finally opened, allowing us inside.

"Hello?" Rick called out. "Hello?"

"Close those doors. Watch for walkers." Dale said. "Hello?" Rick called out again.

Glenn cocked his gun and aimed it at a man in the distance. Rick, Shane, Daryl, and I followed Glenn's actions.

"Anybody infected?" The man asked loudly. He sounded scared and seemed a bit out of it. "One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick answered. "Why are you here? What do you want?" The man asked, getting a bit closer to us. "A chance." Rick told him. The man kept walking closer. "That's asking an awful lot these days." He said. Rick tilted his head in thought before looking back at the man. "I know."

The man looked around at all of us in almost the same way we were all looking at him. "You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." "We can do that." The man put his gun down. "You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed."

Daryl, Rick, Glenn, Shane, and I all ran to the cars and grabbed every bag in the cars before running back to the CDC.

T-Dog and Dale closed the doors. "Vi, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The man said. The door lowered, locking us inside.

➳

"Doctors always go around packin' heat like that?" Daryl asked. "There were plenty left laying around. I familiarized myself." The man answered. "But you look harmless enough." He looked over at Carl. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you." Carl smiled slightly. I tried not to smile myself. I looked down at my shoes before looking around the packed elevator.

➳

"Are we underground?" Carol asked. "Are you claustrophobic?" The man asked. "A little." "Try not to think about it."

We followed him into this computer filled room.

"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Who's Vi? "Welcome to Zone Five."

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" Rick asked. "I'm it." The man said. Huh? "It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Lori asked. "Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them... welcome."

"Hello, guests. Welcome." A computer voice answered. "I'm all that's left." So everyone just left? No warning, no goodbye? Just gone? "I'm sorry." The man said.

➳

I was next up for the blood test. He's taking it from everyone's left arm. But that's where I cut myself yesterday. If I do it from the left, everyone will see and ask. If I cover my cuts, everyone will think I was scratched.

I was lost in thought. Daryl had to hit my back slightly in order to bring me back to reality.

The doctor motioned for me to come over.

I walked over and sat down. He grabbed a needle, and I lifted up my sleeve slowly. He saw and placed his hand over it so the other wouldn't see. Once he drew my blood, I could lower my sleeve quickly.

"Thank you." I whispered. He nodded, and I walked back over to Daryl.

Andrea was up next.

I looked at the plaques on the opposite wall, and in big bold golden letters, there was her name.

Amy.

I turned away and looked over at Andrea.

"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever." Andrea said.