❝HEARTBREAK IS ONE THING MY 𝗘𝗚𝗢'𝗦 ANOTHER❞
In which it no longer matters that Evangeline Waters was a hot shot lawyer with a nice apartment and the best daughter she could've asked for. Because if you don't know the right way to stab a dead...
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Looking at the timer near the back wall, which had been steadily counting down since their arrival, Dale finally voiced the question that had been gnawing at him.
"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been a lot to ask, but... that clock. It's counting down. What happens when it hits zero?"
Jenner, who had been looking over some data on his console, glanced up nonchalantly. "The basement generators will run out of fuel," he said with a shrug, as if it was just another mundane detail. But the presence of the countdown clock suggested there was more to it than that.
"Why do I have this feeling that there's something else going on?" Lily asked, her eyes narrowing as Jenner walked past her without acknowledging her question.
"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick's voice cut through the tension, a mix of concern and urgency.
"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur," Vi's mechanical voice responded, offering a chilling level of clarity.
Jenner's refusal to elaborate left the group uneasy. Rick, Shane, T-Dog, and Glenn decided to investigate the fuel cells in the basement, while the others retreated to their rooms, waiting anxiously for further instructions.
Sutton, perched on the pull-out couch that had served as her bed, absentmindedly tugged at a loose thread on her jeans. "Mom. Are we the only ones left?" she asked quietly, her young face reflecting her growing fear.
Lily, lost in thought as she studied a painting on the wall, turned to her daughter with a frown. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to mask her own anxiety.
"Are we the only people left? I saw people in the city when Rick found us, but...," Sutton's voice trailed off, her eyes wide with the weight of her realization.
"No, of course not," Lily said firmly, though uncertainty flickered in her eyes. "I saw people in the city when Rick found us. And Morales went to be with his family in Birmingham. There have to be others out there."
"But we have family in California, and you said we can't go visit them," Sutton persisted, her voice filled with a child's confusion.
Lily sighed deeply, grappling with the difficult truth. "You saw how things looked outside. It's not safe for just the two of us to travel alone. Birmingham is much closer than California."
"Do you think Grandma and Grandpa are dead?" Sutton asked, her voice trembling with the weight of her worry.
"I don't know," Lily admitted, her own heart aching. "I'm holding on to hope that they're still alive. But right now, we need to focus on keeping safe. I'll do whatever it takes to keep us that way."
Just then, the lights flickered out, plunging the room into darkness. Dim emergency lights activated, casting an eerie glow. Lily immediately stood up, reaching for Sutton. "Come on," she urged, guiding her daughter towards the door.
