The Walking Dead: "Days Gone Bye"

Chapter 2: Disoriented

Rick was lying in a hospital, hooked up to many machines. He was pale and disoriented. Shane came in with some flowers in a vase.

"Hey, bud. We're still here. We're still hanging on," There was a small pause. "I'm sorry man. I know I say the same crap every time I come in here." Shane showed the bundle of flowers to Rick "Everybody pitched in on these. They wanted me to bring them down. They send their love and they just hope you come back real soon," he said. There was a short pause then Shane chuckled. "Linda and Diane from dispatch, they picked these out. Probably could tell huh?" He then frowned remembering why Rick was in the hospital.

"I'm just gonna set these on your side table, okay?" He said, walking away from Rick's view to go set the flowers next to him.

The room went silent for a few seconds, then Rick finally spoke, "That vase-- that's something special. Fess up. You steal that for me at Grandma Jean's house?" He stopped to smile a little, stopping midway with a little wince of pain. "I hope you left her that spoon collection," he said, starting to laugh which was cut short by him coughing. Shane didn't respond, so he turned his head, saying his name. No one was there. It was as if he was only talking to himself.

"Shane, you in the John?" asking if he was using the bathroom.

There was still no response. He looked over at the bedside table, seeing the flowers there. Only them being dead. The petals wilted and laying around the vase as if they've been there for a long time without any water. That's when Rick knew that he's been in a coma for God knows how long. And when Shane came in, was a long time ago and his brain just registered that moment. Rick looked at the clock, seeing that the hands weren't moving. Rick was starting to feel uncomfortable with this whole situation. He tried getting up only to be stopped by the pain weakness in his body from lying there that long.

Rick then starts to remove the wires and machines from his body and also the IV. He starts to get up, when he gets up from the bed, he used the tall machine next to him for support. He soon loses his balance and falls to the floor with a loud crash.

"Nurse, help!... Nurse... Help!" he cries out with his cracking voice, nobody came in.

He climbs up and carries himself to the bathroom, seeing himself in the mirror. He's pale, and he's been growing hair on his face, but not a lot. Which means he hasn't been in a coma for long. After seeing the horrible sight, he bends over a sink to drink some water.

Rick leaves the bathroom to open his room's door. First seeing a hospital bed barricading the door. He pushes the bed out of the way and slowly walks forward to see the hall better. Some lights were flickering, and papers were scattered all over the floor. Nobody was there. That's what seemed to make Rick more uncomfortable and also suspicious. After looking down the hall to the left, he continued to the right, slowly inching his way down the hall. Seeing that no one was anywhere, he was getting terrified. He comes across a desk with nobody there.

His first instinct is to grab the telephone from the desk and presses some numbers but nothing was heard except the faint beep of the phone. He then looks through the desk, rummaging through for anything he can find. He later finds a small box of matches. He lights one and uses it to look through the desk more. Seeing there was nothing there, he put the match out. He continued walking down the empty halls, being as quiet as possible without realizing it.

He comes up to two, windowed doors, with the lights flickering from the other room flashing through them. Rick slowly limps his way to the door. Not even trying to see if it opens, he just looks through the window. There was a basket of clothes and towels, a wheelchair, papers everywhere, and something Rick wished he'd never see again. A dead body lying in the middle of the hallway. It looked like a girl. The only thing confirming it was her long blonde hair and the shape of her face. All the rest of her body was covered in blood. Her guts were ripped out and spilled from her stomach. Her legs and arms were all rotting away, almost exposing bone.