War Of The Damned - (Daryl & Beth) - The Walking Dead

11. Dead Silence

11. DEAD SILENCE

| MAGGIE |

By some miracle we found shelter before nightfall. We were following the tracks, stopping every once in a while to leave Glenn and Beth instructions to go to Terminus. The building just crept up on us and it was a sight for sore eyes once we came to the realization sunset was only hours away. That gave us enough time to scope out the abandoned factory building and make sure it was stern enough to rest in overnight.

To my surprise Eugene had convinced Abraham and Rosita to accompany us to Terminus as opposed to continuing their trek to Washington, for the simple fact of not wanting to face the unknown. Apparently the Scientist had been speaking to some sort of authority in the capital, people who were close to a cure and in dire need of his expertise. Furthermore it had been weeks since Eugene had been in contact with any one over the radio, which left every one of us in doubt of his story. At least every one apart from the soldier and the sidekick.

"What do you mean it's 'classified'?" Michonne was saying as soon as our two-story high abode was secured and we were sitting around a circle of lit candles, doing our best to keep warm. "That's bullshit and you know it."

Eugene stared at his feet for a long time. There was something about him that didn't sit right with me, something he was hiding but I didn't know what. There was no doubt in my mind that he was a smart man, book-smart at least. Still my inner-vigilance was wondering how a book-smart man like him had survived this long without even the faintest idea of knowing how to shoot to protect himself. That's what didn't sit right with me. That's why the other two refused to give him a weapon; they were afraid he might actually kill us or worse, himself.

"If he says it's classified then it's classified." Abraham mutters out, hugging his shoulders for heat. He was a very transparent man, who unlike Eugene had no quarry with telling us his history. It turned out my theory on him was correct. He used to be a soldier in the U.S. Army before the outbreak. He had a wife and two kids...and it was only moments before he discovered they'd become one of the walking dead that his entire platoon had been ordered to deliver Eugene to Washington, D.C.

"So you don't know anything about it either?" Michonne asks.

We're all waiting for Abraham to answer. It would be stupid if he never thought to ask questions, especially since they'd been alone eight whole weeks. "Of course I do."

"Why can't we just tell them?" Rosita spoke up. "The more people that know the better right?"

"Wrong." Abraham answers, but Eugene cuts him off.

"She's right. In the event that I die or I'm bit or something unfortunate of the sort, other's need to know."

"Alright. Go ahead tell them how this shitty world started Eugene." Abraham says with a edge of sarcasm to his vulgar voice. He tuns on his make-shift bed away from every one without another word.

I focus on Eugene again, he'd given up on looking at his feet to stare into the flame of a candle. He looks nervous and I'm sure he's probably sweating in his boots. He breathes in once, twice, then begins.

"This may come as a shock to you people but there is no denying the fact that this virus was created in a science lab. That means it was engineered by humans and it entered the world through human influence. The people who engineered did so under the jurisdiction of twelve or more world leaders so there was no true control over it or the facility. And so there was no knowing who had access to it or didn't have access to it. Needless to say the virus escaped and here we all are."

I stare at the scientist in disbelief. That's it! That's the reason our lives have become a living hell? All because of classified lab experiments and plain human error? The thought sickened me.