Left to Wander • • Daryl Dixon

Chapter One

How does one start the day? Well I open my eyes allowing them to stare at the bland hospital like ceiling. I awake to this sight everyday, nothing is new. I sit myself up and kick my feet to the cold tiled floor letting a shiver run up my spine. This floor is not new.

My day turns to dressing in a maroon tank top and skinny blue jeans, a white lab coat adorning the outfit to complete it. My outfit has not changed for about a month. My hands find the brush on my dresser and it runs through my wavy chocolate colored hair before pulling it into the usual sophisticated bun to keep it out of my way when working. I gaze at myself in the mirror, a pair of arctic blue eyes stared back, freckles apparent across my nose, my brows somewhat plucked from the use of having tweezers and a mirror. I smiled brightly with my white rows of teeth showing, just to make the dimples appear to my cheeks, half the time I even forgot they were there.

My stomach let's out a frustrated growl pulling me out of my evaluation I observe amongst my own features. My stomach demanded something, anything to fill it. I can only stomach a piece of buttery toast and a small glass of milk before I'm full. I walk around the empty halls that were made of white bricks before coming to the control room of work spaces.

One monitor left on showing someone had previously left a video message. It was obvious Edwin had made another entry and was most likely working on testing at the moment.

I sat at my desk logging into my own account with my ID card. The words, "Welcome, Naya Tinley." appeared on the screen before me. My fingers grazed the keys as I placed in another data entry for myself,
"It is day 63 since the chaos known as the outbreak started. Jenner has been working everyday nonstop and honestly, I don't know why he tries anymore. His reaserch is getting us nowhere close to the cure and I'm losing faith in staying in this death trap of the building. The countdown is going down day by day. I know it's only a matter of time before the CDC is gone. Hopefully, I can get out before then..."

My words abruptly stopped on the screen from the sound of crashing and the desperate scream from a man. I had gone to the laboratories looking for the doctor Edwin Jenner only to find him stripped in the wash station, gazing into what was left in the smoky lab. I gazed away, knowing full well the only samples of the virus we had were in that room that was set ablaze only a few short moments ago. Jenner's dark umber eyes glared in my blue ones. "Get the hell out of here... And get me some wine."

His voice was pained and full of disappointment from the mistake of tipping about acid ruining the last chance he had for finding a cure. "It'll be waiting for you in the control room." I replied, my voice gentle and understanding as I left him to grieve over the loss. I grabbed the finest wine the CDC had left and a wine glass leaving it at his station. He returned soon, clothed and the look of depression deep within his gaze, sitting at his station he started up another transmission and continued to explain how all his hard work had went up in smoke, drinking away his pain, mentioning blowing his brains out even which threw me off guard, followed by the shattering of the empty wine bottle. "Dr. Jenner I know this research is important and so was your wife's request, but it's time to move on. There's nothing else you can do."

I tried to explain but he waved me off staring. "Does that mean you're moving on?" He asked, a biting under tone to his question. I couldn't answer it how he wanted. My feet just started leading me back to my room. I couldn't even tell him I already moved on from the silly idea that there could be a cure.

I was led back to my room and I changed back into the only night gown I had. I sat in bed taking the last of the sleeping medication I had and was ever going to have and laid on my side, starting at the poster that was in every room with the like bacteria, remind us to "Always cover your cough and get tested for diseases regularly!"

Guess you can't exactly get checked regularly anymore.