Little Mouse

The CDC

I'm standing in a dark hallway. I stand in a circle of light, but all around me, the area is dark. The floor is slick, and the hall smells foul. Looking down, I see blood covering the floor. Yelping, I jump back, only to slip and fall into the puddle. I sit up, groaning. Glancing down, my hands are stained red. Then I notice my cast is gone. Blood was gushing out of the three lines, and filling the room.

Suddenly, a light in front of me shines down, onto a hunched figure. The figure is in a dry patch of cement. Standing up, I squint at it. Then I recognize the crossbow beside it.

"Daryl?" I ask. Daryl turns around, his blue eyes glaring at me. Then he glances down at my feet. Glancing down, I realize the the blood is no longer a puddle, but turning into a lake. Right now, it was just above my heel. I glance back at Daryl, who is still in the dry patch of cement. Daryl stands up, continuing to glare at me. Looking down again, I realize the blood is rising quickly. Now it's at my calves. Feeling panic, I look up at Daryl.

"Help!" I call, reaching for him. I try to go to him, but my feet are glued to the floor. I try again, but this time, I trip. On my hands and knees, the blood is now up to my stomach. The stench is horrible, and I feel like vomiting. Looking up at Daryl, I plead with my eyes. "Daryl, please!"

He starts towards me. Relief floods through me, until he stops just in front of me. Crouching, he gazes at me. The blood has engulfed my back, and only my head is visible. Just inches away, Daryl is in a clean patch of cement. The blood refuses to touch him.

"Please help..." I whisper. The blood laps at my chin, and soon, I won't be able to speak. Daryl just looks at me. Then, just as the blood is about to cover my mouth, Daryl leans forward. Like some sort of force field, the blood clears from my mouth. I gaze up at Daryl.

Suddenly, Daryl pulls away, letting the blood rush into my mouth. I lift my face up, but fail as the blood keeps me in place. Soon, I can't breath as it floods about my nose. Daryl turns around, and starts walking away. I try to scream out for him, but only bubbles come out of the blood.

I jolt awake, my heart pounding. Beside me, Dale gazes down at me, concern filling his eyes.

"You ok?" He asks. I nod, my throat dry. Although I can still smell the blood. Glancing down at my cast, it's still wrapped tightly around my arm. "What happened? You look like you just ran twelve miles."

"Yeah. Just a nightmare." I mumble, looking around the RV. Then I notice Jim is gone. "Where's Jim?" I ask, looking up at him.

Sighing, Dale takes his hat off. "He's gone." He murmurs, solemnly.

"Oh." I mumble. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"You needed to sleep, and you don't need anymore death." He states. By this point, I'm pretty sure everyone knew that I've cut myself. I look up, and realize no ones driving.

"Where are we?" I ask, glancing around. We're inside the city again, and all around us, bodies of civilians and uniformed men. We were outside of a huge building.

"Welcome to the CDC." Dale mutters, looking around.

Getting out of the RV, I immediately notice Daryl. He glances at me, then looks away. My heart pinches in my chest, and I want someone to hold me.

"You ok?" I hear Shane ask behind me. Turing around, I nod. "You sure?" He presses. Again, I nod.

"Just had a nightmare." I mutter. Shane nods, and (to my surprise) places his arms around my waist. He gently pulls me into him, and, to terrified from my dream, I lean into him, grateful for his strong arm around me.

"It's alright. Now, let's go." He murmurs. I nod, letting him lead me towards the others. The others were gathered around a set of metal doors. The doors were sealed shut. Rick was yelling at the door. Nearby, Carl and Sophia were sobbing into their mother's arms.

"Rick, it's not working!" Shane shouts at Rick, letting me go. "We should just turn around and head to Fort Benning."

"But we're out of gas! And we don't have food!" Andrea points out. I start to feel panicked again, and I latch onto Shane's arm. He smiles down at me reassuringly. Suddenly, I hear groans. Behind me, some of the corpses are starting to stand up, glaring at us with hunger.

"Sh-Shane..." I stutter, tugging on his arm as I stare in fear. Shane glances behind us, and his eyes widen.

"Rick, we gotta get outta here!" Shane declares, ripping away from me. I squeak at the sudden abandonment. I start trembling, and the dead start coming closer. With shaking hands, I look around my belt. But then I realize it.

I don't have a weapon.

Glancing down, I look around, desperate for something to protect myself with. My eyes land on a rock. Without thinking, I grab it, pointing it at the dead. I know the rock is a crappy weapon, but it's the only one I have. Backing up, I hear Rick yell: "If you don't let us in, you're killing us!"

Suddenly, I hear the sound of air sucking. Turning around, I see a bright light where the doors used to be.