Survive | Daryl Dixon ¹

𝐱𝐯𝐢. 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐦𝐛

Jenner's answering sigh was heavy as he confirmed her suspicions. "They ran out of power. Same thing that's happening here," He said. "I told you all it's over."

Astrid backed away from the doctor. She grabbed tightly onto Rick's arm. "We need to get out of here," She whispered to him. The sheriff had been expecting her crucial words before she even said them aloud and nodded fiercely in agreement.

Pulling away from her, Rick raised his voice so that their entire group could hear him. "Everyone, get your things!" His command rang out, determined and headlong. "We're getting out of here, now!" The sudden urgency in his tone was unmistakable, and the group of survivors moved quickly towards the doors, Astrid among them. But as they tried to leave, a deafening alarm filled the room, the blaring sound piercing Astrid's ears like a thousand knives.

"Thirty minutes until decontamination," The invisible voice of Vi announced.

Across the room, the large screen from before suddenly reappeared on the wall. But instead of showcasing another MRI, it now displayed a cruel countdown, ticking down relentlessly. Dale's earlier discovery of the clock had taken on a whole new level of dread, and the hairs on Astrid's arms rose, watching the time wind down before her very eyes.

Shane attempted to dismiss the clock. They were running out of time. They all needed to remember what was important. "Y'all, go get your things!" He ordered. "You heard Rick, we're getting out of here!"

The group moved urgently, once again, up the ramp towards the large open doors that led into the hallway, each step fueled by the need to escape. But any promise of making it out before the clock wound to zero was seemingly shattered as a steel door suddenly came down, preventing any exit. Astrid and the others were sealed in.

Astrid shoved against the door, her hands crawling across the smooth surface in search of any opening—any emergency latch. But there was none. Panic rose within her like a tsunami, and she found herself drowning.

"You locked us in here?!" Astrid screamed. Her words were filled with rage and horror, directed at the man who seemed to now hold the only key to her survival.

"I'll kill him!" Daryl's rage erupted as he charged back down the ramp toward Jenner, seeking vengeance. But Rick and Shane swiftly intervened, trying to prevent the situation from escalating further. Regardless of the hands that now held him back, Daryl pushed and snarled until he was spent. The room was a battleground of shouts as he spewed his final venom before he was dragged away, "Let us out, you stupid, son of a bitch!"

Jenner was barely phased by the hunter's fury as he straightened his lab coat and turned back to the contents of his computer.

"Jenner, open that door, now," Rick growled.

Jenner turned swiftly in his seat. "There's no point!" He exclaimed. "Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are all sealed. I couldn't open the doors even if I wanted to. I don't control any of this. The computers do. I told you yesterday that once that front door closed, it would not open again. You heard me say that! It's better this way!"

"What is?" Rick snapped back. "What happens in twenty-eight minutes?!"

Jenner abruptly leaped from his chair, his face burning with anger. His outburst was like one of wildfire, his frustration spilling rapidly over at being pushed and antagonized so persistently. "Do you know what this place is?" He snapped furiously. "We have protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff that you don't want getting out! Ever!" His chest was heaving. "In the event of a catastrophic power failure—in a terrorist attack, for example—H.I.T.'s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out!"