Didn't See That Coming | The Walking Dead(1)

Part 9 (Give Them A Chance)

"What happened?" CJ asked.

"Same thing that's happening here," Jenner answered, looking at CJ as he spoke. "No power grid, ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel," he chuckled dryly. "How stupid is that?"

"Let me show you..." Shane answered back, storming over to Jenner angrily.

Rick grabbed his arm, stopping Shane in his tracks. "To hell with it, I don't care," Rick stated. "Lori, everyone, grab your stuff. We're getting out of here now!"

Rick had barely finished speaking when a loud alarm sounded across the room. "What is that?" Shane asked tensely.

"Mom, what is that?" CJ heard Cark ask in a small voice.

"I don't know, baby," Lori answered.

"Thirty minutes to decontamination," Vi announced.

"What the shit..." CJ whispered to herself.

"Everyone you heard Rick!" Shane yelled out. "Get your stuff and lets go! Move now!"

CJ and everyone else turned to run to the exit but they didn't even make it 5 steps before the shutters came down from the ceiling and the doors were sealed. "No!" Glenn shouted. "He just locked us in!"

"Carl!" Lori called out.

"Mom!" he cried, running to her and hugging her waist tightly.

Daryl ran at Jenner and yelled, "You son of a bitch!" Shane ran to grab him and he dragged Daryl away from the doctor.

"Jenner. Open the doors. Now," Rick ordered demandingly.

"There's no point. Emergency exits are sealed."

"So open the damn things," Daryl shot back as Shane let him go.

"I can't. The computers control it," Jenner sighed out. "I told you, once that front door closed it would stay closed. You heard me say that. It's better this way."

"What is?" CJ asked through gritted teeth. "What happens in twenty-eight minutes?" Jenner remained silent. "WHAT HAPPENS?!"

"You KNOW what this place is?!" Jenner shouted as he stood up from his desk. "We protected the public from some very nasty stuff! Stuff you don't want getting out. EVER!" He paused his shouting and looked to the ground. "In the event of a catastrophic power failure, H.I.Ts are deployed to prevent organisms from getting out."

"H.I.Ts?" Rick asked, confused.

"Vi, define."

"High-Impulse Thermobaric fuel-air explosives produce a blast wave of greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The pressure ignites the oxygen."

"It sets the air on fire," Jenner summarised. "No pain. An end to sorrow, regret, grief... everything."

CJ was too shocked to speak, she didn't even move from where she was standing. She could feel her tears building and her heart pounding in her chest loudly. This could be it for the group. She watched as T-Dog and Shane ran over to the doors with axes. T-Dog threw a third one to Daryl and the three started whacking the door, barely even scratching it.

Glenn was pacing up and down with his hands behind his head. Rick was leaning with his hands on a desk, clearly trying to figure a way out of the place. CJ looked around and briefly made eye contact with Jacqui, who despite the tears falling down her cheeks, looked way to calm given the situation.

Finally, CJ's teary eyes landed on the small group sat on the floor. Lori and Carol were sat next to each other, both of them holding onto their children for dear life. No matter her feelings about their current predicament, CJ could not let this be how those families went out. They had to get out. She averted her gaze and took a deep breath as she wiped away her escaping tears.