The Walking Dead *Daryl Love Story*

What's Ahead

 “Hello? Hello!” Rick calls out, us walking in.

“Close those doors,” a voice says.

“Where are you?” Shane asks.

“Anybody infected?” a man holding a rifle comes out from behind a wall.

“No,” Rick answers.

‘Why are you here, and what do you want?”

“A chance,” he replies, desperation dripping off his words.

“That’s asking a lot these days,” the man lowers his gun, stepping closer.

“I know.”

It gets silent for a second, the man looking at each of us. “You all submit to a blood test, that’s the price of admission.”

“We can do that.”

“You got stuff to bring in, do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed,” the many says. He slides a card in a machine, “Vi, close the main entrance, kill the power up here.” The doors suddenly close and the lights turn off.

Rick walks up to him, sticking out his hand, “Rick Grimes.”

Skeptically, the man takes his hand, “Dr. Edwin Jenner.”

*

The close proximity of us in the elevator is almost suffocating. The fact that each of us have weapons doesn’t help. There’s one stabbing me in my side as I think. “Do doctors always go around packin’ heat like that?” Daryl asks, referring to the M-14 in his hand.

“Well, there were plenty lying around. I familiarized myself, but you guys look harmless enough,” Jenner’s eyes turn to Carl, a ghost of a smile haunting his face. “Except you, I’m going to have to keep my eyes on you.” Carl smiles, and the elevator opens. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in, as we walk out.

“Are we underground?” Carol wonders.

“You claustrophobic?”

“A little.” 

“Try not to think about it,” he tells her. We walk into a giant dark room. “Vi, bring the lights up in the big room.” When the come on, I see a ginormous room filled with computes and a digital clock on the wall. “Welcome to zone 5.”

“Where is everybody?” Rick asks.

“I’m it, it’s just me here,” he says somberly.

“What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?” Lori questions him.

“Vi, say hello to our quests, tell them welcome.”

“Hello, guests, welcome, “ a computer voice, Vi, welcomes us.

*

Eating the dinner Jenner made us, Dale gives out glasses of wine. Almost everyone laughs about the sour look Carl got on his face when he drank it. It was amusing, I admit, but I didn’t laugh. I may have smile a bit, but that’s it. I know I should be happy. We’re here, in this safe building. It’s safe, something I haven’t been able to say in a few months. It just doesn’t feel right without Cassie. I wish she was here, toasting a glass of wine. She would have liked it here, the serenity of this place. That poor woman had been giving up hope a long time. Cassie deserves to be here, not me.

“Just stick to sodie-pop there, bud,” Shane tells Carl.

“Not you, Glenn,” Daryl has a smirk, drunk. “Keep drinkin’, little man. I want to see how red you face can get.” Everyone laughs, including Glenn. My smile gets a bit bigger  seeing Daryl happy, though his brother is gone.