"Son of a bitch..." he mutters, not directly to Jenner, but he has no interest in hiding his feelings this time.
"An end to sorrow, grief...regret. Everything," Jenner describes, his gaze fixated on the floor, refusing to lift and look at those around him.
"You're trying to kill us?" Archie rages, his voice escalating as his anger grows. He lets go of Mellody and steps forward, his finger pointed at Jenner and his voice louder with each sentence.
"You're gonna kill some kids?!" He yells, pointing at Mellody. There's pure fury in his words, making Carl tense and Sophia cry.
"She's ten for God's sake! She's a fucking child!" Archie yells, walking toward Jenner faster and faster, his fists balled tight. Rick grabs Archie before he can strike Jenner.
"How stupid are you?!" Archie rages, his tone getting angrier without becoming louder. "You're so helpless, you're gonna kill us just because you're depressed? How selfish are you?" Archie yells, his tone louder and more forceful this time.
Jenner does not respond to the accusation, simply staring at the floor, avoiding the others. Archie glares at him as he walks back to Mellody's side, his fists still clenched tightly.
"You ain't gonna die," Archie says in a soft but firm tone. It's just loud enough that Mellody can hear it.
"But... the place is going to explode," Mellody responds, clearly frightened. She wants to cry, but she is holding back her tears, afraid of upsetting Archie any further.
"You ain't!" Archie says, with a stern but sympathetic tone. He locks eyes with Mellody, his expression indicating that she has his word.
"I promise you that you aren't going to die, not for a long damn while," he declares, his calm and steady demeanor seemingly meant to comfort Mellody. As she stares at him, tears flood her eyes, and he gently tilts her head downward to allow her to cry. As her tears stream down her face, she sniffs and wipes her nose.
Daryl hurls the liquor bottle at the door, which shatters into tiny shards of glass as the alcohol spills across the floor.
"Open the damn door!" Daryl yells, pointing at Jenner angrily.
Shane runs toward the door with a fire axe and tosses one to Daryl as the two of them start hacking away at the door for their lives in a desperate attempt to escape. Archie watches them frantically, but he also turns his attention to Carl and Sophia, who are huddled together with their mother as they all cry in fear.
"You should have left well enough alone," Jenner states, his tone is almost monotone as his eyes are cast downward. Carol, Sofia, Carl, Mellody, and Lori are gathered on the floor, all of them scared and crying. Andrea sits nearby, holding her arms around her legs as she shivers.
"It would have been so much easier," Jenner says. Lori's voice cracks from crying as she responds, "Easier for who?”
"Your-your sister, what was her name?" Jenner questions Andrea, her quiet voice barely rising above a whisper as she answers.
"Amy." She says softly.
"You know what this does. You've seen it. Is that what you really want for your wife and son?" Jenner counters, looking from Andrea to Rick.
"I don't want this!" Rick responds, the exasperation in his voice indicating his frustration with the situation.
Mellody covers her ears and her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as her fear keeps escalating.
"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher," Jenner remarks, his tone calm and monotone. Shane, T-Dog, Daryl, Archie, and sha e are still hacking away at the massive metal door, attempting to take it down.
