The Dead Studios: Season 9

Chapter 12: Maniac

     David and Richard carried Jax's body into the kitchen as Smithy pushed everything off the table. They laid down his lifeless body, as Caroline came in behind him, holding her head.

"Caroline- you have to go upstairs, and into the backroom, all the way in the back is a crap load of medical supplies, you have to bring all of it down for me if you want him to live. Okay?" David said.

Caroline just kept looked at Jax's body, not listening to him.

"Caroline!" David yelled at her. "Go!"

Caroline looked up at him, walking past him and up the stairs. She went into the back room, looking at all the medical supplies. She didn't know what to grab- she couldn't stop thinking about Jax. She quickly grabbed one of the boxes, carrying it downstairs to David. 

"James, go upstairs and help her." David said, as he opened the box.

James nodded, going upstairs with Caroline. They went into the back room, grabbing another box.

"Jax is going to be okay." James said. "David is a good man, and doctor. He'll be fine."

Caroline glared at him as she brought the box downstairs.

"The bullet is still inside of him- I need to remove it." David said as he took out tweezers and began to look inside the bullet wound. She smiled as he saw the bullet didn't scatter, and it was still one piece. He quickly was able to pull the bullet out.

"Okay- good, the hard part is done." David said as Caroline and James came back down with more supplies. 

David continued to work on Jax's body, hoping he didn't wake up. He pulled out anesthesia and made sure he wasn't waking up. 

"Is he going to be okay?" Caroline asked David.

David looked at her. "I can't promise you anything right now. I need time." He said.

Caroline nodded as she walked away. Her movements were very jittery as she walked down to the couch. She sat down clumsily as she held her head as tears began to fall from her face. She looked down at the blood stains on the wall and floor, as she wiped away the tears and stood up. She began to go through some of the medical supplies as she saw a pregnancy test. She picked it up softly and slipped it into her pocket. 

Richard and Colton were outside, examining the bodies of the men Jax had killed.

"The guy is a god damn maniac." Richard said, looking at the bashed in skulls.

"He saved our lives." Colton said.

"We don't know that." Richard said as he went through one of the men's pockets. He pulled out a small folded up piece of paper that opened up into a map, looking up at Colton.

Olivia was standing on the front porch, looking out into the woods holding a rifle along side James. They kept watch as David was working on Jax, Smithy helping him. 

"Okay." David said. "I'm done."

Caroline turned her head over, seeing David finished bandaging Jax's wound. 

"When will he wake up?" Caroline asked.

"Any minute now... I turned off the anesthesia awhile ago... wait. something isn't right." David said, putting his ear up to Jax's breathing. "His breathing- it's unsteady."

"So?? What does it mean?" Caroline asked.

"Many things." David said, taking a flashlight and forcing Jax's eyelid open, shinning the light in, seeing his eyes were unresponsive.

"David..?" Caroline said.

David sighed as he felt Jax's pulse was very calm and low.  "It appears, that Jax... is in a coma." He said, looking at Caroline. She looked at Jax's body, not taking her eyes off of him. She shook her head a little standing up suddenly turning from the table and into the living room. She yelled, as she grabbed the living room table and flipped it.

"Caroline!" David yelled at her.

She stormed out the back door as she was stopped suddenly. She came back in and slammed the door. "Walkers." She said.

"What?"Smithy said, walking over to the window. "Oh shit. Oh shit! They broke through the fence there's gotta be over 20 of them- no.. more! Oh shit!" He yelled as David ran out the back door.

"Guys. We have a problem." He said as Richard and Colton came running back to the cabin.

"Guys, we found something." Colton said.

"So did we. We all have to leave, right NOW." David said.

"We can't leave." Caroline said. "What about Jax?" 

David turned to her. "Caroline..."

"What's going on David?" Richard asked.

"Jax is in a coma and there is a horde of walkers approaching the cabin as we speak." David revealed to them.

"Fuck." Colton said.

"We can't leave him." Caroline said. "I won't! Not again."

"Caroline we have to go." Smithy said.

"No!" She yelled.

"Keep your voice down." Richard said. "Everyone pack anything you can carry. Food and water come first. Go!" He ordered them. "What're we going to do about Jax?" Richard asked David quietly. 

"We can't bring him. He'll just slow us down." David said, turning to him.

"Alright." Richard said. "Help me bring him upstairs." He said to David, grabbing Jax's legs.

"No- No what're you doing!" Caroline yelled as Smithy held her back. "NO!" She yelled as they carried Jax's lifeless body up the stairs.

"We can't bring him, Caroline. Don't you see that?" Smithy said letting her go.

"He saved us! He saved you, and everyone in this cabin, and now- we're just going to leave him behind?! We can't! We, won't." She said.

"You're right, Caroline. But it's what we have to do." Smithy said.

Caroline shook her head as she ran up the stairs. They had brought Jax into the back room, laying him down on a small mattress. Caroline kneeled down next to his body, holding his arm, rubbing her fingers along it.

"We have to go." David said, putting his hand on Caroline's shoulder.

She didn't budge. "If you leave him, you leave me." She said.

"I don't want to have to hit you again." Richard said. "But if you leave me no choice-"

"Stop- just, wait for me downstairs." She said.

David lifted his hand off her shoulder as they all walked out of the room. She moved her hand down to Jax's hand. 

"I am so, so sorry." She said as tears stained her face. "I never wanted this, I never wanted to leave you behind again." She said, holding his hand and kissing it. She shut her eyes hard as she stood up, still holding onto his lifeless hand. She softly let go as his arm fell to the ground softly. She walked out of the room, looking back one more time. She took her rifle, leaving it beside some food and water they had left for him in case he woke up, if he ever did. She walked down the stairs as they were all waiting to leave.

She walked down along side them as they all walked out the front door. She turned her head back, looking at the cabin one last time. She shut her eyes and wiped her face as she turned and followed them outside of the cabin. They walked along through the woods as the walkers finally reached to the cabin. They had shut all the doors and turned off the lights, hoping the walkers just walk past it. 

"We can come back for him." James said, walking next to Caroline.

"If he's dead when we go back, you're all going to be dead with him." She said walking ahead past James.

They walked through the forest as the bright setting sun softly faded over the horizon.