𝙴𝙿𝙸𝚂𝙾𝙳𝙴 𝙴𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 - 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙳
𝙰 𝙻𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙻𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛
Once everyone had filled up on dinner, Jenner took the group upstairs where everyone could freshen up. It had been a while since anyone had had a clean set of clothes on after a nice shower.
"Most of the facility has been powered down including housing, so you'll have to make so here." Jenner said. "The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power."
Carl and Sophia nodded. "The same applies if you shower, go easy on the hot water.
"Did he just say hot water?" Glenn asked with a huge smile on his face.
"I think he did." Madelyn grinned.
"Yeah he did." T-Dog said.
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After a nice shower, Madelyn changed into some comfy pajamas and went to explore the rec room a little. There she saw Carol with Sophia and Carl.
"Hey, you guys having fun?" Madelyn asked.
"Plenty. But it's time for bed, kids." Carol said as Sophia and Carl got up. "You know, this might be the first night we get a good night's sleep."
"Who would have thought?" Madelyn said, making Carol smile before she left with the kids. Madelyn continued looking at the books on the shelf when she heard the door open, making her quickly turn around to see Daryl.
"Oh, I thought the room was empty." Daryl said, about to leave when Madelyn stopped him.
"No, it's okay." Madelyn said. Although Daryl felt like he should leave, he didn't want to. He liked Madelyn. She was actually a decent person. She was kind to him unlike most of the other group members. Her hair was still a little damp from her shower which, in Daryl's opinion, made her look very pretty, not saying she wasn't pretty but she looked even prettier.
Daryl nodded and closed the door before walking inside. "I noticed you wear a wedding ring." Daryl said, making Madelyn put the book in her hand down and look at Daryl.
"Yeah, I...I used to be married." Madelyn said before sitting on the couch next to Daryl.
"What happened?" Daryl said, making Madelyn grin slightly.
"You are just straight up about everything, aren't you?" Madelyn chuckled.
"Ain't nobody got time to beat around the bush." Daryl shrugged, making Madelyn nod.
"I guess so." Madelyn said before sighing. "I lost Landon on the first day when everything happened. He was picking me up from work and next thing you know, he's being eaten by a walker."
"I'm sorry." Daryl said.
"No, it's okay." Madelyn said. "In a way, I'm glad he's gone. I would never want him to have to live in a world like this. I would never want him to suffer like we have to. He was a great man and he'll always have a special place in my heart."
Madelyn sighed and held onto the chain that had Landon's wedding ring around her neck. Daryl felt a little bad for Madelyn. Losing a spouse like that must hurt. Daryl obviously wasn't married and didn't even have a girlfriend when everything happened so he couldn't relate to that. His brother was still lost but at least he was alive.
"I think he'd be proud that you made it this far." Daryl said, making Madelyn smile. Daryl even found Madelyn's smile pretty.
"Thanks, Daryl." She said. "You know, you're not nearly as bad as your brother."
"You may think that now." Daryl sighed.
"And I'll continue to think it. Merle, no offence, he's not a nice guy." Madelyn said.
"I apologise on his behalf for anything bad he might have said to you." Daryl said.
"No, it's okay. But thank you. It's getting late. I'm gonna get to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Daryl." Madelyn said, patting his shoulder before leaving the rec room, leaving Daryl in a rather good mood.
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𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝙳𝚊𝚢
After a good night's rest, the group were gathering to have breakfast. Madelyn had a really good sleep the night before. It was nice to not have to look over your shoulder for once.
"Morning." Glenn said as he approached the group. "Morning Mads."
"Morning Glenn." Madelyn smiled before they fist bumped. Glenn and Madelyn were now really good friends.
"Are you hungover?" Carl asked Rick. "Mom said you'd be."
"Mom is right." Rick said.
"Mom has that annoying habit." Lori joked.
"Eggs. Powered, but I do 'em good." T-Dog said as Glenn groaned. "Protein helps the hangover."
"That's what you get." Madelyn said to Glenn as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"How are you not hungover?" Glenn complained.
"I'm a cautious drinker." Madelyn chuckled.
"Don't ever, ever, ever let me drink again, Mads." Glenn complained.
"Don't worry. I'll be your guardian angel." Madelyn joked. Daryl looked at Madelyn and smiled. Even during tough times and everything she had gone through, Madelyn found the strength to joke around and lighten things up and he admired that.
"Morning." Jenner said as he walked in.
"Morning. I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing in the morning, doc." Dale said.
"But you will anyways." Jenner said.
"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea said.
"We wanna know what's going on." Jacqui said.
"Very well." Jenner sighed. "Follow me."
Everyone followed Jenner into the big room where he began typing stuff on his computer and showed everything on a big screen.
"Give me playback of TS-19." Jenner said.
"Playback of TS-19." Vi said as the screen loaded up.
"Few people ever got the chance to see this." Jenner said. "Very few."
Everyone looked at the screen where there was a scan of a brain. "Is that a brain?" Carl asked.
"An extraordinary one." Jenner said. "Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for EIV."
"Enhanced internal view." Vi said as the scan zoomed in to the brain.
"What are those lights?" Shane asked.
"It's a person's life. Experiences, memories, everything." Jenner explained. "Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you, the thing that makes you unique. And human."
"You don't make sense, ever?" Daryl asked before looking at Madelyn confused, making her rub his shoulder.
"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages." Jenner said. "They determine everything a person says, does, or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death."
"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick asked.
"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil." Jenner said.
"This person died?" Andrea asked. "Who?"
"Test Subject 19." Jenner said. "Someone who was bitten and infected and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan forward to the first event."
"Scanning to first event." Vi said before the screen loaded up to show a dark area in the brain.
"What is that?" Glenn asked.
"It invades the brain like meningitis." Jenner explained. "The adrenal glands haemorrhage, the brain goes into shut down, then the major organs. Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be...gone."
"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked.
"Yes." Carol said. Andrea started tearing up and Jenner noticed.
"She lost somebody two days ago." Lori said.
"Her sister." Madelyn said.
"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." Jenner said to Andrea. "Scan to the second event."
"Scanning to second event." Vi said.
"The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes." Jenner said. "The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute, seven seconds."
Everyone looked at the screen and saw a red light in the brain. "So, it restarts the brain?" Madelyn asked.
"No, just the brain stem." Jenner said. "Basically, it gets them up and moving."
"But they're not alive?" Rick asked.
"You tell me." Jenner said.
"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark." Rick said.
"Dark, lifeless, dead." Jenner said. "The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part, that doesn't come back. The you part. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct."
As everyone watched, there was a flash of light that went through the brain. "God, what was that?" Carol asked.
"He shot his patient in the head." Andrea said. "Didn't you?"
"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations." Jenner said.
"Powering down main screen and workstations." Vi said as everything began to switch off.
"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea asked.
"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal." Jenner said.
"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui asked.
"There is that." Jenner said.
"Somebody must know something." Andrea said. "Somebody, somewhere."
"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked.
"There may be some. People like me." Jenner said.
"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick asked.
"Everything went down. Communications, directives. All of it." Jenner said. "I've been in the dark for almost a month."
"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anywhere?" Madelyn asked and Jenner stayed quiet.
"Jesus." Jacqui whispered. There was really nothing left. There was no hope.
"Man, I'm gonna get shit-faced drunk again." Daryl said, making Madelyn roll her eyes.
"Dr Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but that clock is counting down." Dale said, pointing to a clock that was indeed counting down from one hour. "What happens at zero?"
"The basement generators, they run out of fuel." Jenner said.
"And then?" Rick asked but Jenner said nothing. "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?"
"When the power runs out, facility wide decontamination will occur." Vi said.