-Episode Summary-
Rick was right after all. There really was hope at the C.D.C. The mentally and physically exhausted group celebrates their victory over spaghetti and wine with their host, Dr. Edwin Jenner as they enjoy the luxuries of the establishment. Little do they know, time is running out on they're stay and they're lives as Jenner keeps two life-changing secrets from the group.
-Days since outbreak: 73-
-Year: 2010-
-Age: 13-
CHAPTER NINE
TS-19
•••
TAYLOR
"DARYL, YOU COVER THE BACK."
Shane ordered the redneck as the group quickly made their way into the lobby of the C.D.C.
"Hello!?" Rick called out, seeing as the room was completely empty besides the newly-arrived group, "Hello!?".
Still no one...
He called out one more time, and they heard the cock of a gun.
They quickly aimed their weapons at the source of the noise to see an unknown man with an AR.
"Anybody infected?" He asked as the weary geoup.
"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick replied.
"Jim...I hope your at rest now..." Taylor thought, keeping her crossbow aimed at the unknown man.
"Why are you here and what do you want?" The unknown man asked, walking foward.
"A chance." Rick simply responded.
"That's asking an awful lot these days." The man pointed out.
"I know." The ex-sheriff agreed.
The unknown man looked over the destranged group before he spoke up, "You all submit to a blood test; that's the price of admission.".
"We can do that." Rick nodded.
"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed." The unknown man instructed.
A few of the men rushed out to the caravan and came back with everyone's belongings.
"Here." Daryl said, handing Taylor her backpack.
She gave the Dixon a small smile as she replied, "Thanks.".
"Vi, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The man spoke into a speaker connected to what looked like a control panel.
The shutters then re-closed on the front entrance.
"Rick Grimes." The ex-sheriff introduced himself to the unknown man.
"Dr. Edwin Jenner." He replied.
•••
EVERYONE WAS NOW TIGHTLY
compacted into a small elevator to go take the blood tests Jenner had mentioned, saying it was the only way they'd be able to stay here in the C.D.C.
"Of course I have to go get a stupid fucking shot. I fucking hate needles..." Taylor thought with a shudder.
"Doctors always goin' 'roun' packin' heat like that?" Daryl asked Jenner from beside the young teen.
"They were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself." The doctor replied, "But you look harmless enough. Except you." He looked down at Carl, "I'll have to keep my eye on you.".
A few of the others giggled and chuckled, and the elevator doors finally opened, everyone walking out and into a long hall.
"Are we underground?" Carol asked Jenner.
"Are you claustrophobic?" He asked.
"Me and Carol are." Taylor spoke up, glancing around at the tight compacted walls.
"Try not to think about it." Jenner simply replied.
"...This place is fucking...clean..." The young teen mumbled as she walked beside Daryl.
"Tell me 'bout it..." The redneck muttered in response.
They walked into a large room with multiple big screens and lots of desks, computers sitting on top of them.
Everything looked extremely complicated and high-tech, and Taylor had the feeling she shouldn't touch anything.
"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner commanded.
The lights flipped on and Jenner turned back to the group, "Welcome to zone 5.".
"Where is everybody?" Rick asked, "The other doctors, the staff?".
"I'm it." The doctor replied, "It's just me here.".
"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori spoke up, "Vi?".
"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them...welcome." He explained.
"Hello, guests. Welcome." What sounded like a computer automated voice spoke.
"I'm all that's left." He confirmed, "I'm sorry.".
In one big C.D.C, a facility where the government would put their best efforts into keeping it up and running during a major epidemic, had all but one doctor left...one...
That wasn't a good sign...
•••
EVERYONE WAS NOW IN A MUCH
smaller room, getting their blood tests done by Jenner.
Carl had just finished, and Jenner looked over to Taylor, "Alright, your up.".
Sighing, she got up from her spot by Daryl, walking over to the table Jenner was sitting at as she held out her arm.
Jenner took out a disinfectant wipe and rubbed it over her upper arm before taking out a fresh needle, putting his hand on her arm, "Relax. Your arms too tense.".
"Right," She sighed, taking a deep breath, "Sorry.".
"Afraid of shots, huh?" He asked, the needle piercing through her skin as he extracted her blood.
Wincing, she nodded, looking away from the needle, "Yep.".
Taking the needle out, he put the cap back on before setting it with the rest, "Well don't worry, you're all done.".
She got up, sitting back down by Daryl as Andrea took her place.
"Ye really are jus' like yer dad, huh?" He muttered.
She traced her finger over the bandaid Jenner had placed over the spot he had drawn her blood, "...Mom says everything I do is just like him...she says we're twins...".
The Dixon chuckled, "Yeah, well she's right 'bout that.".
"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever." Andrea pointed out.
"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just atleast be thorough." Jenner replied.
The syringe clicked as the doctor finished drawing the strawberry blonde's blood, "All done.".
Noticing she was a bit woozy, Jaqui got up and helped Andrea stand.
"Are you okay?" The doctor asked her.
"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have." Jaqui replied as Andrea went to sit down.
The doctor looked between them all, and roughly half an hour later, the whole group was laughing and chatting over food and wine.
"You know, in Italy," Dale began, pouring some more wine into his glass, "Children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France.".
Putting her hand over the cup that had a small amount of wine for Carl, Lori replied, "Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then.".
"Well, Carl, pack your bags, we're going to fucking Italy." Taylor said with a grin from across the room, the others laughing.
"What's it gonna hurt. Come on." Rick said to Lori, "Come on.".
"There you are, young lad." Dale said, handing the cup to Carl.
"Ew." He complained after taking a sip, his face scrunching up into one of disgust as the others laughed.
"That's my boy. That's my boy." Lori said, pouring the rest of the wine in Carl's cup into hers.
"Well, just stick to soda pop there, bud." Shane said quietly.
"Not you, Glenn." Daryl said.
"What?" Glenn asked, looking up from his bottle of alcohol.
"Keep drinkin', little man. I wana see how read yer face can get." Daryl smirked as everyone laughed at the rednecks statement.
"Oh yeah. Well...come on, Taylor. If Carl tried the wine, you have to have some alcohol." Glenn said, taking the attention away from himself.
"What? No, I am not trying wine, I'll happily stick to my root beer thank you very much." The young teen replied, a blush coating her cheeks out of embarrassment that everyone was looking at her now.
"Aw, c'mon Taylor. Don' be such a pussy." Daryl handed her his bottle of beer.
"Yeah, c'mon, Taylor! Show us what you're made of!" T-Dog cheered her on.
She looked down at the alcoholic contents with a sigh, "If I end up dying from falling down the stairs in this place, I blame Daryl.".
Finally, she gave in and took a sip, immediately coughing afterwards as she handed the bottle back to Daryl, "God that was fucking disgusting. I'm never drinking beer ever again.".
The other's cheered and Glenn gave her a pat on her back, "Good news is you have impressed every adult in this room.
Rick then tapped his glass with his fork before standing up, "It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly.".
"He is more than just our host." T-Dog said, raising his glass.
Everyone raised their glasses and toasted the doctor, "Cheers!".
Daryl raised his bottle of beer, "Booyah!".
A few of the others followed in suit, and Taylor giggled as she clapped.
"So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, doc?" Shane asked Jenner, "All the...the other doctors...that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?".
"We're celebrating, Shane." Rick argued to his partners question, "Don't need to do this now.".
"Whoah, wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your move...supposed to find all the answers. Instead we...found him. Found one man. Why?" The ex-officer asked, pointing to the doctor.
"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted. " He explained.
"Every last one?" Shane pressed.
"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They...opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." The doctor replied.
"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked.
"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." The doctor responded.
Everyone sat in awkward silence now due to the dark topic they discussed, all because Shane had to ask his questions in the middle of their celebration.
"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man." Glenn remarked to Shane.
"Good fucking going, Shane..." Taylor muttered, taking another sip from her soda.
After dinner, Jenner led the group down another hallway, "Most of the facility is powered down including housing, so you'll have to make do here. 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 before Jenner looked back up at the others, "The same applies; if you shower, go easy on the hot water.".
"Hot water?" Glenn turned back to the others with a big grin.
"That's what the man said." T-Dog smirked.
Taylor smiled, "We can finally not smell like shit.".
Everyone dispersed into their own rooms, the young teen getting her own room.
It wasn't that she disliked sharing the tent with the two Dixon brothers, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't excited to have some privacy.
She quickly tossed her backpack down beside the couch she'd be sleeping on before rushing off to the bathroom connected to the office, starting up the shower before she quickly stripped herself of her clothes.
Daryl's flannel was still clean, so she'd just put that back on after, but her jeans were pretty dirty, so she'd have to see if Lori, Jacqui, Carol, or Andrea had any sweat pants or shorts the young teen could borrow.
Closing the glass door behind her, the young teen stepped under the waterfall coming from the shower head, a sigh of relief escaping past her lips as the water cascaded down over her head and down her body, carrying away the grime and blood that coated her body.
The water soaked her hair, and she giddily searched the nearby shelf for some shampoo and conditioner.
She wouldn't be able to blow dry her hair, but it sure would look better than it had in the past two months.
After cleaning her hair, she shaved and scrubbed her body for a good thirty minutes until she was completely satisfied she had rid her body of all the filth from the horrors that laid beyond the facility.
She dried herself off with a towel, and lucked out on a pair of sweatpants underneath the sink, and she changed into those and Daryl's flannel.
Noting she was hungry, the young teen sighed, knowing she'd have to go venture out back to the kitchen for a late night snack.
Why did she have to be such a light eater...
She made her way out of her room and shut the door behind her, waving goodnight to Carol , Sophia, and Carl along the way.
"I hope this'll be the first night in months that we get some actual sleep." The elder woman told the young teen.
She nodded in agreement, "Let's hope.".
As she made her way down the hall, she practically jumped into the air, startled by the sudden slam of the rec room door.
"What the hell..." She muttered to herself, going to open it to see what the fuck happened, but she heard voices, and she stopped, pressing her ear up against the wood.
"Jesus, you scared me." It was Lori.
"I'm gonna tell you a few things and you're gonna listen to me." The other voice was Shane.
"Now is not the time." Lori replied.
Shane chuckled, "Come on. When is it ever the time?".
There was a few moments of silence before he continued, "How can you treat me like this?".
"You're kidding, right?" She remarked.
"No. Huh-uh.".
"Because you told me my husband was dead.".
"Jesus, Lori. I didn't lie to you, alright? I didn't. Do you know what is was like there?" She then head the slam of another door that led to the rec room, "Stop. Things were falling apart. They were slaughtering people in the hallways. It was a massacre. There were walkers everywhere.".
"So you left him?".
"Everybody else ran. There were no doctors there. It was just me. He was hooked up to machines and I did not know what to do. I even took my ear and I put it on his chest and I listened for a heartbeat and I did not hear one. And I-I-I-I-I don't know why. Maybe it was gunfire. I don't know what it was, but there is no way he could've survived that. No way.".
"He did." She pointed out.
"Yeah, but then I had y'all to think about, didn't I? I had you and Carl, and I needed to think about—".
She hears the screech of a table as Lori protested, "Okay. No. No.".
"I had to get you guys safe to Atlanta. That's what I had to do. Just stop.".
A body was pushed up against the table, "If you thought for one second that he was still alive, would you have come? So I saved your life—you and your little boy's. That's what I did. Right? Okay. And if I could've traded places with him, I would have. I would trade places with him righ now because—no no no no no. I love you.".
Furrowing her eyebrows, Taylor opened the door, seeing that Shane had Lori pressed up again the table, "I love you. Shh. Shh.".
"No. No, you're drunk." Lori protested, trying to push the ex-officer away.
"And I know there were some things that say that you love me too, because there's no way that you could've been with me the way you were." He said, grabbing her by the jaw.
Wait...did that mean...Lori slept with Shane...!?
Shane tried to kiss her as she continued to try and push him off of her, "Get you hands off me. Get your hands of me.".
"Please, I love you." He pleaded, placing his hand between her thigs.
"Please! No!" She cried over his shoulder, and she and Taylor made eye contact.
That was enough evidence that the young teen needed to do something; fast.
As Lori scratched Shane in the neck, Taylor slammed the rec room door closed, alerting the ex-officer, "Get the fuck away from her!".
He stood there in silence before pushing his way past Taylor and out of the rec room, slamming the door behind him as Lori began sobbing.
The young teen rushed up to her, "Oh my god, Lori, are you okay!? Did he hurt you!?".
The mother took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, "I'm okay...I'm okay...".
"I'll go get uh...I'll go get the guys; Shane's not gonna get away for this. He fucked up big time." The young teen turned to leave, but Lori grabbed her hand.
"No! Please...Taylor...please don't tell anyone. Let's just...please...let's keep this between us, alright? Let's...let's just pretend it never happened.".
Taylor furrowed her eyebrows, "...Why...?".
The mother wiped away her tears, "I don't want Rick to know. It was just a mistake, no big deal, right?".
"Lori, he tried to—" Before she could finish, Lori walked past her and out of the rec room, making her way around Daryl as the redneck walked in with a half empty whiskey bottle in hand.
"T-The hell was that 'bout?".
The young teen shook her head, "N-Nothing. Wait...are you drunk?".
The Dixon looked highly offended by this, "Hell nah, I ain't drunk! I am perfectly sober!".
She rolled her eyes, "I find that hard to believe. What have you been doing for the past hour?".
"Doin' shots wit' Glenn. An' I won." The redneck stated proudly.
She groaned, "Daryl you are drunk. You need to go to bed. It's late.".
He folded his arms before yelling, "I'm a grown ass man! I can stay up as late as I wan'!".
"Okay, cool. I'm going to bed. Have fun stumbling around drunk for the next eight hour's." She remarked, going to leave the rec room.
"Yer jus' gonna leave me here!?" The Dixon griped.
"You're drunk and acting like a two year old. What else am I going to do?" She quipped.
"Well fine. Be like 'at." He muttered, walking past her, but ended up running into the table Shane had Lori pinned against.
The young teen still didn't understand why the woman didn't want her to tell anybody about what happened...
"Who put this fuckin' table 'ere!" The drunk redneck cursed, kicking the table leg with his boot.
She thought sober Daryl could be loud and obnoxious...
Sighing, she rolled her eyes, creeping up behind the Dixon before she snatched the whiskey bottle from him.
"Hey! Give 'at back!" He demanded, though the slurr of his words just told the young teen she shouldn't give the alcohol back.
"No, Daryl. You're fucking drunk. Now c'mon, I'm taking you to bed." She huffed, grabbing the rednecks hand as she dragged him out of the rec room.
"Ye ain't the boss o' me. I can do whatever the hell I wan'." He protested.
"You'll be thanking me in the morning." She muttered, dragging him down the long hall that connected to everyone's rooms.
T-Dog was walking down the other end of the hallway with Glenn, and while the two men most definitely had quite a few drinks, they only appeared to be tipsy compared to Daryl's full-blown drunk episode.
The two men laughed at Daryl's current condition, earning the signature Dixon glare from the drunk redneck, "The hell y'all laughin' at?".
T-Dog wiped away the tears that pricked at his eyes, "Man, you're shit-faced drunk right now.".
Glenn chuckled, "Dude, you starting to regret beating me taking those shots?".
The two men continued to laugh as Daryl griped, "Shut the hell up 'fore I shove my boot up y'alls asses!".
"Daryl, you shut the hell up. People are sleeping." The young teen hissed, "Now, which room is yours?".
He snatched the whiskey bottle from Taylor, downing more of the liquid as he stumbled over to his room, "I can get te my room by myself. I'm a grown ass man who don' need help from nobody.".
He gripped the door handle, but was having some trouble opening it, "Why won't the fucking door open!?".
"Uh...you uh...turn it..." Glenn said, turning the knob to which Daryl's door opened.
"...Oh...".
Taylor groaned, shoving the beyond drunk redneck into his room, "C'mon, dumbass. Let's get your ass to bed.".
She told T-Dog and Glenn goodnight, shutting the door behind her, "Okay, Daryl. It's time to go to—".
She looked over at the couch in the office, seeing that Dixon was already passed out cold and snoring.
She rolled her eyes, giggling, "And you think I'm a hassle.".
She walked up to him, gently taking the whiskey bottle from his hand and she sat it down on the nearby office desk.
She walked over to the conjoined bathroom, remembering she saw a blanket in her's, so she hoped it was the same in Daryl's.
She lucked out, grabbing the soft material before she walked back and draped the blanket over the passed-out redneck.
Smiling, she flicked the lights off in his room, opening the door, "Goodnight, Daryl. Thanks for taking care of me the past two months. You've deserved tonight.".
She then quietly and gently shut the door before retreating to her own room for the night, snatching the blanket from the bathroom before plopping herself down on the couch.
Jenner was right, the couches were decently comfortable.
Closing her eyes, she snuggled up under the blanket, hoping now that the group was safe at the C.D.C that they'd have a better future...
•••
DARYL
THE FOLLOWING MORNING,
Daryl woke up with a massive headache, as to be expected from all the whiskey and beer he drank.
For once, he was going to sleep in, as now that the group wasn't at the quarry anymore, no one expected his ass to be up bright and early for a hunting trip.
He heard the others talking outside his room out in the hall, everyone starting their day and he groaned, wishing they'd just shut the hell up and let him sleep.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he heard a gentle knock on his door before it opened, "Daryl, it's time to get up. T-Dog made some killer ass eggs that I think you'll like.".
He flipped her the bird, "Fuck off, can't ye see I'm tryin' te sleep?".
"Whatever. Here." She tossed him something, and he looked down at the floor near the couch, seeing a bottle of ibuprofen, "Jenner passed these out saying the adults were gonna be needing them. Maybe they'll help put you in a better mood.".
He scoffed as he sat up, grabbing the bottle from off the floor, "Ye have me laughin' my ass off.".
She giggled, "I know, I'm quite the comedian. Anyway, let's go. I want more of those eggs.".
The redneck and young teen made their way to the rec room where the rest of the group was having breakfast with Jenner.
She tensed up when she saw Shane, biting her lower lip as the two sat down at the table.
"You all finish breakfast, then I'll show you." The doctor told them.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked over at Carl and whispered, "Show us what?".
"The virus or whatever. Andrea told him we wanna know how it works." The young boy replied, taking a bite of his eggs.
The group would be finally getting an explanation on the viral outbreak that ravaged the world, and would hopefully find out that there was hope for the nation.
It was a long shot, but the young teen wanted to ask Jenner about her parents.
She had no idea if the doctor could see, but maybe he'd be able to pull up their records or whatever, maybe see where they ended up after outbreak day.
She had no idea how the hell all that classified bullshit worked, but the C.D.C was a governmental facility, so they would have to know everything about everyone, especially when an epidemic hit, right?
She looked over at Daryl who had sat down beside her with a plate full of eggs and a piece of toast, You think Jenner might know where my parents are?".
The redneck shrugged, taking a bite of his eggs, "Dunno. He might.".
She sure hoped so...
•••
AFTER EVERYONE HAD FINISHED
breakfast, Jenner showed the group back to the computer room they saw yesterday, and he walked up to his computer, typing a few things, "Give me playback of TS-19.".
"TS-19? I wonder what that is...' Taylor thought as the computer automated voice, Vi, followed the doctors command, and the large screen at the back of the room turned on.
"Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few." The doctor explained.
The data that was loading on the screen finished, revealing different pictures of a human head, the brain outlined.
"Is that a brain?" Carl asked.
"An extraordinary one." Jenner replied with a grin, but it quickly faded, "Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for E.I.V.".
"Enhanced internal view." Vi replied, zooming in on the human head and into the brain, flashes of light moving through it.
"What are those lights?" Shane spoke up.
"It's a person's life—experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you—the thing that makes you unique. And human." Jenner explained.
"Ye don' make sense ever?" Daryl asked.
"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." The doctor replied.
"Death?" Rick questioned, "That's what this is, a vigil?".
"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil." The doctor elaborated.
"This person died?" Andrea asked, "Who?".
"Test Subject 19. Someone who was bitten. And infected...and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan foward to the first event." Jenner commanded, and Vi played back the command, the picture on the screen fast fowarding and zooming out of the brain, showing all the light in it slowly fading to black.
"What is that?" Glenn questioned, disturbed.
"It invades the brain like Meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs." Jenner explained, the entire brain going black as the body stopped moving, "Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be...gone.".
"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia quietly asked her mother.
Carol took a sharp breath, "Yes.".
Andrea exhaled sharply, and Jenner looked over at her as Lori spoke up, "She lost someone two days ago. Her sister.".
"It's only been two days since Amy died...god, it's felt like a lifetime...".
"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." Jenner told her, and she looked up at him before down to the floor, "Scan to the second event.".
"Scanning to second event." Vi repeated.
"The resurrection times vary wildly. We have reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute...sevend seconds." Jenner explained as the center of the brain began to light up red.
"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked.
"No, just the brain stem. Basically it gets them up and moving." The doctor elaborated.
"But they're not alive?" Rick questioned.
Jenner gestured to the screen, "You tell me.".
"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark." The ex-sheriff said, looking over the image.
"Dark, lifeless, dead. The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part—that doesn't come back. The you part. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct." The doctor explained.
"To eat, right?" Taylor spoke up, "The dead...they just walk around and eat us. It's like you said, they're just a shell driven by mindless instinct.".
Jenner nodded her way, "Exactly like that.".
Suddenly, on the image, a bright flash of light shot through the brain and Carol questioned, "God. What was that?".
"He shot his patient in the head." Andrea replied, "Didn't you?".
"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations." Jenner commanded, not answering the strawberry blonde's question.
"Powering down main screen and workstations." Vi repeated, the computers and the big screen shutting down.
"You have no idea what is it, do you?" Andrea questioned.
Jenner took a moment to answer, "It could be Microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal.".
"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui remarked.
"There is that." The doctor agreed.
"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere." Andrea said.
"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked.
"There may be some. People like me." Jenner suggested.
"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick remarked.
"Everything went down. Communications, directives—all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month." The doctor explained.
"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying, right?" Andrea sounded completely hopeless at this point.
The doctor didn't reply as everyone stood in complete shock and horror.
"Man, I'm gonna get shitfaced drunk; again." Daryl groaned.
"Jenner...there has to be some ray of hope. There has to be a positive to this situation...right?" She questioned.
The doctor looked over her for a moment, "Vi...power on the big screen and give us a visual of IS-1.".
"Giving visual of IS-1." Vi replied as the main screen switched on, and a few files appeared on the screen.
One standed out to the young teen as she furrowed her eyebrows, "Is that my birth certificate?".
"You're Taylor Peyton Thompson, right?" The doctor asked, to which she nodded, "Well then this is your file.".
"The hell ye showin' us her file for?" Daryl quipped.
"Vi, switch over to the playback of IS-1's blood sample." Jenner commanded, and a picture of molecules showed up on the screen, one being red and the other black, "The black molecules are the virus while the red molecules are Taylor's blood. Watch what happens.".
As the molecules moved around, the red eventually took over the black ones.
"Taylor's blood sample killed the virus?" Rick questioned.
"Not a trace of it was left. Across the whole entire planet, we connected with every single C.D.C. in hopes of creating a cure. One of our methods was to try and see if we could find any immune individuals to create a cure from them. Not a single one was found." The doctor turned to Taylor, "Then you come here, and by some sort of blessing or—or miracle...you're the first immune person we've found." Jenner explained.
The young teen felt like she was going to faint as the group looked over at her in shock, "Whoah whoah whoah, th-that can't be right. I'm just some fucking middle school teenager, I can't be immune.".
Jenner shrugged, "Whether you like it or not, you are. Vi, power down the big screen.".
The big screen shut off as Dale spoke up, "I don't mean to interrupt, but...that clock—" He pointed up to a large red digital clock on the wall as everyone looked over at it, "It's counting down. What happens at zero?".
"The basement generators—they run out of fuel." Jenner replied.
"And then?" Rick asked, but the doctor walked off without another word.
"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" The ex-sheriff questioned.
"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur." Vi replied.
•••
TAYLOR STOOD PACING BACK AND
forth in the middle of Daryl's room as the redneck sat on the couch, drinking from his whiskey bottle from yesterday.
The young teen sighed as she came to a stop, massaging her temples, "Of all the people out there...why did it have to be me?".
He furrowed his eyebrows, "What? Ye bein' immune?".
"Yeah. You heard what Jenner said. Out of the billions of people out there, I'm the first to have been reported as immune." She sat down beside the Dixon on the couch, burrying her face in her hands, "...I don't deserve it...".
He scoffed, "The hell ye mean ye don' deserve it?".
"...I—I just don't..." She mumbled.
"Taylor, ye—".
"I'm a useless piece of shit teenager, that's fucking why I don't deserve this fucking immunity!" She shot up from the couch, pain evident on her face.
"Who the hell thinks that?" He grumbled.
"Everyone! And they're right, they always have been! No one has given a fuck about me ever!" She cried.
He got up from the couch this time, "The fuck are ye talkin' 'bout'!? take a fuckin' look 'roun', Taylor!".
"You don't get it!" She yelled, "You don't fucking get it you redneck asshole! Why the fuck do you even care!? We're not related...I'm just your friends kid...".
He glared, "...We were doin' it fer the fuckin' money...".
Her face softened into sadness, "...How much...?".
The redneck shrugged, "...Five hundred bucks...".
The young teen felt sick as she scoffed, "...So...if it weren't for five hundred fucking bucks...I'd be dead right now, huh..? Two fucking greedy ass rednecks desperate for money save my ass cause of five hundred bucks. That just shows how much of a worthless piece of shit I am.".
Oh, the Dixon was fuming now, "Better watch yer fuckin' mouth, girl.".
"Or what!? You're gonna fucking whip my ass!? You're not my fucking dad, so stop acting like it! My dad's—" The lights in Daryl's room flicked off, leaving the two in complete darkness.
"We'll finish 'is conversation later." The redneck spat, taking another swig from his whiskey bottle as he headed for the door.
"What else do we have to talk about?" She mumbled, following behind the Dixon.
He opened the door, the two stepping outside, same as the others as Jenner walked by, "What's goin' on? Why is everythin' turned off?".
The doctor snatched the rednecks whiskey bottle, "Energy use is being prioritized.".
"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale questioned.
"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down." Jenner replied.
"Hey! Hey, what the hell does that mean?" Daryl griped, chasing after the doctor as the group followed behind him, "Hey, man, I'm talkin' te ye. What do ye mean it's shuttin' itself down? How can a buildin' do anythin'?".
"You'd be surprised." The doctor remarked.
"Rick?" Lori called out, leaning over the railing, Shane, Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog down below.
The group rushed downstairs, following behind Jenner as Rick asked, "Jenner, what's happening?".
"The system is dropping all the nonessential use of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule." The doctor explained, gesturing up to the digital clock in the main room as they walked towards the computers.
They stopped, standing in silence as Jenmer looked back at them, the doctor handing Daryl his whiskey bottle back and the redneck snatched it.
"It was the French." The doctor said.
"What?" Andrea questioned.
"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in te hallways, they stayed in the labs until the end. They thought they were close to a solution." The doctor explained.
"What happened?" Jacqui asked.
"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs of fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" The doctor remarked.
"Let me tell you—" Shane sneered, but Rick stopped him.
"To hell with it, Shane. I don't even care." The ex-sheriff turned back to his wife, "Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!".
The group turned around and ran for the doors as an alarm began blaring.
"What's that?" Carl asked in a panic.
The big screen flashed on with Vi's voice, "30 minutes to decontamination.".
"Doc, what's going on here?" T-Dog yelled.
"Everybody, y'all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now! Go!" Shane ordered.
Everyone ran for the door, but it closed.
"Did you just lock us in? He just locked us in!" Glenn yelled.
They were trapped in here...
"Daryl, what are we gonna do?" Taylor whimpered.
The redneck stormed over to Jenner, "Ye son o' a bitch!".
"Shane!" Rick called to Shane to stop Daryl.
"Ye locked us in here!" The Dixon had to be held back by Shane and T-Dog.
Taylor sunk down by the stairs, "...We're trapped in here...".
"Hey, Jenner, open that door now." Rick demanded.
"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Jenner argued.
"Well, open the dman things." Dale griped.
"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that." Jenner pointed out, "It's better this way.".
"What is?" Rick questioned,"What happens in 28 minutes?".
The doctor didn't respond.
"What happens in twenty eight minutes?" Rick demanded, Daryl chiming in.
"You know what this place is!? We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!" Jenner yelled, sitting back down at his desk, "In the event og a catastrophic power failure—in a terrorist attack, for example—H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out.".
"H.I.T.'s?" Rick questioned.
"Vi, define." Jenner replied.
"HITs; high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5,000 degrees and 6,000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structure is desired." Vi explained.
"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief...regret. Everything." Jenner said.
"So...we're gonna be fucking burned alive...huh..." Taylor remarked, wiping away her tears, "...We're fucked...".
Daryl through his bottle of whiskey at the door before turning back to Jenner, "Open the damn door!".
"Out of my way!" Shane yelled, running up to the door with an axe before swinging it at the door.
T-Dog tossed Daryl one, and the redneck joined the ex-officer.
"You should've left well enough alone. It would've been so much easier." Jenner told the group.
"Easier for who?" Lori glared.
"All of you. You know what's out there—a short, brutal life and an agonizing death." The doctor turned to Andrea, "Your—Your sister—what was her name?".
"Amy." Andrea replied.
"Amy. You know what this does. You've seen it." The doctor turned to Rick, "Is that really what you want for your wife and son?".
"I don't want this." The ex-sherrif replied exasperatingly.
Shane walked over, out of breath, "Can't make a dent.".
"Those doors ae designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner told them.
"Well, yer head ain't!" Daryl remarked, rushing over with an axe, but the men held him back.
He scoffed as T-Dog took his axe from him, and he walked over by Taylor, seeing the young teen crying.
"You do want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead." Jenner pointed out, and everyone turned to Rick.
"What? You really said that? After all your big talk?" Shane questioned.
"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" The ex-sheriff defended himself.
"There is no hope." Jenner argued, "There never was.".
"There's always hope. You have an immune girl standing right here!" The ex-sheriff gestured over to Taylor, "There has to be someone out there that can make a cure from her!".
"What part of everything is gone do you not understand?" Andrea quipped.
"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Jenner stressed.
"This isn't right. You can't just keep us in here." Carol cried, clinging onto Sophia.
"One tiny moment—a millisecond. No pain." The doctor said.
"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." The elder mother sobbed.
Daryl sat down beside Taylor as Jenner continued talking, and he watched as the young teen wipe her tears away, "...I never got to tell them I love them...".
"Te who?" The redneck asked.
"My mom...my dad...my sister...I never got to apologize for all those stupid arguments...for all the times I was a bitch and a headache...but most of all...like I said...I never got to tell them how much I love them..."
"Nah, don' say that shit. We're gonna fin' a way outta here." The Dixon protested.
"How? We're stuck in here and we're gonna be fucking burnt to a crisp in less than half an hour." The young teen pointed out.
That's when a cock of a gun rang out through the air as Shane stormed foward with his shotgun, and Rick rushed up to him to keep him back, "Shane, no!".
"Out of the way, Rick! Stay out of my way!" The ex-officer argued, pushing the ex-sheriff to the side as Lori, Carl, Carol, and Sophia rushed off to the side away from the scene as Daryl pulled Taylor up and pushed the young teen behind him, "Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!".
"Brother, brother, this is not the way you do this. We will never get out of here." Rick tried to calm him down.
"Shane, you listen to him." Lori piped up.
"He dies, we all—" Shane began yelling, firing round after round at the computers until Rick got a hold of his shotgun and hit him in the face with it, sending him to the floor, where he almost rammed the butt of the shotgun into the ex-offices face, "Are you done now? Are you done?".
"Yeah, I guess we all are?" Shane remarked, and Rick handed his shotgun to T-Dog.
He turned back towards Jenner, "I think you're lying.".
"What?" The doctor questioned.
"You're lying about no hope. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?" The ex-sheriff asked.
"It doesn't matter." The doctor brushed it off.
"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?" The ex-sheriff pressed.
"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise..." The doctor stood up, pointing to the big screen, "To her. My wife.".
"Test Subject 19 was your wife?" Lori asked.
Taylor watched as Daryl pulled away from her, grabbing his axe as he walked back over to the door in an attempt to open it as Jenner continued, "She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no? She was dying. It should have been me on that table. It wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just...Edwin Jenner...She could've done something about this." He gestured over to Taylor, "She could've done something about the immune girl. Make...make a cure...Not me.".
"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's—That's all we want—a choice, a chance." The ex-sheriff pleaded.
"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori agreed.
Jenner sighed, "I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those.".
He scanned his id on a card reader before pressing a few buttons and the door opened, Daryl lowering his axe, "C'mon!".
Everyone began rushing for the door, Daryl grabbing Taylor's hand, "C'mon!".
The group stopped looking back at Rick talking to Jenner, "There's you chance. Take it.".
"I'm grateful." The ex-sheriff thanked.
"The day will come when you won't be." The doctor remarked, pulling Rick foward before whispering in his ear.
Lori rushed foward to grab him as Glenm yelled, "Hey, we've got four minutes left! Come on!".
T-Dog ushered Jacqui foward but she pulled away from him, "No, no, I'm staying. I'm staying, sweetie.".
"But that's insane!" He argued.
"No, it's completely sane. For the first time in a long time. I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy." She pressed.
Taylor bit her lower lip, 'Jacqui...no...'.
"There's no time to argue and no point. Not if you want to get out. Just get out. Get out." She cried, ushering T-Dog foward.
Daryl did the same with Taylor, "C'mon, we gotta pack our bags an' get the fuck outta here.".
The group rushed back to the rooms to pack their belongings, and Taylor rushed into her own, grabbing her backpack from by the couch as she went through every container she had put her items.
Once she was sure she had everything, she slung her backpack straps over her shoulders, grabbing her crossbow as she bursted out of her room and raced alongside Daryl with the others to the front entrance.
"Get them doors open!" Shane shouted as
T-Dog tried the front doors.
Glenn tried too, "It doesn't work!".
T-Dog rushed over to the control panel Jenner had used the other day, "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Try it! Try it!".
"Daryl!" Shane yelled, and Daryl told Taylor to stay back with Carol and Sophia as the redneck rushed up to the ex-officer, tossing the man another axe as the two mem tried to break the windows.
The elder woman pulled the two girls close to her, "Stay close, girls.".
"Daryl look out!" Shane told him as the men moved aside, T-Dog ramming a chair into the glass, but only scratches were made.
"Dog, get down! Get down!" Shane stepped foward with his shotgun, firing a shot into the glass, but not a dent was made, "Jesus.".
"The glass won't break?" Sophia asked.
Carol rushed up to Rick with her satchel, "Rick, I have something that might help.".
"Carol, I don't think a nail file's gonna do it." Shane remarked.
Taylor flipped him the bird, "Oh shut the fuck, Shane.".
"You're first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform I found this in your pocket." She held out a grenade to which he took, running up to the window.
"C'mon, keep yer head down an' don' move a fuckin' inch, got it?" Daryl ordered, ushering Taylor in the corner by a set of stairs.
"Y—Yeah." She nodded.
Rick pulled the pin, dropping the grenade in front of the window, "Oh sh...get down get down!".
A split second later the grenade went off, the glass shattering as Taylor yelped and Daryl pulled her into him as he crouched in front of her.
The group quickly got up, scrambling to grab their dropped backpacks and guns before they rushed out the window and across the front yard of the C.D.C to the caravan.
Rick and Shane shot down two walkers while Daryl cut off the head of one with his axe before he ushered Taylor inside the pickup, "Go on, get inside.".
She shut her door as Daryl hopped in the driver's side and she furrowed her eyebrows, "...Wait...I didn't see Dale and Andrea come out with us.".
"...They stayed behind wit' Jacqui an' Jenner..." He muttered.
Her eyes widened, "Oh shit. I—I gotta go back for them.".
As she went to open her door, she heard a click, and the door was locked as she pulled on the handle, "Daryl, open the door. I gotta go back for them.".
The redneck didn't reply, "Daryl open the fucking door! Please! I can't leave them!".
"Look.".
She looked up at the window, seeing Andrea and Dale climb out, "They made it. Holy fuck, they made it.".
Rick layed on the horn of the RV, signaling for Andrea and Dale to take cover.
"Shit! Get down!" Daryl shouted, pushing Taylor down and not a moment later, the C.D.C exploded into flames.
Gasping for air, Taylor sat up after Daryl, "Jesus fucking christ...".
The caravan began moving as Daryl cranked up the engine, "... 'Bout earlier...what ye said...".
She burried her face in her hands, "Not now, Daryl...just drive...please...".
"...Alri'..." He followed behind the others as the remnants of the C.D.C shrunk behind them, and the young teen was left wondering what laid ahead...
•••
End of Season 1 of Friend of the Dixon's...
Word Count: 8325
Edited: ❌
@Taylor_Frickin_Dixon,2022
Tag List:
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MidnightScythe17
orxngeheart
BreakHeartsBaby
Survivortwd
Becca_Dixon
A/n:
What a season. The foundations of our characters have been set, and Taylor now knows she's humanities cure. The group must now figure out what they're next plan of action will be to surviving the cannibalistic walkers. To get a bit of extra bonus content between Taylor and Daryl, read the next chapter. It shows what Taylor and Daryl are up to in between the small time jump between season one and two. I'll see you all in the next one! Thank you all for all the support on season one, and I'll see you in the next one! Bye! <3 💖
Cast List:
KRISTINE FROSETH AS TAYLOR THOMPSON
NORMAN REEDUS AS DARYL DIXON
ANDREW LINCOLN AS RICK GRIMES
JON BERNTHAL AS SHANE WALSH
STEVEN YEUN AS GLENN RHEE
SARAH WAYNE CALLIES AS LORI GRIMES
CHANDLER RIGGS AS CARL GRIMES
IRON E SINGLETON AS T-DOG
LAURIE HOLDEN AS ANDREA HARRISON
JEFFERY DEMUNN AS DALE HORVATH
JERYL PRESCOTT AS JACQUI
MELISSA MCBRIDE AS CAROL PELETIER
MADISON LINTZ AS SOPHIA PELETIER
AND NOAH EMMERICH AS DR. EDWIN JENNER
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