Amanda woke up the next morning and climbed into the shower. She brushed her hair and her teeth before joining everyone in the kitchen.
Dale smiled as he saw Amanda, "Good morning!" He said, pulling the seat out besides him, "How did you sleep?" he grinned at her. Dale had taken a paternal liking to Amanda, due to her kind nature. Amanda was open and kind with Dale, always happy to have a conversation with him. Amanda smiled as she sat down next to Dale, her eyes slightly swollen and red from having cried not long ago. Dales smile faltered, "Let's talk later, yeah?" He whispered to Amanda.
Amanda nodded, "thanks, dale." she said softly as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I read the book you recommended to me last night."
Amanda said, shifting in her seat to look at him, "I understood absolutely nothing about it." She admitted
Dale laughed, rolling his eyes, "your malnourished, your brain isn't working." He laughed at her, watching as T-Dog walked over with a tray of eggs.
"Good morning!! Powered eggs but I make them better than anyone else." T-Dog said happily.
"You must be use to powdered eggs, huh?" Dale asked amanda.
Amanda laughed softly, "Kinda. When we would deploy, the people who worked in the DFAC (dining facility) would make powered eggs. they were always wet but dry at the same time. But you're so starving, you don't even care. Just add some sriracha on top and you hardly notice." Amanda said
"How many times have you deployed?" Glenn asked Amanda, serving himself some eggs
"Three and a half times." Amanda said, "One of them I don't really count, it was only for a few weeks. But i went to Iraq for six months, Saudi Arabia for six months, Afghanistan for 3 months and Africa for three weeks." Amanda said, tucking her hair behind her ears
"Ya ever kill anyone?" Daryl asked, looking up at amanda, "I've seen you shoot before. You got decent aim." He said in a gruntled voice
"I don't think that's appropriate talk for the table in front of children." Lori spoke up, glaring at Daryl.
Daryl looked at Amanda, waiting for a response.
Amanda inhaled deeply, looking at Daryl with soft eyes. Her silence spoke volumes.
Daryl nodded, "hear you loud and clear." he said, handing her a water bottle.
Dale rubbed her shoulder, "Anyway, about this book! I can't believe you didn't understand it." He laughed at Amanda, scratching his stubble.
"I felt like i was trying to read gravel like it was brail." Amanda admitted
T-Dog let out a loud laugh, "Man, i've ben there." He admitted, nodding at Amanda.
Amanda laughed softly, feeling a weight of guilt and stress lift from her shoulders.
Shane shook his head, "Don't let that woman fool you. I don't know how many times we've argued while playing scrabble. She's putting down words I had never even heard of. We had to play with a dictionary next to us, to keep us from fighting." Shane admitted, looking up at Amanda. He had a faint hickey on his neck, but had attempted to cover it by wearing a hoodie.
Amanda smiled softly as she played with her food, "Remember you got upset because I put the word Pocket? You threw the board and pieces went everywhere. I was finding random letters all over my house for days." Amanda smiled fondly at the memory
"Pocket. Who thinks of that word?" Shame grumbled.
Rick watched Amanda, his heart heavy with guilt and jealous. He would do anything to be with Amanda, doing simple things like playing board games.
Amanda played with her glass of orange juice, looking up as Jenner walked in.
"Good morning." Jenner said
Dale sat up, "Doctor, I don't mean to slam with you questions first thing in the morning." He began
"But you will anyway." Jenner sighed as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"We didn't come for the eggs." Andrea said.
Jenner sighed, "come with me." he said, leading them to the laboratory. Jenner walked inside, "Vi, playback of TS-19." He spoke. The machine beeped a few times and Jenner looked at the group, "Few people ever got a chance to see this." He said, "very few." He said as a clip showed up.
"Is that a brain?" Carl questioned
"An extraordinary one." Jenner smiled softly, "not that it matters now." He said quietly, "Vi, take us in through EIV."
The clip was the screen continued, showing the scans of a brain, all the synapses .
"Is this person still alive?" Andrea asked
"No. This is test subject 19." Jenner said, "Someone who was bitten, and infected... and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan over to the first event." jenner said.
The clip on the screen kept on, but the colors changed - the disease had made its way to the persons brain.
"Everything you ever were... ever will be.. gone.." Jenner said softly.
Andreas eyes welled up and she sighed sadly.
Lori looked at Jenner, "she lost someone, two days ago." She said
Jenner gave Andrea a sympathetic look, "I also lost someone." he said softly, "Vi! Second event." He called, "times of transitions change for the person. shortest ever was 3 minutes. longest was 8. this person, 2 hours, 1 minute, 7 seconds." He said
Amanda examined the scans, "The brain stem is still active, but the brain is not. So the person has no cognitive function or memories. No.. No life." Amanda said as the clip changed
"Very good." Jenner said, his eyes glued to the screen as light struck through the patients brain in the scan
"Then death." Amanda whispered, "That's you terminating the patient." Amanda said, looking at Jenner.
Jenner nodded, "yes. Vi, power down work stations."
"You have no idea what this is, do you?" Amanda asked
Jenner shook his head, "No. Could be bacterial. Could be fungal.. Could be viral."
"Wrath of God." Carol said softly.
Jenner looked around, "no one knows. and if they do, i don't know about it. We went radio silence when this whole thing went down."
"I'm sorry, Jenner, but that clock is counting down. what happens at zero?" Dale asked. He walked over to Amanda, standing besides her.
"The basement generator runs out of fuel." Jenner said
"And then?" Rick asked
"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Jenner asked
"Decontamination occurs." Vi responded.
Rick, Glenn and T-Dog ran downstairs to the basement to check on the generator.
Amanda inhaled softly, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She walked over to Daryl, "Get your bags ready. I'm going to the kitchen to steal supplies." She ordered.
Daryl nodded, slowly walking out of the room along side amanda.
Amanda ran to the kitchen, using a basket to gather whatever supplies she could. Aspirin, Bandages, condiments, powered eggs, fruit and water bottles. She carried the haul to her room and put them in a bag. She caught Daryl in the hallway and put things in his bag as well.
"Be on standby." Amanda said.
"Emergency lighting on." Vi said
Rick, Glenn and T-Dog came back upstairs.
Amanda was in the lobby, sitting on the floor next to Dale. Tears were streaming down her face as she told him about her history with Rick and Shane. Dale closed his eyes, hugging her tightly, "Oh, Amanda." he said softly, "Love is always so tricky, even when someone like you is so easy to love." he said, rubbing her back. Amanda sniffled, wiping her eyes, "You're my best friend." Amanda admitted, laughing softly.
"Wish i could say the same. I have a soft spot for Glenn." Dale said with a grin.
Amanda laughed, letting out a hiccup as more tears fell.
Amanda looked up as the power began to turn off, "uh oh." Amanda said, standing up. She linked her arms with Dale as she walked down the hallway. Amanda looked around, "it's hot." she noted.
Dale reached out to the vents, "AC is off." he mumbled
"Shane?" Amanda called, watching as he came rushing down the hall to her.
"Yeah? You okay?" Shane asked, "Why're you crying?" He worried
"Never-mind that, what's going on with the power?" Amanda questioned
"Not sure. Rick says that the generator is on its last fuel tank." Shane said, "Jenner!" He yelled loudly
Jenner walked down the hallway, "Building is prioritizing electricity." He said, taking a bottle from Daryl, "dropping nonessential uses of power. computers are to be the last things running." He said, walking down to office area
Jenner looked at the time, "30 minutes, right on time. No power grid. Ran out of juice." He said, "the world runs on fossil fuels." He laughed
"Lori! Go grab your stuff! Everyone, we're out of here. Go, now!" Rick screamed
Amanda watched as Jenner closed the panels, locking them in. Amanda gripped Dales arm, watching nervously.
Daryl screamed angrily as he charged at Jenner
"Shane! Shane!" Amanda screamed, "Do something!" She begged
Shane ran over, grabbing Daryl and pulling him away, "T-Dog, help!" He shouted, holding Daryl back
"Jenner, open the damn doors." Rick said
"I can't. Everything on the inside is locked. I told you, once those doors close they don't open again." Jenner said, "It's better this way." He said
"What is?" Shane asked, pounding his fists on the table
"Do you know what this place is?" Jenner screamed, "We protected the public from very nasty stuff." He shouted in Shane's face, "Stuff you don't want getting out, ever!" He said, looking at everyone
"Termination." Amanda said, looking up, "When i was going through nursing school, we had diseases... little bacteria's we looked under the microscope. Our professors said the best way to deal with rogue germs... diseases... is termination." Amanda said, "This place is full of stuff.. Sickness." Amanda continued
"This is designed to protect the populations. HITs." Jenner said, "High-Impulse Thermobaric Fuel Air Explosives." Jenner said, "It's so quick.. so painless.. compared to the death outside." He said
"English! Both of y'all!" Daryl shouted to Amanda and Jenner
"Explosives. This place is essentially a bomb." Amanda said, "It's gotta keep diseases from getting out. So it's gonna blow up." She said, pulling out a chair and sitting besides Jenner.
Jenner nodded, "it'll be so fast, you don't even feel it. It sets the air on fire." he said, "no pain, an end to sorrow... grief... regret.." he whispered, "everything." he said
Amanda watched as Daryl, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog attempted to break through the door.
"Your sister.. You know what this disease does..." jenner told andrea, "do you want this for your friends? family?" He asked, "this is our extinction event." He said
Carol cried loudly, "my daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." She begged
"Does she deserve to die from famine? disease? sickness? injury?" Jenner questioned, "what better alternative is there? this is kinder.. more compassionate."
Amanda looked up as Shane cocked his shot gun, pointing it at Jenner.
"Open the damn door!" Shane screamed loudly at him
"brother, no. this is not how we do this." Rick said calmly. Rick and shane began to wrestle over the shot gun. Eventually, Rick swept Shane's legs out from under him, knocking him down.
"We have hope. We have a chance. Please, let us try." Rick begged. Jenner shook his head, "my wife, she was the better doctor.. better scientist... better person.. she begged me to hold on. she was the biggest loss in this world. she ran this place, i just worked here. she is einstein in this field. she could've stopped this." Jenner said
"You wife didn't have a choice, but you do. That's... Thats all we want.. a choice." Rick begged, "a choice... a chance." he said
"Let us keep trying." Lori begged
Jenner sighed, "i can't open the topside." he said, pushing some buttons before he unlocked the doors. Jenner looked at Rick before he leaned over and whispered to him.
Everyone began running to the doors except for Amanda and Jacqui.
Amanda stood besides Jacqui, holding her hand.
Rick glanced back at Amanda, "what're you doing?" He panicked
"I'm staying." Amanda said softly
"Me too." Jacqui nodded, "for the first time in a long time this makes sense. i refuse to end up like amy and jim. there's no point in fighting.. just go. you're wasting time." jacqui said
"No... No!" Rick shouted, "You don't get to die like this." He yelled at her
"How do i get to die? Huh?" Amanda asked, "Being torn apart? Being hungry? Being thirsty?" Amanda asked, "Or... Or how do I live?" She asked, "How do I live knowing my soul mate has a wife and son?" Amanda asked him, "How do i go, day in and day out, pretending we're okay?" She asked.
"Amanda, please." Dale begged her, "If you stay, I stay." He said
Rick shook his head, "Let's talk about this in the RV. Please." He begged her
"Go." Amanda said, giving Dale a kiss on the cheek. She walked over to Rick, smiling softly, "thank you for last night." She said quietly, "My bag is with Daryl. I stocked up some stuff, just in case." She said
Rick shook his head, watching as Dale tried to bargain with Jacqui, "This is ridiculous." He said, picking Amanda up and slinging her over his shoulder. He ran down the hallway, making sure all rooms were clear before meeting the rest of the people in the lobby. Amanda screamed, kicking against Rick, "Dale!" She screamed loudly, but relaxed when she saw him trailing behind.
Rick watched as Shane, Glenn and T-Dog attempted to beat the windows open.
Amanda kneed Rick in the stomach, causing him to double over. Amanda landed on her feet, pulling away, "Get down!" She demanded everyone. She reached into her bag, pulling out a grenade. The grenade she stole off the soldier in the tank. She looked behind her to make sure everyone was protected before pulling the pin. She lingered for a moment before running back and hiding behind a desk.
The wall broke open with the explosion. Amanda picked up Sophia with one arm, since she was the slowest, and sprinted outside with her. She used her freehand to shoot down walkers, making her way over to the RV. She helped Sophia inside, laying down cover fire as the rest of the group gathered in their vehicles.
"Get on!" Daryl shouted to amanda, riding his motorcycle over to her. Amanda climbed on back, holding onto his body as they sped off.