Chapter Text
Thea lowers her hand from her eyes, once they adjust to the bright light, that was coming from the C.D.C
"Daryl, you cover the back," said Shane
Daryl nods as Rick enters the C.D.C
"Hello? Hello," said Rick
Dale follows behind Rick with the group behind him
"Close those doors. Watch for walkers," said Dale
Daryl has his crossbow raised and is keeping an eye out for walkers. Thea closes the doors and watches for walkers as well. The rest of the group looks around the lobby and notices that the C.D.C. is empty.
"Hello?" asked Rick
A gun cocks and Thea, along with Daryl, whirls around. They see a man standing in the doorway with a rifle in his hands.
"Anybody infected?" asked the man
"One of our group was. He didn’t make it," said Rick
"Why are you here? What do you want?" asked the man
"A chance," said Rick
"That’s asking an awful lot these days," said the man
"I know," said Rick
The man looks at everyone in the group and then looks back at Rick
"You all submit to a blood test. That’s the price of admission," said the man
"We can do that," said Rick
The man lowers his rifle
"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes it stays closed," said the man
After everyone grabs their belongings from their cars and runs through the doors of the C.D.C., they follow the man into an elevator.
"VI, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here," said the man
The elevator begins to move in silence with the odd rattle and clanging. Rick looks over at the man
"Rick Grimes," said the man
Rick puts his hand out for the man to shake. The man looks away
"Dr. Edwin Jenner," said the man
The elevator hums quietly and Daryl looks down at the rifle that Jenner is holding.
"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" asked Daryl
Thea was relieved that she wasn't the only one that had been thinking that. She was more concerned at the fact that they hadn't seen anyone but Dr. Jenner in the short time that they had sought refuge in the C.D.C building
"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough," answered Jenner
Jenner looks down at Carl
"Except you, I’ll have to keep my eye on you," said Jenner
Carl smiles back at the doctor and Jenner chuckles. When Jenner looks away from Carl, the smile he had on his face dies. Once out of the elevator, Jenner begins to lead the group down a hallway
"Are we underground?" asked Carol
"Are you claustrophobic?" asked Jenner
"A little," said Carol
"Try not to think about it," said Jenner
Jenner and the group enter a large darkened space
"VI, bring up the lights in the big room," said Jenner
There is humming and beeping as the lights turn on
"Welcome to Zone 5," said Jenner
Thea shared a look with Daryl when they noticed that there were no staff in sight.
"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" asked Rick
"I’m it. It’s just me here," said Jenner
"What about the person you were speaking with? VI?" asked Lori
"VI, say hello to our guests. Tell them...Welcome," said Jenner
"Hello, guests. Welcome," said a computerized voice
"I’m all that’s left. I’m sorry," said Jenner
Jenner then leads the group to another room, where he begins to take everyone's blood samples. Once everyone else is done, he begins to take Andrea's blood for her sample.
"What’s the point? If we were infected, we’d all be running a fever," said Andrea
"I’ve already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough," said Jenner
The syringe clicks
"All done," said Jenner
Andrea stands and begins to black out
"Ooh," said Andrea
Jacqui, who was closest to Andrea, catches her
"Are you okay?" asked Jenner
Andrea lets out a 'Mmm' and Jacqui looks at Jenner
"She hasn’t eaten in days. None of us have," said Jacqui
Jenner leads the group to a cafeteria area and is shown where the food is. After cooking food, everyone, including Jenner, is seated at a large round table eating pasta while drinking wine. Everyone is laughing at Dale's attempt to convince Lori to let Carl try some wine
"Fine," said Lori
"You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France," said Dale
"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then," said Lori
Rick looks at Lori
"What’s it gonna hurt? Come on. Come on," said Rick
Dale laughs
"What?" asked Carl
The group laughs at Carl's innocent question as Dale hands Carl a glass with half an inch of wine in it.
"There you are, young lad," said Dale
Everyone watches as Carl takes a small sip. Carl makes a face in disgust at the taste and Thea lets out a small chuckle at the sight.
"Eww," said Carl
Most of the adults laugh as Lori rubs Carl's arm
"That’s my boy. That’s my boy. Good boy," said Lori
Lori then pours the wine from Carl's glass into her glass
"Yuck. That tastes nasty," said Carl
The laughter continues
"Well, just stick to soda pop there, bud," said Shane
Daryl points over at Glenn
"Not you, Glenn," said Daryl
Glenn looks up from the bottle of wine he is holding
"What?" asked Glenn
"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get," said Daryl
Thea smiles at the sight of Daryl smiling, even though she knew it was caused by the alcohol. The men laugh as Rick sees that Jenner isn’t enjoying the party. Rick takes his fork and taps his glass.
"It seems to me we haven’t thanked our host properly," said Rick
"He is more than just our host," said T-Dog
"Hear, hear!" exclaimed Dale
"Here’s to you, Doc, booyah!" yelled Daryl
"Booyah!" yelled Thea
"Booyah!" exclaimed Dale
"Thank you. Thank you, Doctor," said Rick
"Booyah!" yelled T-Dog
Everyone clink their glasses together when Thea notices that Shane has a sour look on his face.
"So when are you gonna tell us what the Hell happened here, Doc?" asked Shane
Shane looks at Jenner.
"All the...The other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?" asked Shane
"We’re celebrating, Shane. Don’t need to do this now," said Rick
"Whoa, wait a second," said Shane
Shane looks at Rick
"This is why we’re here, right? This was your move...Supposed to find all the answers. Instead we...," said Shane
Shane lets out a humourless chuckle
"We found him. Found one man, why?" asked Shane
Jenner looks at the group
"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," explained Jenner
"Every last one?" asked Shane
"No, many couldn’t face walking out the door. They...Opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time," said Jenner
Andrea looks at Jenner
"You didn’t leave. Why?" asked Andrea
"I just kept working, hoping to do some good," answered Jenner
Glenn looks over at Shane
"Dude, you are such a buzz kill, man," said Glenn
After the mood-killer that was Shane, Jenner decided to show the group where the rest of the living area was
"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," said Jenner
Jenner looks at Sophia and Carl.
"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," said Jenner
Sophia and Carl nod at the doctor. Jenner then looks over at the adults
"The same applies...If you shower, go easy on the hot water," said Jenner
"Hot water?" asked Glenn
"That’s what the man said," said T-Dog
T-Dog and Glenn laugh as they move down the hallway. Thea manages to find a room for herself and goes to the shower. She turns the shower on and the knob squeals. Thea soon strips down and stands under the running water, with the water running over her head. After her shower, Thea goes over to her bag and pulls out the photo frame that contained the photo of her, Aaron and their mother. She smiles sadly at it and looks up when she hears a knock on her door. Putting the picture away, she walks over to the door and opens it, revealing Daryl on the other side. Before Thea could say anything, Daryl crashed his lips onto hers and her eyes widened in surprise. Thea soon closes her eyes and kisses Daryl back
--Smut ahead--
Daryl pushed himself into Thea's room, kicking the door shut behind him. The T-shirt that Thea had put on soon found its way to the floor and Thea pushed Daryl down on the couch. She quickly climbed onto his lap and Daryl grabbed her chin, forcing her back against his mouth. Thea decided at that moment she loved the way that Daryl kissed her, with his tongue diving everywhere in her mouth. Thea pulled back to breathe and was breathing hard, with swollen lips.
"Daryl...," breathed Thea
Daryl slams his lips back against Thea's. Soon Thea's underwear and his clothes were thrown onto the floor. Daryl grabbed hold of Thea's hips, hard, as he thrust into her.
"Oh god," moaned Thea
Thea was soon pressed down on the couch, with her thighs wrapping around Daryl's back. Thea let out gasps as she closed her eyes in pleasure. Daryl's mouth travelled to Thea's neck, nipping at her neck every so often. He brought his lips back to Thea's and kissed her. Daryl's thrusts were deep and slow, Thea knew that she was close to finishing. It had been ages since she last had sex, and well, Daryl was hitting the right spots. Soon, Thea came around him, shuddering and gasping as her orgasm hit. Daryl came not that after. Daryl ground his hips into Thea, burying his face in her neck. Thea reached up and ran her hand over his short hair, with a tired smile on her face
--Smut ended--
Thea wasn't sure when she fell asleep but she wasn't at all surprised to wake up alone after the sex with Daryl. Thea quickly cleaned herself up in the bathroom, got dressed and made her way into the cafeteria. Thea smiled at T-Dog, who was making eggs, and sat down at the table. Soon, Rick walked into the cafeteria.
"Hello," said Rick
"Morning," said Dale
"Good morning, Rick," said Thea
Rick sits down across from Carl
"Are you hung over? Mom said you’d be," said Carl
"Mom is right," said Rick
"Mom has that annoying habit," said Lori
T-Dog makes his way around the table
"Eggs. Powdered, but...But I do ‘em good," said T-Dog
Glenn moans
"I bet you can’t tell," said T-Dog
Dale laughs at Glenn’s misery and T-Dog’s teasing. Jacqui rubs Glenn’s shoulders and Thea smiles at Glenn. T-Dog dishes out the eggs to all, including Glenn
"Protein helps the hangover," said T-Dog
Glenn moans in misery. Daryl and Thea share a look before they start eating. Rick holds up a bottle of aspirin.
"Where’d all this come from?" asked Rick
"Jenner," said Lori
Rick struggles with the lid of the aspirin
"Could you help me, please?" asked Rick
Lori opens the bottle for Rick
"He thought we could use it," said Lori
"Thank you," said Rick
"Some of us, at least," said Lori
Jacqui is comforting Glenn who has his head down, miserable
"Don’t ever ever ever let me drink again," said Glenn
Shane enters the cafeteria
"Hey," said Shane
"Hey. Feel as bad as I do?" asked Rick
Shane walks to the table where the coffee pot and cups are
"Worse," said Shane
T-Dog sees the scratches on Shane’s face and neck
"What the Hell happened to you?" asked T-Dog
Shane looks puzzled
"Your neck?" asked T-Dog
"I must have done it in my sleep," said Shane
"Never seen you do that before," said Rick
"Me neither," said Shane
Shane looks at Lori
"Not like me at all," said Shane
Lori eats her food and doesn’t look up as Jenner enters the cafeteria
"Morning," said Jenner
"Hey, Doc," said Shane
"Morning," said Thea
Everyone at the table greets the doctor with 'Good morning' or 'Morning'. Dale looks at Jenner
"Doctor. I don’t mean to slam you with questions first thing...," said Dale
"But you will anyway," said Jenner
Andrea looks at Jenner
"We didn’t come here for the eggs," said Andrea
After breakfast, Jenner leads everyone into the big room
"Give me a playback of TS-19," said Jenner
"Playback of TS-19," said the computerized voice of VI
Jenner looks at the group of survivors
"Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few," said Jenner
Thea looks at the wall where an oversized display shows varying 3-D views of human skulls
"Is that a brain?" asked Carl
"An extraordinary one. Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for E.I.V," said Jenner
"Enhanced internal view," said the computerized voice of VI
The main screen changes to show the upper shoulders and head of the subject. The screen skews to a horizontal view then increases the magnification. The image becomes more and more detailed with the magnification showing inside the skull. The skull appears to be lit with bright blue threads of energy with some areas being denser with light than others but there are lighted threads throughout the skull. The detail zooms in until the threads become closer and pulses of light can be distinguished.
"What are those lights?" asked Shane
"Synapses," whispered Thea
"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," explained Jenner
"You don’t make sense ever?" asked Daryl
Thea nearly jumped as she didn't expect Daryl to be standing right behind her.
"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," explained Jenner
"Death? That’s what this is, a vigil?" asked Rick
"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil," said Jenner
"This person died? Who?" asked Andrea
"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected. And volunteered to have us record the process. VI, Scan forward to the first event," said Jenner
"Scanning to first event," said the computerized voice of VI
The screen shows a message “Scanning Forward”. The brain has lights still flickering in the outer areas but the center has become dark as if black roots were growing inside
"What is that?" asked Glenn
"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs. Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be...Gone," answered Jenner
Sophia looks up to her mother
"Is that what happened to Jim?" asked Sophia
"Yes," said Carol
Andrea’s tears catch Jenner’s attention
"She lost somebody two days ago. Her sister," said Lori
Jenner looks at Andrea
"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is," said Jenner
Jenner looks back at the screen
"Scan to the second event," said Jenner
"Scanning to second event," said the computerized voice of VI
"The resurrection times vary wildly. We had 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 and one minute...Seven seconds," said Jenner
A red glow flickers at the base of the brain while the rest remains dark. Random sparks shoot out into the larger area of the brain but no further lights grow
"It restarts the brain?" asked Lori
"No, just the brain stem. Basically, it gets them up and moving," said Jenner
"But they’re not alive?" asked Rick
Jenner gestures to the monitor
"You tell me," said Jenner
Rick shakes his head
"It’s nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark," said Rick
"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," explained Jenner
The subject moves, its mouth opens and closes the head moves side to side and the shoulders move as if the arms were being lifted. The barrel of a gun appears at the forehead pointing down with a bullet enters the brain and tears through the red cluster of embers. The brain goes completely dark with the subject stops moving
"God. What was that?" asked Carol
"He shot his patient in the head. Didn’t you?" asked Andrea
"VI, Power down the main screen and the workstations," said Jenner
"Powering down main screen and workstations," said the computerized voice of VI
"You have no idea what it is, do you?" asked Andrea
"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal," said Jenner
"Or the wrath of God?" asked Jacqui
"There is that," said Jenner
"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere," said Andrea
"There are others, right? Other facilities?" asked Carol
"There may be some. People like me," said Jenner
"But you don’t know? How can you not know?" asked Rick
"Everything went down. Communications, directives. All of it. I’ve been in the dark for almost a month," said Jenner
"So, it’s not just here. There’s nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That’s what you’re really saying, right?" asked Andrea
"Jesus," said Jacqui
"Man, I’m gonna get shitfaced drunk again," said Daryl
Thea quietly nods in agreement with Daryl as blushes when she remembers what happened between them last night
"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but...," said Dale
Dale points to the clock
"That clock. It’s counting down. What happens at zero?" asked Dale
"The basement generators. They run out of fuel," answered Jenner
"And then?" asked Rick
Jenner ignores the question and walks out of the big room
"VI, what happens when the power runs out?" asked Rick
"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur," said the computerized voice of VI
Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Shane all go to the basement to look for the generators. In her room, Thea lays on the couch, she had taken the photo out of the photo frame when she felt the air shut off. She folds the photo and puts it in her pocket as she stands up and makes her way to the hallway. Sticking her head out the door, she sees Lori and Dale in the hallway with Carol as well. Jenner walks out a door and down the hall past them.
"Why is the air off?" asked Carol
"And the lights in our room?" asked Lori
Jenner ignores them as Daryl sticks his head out, he’s still got a liquor bottle in his hand.
"What’s going on? Why is everything turned off?" asked Daryl
Jenner takes the whiskey bottle from Daryl without slowing down
"Energy use is being prioritized," answered Jenner
"Air isn’t a priority? And lights?" asked Dale
Thea leaves her room and stands in the hallway with her arms crossed. Jenner drinks straight from the bottle.
"It’s not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down," said Jenner
"Hey! Hey, what the Hell does that mean?" asked Daryl
Jenner keeps walking with the group following him as they hear the power whirring down
"Hey, man, I’m talking to you. What do you mean it’s shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" asked Daryl
Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Shane come running to join them
"You’d be surprised," said Jenner
"Rick?" asked Lori
Jenner walks down the stairs past Rick and the others and up the steps to the big room.
"Jenner, what’s happening?" asked Rick
"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses 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," explained Jenner
Jenner takes another drink from the bottle as he pauses at the steps that lead up to the workstations in the big room. Everyone has followed and is grouped around him. Jenner hands the bottle to Daryl who angrily snatches it out of his hand. Jenner looks at Andrea.
"It was the French," said Jenner
"What?" asked Andrea
"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 the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution," answered Jenner
"What happened?" asked Jacqui
"The same thing that’s happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" asked Jenner
"Let me tell you...," said Shane
"To Hell with it, Shane. I don’t even care," said Rick
Rick looks at his wife and then everyone in the group
"Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We’re getting out of here now!" yelled Rick
"Oh, Okay," said Jacqui
An alarm begins to blare
"What’s that?" asked Shane
"What’s that?" asked Carl
"30 minutes to decontamination," said the computerized voice of VI
"Doc, what’s going on here?" asked Daryl
Jenner scans his badge and enters code into a security pad
"Everybody, y’all heard Rick," said Shane
"Get your stuff and let’s go! Go now! Go!" yelled Rick
"Let’s go," said T-Dog
"Come on!" yelled Glenn
Rick runs toward a security door that is sliding up to block the way back out of the C.D.C. Rick runs toward it in a panic.
"No. Did you just lock us in? He just locked us in!" yelled Glenn
Jenner broadcasts on the monitor
"We’ve hit the 30-minute window. I’m recording," said Jenner
Thea can feel the panic begin to set in with the group. She feels a hand grabbing hers, she looks down at her hand. Thea looks up and sees that Daryl has grabbed her hand. Thea gently squeezes Daryl's hand
"Carl," said Lori
"Mom!" cried Carl
Daryl drops Thea's hand and runs at Jenner
"You son of a bitch!" yelled Daryl
"Shane! Shane!" yelled Rick
"You locked us in here!" yelled Daryl
"No, stop! Don’t!" yelled T-Dog
"You lying...," said Daryl
"No, no, no, no!" yelled Shane
Daryl tries to attack Jenner but Shane and Rick pull him off
"Wait! No! No, don’t do it," pleaded T-Dog
Rick holds Daryl back even as he threatens Jenner with the bottle
"Hey, Jenner, open that door now," said Rick
"There’s no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed," said Jenner
"Well, open the damn things," said Dale
"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. It’s better this way," said Jenner
"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?" asked Rick
Jenner ignores them as he types on the keyboard at the computer
"What happens in 28 minutes?!" yelled Rick
"Come on!" yelled Daryl
"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!" yelled Jenner
Everyone is stunned at Jenner's outburst. He collects himself and sits back down at his station.
"In the event of a catastrophic power failure, in a terrorist attack, for example. H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out," said Jenner
"H.I.T.s?" asked Rick
"Oh my god," whispered Thea
"VI, define," said Jenner
"H.I.T.s. 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 structures is desired," explained the computerized voice of VI
"It sets the air on fire. No pain," said Jenner
Carol holds Sophia and the both of them are crying. Thea sinks to her knees as she realizes that she will never be reunited with her brother.
"An end to sorrow, grief...Regret. Everything," said Jenner
Daryl throws the liquor bottle at the door
"Open the damn door!" yelled Daryl
Shane runs at the door with a fire axe and T-Dog tosses one to Daryl. The Dixon man catches it and they both try to destroy the door. They both pound at the door and grunt in effort.
"You should’ve left well enough alone it would have been so much easier," said Jenner
"Easier for who?" asked Lori
"All of you. You know what’s out there. A short brutal life and an agonizing death," said Jenner
Jenner turns to Andrea
"Your...Your sister. What was her name?" asked Jenner
"Amy," said Andrea
"Amy. You know what this does. You’ve seen it," said Jenner
Jenner looks at Rick
"Is that what you really want for your wife and son?" asked Jenner
"I don’t want this!" emphatically yelled Rick
"Can’t make a dent," said Shane
"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher," said Jenner
Daryl comes back over, ready to swing the axe at Jenner
"Well, your head ain’t!" yelled Daryl
Dale, Rick and Shane all hold Daryl back
"Whoa! Whoa!" yelled Shane
"Daryl! Daryl!" yelled Rick
T-Dog takes the axe away from Daryl
"Just back up! Back up!" yelled Rick
Daryl paces back and forth
"You do want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead," said Jenner
"What?" asked T-Dog
Lori’s face registers shock to hear this
"What? You really said that? After all you’re big talk?" asked Shane
Thea looks up with tears in her eyes. Daryl looks over and sees the tears in Thea's eyes. Rick looks at Lori
"I had to keep hope alive, didn’t I?" asked Rick
"There is no hope. There never was," said Jenner
"There’s always hope. Maybe it won’t be you, maybe not here but somebody somewhere...," said Rick
"What part of 'Everything is gone' do you not understand?" asked Andrea
"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event," said Jenner
Sophia continues to cry and Thea silently cries
"This isn’t right. You can’t just keep us here," said Carol
"One tiny moment. A millisecond. No pain," said Jenner
"My daughter doesn’t deserve to die like this," pleaded Carol
Shane, frustrated at the whole thing, storms off. Jenner looks at Carol
"Wouldn’t it be kinder, more compassionate just to hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" asked Jenner
Jenner talks to Carol but Jacqui seems to agree with what she hears. A gun cocks and Shane has come back with his shotgun
"Shane, no!" yelled Rick
Rick tries to intercept Shane but the Walsh man pushes him away
"Out of the way, Rick! Stay out of my way!" yelled Shane
Shane looks at Jenner
"Open that door or I’m gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?" asked Shane
Shane has his shotgun in Jenner’s face.
"Brother, brother, this is not the way you do this. We will never get out of here," said Rick
"Shane, you listen to him," said Lori
"It’s too late," said Shane
"He dies, we all...," said Rick
Shane points the gun at Jenner’s face then, yelling, he shifts his aim to a computer monitor and shoots again and again, screaming all the time.
"We all die! Shane! Shane!" yelled Rick
Rick struggles to take the gun away from Shane. Rick then hits Shane across the head with the butt and throws an elbow into Shane’s shoulder. Shane grunts as he falls. Rick runs at him and feints with the shotgun butt, ready to hit him again to keep him down. Rick pants
"Are you done now? Are you done?" asked Rick
Rick shows Shane that he’s ready to use the shotgun as a weapon again
"Yeah, I guess we all are," said Shane
Rick hands the gun to T-Dog. Everyone is looking at Rick and he looks around. Calmly, Rick assesses all that’s happened and looks at Jenner.
"I think you’re lying," said Rick
"What?" asked Jenner
"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?" asked Rick
"It doesn’t matter," said Jenner
"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?" asked Rick
"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise," said Jenner
Jenner points to the screen
"To her. My wife," admitted Jenner
"Test subject 19 was your wife?" asked Lori
"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?" asked Jenner
Daryl uses the axe on the door.
"She was dying. It should’ve been me on that table. I wouldn’t have mattered to anybody. She was a 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. Not me," answered Jenner
"Your wife didn’t have a choice. You do. That’s...That’s all we want. A choice, a chance," said Rick
Daryl grunting as he continues to try and break the door down with the axe
"Let us keep trying as long as we can," pleaded Lori
"I told you topside’s locked down. I can’t open those," said Jenner
Jenner walks back to the security pad and unlocks the door Daryl has been beating on
"Come on!" yelled Daryl
Thea gets up and heads over to Daryl. When the doors open, everyone rushes to leave except Jacqui.
"Let’s go!" yelled Glenn
"Move it!" yelled Daryl
"Move it!" yelled Thea
Carol leads Sophia to the door
"Stay right by me," said Carol
"Come on, let’s move it!" yelled T-Dog
"Come on, let’s go!" yelled Daryl
Daryl grabs onto Thea's hand
"We’re gonna get out of here, Sophia!" exclaimed Carol
"There’s your chance, take it," said Jenner
"I’m grateful," said Rick
"The day will come when you won’t be," said Jenner
"Let’s go!" yelled Glenn
Jenner takes Rick’s hand to shake it and Jenner pulls Rick in close. Lori runs back and drags Rick out.
"Hey, we’ve got four minutes left! Come on!" yelled Glenn
T-Dog is trying to lead Jacqui out
"Let’s go. Let’s go," said T-Dog
"No no. I’m staying. I’m staying, sweetie," said Jacqui
"But that’s insane!" yelled T-Dog
"No, it’s completely sane. For the first time in the long time. I’m not ending up like Jim and Amy. There’s no time to argue. And no point, not if you want to get out. Just get out. Get out," said Jacqui
Jacqui pushes T-Dog away
"Dog, come on, man. Come on! Let’s go! Let’s go!" yelled Shane
Shane takes T-Dog by the arm and leads him up the ramp. Dale gestures for Jacqui to come, too, but she shakes her head, folds her arms tightly against her and turns her back. She doesn’t give Dale an opening to persuade her. He looks over to Jenner and sees Andrea’s there
"I’m staying too," said Andrea
"Andrea, no," said Dale
Andrea turns her back and sits down. Dale turns to Rick and Shane
"Just go! Go!" yelled Dale
"Come on," said Shane
Everyone but Jenner, Jacqui, Andrea and Dale run up the stairs to the ground level. Daryl is still holding Thea's hand when they reach the lobby. He lets go of her hand as he runs for the door with T-Dog. They bang against them.
"Get them doors open!" yelled Glenn
"Come on!" yelled T-Dog
"It doesn’t work!" yelled Glenn
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute," said Rick
T-Dog tries the electronic security pad beside the door
"Try it! Try it! Try it now!" yelled T-Dog
"Daryl!" yelled Shane
Daryl tosses the axe to Shane and they both start hitting the glass but it doesn’t break.
"Stay close, sweetheart," said Carol
Shane and Daryl grunt to hit the glass. T-Dog makes a run at the window with a chair.
"Daryl, look out!" yelled T-Dog
Daryl moves out of the way when T-Dog lets out a yell as he throws the chair. The chair doesn’t work and Shane loads his shotgun.
"Dog, get down! Get down!" yelled Shane
T-Dog drops to the ground as Shane fires a round at the glass. The bullet barely makes a dent.
"Jesus," said Shane
"The glass won’t break?" asked Sophia
"Must be bulletproof. Or like the doors downstairs, made to withstand a rocket launcher," said Thea
Carol reaches into her bag
"Rick, I have something that might help," said Carol
"Carol, I don’t think a nail file’s gonna do it," said Shane
Carol looks at Rick
"Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform I found this in your pocket," said Carol
Carol pulls out a grenade and gives it to him. She takes Sophia away toward the back of the lobby.
"Come on," said Carol
"Look out!" yelled T-Dog
Everyone but Rick takes cover while he removes the pin and puts the grenade on the window sill. Terrified at what he’s just done, Rick leaps back and away as quickly as he can
"Oh, Sh...," said Rick
"Get down!" yelled Shane
"Get down!" yelled Daryl
Daryl practically tackles Thea to the ground as he covers Thea with his body.
"Shit!" yelled Rick
The glass shatters as the grenade goes off. The window that was nearest to the grenade now has a hole big enough for them to escape through. Thea looks up at Daryl.
"Thanks," said Thea
Daryl says nothing as he gets up, helping Thea off the ground as well. Daryl grabs Thea's hand as the group runs to their vehicles. Some walkers have been drawn to the C.D.C. building because of the grenade going off. The walkers growl as Shane and Rick shoot down some walkers that are in their path. Daryl takes one’s head off with his axe and he grunts. Daryl keeps his hand intertwined with Thea's as Rick, who is panting, leads the way to the vehicles with Carl and Lori right behind him. Rick gets the R.V. keys. starting the engine and Lori points
"Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait. They’re coming," said Lori
Andrea and Dale jump down out of the building. Andrea and Dale run for the R.V as Rick checks his watch
"Come on," whispered Lori
Lori honks the horn
"Dale, get down! Down!" yelled Lori
"Get back! Everybody down! Down!" yelled Rick
Dale and Andrea take shelter behind the sandbag cordon out by the guard shack. T-dog, Shane, everyone ducks down in their vehicles. A huge fireball builds up inside the C.D.C. building until it fills the entire place. The heat blasts out the windows, setting fire to everything around it, exploding tanks, cars, trucks, and everything it touches. The explosion expands until the roof disintegrates and the building implodes on itself. Glenn, Rick, Lori and Carl get up from the R.V. floor and see the remains. Dale peers over the sandbag wall. T-Dog rises from his seat. Carol and Sophia look up from the Cherokee. Daryl and Thea look at each other from Daryl's truck.
"You okay?" asked Thea
Daryl nods
"You?" asked Daryl
Thea nods
"Yeah," whispered Thea
Daryl exhales as he looks around. Shane looks up and everyone is shocked at the destruction. Behind the sandbags, Dale reaches down to Andrea.
"Come on, come on," said Dale
Glenn opens the R.V. door
"Get in, get in, get in. Get in!" yelled Glenn
Lori is speechless at the destruction as Andrea sits down, crying and gives Dale a look of anger. Dale looks back at her but has to look away, sorry for the grief she feels. Rick drives the R.V. away, Rick looks shaken. Lori sees this and gets scared. Rick looks at her, collects himself and concentrates on driving, determined. The five cars turn around and drive back up the road they’d come down on. The burning of the C.D.C. sends a column of black smoke high up into the Atlanta sky.