Twist of Fate

6

Aurora didn't think she would ever get used to the smell of dead bodies. Especially hundreds of them combined with the continuous buzzing of flies.

Their caravan approached the CDC. The sun was setting and the sight before them was very unsettling.

They quietly approached the building, weapons drawn and children held close. There were bodies everywhere, and it was getting darker by the second. They were greeted with locked shuttered doors, and Shane and Rick pounded on them for an answer. They were met with nothing but walkers, the thought that they hit a dead end causing everybody to panic and argue, yelling at one another out of stress and fear. They were too close to the city after dark and Fort Benning wasn't an option at this point.

Shane was starting to guide everyone back to the cars when Rick shouted.

"The camera! It moved!"

Shane was yelling at him now, trying to pull him away from the shutters as Rick called out to the camera, begging for them to be let in.

Everyone was scared, the CDC was hope for safety and answers and Rick wasn't giving up on that. He was pleading to the camera, hoping someone was listening and could provide them with what they were looking for.

Shane was dragging Rick away as he screamed "You're killing us!" to the camera. And as they all turned around to leave the door clambered open and they were drowned in light. Someone was listening, answering Rick's pleas.

They rushed in, weapons drawn in case they were met with hostility. Even though part of their hope was restored, someone answered them, they didn't know if whoever answered had good intentions.

They were stepping into unknown territory, figurately and literally. Rules and order were gone, people could act however they wanted with no repercussions. The world as everyone knew it was gone and in its place was chaos, an unknown variable. Anything could happen now, and Rick stepped up to protect all of them, protect the good that was left in a world of bad.

A doctor named Edwin Jenner greeted them with a gun. The group wanted a chance to live and be safe and the price of admission was just a blood test.

The guy lowered his gun, "You got stuff to bring in, do it now. Once that door closes it stays closed."

He brought them to an elevator that all 14 of them fit inside and went down until they were underground.

The group followed him through multiple hallways until Dr. Jenner walked down a ramp to a large empty room, instructing out loud, "VI, bring up the lights in the big room."

Big overhead lights were turned on as well as all the computers.

Jenner looked back at them, "Welcome to zone 5."

"Where is everybody?" Rick voiced their concern.

It was empty, they were expecting to see scientists, doctors, staff, people working, trying to solve the problem.

But, Jenner simply said "I'm it. It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with? VI? Lori asked.

Aurora assumed VI stood for virtual intelligence, that it was just the computer system, one that could talk. Jenner instructed VI to say hello, and the electronic voice welcomed them.

Dr. Jenner frowned, "I'm all that's left. I'm sorry."

They were surprised and disappointed, Aurora was all that, and more. There was a computer that could talk and understand commands. She hadn't seen anything like that before.