Is This The End?

06

3rd persons POV

Morales and Rick look out at the streets full of walkers. Andrea and Jacqui are looking over the side, too. "God, it's like Times Square down there" Andrea said "How's that signal?" Morales asked "Like Dixon's brain –weak" T-Dog said, Dixon gave T-Dog the finger "Keep trying" Morales said "Why? There's nothing they can do. Not a damn thing" Andrea said looking at Rick Andrea walks angrily away "Got some people outside the city is all. There's no refugee center. That's a pipe dream" Morales said "Then she's right. We're on our own. It's up to us to find a way out" Rick said "Good luck with that. These streets ain't safe in this part of town from what I hear ain't that right, sugar tits? Hey, Honeybunch, what say you get me out of these cuffs; we go off somewhere and bump some uglies? Gonna die anyway" Dixon said to Andrea "I'd rather" Andrea said "Rug muncher. I figured as much" Dixon said "The streets ain't safe." Now there's an understatement" Morales said "What about under the streets? The sewers?" Rick asked "Oh man. Hey, Glenn, check the alley, do you see any manhole covers?" Morales asked, Glenn scans the alley where a few random walkers wait "No, must be all out on the street where the geeks are" Glenn said "Maybe not. Old buildings like this were built in the twenties. Big structures often had drainage tunneled into the sewers in case of flooding down in the sub basements" Jacqui said "How do you know that?" Glenn asked "It's my job – was. I worked in the city zoning office" Jacqui

Down inside the building Jacqui, Andrea, Morales, Glenn and Rick peer down the steep stairwell "This is it? Are you sure?" Morales asked "I really scoped this place out the other times I was here. It's the only thing in the building that goes down. But I've never gone down it. Who'd want to, right?" Glenn said they all look at Glenn "Oh. Great" Glenn said "We'll be right behind you" Andrea said "No, you won't. Not you" Glenn said "Why not me? Think I can't?" Andrea said "I wasn't-" Glenn said "Speak your mind" Rick said "Look, until now I always came here by myself– In and out, grab a few things –no problem. The first time I bring a group – Everything goes to Hell. No offense. If you want me to go down this gnarly hole, fine– But only if we do it my way. It's tight down there. If I run into something and have to get out quick, I don't want you all jammed up behind me getting me killed. I'll take one person [to Rick] –not you either. You've got Merle's gun and I've seen you shoot. I'd feel better if you were out in that store watching those doors, covering our ass. [To Andrea] And you've got the only other gun, so you should go with him. [To Morales] You are my wingman. Jacqui stays here. Something happens, yell down to us, get us back up here in a hurry" Glenn said "Okay" Jacqui said "Okay, everybody knows their jobs" Rick said

Rick reassures Glenn with a pat on the shoulder. Glenn, with a flashlight in his mouth, goes down first, Morales follows after him. They turn their flashlights down the tunnel Glenn and Morales follow the tunnel looking for the sewer connection. Rick and Andrea enter the sales room floor where the walkers are at the plate glass doors "Sorry for the gun in your face" Andrea said "People do things when they're afraid" Rick said "Not that it was entirely unjustified. You did get us into this" Andrea said "If I get us out, would that make up for it?" Rick asked "No, but it'd be a start" Andrea said "Next time though, take the safety off. It won't shoot otherwise" Rick said "Oh" Andrea said "Is that your gun?" Rick asked, "It was a gift, why?" Andrea said Rick puts his hand out, Andrea gives it to him. He pushes up on the side "Little red dot means it's ready to fire. You may have occasion to use it" Rick said "Good to know" Andrea said Only T-Dog and Merle are up on the roof. T-Dog leans against the low wall to take advantage of the little shade it provides. Dixon is leaning against the pipe he's handcuffed to. It runs the length of the roof with about eighteen inches clearance. It's held in place with a construction of I beams and brackets. It's one of those brackets that Merle is actually handcuffed to.

"Anybody out there? Hello? Anybody read? I'm hoping to hear somebody's voice 'cause I'm getting sick and tired of hearing mine" T-Dog said "Yeah, well, that makes two of us. Why don't you knock that crap off? You're giving me a headache, boy" Dixon said "Why don't you pull your head out your ass? Maybe your headache will go away, try some positivity for a change, damn" T-Dog said "I'll tell you what. You get me out of these cuffs and I'll be all "Sammy Sunshine" positive for you. Hey, see that hacksaw over there in that tool bag? Get it for me, hmm? Make it worth your while. What do you say, man? Come on. Get me out of these things" Dixon said "So you can beat my ass again? Or call me names some more?" T-Dog asked "Come on now. It wasn't personal. It's just that your kind and my kind ain't meant to mix. That's all. It doesn't mean we can't... work together, parley, as long as there's some kind of mutual gain involved. So... about that hacksaw–" Dixon said "I guess you want me to get that rifle over there, too so you can shoot that cop when he comes back up, huh?" T-Dog said "Huh" Dixon said

Down in the sub basement with Glenn and Morales are still exploring. Glenn comes into the tunnel with Morales behind him. Their flashlights startle more rats. The tunnel ends with a heavily barred gate between them and the rest of the tunnel "Yeah, we've got ourselves a sewer tunnel. Jacqui was right" Morales said Glenn pulls on it but there is no give "Can we cut through it?" Glenn asked "If we had a blowtorch and half a day, sure. Dale's hacksaw sure as Hell won't do it" Morales said they heard rats squeaking and crunching their flashlights show a walker that's been eating a rat. The walker lunges toward Glenn and Morales but he's stopped by the gate. They back away in horror. On the sales floor Andrea looks at a necklace with a mermaid shaped pendant "Oh" Andrea said Rick looks at the walker's progress on the doors. He sees they haven't broken the windows enough to be dangerous yet. He walks over to the counter to see what Andrea's looking at "See something you like?" Rick asked "Not me, but I know someone who would, my sister. She's still such a kid in some ways. Unicorns, dragons – She's into all that stuff. But mermaids – they rule. She loves mermaids" Andrea said "Why not take it?" Rick asked "There's a cop staring at me" Andrea said Rick laughed "Would it be considered looting?" Andrea asked "I don't think those rules apply anymore. Do you?" Rick said

Smiling, Andrea puts the necklace in her pocket and the glass shatters. The walkers have broken enough glass to reach the inner doors. Rick and Andrea take up positions, their guns aimed and ready. Morales, Jacqui and Glenn run up behind them "What did you find down there?" Rick asked "Not a way out" Morales said "We need to find a way...and soon" Andrea said "That construction site, those trucks –they always keep keys on hand" Rick asked Morales takes the binoculars, looks and then looks down at the street below "You'll never make it past the walkers" Morales said "You got me out of that tank" Rick said to Glenn "Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted" Glenn said "Can we distract them again?" Rick asked "Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on "Hogan's Heroes." Dixon said "God. Give it a rest" Jacqui said "They're drawn by sound, right?" Rick asked "Right, like dogs. They hear a sound, they come" Glenn said "What else?" Rick asked "Aside from they hear you? They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you" Morales said "They can tell us by smell?" Rick said "Can't you?" Glenn said "They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct" Andrea said back in the department store Rick grabs several pairs of rubber gloves "If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold" Glenn said rubber gloves are passed out "He's right. Just stop, okay? Take some time to think this through" Morales said "How much time? They already got through one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever" Rick said

Rick tosses a raincoat to Glenn. Rick and Morales burst through the door into the alley. Glen holds a bat and stands guard. They grab a walker's body from the ground and rush back inside. Rick has added a clear plastic face shield to his raincoat and rubber gloves. It's pushed up on his head. He looks around at the others he lowers the shield and with a crowbar turns to the fire axe on the wall. Everyone is wearing rubber gloves and raincoats. They are grouped around the corpse. Rick gets a running start with the axe and swings it but pulls back at the last second. He drops the axe, takes off the head shield and his gloves. He checks the corpse's pockets and pulls out his wallet "Wayne Dunlap, Georgia license. Born in 1979" Rick said, Rick hands the license to Glenn "He had twenty-eight dollars in his pocket when he died and a picture of a pretty girl. "With love, from Rachel." He used to be like us –worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl. If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne" Rick said

He replaces the wallet, puts his gear back on "One more thing – he was an organ donor" Glenn said Rick heaves the axe at the corpse of Wayne Dunlap you could hear many "Oh!" "Madre de Dios!" "Oh! God! Gack!" From the group Rick continues chopping off legs, arms and through the torso Rick looks ill but he shakes it off and hits again. Rick takes off his shield and holds his nose with the elbow of his coat for a moment. He hands it and the axe to Morales "Keep chopping" Rick said "I am so gonna hurl" Glenn said "Later" Rick said Morales chops away "Everybody got gloves? Don't get any on your skin or in your eyes" Rick said, They all stoop down and pick up guts and decayed flesh and organs Rick starts smearing his raincoat, Jacqui helps Glenn do the same, and everyone takes turns covering Glenn and Rick with the walker guts. Andrea drapes intestines over Glenn's shoulders "Oh, God! Oh jeez. Oh, this is bad. This is really bad" Glenn said "Think about something else – puppies and kittens" Rick said "Dead puppies and kittens" T-Dog said Glenn vomits "That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea said to T-Dog "Next time let the cracker beat his ass" Jacqui said to Rick "I'm sorry, yo" T-Dog said "You suck" Glenn said "Do we smell like them?" Rick asked "Oh yeah Glenn just in case" Andrea gingerly put her gun into Glenn's front pocket "If we make it back, be ready" Rick said "What about Merle Dixon?" T-Dog asked, Rick pulled the handcuff keys out of his pocket and tossed it to T-Dog "Give me the axe. We need – we need more guts" Rick said "Oh God!" Andrea said.