Sonder • TWD

° The Big Bang °

Hunter was uncharacteristically the first of the group to rise the next morning, he was sharing a room with Glenn and tiptoed out quietly so as not to disturb the snoring man. The boy chuckled quietly as he recalled how much Glenn had drank the night before, his hangover was going to hit him like a ton of bricks. He made his way down the long corridors and found his way to the dining room where he was met with Dr Jenner, who was stirring a sizzling pan of eggs. The boy's stomach rumbled as the delicious smell wafted over to him, his appetite had always been never ending it seemed. "Morning!" the scientist greeted, flashing him a grin as he dished up a portion of eggs and passed it to Hunter, along with a glass of orange juice. "Morning, thank you." Hunter replied, taking the food from the man and claiming a seat at the table.

Hunter took a bite of his eggs and furrowed his brow in confusion, it tasted rubbery and unlike the eggs his mother used to cook before church on Sundays. Dr Jenner noticed the quizzical look on the boy's face and chucked. "They're powdered." he explained, taking a seat at the table across from him. "Ohh, makes sense. Still good though." Hunter replied, scooping up another forkful into his mouth as Dr Jenner nodded in agreement. The two ate in comfortable silence as more of the group shuffled in, the adults hungover and the children wiping sleep from their tired eyes. Quiet chatter filled the room as everyone enjoyed the best breakfast they'd had in ages, it was a stark contrast to the tough squirrel meat that Daryl brought back from his hunting trips.

Claire was among the last to join the group, she had left Rex sleeping soundly in bed, along with a sticky note instructing her to take a much needed shower. The woman was greeted by a chorus of hellos and good mornings as she made her way into the room, to which she returned a weak smile and a mumbled reply of "Morning". Most of the group were too exhausted to notice the woman's drop in mood, but her demeanour was not lost on Dale, who gently pulled her aside as she was retrieving her plate. "You doin' OK?" the man questioned, worry evident in his eyes. Claire attempted a smile and nodded slowly in an effort to reassure him. Dale didn't buy it for a second, but he was wise not to push the subject in such a public setting, simply patting her arm and allowing her to join the group around the table. "Where's Rex?" Sophia questioned as Claire sat down beside her, confused at the girl's absence. "She's still asleep, thought I'd give her a lie in." the woman explained. Sophia opened her mouth to further question why the notorious early riser was still in bed, but thought better of it after Carol met her eyes and shook her head slightly.

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Breakfast was over by the time Rex had woken up and taken a shower. It was refreshing to feel clean for the first time in a month and put on clothes that weren't covered in dirt and walker blood. She spent a good few minutes fussing with her hair, which wouldn't sit right after being freshly dried, before giving up and scooping it back into her trusty ponytail.

Dale was the only one left in the dining room as Rex entered, which made her immediately want to back out of the room again, but the hunger in her stomach pushed her forward. Thankfully, the man didn't make much conversation with her, he just passed her a plate of food and patted her shoulder before exiting the room. Rex quickly finished her food, regretting this decision immediately as it left a nauseous feeling in her stomach, and went to search for her mother.

As she made her way towards the rec room she suddenly froze. Rex had picked up on a noise, or rather, the absence of one. She furrowed her brow in confusion upon realising that the air conditioning, which had been providing a soothing hum since they had arrived, had now shut off. It wasn't really a big deal, but for some reason this simple occurrence left a feeling of unease in her stomach, almost a sense if impending doom.

Rex immediately made a beeline back to the corridor where the bedrooms were located, where she found most of the group gathered outside their doors, similarly confused at the lack of cold air being supplied to the building. "What's going on?" Glenn asked, wringing his hands with worry. It seemed everyone was on edge but couldn't tell exactly why. "Lets find Jenner." Lori suggested, finally providing a voice of reason to the group.