(Short chapter)
Archie sat on the bed, and Mellody lay down next to him. He fidgeted with his pocket knife, opening and closing it over and over again, losing himself in his thoughts. He stared into the distance, not watching what he was doing, as if his mind was somewhere else entirely.
The caravan finally arrives outside the CDC compound, and they are greeted by a horrific scene. The area is surrounded by corpses and swarms of flies. Rick's caravan approaches the compound, where hundreds of bodies lay dead on the ground. The group looks grim and solemn as they take in the depressing sight.
Dale says, "Hey, we're here."
Archie snaps back to reality, rising to his feet and putting his gun away in his belt. Mellody falls asleep in the back of the van, unable to handle the stress of the situation.
"Mell, wake up! We're here!" Archie yells, shaking Mellody.
"Ughh... what?" she grumbles, rubbing her eyes. "Ow, stop," she says, shoving Archie's hands away from her.
"Then you shouldn't have fallen asleep," he says, annoyed. "Grab your bag, we're here," he adds, pointing to the entrance of the CDC compound.
He walked towards the front of the caravan, stepping into the CDC compound with the rest of the group. Mellody quickly grabbed her bag, swinging it over her back, and ran to the front. Archie lifted her up and helped give her a step down from the steps, setting her down onto the ground.
The group quietly approaches the CDC building, guns drawn and ready. They are met with a horrible smell, causing some people to cough. Mellody walks next to Sofia and Carol, trying to keep a low profile.
Shane whispers, "All right, everybody, keep moving. Go on! Stay quiet. Let's go. Okay, keep moving. Stay together." He motions for the group to continue. They slowly make their way into the dark building, trying not to attract any attention from the rotting corpses.
They reach the CDC building, which is locked and shuttered.
Shane whispers, "Keep it together. Come on," as he tries to find a way in. They look for a way to force open the door, but their efforts are fruitless.
"Nothing?" Shane asks.
"There's nobody here," T-Dog says, shaking his head. He looks around at the silent building, seeing nothing but corpses and flies.
Rick and the rest of the group look at the locked shutters, trying to work out why they're down.
"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asks, looking panicked.
"What's going on?" Mellody asks, looking up at Carol. She's terrified, but Carol just shakes her head, indicating that she has no idea what's going on either.
"Walkers!" Daryl yells, and everyone turns around to see a walker trudging towards them.
Daryl quickly raises his crossbow and takes aim. Without hesitation, he shoots a bolt into the walker's head, killing it instantly.
"You led us into a graveyard!" he yells at Rick, pointing to the walkers surrounding them. It was a bad call, and the group is now trapped.
"He made a call," Shane says, trying to calm the situation.
"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl yells, still angry.
Melody was terrified, hiding behind Archie, who she knew would protect her from the walkers and the yelling. He was so brave and courageous, never scared of anything. She squeezed him tightly,
"Just shut up! You hear me? Shut up! Shut up!" Shane yells, shoving Daryl back. He turns to Rick with a panicked look in his eyes. "Rick, this is a dead end," he says,
"Where are we going to go now?" Carol says, her voice trembling with fear.
Shane walks over to Rick, who is still standing there, lost in thought. "Do you hear me? No blame," he says, his voice firm.
Lori speaks up, her own voice filled with fear. "She's right. We can't stay here, this close to the city after dark. We have to find a safe place to sleep before it gets too dark.”
"What do you mean we can't get out of here?" Archie yells, angry and scared for Mellody's safety. "I swear, if she dies, I'll kill each and every one of you," he yells. Mellody holds on to him even tighter, feeling safe in his arms.
Shane steps in to diffuse the situation. "Nobody's letting anyone die," he says, pointing at Archie.
"Fort Benning, Rick. Is that still an option?" Shane asks.
Andrea steps forward, "On what? We have no food or fuel. It's a 100-mile trip," she says.
Glenn chips in, "125, actually. I checked the map."
"Forget Fort Benning, we need answers now," Lori says, still panicking.
"We'll think of something," Rick says, sounding just as anxious as everyone else.
"Rick, you better hurry the fuck up!" Archie yells, cocking his gun, making his intentions clear.
"Come on, let's get out of here. Let's go. Please," Shane says, and everyone starts to move.
However, Rick spots the security cameras and immediately freezes. Archie also notices them and grabs Mellody's arm, pulling her back, trying to protect her. They stare at the cameras
"All right, everybody, back to the cars. Let's go," Shane yells, trying to get everyone to move.
Rick steps forward, looking uneasy. "The camera... it moved," he says, causing the group to stop.
"You imagined it," Dale says, shaking his head.
"It moved. It moved," Rick says, walking closer with uncertainty. Archie shakes his head, doubting himself too.
"Rick, it's dead, man. It's an automated device. It's just gears winding down. Let it go and come on," Shane says, taking Rick's arm and trying to lead him towards the cars. He pushes Rick as hard as he can, but Rick doesn't move.
"Man, just listen to me. Look around. This place is dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go," Shane says, his voice pleading with Rick.
Rick slams on the shutters, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear, hope, and determination. "Rick, there's nobody here," Lori yells, trying to hold Rick back, but he won't budge. "I know you're there. I know you can hear me," Rick says to the empty camera, his voice filled with a sense of urgency and desperation.
Archie tries to pull him away, "Rick, there's no one there," he yells.
Shane tries to drag him away, with the help of Lori but it doesn't work.
Shane yells, "Everybody get back to the cars now." The group starts to head towards the cars, but Rick remains glued to the camera, desperately pleading for help.
"Please, we're desperate," Rick says, his voice full of emotion. "We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left. Please help us."
Lori pulls him back, yelling, "Rick, there's nobody here! We have to go!" She looks at him with a mixture of fear and desperation.
Shane grabs Archie by the collar, his grip tight, his expression one of anger. "Did you see it? Did you see the camera move?" he yells, his voice filled with urgency and frustration.
Archie shakes his head, his eyes wide with fear. "I don't know!" he yells back, his anger turning to frustration. He struggles to break free from Shane's grip, but he can't. The two of them stand there, locked in a tense and potentially dangerous standoff.
The group is just about to leave when the door to the CDC suddenly opens, flooding the survivors with bright light. Shane releases Archie and stares at the door in amazement, just like everyone else.
"What the fuck!?" Archie exclaims, his voice filled with a mix of surprise and hope. He starts towards the door along with the other survivors, his steps quickened by anticipation.
(!!These are my tiktok accounts if you want I post edits and spoilers (Maybe) I'm going to strait another fanfic so I'll be writeing what its gonna be about!!
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