Pincushion and Beanpole Take On The Walking Dead

TS-19 (Part 2)

Jenner shook his head guiltily.

"The basement generators—they run out of fuel."

Rick slammed his palms down onto the table. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"And then?" He asked, unsure he even wanted to know.

Jenner ignored the question and rushed out of the big room.

"VI, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick asked, hoping the virtual assistant might have some good news.

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur."

Rachel swore as she jumped to her feet and grabbed Emma, yanking her down the hallway and into the rec room.

"Pack your bags, now. And put Gidget in her bag" She barked, stuffing her own pack and grabbing her bag.

She picked up Kuzco and put him in his own carrier before she took the blankets and shook them out vigorously, making sure nothing was left behind. Emma's headphones skid across the tile and under the edge of the couch, forcing her to sink to her knees to reach them. Headphones in hand, she rose to her feet, her joints flaring in pain.

"Here," she said, thrusting the headphones into her sister's hands. "I'm getting too old to drop it low like this. I just can't pick it back up like I used to."

The two exit the room, pressing themselves against the side of the hallway as they watch several members of the group bolt down the stairs looking for the generators. They could see the lights automatically come on as soon as the men entered the basement, their voices growing fainter as they descended further into the depths of the building.

"Decontamination—what does that mean?" Glenn sputtered.

"I don't like the way Jenner clammed up." Shane confessed. "The way he just wandered off like that."

"What's wrong with him? Seriously, man. Is he nuts, medicated, what?"

Their voices petered out completely as the girls re-entered the computer room, the lights powered down completely, plunging everyone into darkness before partially coming back on. The frightened faces of Andrea, Jacqui, Carol, Sophia and the girls were lit up by the dim, red lights. Sophia clutched her doll's neck, her hands shaking wildly and nearly wringing it in fear.

"Emergency lighting is on." The automated voice informed.

Rachel sat with Emma on the ground, her sister having folded herself into her big sister's lap as Jenner sat at his desk in the adjoining office and looked at a photograph of a beautiful woman. He traced the outline of the woman's face as tears poured down his face.

"I did the best I could in the time that I had." He told the photo. "I hope you'd be proud of that."

He put the photo down and picked up his work badge, walking over to the windows.

"We always think there's gonna be more time..." He sighed and ran his hands down his face. "...then it runs out."

Jenner walked out the door, passing Dale and Lori in the hall as he made his way back to the computer room.

"Why is the air off?"

"And the lights in our room?"

The queries from Carol and Lori were ignored as Jenner continued on. Daryl stuck his head out of his own room, still holding a liquor bottle in his hand.

"What's going on? Why is everything turned off?"

Jenner ignored him as well and took the whiskey bottle away from Daryl without slowing down.