(UNDER HEAVY EDITING) lost cause ⋙ Carl Grimes

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - EDITED (x2)

TS-19 : S1 E6

Part : 3

|Haley|

Darkness.

You'd be shocked too, that when you're playing some card games with your friend, suddenly the lights in your room shut off. 

"Is everything okay?" I asked, getting up, but hitting my knee on the edge of the table. "Ow!"

"Are you okay?" Sophia asked, getting up as well.

"Careful, ta-"

"Ow!" 

"-ble."

I could feel the glare Sophia sent my way, out of assumption, of course. 

Carol's soft voice rang out across the dark room. "Careful, girls." She opened the door, where there was still the light dim of the hall.

Let there be light.

I saw the silhouette of Carol, poke her head out, and trailed behind her, bumping into Sophia who had the same idea. 

"Ow!"

We both rubbed our heads, and continued our way to the door. Dale was out in the hall, like Lori and everyone else. Jenner walked out a door too, and down the hall past them.

"Why is the air off?" Lori asked, Carl's head peeking out from behind.

"And the lights in our room?" Carol asked as well.

Daryl stuck his head out, a liquor bottle in his hand. "What's going on? Why is everything turned off?" 

Jenner took the whiskey bottle from Daryl without slowing down. Jenner should know better than to mess with a guys drink. "Energy use is being prioritized." 

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" I scoffed, still rubbing my knee and head.

Jenner drank straight from the bottle. He didn't even care to look back at us as he answered. "It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down."

Daryl ran after Jenner, the rest of everyone in rooms following after them. "Hey! Hey, what the Hell does that mean?"

Jenner kept walking, failing to realise the crowd behind him- or maybe he just didn't give a dump.

"Hey, man, I'm talking to you." Daryl yelled angrily. "What do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?"

Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Shane came running to join us. The more the merrier.

Jenner took a swig of the drink. "You'd be surprised."

"Rick?" Lori called at his husband from the railing of the upcoming stairs. He motioned her to wait. 

Jenner walked down the stairs past Rick and the others and up the steps to the big room.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick asked the ex-doc.

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule."