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ARIA RUNS HER FINGERS along the rough page of the book, the texture soothing her. She was a huge bookworm in her teen years. Having never been invited to things, she found herself finding comfort in books. Though, Amy would sometimes sneak Aria into a party but Aria would always leave and head straight back home.
Sure she was a nerd and a weird person, but that didn't make her any less human. People didn't understand that words hurt because they stay in your mind and all you can think about is the insults. Aria was bullied as a teenager because she wasn't like her sister. She wasn't pretty, she wasn't popular, she wasn't Amy, she was Aria Harrison and people hated that. So they thought the most sensible thing to do was bully her until she was in tears, until she was driven to kill herself. But every time she tried, Amy was always there to stop her.
That's when she started to resent her sister, she started to get mad at Amy for stopping her. Aria just wanted out, Aria wanted out of her life that she deemed as hell. But Amy helped her through it. Amy showed Aria that she wasn't a piece of shit like everyone made her believe, she was more than that. Aria still had her moments where she would feel like harming herself or doing other things, but she overcame that hard time with the help of her sister.
An alarm blaring distracts Aria from her thoughts and she stands to her feet, closing the book. Walking out of the kitchen, she heads towards the laboratory, her eyebrows furrowed. As she makes it into the room, she stands in front of everyone, her arms held out. "What's going on?" Her small and fragile voice speaks out and just as she finishes the question; the door clangs shut behind her. Swirling around and facing the now locked door, her mouth falls open in shock.
"He just locked us in!" Glenn yells, alerting everyone. Backing away from the door, Aria turns back around, confusion covering her face. She was just reading a book and thinking about her life, now she's locked in a laboratory. "You son of a bitch!" Her gaze turns towards Daryl who's now darting at Jenner. Wincing, she rushes over, running up the small set of stairs.
She swiftly pulls the bottle out of his grip before he could smash it over the doctor's head. Backing away from the men, she sets the bottle on the desk. "Hey, Jenner. Open that door, now!" Rick demands, walking up towards the frantic doctor. Buttoning his white coat up, Jenner shakes his head. "There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Taking a deep breath and raising a trembling hand to her temple, Aria shakes her head.
"Well, open the damn things!" Dale snaps, his calm composure being replaced with anger and fear. "That's not something I control. The computers do." Pressing her lips in a line, a frown plays on Aria's lips and she sighs, sitting on the ground. Maybe it's her time to go, maybe it's Amy telling her it's time to fly high and be with her twin. "What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick asks him, bending down to meet Jenner's eyes. The doctor turns towards his computer and presses some keys to distract himself. "What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick repeats, his voice full of anger and authority.
The doctor jumps up from his chair, his blood boiling. "Do you know what this place is? We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country. Stuff you don't want getting out ever!" Aria closes her eyes to try and focus on anything but the anger in his voice, it terrifies her. She has always been sensitive. Someone yelling at her could send her over the edge and she would think about it all day. With the stress of thinking about it and trying not to think about the problem, panic and anxiety attacks would occur from the situation. Her life was just a mess.
"In the event of a catastrophic power failure—in a terrorist attack, for example—H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." Her eyes remain shut as she now focuses on Jenner's much calmer tone of voice. "H.I.T.s?" Rick questions, his voice full of confusion.
"VI—define." Licking her lips, Aria pulls her legs to her chest, waiting for the computer to start speaking. "HITs—high-impulse thermostatic fuel-air explosives consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structure is desired." Her eyes snap open and she looks around, her eyes filled with tears threatening to fall.
"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief—regret." The doctor utters and thoughts begin to race through Aria's mind. She suffers through all three of those and it would sure feel good to get rid of them all, but getting rid of them all would also mean dying. Does she want that? She sure did during high-school. If she dies, she will be with Amy and that enlightens her but also saddens her.
An arm wraps around her in comfort and she immediately leans into the body for support, already knowing its Carol. Carol's like a mom to her, the woman was there for Aria when they first arrived, Carol was the first one Aria talked to other than her sisters and Dale.
The men grunt from a distance as they pound against the glass with axes and sobs of sadness sound from the children. Wiping a stray tear away from her face, Aria leans her head against Carol's shoulder, her eyes feeling heavy. "Your—your sister—what was her name?" Doctor Jenner asks and Aria shakes her head, lifting it, a scowl forming on her features. "Amy." Andrea replies before Aria could make a comment. Gulping, Aria leans her head against the desk behind her, her eyes darting between the doctor and her sister.
"Amy. You know what this does. You've seen it. Is that really what you want for your wife and son?" He asks, turning his attention towards Rick. Clenching her jaw, Aria taps her foot against the ground, the man aggravating her. "I don't want this." Rick growls through clenched teeth, pointing his finger at the ground. Everything is telling Aria it's time for her to leave this world and be with her twin, it would be better but Aria doesn't feel like it's her time—yet.
"Those door are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." The doctor informs the men as Shane walks over, breathless. "Well, your head ain't!" Daryl yells, raising his axe and rushing over towards the doctor. Squeezing her eyes shut, Aria begins to feel her breathing quickening as agonizing thoughts fill her mind. Her hands become sweaty and she rubs them across her jeans harshly, blistering her palms. Hands grasp hers and she turns her head, meeting soft blue eyes.
"Inhale—" Carol instructs Aria, rubbing her thumbs across her hands. "Exhale." Blowing out the breath, Aria repeats the action, tears blurring her vision. Carol wraps Aria in her arms, tightly. Sophia grabs Aria's hand, squeezing it tightly. Laying her head on Carol's chest, Aria closes her eyes, listening to the heartbeat. Her mom used to do this when she suffered though attacks and it always soothed her. Her family hated seeing their youngest child go through the attacks but there was nothing they could do to stop it, it was too late to do anything about it.
