Blood and Gore (TWD season one)

Chapter 29

"Mill, Daryl, you cover the back." Shane called causing Mill to set down Mary who runs off towards the other mother's and kids.
"Hello? Hello." Rick spoke coming out of his daze as he looks around the newly open entrance.
"Close those doors. Watch for walkers." Dale spoke as the group makes their was into the lifeless lobby.
"Hello?" Rick asked his voice echoing off the walls. The building was silent as the group looks around until the cocking of a gun reaches their ears. They group turns seeing a middle aged male in a lad coat by his side a rifle pointed at his new quests.
"Anybody infected?" The stranger questioned not lowering his weapon making some of the group uneasy.
"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick answered truthfully all the while looking at the man with pleading eyes.
"Why are you here? What do you want?" The man questioned again.
"A chance." Ricks voice was pleading as he stared at the man still aiming the gun at them. At this point Mill had her crossbow in a vise not trusting the man at the moment.
"That's asking an awful lot theses days." The man warns causing Rick to nod in agreement.
"I know." Rick states as the man takes a look at the group until he see's Mill, who in return glares at him and grabs Mary's hand before walking to the back of the group and out of sight. Daryl noticing her off behavior follows soon after.
"Ya alright?" He asked causing Mill to nod in response.
"The guy was just looking at me strangely and after what happened I..." Mill didn't want to finish as she remembered what happened a night ago. Closing her eyes she gently shook her head before raising a hand to rub away the tears forming in her closed eyes.
"Ya ok after ya know?..." Daryl trails off glancing down at her. (Okay just to explain, Norman Reedus is 5'10 so Daryl is that same hight, Mill is 5'5 so there is a five inch height difference.)
"Please don't tell anyone I don't want any sympathy as far as we know the guy who did it was just out in the woods." Mill spoke casting a glance around the group to see if any heard.
"He might be in the group to ya know." Daryl adds causing Mill to raise a hand to her mouth as she fought back tears at the thought.
"I don't want to think of that, not know." She answers shanking her head.
"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." The male declared causing some of the group to relax.
"We can do that." Rick answered after taking a look at the group. The strange man lowers his gun to point at the ground.
"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes it stays closed." He warns causing the group to run back out to the cars and grab their things.

They where now in the elevator, the silence awkward as they make their way down.
"VI, seal the main entrance, kill the power up here." The stranger called out as the group heard the lights power down. Rick stuck out his hand to their new savior.
"Rick Grimes." Instead of taking Rick's hand the man keeps his gaze forwards.
"Dr. Edwin Jenner." He answers as the elevator starts to hum as they descend further down.
"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl spoke resting a steady hand on Mary's head to stands in front of him beside her mother.
"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you looked harmless enough." Edwin answers turning his gaze until it's lands on Carl who stands in front of the group looking at the doors. Feeling someone's gaze in him he looks over and give Edwin a confused look.
"Except you, I'll have to keep my eye on you." Edwin joked causing Carl to smile up at the doctor who chuckles in return. He then turned away and looked forwards his slight smile turning into a frown. The elevator soon dinged and came to a halt allowing the doors to open and its passengers to safely walk out. They entered a long plain hall way and follow the doctor down it.
"Are we underground?" Carol asked glancing at the docs head causing him to turn towards her.
"Are you claustrophobic?" He asked causing Carol to look around slightly before back at him.
"A little." She replied honestly making the man turn back to look forward.
"Try not to think about it." He called causing Mill to roll her eyes at his behavior.

After walking for a couple more minutes that came to a large poorly lit room.
"VI, bring up the lights in the big room." Edwin called out and a few seconds later the lights were turned on revealing multiple computers, desk, and chairs all set up in a circular section of the room the light above that section was curved into an outline of a circle. Jenner walked forward into the big room before turning to the group.
"Welcome to zone 5." He announced causing Mill to look around skeptically seeing no one in sight.
"Where is everybody?" She asked causing Jenner to look over at her.
"I'm it. It's just me here." He answered causing the group to become confused.
"What about the person you were speaking with? VI?" Lori asked causing Jenner to turn towards the large empty room.
"VI, say hello to our guests. Tell them... Welcome." He spoke sadly.
"Hello, guests. Welcome." A robotic voice called out as Jenner turns to them sadly.
"I'm all that's left. I'm sorry." He declares before escorting them to the medical room to draw blood.

They all took their turns sitting in the steel chair. Even Mary who slept through the whole thing, her actions didn't surprise Mill one bit though seeing how her little girl could sleep through a hurricane. Mill went last out of the group which was right after Mary who she hands over to Lori. She turns the chair around before sitting on it so she could lean against it while the doctor drew his blood. Setting her arm down on the small metal table in front of her Mill watches at Jenner feels around for the vein he wanted before sticking the kneeling it which was attacked to a small tube.
"What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever." Mill spoke raising her gaze to look at Jenner who looks up at her.
"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me at least be thorough." Jenner dodged her question causing Mill to scoff and turn her head to the side in frustration. The only thing that brought her attention back to him was when the sound of the syringe being set down reached her ears.
"All done." Jenner announced leaning back into his chair. His response was silence as he watched Mill stand up. Her head started to feel light and the world around her seemed fuzzy as it starts to turn black causing Mill to fall forward slightly. Jacqui who was the closest to her quickly caught Mill before she could fall over.
"Are you okay?" Jenner asked causing Mill to glare at him.
"You took enough blood from me to almost make me blackout. Let's see if your okay when I kick you in the nuts." Mill states causing some of her group to suppress a smile as they see the docs horrified face.
"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have." Jacqui answers as she helps Mill lean against a near by table allowing the women to rest for a moment. A few seconds later Mill regains her composer and makes her way back to the group, she gently took the sleeping Mary from Lori's arms and allows her to rest on her shoulder.

The doctor then led them into another room this one looking like it used to be a cafeteria or a dinning room. He told them all to take a seat to which they did and talked amongst them selfs. Mill sat in between Glenn and Daryl with Mary who was now awake sitting on her lap not liking the new place she was in at the moment. Jenner came back about thirty minutes later with bowls of spaghetti, plates, wine for the adults, and pop for the kids. Everyone started to dig in happily and pretty soon the conversations turned happy and cheerful.
Mary who was happily eating some noodles off of her plate beside her mother's even laughed and smiled seeing the people around her in such a good mood.
"Ya know, I don't know why I hated ya. All ya are is a badass."  Daryl spoke causing Mill to turn to him. Her eyes soon fixed on the bottle in his hands causing her to smirk at him.
"You Dixon can not hold your wine well." She responded only causing Daryl to chug down some more wine from his almost empty bottle. Mill took a small sip of her wine, which was in a glass, the raisin taste soon fulls her mouth going well with the pasta. She was still on her first glass, the fact that she wasn't a big wine fan and that she had a daughter making her take it slow.
"You know, in Italy, children have a little wine with dinner. And in France." Dale spoke bringing Mill's attention to him as he hand Lori a glass of wine to which she smiled.
"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." Rick who was obviously a little buzzed turned towards him with with a smile.
"What's it gonna hurt? Come on. Come on." Rick urges trying to get Lori to let Carl have some. Lori just shrugs causing Dale to laugh and pour some of the wine into a cup. Everyone either smiles or looks knowingly at Carl as the laugh making the young boy confused.
"What?" He asked causing everyone to laugh again. Dale then hands Carl a small glass of wine to which Carl takes and looks into the red liquid.
"There you are, young lad." Dale states as everyone watches Carl bring the glass to him lips a few members already chuckling slightly knowing the outcome. He takes a small sip before his face contorted into one of discussed as he spits it back into the cup.
"Eww." He exclaimed causing the adults to erupt with laughter. Lori who had managed to stop laughing smiles over at Carl who's face resembled that of a person who at something sour.
"That's my boy." Lori spoke taking his cup of wine and pouring it into hers.
"Yuck. That tastes nasty." Carl states sticking out his tongue slightly while shaking his head. This again caused people to laugh, something they haven't done in a while.
"Mommy can I try some wine?" Mary asked looking up at her mother who smiled down at her.
"No Mary that stuff tastes like rotten grapes." Carl warns causing Mary's face to scrunch up in disgust before turning to look at the glass in her mother's hand.
"Never mind." She spoke going back to eating her pasta as people laughed at how cute her reaction was.
"Well, just stick to soda pop there, kids." Shane suggests towards the children before his gaze settled on Mill who was looking over at Glenn, seeing his not even half empty glass.
"Not you Glenn." Daryl called pointing at him with the bottle.
"What?" Glenn questioned looking over at the drunk redneck.
"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get." Daryl answered causing the men and Mill to laugh and the women to smile.