roots | daryl dixon

7 | CDC or bust

The group had to stop along their way when the RV began smoking. Lou got out of the truck, approaching the RV where her father was inspecting the problem.  It turned out one of the hoses was shot to hell, and it had already been jury-rigged. They'd need a new hose if they wanted to go any further.

Shane offered to go ahead, look for a hose, while Jacqui came out of the RV, saying Jim was getting worse. Lou walked onto the RV, going to the back where Jim was laid out. "How you doin'?" She asked, sitting beside him. "We'll be back on the road soon, just a bit of trouble with a hose."

Jim groaned, "No, no. Christ. My bones are like glass. Every little bump-- God, this ride is killing me. Leave me here. I'm done. Just leave me." 

Lou wasn't sure how she felt about that, but he was still sane, he knew what he wanted. She got up with a nod, went outside to tell everyone his decision. 

There was some argument, but Lou shut everyone down by telling them he was lucid and this was his choice, not theirs. Jim was carried and placed beside a tree. Everyone climbed the small hill to say goodbye. Lou was one of the last to say farewell and she slipped a pill into his hand when she knew nobody was looking. "I know you don't want any painkillers, but this will help you." It was a sleeping pill, just something to help his last few moments be peaceful. He'd likely still turn, but she hoped he wouldn't feel it.

"Bye, Jim." She said, then walked back to Daryl's truck. She sighed as they drove away from the man, and she swore she could see him raise a hand to his mouth. She hoped it would help.

* * * * *

Arriving at the CDC, the group was met with a horrific sight. Lou pulled out her butterfly knife, thinking a silent weapon was best at the moment. There were corpses everywhere, rotting. Flies swarmed some of the older bodies, and Lou took the bandana Daryl offered her, wrapping it around her neck and raising it to cover her nose and mouth. She stuck to the edge of the group, her knife raised. She spotted a walker on the ground beginning to rise and stuck the blade into its eye socket.

They'd reached the shutters when Daryl shot an oncoming walker in a military outfit, shouting, "you led us into a graveyard!"

"He made a call."

"It was the wrong damn call!" The redneck yelled again.

"Daryl, shut up! You're gonna bring them down on us!" Lou exclaimed quietly, tugging him away from Shane, who looked ready to kill him.

"Rick, this is a dead-end. Do you hear me? No blame." Shane said.

Carol cried, "where are we gonna go?"

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Lori voiced, clutching her son tight.

Shane proposed they head for Fort Benning, but it was a hundred miles away and they were running out of fuel, out of food. Lou kept quiet as everyone began heading back to the vehicles, then Rick saw the cameras move, and started shouting, beating on the closed shutters for help. Shane tried to drag him away as he was drawing attention, and then the shutters opened, blinding everyone with the harsh light inside.