❝Waiting for your turn is never gonna work out. No one's gonna hear you, unless you're gonna scream loud❞

- Ghost Town

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CHAPTER TEN - OUT ALIVE

D E X T E R

Dexter watched as Debra, Dale, Shane and Rick returned from scouting the woods. Her sister came over and sat down next to her with a frown on her face, just as Shane started to speak.

"I've been, uh... I've been thinking about Rick's plan." He announced, "Now look, there are no... There are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"

The next morning, just after sunrise, Dexter woke up in an empty tent. She'd gone into the woods the night before while most people were sleeping and buried her blood slides. She couldn't have anyone finding them, and although her trophies held fond memories, they needed to go for the sake of her secret.

All tents in good condition were packed up and put into the cars, belongings were packed and ready to go. Everyone was ready to leave the quarry, it wasn't safe anymore. Dexter didn't want Deb to turn out like Amy.

"All right, everybody listen up. Those of you with C.B.s, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?" Shane announced to the gathered group.

"We're, uh... We're... we're not going." Morales motioned to his family.

Miranda, his wife, added, "We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people."

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Shane warned, trying to convince them otherwise.

"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family." Morales replied.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

Morales nodded, "We talked about it. We're sure."

Rick nodded in understanding and retrieved a revolver from the gun bag, handing it to him.

Shane, looking very reluctant, handed Morales some ammo, "The box is half full."

"Thank you all... For everything." Miranda said with teary eyes. Lori pulled her into a hug. Dexter took a step back to avoid physical contact without anyone noticing. Deb also hugged Miranda, wishing her luck.

Morales shook hands with Shane, the ladies hugged Miranda and little Eliza hugged Sophia, giving the small blonde her doll.

"Channel 40 if you change your minds. All right?" Rick told him, shaking his hand.

"Yeah."

Morales, Miranda and their children walked towards their car. Their goodbyes had been said, all anyone could do now was pray for them to make it on their own.

Shane leaned closer to Rick, speaking in a low voice, "What makes you think our odds are any better?" He moved away and called out to the rest. "Come on. Let's go. Let's move out."

The Morgan sisters got in Dexter's SUV and the brunette turned on the engine, getting ready to follow the RV out of the camp.

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After about two hours on the road, the RV had to pull over, smoke coming from the front of it. The other cars pulled up behind it. Dexter got out her car and went over to see what was wrong with Deb no too far behind her. The auburn haired woman had told her sister what she and Dale had witnessed in the woods back at camp. Dex had told her not to worry about it, but she knew Shane was slowly going downhill since Rick's arrival.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van." Dale said to Rick as she approached.

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead and putting his hat back on.

"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm out of duct tape." Dale sighed.

"I see something up ahead." Shane called out, looking through his binoculars. "A gas station if we're lucky."

Jacqui stepped out of the RV, gathering everyone's attention, "Y'all, Jim... It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore." She said before going back to tend to Jim.

"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort?" Shane asked, "I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back."

T-Dog pitched in, "Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up."

"Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back." The cop with anger issues told the rest of them before he headed off in his Jeep with T-Dog.

Rick went in the RV to see how Jim was doing, and he came out a couple minutes later with a grimace, telling the group that Jim wanted to be left behind. There were a few protests against the idea, but Dexter could see the reasoning behind it. His family was dead, and he was gonna die. He wanted to be with them. He'd given up.

"It's what he says he wants." Rick said, after telling them what Jim had decided. Shane and T-Dog had gotten back from the gas station a few minutes ago with a replacement hose for the RV.

"And he's lucid?" Debra asked, her fingers tapping against her thigh nervously, she was itching for a cigarette but there weren't any left.

"He seems to be. I would say yes." Rick replied with a nod.

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood." Dale said, "I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer."

"We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that." Shane sighed, rubbing his head.

"It's what he wants. Get over yourself and help him be as comfortable as possible." Dexter retorted, thinking about when her friend Camilla Figg got sick. Cancer, of all things. Near the end, she got worse and didn't want to end up like her husband, so after she asked, Dexter laced a slice of Key-lime Pie and Camilla slipped away peacefully.

It was one of the only kills she regretted.

After a moment of hesitation, Rick and Shane carried Jim to a nearby tree and rested him gently up against it.

Jim groaned at the movement, "Hey, another damn tree."

"Hey, Jim... I mean, you know it doesn't need to be this." Shane offered.

"No. It's good." Jim declined, breathing heavily. "The breeze feels nice."

Shane sighed and stepped back, "Okay. All right."

"Just close your eyes, sweetie. Don't fight." Jacqui hummed sorrowfully and kissed the dying man on the cheek.

Rick took out a gun and showed it to him, "Jim, do you want this?"

"No. You'll need it. I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim reassured.

Dale stepped up next, "Oh. Hey. Thanks for, uh, for fighting for us."

Jim nodded, "Okay."

The group departed after making goodbye signs to Jim. Dexter and Daryl were the last ones to leave, nodding goodbye to Jim before heading out. Now that the RV was fixed, they were back on track to the CDC.

It took hours on the road until they reached their destination. The sky was getting darker every passing minute. The cars pulled up in front of the compound, sandbags, road blocks and hundreds of dead bodies all over the place. It looked like there had been one hell of a fight. The stench of the bodies was absolutely unbearable, Debra almost threw up as they walked by the rotting corpses.

"All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on. Stay quiet. Let's go. Okay, keep moving. Stay together." Shane whispered with his gun raised, waiting for anything to pop out and surprise them.

"Keep moving. Come on." Rick said from up front.

"We're almost there, baby. Almost there." Lori assured her son as they rushed to the door of the CDC. Rick tried to open the shutters, but it didn't open.

"Nothing?" Shane asked and then pounded on the door.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog groaned.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick retorted back.

"Walkers!" Daryl called out, looking behind them. He shot the closest walker in the head with his crossbow. "You led us into a graveyard!"

"He made a call." Shane replied.

"It was the wrong damn call!" The redneck seethed, pacing around angrily. 

Dexter clutched her machete tightly, they were out in the open, completely vulnerable. They needed to get inside and fast. If enough walkers attacked them, they'd be sitting ducks. She didn't like being this close to the city. 

"Just shut up. You hear? Shut up. Shut up!" Shane shouted at Daryl. "Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked, holding her daughter to her chest.

"Do you hear me? No blame."

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Debra exclaimed, looking around for anymore approaching walkers.

"Fort Benning, Rick... Still an option." Shane pressed.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles." Dexter remarked, moving closer to her sister who was next to Daryl.

"125. I checked the map." Glenn corrected.

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now." Lori scoffed, hugging Carl.

Rick faltered, "We'll think of something."

"Come on, let's go. Let's get out of here. Let's go. Please." Shane pushed, urging everyone back to the cars. "All right, everybody back to the cars. Let's go. Move."

Rick paused in his steps, "The camera... it moved."

"You imagined it." Shane insisted.

Deb stopped too, "No, he's right! It moved!"

"Rick, it is dead, man. It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on. . Shane: Man, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick." Shane said desperately.

Rick slammed his fist on the shutters, looking up at the camera.

"Rick, there's nobody here!" Lori cried out.

"I know you're in there. I know you can hear me." Rick shouted to the camera.

Shane tried to drag him away, with the help of Lori. "Everybody get back to the cars now!"

"Please, we're desperate. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left." Rick pleaded, not wanting to give up.

Dexter and Daryl grabbed a reluctant Deb and yanked her away.

"Rick. There's nobody here."

"We have nowhere else to go," Rick pounded on the door again. "Keep your eyes open. If you don't let us in, you're killing us! Please!"

"Come on, buddy, let's go. Let's go." Shane wrapped an arm around Ricks middle and began dragging his back to the cars, but Rick broke free and ran back to the doors.

"Please help us. You're killing us! You're killing us! You're killing us!" Rick repeated, screaming in desperation. The group stopped when they heard the sound of the shutters, drowning the survivors in light and instant relief.

❝MONSTERS DON'T GET TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.❞