▎SAFE HAVEN   ▎ 
»»————　act one. game of survival
CHAPTER EIGHT  ━━ WINE AND DINE

All of them was quick to get out of the
vehicles, grabbing their weapons. Josie only had her pistol from her bag and put it in her hands. Back when it started, josie didn't have enough time to get her other weapons.

She climbed out of Shane's car and caught up with the others, taking her side by tiff. Surrounding the building were lots of corpses, as well as swarms of flies. The group quietly approached the CDC building. 

Josies nose scrunched up at the smell which made her want to be sick. She had covered her mouth and nose at one point to try and block out the smell.

They had came to the shutters of the building and Rick took the lead, banging on the shutters, Shane doing the same. If there was nobody in there, where were they going to go?

"There's nobody here." T-dogs said. Josie turned to face the man and back at Rick. 

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asked T-dog but T didn't know the answer, none of us did.

"Walkers!" Daryl called out which made josie turn around and raise her pistol in her hands and aim for the walkers coming close, finger on the trigger.

"Rick." Josie called out, worriedly, not turning around. Daryl shot his arrow and turned around to face rick.

"You led us into a graveyard!" Daryl growled, walking towards Shane and Rick. Josie watched carefully we more walkers came into view.

"He made a call." Shane spoke up, pointing to rick, who was to concentrated on the shutters to listen to the argument.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl spat, watching as the walkers grew closer. Josie stood in front of the scared children and the worried mothers, Carl gripping onto her waist as his mother held his shoulder.

Everyone continued to argue which made josie let out a sigh. She turned back around to see Rick looking at one of the cameras.  "The camera... it moved." Rick said, pointing to the camera.

Josie frowned as she looked back at the camera. "You imagined it." Shane replied bluntly.

He tried making everyone follow him. Glenn tugged on josies arm, signalling her to follow him and Tiffany. "Come one rick, no ones here." Josie said calmly, hoping he would Listen.

"Rick, it is dead, man. It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on." Shane begged but Rick didn't move. "Man, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick." Shane added, pointing to the surroundings.

Rick ignored him and slammed on the shutters multiple times. They had all began to walk back to their vehicles until they heard a noise and a bright light hit their eyes which made josie wince as she put up an arm, blocking the bright, white light.  "Daryl, jj, you cover the back." Shane shouted over to them, seen as though the pair was already at the back.

They all started to walk into the building, weapons raised. "Hello?" Rick called out, trying to find someone.  A gun cocked which makes everyone turn to the noice to see a figure, a man.

"Anybody infected?" The man asked.

"One of our group was, he didn't make it." Rick replied which made josie frown. Did he really have to mention jim?

"Why are you here? What do you want?" The man asked, walking closer to the group.

"A chance." Rick replied. The man looked at them wearily.

"That's asking an awful lot these days, dude." He tilted his head at Rick.

"I know." Rick looked up to the man as he let out a sigh. The man looked at all of them, one by one. They looked harmless and scared.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission." He was quick to say, lowering his gun.

"We can do that." Rick agreed straight away, lowering his gun, as did everyone else.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed." The man informed them. Rick nodded and everyone went to get their stuff.

T-dog and Dale shut the doors behind everyone as they came in with their stuff.  "Vi, seal the main entrance. Kill the power up here." The man said. The shutters outside shut and the lights dim out a little bit.

"Rick Grimes." Rick said, holding out a hand for the man to shake. He looked down at Ricks hand and nodded, shaking it.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner." Jenner introduced himself. They were all quickly put in an elevator. It was a bit packed but nobody said anything. Josie was in between Glenn and tiff.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked, filling the awkwardness with his voice.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself." Jenner said with a slight smile. "But you look harmless enough." He says then he turns to Carl who was stood next to Rick and lori. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."  Carl chuckled which makes josie smile at the young boy.

They all got out the elevator and followed Jenner down a hall.  "Are we underground?" Carol asked, holding her daughters hand. 

"Are you claustrophobic?" Jenner asked and Carol nodded. "Try not to think about it. Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner said.  "Welcome to zone 5." Jenner grinned. 

Josie looks around, confused to why it's only Jenner. "Where is everyone?" She asked, tilting her head.

"The other doctors, the staff?" Rick added, agreeing with josie.

"I am it. It's just me here." Jenner said. 

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Lori speaker up from behind.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them... Welcome." Jenner said, smirking.

"Hello, guests. Welcome." A electronic voice called out to us.

"I'm all that's left." Jenner added, pointing to himself.

Laugher filled the air as they continued to eat and drink. It was their first good meal in a while. Josie sipped her wine, watching everyone laugh which made her smile. A true smile.

She was sat beside glenn and tiff, her brother in front of her. Dale started to talk to Lori and Carl which josie listened. "You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France." Dale said, passing lori a cup of wine.

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." Lori answered, taking a sip of her wine.

"What's it gonna hurt? Come on." Rick asked his wife, smiling. Dale gives a glass to Carl. "Tiff?" He asked the teenager and the blonde looked up from her meal, nodding her head as dale passed her a glass.

Both of them drank their drink and Carl shook his head. "Eww." He said which made josie and the rest laugh.

Josie grinned at the young boy as josie continued to drink her wine. "Well, just stick to sour pop there, bud." Shane said to Carl.

"Not you, Glenn, j." Daryl pipped up which made Glenn and josie tilt their head up, confused. "Keep drinking. I want to see how red your faces can get." He said, which makes everyone burst out laughing. Josie turned to the side, seeing an embarrassed glenn, making her smile.

"Drink up, pizza boy." Josie said, bringing her glass to clink it with his. Glenn rolled his eyes at the girls tipsiness, clinking his glass with hers. I mean, josie was twenty one. But she had been to some parties in her time, behind her brothers back.

Daryl continued to re fill people's glasses up with wine, with a smile on his face. Josie smiled at herself as she watched the interaction happen, seeing the softer side of the man. 

Josie turned to rick as he clinked his glass with a knife and stood up. "It seems to me we haven't thanked our hosts properly." Rick said, looking at Jenner.

"Hes more than just our host." T-dog said raising his wine in the air.

"Here's to you, doc. Booyah!" Daryl cheered, lifting his bottle of wine in the air.

Josie chuckled as she did the same with her glass. "Booyah!" She cheered. Everyone cheered as well. Josie mouth was hurting from all the smiling but she didn't mind. Everyone deserved this.

"So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, doc?" Shane asked which makes josie stop smiling.  "All the... the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?" Shane asked, ruining the scene. 

"We're celebrating, Shane. Don't need to do this now." Rick turned to her oldest walsh with a frown.

"This was your move... Supposed to find all the answers. Instead we." Shane chuckle; as he points to jenner. "We found him. Found one man. Why?" Josie glared at Shane.

"Shane." Josie warned him, pissed off with him for ruining the mood

Jenner shook his hand at josie with a small smile. "It's fine." He said to her before clearing his throat. "Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left. Went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted." Jenner said, looking around.

"Every last one?" Josie asked gently, shifting her gaze to Jenner.

Jenner shook his head at josie. "No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They... opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked. Josie took a large sip of her wine, clearly annoyed at Shane. Everyone was, you could feel the anger off everybody.

"I just kept working. Hoping to do some good." Jenner finished.

Josie finished her wine and placed it on the table.  "Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man." Glenn groaned, glaring at Shane.

"Glenn's right, you suck, brother." Josie rolled her eyes at Shane with a small frown. Shane sighed slightly, leaning in his chair. 

"What they said." Tiffany added, pointing to Glenn and Josie. Glenn rolled his eyes playfully at the girl and so did josie.

Later, the group was shown some rooms and told that there was a rec room. Josie made note of that, due to the fact she loved books and reading. She started to watch people spill into rooms. she and Tiffany went into the last room, that was a little way down the hallway and entered.

"Dude, this is awesome." Tiff grinned as she fell on one of the beds, staring up at the ceiling. "Way better than the tents."

Josie laughed as she placed her bag on the floor, along with her gun on the cabinet. Without warning, she jumped on the same bed as tiff, making the younger girl jump. "Way better." Josie giggled as Tiffany laughed with her.

"Do you think there is more wine?" Josie raised her head as she leaned on her arms, looking up at Tiffany.

"Yes, but I need a shower, I'll leave it on for you." Tiff nodded as she got up, grabbing some sleepwear before closing the door behind her.

Josie waited for Tiffany to finish in the shower, getting her clothes ready. After ten minutes, a clothed Tiffany came into the room, a towel on her head. "I've never loved showers more than I do right now."

"There better be some hot water left or in waking you up with cold ass water." Josie spoke with humour, watching as Tiffany fell on the bed.

Josie made her way to the shower, placing her clothes away from the shower before undressing and climbing into the shower, the warm water sending shivers down her spine. She sighed as she smiled, closing her eyes as she let her hair get wet. She laughed to herself as she cupped the water in her hands, splashing it on her face.

She grabbed the shampoo bottle as she placed a dollop into her hand, blending it into her hair, massaging her head.

It didn't take long for her to finish as she quickly got changed into something comfy. She used her arm to wipe the mirror, looking at her reflection. She looked different without all the dirt and sweat covering her face. She had to admit she had lost a lot of weight in her face, making her worried. And she now had eye bags that decorated her face.

She combed though her dark locks, relieved that it was no longer knotty. Once she had finished, she made her way to her and tiffs room, to see tiff fast asleep, making her sigh. "Guess I'm gonna have to drink alone." She mumbled to herself, pulling the covers over Tiffany.

Josie quietly walked out of the room and into the dining room, to see Rick with a wine bottle in his hand. "J, hey." Rick smiled at the younger walsh. "What's up?"

"Well, I came to get a bottle of wine." She sheepishly said as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Rick chuckled at her antics, before turning around and grabbing a bottle of red wine. "Don't tell your brother I gave you this." Rick held the bottle from her reach, making her playful roll her eyes.

"I'm twenty one years old rick, but fine, I won't." She played along as rick gave her the bottle. "Thank you, ricky." She smiled before walking back to the rooms. She didn't want to drink alone and Tiffany had fallen asleep so an idea popped into her mind.

She knocked on one of the doors, waiting for someone to open it. She glanced up at glenn as she opened it. "Care for a drink?" She asked him formally, showing him the wine she had. Glenn grinned as he nodded his head, letting the girl in.

"Where did you get that from." Glenn asked as he watched josie look around to find something to open the bottle with.

"Rick gave it to me." Josie grinned as she found a cork screw. "Open it for me, I'm scared I'll make it explode." She gave him the bottle and screw.

"I'm more useless than you." Glenn's eyes widened as he held the bottle in his hands. But he successfully opened it.

"see if that was me, I would of broke the bottle." Josie chucked as she found glasses, giving one to glenn, letting him poor the wine into the glasses.

Josie plopped herself on the bed, taking a sip of the wine. Glenn sitting down beside her.

"Are you already drunk?" Glenn said humourlessly, eyeing the tipsy girl.

"No, no. Tiffany fell asleep after I had a shower, so you was my second option." Josie grinned.

"I was your second option? That's mean." Glenn pretended to be upset, making josie giggle.

"It was close between you and t." Josie added, a grin forming on her face as she took a drink from her glass. "Now I know drunk t-dog would be funny as fuck."

"True." Glenn nodded his head, agreeing with Josies words. "I'll take that I was the second option." He joked, taking a sip of the wine.

"This place is nice, y'know. Protected, away from the walkers." Josie admitted as she laid on her side. "We could all stay here, maybe go on small runs if we need to."

"Yeah, it's good for Carl and Sophia too." Glenn agreed.

"It's not fair that they have to grow up in a word like this. They should be in school, growing up. Not watching the world fall apart around them." Josie frowned as she spoke, making Glenn shuffle closer to her.

"Does drinking make you turn very depressive?" Glenn tried to lighten up the situation, which worked as a smile worked up on her face.

"No, I was much funnier at parties. Don't tell Shane that, he would slaughter me before the walkers do." Josie narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Cross my heart, hope to die." He joked, making her giggle.

"I would always sneak out of the house to go meet up with my friends, doing teenager stuff. And he still doesn't know anything about it, I hope." Josie though for a second before shaking her head. "Anyways, you know this tattoo?" Josie asked, her words slurred slightly, pointing to the small wave tattoo on her collarbone. Glenn hummed as josie put her now dried her down. "He thinks this is my only tattoo."

"You've got another one?" Glenn asked, eyes wide as she nodded her head.

"Wait." Josie stood up, placing her glass down. She lifted the back of her top, slightly, revealing a dragon tattoo that started from the back of her neck, down to her lower back. "Got this when I was nineteen. Shane doesn't know I got this one." She lowered her shirt as she sat back down, grabbing her drink. "I have another on my waist which is a spider and a spiderweb."

"Now I seem boring." Glenn said, making josie turn to him, facing him.

"What, no tattoos? No going to parties?" Josie asked him, tilting her head to the side.

"I've been to parties but no tattoos." He admitted. "What's the meaning of them anyway?"

"Well my first one, I got that on my sixteenth birthday with my friend, I loved the ocean so I got this and my necklace. Both was a gift. And my back one, was completely because I loved game of thrones." Josie told him, a smile on her face. "And my spider tattoo is because spider man is my favourite marvel character."

"What tattoo would you think I'd suit?" Glenn asked, wondering what she would say, but he regretted it once he saw the grin on her face.

"A small pizza on your arm." She grinned, pointing to his arm.

"Oh har har, funny." He rolled her eyes at her childish antics, watching as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"I'm sorry, give me a minute." She said in between laughs as she placed her glass down, shaking her head in the palm of her hands. She breathed in as she looked at him through her hands, before bursting into a fit of laughter. "I can't breath." By now, Glenn had joined in her laughter. "I don't know if it's the drink making me laugh or the pizza tattoo." Josie said as she wiped her tears.

"Probably both." Glenn nodded through his laughter as josie covered her mouth once a hiccup left it.

"Oh god no." She groaned as she leaned her head on the front of his shoulder. "Why did you ask me that?" She asked through a hiccup.

"I didn't know you'd say that." Glenn defend himself as he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"But you'd know I'd burst into a fit of laughter and then I'd also have a hiccup fit." She slurred, holding her breath.

"Maybe that was my plan." Glenn shrugged his shoulder as josie looked up at him.

"Bullying." Josie muttered as she laid her head back down on the front of his shoulder. "You're a bully." She wined against his shoulder.

"You'll be fine." Glenn chuckled, making her look up at him.

"You have a pretty smile." Josie hiccuped, pointing at his lips. She didn't know if it was the wine talking but she didn't care.

Glenn's smile widened slightly as he looked down at the girl in front of him. "You have pretty eyes." He pointed at her eyes that softened slightly.

"Don't make this a competition, take the complement, pizza boy." She half scolded playfully.

"Am I not aloud to complement you back?" He asked jokingly.

"No." She hummed as she finished off her wine. "Nope, you're not aloud to." She moved closer to him, inching closer towards him.

Glenn didn't miss the way her eyes looked down at his lips, but quickly back up to his eyes, not realising she had been caught.

Glenn didn't think for a second before cupping josies cheeks and bringing her lips to his. Josie was taken back for a second before melting into his touch, her hands getting caught in his hair.

Josie pulled away, catching her breath slightly as she rested her forehead with his. "Woah." Glenn muttered, making josie breath out a laugh.

"Don't tell me that was your first kiss." Josie half joked but the look on his face told her it was. "Well I hope it was a good first kiss." She giggled slightly, ruffling up his hair. "Well, rhee, it was a pleasure but I am very tired and I don't want tiff to wake up alone." Josie smiled as she placed a kiss on his cheek before exiting the room, leaving a star struck Glenn.

Josie groaned as she had her blanket ripped of her, looking up to see a energetic Tiffany. "What?" Josie brought her hand to her eyes, looking up at the smiling tiff.

"Hungover phinny?" Tiff taunted the girl, who let out another groan. "Thought so, well Lori told me to wake up you, they've made some breakfast. So freshen up." Tiffany told her before leaving a hungover josie on the bed.

She quickly had a shower and got dressed, walking into the room, slightly hissing as the light hit her eyes. She groaned once again as she sat down, head in her hands.

She eyed every person at the table and t-dog, who was cooking. As she tried to wipe the sleepiness out of her eyes, She turned when she heard someone walk in, looking up to see Glenn walk in, the same state she was in.

She felt her breath get caught her throat as she remembered last night. He kissed her and she kissed him. She was quick to bury her head in her hands.

Carl looked over at josie with a smile. "Are you hungover like dad?" Carl pointed over to his dad. Tiffany let out a chuckle as she patted josies back, watching as Glenn sat down wearily next to josie.

"She very much is, little one. By the looks of it, so is he." Tiffany humourlessly pointed to josie and Glenn.

"Eggs. Powdered, but... but I do 'em good." T-dog smiled, placing some on josies plate. 

"Someone is all happy." Tiffany chuckled, looking at T-dog. Josie turned when she heard Glenn groan, holding his head in his hands. Jacqui was behind him.

"I bet you two can't tell. Protein helps the hangover." T-dog teased Glenn and josie in a sing-song voice. Glenn continued to groan. Josie eyed the eggs in front of her, picking up her fork and placing the egg in her mouth.

Tiffany watched the two, finding the situation hilarious. She let out a chuckle and she put the eggs in her mouth. "Eat up buddy." She tapped Glenn's shoulder. "I swear you two didn't have much to drink." Tiffany added, making josie turn to the blonde slightly.

Tiffany didn't miss the weary look josie sent her as she turned to see Lori pass Rick some pills. "Where'd all this come from?" Rick asked.

"Jenner. He thought we could use it." Lori said, opening the bottle for Rick who couldn't do it.

"Don't ever ever ever let me drink again." Glenn complained.

"Noted." Tiff smirked, putting a fork full of eggs in her mouth again.

"Me too." Josie mumbled. She was use to hangovers but this one was a bitch.

"Hey." Shane walked in, patting his sisters shoulder as he took in her hungover state.

"Hey. Feel as bad as I do? Or jj?" Rick asked Shane. Josie slightly smiled as she looked over at Rick but frowned when she saw Lori, looking down at her floor with an emotionless face.

She raised an eyebrow and turned to Shane who had claw marks on his neck. "What happened to your neck?" Josie asked Shane who eyes widened as he sat down.

"I must have done it in my sleep." He shrugged, acting clueless.

"Never seen you do that before." Rick shrugged, clearly clueless.

"Me neither." Shane said then he looked up at Lori who was quick to look away. "Not like me at all." Shane finished. 

"Yeah, but I'm too hungover to question it." Josie added, placing her fork down and grabbing a glass of Water t-dog had given her. "T, these eggs are pulling me through this. So thank you."

She turned her head to see Jenner walk in and She sent a smile his way. She turned when Tiffany put something in her palm, the tablets Lori had given Rick. "Thanks." Josie muttered, placing them in her mouth and drinking water to wash them down.

"No problem." Tiff replied, picking up her fork and stealing some of josies eggs. She grinned as she ate the eggs.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing..." Dale started.

"But you will anyway." Jenner said, making something to drink.

"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea added.

Josie looked up from her plate of eggs.  "But the eggs are good." Josie added and T sent her a smile, proud of his eggs.

"Give me playback of TS-19." Jenner said to VI and she did as she was told, due to the fact she was a robot. "Few people ever got a chance to see this. Very few."  Josie squinted her eyes as she looked at the screen.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked.

"An extraordinary one. Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for E.I.V.." Jenner said and it zoomed inside of the brain.

Daryl had just walked in and took his spot next to josie. "What are those lights?" Shane asked, looking at the screen.

"It's a person's life... experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you... the thing that makes you unique. And human." Jenner told them.

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl pipped up from beside josie. She had an amused grin on her face as she turned back to the screen.

"Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." Jenner replied.

"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick asked, walking closer to Jenner.

"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil." Jenner responded to Ricks question.

"This person died? Who?" Andrea asked, looking up at the screen.

"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected... And volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan forward to the first event." Jenner responded.

"What is that?" Glenn asked, standing in front of josie as Tiffany turned to the man, beside josie.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs. Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be... Gone." Jenner said. Josie watched as the brain shifted black.

Josie turned to Andrea who was on the verge of tears which made her soften her eyes at the blonde. 

Jenner raised an eyebrow. "She lost somebody two days ago. Her sister." Lori filled him in.

"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." He looked at Andrea with sympathetic eyes.

"Scan to the second event." He called out to VI. "The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute... Seven seconds." Jenner said, looking up at the screen.

Josie tilted her head when it started to glow red. "It restarts the brain?" Lori asked. 

Jenner shook his head. "No, just the brain stem. Basically, it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive?" Rick asked, walking to stand next to Jenner.

"You tell me." Jenner shrugged, Turing to rick them back at the screen.

"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark." Rick responded, not taking his eyes away from the screen.

"Dark, lifeless, dead. The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part... That doesn't come back. The you part. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct." Jenner bowed his head.

The person started to move then a line went though it's head. "God. What was that?" Carol asked.

"He shot his patient in the head." Josie whispered, looking away from the screen to Jenner. "Didn't you?" Josie asked.

"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations." Jenner commanded and VI did as he asked.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea asked Jenner.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal." Jenner shrugge.

"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui pipped up, a hand on her hip.

"There is that." Jenner tilted his head at her. 

"Somebody must know something. Somebody somewhere." Andrea said. 

"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked.

"There may be some. People like me." Jenner shrugged again.

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick stepped forward, tilting his head at Jenner.

"Everything went down. Communications, directives... all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month." Jenner replied. Josie nervously bit her bottom lip.

"So it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying, right?" Andrea asked and Jenner didn't reply. "Jesus." Andrea scoffed. 

"Man, I'm gonna get shit-faced drunk again." Daryl said, shaking his head.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but... That clock... It's counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asked.

Josie and tiff didn't notice it at first but they turned and saw it. Josie raised an eyebrow and turned to Jenner. He thought for a second before replying. "The basement generators... they run out of fuel." Jenner said before walking away.

"And then?" Rick asked but Jenner ignored him. "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick asked Vi.

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur." Vi informed them. Josie frowned as she clung onto the flannel around her.

Josie went back to her and tiffs room, sitting herself on the bed. She turned as she saw tiff walk in. "This is some major creepy shit." Tiffany sighed as she sat opposite josie. "You feeling better?"

Josie hummed as she grabbed her book, placing it on her lap. "Better, the pill did it's magic work."

"How did you get so hungover? I swear you only had two glasses of wine before we all went to bed." Tiff questioned as josie looked everywhere but the teenager in front of her.

"Rick may or may not of gave me a bottle of wine." Josie sheepishly looked up at Tiffany, who laughed.

"You had one full bottle of wine to yourself?" Tiffany questioned wide wide eyes.

"No." Josie dragged the word out, biting her thumb. "You was asleep so I went and shared the bottle with Glenn."

Tiffany looked down at the girl, confused. Then she understood why Glenn was so weary when sitting beside josie. "Don't tell me you two-"

"No! No!" Josie cut the young girl off, shaking her head. "No we didn't, but," Josie buried her head in her hands. "We sort of kissed."

"Sort of!?" Tiffany leaned forward. "What do you mean 'sort of'."

"Well we kissed, then I came back here and fell asleep." Josie admitted. "But what If he doesn't remember? What if he regrets it. Oh god." Josie groaned as she leaned against the wall and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Regret it? Dude, you should see how pizza boy drools over you. He probably thinks you regret it." Tiffany shrugged as josie frowned.

"What do you mean?" Josie asked, opening one eye as she questioned the blonde.

"Not my place to tell, phinny." Tiffany held her hands up, shaking her head. "Talk to him."

The two frowned as the lights turned off, making them look up to the light. "What the hell?" Josie mumbled as she stood up, tiff doing the same. "See, the lights disagree with you."

The two walked into the room where eve home was, seeing Jenner take the bottle a of Daryl's hands. "Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner replied.

"Jenner why are the lights off?" Josie pipped up.

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale asked an on queue, the rest of the lights turned off.

"It's not up to me. Zone 5 is shutting itself down." Jenner replied, not looking at any of them.

"Hey! Hey, what the hell does that mean?" Daryl asked but Jenner ignored him. They all continued to follow Jenner. "Hey man, I'm talking to you. What do you mean it's shutting itself down? How can a building do anything?" Daryl asked.

"You'd be surprised." Jenner replied, bluntly. 

"Jenner what's going on?" Tiffany asked, really confused but he ignored her.

They walked down the stairs to the rest of the group and Rick walked up to Jenner. "Jenner, what's happening?" He asked Jenner.

"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. It was the French." Jenner took another sip of the bottle he had in his hands and passing it back to Daryl who snatched it out of his hands.

"What? What do you mean the french?" Josie asked Jenner, tilting her head.

"They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution." Jenner replied to her.

"What happened?" Jacqui asked.

"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs of fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" Jenner shrugged.

Shane lunges for Jenner but Rick held him back. "Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" Rick yelled.

Josie immediately looked over at a worried glenn and bit her bottom lip as they walked to the exit but stopped as alarms went off making them both cover their ears.

"Thirty minutes to decontamination." Vi said making josie frown.

"Everybody, y'all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now! Go!" Shane called out and Josie and Tiffany both ran to the doors but stopped as they shut.

"Jenner, open the door!" josie turned around, yelling at Jenner.

"Did you just lock us in? He just locked us in!" Glenn yelled, obviously panicking.

"Calm down." Tiffany mumbled to the panicking glenn as they walked back towards Jenner.

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl yelled "You let us out of here!" Daryl grabbed hold of Jenner too but Shane and T-dog held him away from Jenner.

"Hey, Jenner, open that door now." Rick said, walking over to the man who was calm and sat down.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed." Jenner said calmly, not fazed of his own actions.

"Well open the damn doors. Isn't there like a button you can press and then-boom-doors bloody open?" Josie spat at Jenner, walking closer to rick and panic took control over her.

"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that. It's better this way." Jenner shook his head.

"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick asked Jenner but Jenner turns around and faces his computer.

"What happens in 28 minutes Jenner?" Josie yelled, her voice straining. "You can't lock us in here!"

"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! 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." Jenner yelled at them all.

"H.I.T.s?" Rick asked.

"Hits... high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consists 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 between 5,000° and 6,000° and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired." Vi answered when Jenner asked her to define.

"It sets the air on fire. No pain. An end to sorrow, grief... Regret. Everything." Jenner mumbled.  

Josie nervously breathed out as she stood closer to her brother, who wrapped an arm around his nervous sister.

Daryl threw his bottle against the door, making is smash. "Open the damn door!" Daryl yelled at Jenner.

"Out of the way!" Shane yelled, running past Daryl and hitting the door with his axe but nothing happened.

"You should've left well enough alone." Jenner told them, making josie lift her head up from loris shoulder.

"For who?" Lori asked, holding onto Carl. 

"You know what's out there... A short, brutal life and an agonizing death." Jenner replied before turning to Andrea who had her head on josies shoulder.

"Your... your sister... what was her name?" Jenner asked her.

"Amy." Andrea replied, not moving her head off josies shoulder.

"Amy. You know what this does. You've seen it. Is that really what you want for your wife and son?" Jenner asked Rick.

"I don't want this. Can't make a dent." Rick sighed.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner replied.  Daryl went for Jenner, axe above is head.

"Well, your head ain't!" Daryl spat. But luckily for the doctor, people held him back.

Daryl walked away and josie turned to Jenner. "Open the doors, tell Vi or whatever to open them!" josie groaned.

Jenner shook his head then turned to Rick. "You do want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead." He tilted his head at rick.

"What? You really said that? After all your big talk?" Shane asked Rick.

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick looked at his wife that sat beside josie. Tiffany scoffed as she ran a hand through her hair, standing beside t-dog and glenn.

"There is no hope. There never was." Jenner replied, bluntly.

"There's always hope. Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here, but somebody somewhere..." Rick suggested.

"What part of 'everything is gone' do you not understand?" Andrea pipped up, making josie turn to her.

"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event." Jenner said calmly.

"This isn't right. You can't just keep us here." Carol cried out.

"One tiny moment... a millisecond. No pain." Jenner replied to Carol. Josie clenched her hands in a ball.

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this" Carol sobbed, holding onto Sophia.

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?" Jenner tilted his head at Carol. 

Josie had enough of listening to his bullshit and laughed. "Man, this isn't your choice to make!" By now josie had stood up and stood beside Tiffany and glenn, biting her lip nervously.

They all tuned when they heard a cock of the gun. She turned around to see Shane With a gun. "Shane, no!" Rick yelled.

T-dog went to hold back shane, as did everyone else as josie watched as Shane aimed his gun at Jenner.  "Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!" Shane yelled. Not shifting his gaze away from Jenner.

"Brother, brother, this is not the way you do this. We will never get out of here." Rick tried to reason with Shane.

"Shane, you listen to him." Lori warned Shane.

"It's too late. He dies, we all-" Rick was cut of by Shane's yelling and firing at the computers which made glenn turn himself around, covering josie and Tiffany. Josie did not want to see this side of her brother.

Shane continued to fire his gun at the computers. Rick ran up to shane, holding his gun, trying to make him stop shooting. Rick elbowed Shane in the face and hitting him with the Gun, making Shane fall in the floor.  "Are you done now? Are you done?" Rick yelled at Shane who was still on the floor. 

"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane replied. Rick walked away from him and closer to the group. Glenn finally let go of josie and Tiffany, sending a 'are you okay' glance josie, making her nod.

"I think you're lying." Rick said which made Jenner confused. "You're lying about no hope. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?" Rick asked.

"It doesn't matter." Jenner replied bluntly. 

"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when others ran. Why?" Rick asked, looking Jenner in the face.

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise... To her. My wife." Jenner said, pointing at the screen.

"Test subject 19 was your wife?" Andrea asked as realisation hit them all. Daryl scoffed as he walked back up to the doors. 

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no? She was dying. It should've been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just... Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me." Jenner replied.

"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's... that's all we want... a choice, a chance." Rick said.

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori pleaded. Jenner sighed and looked at them all.

"I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those." Jenner said, walking away. The doors finally opened which made josie sigh.  Everyone started to run out fo the doors and Josie looked over at Andrea who was on the floor. "The day will come when you won't be." Jenner told Rick. 

Jacqui said she wasn't going which made josie pull the woman into a hug. "Be safe, sweetie." Jacqui told Josie. Josie nodded again her head and pulled away, tears forming in her eyelids.

Jenner whispered something to Rick before his wife pulled him away. "Jo, let's go!" Glenn yelled as she turned to see Glenn and Tiffany. She didn't think for a second before following the two.

The three was quick to collect their stuff and make their way to the entrance. Carol ran over to rick and passed him a grenade. He took it out of her hands. He ran over to the window and someone yelled "get down!"  Josie pulled Tiffany to the floor, covering her body from the bomb. She jumped when the grenade went off. 

They all got back up on their feet. Josie let out a sigh as she saw the glass had shattered. They ran to the window and Daryl got out, helping others get down also. Tiffany went first, josie making sure she was okay. Then glenn was next, jumping down.

Josie quickly jumped out of the window as they all ran back to their vehicles. Josie was quick to jump into the rv with Glenn and Tiffany, throwing her stuff down. She sighed when she saw Andrea and Dale walking out. 

Josie ducked down beside the three, ready for the explosion to go off. The three jumped a bit when the explosion went off.

The three slowly lifted their head up as they looked at the remains of the explosion.  Glenn quickly opened the door for Andrea and Dale. They were all okay except for Jacqui. Josie breathed heavily, running a hand through her head and squeezing her eyes shut.

- MADDIES NOTES
4TH SEPT 2023

SEASON ONE IS FINISHED BABY! GET IN!

So I hope you guys liked the finale of season one, act one. I am proud bc this is 7K+ words. My longest chapter ever wow! But season one finished in less than two weeks, I am so happy!! Anyways I hope you guys have a good day or night!!

7481 words!!