Login with:

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Google

Yahoo

Aol.

Mibba

Your info will not be visible on the site. After logging in for the first time you'll be able to choose your display name.

The New Resident

Chapter 28

Their journey into Washington city was comfortable and without issue, although Heath’s directions towards the warehouse left a little to be desired. Sitting in the back of the van with the others, Carrie waited patiently as Aidan and Nicholas drove around and around for ten minutes before finally finding the road they required, cursing the accuracy of the directions they had been given. But following that everything had gone smoothly. Making a point of knowing the area, they split into pairs and set off in different directions, ensuring they knew what was around and all the different sections. Determining that the front of the warehouse was largely populated with Walkers, they took this into account as they went inside, uncomfortably aware of the fact they really had only one entrance and exit.

Just like everything else had, their initial entrance into the warehouse went smoothly. Letting Aidan and Glenn go ahead, Carrie followed close behind them with her gun and flashlight raised, holding both of them the way Glenn had taught her too, the same way Rick had taught him. Moving slowly, they methodically cleared their immediate area, but they didn’t need to go far before they found the Walkers they could hear. Finding them stuck in a caged area, the team of six took care to assess its security before they reassessed their plan, each of them rather pleased by the convenient turn of events.

“You’re up, Carrie,” Aidan prompted, shining his flashlight at her.

“I’m up?” she questioned wryly.

“You’re the one who said Eugene couldn’t come,” he shrugged. “Come on Ivy League, let’s find this shit and get outta here.”

“Ivy League, coming right up,” she muttered, standing by Noah’s side and peering at the serial number printed on the micro inverter. “Eight - six - four - eight,” she muttered to herself.

Knowing where to start, she returned to the manager’s office they had passed, shining her flashlight on the wall and pin board immediately outside it. Finding exactly what she wanted, she yanked down the laminated piece of paper and scanned its long list of serial numbers, feeling Tara looking over her shoulder.

“Here,” Tara stated, pointing out a number near the bottom. “Eight - six - four - eight…what’s this number here? Four - six - three?”

“Eight - six - four - eight is the serial number for the inventory.” Turning around and looking at the enormous warehouse of shelves and aisles, she scanned the large numbers on each end to ensure she was on the right track. “Four - six - three, means aisle four, section six, shelf three.”

“Ahhhh, Ivy League has done it again,” Tara teased, knowing she disliked Aidan calling her that. “I bow down.”

“Shut up,” she hissed, rounding up Nicholas and Noah to go with them. “Let’s get this and go, it’s Spaghetti Tuesday.”

“I love Spaghetti Tuesday,” Noah moaned, already leading the way towards the second aisle.

While Glenn and Aidan hung back to keep watch of the Walkers and the other aisles, Noah, Nicholas, Carrie and Tara headed down aisle four in search of their supplies. Enjoying the fact that for once they were scavenging in a building that was clean and free of blood and destruction, she focused on finding the correct section and shelf. The longer they wasted time, the greater the risk.

“Here,” she said softly, reaching the correct section and seeing the final four digits of the micro inverter printed on a shelf tag. Shining her flashlight up, she assessed the box until she found the same serial number printed on the side, confirming she had found what they were looking for. “Tara? Help me get it down?”

While Nicholas and Noah watched each end of the aisle, Carrie and Tara pulled the box down and then used their knives to open the top. Rifling though the foam packaging, they gave a soft whoop of success as they found what the exact micro inverter they had been looking for.

“Should we just take the box?” Tara suggested.

Carrie shook her head, critiquing how large and awkward it would be to carry. “No, let’s just unpack it, that’s what we brought the bags for. Nicholas?”

Taking his empty back pack, she and Tara started carefully packing the micro inverters, trying to maximise the amount they could fit into the bag. They needed at least twelve to get the solar panels up and running again that day, and though they could feasibly come back for more if they needed to, it would be better to get as many as possible.

Closing the bag and securing the zip, she handed it over to Nicholas and then peered back up at the shelf to look for another box. “We’ve got more bags in the van, right?” she asked, hearing the sharp sound of someone shooting their gun with a silencer, the empty shells clattering to the ground.

“Yeah,” he nodded, slipping the bag onto his shoulders and heading off down the aisle. “I’ll take this out and get some more. We should take as many as possible.”

“Check for any instructions,” Tara told her, gesturing to the empty box as the sound of Glenn’s voice began to echo around. “I’ll get the next box down.”

Beginning to rifle through the foam packaging, Carrie tipped it onto its side and dispensed with it all, searching for any kind of paper work or instructions Eugene might not already have. Hearing Glenn start shouting at Aidan, she mentally rolled her eyes and then glanced up at Noah who stood halfway down the aisle. Hearing the commotion, he turned on his heel and followed its sound.

“Aidan! Stop!”

The explosion came without warning, the sudden eruption of heat, sound and power rendering everything else obsolete. It hit with a force greater than anything Carrie had ever felt, her entire body absorbing the shock wave that lifted her clean off her feet. As her entire world slipped from her control she felt herself becoming airborne, the brief sensation of weightlessness giving momentary reprieve from the explosion. But the reprieve was only brief, and suddenly she felt herself coming to a violent stop against something hard and immovable, her body slumping down to the ground as debris rained down upon her. As she waited for it to end she desperately tried to breathe, but her body refused to cooperate, allowing only small gasps of dust filled air to enter her lungs.

As quickly as the explosion began it was over, the atmosphere becoming still again. Slowly recollecting herself, she lay face down as she waited for her head to stop spinning, for her brain to finally connect with her muscles and allow her to move. When her mind caught up with reality the first things she was aware of was pain in her face, the taste of blood in her mouth and the painful ringing in her ears that was slowly beginning to recede. Gasping for breath, she managed to open her eyes and see only darkness, but as the moments passed her vision cleared and the ringing began to fade. Through the darkness she could make out a single beam of light, one that appeared and then disappeared a few times, encouraging her to get up, to go to it. She tried to move, instinct telling her to get up, but there was a painful throb that wracked her whole body. It kept her immobile for what felt like the longest time, and then she tried again.

Struggling up onto her elbows Carrie slowly moved upright, distantly aware of debris cascading down her body. She coughed as a plume of dust filled the air around her, but she gratefully breathed the air in, feeing her head begin to clear up as her lungs expanded with much needed oxygen. She gently pressed her hand to her painful face, feeling warm moisture that indicated blood, but she gave it little thought. With the oxygen came relief, the painful throb in her torso receding as adrenaline began flowing. Panic for the others saw her clumsily getting to her feet, her strength failing her at first. As she rose to her feet, she fumbled around to feel her holsters, relieved to find that both her guns, her knife and her machete were still in place. Her flashlight was gone, and so she moved through the pitch black surroundings, stumbling over debris and obstacles with one thought in mind. Tara had been right beside her…where was she now?

“Tara?” she called out, trying to find a balance between staying quiet and making herself known. She could hear the snarls of snapping teeth of Walkers near by, and so she lowered her voice again. “Tara, where are you?”

There was the sound of a soft commotion to her right, but before she could draw her knife two beams of light was shone in her face. Despite the discomfort, she was relieved to know that it was one of her people.

“Carrie?” Glenn panted, his voice sounding strangely distant. His flashlight illuminated his face, or what she could see of it through the shelves anyway. “Are you-”

“Give me the flashlight,” she said urgently, her voice feeling rough and harsh in her throat. Stumbling over to the shelves, she and Glenn reached through from opposite sides to make the exchange, catching a glimpse of Noah’s face beside him. “I can’t find Tara.” She had been right next to her…they’d been close enough to touch. Moving carefully, for every sound seemed to grate at her ear drums, Carrie began searching.

“Walker, on your left,” Glenn said urgently.

Looking up that way, she was surprised to see a dark figure approaching her, having managed to get close to her. Figuring her hearing must still be suffering, and trying to adjust accordingly, she withdrew her Glock with the silencer to take care of it. Her body barely cooperating as it were, and she didn’t trust her strength to take it on hand to hand. She held her gun and flashlight just the way Glenn had taught her, just the way Rick had taught him, and she quickly took out the Walker. Just like before the otherwise unobtrusive sound of the suppressor stung at her ear drums and made her wince.

“She’s here!” Noah told them, though Carrie only just managed to hear him. “Carrie, back this way.”

Taking her finger off the trigger, she turned around and hastened back down the way she had come, a large obstruction ahead of her blocking her way. Looking past it she could see Noah’s flashlight shining on something the other side, and so carefully assessing the stability of what looked like heavy wooden boxes, Carrie holstered her gun and carefully climbed up and over it. She found Tara on the other side, slumped over as a steady course of blood streamed down the side of her head.

As Glenn and Noah struggled through the fallen debris to get to their side, Carrie took what she considered to be a necessary risk. Leaving herself with bare arms, she tore off her jacket and folded it up. After carefully determining the source of the blood, she pressed the fabric there and applied firm, but gentle pressure. Speaking softly, she tried to rouse Tara, grasping her shoulder and squeezing just like Pete had been teaching them to do.

“We need to get her out of here, now,” Glenn said, he and Noah arriving on the scene. “The cage is open, Walkers are getting out.”

“It’s going to take three of us,” Carrie told him, glancing up to the end of the aisle and seeing Nicholas standing there, filled with panic. “She could have a spinal injury, we need to keep her head stable,” she said next, mentally beginning to run through everything she had learnt over the last few weeks. Planning their next move, she quickly looked Glenn and Noah up and down to see they looked horribly dishevelled, their faces covered in cuts and smears of blood, Glenn’s hair practically looking windswept.

“Nicholas, cover us!” Glenn shouted. While he took Tara’s torso, he directed Noah to take her head and Carrie to take her legs. “You guys ready? On three…one, two three.”

They moved in perfect unison, and though at first they struggled under Tara’s dead weight, they quickly began shuffling back towards the end of the aisle, Nicholas sticking close by with his gun drawn. With their hands occupied they depended fully on Nicholas, and Carrie wasn’t too polite to admit that scared her just as much as the explosion had. By some miracle they made their way through the warehouse, but as the Walkers began appearing ahead of them in all directions, they diverted their initial course. Heading not for the way they had entered the warehouse, they instead moved towards one of the offices close by, deciding to take refuge in there for now. As Nicholas swept his arm across the desk and cleared the contents off for them, Carrie, Glenn and Noah shuffled in and then very carefully laid Tara down.

“Where’s Aidan?” Carrie asked, double checking that Tara’s head was still straight before reapplying pressure to her wound.

“He’s dead,” Nicholas said lowly, hastily closing the door behind them.

There was a terrible moment of silence as Carrie took this in, looking to Glenn and Noah to seek their confirmation. When they nodded, her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, the situation having just got even more serious. Aidan was dead. Not hurt, not trapped or stranded…dead. She wanted to ask what happened, how he had died and what had caused the explosion, but there wasn’t time for that. They had to prioritise Tara, and so instead she asked, “Where’s the med kit?”

“In Aidan’s pack…it got blown to hell.”

“She’s got serious head trauma, we need to get her out of here,” she said, looking down at Tara. She was breathing, and Carrie could feel the throb of her pulse, but she was losing a lot of blood. “There’s another med kit in the van, if we…”

Carrie trailed off, the sound of an agonised scream capturing everyone’s attention. There was a flurry of panic as Glenn, Noah and Nicholas darted over to the office windows, looking through the blinds out into the warehouse.

“Oh, Jesus,” Nicholas moaned.

“Is he alive?”

“I checked him, I thought…I-I,” Nicholas stammered.

There was a short pause, Carrie looking up at them in confusion. The agonising moan came again, this time weaker, and it was then she understood what she couldn’t see…Aidan was out there, still alive.

“It’s going to take at least three of us,” Glenn began, already prepared to act.

“Have we got that kind of time?” Noah asked, turning around and looking at Carrie.

Nicholas was quick to intervene. “No! If we pull Aidan off there, we could kill him.”

“So you’re saying we leave him?” Noah said in outrage.

“We have to!” Nicholas shouted, cringing at the very words he was saying. “We have to leave him, we can’t risk it. We could all get killed!”

“Glenn?” Noah appealed, looking to him for support, and knowing he would get it.

Looking back out the window, Glenn was already moving back towards the door, his decision already made before he looked to Carrie to gauge her support too. Unable to see Aidan’s predicament, to assess how difficult the rescue would be, Carrie ought to have kept her mouth shut. But she knew what Glenn wanted to do, she knew who he was at heart, who they all were…there was really only one decision. They had to try.

“Go. Save him,” she said abruptly. “Tara would do it, we know she would.”

“Alright,” Glenn took charge. “We’ll knock them back. Nicholas, do you still have that flare?”

Nicholas nodded. “Yeah.”

“You fire the flare over the shelves,” Glenn instructed, the three of them heading for the door. “It’ll draw some of them over, we’re going to hit the rest of them hand to hand. Carrie, if we don’t come back-”

“You will,” she said automatically, the words a reflex to say.

“If we don’t,” he said imperatively. “Then go. The exit’s only twenty yards down on your left.”

Needing to give him the peace of mind that she’d be alright, she didn’t argue. “Okay.”

“Alright, we’re gonna go on three. One, two, three.”

Working seamlessly, the three of them sprung into action. After a hearty shove Glenn threw the door open with a loud grunt, Nicholas stepping out first as bright red light bloomed as fired the flare. In seconds, the three men were gone and the door swung shut, engulfing Carrie and Tara in near silence. She could hear only the slightest sound of scuffle from outside the office, a loud yell indicating that they were making their way through the Walkers.

She couldn’t see out the office windows, not when she needed to hold her jacket against Tara’s head, but she was desperate to know what was happening. Her whole body quaked with fear for her friends, for her new family who were so horribly endangered right now. Unable to do a thing about it, Carrie instead focused her attention on Tara. Moving her head as little as possible, she made some adjustments and started winding the arms of the jacket around Tara’s head, tying them in a turban-like bandage that would hold for now. Taking out Glenn’s flashlight, she hastily looked over Tara’s body, assessing any other injuries that she might be treatable.

A howl of pain caught her attention, one that strained at the person’s throat. With Tara’s head wound no longer occupying her hands, Carrie absolutely had to know what was going on, and so she rushed over to the window the others had been looking through. It took the longest time for her to make out what she was seeing, barely able to tell the shapes and the shadows from one another, but as the scream died down she managed to locate the source of movement and focus on it. Glenn, Noah and Nicholas were crowded around something, and in horror Carrie managed to make out Aidan’s face. There was an air of panic among the four men, Glenn grabbing Nicholas’ arm as he tried to back away. Regrouping, they returned to Aidan while Noah kept watch, firing his gun as Walkers approached and began closing in on them.

Aidan started screaming again, but he trailed off more quickly this time. Trying to understand why they weren’t coming back with him, Carrie looked at Aidan and slowly realised he was stuck…he impaled on something.

“Oh, shit,” she muttered, beginning to feel a little faint as what she was seeing made sense. They were trying to pull him off…trying, and failing.

There was frightened shouting now, the snarls and growling of the Walkers escalating as Aidan began screaming again, and this time Carrie didn’t need to look to know what was happening. The scream was one of excruciating agony, a mournful effort to feel alive in his last moments. Picturing the Walkers converging on Aidan, Carrie covered her ears and staggered back over to Tara, trying to stifle the horrified sobs that were bursting out of her chest. She didn’t want to hear any more, she couldn’t bear witness to yet another person being torn apart, and yet the only reprieve she got was the silence that indicated Aidan was dead. As his screams died down and then stopped, she was left with only the sound of the Walkers tearing into him, groaning and snarling in satisfaction.

With a shuddering breath, Carrie opened her eyes and looked at Tara, slowly lowering her hands from her ears and returning them to Tara’s injury. Trying to get control of herself, she focused on breathing in and out, feeling the oxygen reaching her brain while she watched Tara’s chest also rise and fall. While she waited for the others to return without Aidan she focused on that, on making sure Tara kept breathing, that her quick pulse didn’t falter. A minute or so passed without interruption, and waiting anxiously Carrie looked up at the office door. They should be back by now. Glenn, Noah and Nicholas…they should have been back already.

Leaving Tara again, she moved back over to the windows and looked out. Against her will, she forced herself to look at Aidan, and despite what it meant, she was glad she couldn’t see him, that his body had been completely surrounded by Walkers. But to her horror, that was the only sign of movement from inside the warehouse. The red light from the flare was dying, but the longer she looked out and waited, the more she was certain that there was no one out there. For a brief moment she wondered if the others had become caught up in the Walkers while they tried to help Aidan, if they were all dead, but she rationalised with herself. There would have been more screaming, much more.

She looked down at her watch, taking note of where the seconds hand was. Sixty seconds…she could give Glenn and the others sixty seconds. Glancing back at Tara, she waited apprehensively, remembering what Glenn had asked her to do. The exit was twenty yards to her left…but Tara. If she had a spinal injury, any attempt Carrie made to move her by herself would only worsen it. What if she hurt Tara even more? What if she had a broken neck, and Carrie’s attempt to help her left her paralysed? As the second hand counted down to sixty, she knew that was going to be a risk she’d have to take. Just as this thought occurred to her, she reached the sixty second time limit, but briefly losing her nerve she extended it to ninety. Ninety seconds…she could give Glenn that much.

But soon enough, ninety seconds had passed, and Carrie knew she had to act now. There was no movement from the warehouse, and though she knew Glenn and Noah would never abandon her completely, she also knew she couldn’t wait for them much longer. Tara couldn’t wait…they needed the med kit. Clearing her throat and determining her first priority, Carrie shook off her fear and stepped into action, knowing what she needed to do.

Even if she could lift Tara to carry her over her shoulder, it wasn’t an option given her potential injuries. As she quickly determined the best way to transport her friend, Carrie sent silent thanks to Rick, finally seeing the bigger picture in the same way he had three weeks ago. Though Rick had come on too strong and too forceful by the end of it, his impassioned speech and declaration that everyone was going to undertake the training he determined was paying off now. Pete had taught many of them a great deal of emergency first aid, including how she’d need to transport Tara without assistance.

She paused only long enough to check her weapons, retrieving her spare magazines from the jacket pocket and slipping them under the strap of her bra instead. Setting her Ruger out on the ground by the door, she took a deep breath before sliding her hand under the back of Tara’s head. Her manoeuvre was clumsy, her fumble possibly doing more damage than she was trying to prevent, but she persevered regardless. Standing behind Tara and supporting her head against her own neck, Carrie slowly lifted her up and began dragging her off the desk. Her feet fell down to the ground with a heavy thump, her head lolling for a moment before Carrie clumsily stabilised it, but then they were ready.

Winding her arms underneath Tara’s armpits and supporting her head the way Pete had taught her, she dragged her backwards towards the door. The motion elicited a gasp of pain from Carrie, her back and shoulders aching from the aftermath of the explosion. Pushing on regardless, she paused only to grab her Ruger and to slowly open the door, leaving it slightly ajar before taking hold of Tara once more. Bracing herself for anything she might encounter on the other side she backed up into the door as quietly as possible, trying not to draw attention to her activities. She nudged the door open and looked out, and when she found no Walkers on the other side she moved swiftly. Without ceremony she dragged Tara through the warehouse as fast as she could, trying to stay low to evade detection from the Walkers.

The majority of them were occupied with Aidan, but those who had remained entranced by the red flare were Carrie’s biggest threat. It had almost completely died out by now, and the half dozen or so in that direction were slowly losing interest, heading back towards her. Briefly losing her footing, she had to stop and readjust Tara’s position again, trying to keep her head still as they started moving again. The Walkers that came towards them from the front were of less concern to her, for despite the difficulty in moving Tara, they was halfway to the exit already. It was the Walkers that came upon her from the side and behind that slowed her down. It was a futile task to keep track of all directions, and her groans of exertion were almost impossible to stifle, but she had to, and quickly. The warehouse was silent now that Aidan was dead and the others forced to flee, and every sound Carrie made was attracting attention.

Slipping, Carrie’s foot slid out from under her, sending she and Tara crashing down to the floor. Trying not to panic, she clenched her mouth shut before wriggling out from underneath Tara, needing to get at her guns immediately. Her flashlight was gone, but there was just enough light streaming from the open door for her to see the Walkers that were approaching. Scrambling to her feet, she resisted the instinct to head for the nearest wall and take out the Walkers with her back pressed against it and instead stayed with Tara, standing over her as she raised her gun and started firing. Though she’d trained well with the Glock, and the silencer too, her shots were messy with panic, but effective nonetheless. Three Walkers were taken out in a flurry of rapid fire, and after two more appeared from the shadows her magazine was empty.

“Fuck,” she whispered to herself, her voice hoarse with fear.

There were two others coming now, their faces passing the beam of light that came through the door. While she knew that Walkers had no conscious thought, for one horrible moment it was like the closet one looked directly at her and saw how scared she was, how easy she’d be to take down. Feeling the situation getting out of control, Carrie felt her first moment of overwhelming fear since the explosion happened. Fumbling in the dark to find the magazine release, she wished she had practiced this particular manoeuvre a little more, even though it was as easy as finding a button. Despite her preference for it, she couldn’t draw her Ruger until the absolute last minute, knowing that the loud shots would draw more than she could handle.

Panicking as the two Walkers drew nearer, and with Tara to protect, she reverted back to her older, more preferred methods. Holstering her Glock, she knew her knife instead and went straight for the first Walker, knocking it’s arms aside and plunging her knife through the eye. Her hands were slippery with Tara’s blood and so the knife slipped from her grasp, and without time to retrieve it she drew her machete to take on the second Walker. This was an easier kill, allowing her to holster the machete and go straight back to Tara. She wound her arms beneath Tara’s arm pits and started moving, persevering even when she lost her footing on the slippery floor yet again.

Miraculously, they reached the outer door through which they had entered, using her foot to kick it open all the way. As if to mock her relief, the heavy metal door swung back, the handle striking her hard in the side. The struggle to get Tara to safety felt relentless and never ending. This notion was reaffirmed the moment she managed to get her all the way down the steps and onto the road outside. Having been forced to leave the door open, Walkers began following her out, and yet again Carrie had to put Tara down. This time she didn’t bother with her empty Glock and simply withdrew her Ruger, the noise be damned. She was exhausted, her body weary and struggling to move with the speed and coordination it needed. When she took out three Walkers in quick succession she staggered back up the steps and began dragging the corpses out of the way. Finally she slammed the door shut again, buying herself some time to get Tara safely in the back of the van.

Two steps forward, one step back.

Using all the sheer grit and determination she had left, Carrie picked Tara up once again and dragged her over to the van, the bright daylight showing her how helpless and vulnerable she was. It was this that gave Carrie the next boost of energy and adrenaline, determined that she was going to save Tara’s life. She didn’t know what had happened to the others, she didn’t know if they were dead or alive, but she knew that Tara was depending on her, that she held her life in her hands. The rear doors of the van had been left open, and though her back strained and protested as she climbed in and dragged Tara with her, and it was with an alright gasp of relief that she lowered Tara down to the floor.

There wasn’t time to waste, and so Carrie gave herself only one moment to recover before pushing onward. Her hands shook as she carefully readjusted the jacket pressed against Tara’s head, wondering what she should do next. She knew that she was meant to turn Tara onto her side, that the recovery position they had practiced was the next step, but she didn’t think she’d be able to do it on her own, not if she wanted to protect Tara against any spinal injuries Trying to think, she felt for Tara’s pulse and then reassured herself that she was still breathing. But there was no denying that Carrie was completely alone in this situation, and she didn’t know what to do.

What had Pete taught them? Could she move Tara onto her side by herself?

Plagued by indecision, Carrie looked out the rear doors at the empty road, waiting for the others to miraculously appear and help her. When they didn’t she forced herself to once again take control of the situation and act. She knew Glenn well…if he hadn’t come back to her and Tara by now, then he was the one in trouble, he was the one who needed help. Thinking for a moment, she pictured the floor plan of the warehouse before quickly deciding that Glenn and the others must have gone out the front into the reception. Her heart sank as she reached this conclusion, having learned from their perimeter check that the front area was heavily populated with Walkers, that they must have run straight into them. With that in mind, she leapt into action, acting on pure adrenaline and instinct. Using their bags to stabilise Tara’s head, she slammed the rear doors closed and then climbed into the front seat, thanking God for their practice of keeping the keys under the sun visor rather than on their person. Starting the engine, she took the time to check both side mirrors just in case the others appeared behind her, and then took off.

She didn’t know where Glenn and the others were, she didn’t know what was going on, but she knew where to start. If the layout of the warehouse indicated they had gone towards the front of the building, then so would she. That was where she needed to start, that was where she would find them, and so she drove with as much speed as she dared, her eyes peeled as she looked for signs of human movement, of anyone from her group who might have made it outside. Feeling the van rocking as she took a corner too quickly, she corrected the squealing tyres and then raced down the final stretch, driving past the bright white semi trailers towards the front. Emerging into the main parking lot she braced herself to be suddenly surrounded by the crowd of Walkers, only to find that it was almost deserted.

Taken aback, it took her a moment to orient herself before she figured out what had changed, where the Walkers had gone. The crowd that had previously been spread out across the parking lot had moved, having converged on the front of the building in a large group. Feeling sick with fear, Carrie selfishly prayed that whatever was drawing their attention was Nicholas, that it was he who was dying, not Glenn or Noah. Quickly coming up with a plan, she lowered her window and drove the van over towards the front doors, squinting as she tried to make out exactly what she was seeing, what was going on over there. As she drew nearer, she turned around in her seat and glanced at Tara again, wincing apologetically at what she did next.

“Sorry,” she whispered apologetically, reaching for the volume dial on the stereo.

Aidan’s awful music began blasting from the speakers, and Carrie laid her hand on the van’s horn as she moved them closer to the front of the warehouse. Taking a good look at her surroundings in all directions, she made absolutely sure she knew where all the Walkers were as she approached the crowd, watching as one by one they started to hear the music and horn.

“Hey!” she called out loudly, leaning out the window and banging her fist against the outside of the door. “Hey, over here!”

Bringing the van to a stop a few yards away, she lowered the clutch and then pressed on the gas, revving the engine to create more noise. The Walkers slowly began turning around, catching on to the new prey that was now in their sights. Still waving her arm so they would see her movement, she hastily brought it back inside and then raised the window to protect herself. As the Walkers began coming over to her, stumbling over the curb in their haste, Carrie desperately looked towards what they had been crowding around, and for a long moment she didn’t understand what she was seeing. There was so much movement in her field of vision it was hard to distinguish what was what, but as the sunlight glinted off a few panes of glass, she managed to make out the top of a revolving door. By the time the Walkers begun reaching the van, she let out a loud cry of relief upon seeing the frightened faces of Glenn, Noah and then Nicholas.

Understanding how they had become stuck, and taking note of the Walkers that crowded them from the inside of the building too, Carrie got straight back into action as elation began to fill her. There was still danger to be managed, but this situation she was capable of handling, she knew exactly what to do. Putting the engine back into gear she gently eased her way past the Walkers that she had allowed to crowd the van, getting past them without issue and leading them away. It would be slow progress, but she had to get the Walkers well clear of the revolving door before she could go back and get her group out. Mentally planning, she knew that if she led the Walkers away but they saw her doubling back, they’d only follow her there again. Just like the night on the long supply run when she and Rick led the herd away, she had to make sure they kept going in one particular direction, meaning she’d have to drive in a loop right around the building to buy herself enough time. Once she got them out of the parking lot and they were following her around the building, she could speed off and get back to Glenn, Noah and Nicholas.

She questioned why they hadn’t shot out the glass and climbed through, and figured they must have run out of rounds. But now with her there, all they had to do was wait for her to return. She knew Glenn and Noah, confident with how their minds worked and planned in a situation like this. If they couldn’t safely escape on their own they would wait, they would have the confidence and trust to know that she was coming back for them.

Watching in her side mirrors, she observed the Walkers following her in a long procession, and then came to a stop near the corner of the building. Gratefully turning off the music, for she didn’t need it now she had their attention, she lingered there and let them gather closer. The moment she had them all together she started off again and turned round the side of the building, moving halfway down before pulling to a stop and waiting. Trusting that Glenn and Noah would wait for her to get back, she put the hand brake on and climbed into the back to attend to her other charge. With shaking hands she gently checked Tara’s wound, the bleeding from the head trauma beginning to slow down. Her breathing and pulse seemed steady, and her complexion was pale, but not grey, another good sign. Nevertheless, when she tried to rouse her, Tara still did not respond.

Leaving her for now, Carrie climbed back into the front and then looked in the side mirrors again, taking note that the entire group of Walkers had come around the side of the building in pursuit of her. Having fixed the problem of them following her back to the revolving door, Carrie started off again, driving around the building like a madman in her haste to get back to the group. Driving with one hand, she reached up into her bra and took out the spare magazines she had stashed there, planning to shoot out one of the large windows on the side of the atrium. If she freed the other Walkers from the interior and enticed them away, Glenn, Noah and Nicholas would be able to get out. Though the area should be clear of Walkers, she’d use the Glock with the silencer, for the last thing they needed was to bring more Walkers back around to the front.

Despite her planning, the moment she came around the last corner and entered the carpark, Carrie’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach. The area was not clear as it should be, and though five Walkers were nothing she couldn’t handle, she knew something was very, very wrong. The revolving door was moving again, and Walkers were streaming out of it one and two at a time, emerging into the bright sunlight and heading off. They were staggering off in the opposite direction, following the others who were still in relentless pursuit of the van, but that was the least of Carrie’s problems.

“No, no, no,” she muttered to herself, beginning to panic.

Going against everything she knew to do, she pulled on the handbrake and flew out of the van, pausing long enough to slam the door so shut that Tara could have some protection. Reloading her Glock, she raced over to the revolving door, an awful groan escaping her lips as she saw what was awaiting her. Dark blood was smeared all over the lower panes of glass, flesh and viscera covering the tiled floor, the Walkers tracking it outside leaving bloodied footprints in their wake. Carrie stood there in disbelief, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. The glass doors were in tact, the Walkers hadn’t broken through…Glenn, Noah and Nicholas should be right there! Feeling her heart beginning to beat out of her chest, she took a breath and got herself together, knowing she needed to act. Somehow she began to move, her feet bringing her closer to a scene she didn’t want to see.

“Glenn!” she called out loudly, desperate to see him, to find them all alive and well. “Noah! Where are you?”

Shooting the closest Walkers, she reached the door and tried to stop it, slipping over on the bloodied floor and landing in the mess. Hastily forcing the revolving door to stop, lest it force her inside the building, she clung to the wall as she pulled herself up from the floor, looking over her shoulder to make sure she was still safe. She’d already caught a glimpse of what was happening just a few feet away from her, the activity on the opposite side of the revolving door, but she forced herself to look again. Trembling, she gave a low cry when she saw that against all hope, the Walkers were in a feeding frenzy. Using all her strength she kept holding the door still, keeping the Walkers inside so that she could look, so she could force herself to see who it was. She thought of Maggie who waited back in Alexandria, fully expecting her husband to come home, because he always did. They always came back to each other against all odds. Trying to see, for she had to know, she selfishly prayed again that it was Nicholas who was dead, not the others.

“Carrie! Carrie, we have to go!”

A mournful cry escaped her throat at the sound of someone calling her name, devastated by who it belonged to. Her heart sank as she turned around and saw Nicholas frantically running across the parking lot, his eyes alight with panic as he shouted at her and pointed to the van idling thirty yards away. The immediate grief hit her hard, for if something had gone wrong and Nicholas had survived, then Glenn and Noah had to be dead. They’d been trapped in the same section together, if one of them had gone down, the other must have too.

Wrenching herself away from the revolving door, she dodged one of the Walkers that had come back for her and ran over to Nicholas. “What happened?” she demanded, trying to hold back the flood of angry tears that wanted to erupt from her. “Nicholas, what happened?”

His panic fading, his expression turned blank for a moment. “We’re leaving, now.”

“No, wait. We n-”

“They’re dead!” he shouted at her, turning away and heading for the driver’s seat.

“Both of them?” she asked, grabbing Nicholas’ sleeve and making him look back at her. “Both of them?”

He looked her in the eye when he spoke next. “Yes…they’re both dead.”

Not breaking eye contact, Carrie stood there and panted for breath, trying to gauge whether or not she believed him. Though he spoke with conviction and certainty, Carrie did not trust him…she knew what he was like, she knew self-preservation was his priority above all else. If he were lying about what happened to the others, this would not be the first time. On the Georgia supply run when the two of them were scavenging together, he’d neglectfully let out a dozen Walkers and then left her for dead, and he’d lied about the circumstances too. While she’d forgiven him for the sake of wanting to properly integrate into Alexandria, this time she knew better. She thought of Rick, of being the one to tell him that Glenn was dead, of having to tell Maggie…

“We need to be sure,” she said lowly. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw more of the Walkers getting out of the revolving door and approaching them. “Nicholas, we-”

“You come with me, or you-”

“We need to be sure!” she screamed at him, trying to make him understand. “I cannot tell Rick and Maggie that Glenn is dead if I’m not sure! I have to see it!”

Nicholas barely reacted, though his eyes did dart over her shoulder to look at the Walkers approaching. As though he was steeling himself for a fight, he took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “Either you come back with me, or you stay here and die with your friends,” he said, opening the drivers door and beginning to get in. “Those are your choices.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, flabbergasted. He was giving her an ultimatum? “You’re being ridiculous,“ she muttered, trying to reach past him for the keys in the ignition.

“Those are your choices!” he shouted at her, seizing her by the arms and pushing her back. Taking advantage of her surprise he easily shoved her against the side of the van, his grip on her arms painfully tight as he shook her. “Decide, now!”

Rendered speechless, Carrie gaped at him in shock, unable to believe what he was doing. She knew what he was like, that his own self-preservation was his priority, but she had never expected to be set upon by him. Even though she knew what she wanted to do, that she wanted to take a deep breath and calmly tell him she just needed two minutes to be absolutely sure, she couldn’t move. Taking her lack of response as her final answer, Nicholas’ face twisted into a growl of frustration as he tried to shove her aside. At this action Carrie’s fight or flight response kicked in, and she roughly pushed past him and lunged for the driver’s seat. All she needed to do was get the keys and buy herself enough time to properly look for Glenn and Noah, to be absolutely sure, but as she wrapped her hand around the keys Nicholas was on her.

He seized her from behind and wrenched her back, and though she’d certainly fought aggressors larger and stronger than he, her flimsy attempt to snatch the keys worked against her. As she struggled against Nicholas she clumsily lost her footing, allowing him to pull her back and push her aside like it was nothing. She tried to break her fall as she hit the ground hard, her aching body complemented by a flash of pain in her arm, and she lay prone on the ground before struggling back up. She could hear the snarls of Walkers closing in on them, but it was to Nicholas that she turned her attention. He stood above her, horrified with what he had done, but too frightened to change his course of action.

“Y-you come with me now, or you die!” he repeated, his voice wavering fearfully. He looked up at the approaching Walkers, and he began backing himself into the driver’s seat. “Carrie, you come wi - Carrie!”

She didn’t want to hear anymore. In a split second she burst back to her feet and started running, nimbly slipping past the closet Walkers without bothering to take them out. Moments later she hard the van door slamming shit, the tyres squealing as Nicholas fled the scene, but she barely thought about it. Instead she focused her energy on getting herself away from the Walkers, on finding a place where she could safely recollect herself. She still needed to look for Glenn and Noah, she needed to be absolutely sure that they were dead before she even thought about how she’d get home to Alexandria. Breathless and in pain, she groaned as adrenaline kept her going, forcing her to keep moving, to keep fighting.

Making it to the other side of the parking lot she slowed to a stop and sank to her knees, holding in the emotions that were about to take hold when she looked back and saw that the van was really gone. Nicholas hadn’t been bluffing, he really had left her behind. As this realisation hit her she fully expected to just lay down there and give up, to succumb to what he had done to her for a second time, but an inner strength she sometimes forgot about kept her going. Despite everything she found herself staggering back to her feet, a gut feeling telling her that this wasn’t over. She turned back to the warehouse and looked at the figures ambling towards her, the distant shapes indistinguishable from one another…except for one. It took her a moment to realise it, but there was one figure that stood out from the others, one that was unlike the others.

“Carrie!” Glenn was yelling, jogging over to her. “Carrie, are you okay?”

At first it seemed too good to be true, that after what Nicholas had told her she was just seeing a figment of her imagination, of her deepest wishes. She looked at Glenn as though he were a mirage, something that would only disappear the moment she came close enough to touch. But there was no denying the sound of his voice as he approached, nor the agonised expression on his face. Realising that he was enquiring about her state, that he was concerned about her of all things, she let out a low laugh, unable to believe it. She looked at him properly for the first time since the explosion, worried by the physical state he was in, a state that was mutual. She turned to face him properly, her feet automatically bringing her closer.

“What happened?” Glenn asked. As he reached her he slowed down and looked back into the parking lot. “Where did you leave the van?’

With a shuddering breath, Carrie forced herself to tell him. “Nicholas left,” she managed to say, her voice weak. “He left us.”

“What?” he gasped, looking at her in horror. “He left?’

“I tried to make him wait,” she explained, needing to tell Glenn, to explain that she had tried, that she hadn’t given up. “But he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t check.”

“Check what?”

“That you were dead!” she exclaimed, her voice approaching hysteria. “He told me, and I didn’t believe him. I just wanted to check, but he wouldn’t listen. He - he just pushed me out of the way and then left. I’m sorry, Glenn, I should have stop-”

Glenn seized her by the upper arms, forcing her to look at him, to focus. “Tara?” he began bluntly. “Is she still in the office?”

Carrie shook her head, calming down a little now that she could give an answer of use. “No, I got her to the van. He…he’ll get her home.” Clinging to that hope, she took a deep breath and looked away, steeling herself before she asked the next question. “Noah?”

There was silence, forcing her to look back up at Glenn. The look on his face said it all, his features pinching as he lowered his hands. “No.”

She didn’t need to hear any more than that. Unlike when Nicholas told her, she believed Glenn without question…she didn’t even need to ask that he was sure. As it always did the immediate grief manifested itself as a physical pain, a tightening in her chest that made her struggle to breathe - but there wasn’t time for that, not when they were the centre of attention for dozens of approaching Walkers.

“Come on,” Glenn said shortly. Seeing that she cradled her right hand against her stomach, he reached out and took her left in his, squeezing it. “Come on, let’s go.”

She nodded, following his lead and beginning to look around. “We need a car.”

“No,” Glenn shook his head, letting go of her hand now that she was following. “We need to find somewhere safe, but visible. We need to wait.”

“For what?”

He picked up their pace as he led her back towards the warehouse. “You think Nicholas is just going to get home and that Rick’s going to believe his story? That Maggie would?”

Carrie gave a low laugh of relief, realising how short sighted she had been not to see this straight away. “Not a chance in hell. He’ll come for us.” She’d learnt this the last time Nicholas had abandoned her, that in this situation she needed to trust that her group would have her back.

“Yes, he will. We just have to find somewhere safe, somewhere they’ll be able to see us.”

Taking note that Glenn had lost his radio and that hers was in the van, she agreed with his plan to find somewhere visible. Walkers were coming at them from a few directions now, those that were streaming out of the revolving door coming from the right, and the group Carrie had initially led away had finally caught up to them on the left. They would be a problem while ever they were visible, but perhaps at the same time they would help draw Rick to their location in the same way the crowd of Walkers had drawn her to the revolving door.

“What happened to your arm?” Glenn asked as they ran, grabbing her left hand again so they stayed close. Trying to beat the crowd of Walkers that were approaching, they headed for the semi trailers that were parked down the side of the warehouse.

“Nicholas,” she panted breathlessly.

“He did that?” Glenn looked at her in disbelief, continuing when she didn’t answer. “Do you think you can climb up a bit?”

“Yes,” she nodded, watching as he tried the doors on the cabin only to find them locked. “Glenn, come on,” she hurried him, the Walkers getting too close. There cabin of the truck was preferable, but there wasn’t time for them to search for an unlocked door. “We can get on top.”

“You first,” he said, pointing to the ladder on the side of the cabin.

When he took out his gun and started firing on the closest Walkers Carrie simply did as she was told and began climbing, ignoring the pain in her right arm. Though her instinct was to make him go first, now was not the time to be debating the roles of gender and impending parenthood in emergency situations.

“Come on,” she shouted, reaching the top and clambering onto the roof of the truck’s cabin. “Glenn!”

Holstering his gun he followed without further delay, letting Carrie cover him as he got started. In seconds he was safe, climbing over the edge and breathlessly collapsing down beside her. Planning ahead and knowing they needed to conserve their ammunition, Carrie holstered her Glock and then looked down at the Walkers, watching them surround the truck and trap them up there. Exhausted, she followed Glenn’s lead and slumped down beside him, resting her right arm cross her stomach while her left hand found his. It was perfectly natural for them to take one another’s hands, to mutter a few words that would hopefully comfort the other. As they settled in for the long wait Carrie looked out at the surrounding areas. She could see the top of the Capitol Building and the peak of the Washington Monument too, but the landmarks were of little interest to her. A cool breeze swept over them, carrying with it the stench of the rotting corpses that surrounded them.

“What happened to Noah?” she asked quietly, needing to know. Looking at Glenn fearfully, she could see the agony on his face, and she knew he was replaying whatever happened over and over again in his head. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” she asked when he didn’t respond, her voice getting tighter with emotion. “I was coming back.”

“I know,” Glenn nodded. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them they were brimming with tears, and he refused to look at her. “We tried to break the glass, but when we couldn’t we were going to wait…but Nicholas panicked.” Pausing, he wiped at his eyes and took another deep breath before continuing. “He forced his way out, and the Walkers just reached in and…I tried to hold him, but they just…”

He trailed off, not needing to elaborate any more, for which Carrie was grateful. She remembered the blood and viscera that filled the vestibule, blood and viscera she had stepped in, that was probably still on the bottom off her boots…that belonged to Noah. This time she didn’t try to stop the outburst of emotion, and she sat up as tears began spilling from her eyes. Bringing her knees up to her chest she wrapped her arms around them, her right wrist beginning to ache more noticeably, and it was that she paid attention to. She looked at it critically, moving her fingers and paying attention to what caused the most discomfort. With her mind focused on the growing pain it was easier to compartmentalise the emotions she was feeling, to keep her shit together for Glenn who was trying to do the same for her. Bringing both of them some comfort he sat up and moved beside her, entwining their arms and holding her left hand again.

“They’ll be an hour,” he said quietly. “Maybe two, depending on how the weather holds out.”

Nodding in agreement, she raised her eyes and looked out across the skies. That morning the supply run had felt particularly urgent to complete given the impending bad weather. It wasn’t ideal for them to be without power at all, but the weather only threatened to extend the time they went without. Now however, the supply run having been executed perhaps too hastily, it looked as though the skies were clearing a little, the heavy grey clouds beginning to thin. She had no doubt that their faith in Rick and their group would come through for them, that the moment they smelled the bullshit spewing from Nicholas’ mouth they’d be gearing up to come and get them. The entire concept of being able to depend on people in your group was still something that felt a little new to her, having not really experienced that in any of her groups with the exception of a few who had long ago died. Right now, the entire situation was completely beyond her control, she was incapable of doing anything to help herself and Glenn except wait.

Despite her confidence in Rick, it had been a long time since she felt this scared.

Notes

Comments

@WalkerWalkerChick
No worries, I was just so happy to find it on the other site I read it there. There aren't too many Rick Grimes stories, and yours are among the best I have found. Really looking forward to your new story and the continuing journey of Rick and Carrie.

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
5/21/17

@Grimesgirl63
Thanks Grimesgirl63, that means a lot!

Sorry it took forever to update on this site! (to get the formatting right, the copy paste has to be done from a Word doc which I don't have on my laptop - this is why I fell so far behind posting on here).

In progress of posting first chapter of The New World as we speak - hopefully up in an hour or so. Happy reading :-)

This was a great ending to the story. Loved how you weaved in the elements of the series but made it your own. Looking forward to your new story!

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
5/21/17

Hi there - just wondering if you plan to update the story on this site. I noticed this story on another FF site and it was much further along. Either way,I started reading it over there. Thanks, it is getting really good.

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
5/10/17

Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy this story. Thought the first one was good as well. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Grimesgirl63 Grimesgirl63
6/7/16