-Immune 14-
Deception of the Dead
*Time Warp*
The group are in the prison and are separated when an alarm sounds and walkers
storm in. T-Dog is lost while saving Carol and Rick finds that Lori has given birth
his daughter but didn’t make it. Distraught Rick enters the catacombs of the
prison to relieve his grief while the rest of the group is left to deal with
the loss and the consequences of Andrew’s actions.
It doesn’t feel like a few days
since the incident, more like a lifetime. Rick has been in and out of the tombs
most of the time and barely speaks to anyone. Maggie and Daryl were able to
find formula for the baby, I think Daryl wants to name her Asskicker or
something, but we’re far from healed. I sit in the yard just watching until
movement beyond the gate. Rather than sound the alarm, I walked to the gate
with my weapon at the ready.
“Stop. It’s probably best if you
turn around and find someplace else, we don’t have anything for you here.” I
told him. A man stood before me with black hair and blue eyes, he had a
pleasant face and oddly enough is not dress in tattered or ragged clothes. He
doesn’t appear to be suffering from hunger and when he spoke, he had a British
accent.
“I’m a friend. I’m only here looking
for someone; someone important.” He spoke with a deep voice and his hands in
the air in the international sign for ‘don’t shoot me’.
“Sorry friend, but the President
does not reside here nor does the Queen of England.” I said with plenty of
sarcasm.
“I’m afraid I’m not looking for them
but a woman.” He said, hands still in the air.
“Yeah, we’re not catering to that
here either, it’s not a brothel it’s a prison, now I said keep it moving.” I
was starting to get irritated.
“Not like that. This woman is
special. She’s immune to the infection and I’m trying to find out how. Her name
is Vanessa Summers, I’m afraid I don’t have a description, but I know from the
transmission that she’s female maybe in her early 30s and she doesn’t turn when
bitten.”
“Transmission?” I asked, my interest
not piqued.
“Yes, from a….um…oh yes, a Doctor
Jenner from Atlanta. He sent out his research probably in the hopes of someone
taking on from where he left off. I’ve been searching the entire area for
months now.” He lowered his hands but didn’t step forward.
“Are you some kind of doctor?” I
lower my gun as well.
“Yes, I’m a medical doctor as well
as a geneticist. I’ve been working in a lab in Arlington Virginia, just outside
of Washington when I received the message. I just wanted to know if you know
anything.” He seemed sincere but I wasn’t ready to tell him the truth just yet.
“Vanessa what is it?” I closed my
eyes when Glen walked behind me. Dammit, anytime but now would have been great.
“Are you Vanessa Summers?” The man
asked with hope in his eyes and I took a deep breathe. There was no going back
now. I opened the gate and invited him in, he had information on me I could at
least hear him out.
“Yes, I’m Vanessa and you are?”
“Julian. Doctor Julian Ridgewell.
Please to finally meet you.”
Inside the group was taken aback by
the presence of another new face. Oscar and Axel have been keeping their
distance but they do ask if we need help from time to time. Daryl and Glen have
been taking more of the leadership role and I’ve just been trying to stay out
of there way too. I stood off to the side while the group interrogated the good
doctor.
“You’re a doctor. And you want to do
what exactly?” Hershel asked him. Julian looked at me while he answered.
“I want to give us all a chance. Ms.
Summers is immune to the infection and Jenner sent out most of his research to
anyone who can receive it. I just want to pick up where he left off.”
“Where he left off was just about to
cut into my brain. If that’s what you want to do then..” he cut me off.
“No, I studied his research and I
don’t believe I have to do that. Of course, I need to get you back to my lab in
order to...” I cut him off as well.
“No, I can’t do that. I can’t leave.
There’s a new baby and we lost people, I’m not leaving unless there is
someplace safe for everyone.”
“I can’t bring everyone, Ms.
Summers, I was only instructed to bring you and with a large group we wouldn’t
be able to travel as fast.” Julian had a look of compassion; as if he would
love to shelter us all but didn’t have the power to.
“Then you can’t have me. It’s all or
nothing Dr. Ridgewell. I’m sorry.”
“Maybe it’s better this way. You
could go and come back when there’s something…a cure maybe.” Hershel tried to
persuade.
“No, I’m not leaving you all, not
again. I can’t.”
“Like before?” I didn’t see Rick
come in but there he was standing near the door. He looks better today as
yesterday he looked as if hell chewed him up and spit him back out. He cleaned
up a little and was eyeing Dr. Ridgewell. “You didn’t seem to have a problem
leaving us before, why should this be any different?”
“Enough of this Rick, I told you I
tried to go back to the farm and I couldn’t, okay? Enough, dammit.” I stood
near the exit as if I was ready to take flight. The others merely sat or stood
in the room, no one saying anything but everyone listening to Rick and I. It
was time to tell them.
“You wanna know where I’ve been?
Okay, then maybe you’ll get off my back.” I turned to face them all. “I woke up
in a cell. I didn’t know where I was or how I got there. There were others too,
two men Jake and Todd also a woman, Jennifer and her daughter Tina. This was
hers.” I held up a small woven bracelet on my left wrist with the name ‘Tina’
spelled out in colorful block letters. “The woman was crying, saying they were
coming tonight to take Tina away. Said they were doing her a favor in taking
her. I couldn’t understand what she meant, who was taking her and why.”
“Jennifer said there had been more
there, in the cell, for over a month. Her husband, two other women, and a
teenage boy. All taken by them, she just kept saying that. Them. Them. Through
her sobs she was able to tell me that the people that lived above us were
luring survivors here to…to…um,” the memories came flooding back and I couldn’t
help but cry. I crossed my arms over me and slide down the concrete wall to the
floor.
“They didn’t have much food so…they
ate people. I didn’t believe her when she said it but…I think I didn’t want to
believe it. They said that children shouldn’t be in this new world, that it was
more humane to kill them now than have kids live in this.”
“My god.” Hershel whispered.
“They came for her, two men with
dirty skin and black teeth. They grabbed Tina out of the cell; I tried…I tried
to stop them. I grabbed her arm but I was too weak from blood loss. All I got
was this bracelet. He told me that they were going to save me for last. They
were going to see if I did heal from these bites and then, if I lived, they
were going to eat me. Said they heard rumors of a girl who was immune and they
figured if they ate me, they would be immune too. I tried to tell them that’s
not how it works and that eating people was not the way to live. It didn’t
matter. I stayed in that cell for months. New people came and went by the end;
it was just me and Jennifer. When they came for her, she didn’t cry or ask for
help. She said she was ready to go, she wanted to be with her family and she
went willingly.”
I thought about when I tried to give
her the bracelet back and what she said to me. “Here, your daughter’s
bracelet.” I told her with my hand out.
“No, you keep it. You’ll get out of
here, you’re strong I can see it. You keep it to remember her by. If you
remember her then she’s not really dead. Remember all of us. We were here, we
existed.” Jennifer’s words hit me hard then and it still does now.
“How did you get away?” Glen asked
cautiously. I looked at him.
“I just did, does it matter how? All
you need to know is that those men in that house with those cells in the
basement won’t be hurting anyone else again….ever.” I left it at that. There
was no need to go into detail about their deaths that were well deserved.
No one else spoke. I saw that Oscar
and Axel walked into the room and wondered how much they heard. Doesn’t really
matter now; my secret is out and there could be more coming for me. This doctor
found me, the men at the house heard rumors of me; I guess I was getting tired
of running and hiding anyways.
“Vanessa…I’m…” Rick started.
“Sorry? I don’t need your pity and I
didn’t want to tell you if I didn’t have to. Living it was enough but now that you
know, I hope it makes you feel better.” I stood up and walked to the exit; I
just needed to be outside but stopped just before reaching the door.
“The baby needs more formula. I’ll
make a run and see if I can find anything.” I told them.
“We’ll go with you.” Glen spoke up
and Maggie stepped forward.
“Just…just leave me alone, please.
I’ll go.” And I left. The sun felt good on my face as the last vestige of
winter finally left this part of the world. I closed my eyes and tried to wipe
bad memories from my mind. I only wanted to hold onto the faces of people I’ve
loved and lost; people I didn’t know and those I wish I could know more.
Opening my eyes I came face to face with the good doctor. He was looking at me
with his sea blue eyes. He was attractive and under better circumstances I
would have flirted with him but all I wanted was to be alone now.
“I’m sorry Vanessa, but the world we
live in now is going to have those kinds of people. Genuinely nice individuals
are few and far between.”
“I guess so…” was all I could say
before a rag was placed over my nose and mouth. A chemical smell filled my
lungs and burned causing my eyes to water. I fought him but he was stronger
than he looked and he had his free hand behind my head buried in my hair
holding me there. I looked into his eyes, those same sea blue eyes before I
blacked out and saw sympathy and regret along with his mouth forming the words
‘I’m sorry’. Then nothing but black.
To be Continued....
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