Kissing Death

Morning - Near midday

We’re on the road. Yesterday was full of mourning. There were sixteen bodies buried. It was hard to watch Andrea put her own sister’s body into a grave. But I’m glad that Amy has a resting place and her body will be safe from the walkers.

We’re heading to the CDC. After much discussion, Rick finally convinced Shane that the CDC would be the safest bet.

T-Dog’s at the wheel and Andrea’s in the passenger’s seat. Jason’s beside me in the backseat--silent, as usual. Our caravan consists of five cars, for now. I’m sure we’ll be out of gas by the time we reach the CDC, but hopefully they’ll have some for us.

Morales is no longer with us. He and his family decided to go be with the rest of their people in Birmingham. I hope they’ll be okay.

Yesterday morning, Jacqui told everyone that Jim was bitten by a walker. Right now, he’s riding in the RV, suffering. He’s been coughing up blood and sweating bricks. I’m praying that we get to the CDC soon, so he can be helped.



Sunset

We left Jim behind. The ride was overwhelming and he couldn’t take it anymore. It was sad to see him sit under that tree and watch us go.

Jim lost his family to the walkers. He’d said that the only reason he escaped was because the walkers were too busy devouring his family. I thought of that story as we were driving away and burst into tears. I didn’t know Jim too well, but it was hard to leave him.

Jim was an auto mechanic before the outbreak and had two sons and a wife. His age and surname are unknown.



Nighttime - 10:57 (according to a hallway clock)

We were pretty close to death as we approached the CDC earlier. The place looked overrun, but Rick swore he saw a security camera move. The walkers were gaining on us when the doors opened and we were flooded with bright lights.

Edwin Jenner is the only doctor left in the CDC. This place definitely wasn’t what we were hoping for. Despite that, there’s a bright side to it all--we got hot showers; rooms to stay in; plenty of food; and are enjoying ourselves tonight.

Quite a few of us were getting completely drunk over dinner. I’ve never seen Glenn act so crazy. Jason was spending most of his time with Daryl, laughing over stupid jokes and sharing a bottle of Southern Comfort. I’ll admit that I’ve had quite a bit of wine tonight, but not too much to handle. I’m not too fond of tripping over my own feet and embarrassing myself.

Shane asked Jenner when he was going to explain why he was the only one left in the CDC. Jenner explained that most of the doctors ran, but the others killed themselves. With that, dinner soon came to an end.

Jason’s asleep in our room. I can’t focus with him snoring so loudly, so I’m sitting in the hallway, freezing my ass off.

I can hear quick, yet staggering footsteps coming this way. I think it might--



Nighttime - a few minutes before midnight

It was Rick. By the time I looked up, he was already beside me. “Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand. He pulled me up so quickly that I stumbled, clutching onto his shirt.

I asked him where we were going. He didn’t say a word and continued to pull me down the hall until we were far away from the occupied rooms. He opened a door to his left and shoved me inside. The first thing I felt was my body colliding with a mattress. The next thing I knew, the room was cloaked in darkness. Rick flipped me over and was on top of me, kissing my neck. That was when I inhaled the smell of wine.

“Rick,” I said, attempting to push him away. “You’re wasted... You can’t.”

He was persistent. His hands found their way up my shirt and to my breasts. I kept telling him to stop, but he shut me up by pressing his lips to mine.

“I love you.”

A tear slipped out of the corner of my eye. He’d never said that to me before, yet there he was, completely drunk, confessing his love for me without a clear head on his shoulders.

I whispered, “You don’t mean that.”

My vision was adjusted to the dark and I could see his blue eyes staring into mine. “Let me show you,” he said. He kissed me again and reached down my shorts.

He left the room before me. I told him to hurry while he slipped his pants back on, warning him that Lori would wonder where he was.

He shut the door behind him and I remember standing there, staring at it. I snapped out of it eventually and left the room, finding this journal where I’d left it.

And I rest beside Jason again, feeling even more discomfort as I write this down.

We’re safe here at the CDC, but there’s something not right. Everyone’s so happy.

When the world ends, no one’s supposed to be happy.