chapter 9 : Failure at the CDC

They drove for a while until the sun was high in the sky when Rick signaled over the walkie-talkie to stop because the hose on Dale's camper had a problem.

Calvin stopped the truck and took the opportunity to cool off.

Rick told him the group was having a meeting so he went out drinking beers with the girls and Glenn followed.

Apparently, Jim wanted to be left there to die because he was tired from the trip. Some hesitated, others decided to respect his wishes and Cal decided not to speak out.

 He saw the gas station in the distance and took the truck there to fill it up completely. He still had plenty of fuel without even counting the reserves but it was always good to have the tank well filled.

The others did their thing with Jim and said their goodbyes before continuing on their way, Cal let them fill up and pass before simply following behind.

 They finally arrived at the CDC's center and everyone got out of the vehicles, they found there full of military installations and dead soldiers with a terrible smell that perfumed the place some started to lose hope but still continued to follow Rick .

They advanced through all this smell until they arrived in front of the closed gate of the CDC and they started to knock when a walker approached them and Cal killed him but the others started to panic.

 Rick continued to hit and scream but the others told him that there was no one there, he saw the camera moving just like Cal and told them that someone was watching them but the others in fear backed away from him because night was falling and more walkers would come.

Shane and T-dog pulled Rick to leave but as he was being dragged away, the portal opened and an intense light hit them all. Immediately, a bad feeling hit Cal about this place. 

 "Don't go…" he said to Dawn, putting his hand on her shoulder.

 Dawn: Why?!

 Cal: I have a bad feeling.

 Dawn: Lincoln, it's the CDC! We have a better chance of surviving here and getting answers, but you want me to avoid this place because of your intuition?

 Cal:...I'm serious...

 She took his hand away and he tried to talk to the others but no one listened to him and they went inside. He followed them when they came across Doctor Jenner who asked them a series of questions which Rick answered. He asked them to go and take their things because when the gate is closed, it will be final.

They all went to get their luggage and in the truck, Cal once again tried to convince the girls but they refused to believe him, he then told them the same thing as Jenner, once his door is closed it will be definitive but Dawn left while Lise looked at him a little before leaving as well.

 Cal watched the girls leave and went out to watch them leave and Glenn came to give him the keys to his van. He saw Morgan passing and warned him.

 « I have a bad feeling about this place, don't take your child there. » he said seriously.

 Morgan: Thanks for what you did for us but I think we'll be okay.

 Cale watched them leave and went back into the King to make some food and watch a movie with his blinds drawn. He planned to stay there for two full days before leaving if the others were there permanently.

After eating, he went to equip himself with an FN P90 with silencer, 3 magazines of 50 cartridges each and a long Kukri in its holster and attached horizontally to the lower part of his back.

 Cal went out at night smoking a joint and didn't need a torch even though he had one with him. Not only was it a full moon, but he could see extremely well in the dark.

He killed 7 walkers who were hanging around and searched the military installations where he found several munitions as well as explosives.

He looked around the entire area and saw several interesting things like the military ration boxes but he didn't take anything because it was just a scouting outing.

 As he walked a little further he passed by a Tank when he heard faint whispers inside, he moved closer and concentrated for a moment to realize that they were actually prayers in Spanish, there was someone alive inside.

His Instinct didn't warn him so he went up to open the entrance mechanism and it stuck one so he had to force it and it made a certain grinding noise before it opened.

 He went inside and the smell was terrible, there was excrement in the tank and an intense smell of urine while three emaciated soldiers were inside.

Two were barely breathing and the third soldier who appeared to be a woman was breathing hard while praying as if she was about to die.

The woman turned her head slightly towards Cal weakly and thinking he was a walker, she put her hand on his neck to prevent him from biting her.

 Cal: Calm down ma'am, I mean you no harm.

 Soldier: help…us…

 Cal first took two of the soldiers out and took them to King and then came to get the last soldier. He stripped them of their clothes and equipment before drying them and putting them in their underwear in sleeping bags. They were dehydrated so he gave them a small amount of water first before giving them something sweet to give them some energy. He gave them a small amount of sugar water and waited.

 After three hours the woman whose prayer he had heard weakly opened her eyes and Cal took her to the bathroom where she urinated on the floor, she was really weak and looked at Cal, saw his face and some characteristics, she was a Latin American.

He got a jar of applesauce and started spoon-feeding her, then gave her some water, took off her dirty, pee-soaked underwear before cleaning her with wipes and give her dry clothes before putting her on her bed.

 The other two soldiers, an African American woman and an Asian man, were in more serious condition so their recovery would take longer than for the woman.

The next day, the woman, although very weak and dizzy, woke up and Cal came to give her food, half-cooked eggs and protein porridge.

 She quickly took the dish and started eating then stopped to look at him and thank him. She introduced herself as Captain Christina Reyes, a 29-year-old special forces soldier and military medic (She was exactly actress Lindsey Morgan who played Raven Reyes on The 100).

Calvin whistled as he listened to all this and asked what happened. Apparently, she and several others had been sent there as reinforcements more than two weeks ago but their troops were devoured by the hordes of walkers.

 She and two soldiers from her unit locked themselves in the tank to hide from the dead. But after two days when they no longer heard the footsteps of the dead they tried to get out but due to a manufacturing defect, the mechanism had a problem and could only be opened from the outside.

They held on because of rations and two canteens of water until there was nothing left, they remained waiting to die in their biological waste.

She prayed every night for death to come and take her but in vain, she did not want to commit suicide until he found her.

 He left it eaten by going to see the others to discover that the black girl had not survived he told Reyes who came to examine the girl to confirm her death, she was sad but he sent her back to eat while he took out the body and placed a nail in her head.

Cal immediately began carrying the boxes of ammunition and rations to load and store them inside. Reyes looked at him strangely and he calmly explained to her the current situation of the world.

No more soldiers, no more government, there was more than survivors and walkers left, which the woman quickly understood.

 She washed the dishes used for her and came to examine the Asian soldier who had already been conscious for a while even though he was very weak at the moment. Reyes fed and cared for him while Cal loaded up more things before sitting down for good at 11am.

 Reyes: Thank you again for saving us but I would like to know how I ended up naked in these clothes?

 Cal: I undressed you before cleaning you and taking care of your health. Listen, I'm sorry for the modesty but I can swear to you that apart from cleaning and feeding you I didn't do anything else.

 Reyes: Very good, thank you for taking care of me. If I understand correctly what you told me, resources are now very precious and you are wasting yours on us. Why did you do that?!

 Cal: I was taken care of like that too, two women.

 Reyes: Are they dead?

 Cal: They left, she just decided to leave. Come on, recover quickly and you too can set off to discover our new world.

 Reyes:…

 They took care of the other soldier and at 3 p.m. Cal went to get the heavy weapons he had gathered outside and he was on his last turn when he heard banging sounds behind him and he turned to there Rick and Shane hitting the armored windows with axes while shouting at him.

He couldn't hear anything but he could read their lips. He took the RPG in his hand and asked them to move further away. When they left, he shot and blew out the entire right side of the windows and Rick ran out with the others.

 "IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" » Rick shouted at him before hiding with the others behind barriers and in vehicles, Cal went back inside King when Andrea and Dale were the last to come out. 10 seconds later, the entire installation was destroyed in a large explosion.

 " WHAT IS HAPPENING ?! » Christina asked Calvin who explained to her that it was the CDC building that exploded. He got out of there and quickly went to warn Rick and the others that they had to leave there quickly.

Because of the explosion, a lot of walkers will definitely come there, they tried to thank him but he ignored them before throwing the van key to Glenn then he went back to the cab of his truck.

 Someone suddenly knocked and he rolled down the window to see Dawn.

 Dawn: You were right, sorry.

 Cal: No need to apologize lieutenant, everyone makes the decisions they need to survive.

 Dawn:…

 Lise: We have to leave.

 Cal: I completely agree.

 Dawn: Will you open the door for us, please?

 Cal: Sorry but I told you my door will be permanently closed to you and you chose to leave anyway.

 Lise: We couldn't have known.

 Cal: I warned you though, life is made of choices so make yours. Plus, I already have other guests with me and we are full. Quickly get to the old man's camper van, we have to leave here urgently.

 They looked at him before doing as he said and the vehicles started to drive away. They came back before stopping in a safe area to take stock and said he wanted to talk to him.

Calvin came out and found Rick grouped with the others who began their thanks. Rick started wanting to explain to him what happened there and Cal told him he didn't even want to know.

 He went to get Christina in the truck and introduced her to the others, Dawn saw the girl much more beautiful and above all younger while an intense frustration was rising inside her and if ever like with her, Cal ended up sleeping with her, this one was never going to leave him again.

They also talked about the other soldier who was recovering and they had to decide on their destination and it was Fort Benning, Rick wanted to know Cal's opinion but he just shrugged his shoulders before taking Christina's hand and bring her back to King.

 The convoy restarted and they left the city. After nearly two days on the road, the lack of food and water was felt by the others except Cal who still had plenty in reserves.

Reyes was doing much better and the other soldier who apparently was named Kim could already eat solids without risk.

Cal explained to Christina the agreement he had with the group about resources because she had seen him refuse water to the others, she found it normal although a little cruel.