[ Pain bloomed hotly, the eruption of it consuming every single part of him until he knew of little else. Time slowly stilled as the shadows closed in and the sight of red faded further and further until nothing else remained. The spell only broke when he started to come to in and out but never for very long. How much time had passed? It made everything a haze but he caught glimpses here and there -- flowers and concern, Shane gesturing wildly and though he tried to reassure everyone, he couldn't manage to stay awake long enough. His heavy eyelids always closed before he could, the cottony dryness of his mouth preventing any words from falling out.
Months later but what felt like days for him, Rick's eyes fluttered open fully for the first time in so long. With a faint groan, his eyes drifted beside him to take in the fresh flowers but only wilted buds met his gaze. What. Stumbling from the bed, he called out for the nurse but no one came. Odd. Pushing himself onto unsteady feet, Rick pushed his way out of the door. Why had someone put something in front of his door for?
Chaos greeted him in the hallway, Rick holding onto the aching middle of his stomach but it didn't stop him from continuing forward. He needed answers and couldn't find them if he stayed still. Along the way, he noted bullet holes, blood splatters and so many thing strewn all around. Something really terrible happened. A shoot out?
Trying to not groan, he finally met a door, his eyes reading it with confusion --
DON'T OPEN - DEAD INSIDE.
An epidemic of some kind? Decayed looking fingers poked through the thin crack of the door, the rattling rasps sounding wrong to his ears and he stumbled backwards.
[ It's hard to describe how fast everything travels down shit creek and they're stranded with arms as paddles. Lucille was in the hospital for a long time even before a state of emergency was declared and everything was on lock down. When the military started storming the hospital shooting the place up? Well, no one in their right mind was going to gun down a dying cancer patient in their bed.. And he sure as shit wasn't about to get killed, either.
The hospital was an okay place to hole up after they left, though the whole place was a graveyard. They made it work, for a while. She wasn't getting any better and the lack of access to medicine was straining at best.
It was a mercy killing, really. Dying in excruciating pain, being eaten alive, dying from starvation.. less favorable ways to go out than not waking back up. Which still left the 'getting out of the shithole town' problem. She'd been airlifted out of Atlanta the week before for some specialist or another. It had all been bullshit- they were far enough from home either way.
Raiding the hospital didn't so much feel like stealing as it did saving resources from expiration or disuse. He found a duffel in someone else's room, some basic meds in one of the nurse's carts, a first aid kit. None of the good shit, unfortunately. Probably behind some locked gate or another. Happy coincidence found him a handgun still in the hand of some poor, dead bastard.
Negan's heading toward the goddamn exit when he walks down one of the main halls, a chained off hallway coming into view at a fork.
DON'T OPEN- DEAD INSIDE.
Fucking christ. There was even one of them walking around. He raises the gun at the bastard and almost fires. ]
[ The sound alerted Rick through the haze of his own mind trying to piece things together. What did the fingers creeping through the opening mean? But he knew he couldn't risk opening the door even in the pursuit of information. Carl and Lori needed him and he needed to do anything to reunite with them. Turning on his heel, a man came into view. A man with a gun pointed at him. Perfect. The first few minutes awake and he already managed to run into some crazed man. Did he have something to do with the state of the hospital?
Where did everyone go?
Head tilted to the side, he realized he needed to say something to keep the man calm and to not shooting up the place. He already woke up from one gunshot wound and didn't feel like earning another so soon. ]
You don't have to do this. [ Voice raspy with disuse, Rick held his hands up as best as he could, wincing at the shift it caused to his side. Ouch. It hurt like hell and more than anything he just wanted to rest but knew he couldn't.
Something terrible happened and he needed to find his son and Lori. ]
We can - talk about this. [ Didn't the man realize he didn't have time for this? ]
[ H-o-ly shit. This guy was fuckin' alive. No mistaking that he was a patient, though from what remains to be seen. His finger moves off the trigger for now, but it stays aimed at the guy. Fuck, he doesn't want to get bit. ]
What were you in for?
[ Sorry, guy. Not taking any chances of getting out of the hospital without some Grade A shit. Maybe the cafeteria has something partially edible, too. ]
[ The guy relaxed a little from his explanation but he remained keenly aware of the gun staying aimed at him. He couldn't blame the guy for being cautious since he'd be the same way if the roles were reversed. Letting out a slow breath even if he ached his ribs, he slowly let his arms fall. ]
Got shot on the job. Been in a coma ever since. [ At least, it seemed as if he had been in a coma, his memory remained fuzzy at best for the past - however, long it had been. For him, it seemed hardly any time at past but the state of things around him spoke otherwise. ]
What're you in here for? [ Two could play the question game, trigger happy. ]
[ This was like some weird shit out of a Stephen King novel- or one of those shitty soap operas the hospital had loved to play. He doesn't know if he believes the guy, but weirder shit has happened, and recently. What goddamn bad luck if that's the truth.. Negan squints at him and lowers his gun as the guy's hands go down. ]
Wife was sick. Stage four cancer. Shit went down and the military started killin' everybody. Some kind of infection.
[ An infection? The amount of blood and disarray around them seemed to paint a very different picture on what actually happened. The guy must be trying to soften the blows for some reason.
Clutching at his side, he regarded him for a moment, trying to decide a couple things. ]
Why did ya stay? I'm sorry 'bout your wife. Has it been awhile? Place looks like a disaster round here.
[ Nodding with understanding, he reached out a hand to a nearby wall to prop himself up. The weakness frustrated him and he really had very little time to rest and try to regain his strength. ]
You been outside? What's goin' on? They've got to have things in better order by now, right?
[ Each new bit of information sunk his heart further in his chest. How could the government mess up so badly? With coordination things should have been taken care of. What were survivors doing in the meantime?
He refused to believe there weren't plenty who made it through. ]
I've got to get home. [ Lori and Carl would be fine, he just needed to see where they went and then reunite with them. ]
[ Half dead guy. He almost took offense but he just woke up from a coma of how long and currently only had on a hospital gown. Not exactly a lot of confidence to inspire his physical state. ]
Yeah. I'm nearby. Let's get movin'.
[ Without waiting for much of a response, Rick started hobbling off in the direction of the exit. ]
[ Negan breathes a metaphorical sigh of relief, trailing behind the guy and watching his back. Easier not to get a knife in his, this way. Or at the very least, an unsuspecting bite if this guy croaks and turns.
Once outside the hospital, the city looks pretty goddamn deserted. It's suspicious how many of these dead things they don't run into.. Then again, the military probably took care of a lot of them. The rest of the city probably got wise and evacuated. ]
Goddamn.
[ If they pass by any cars, if they're unlocked, Negan takes the time to look through them for anything useful. It's easy enough to catch back up with the guy with as slow as he's going, anyway. ]
[ In all honesty, Rick lost focus and attention on Negan the second they're outside because he needed to be alert with other things. There were so many bodies and an eerie kind of oppressive silence, which prickled at his skin and churned up the bile in his stomach. What all happened? How could it happen?
The trek toward a his house took longer than normal because of the slower movements he needed to take. ]
This is mine. [ He explained, moving quicker through the house than he did outside, calling out to Lori and Carl just in case but they weren't there. It sunk his heart so low in his chest but they must have made it out safe. He refused to think otherwise. ]
I'll get some bags and we can gather things up. [ Afterward, he'd leave the guy and head to the sheriff's station to acquire a few things. ]
[ Negan trailed in behind Rick, closing the door behind him, just in case one of those fucks was in the house. As Rick ran around searching for his family that likely got the hell out of dodge when things got murky, he started looking around for shit that would be useful to take, but not in a rush.
He investigated the living room, a book discarded on the coffee table, some disheveled blankets on the sofa. Something they could use, but hopefully there was something a bit thicker somewhere else in the house. His next point of investigation was the kitchen. There was still a decent amount of perishable food in the cupboards and pantry, so Negan took it upon himself to gather everything on the counter. Then he found a bottle of scotch. That would be goddamn useful the further out they got when shit started to get real.
Fuck, it was already real. ]
Looks like they left in a hurry. You find anything?
[ Tears stung his eyes, the overwhelming possibilities tearing away at his mind as he continued to move through the space. The home which for the most part held such happy memories. Things were difficult the last few years but he knew they could work it out and make it work again. There were little doubts in his mind about it. But for now, the grief overwhelmed him and he needed a few moments.
Breathing in and out, he sunk down onto the bed for a moment, clutching onto one of Carl's old stuffed animals he plucked from his room. He used to sleep with the thing every night.
A sense of purpose washed over him while he sat there and he started gathering things up, changing into his sheriff's uniform and out of the hospital gown.
He noticed the photo albums were all gone. They were safe. They had to be. ]
The photo albums are all gone. Lori must have taken 'em. [ Rick announced, dropping a few empty bags onto the coffee table. The already packed ones he put over in the corridor leading to the front door but not blocking the way just in case. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2017-06-26 03:35 am (UTC)Months later but what felt like days for him, Rick's eyes fluttered open fully for the first time in so long. With a faint groan, his eyes drifted beside him to take in the fresh flowers but only wilted buds met his gaze. What. Stumbling from the bed, he called out for the nurse but no one came. Odd. Pushing himself onto unsteady feet, Rick pushed his way out of the door. Why had someone put something in front of his door for?
Chaos greeted him in the hallway, Rick holding onto the aching middle of his stomach but it didn't stop him from continuing forward. He needed answers and couldn't find them if he stayed still. Along the way, he noted bullet holes, blood splatters and so many thing strewn all around. Something really terrible happened. A shoot out?
Trying to not groan, he finally met a door, his eyes reading it with confusion --
DON'T OPEN - DEAD INSIDE.
An epidemic of some kind? Decayed looking fingers poked through the thin crack of the door, the rattling rasps sounding wrong to his ears and he stumbled backwards.
What. Nothing made sense. Nothing at all. ]
no subject
Date: 2017-06-28 01:03 am (UTC)The hospital was an okay place to hole up after they left, though the whole place was a graveyard. They made it work, for a while. She wasn't getting any better and the lack of access to medicine was straining at best.
It was a mercy killing, really. Dying in excruciating pain, being eaten alive, dying from starvation.. less favorable ways to go out than not waking back up. Which still left the 'getting out of the shithole town' problem. She'd been airlifted out of Atlanta the week before for some specialist or another. It had all been bullshit- they were far enough from home either way.
Raiding the hospital didn't so much feel like stealing as it did saving resources from expiration or disuse. He found a duffel in someone else's room, some basic meds in one of the nurse's carts, a first aid kit. None of the good shit, unfortunately. Probably behind some locked gate or another. Happy coincidence found him a handgun still in the hand of some poor, dead bastard.
Negan's heading toward the goddamn exit when he walks down one of the main halls, a chained off hallway coming into view at a fork.
DON'T OPEN- DEAD INSIDE.
Fucking christ. There was even one of them walking around. He raises the gun at the bastard and almost fires. ]
no subject
Date: 2017-06-30 03:49 pm (UTC)Where did everyone go?
Head tilted to the side, he realized he needed to say something to keep the man calm and to not shooting up the place. He already woke up from one gunshot wound and didn't feel like earning another so soon. ]
You don't have to do this. [ Voice raspy with disuse, Rick held his hands up as best as he could, wincing at the shift it caused to his side. Ouch. It hurt like hell and more than anything he just wanted to rest but knew he couldn't.
Something terrible happened and he needed to find his son and Lori. ]
We can - talk about this. [ Didn't the man realize he didn't have time for this? ]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-25 03:52 pm (UTC)What were you in for?
[ Sorry, guy. Not taking any chances of getting out of the hospital without some Grade A shit. Maybe the cafeteria has something partially edible, too. ]
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 03:21 am (UTC)Got shot on the job. Been in a coma ever since. [ At least, it seemed as if he had been in a coma, his memory remained fuzzy at best for the past - however, long it had been. For him, it seemed hardly any time at past but the state of things around him spoke otherwise. ]
What're you in here for? [ Two could play the question game, trigger happy. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-01-25 08:49 pm (UTC)Wife was sick. Stage four cancer. Shit went down and the military started killin' everybody. Some kind of infection.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-08 01:37 am (UTC)Clutching at his side, he regarded him for a moment, trying to decide a couple things. ]
Why did ya stay? I'm sorry 'bout your wife. Has it been awhile? Place looks like a disaster round here.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-06 03:27 am (UTC)[ Negan glances around the hospital wing, letting out a hollow laugh. With a shake of his head, he looks back to Rick with gravity. ]
This shit ain't the half of it.
no subject
Date: 2018-03-22 01:10 am (UTC)You been outside? What's goin' on? They've got to have things in better order by now, right?
no subject
Date: 2018-04-07 01:50 pm (UTC)Heard they bombed Atlanta trying to cull it.
[ Really, it was a shit predicament all around. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-04-10 08:06 pm (UTC)He refused to believe there weren't plenty who made it through. ]
I've got to get home. [ Lori and Carl would be fine, he just needed to see where they went and then reunite with them. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 01:23 am (UTC)[ Maybe he can take what he needs from the houses nearby while the guy searches for his family- who are probably dead. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-04-27 07:48 pm (UTC)Yeah. I'm nearby. Let's get movin'.
[ Without waiting for much of a response, Rick started hobbling off in the direction of the exit. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-06-20 08:09 pm (UTC)Once outside the hospital, the city looks pretty goddamn deserted. It's suspicious how many of these dead things they don't run into.. Then again, the military probably took care of a lot of them. The rest of the city probably got wise and evacuated. ]
Goddamn.
[ If they pass by any cars, if they're unlocked, Negan takes the time to look through them for anything useful. It's easy enough to catch back up with the guy with as slow as he's going, anyway. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-07-03 04:19 pm (UTC)The trek toward a his house took longer than normal because of the slower movements he needed to take. ]
This is mine. [ He explained, moving quicker through the house than he did outside, calling out to Lori and Carl just in case but they weren't there. It sunk his heart so low in his chest but they must have made it out safe. He refused to think otherwise. ]
I'll get some bags and we can gather things up. [ Afterward, he'd leave the guy and head to the sheriff's station to acquire a few things. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-07-22 10:16 pm (UTC)He investigated the living room, a book discarded on the coffee table, some disheveled blankets on the sofa. Something they could use, but hopefully there was something a bit thicker somewhere else in the house. His next point of investigation was the kitchen. There was still a decent amount of perishable food in the cupboards and pantry, so Negan took it upon himself to gather everything on the counter. Then he found a bottle of scotch. That would be goddamn useful the further out they got when shit started to get real.
Fuck, it was already real. ]
Looks like they left in a hurry. You find anything?
no subject
Date: 2018-07-25 12:51 am (UTC)Breathing in and out, he sunk down onto the bed for a moment, clutching onto one of Carl's old stuffed animals he plucked from his room. He used to sleep with the thing every night.
A sense of purpose washed over him while he sat there and he started gathering things up, changing into his sheriff's uniform and out of the hospital gown.
He noticed the photo albums were all gone. They were safe. They had to be. ]
The photo albums are all gone. Lori must have taken 'em. [ Rick announced, dropping a few empty bags onto the coffee table. The already packed ones he put over in the corridor leading to the front door but not blocking the way just in case. ]