The group gathered in the common room, their faces tense and pale under the sterile lights. Shane stood in the center, his jaw clenched and his eyes blazing with anger. He held up the burnt fragment of Carol's bone, the bite mark clearly visible even in its charred state.
"This here," Shane began, his voice low and sharp, "is proof that Jenner lied to us. He said Carol wasn't bitten, but look at this." He waved the bone fragment for emphasis, his hand trembling slightly. "And another thing—where the hell is Ed's body? Where are his clothes?"
Rick stepped forward, his expression grim but measured. "Shane, we can't jump to conclusions. Jenner's been helping us. He's trying to find a cure."
Shane's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Helping us? By lying? By hiding bodies? Something ain't right, Rick, and I'm not just gonna sit around waiting for more of us to die."
Dale, standing nearby, raised a hand in a calming gesture. "We need to be rational about this. Breaking into his lab isn't the answer."
Shane glared at him, his voice rising. "I'm not breaking into his lab. I'm breaking into that damn freezer." He pointed down the hallway where the secured freezer was located. "That's where he's hiding something."
Murphy, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you think you're gonna find in there? Ice cream?"
Shane ignored him, turning to the group. "I'm taking a few people with me. You can either help me or stay out of the way."
Daryl stepped forward, his crossbow slung over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. "I'll come. Someone's gotta keep you from doin' something stupid."
Glenn hesitated but nodded. "I'll go too."
Amy and Andrea exchanged uneasy glances, but they stayed silent, moving closer to each other. T-Dog stood off to the side, his lips pressed into a thin line, while Dale shook his head in disapproval.
"This is a mistake," Dale muttered.
Rick sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. But we're doing this carefully. No one gets hurt unless there's no other choice."
The group moved toward the freezer, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. Shane led the way, his hand gripping his pistol tightly. His face was a mask of determination, though a flicker of doubt flashed in his eyes as they approached the locked door.
"This ends now," he muttered, raising his gun. He fired at the lock, the deafening blast making everyone flinch. The lock shattered, and Shane kicked the door open, the cold air of the freezer rushing out to meet them.
Inside, the sight that greeted them made several people gasp. Ed's body lay on a metal table, chopped into smaller pieces and neatly stored in containers. Blood stained the floor, the gruesome scene lit by the stark, fluorescent light.
"What the hell," Glenn whispered, his face pale as he stared at the remains.
Shane turned to the group, his face contorted with rage. "He's a damn cannibal! He's been chopping up bodies and hiding it from us. We can't let this slide."
Rick stepped forward, his voice steady but firm. "We don't know why he did this. Killing him without proof is insane."
"Proof?" Shane spat, pointing to the mutilated body. "What more proof do you need? He's a monster."
Before Rick could respond, Jenner appeared at the end of the hallway, his face calm but his eyes calculating. "What's going on here?" he asked, his voice steady.
Shane whirled around, his shotgun aimed directly at Jenner. "You're hiding something. You've been lying to us this whole time."
Jenner's gaze flicked to the open freezer, his expression unreadable. "I've been trying to find a cure. Ed's body was used for research—nothing more."
"Bullshit," Shane growled, his finger tightening on the trigger. "You're sick, and you're dangerous. We can't trust you."
Rick stepped between them, holding up a hand. "Shane, lower the gun. We need to figure this out without killing anyone."
Shane hesitated, his eyes flicking between Rick and Jenner. Finally, he lowered the pistol slightly, but his body remained tense. "I don't buy a damn word he says."
Jenner's calm facade faltered as he realized the situation was spiraling out of control. He took a step forward, raising his hands. "You're letting paranoia cloud your judgment. I'm not a threat."
Shane didn't wait. He raised his pistol and fired, the shot hitting Jenner square in the chest. The group gasped, several of them stepping back in shock. But Jenner didn't fall. He staggered slightly, then straightened, his face twisting into something inhuman.
"What the hell?" Shane muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Jenner's eyes gleamed with a cold, unnatural light as he lunged at Shane, his movements fast and predatory. Shane barely dodged, the sound of Jenner's teeth snapping inches from his face. Rick reacted quickly, raising his revolver and firing a single shot into Jenner's head. The scientist collapsed to the ground, his body twitching before finally going still.
"Headshot," Rick said breathlessly, his hands shaking as he lowered the gun. "That's what it takes."
Murphy, who had been watching silently, stepped forward, his expression grim. "He wasn't human. He was a walker… but not like the others. He was something else. Intelligent. Controlled."
The group stared at Murphy, their faces a mix of confusion and fear.
"How do you know that?" Andrea asked, her voice trembling.
"I've seen something similar," Murphy replied, choosing his words carefully. "A cure that worked, but at a cost. It didn't just fight the infection—it changed people. Made them into something else. That's what we're dealing with here."
Suddenly, a noise behind them made everyone freeze. Turning quickly, they saw Jacqui standing in the hallway, her expression shifting from surprise to a cold, calculating look. Her eyes gleamed with the same unnatural light they had seen in Dr. Jenner moments before.
Rick's hand instinctively went to his revolver, but Jacqui took a step back, raising her hands. "I can explain," she started, her voice steady, though her glowing eyes betrayed her.
"Explain what?" Shane snapped, stepping forward, his pistol raised. "That you're one of them? That you've been lying to us this whole time?"
Jacqui's gaze darted to the open freezer, the mutilated remains inside, and then back to the group. Her face twisted into something akin to regret, but her glowing eyes betrayed a more sinister thought process. "You don't understand. We were trying to fix this," she said, her voice sharp but desperate. "Jenner and I—we were working on a solution."
"You call this a solution?" Murphy snarled, motioning to the freezer. "You're not saving anyone. You're just delaying the inevitable."
Realizing she was cornered, Jacqui's eyes flicked to the exit. "You don't understand what it's like. The hunger… it's unbearable," she whispered, her voice breaking. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, she turned and bolted down the hallway.
"Don't let her get away!" Shane shouted, raising his pistol. He fired, but the shot went wide, ricocheting off the metallic walls. Jacqui weaved through the corridors with an unnatural agility, her footsteps echoing in the confined space.
Daryl didn't hesitate. He swung his crossbow into position, his movements fluid and precise. "I got this," he growled, taking aim. His finger tightened on the trigger, and the bolt flew through the air with deadly accuracy.
The bolt struck Jacqui square in the back of the head just as she reached the end of the hallway. Her body collapsed instantly, skidding to a halt against the cold, sterile floor. The group hurried after her, their footsteps pounding in unison.
When they reached her body, they stood in stunned silence, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them like a physical force. Her lifeless form lay sprawled on the ground, the glowing light in her eyes flickering before fading entirely.
Rick finally broke the silence, his voice heavy and resolute. "We need to figure out what's going on. But first, we burn the bodies. All of them."
Murphy nodded, his jaw set. "And we keep moving. This place isn't safe anymore."