CHAPTER 18: THE CDC REVELATION
POV: Dale Horvath
The radio crackles to life during Dale's routine evening scan, fragments of an automated broadcast cutting through static like whispers from the dead world.
"...CDC Atlanta remains operational... refuge for those seeking answers... government facility..."
Dale's weathered hands freeze on the tuning dial as the camp erupts around him. People emerge from tents and gather around the radio, hope and fear warring on their faces as they strain to hear more.
The transmission repeats twice more before fading into white noise, leaving twenty survivors staring at each other with newfound possibility burning in their eyes.
POV: Rick Grimes
"CDC means Center for Disease Control," Rick explains to the gathered group, though most already know. "If anyone has answers about the infection, it would be them."
"If they're still operational," Dale adds cautiously. "That transmission sounded automated."
Rick nods, but his expression carries the hope of a man desperate for solutions. "Even automated systems suggest someone's maintaining them. Scientists, researchers, people working on a cure."
Shane snorts derisively from the circle's edge. "Or it's a trap. Bait to draw in survivors."
POV: Scott
Scott's blood turns to ice water as he realizes the implications. The CDC transmission means Dr. Jenner is there—alone, despairing, sitting on research that could help understand the infection. But it also means the eventual explosion that nearly killed Rick's group in canon.
[WARNING: HIGH-RISK SCENARIO DETECTED]
[CDC FACILITY: MULTIPLE THREAT VECTORS]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: AVOID]
"If we go, we might learn valuable information. But the self-destruct system, Jenner's suicidal state, the risk... I need to guide them away without revealing foreknowledge."
"Government facilities were priority targets during evacuation," Scott says carefully. "Places like CDC would attract desperate people and walkers both. Could be extremely dangerous."
POV: Lori Grimes
Lori watches her husband's face light up with hope that makes her chest tight with anxiety. Rick's always been driven to fix things, to find solutions through action rather than acceptance.
"But if they have answers," Rick argues, "if they're working on treatments, vaccines..."
"That's a lot of ifs," Scott counters gently. "And Atlanta's proven dangerous. We barely escaped last time."
Lori finds herself nodding agreement with the EMT, grateful someone's voicing her fears. The city nearly killed Rick once—she can't bear the thought of losing him to false hope and scientific dreams.
POV: Shane Walsh
Shane watches Scott undermine Rick's optimism with barely contained rage. Another situation where the EMT positions himself as the voice of reason, the man with better judgment than established leadership.
"Course you'd argue against it," Shane snarls. "Can't have Rick making decisions without your input."
Scott's expression remains calm. "I'm offering medical perspective based on experience with government facilities. Take it or leave it."
The measured response only inflames Shane's anger. Scott's refusing to take the bait, staying reasonable while Shane looks increasingly unhinged.
POV: Glenn Rhee
Glenn studies the radio with technical curiosity, noting the signal strength and transmission quality. "If CDC's still broadcasting, they've got power. Generators, backup systems, serious infrastructure."
"Which means security," T-Dog adds. "Military protection, fortified positions."
"Or automated systems running on backup power while everyone inside is dead," Daryl counters grimly.
Glenn notices how Scott stays quiet during the technical discussion, offering no insights despite his usual helpfulness. Like he's deliberately avoiding the subject.
POV: Andrea
Andrea watches Scott's careful neutrality with growing suspicion. He's usually the first to offer tactical analysis, but tonight he seems almost reluctant to engage.
"What do you really think?" she asks him directly. "Medical opinion."
Scott considers his words carefully. "CDC would be a target. Infected people seeking cures, healthy people seeking safety, military trying to contain outbreaks. It's probably not the sanctuary we're hoping for."
The honesty in his voice convinces Andrea he's not just being contrary. Scott genuinely believes CDC is dangerous, and his instincts have kept them alive so far.
POV: Dale Horvath
After the formal meeting ends with no consensus, Dale approaches Scott by the dying fire. The young man stares into the flames with an expression Dale recognizes—the weight of knowledge he can't share.
"You know something about the CDC," Dale says quietly. "I can see it in your eyes. You're not hopeful like Rick—you're worried."
Scott's head snaps up, surprise and fear flashing across his features before being carefully controlled. "I just think government facilities attract trouble."
"Son," Dale says gently, "I'm seventy years old. I've learned to read people, and you're carrying weight that goes beyond tactical concerns. You don't have to tell me how you know things, but I trust your instincts. Should we go?"
POV: Scott
The moment of truth. Dale's offering him trust without demanding explanations, faith that transcends logic or proof. Scott makes a calculated decision to reveal partial truth.
"I think places like CDC attract desperate people and walkers both," Scott says carefully. "It's probably dangerous in ways we can't predict. But I can't explain why I believe that so strongly."
Dale nods slowly, accepting the non-answer with grandfatherly patience. "Your instincts have kept us alive, Scott. I'll speak for caution."
The simple trust nearly breaks Scott's composure. Dale's willing to follow his judgment based on faith alone, asking no questions about impossible knowledge or System interfaces.
POV: Carol Peletier
Carol observes the conversation between Scott and Dale from her washing station, noting the obvious care between the two men. Dale's become something of a father figure to Scott, while Scott provides the tactical competence Dale respects but can't match.
"Men protecting each other through different strengths. What Ed never understood—real strength supports others instead of diminishing them."
She thinks of Sophia playing nearby, safe because men like Scott and Dale choose protection over dominance. The difference matters more than she used to realize.
POV: Rick Grimes
The next morning brings another group meeting where compromise slowly emerges from competing viewpoints. Fort Benning lies closer than CDC, offers military resources without the urban dangers of Atlanta.
"We head toward Fort Benning," Rick decides. "Monitor radio signals along the way. If CDC seems viable, we reconsider."
It's not the decisive action Rick prefers, but leadership sometimes requires balancing multiple perspectives. Scott's obvious relief suggests the EMT approves of the compromise.
POV: Shane Walsh
Shane explodes at the decision with three months of accumulated frustration. "Chasing fairytales! Wasting time on maybe and what-if while winter's coming and we need real solutions!"
"Shane—" Rick begins.
"No! I'm tired of this shit!" Shane's voice carries across the entire camp. "Every decision runs through him now!" He points accusingly at Scott. "His paranoid bullshit guides every choice we make!"
Rick's expression goes dangerously quiet. "That's enough."
"Is it? Because I'm starting to think—"
Rick grabs Shane's arm and drags him away from the group for a heated private conversation that everyone pretends not to hear. Sharp whispers, angry gestures, the sound of friendship fracturing under impossible pressure.
POV: Carl Grimes
Carl watches his father argue with Shane, confusion and fear tight in his young chest. Shane used to be funny, protective, the man who taught Carl to catch fish and identify animal tracks.
Now Shane looks angry all the time, says mean things about Scott and argues with Dad about everything.
"Why are they fighting?" Carl asks his mother quietly.
Lori's arm tightens around him. "Sometimes adults disagree about important things. It's not your fault, honey."
But Carl can see the worry in her eyes, the way she watches Shane like he might do something dangerous.
POV: Shane Walsh
When the argument ends, Shane announces he'll scout ahead alone tomorrow—clearly needing space from group dynamics that no longer include him in meaningful ways.
"Fine. Let them follow Scott's paranoid hunches while the real threats gather around us. When this all goes wrong, maybe they'll remember who kept them alive before the EMT showed up with convenient answers."
The bitterness tastes like poison, but Shane can't let it go. He stalks away from camp before he says something truly unforgivable.
POV: T-Dog
T-Dog watches Shane's departure with growing concern. The man's isolation is becoming dangerous—cut off from group decision-making, increasingly hostile to established authority.
"He's gonna do something stupid," T-Dog mutters to Daryl.
"Already is," Daryl replies, cleaning his crossbow with mechanical precision. "Question is whether it gets someone else hurt."
POV: Scott
That night, Andrea finds Scott staring at the silent radio, his expression troubled despite the day's victory in avoiding CDC.
"You don't want us to go there," she observes. "To CDC."
"I don't trust government facilities stayed safe," Scott admits. "Too many variables, too much risk."
Andrea studies his face in the firelight, seeing something that makes her step closer. "You're protecting us from something you can't explain. I don't understand how you know things, but I believe you do."
The simple faith in her voice nearly undoes Scott's careful control. She doesn't understand his impossible knowledge, but she trusts it anyway.
"Andrea..."
She silences him with a kiss—soft, real, full of promise and faith that transcends explanation. When they break apart, she whispers against his lips, "Whatever happens, we face it together."
POV: Merle Dixon
Merle watches the romantic display from his position by the dying fire, noting how naturally the camp organizes around Scott's quiet leadership. The EMT doesn't demand authority—just offers competence that people choose to follow.
"Boy's got secrets, but he uses them to help instead of exploit. That's rare in this world."
Merle's seen enough predators—human and otherwise—to recognize the difference between protection and manipulation. Scott's definitely the former, whatever mysteries he might be carrying.
POV: Rick Grimes
Rick makes his final patrol of the night, checking perimeter security while processing the day's decisions. The CDC debate revealed fractures in their group—Shane's isolation, competing loyalties, the challenge of leadership when everyone has opinions.
Scott's influence continues growing, not through ambition but through consistent competence. People trust his judgment because his instincts keep them alive, even when they don't understand his reasoning.
"Maybe that's enough. Maybe leadership isn't about having all the answers—just about recognizing wisdom when it appears."
POV: Scott
Scott lies in his tent that night, Andrea's kiss still warm on his lips, and stares at his System's updated mission parameters.
[NEW QUEST CHAIN: THE CDC GAMBIT]
[OBJECTIVE 1: GUIDE GROUP SAFELY AWAY FROM CDC]
[STATUS: PARTIAL SUCCESS]
[OBJECTIVE 2: MONITOR FOR DR. JENNER OPPORTUNITY]
[OBJECTIVE 3: PREVENT CANON EXPLOSION CASUALTIES]
"I've bought time, maybe changed their destination entirely. But Shane's breakdown accelerates, and I still don't know how to prevent the human disasters that can't be solved with superior knowledge."
Outside, a walker moans in the distant forest, and somewhere Shane lies awake planning tomorrow's solo scout mission. The camp sleeps peacefully, trusting in defenses Scott helped design and leadership decisions he helped shape.
But the weight of responsibility feels heavier than ever. Because changing plot is easy compared to changing human nature, and Scott's starting to understand that some tragedies might be inevitable regardless of foreknowledge.
The radio sits silent on Dale's makeshift table, offering no more whispered promises from the CDC. Tomorrow they'll head toward Fort Benning and whatever fate awaits them there.
For now, that's enough.
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 3 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ The Walking Dead: Shelter System ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
with exclusive access to 24+ chapters on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $6/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ In The Witcher With Avatar Powers,In The Vikings With Deja Vu System,Stranger Things Demogorgon Tamer ...].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!