The End/Episode 8

Solitary is the eighth episode of The End.

Plot Synopsis
Danny is held captive, and must make a decision. The group try to find him, but deal with problems of their own.

Previously
With Charlotte dead, the needed to bury her. Darren was paralysed, with the group thinking he was dead. Danny was captured and woke up in a room with Charlotte's body, he was told to eat her. Darren woke up in his coffin, realising that he'll die in there.

Plot
Danny stared at Charlotte's lifeless body. He didn't understand, why did he have to eat her? Why would they force him to do that? He gave them what they wanted. The door opened. A man walked in, and knelt beside Charlotte.

He put his hand on her face. "I am sorry that he did this", the man said. "Did what?" Danny replied. "Locked you into this room, forcing you to..." his voice trailed off. "Who are you?" Danny asked. "My name is Fredo Boccino. I am the cook", he said, "I was a chef at a five-star hotel before the outbreak, so I decided to stay with the cooking after it". "Why is he making me do this?" "He is a bad man. He's a rapist, a murderer, a cannibal. He never shows mercy". "What did he mean when he said "you kill or you die"?" Fredo stood up and walked to the door. "Either you kill them and eat their bodies, or you leave them live, and die of starvation". He walked out, leaving Danny in shock.

Peter was getting the group together. "We need to find Danny", he said. "How?" Mac asked. "We follow the trail again, only this time, we split up". "Splitting up isn't a good idea", Meghan said, "What if we get lost?"

"Try to remember your way back", he said, before grabbing his bow and leading the group to where the last saw Danny. Sam was the last to follow. He stopped, looking back at Darren's grave, and then beginning to walk again.

Back at the room, Danny sits next to Charlotte's body. "I'm sorry", he mutters, before the door opens again. Nicholas appears, carrying a dead body. He drops the body in front of Danny. "You'll learn from this", he says, before leaving the room again. Danny looked at his body, looking for bite marks. But there was none. He was shot in the chest.

In the woods, the group reach the point where they lost Danny. "Here is where we separate", Peter said. "Why should we separate altogether? Why not in groups?" Sam asked. "Fine. Meghan and Elle, you and Mac, and I'll go woth Xander", Peter said. He looked at Xander, who stayed quiet this whole time. "You okay?" Peter asked him. "Fine", he replied. "This is fucking stupid", Elle said. "Hey!" Meghan shouted, "Language!" "Darren used to say it", she said. "... Ya well... Don't say that. Why is this stupid?" Meghan asked. "We'll never find him. And if we do, we'll be overtaken by the other guys", she said. They all looked at her. She was right. "Hey. We won't get overtaken", Xander said, "We'll find him". Then the group separated.

Danny didn't know what to do. So, he looked at Charlotte. He knew what he had to do, eat her. Tears fell down his face. He put his hand on her stomach. He heard a growl. He turned around. Behind him stood the man. He was a walker. "The fuck?" Danny shouted, as the man pounced on him. The walker had him up against the wall, trying to bite him. Danny tried to hold him off, but the walker was too string. The walkers mouth was on his neck. Suddenly, a bullet went through the walkers head. Nicholas stood at the door with a gun in his hand. "I told you that you'd learn from him", he said, "Everyone's infected". "What?" Danny asked. "No matter how you die, you turn", he said, "You must be getting hungry". He walked out.

Danny sat there. Thousands of thoughts running through his mind. But only one kept popping up. Should I eat her?

"I'm getting sick of looking for him", Elle said. "It's only been an hour", Meghan said. Elle stopped walking. "What's wrong?" Meghan asked. "Something's been bothering me. But you have to promise not to tell them", she said. "I promise". "The night the walkers attacked the base. I... I let them in", she said. "What?" "I'm sorry... I just- aia don't know why I did it", she began crying. Meghan hugged her, confused, but she stayed strong for her.

 Xander stayed behind Peter, keeping his head downn. "You know, it would be easier if you told us what's wrong with you", Peter said. "There's nothing wro-" he was cut off. "Yes there is", Peter said. "Fine", he said, "It's Charlotte. When we first met her, I didn't want to save her. She was surrounded by walkers, and I wanted to leave her there. But Mac wouldn't. He made me get her". "Why is that making you depressed?" Peter asked. "'Cause I'm wondering if she was better off dying then".

 Danny was breathing heavily, sitting next to Charlotte. He put his hands on her stomach again. Then he ripped open her stomach. He pulled out her insides. His stomach turned, he looked away, but he eventually looked back. He lowered his head, and took a bite. He tried to think of other things. Animals. Puppies. Dead puppies.

 He couldn't keep his mind off of it. He kept eating, realising that the taste was gone, and that... he was beginning to enjoy it.