The Spark
Chapter 1: intro
She sat silently gazing at the fire. Deep in reflection of the violent happenings that brought her here. To this place, where in other circumstances would never have been. Nope, she would have been in her home, tending her garden and chickens. Maybe planning a meal for the next day, perhaps making a list for a Walmart run. However, these are not her thoughts now, now her contemplations just haunt her. She takes a smooth hit off her cigarette and flicks it into the fire.
"Another one bites the dust." She murmurs with no feeling.
Since the events of that horrid day, she just feels nothing. Absolutely nothing. She lost so many loved ones she cannot begin to know how to process it. Panic sets in for a moment, and then nothing. She has done this before, before this dark world. During her marriage, her mind helped her to survive that life, by feeling nothing. Therefore, it is aiding her again. She cannot feel that grieve, that loneness. She supposes she should feel grateful. She survived. However, she survived alone. She keeps her fire low; she dug two holes connecting underground. That was a bitch. She never enjoyed digging deep holes. She guesses all her useless information she sustained from reading self-reliant way of life books finally have justification. The smoke will way remain low this way. She read this in a book. She was born half hippy, half hick and grew up in the outside suburbs of New York City. She never felt she belonged there. She grew up reading and experimenting on how to survive in the woods, make fires, fish, hunt, track, archery, gardening, small farm animals, how to make her own supplies, plant identification and really she wanted to know how to live without hair appointments, social bullshit and fashion. Other teenagers her age got stones, drunk, did stupid stunts. Long Island girls can be so dumb. There were a few that were cool she mused. However, most were learning how to wax their face and get their nails did. She thought of her lost little ones. Her children, she tried to picture their precious faces. All gone. At 28 years old, all she had was herself.
She sighs. Stomps out the fire, gets her jar of zombie goo. She lathers herself with it on her arms and legs. She will never get this smell off her. She climbs her tree with a rope she swings up hours before. 'Time to sleep like Tarzan' She thinks.
She makes a pillow with her pack and fans out a blanket to wrap herself in. She leaves her bow and quiver close. She sleeps with her hatchet close to her chest. She closes her eyes. She hears the woods of Georgia; she wonders was this the right direction to continue her journey? 'Who knows' she thinks. 'Fuck it, I need sleep, think happy thoughts…... or not, fuck you, brain.' She whispers and sighs again.
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'Screams, those were screams' Jenny believes. She opens her eyes it is way past sunrise. Sitting up she stretches and sips some water. Looking through her scope, she sees nothing. She does not want to find any people. She is afraid of people. More screams. Those were children screaming.
"Godfuckingdammit" she mumbles.
She cuts her rope and gathering her things. She creeps fast in the forest toward the sounds of people. She comes to a clearing and stops, she hides down low and watches. A group of men are beating a dead thing. Six of them, wow they are trying real hard. Finally an older man cuts off the head. She rolls her eyes. 'How many men does it take to kill a dead thing?' She snickers quietly to herself. She hears rustling. Fuck. Another man emerges from the forest into the clearing. He looks to be the hunter, starts bitching about his deer. He shoots the head, which is still alive. The group dissipates. She sees two children and some women headed in the same direction. She waits and finds a tree. She climbs one and views their camps site. 'How are they not dead yet?' There is no protection at all. She is dumbfounded. She watches them interact. Watches a fight between three dudes, the hunter and looks like two alpha males. They are going to Atlanta to get the hunter's brother back. Perfect timing. Jenny sneaks out of the tree and goes back to the stream to wash off her dead goo. 'Okay. Okay. I can do this. I will take the road and walk up and see what happens. Shit this could suck.'
Jenny finds the deer path to the dirt road up the hill. She walks her bow out. She is wearing her black combat boots, wearing comfortable jeans, on her belt is a knife and hatchet. She has a backpack of supplies, a boys swim shirt sun proof top on. Her satchel contains a first aid kit and herbs she has found. She thinks of it as her medical bag. Her long reddish hair is half braided and half down; she is wearing a handkerchief as a hat. Her skin used to be light pale now it is a golden tan, looks almost fake. Jenny tries with her confidence to not be afraid. The people seem friendly, there's children and women. A good sign. She really does not want to have to kill anyone alive again. That just was not her best moment.
Someone spots her, and others come up from their tents and I can hear panic in their voices. I stop and put my hands in the air.
"I don't mean any harm. Just passing through to the quarry." I say.
" You alone?" Shane states.
"Yes sir." I retort.
"Put your guns on the ground" He commands.
"I don't have any guns."
"Your not from around here, are ya?"
"No sir."
"What's your name Miss?' Dale asks.
"Jenny"
"Jenny, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dale. "He stares at Shane like he lost her mind. " How about her come over the to fire pit and let's chat, get to know one another altogether."
" That sounds just fine" I smile.
Dale smiles a friendly smile back.
"Now just hold up a minute, Dale we don't know her."
Lori whispers to Shane, "she's all alone, it's just one girl."
"How do we know that? Hmm. Tell me how?" Shane says.
Rick steps out of his tent in his uniform getting ready to leave with Daryl. "Well hi, what's all this about?"
"Shane wants to send this girl out with no protection because we don't know her." Dale states.
"wait a hopping minute now, I didn't say shit old man. Rick we don't know if she is alone. She could be with a group." Shane defends.
Rick looks at the girl, and back to Shane. He looks back at the girl. "What's your name?"
"Jenny."
"I'm Rick Grimes, I have some questions if you want to get to know our group better, otherwise you have to pass on through. You up for it?" Rick says.
"Sounds fair enough, Rick." Jenny says.
"How many walkers have you killed?" Rick asks.
" The dead things you mean…(Rick nods his head slowly in agreement)…I don't really know, I've lost count. Maybe 300?" I state.
"300!? Well that's a load of …" Shane tries to speak. Rick puts his finger up to his face and says shhh.
"Ok. How many people have you killed?" Rick asks. Shane looks to Rick with surprise.
" Three." Jenny says.
"Last question. Why did you kill the three alive people?" Rick asks.
The group of people were all looking at her staring, waiting her answer.
"They raped and killed my children." Jenny whispered staring at Rick in the eyes.
Rick gulped slightly, not expecting that answer at all.
"Well, Jenny I am sorry to hear that. I truly am." Rick says sadly. Shane doesn't look as angry anymore.
Rick turns around to Shane and waves Dale and the other toward him. Rick whispers,
"I am going back for Merle; I want to take Jenny with me. Sort of a trial test to see who she really is. Glenn I need you to come with me, I need you, you are my map." Rick commands.
Glenn slowly nods his head.
"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men and woman, huh?" Shane scoffs.
"Four." T-D0g cuts in.
"You're putting every single one of us at risk." Shane tells Rick.
"I need that bag" Rick states.
Shane softens knowing the value of the guns. Lori does not like it. She gives up arguing about it. Shane gives Rick the last of his bullets for Rick's Python revolver.
"Four men, four rounds. Let's just hope that four's your lucky number, or should it be five." Shane leers at Jenny and winks at Rick.
Rick walks over to Jenny.
" Jenny a few of us need to head to the city. We want you to come with us. We need to get in and out. We have to find my bag and Merle."
" Okay. If I go with you and we come back, can I stay with your group?" I ask hopefully.
"Yes." He smiles. "Can you do this?"
"Yup. I will help best I can." Jenny replies.
"Good. Follow me." Rick says.
Glenn, Daryl, Rick, T-Dog and Jenny load into the van and drive to Atlanta. They parked along a fenced in, abandoned railway. Daryl threatens T-Dog if Merle's not okay, but T-Dog insists that the "geeks' can't get through the chains on the door. Jenny watches and listens trying to understand these people headed into the city. They travel on foot below a highway overpass. Glenn decides the group should go for Merle first, because going for the guns would mean doubling backing.
They find the department store, Jenny kills a walker with her bow the same time Daryl shoots the same one with the crossbow. Rick and Daryl glance at Jenny in surprise. They continue up the stairwell to the door chained and cut through with the bolt cutters they borrowed from Dale. On the ground, a bloody hacksaw sits beside a bloody severed hand. Bloodied handcuffs hang from the pipe above. Daryl screams in agony. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Jenny just stare on looking helpless.