Disclaimer: I do not own TWD, only my OC.
Scratching
Clawing
Chapter 1
"Under the wise man's eyes"
Sleep. She had finally slept a full night for the first time in almost two weeks. She didn't need to worry about Morgan at all. Once she discovered he had a son, Duane, she knew he was the protective kind. The kind that would not hurt her unless she'd attempt to hurt his son, which she had no intention of doing at all. This whole new way of living always seemed odd to her. They had been very welcoming towards a total stranger and she couldn't appreciate it more than this. She remembered walking down the street with Morgan the day before with a sense of relief. She had been saved, once again. She had been lucky. She hated that word. Luck. It wasn't luck. It was her fighting for her life. She almost gave up but Morgan had saved her from giving up. He didn't need to know that.
She was walking around the house as her steps made the floor crack under the pressure. The sound wasn't too loud. At least, it wasn't loud enough to bring the walkers right to the house. She had learnt the term from Morgan. Walkers. She called them brainless freaks for the past month but walkers could do too. Not that she particularly cared about them, the walkers, but she knew that they had once been human just like her. They once had feelings. They once had a family that cared about them and if some were still alive, well, they probably still cared. JJ understood that. Hell, she wished her parents still cared that she was out there even if she knew there was a possibility that they thought she had turned into one of the walkers. That she was gone. The thought made her sad. She may never see her family again. She had spoken to her mother the day the power at her hotel, and pretty much everywhere, was cut. She could remember calling out her mother's name for a few seconds before throwing the phone into the wall of her hotel room. It had been the worst feeling she had ever felt.
JJ was waiting for Morgan. He had been out since early morning but had not told her the reason of his outing. He had taken Duane with him. She didn't understand that part but never asked. She was a guest and had no right to butt her nose into his business. He simply asked her to hold the 'fort' and if any walker tried coming into the house, whatever way it may try, she simply had to get rid of it by smashing its head. Morgan had been strict on that rule. No guns unless it's absolutely necessary. He had given her a baseball bat and she hoped that she wouldn't have to use it.
The day was well on its way and it would soon be dark and, if she had calculated right, Morgan and Duane would soon come back and it was probably a good idea for her to try and cook something for them. She wasn't the housewife type but she sure was proud to say she knew how to cook at least.
She was slowly walking towards the kitchen when she heard Morgan's voice telling Duane to open the door. JJ ran to the door when it finally opened and she could see Morgan struggling, along with Duane, to bring the unconscious, or dead, body of a man inside the house. The man wore a hospital robe, which was very odd knowing, thanks to Morgan, that the hospital had be overrun by walkers. She slowly backed up the wall then closed the door behind the both of them once they had finally brought the man in the house. She had no time to ask questions because Morgan had ordered her to help him carry the body up the stairs into another room. When she went to grab for him she noticed blood on the side of his head. Not daring to ask questions, she simply helped Morgan carry the man up.
Once in the room they had let the body fall with a thump on the bed. She stared at the man for a few seconds. He couldn't be over the age of forty, dark haired, tall, thin and very obviously injured. JJ had no idea how he was able to survive while being injured but she definitely knew it was a miracle he had survived.
"Help me with this." Morgan told her as he threw some pieces of rope at her.
She frowned, "We're gonna tie him? For what?"
He, himself, frowned at her, "We don't know what that man wants. And I ain't trustin' that bandage of his. He could have been bit."
She slowly nodded, "What do we do once he wakes up…?" she quietly asked.
Morgan slowly moved from the side of the bed to be in front of her, "Once he wakes…if he wakes up, I'll talk to him…make sure he don't want to hurt us." She swallowed the saliva accumulated in her mouth then bit her bottom lip. "Tie his hands."
Without a word she slowly started to tie the man's hands above his head, to the bedpost. When she finished she turned to Morgan who was staring at the man very carefully, "You should change his bandage."
Morgan lifted his head towards her as she pointed to the man, "His bandage needs changin'. He's probably not gonna try to hurt you."
"I've got a first aid kit in the living room, could you go and get it?" JJ nodded then walked down the stairs to be met with a curious Duane.
"What's my daddy gonna do with him?" He asked as she touched his shoulder gently.
"I don't know but could you give me the first aid kit, please?" Barely her question asked she had the aid kit in her hands. She smiled down at Duane then walked up the stairs again. Still biting down that lip as her thoughts kept creeping over to the man lying in the bed. JJ knew she couldn't stay here forever, being taken care of by Morgan was nice but she knew it wouldn't last forever. She certainly would hope to be able to stay but she didn't hope too much. Hope wouldn't keep her alive. Her own will was. Her will to survive.
But how much will did she had left in her body?
She didn't have enough time to answer her own question that Morgan took the first aid kit from her hands, walking to the side of the bed where a chair stood. He sat on it as he slowly started to remove the old bandage. He suddenly stopped and he lifted his head up, looking at JJ for a few seconds.
"Ya mind doing some cooking?" She shook her head. "There are a few cans of beans and vegetables downstairs. Cook two of each in pots. You'll find those in the cupboards under the sink. I'll be down soon." She nodded then slowly made her way down, but not without forgetting to take one last look at the injured man. A sigh escaped her lips.
As she arrived in the kitchen she found Duane looking up at her as she smiled, "You hungry?" He nodded. "Alright, let me cook you something."
She followed Morgan's directions and found all she needed to start cooking. She was waiting for everything to be warm enough and before she knew it she heard Morgan coming downstairs, putting his knife away. She stared at his now empty hand before he finally realized what she was looking at.
"He woke up. He's fine. He'll be coming downstairs soon." She nodded then started pouring the food into each plate, adding an extra one for the man. As Duane sat down she heard footsteps, weak ones, coming down the stairs. She looked up as she took place at the table. He met her gaze first then his gaze drifted to Morgan, the latter looking up at him. The man slowly walked in the living room under the careful eye of both Morgan and JJ.
"This place…Fred and Cindy Drake's?" The man spoke as she listened carefully.
Morgan slowly stepped in the living room, "Never met 'em."
"I've been here. This is their place." The man continued as she heard his steps continuing to walk around.
"It was empty when we got here." She saw the man walk towards the window, hand ready to push the blanket that covered it open. "Don't do that. They'll see the light. There's more of them out there than usual. Hell, I never should've fired that gun today. The sound draws them and now they're all over the street. Stupid - using a gun. But it all happened so fast, I didn't think."
Finally, the man stood in the kitchen as he covered himself with the blanket that once lied on the bed, "You shot that man today."
"Man?"
"It weren't no man!"
Duane exclaimed as his father turned his head towards him, frowning, "What the hell was that out of your mouth just now?" JJ chuckled lightly. Man, she missed her father in these kinds of little moments.
Duane looked back at the man, "It wasn't a man."
Said man walked closer, "You shot him in the out front…a man." He became silent.
"It was definitely not a man, not anymore. That was a walker." JJ suddenly spoke up as the man drifted his gaze at her.
Morgan saw the confusion in the man's face, "Come on, sit down…before you fall down." He said as the man took place opposite Duane while JJ sat opposite Morgan. The man was about to reach into his food when Duane's voice interrupted the silence.
"Daddy," His father looked at him. "Blessing."
Morgan looked from his son to the man as the man looked at Morgan then to JJ. Morgan reached out for his son's hand and then with his other hand reached for the man's hand. JJ slowly reached out for Duane's and then for man's hand. He hesitated but clasped her hand hard. She closed her eyes.
"Lord, we thank thee for this food, thy blessings. And we ask you to watch over us in these crazy days. Amen."
"Amen."
"Amen." She whispered as she slowly let Duane's hand and then the man's hand fall out of hers. She reached slowly for her fork, starting to eat what was in her plate. JJ zoned out from that moment on, knowing that Morgan and the man talked. She could hear them but she just couldn't register what they were saying. The thoughts were flowing in and out of her mind. And thinking too much in her case would kill her eventually. All she did for the rest of supper time was eat and stare off into space until Morgan got up, asking for Duane's help to help clean.
JJ was sitting on a mattress they had brought in the living room, covers draped over her shoulders as she listened to Duane ask his father if he had asked the man a certain question. Listening to his answers she let out a small chuckle. He looked at her as she smiled, "I never asked what your name was…Sheriff." She mumbled as he looked at her.
"Rick Grimes." He answered, slight smile finding its way over his lips. "Yours is?"
"JJ. Just…JJ." She told him with a slight smile on her face. The sound of an alarm going off whipped that smile off her face. "Do you think…?" She looked at Morgan.
"One of them probably just bumped into it. It happened before." He explained as Rick turned towards the window to his left.
"Are you sure?" Rick turned his gaze back to Morgan.
He nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure. Went on for a few minutes. Get the light, Duane." He told his son then looked at JJ to close the other light. She quietly but very quickly got up to dim the light down until it disappeared. She found herself walking towards her mattress again as she sat back on it.
"She's here!" She heard Duane gasp. She saw him at the window looking out, Rick and Morgan doing the same.
"Don't look. Get away from the windows." Morgan ordered Duane and when he didn't go, "I said go, go on!" And that's when Duane finally moved from the window back to his mattress, sobbing. His father walked quickly to him, holding him into his arms telling him to stay quiet. She felt the sadness take over her as she remembered the story Morgan had told her the night before…about his wife. A shiver went through her body has her gaze fell on Rick's figure still standing at the window, looking out. Her gaze stayed on him as he walked to the door and looked through the peephole. It wasn't long before he came back to his mattress, sitting on it, gazing off at something.
"She, um," Morgan started, "she died in that other room on that bed in there. There was nothing I could do about it…that fever, man, her skin gave off a heat life a furnace." Duane's sobbing interrupted Morgan as he held onto him tightly, making sure his sobbing was kept low. "I should've put her down, man, I should've put her down. I know that but I- you know what? I just didn't have it in me. She's the mother of my child."
JJ stopped listening to everything around her as she slowly laid her head down in her pillow, pulling the covers over he small frame. She tried breathing slowly but her heart was almost ripping itself out of her chest. She was terrified. This new world was terrifying. Not knowing how long you'd live, not knowing if the people you cared about were dead or alive…she hated this world. And she had even started thinking that maybe opting out was the best choice but she couldn't do that to her mum nor could she do it to her dad. She had to try to fight at least…that was the least she could do for them. She slowly gazed at the door, the handle still being rattled by a walker outside. It would soon die down. Soon. It would die down.
The next day turned out to be much better for all of them. Rick, Morgan, Duane and herself had gotten out early in the morning to go to Rick's house. She had followed quietly but had started thinking. If Rick was going to go and try to find his wife, which would be very logical, she would ask if she could tag along. JJ couldn't deny she wasn't thankful to Morgan, hell, she owed him her life but she needed a move on with this life. Rick had taken keys and with Morgan's car, they drove to the police department where Rick had announced that the showers were still up and working, hot water and all. Smiles spread on everyone's face as they got their stuff to get ready to take a shower. Rick slowly walked to her and pointed to another door.
"Women's showers." He said as she nodded, thanking him.
She could thank the lord, although she wasn't much of a believer, oh, she could thank the lord at this moment. JJ hadn't taken a good hot shower in what seemed a lifetime. Feeling the water on her skin, she simply had to stand there, appreciating the warm liquid. Her head slowly was submerged under the water until she reached for the soap. She let the thick white bar in her hand slide over her damaged skin for a while until she resumed washing her whole body. She finally remembered how soft her skin could be, how nice it could be. The water still falling on her head, she opened her eyes and looked down at her body. The scars. She slowly traced all of them one by one, starting with the one that was on her collarbone; it had healed but was still very much visible. She moved to the ones on her stomach and hips, those had also healed and only little white lines were visible. She slowly let her head fall back then let her fingers slide through strands of hair. Her long black hair had been tied up in a ponytail for so long she had forgotten how long her hair was. She was amazed at the length of it, her hair arriving in the middle of her back. She smiled then looked at the door, reality hitting. She had to finish washing then get dressed to finally leave out in this world. Her smile faded but her optimism didn't. Not yet.
JJ walked out ten minutes afterwards and walked to the armoury, where she heard voices. Rick noticed her then gave her a nod as she did the same. She simply stood there while watching the men deciding on which weapon they would take. The only time she talked was when Rick asked her if she knew how to use a gun, to which she answered, "My dad was a hunter, went hunting every time with him. So, yes, I think I'll be fine with a gun." He gave her a small smile then handed her a handgun, a new one.
They walked out of the police station and Rick asked the question she had been waiting for, "Are you sure you don't want to come along?"
Morgan gazed at JJ, "Duane and I will stay here for a coupe days, it'll give him enough time to learn how to shoot and give me some time for me to see how rusty I am." He said, "JJ…you decide."
She sighed, "Not that I don't appreciate what you did for me but-"
"I get it, girl, you have a right to do whatever you want." He said, smiling as he pulled her into a hug before releasing her.
She turned to Rick, "Will you have me? I'm not much but-"
He smirked, "You'll be enough, I'm sure."
They smiled and then said their goodbyes until a grunting sound caught their attention. Rick slowly walked towards the fence that separated the walker and them, "Leon Basset?"
"You knew him?" Morgan asked.
Rick nodded, "JJ, why don't you go and put those bags in the car. I'll take care of it and make sure we're gone before they hear it." He said as she grabbed the bags of guns, opening the door to the car and shoving the bags in it. She heard the shot go off and froze but regained movement fast enough to get in the passenger seat, Rick taking place in the driver's seat seconds after. He put the key in the ignition then drove off, following after Morgan's car, both cars going their own way, separating when leaving the police station. A comfortable silence fell between JJ and Rick as he drove. This was the start of something new, this was a new start for her and for once she wasn't alone. She wasn't alone anymore. She had Rick. For how long, she had no idea but she would enjoy the company. She found herself looking at him as he looked at her quickly, eyebrows furrowed. It had been a wise decision from her, she knew it but he was a wise man.
"Thank you…for letting me come with you." Was all she said as he smiled at her, both of them falling into, yet, another comfortable silence as they embarked on a small road. The beginning of their long road ahead. It sure wasn't going to be an easy one.
So this is chapter one. I had decided to post every friday but turns out that this past friday my inspiration was nowhere to be found. But it came, at last. So this is it.
Just as a warning for people who like stories that go fast...this one will not. I want to do a good story but also one that goes deep into the characters, as deep as it can. It will be a long and slow story. You won't be seeing Daryl for another good one or two chapters so yeah. I want to take this story slowly and if you guys like then review and maybe, just maybe, if you review a lot then I'll post a chapter slightly quicker than just one a week. I plan to still post every friday and I've arranged a schedule for myself to be able to post on fridays. With hopes I'll be able to post on schedule.
And I need just an opinion, with very little you know about JJ...how do you think Daryl and her will first react to each other? :) I'd love to know.
Anyways, ENJOY! And leave reviews! No bashing please but I do love constructive reviews. English isn't my first language so I do want to improve :)
For more news about the chapters coming, follow me on twitter. I often talk about it. _babycakesnast
Enjoy & Review xx :)
