507 Days Later
The world was in utter chaos; that much Julie knew. The virus that had plagued Georgia had spread all across the country, infecting the majority and leaving bands of survivors. There was no cure and as far as anyone knew, there was no other way to live, except day to day. No one knew if this thing had spread to other countries. A band of survivors from further north had said that Canada had closed its boarders to the US, but it wouldn't do them much good. There weren't enough people to keep everyone out and someone that was infected would get through, if they hadn't already. Some survivors from Texas had told them that Mexico had also closed its boarders, probably a little more effectively than Canada. They shot anyone they saw on site, regardless of their infection status. Going to Mexico was almost as much of a death sentence as getting bit. No one trusted Americans there and apparently Americans didn't last long. But that had been six months ago. Who knew what it was like now? It could be just as overrun as the US, if not worse.
Life at Silas' was almost peaceful. The gates surrounding the property had been reinforced against the walkers and there were guard towers that had been built out of wood every fifty feet. It wasn't just Julie, Silas, and the kids anymore. All of her siblings had made it to the plantation. Thomas made it but died shortly after from a bit he'd sustained while trying to get there. Julie had been the one to put a knife through his brain to make sure he didn't come back. Thomas' wife Amelia killed herself shortly after getting there, leaving their four boys (David, Toby, Lincoln, and Jackson) orphaned. They'd lost Chris' wife, Emma, during childbirth, along with the baby four months after everything started but Chris was still there with his two kids, Caleb and Lynne. Rosie was still with them, as was her husband and their son, Andrew. The family mourned their losses but moved on.
Others had arrived at the plantation as well. Some had been found on raids the group went on, while others had made their way there on their own, mostly by accident. A sort of military had been formed. Julie was ex-military, her brother in-law Cody (Rosie's husband) was former military, and a group of military survivors from Atlanta along with some civilians had made it out there. Somehow, and Julie didn't know how, they'd all started turning to her for answers. The plantation had a farm with animals that was tended by the members of the group living there, as was the garden Silas had started long before this disaster had begun. Everyone had a job and everyone did their part. Some cooked, some watched the younger kids, some gardened, some tended the animals, some went out into the woods to set traps for animals, some hunted, some went on raids, and some did a combination of things. But no one stayed for free. People were free to come and go as they pleased but while there they lived by the rules set in place by Julie and Silas from the beginning. It wasn't life as it had once been but it was life as it was now and it was better than a lot of people had it.
They had found cabins in the woods surrounding the plantation. After making sure they were empty, they were fortified and stocked with food, weapons, and ammo in case escape from the plantation was ever deemed necessary. The supplies were hidden so you had to know where they were in order to find them. The cabins were also set up in case members of the group couldn't get back to the plantation before dark. They tried to never travel at night. Night seemed to be when the walkers were most active and with poor visibility came risks. Once every week or two, a few groups would go out to the various cabins and check for survivors and make sure there were enough supplies left. Julie, who had never been good at cooking or tending gardens or farms, went on a lot of raids and things like that. It was what she was best at. When she was at the plantation, she worked in the infirmary with a few doctors and nurses that had made their way there.
Today, Julie was leaving for one of the cabins furthest out. It would take three or four hours to make it there and three or four hours back. She was going with a group of three other guys, Sanchez, Anderson, and Locke. Sanchez was an avid hunter before all this and good with a gun. Anderson was former military and a good friend of Julie's. Locke was a guy that was good with a gun but that Julie personally didn't like but he refused to stay back. He'd formed a pretty close relationship with her son Jace and Julie wasn't altogether comfortable with it but Jace refused to listen to her on this particular subject, as well as many others. Their relationship was slightly better than it had been before all this but Julie knew he didn't see her as his mother. To him, she was just the person that bossed him around and he was forced to listen to because everyone else listened to her.
Julie was checking her bag to make sure she had what she needed. She had enough bottles of water for the journey and enough food as well. She was well stocked up on ammo for both her assault rifle and the two handguns she had on her. She made sure she had a well stocked first aid kit, since she was the medical expert on her "team" and then quickly got dressed. She wore her usually outfit of black jeans, a grey tank top, black combat boots, and khaki green jacket. She was getting ready to head downstairs when Matty came into the room, helping a one year old Allie along by holding her hand. She walked pretty well but Matty was extremely protective of her and never left her side, so he was always there to help her along. Julie smiled at them and kneeled on the ground with her arms opened wide. Allie smiled widely at her and tottered quickly into her open arms. Julie scooped her up and left kisses on her cheek as she stood.
"There's my baby girl." Julie cooed at the baby who smiled up at her and touched her nose.
"Do you have to go?"Matty whined sitting on her bed. Julie shared a room with the baby while Matty and Jace shared a room with their cousins Caleb and Lincoln.
"You know I do, baby." Julie told him.
"But Jace gets so bossy when you're gone." Matty said dramatically.
"He's just looking out for you." Julie insisted. Matty, who was no eight, almost nine, rolled his eyes.
"No, he's not." The boy insisted. "He can just get away with it when you're not around." Julie chuckled.
"I know, and I'm sorry." Julie said honestly. "But he is looking out for you." Matty scoffed. "You'll make sure Allie is taken care of?" Julie asked the boy. Whenever she gave him responsibilities while she was gone, he seemed to feel better about it and more important, which is why she always gave him the "responsibility" of looking after his sister, because to him that's what she was.
"You know I will." He said standing up.
"And you'll do your chores?" He tended to try and shirk his duty when she wasn't around.
"If I have to." He said exasperated.
"And you'll listen to Jace?" He pouted his lips and looked away from her. "Matty…" Julie said in a pleading voice. Matty sighed again but nodded his head. "You promise?"
"I promise." The boy insisted. Jace could be hard on the younger boy but he looked out for him.
"Good." Julie said. "Now, I've got to get going. See me off?" Julie asked. Matty smiled and nodded, jumping off the bed and handing Julie her backpack. Seeing her off meant he got to climb into the guard tower, his favorite thing. The trio made their way downstairs, where they met up with Jace in the entryway.
"Locke was looking for you." Jace told her. "Said you guys need to get going."
"You weren't hanging out with him again were you?" Julie asked in a disapproving tone. Jace refused to meet her eyes, which was all the confirmation she needed. "Jace, I told you to stay away from him."
"I don't understand why." Jace insisted. "He teaches me things."
"Yeah, things he has no business teaching you, especially without my permission."
"I'm thirteen." Jace insisted.
"You're twelve, and you'll do as I say until I say otherwise."
"Caleb gets to go hunting." Jace protested.
"Caleb is also two years older than you and he goes with his dad. You want to go hunting, fine, but you're going with either me or one of your uncles."
"But Locke let's me do more.'
"And under no circumstances are you to ever leave this compound with Locke." Julie said in a hard voice.
"It's not fair."
"Yeah, well in case you haven't noticed, kid, life isn't fair. So get used to it." Jace rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. This was how the majority of their conversations went.
"Locke says you treat me like a baby."
"Well, when I'm dead, Locke is more than welcome to take responsibility of you and make those decisions but until that time you are going to listen to me and do as you are told." Julie snapped at him. "Now, while I'm gone, you're to do your chores and look after your brother and sister."
"They're not…"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Julie warned her son. She knew he was about to say that they weren't his brother and sister, which he was more than welcome to think but not to say, especially in front of them. Matty looked up to Jace and Allie didn't know any differently. Jace had the grace to look a little ashamed.
"I'll look after them." He said in a small voice. Julie sighed and handed him the small handgun she'd been keeping from him since the start of it all. She didn't want her twelve year old son walking around with a gun.
"Here." She said handing it to him. He looked up at her with wide eyes as he took it.
"Are you serious?" He asked. Julie nodded.
"Do not make me regret this. It is for protection only. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." He said smiling.
"Jules, you ready?" Anderson asked coming into the house. Julie nodded.
"I'll be out in a minute." Anderson nodded and walked out of the house. "I'll see you guys later tonight." Julie told the three. She placed a kiss on Allie's head before handing her off to Jace. She got a big hug and a kiss from Matty. Jace gave her a tight lipped, uncomfortable smile and Julie returned it. This was the most she ever got from him. She met up with her men outside and they made their way to the gate. Matty climbed the guard tower and when Julie reached the cover of the trees and he could no longer see her, she gave one sharp whistle, which he returned. It was their thing. At least one of her sons cared what happened to her.
The group was making good time to the cabin. They stopped not far away so that Sanchez could take a leak and the others could rest. Julie had had a tense relationship from the start with Locke and she hated having him with her. She didn't trust him not to get her or her men killed and that's not the kind of man you wanted on you team with you. He was, however, very good at tracking and very good with knives. He was by no means a pleasant man but he was an asset, as long as he kept his mouth shut and didn't try to preach to Julie how she should be raising her kids. He'd learned the hard way that that was not acceptable and had done much better at keeping his mouth shut.
"Uh, Jules, you might want to come see this." Sanchez yelled from the ravine he'd gone down to take a leak. Julie didn't care if the guys pissed in front of her but they were uncomfortable with it. Just like they were uncomfortable with Julie going off on her own to pee. They might see her as an able bodied asset to their team and their leader but she was still a woman and this set off their need to protect her. Julie grabbed her rifle and made her way over to the ravine and down until she met up with Sanchez. She was about to ask what he wanted her to see when she saw it.
There was a man lying in the ravine. He was either dead or unconscious. Julie bent down and pressed her fingers to her neck, feeling a pulse. "He's alive." She muttered taking her backpack off her back and beginning to look him over. He was wearing a sleeveless button up and a leather vest over it. He had long, dark brown hair, and at least a week's worth of facial hair growth. There was a bag next to him and a crossbow not far away. She lifted up his shirt and looked him over as best as she could given the terrain. She saw bruises on his abdomen, telling her he had probably cracked, if not broken some ribs, and a pretty deep gash on his forehead. "He's not bit as far as I can tell." Julie said looking up at her men.
"What do we do with him?" Sanchez asked. Julie sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"How far are we from the cabin?" She asked.
"About a quarter mile." Anderson answered. Julie nodded.
"We'll carry him there." She said standing up. "I'll give him a more thorough once over and if he's uninfected, I'll do what I can for him."
"You know how Silas feels about us picking up strays." Anderson told her with a smile. Julie smiled back.
"And what the hell were you?" Anderson chuckled and nodded his head.
"Alright, we'll take him with us." Anderson agreed.
"Could be dangerous." Locke said.
"Yeah, well the same could be said for some other guys I know." Julie said in a pointed tone.
"I'm just pointing out you're jeopardizing all our lives here and maybe we should have a say."
"The man has at least two cracked ribs, a concussion most likely, and a pretty good gash on his leg. If you don't think you can protect yourself against him, feel free to go back to base." Julie told him in a hard tone. He glared at her for a moment to see if she'd waver before nodding his head.
"Whatever you say…boss." The word boss was laced with contempt and almost mocked her. "But if you want to pick up strays, you carry them." And with that he walked away.
"Can I shoot him?" Julie asked Anderson and Sanchez. Anderson smiled at her and Sanchez chuckled.
"Only if you can make it look like an accident." Sanchez said.
"Don't tempt me." Julie warned, seriously considering it. "Let's get him up and get moving."
The walk took significantly longer with the man. It took three of them to carry him, meaning Locke was their only protection, a fact none of them took too much comfort in. They finally made it the cabin, however, and they set the man down on the bed in the one bedroom of the cabin. Julie, ever the professional, took a thorough examination of his body. She would have preferred it if he was awake so that she didn't feel like such a creep-o but he wasn't. Sanchez was off checking supplies, Locke was keeping watch, and Anderson was getting her better supplies than what she had in her backpack. Taking his shirt and vest off had been easy and Julie was greeted with the pretty nice sight of this man without his shirt. Julie was in the process of undoing the man's pants when he woke up.
"What the hell?!" He exclaimed jumping away from her as best he could on the bed and in his condition. Julie held her hands up trying to calm him down as he looked around with wide eyes.
"You're safe." She said trying to get him to calm down. Sanchez and Anderson came running in with their guns at the ready. Julie waved them down. "No one is going to hurt you."
"Where am I?" The man demanded looking around. "And what were you trying to do?" Julie blushed.
"I was checking for bites." She said defensively.
"What? On my ass?" Julie glared at him.
"We could have left you in that ravine, you know? So a little gratitude would be appreciated." She snapped at him. She was sick of being treated like the bad guy for trying to help.
"What…what ravine?" The man asked.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Julie asked him.
"I was walking, through the forest."
"Were you drunk?" Julie asked. She'd found an almost empty bottle in his bag.
"I might have had a few drinks." The man said defensively, which told Julie the answer to her question was yes.
"My guess, you got drunk, tripped over roots, and fell down the ravine, banging yourself up pretty good."
"Where am I?" the man asked again, only this time a little less agitated.
"We have a group not far from here. This is one of the cabins we have."
"Are you a doctor?" The man asked.
"Nurse, but as close as you're going to get to a doctor." She told him.
"And they are?" He asked indicating Sanchez and Anderson.
"My entourage." Julie said jokingly. "Guys, you can go." Julie told them. They assessed the situation and after a second, they left the room, but not before glaring at the man on the bed to warn him against trying anything. "So, can you relax while I examine you?"
"I'm fine." The man said defensively but he relaxed a little.
"Can I at least bandage the gash on your leg?" Julie asked. After a moment, he nodded his head and Julie gently started rolling up his pant leg to look at the gash. She grabbed some alcohol and gauze. "This might hurt a little." She said before she touched the gash with the gauze covered in alcohol. He sucked in a deep breath.
"Jesus, woman." He said in a harsh voice. Julie rolled her eyes.
"Don't be such a baby." Julie snapped at him but started to apply a disinfectant onto the gash. It wasn't too deep and wasn't going to require stitches. As long as it was kept clean, it would heal but there would probably be a scar. She grabbed some rolls of gauze and began wrapping the wound, tightly but not too tightly.
"You don't remember me, do you?" The man asked while she did her work.
"What are you talking about?" Julie asked.
"When this all started, we met in a small town outside Atlanta." He said. "You threatened to shoot my brother in the leg." That did it. Julie remembered him. She narrowed her eyes up at him.
"Daryl, right?" Julie asked. He nibbled on his thumb and nodded his head. "Whatever happened to your brother?"
"He died." Daryl said in a voice that said he was trying to keep emotion out of it but failed. He sounded tough and okay with it but Julie knew he was still hurting.
"I'm sorry." Julie said sincerely. He tried shrugging like it didn't matter. "You're all bandaged up." Julie smiled up at him, trying to change the mood in the room.
"Jules, the supplies are good." Anderson said coming into the room. Julie nodded her head. "We need to get going if we're going to make it back before night." Julie looked uncertainly at the man on the bed.
"I just need a night and then I'll be out of here." Daryl said. "If that's okay…"
"You can barely get around on that leg." Julie said looking at his leg.
"I'm fine." Daryl insisted. Julie sighed and shook her head.
"Uh, you three take off. I'll stay here with him to make sure he gets what he needs and then head back in a day or two once he's getting around better."
"What about the kids?" Anderson asked. Julie sighed.
"When you get back, get them on the radio and I'll say goodnight."
"Matty isn't going to like it." Anderson told her. Julie smiled.
"I know but it's what he'd want me to do." Anderson nodded.
"If you need anything, let us know." Julie smiled at him and nodded.
"You guys should get going." Sanchez nodded and the two men started to leave. "Oh, and keep Jace away from Locke."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Julie sighed.
"I don't know, take him to set traps or something."
"You want us to take the kid outside the compound?" Anderson asked in surprise. Julie sighed and nodded.
"Just make it sound like your idea and have him ask me. I need to do something to get on his good side."
"You're his mom…"
"Anderson, please, don't." The man nodded and left the room. Julie turned back to Daryl.
"I don't need someone to take care of me." He insisted.
"Oh really?" Julie asked. "The first time you gotta pee, let me know how easy it is for you to make it to the bathroom without help." The man rolled his eyes but had nothing else to say. "I'm going to get some actual food and make sure the cabin is secure for the night."
A few hours later, just as the sun was going down, Julie was sitting in front of the CB radio waiting to hear from the kids. She was staring at a picture she had of Jace from when he was really little and still cared what his mother thought. She'd tried everything since the outbreak happened to reconnect with the kid but he didn't want it. He wanted nothing to do with her, not on an emotional level anyway. He listened to her, just barely, but he did what he was told because if he didn't, it wasn't just his mom that would be on his ass about it. He had three uncles, an aunt, and pretty much every person at the compound that would get after him if he didn't. He treated her with just enough respect to get by. She'd been making excuses for him, not just so people wouldn't hassle him about it but also because if she told the lie often enough, it became easier for her to believe. She wasn't sure if the kid hated her or even cared about her enough to hate her. All she knew was he was her son but she felt like she barely knew him and that crushed her.
Allie and Matty were so easy. Matty saw Julie as his mother. She'd been the one constant in his life since he was four years old and an extremely sick kid. The foster families changed but she was always there for him. When the world came to an end, she saved him and took care of him, just like she always had. She was the closest he had to a real mother and he loved her for it. He listened and did as he was told because it made Julie happy and to him it mattered whether or not Julie was happy. As for Allie, well Julie, Matty, and Jace were the only family she'd ever really known. Julie had changed all the diapers, or at least most of them. Julie made sure she ate and spent time with her every day trying to get to know her and let her know that she was loved. Julie loved that little girl as if she were her own and in a way she kind of was. Julie had been there since almost her first day of her life. Allie and Matty were just as much her kids as Jace was and she loved them just as much as she loved them. It was just after sundown when the call came in.
"Base to Bennett, do you copy?" Julie could tell from the voice that it was Anderson himself.
"Bennett to Base, I copy." Julie said. "You got the kids with you?"
"We're here." Matty said excitedly.
"Hey baby." Julie said happy to hear his voice. "Are your brother and sister there?"
"We're here." Jace said in a firm voice. "Although Allie isn't going to say too much."
"Have you guys showered, brushed your teeth, and gotten your jammies on?" Julie asked, ignoring Jace's tone.
"Jace hasn't." Matty said.
"Shut up twerp." Jace said and Julie could see him lightly shoving his brother.
"Don't hit your brother." Julie chastised.
"Julie, Anderson asked if I could go with him to check the traps tomorrow." Jace said. "Would that be okay?" He sounded so hopeful and it took all of Julie's willpower not to tell him no, even though it had been her idea. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea but now she hated the idea of him leaving the compound. "Please. It would be a really good learning experience for me." Julie sighed.
"Yeah, okay, I guess." Julie said.
"Thank you!" And for the first time in over a year, Julie had actually managed to make her son happy.
"When will you be home?" Matty whined. Julie sighed.
"Hopefully tomorrow or the day after."
"Uncle Silas isn't too happy about another mouth to feed." Jace informed her.
"Tell him we'll get rid of Locke and it'll all even out." Julie suggested.
"Julie." Jace said in an annoyed tone. Julie sighed.
"Sorry." Julie said, even though it was a lie. She'd just managed to make her son happy for the first time since he was a little kid. The last thing she wanted was to take that victory away by saying something about his "friend", even if Julie did absolutely hate the guy.
"Why couldn't you come back with the others?" Matty asked.
"Because I was doing what I thought you'd want me to do."
"I just don't like sleeping without you here." Julie felt her eyes fill with tears. "Will you sing the song?"
"Of course I will." Every night since they'd gotten to Silas' place, Julie had sung the same song to Matty and Allison just before bed. The first night at the compound, Matty had been scared and had asked Julie to sing him a song. The only song Julie could think of was the one her mother had sung to her when she was a baby and the one she'd sung to her own son when he was little. It was an old Irish lullaby called Toora Loora Loora. For whatever reason, since that night Matty had asked her to sing it for him and it had sort of become their ritual.
"Again, mama." Matty begged when she was finished and Julie could hear the yawn in his voice. Julie smiled.
"Not tonight, sweets. It's time for you to get to sleep." Julie told them. "Jace, stay with Allie?"
"Yeah, sure." Jace sounded put out by it but she knew he wasn't. Allie slept through the night and her room was a hell of a lot more peaceful than the room he normally slept in.
"Okay, I love you babies." Julie said.
"Love you, mama." Matty said in an enthusiastic voice, which made Julie smile.
"Mama." Was the only thing she got out of Allie.
"See you tomorrow." Was what she got from Jace. Somehow Allie's one word was filled with more emotion than Jace's three but she wasn't going to comment on it. For a long time after Anderson said they were gone, Julie just sat in the metal folding chair in front of the radio and stared at the wall. She'd been away from them overnight before but she'd been on raids and had other things to keep her mind busy, like watching for walkers and sleeping. Tonight, seemed different and she just missed them more.
Daryl Dixon felt useless. He was lying in a bed unable to really move without excruciating pain radiating through his body. He'd been lucky he was found by the girl and her group and even luckier she was able to patch him up so well. He knew even as he was doing it that drinking was a dumb idea but at the time it just felt like it didn't matter. He'd lost Beth. He had no idea where the others were. He was alone. There was a time when he would have craved that solitude but not now. Now he was part of group, or he had been before the governor had taken that all away. If it weren't for the fact that he was already dead, Daryl would have stopped at nothing to hunt the man down and kill him. This was the first time since the world came crashing down around everybody that Daryl was by himself.
When things first happened, he'd had his brother, and then they'd joined Shane's group, which eventually became Rick's group after Rick showed up and then later killed Shane. Even through everything, through all the deaths, and all the losses, they were a group. Sometimes that group had been shattered but they'd picked up the pieces. Now, he had no one. The only person he'd managed to escape the prison with was missing and he had no idea where to start looking. He'd tried to chase the car down but he had been useless. Beth was just gone. He'd come across an old pack next to a walker, and after killing the walker he'd raided the pack. He found a bottle of whiskey and despite knowing what a shitty drunk he was, he drank it. He didn't remember much after that but he was guessing the girl was right. He'd probably gotten drunk, fallen down a ravine, and been fortunate enough to be found by a group of people willing to help him and not blood thirsty walkers.
The girl was different than he'd expected her to be. When he'd first come across her with his brother over a year ago, she'd come across as a woman who would do whatever she needed to do in order to protect her kids. She hadn't seemed particularly tough and even Merle had remarked that he thought her and the kids would be dead inside a week but he had been wrong, as he frequently was. She was still alive and apparently a hell of a lot tougher than he'd thought. The other men that had been with her seemed to look to her for guidance, almost as if she were in charge.
There hadn't been much to do in the small room he'd been given, much less something to read or listen to, and the cabin was small. When Julie had talked to her kids over the radio, he couldn't help but listening. It sort of seemed like the older one, Jace, he thought he heard him called, wasn't a real great kid but what did he know? And then she'd sang that song. Her voice was so beautiful and almost haunting. The song made tears almost fill his eyes. He'd never heard it before but he had a feeling it didn't matter what song she sang. It would be amazing. It wasn't the same as Beth. In fact it made him miss her a hell of a lot more but damned if he didn't want to hear this woman sing again. The woman had a voice that just put him at ease and made him want to relax back into his pillow and go to sleep.
After she'd said goodbye to the kids, Daryl had expected her to come check on him but she hadn't. In fact, it sounded like she didn't move at all for a good long while. Then he heard what sounded like cupboards opening and closing and eventually the smell of food made its way back to him. He hadn't even realized how hungry he was until he smelled whatever it was she was cooking. After a short while, she came back carrying two plates and two bottles of waters tucked under her arms. She handed him one of the plates and bottles of water and then sat in the chair by the bed. Turns out she'd made mac and cheese and hot dogs. It wasn't a nice juicy steak but it was probably the best meal he'd had in a long time.
"Thanks." He mumbled his gratitude. The woman just nodded her head and started eating. The two sat eating in silence for a few minutes. "I never did catch your name." Daryl said, realizing he hadn't. He'd heard one of the guys call her Jules but he didn't know if it was her name or if it was short for something.
"Julie." The woman mumbled. "Julie Bennett." Daryl nodded his head.
"Daryl Dixon." He mumbled back. "Although not sure the last name really matters." Julie smiled at him.
"Yeah, I guess it doesn't." She admitted.
"So, you were talking with your kids?" Julie nodded her head and looked down at her plate. "How old are they?"
"Uh…" Julie cleared her throat. "Allison is about a year and a half, Matty is eight, almost nine, and Jace is going to be thirteen soon." She answered.
"And they're all yours?" Julie shook her head.
"I was a nurse before all this happened and was working when all this started. Matty had been one of my patients on and off for three years. He was in the hospital at the time and he had no family."
"And Allison?"
"She was in the hospital nursery. She'd just been born and chances are good her parents were already dead. I didn't know for sure but if they weren't they sure as hell didn't care enough about her to risk their necks for her."
"And Jace?"
"He's mine." Julie said and then shook her head. "A fact he hates to admit to." Julie told him honestly.
"Why?" Daryl asked confused. Julie set her plate down, leaned back in her chair, and sighed.
"It's a really long story."
"Well unless you've got a television, I'm not seeing many other ways to pass the time." While this was true, Daryl wasn't sure why he was asking her all these questions. Usually he was the quiet one and let others ask him questions. He wasn't even sure why he cared about the answers in the first place. For whatever reason he just wanted to know more.
"I was still in high school when he was born." Julie started. "His father wasn't exactly a real stand up guy and once I graduated I knew it was up to me to take care of him. The jobs available to me wouldn't support me and a kid so I felt I had very few options. So, I enlisted."
"You were military?" Daryl asked shocked. Julie chuckled and nodded.
"A lifetime ago I was." She told him. "Army to be exact. I served three tours in Iraq while Jace stayed home with his father Charlie, who took my money and basically sat on his ass playing video games all day."
"Asshole." Julie nodded her head.
"I couldn't agree more, but he was Jace's father and I couldn't be there to do it myself so…" Julie left the sentence hanging and paused in her story for a minute. "Anyway, during my third tour I took two bullets to the chest and barely made it back to the states alive. I was honorably discharged and things were looking up for me and the kid. You know, I was still his hero." Julie smiled bitterly at the memory.
"What happened?"
"I, uh…" Julie sat up straighter and cleared her throat. "I got pretty addicted to my pain killers and when the doctors refused to prescribe me anymore, I looked for other means to numb the pain."
"Drugs?" Daryl asked, sounding surprised. Julie nodded her head but refused to meet his gaze. "What happened after that?" Julie shrugged and gave him another bitter smile.
"What always happens." She admitted. "I became a junkie and got my kid taken away from me. Charlie, his father, got a job and was able to support him. By the time I got clean almost two years later, Jace didn't want anything to do with me. I don't know if it's because of what actually happened or because of what his father said about me but the damage was done. I've tried to make up for it since then, especially since his father died at the start of all this but he still doesn't want anything to do with me and I guess I can't blame him."
"You're his mother."
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything." Julie told him. "It doesn't matter, anyway." She said. "As long as he's safe."
"Was this Charlie a good dad?" Julie thought about it for a minute before shrugging.
"The Charlie I knew wasn't. He spent all his time drinking and playing video games. I had a part-time job in high school and I'd come to pick up Jace from Charlie's and find the kid screaming in the back bedroom in his carseat. He hadn't eaten in six hours and was sitting in a diaper full of shit." Julie sighed in disgust. "The poor kid's ass was so red and sore that it started bleeding and I had to take him to the doctor to get prescription ointment and pray to god they didn't turn me in to child protective services."
"Sounds like a real winner." Daryl said sarcastically. Julie shrugged.
"I think he got better when I wasn't around." The two were silent for a few minutes. "So, Daryl Dixon, what's your sob story?" Daryl rubbed the back of his head uncertainly.
"Mom died when I was a kid, dad was a real asshole, brother was in jail a lot." Daryl left it hanging. "Same old sob story as the other drunken rednecks out there."
"You miss him though." Julie observed. "Your brother, I mean." Daryl looked down and slowly nodded his head.
"Wasn't worth much but yeah, I miss him."
"Yeah, he didn't seem like such a great guy the one time I met him." Julie admitted. "Although you didn't seem all that much better either." Daryl chuckled but didn't meet her gaze.
"I wasn't." Daryl admitted. "Back then I wasn't a good guy." He looked up at Julie.
"And you are now?" Daryl shrugged.
"I'm better, maybe." He sighed. "I used to do what Merle told me to do, damn the consequences. We got separated before he died and I didn't know what happened to him; whether he was alive or dead. Without him I had to make my own decisions."
"Have you been by yourself since you were separated?" Daryl shook his head.
"We met up with a group outside of Atlanta shortly after our run in with you. I stayed with them when Merle was gone and, well ever since then really."
"The same group?" Daryl nodded.
"At least the ones that have survived." He admitted.
"So you've lost some?"
"Everyone's lost some." Daryl said in a hard voice and Julie had to agree with him on that.
"So, where are they now?"
"We were camped out at a prison not too far from here and we were attacked. I managed to escape with one other person, a girl named Beth."
"Where is she?" Daryl shrugged.
"She's just gone." Julie was going to press the issue but she sensed from his tone that he was done talking about it. She figured this was the most he'd talked in a while. He didn't seem like a real open guy. She was surprised she'd gotten as much out of him as she had so far.
"What about the others? Any ideas where they might go?" Daryl shrugged.
"Everyone was scattered. I guess they would be looking for some place safe, if a place like that exists." Julie smiled sadly at the reality of his statement and then thought about it for a moment.
"Terminus." She said after a moment of silence. Daryl gave her an odd look.
"What?"
"Terminus." Julie repeated with a smile. Daryl just continuing looking at her like she had lost her damn mind, which she may very well have. "Okay, three months ago we found a group of people in one of the cabins. We brought them back to the compound. They told us they'd been following the railroad tracks trying to make it to this place called Terminus. I guess all around the tracks there are signs indicating that it's a safe haven and all people need to do is follow the tracks. Anyway, they stayed with us for a little while but ended up moving on. The prison you guys were at is ten or fifteen miles from here, relatively close to the tracks. If your people came across the same signs, they may be headed there."
"How far is this place from here?"
"On foot it would take probably three to five days to get there, as long as everything goes well." Julie said. "If you got a car you could cut down on some of the walk time but following the tracks is the only way to guarantee you get there."
"I'll head out tomorrow morning." Julie shook her head.
"Absolutely not." Daryl opened his mouth to protest but Julie cut him off. "You won't make it a mile on that leg." Julie said, pointing to the wound. "Not without help, anyway."
"In case you missed the point of my story, I'm alone." Julie sighed and leaned back in her chair looking at him critically. Was she really about to do this? "What? What are you looking at?"
"You." Julie said in an annoyed tone. "I can't believe I'm doing this for a complete stranger but I'll help you."
"Help me what?" Daryl asked in confusion.
"Get to Terminus." Julie said like he was an idiot.
"I can't ask…"
"You're not." Julie told him. "I'm volunteering."
"But…your kids." Julie sighed.
"I've been gone for a few weeks before. They manage. I'll come back, just like I always do."
"Why? Why would you help me?"
"Because you need me to." Julie stood up and grabbed both their empty plates. "Now, get some rest. We leave in the morning." She left the room before he could protest or say something that would talk her out of doing this.
A/N: So let me know what you guys think. I wrote this pretty quickly and then read it a few times and felt something was off about it, tweaked it a little, read it again, still wasn't happy completely, tweaked it, and was then about 90% satisfied with the work. Anyway, read, review ;)