Chapter 3: Reunions, Rescue Team, and Beating
"You missed the turn-off!" Glenn shouted over the music just as they passed the entrance to the Quarry. What do you expect when you're hitting a 120 on the highway with no traffic or cops to slow you down or stop you? Jake quickly hits both brakes causing the tires to let out a loud screech as they scrape against the road until the car came to a stop. He then throws the car in reverse for a moment before hitting the gas then brakes again followed by throwing it back into drive and turning the wheel causing the vehicle to pull off onto the dirt road leading towards the Quarry.
"Are you sure you weren't a pizza delivery man before the world went to shit?" Asks Glenn jokingly after lowering the radio while the two make their way down the dirt road and this gets a chuckle out of Jake whose smiling and looks at him briefly with his eyes, but doesn't turn his head.
"Let's just say, I spent a fair amount of time behind the wheel of a beauty like this before I joined the Army and may or may not have spent a night or two in jail. Fortunately, my dad was a good cop, one who was usually owed a few favors from quite a few people and was able to keep Bear and I's records clean" he explained to the younger, shorter male who looked surprised by this for a moment before breaking out into a smile and even chuckling.
"Damn, Jake Gonzalez has a different side to him. I like this side. The other one is scary and while we're cool on a certain level, you still scare me and quite a few of the others" Glenn admitted looking down and shaking his head with a small smile on his face.
"Before this, I acted like a different person, was in my own way a fun person. At least, that is until I had to go to work, then it was the guy you see now all the time. Though with the world ending all the old rules went out the window and a only a single new one has been implemented" Jake told the younger male as they came around the bend with the camp and Quarry coming into sight.
"What rule is that?" Glenn asked sounding both curious and slightly confused. He couldn't turn, but could feel the other male's eyes on him, inspecting.
"Survive, by any means necessary. Whether you believe so or not Glenn, there's no way to survive this without getting your hands dirty and the sooner you understand that, the better" J finished just as they reached the top of the Quarry where everyone was gathered with Shane, Rone, Jase, and Bear aiming their weapons, since the windshield was tinted and couldn't see in, waiting for them to get out.
The former SFC threw the Mustang in park before cutting the engine and was about to step out of the car when his passenger asked him another question. "Are you hands, dirty?" The shorter, younger male sounded afraid of what his answer would be and he didn't blame him.
"Put it this way, when and I say when because it will, so when shit hits the fan you should feel fortunate you're on my side" was his honest reply before he pops the door open and steps out leaving a stunned Glenn who shakes himself from his stupor and climbs out as well. The others then lower their weapons.
"We heard and even saw that explosion all the way from here, hell I wouldn't be surprised if ever damn walker within 50 miles heard that explosion!" Shane shouted and looked rather angry after seeing who he was and what he'd done so they could all escape the city in one piece. "What the hell were you thinking!?" God, the man was annoying, couldn't he just accept they were alive.
"Fuck off, Shane. I did what I had to do to get everyone out of the city, if you don't like it then you can go fuck yourself" Jake replied, which pissed the man off even more, while hugging his cousin, Rone, Bear, and lastly Amy who looked happy to see him, but also concerned since Andrea wasn't with him and he quickly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, she got out. Her and the others are a few minutes behind us" he said and looking into her eyes causing her to relax slightly.
She gave him a half-happy, half thankful smile before leaning up and kissing his cheek in a sisterly manner before moving away and into Bears arms. He was about to speak up again when a blur passed through the others and crashed into his waist where he small arms wrapped around him. His shirt started growing damp and he knew the younger brunette was crying.
"Hey, hey, hey..." Jake said softly before pulling Sophia's arms from around him softly which she tried to fight against, to no avail, as he then kneeled in front of her and placed his hands on her cheeks. Her red puffy eyes met his as tears continued to run down her cheeks in what he hoped was joy. "I made it back, just like I promised" Jake claimed before pulling her to him and hugging her like he was sure Ed never had and even kissed the top of her head lovingly. His eyes then scanned the group to see the Peletier male in the distance standing by the entrance to his tent seething, but ignored him, and continued his scan until his gaze fell upon Carol who was silently crying behind her hand, she gave him a nod telling him it was okay.
After a couple minutes Sophia stopped crying, but hadn't made a move to pull away and he can tell she didn't have plans to do so anytime soon and he wasn't going to make her. He didn't have heart for it nor did he mind, so he just held her close.
"So, what the hell happened out there?" Jase was the one to break the silence of the moment and J looked over to his cousin only to see that his eyes were looking at Glenn, which meant the question wasn't meant for him.
"Where do I start?" Glenn asked before letting out a huff of air and sounding like he was about to explain, but the sound of tires coming up the gravel road grabbed everyone's attention just as the familiar SUV pulled up and was thrown in park before the engine was cut off.
T-Dog was the first one to climb out, well that he could see, followed by Jacqui, then Morales who around the front of the vehicle and quickly moved for his family as they all embraced him, then Andrea who almost ran to her sister who in-turn almost did the same as the two then hugged one another with tears in their eyes. 'Where the hells, Merle?' He silently asked himself as he waited for the drugged up redneck to climb out and say something stupid, but never did.
The last person to step out of the SUV was Rick who looked lost about what he should do. That is until Morales called him over and told him not to be shy.
Jake had prepared himself for this moment, the one he was sure to come after hearing Rick say his name, though left his last name out, while wearing a deputy's uniform and honestly it just couldn't be coincidence and it appeared it wasn't. The former deputy looked passed them and then started lightly hyperventilating looking on the verge of tears and that's when J knew his assumptions were proven correct.
"Dad!" He heard Carl shout before he ran past the group and into the arms of his father who had just kneeled prior to falling into the ground while holding his son with relief and pure happiness. The man then got up with his son in his arms before making his way over to Lori who looked more shocked then happy than he thought she would be as the trio embraced each other, that is until her eyes shifted to Shane with what looked like a guilt plus question fueled gaze and he knew what was wrong.
It would seem the acts of sexual release she did with the man, which was sorta more on his part, had overridden her joy at the reunion with her husband and was filling her body with guilt plus the addition of a silent question in her eyes. 'I thought you said he was dead?' Maybe not that nicely put, but nonetheless it was the question that had been asked and it seemed to have some anger behind it.
The question as to why she didn't look at him with that guilt fueled look of hers made him curious, he supposed it could be because she either no longer felt guilt about what she did with him because unlike with Shane they didn't get emotionally attached with anything other than maybe besides friendship nor did either of them think it was anything more than it was as well as it possibly felt less guilty when doing it with someone who knew just how you felt and didn't ask nor expected it of you because of it. With Shane, she once told Jake she did it with him because she felt she was paying the debt for him saving their lives. It could also be because she didn't want to let anyone onto their escapades, but unless he asked he wouldn't be too sure though he was leaning more towards the first one.
"Alright, while this is all just touching, I still want to know what the hell went wrong" and the touching reunion moment was ruined by officer dickhead who sounded a little upset and it was no doubt about his sex with Lori being no more, crashing and burning. That's what the fucktard got for getting attached like an idiot.
"First, I could use some food and secondly, either of you want to tell me where the hell is Merle?" The former SFC said as he looked over Sophia's head at those who arrived in the SUV and leveled them with a glare that said he wanted answers.
"Let's-let's get that food first..." T-Dog was the one to answer looking a bit guilty and at a lost and that's when Jake knew, something had gone wrong.
-x-
It was an hour later after everyone who'd gone into town had changed out of their dirty clothes, wiped themselves down with a wet cloth, and had gotten a warm meal in their belly. During that time the sun had already started to set and the air started to cool so everyone gathered around a few bonfires which were kept low so that walkers didn't spot them from a distance, but still gave off enough warmth which grew when everyone shared their body heat with those next to them or in their arms.
"So, you all left his ass handcuffed on the roof?" Jake asked in a low, because Sophia was asleep with her head on his lap and her legs on Carol's who sat next to him, slightly angry and disappointed tone as he looked between the five people, he and Glenn left on the roof, with a glare. Each of them looked down like scolded children. Sure, the man was an asshole but he didn't deserve to be left on the roof like a chained animal waiting for the slaughter. That's how Daryl was going to see it.
"I had the key and went back for him, but slipped and dropped the key which bounced into a pipe where it had no way of being recovered. It was my fault and I chained the door, so it should hold" T-Dog claimed taking the whole blame for Merle being left behind. J just sighed and shook his head.
"Those chains were old and if enough walkers put their weight on the door they'll snap. There's nothing we can do about it right now nor is Daryl going to be happy when he returns and finds out his brother had been left behind. After he gets back I'll try and talk him out of trying to kill you guys then take him with me to get his brother back. Hopefully, Yondu survives the night" he explains to the group as he leans back against the log behind him and even though it's uncomfortable, he's slept on worse and it was only until they all left to settle in for the night.
"You're going back out again?" Bear was the one to question his decision looking upset that he wasn't counseled about this beforehand like he usually was. While they didn't need each other's permission they felt it was necessary to talk this things over, if not with all four of them then just the two of them.
"Yeah, not like anyone else is going to volunteer" the former SFC answered his oldest friend who didn't like the answer and by giving the group a once over he was right. Nobody wanted to risk their lives for Merle, for Daryl maybe cause he was sorta nicer, but not the eldest Dixon.
After a few minutes of quietness Shane began having a debate with Ed who had put another log on his bonfire which made the flames grow larger and could be seen from a distance which was dangerous because light meant food and usually attracted walkers. He tuned the two men out, but looked over to Carol who seemed to have been listening and rolled her eyes at her former husband and then without thinking lay her head down on his shoulder seeming more tired than she looked.
"Look, it's been a long day and I say we call it a night" Rick suggested and everyone mumbled agreements before getting up and heading to their tents.
Sophia didn't want to wake up, so Jake picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the tent she shared with her mother while said woman leaned against him with an arm looped around one of his in an attempt to keep herself upright and to assist her in walking over to tent she shared with her daughter. Even after laying her down Soph didn't want to let him go, but after some coaxing she eventually did which afterwards he then helped Carol who thanked him and gave a smile before falling asleep.
Walking out of the two Peletier womens' tent he looked over to the RV to see who was on watch for the night and saw that it was Jase's turn which eased him a bit. Due to him being rather young the teen, like most other teens before the Outbreak, had been a night owl and in a way still was. Plus, he knew how to keep himself concentrated and to keep an eye out for the tent next to theirs. He waved to the teen who waved back before he entered their tent and barely got to his cot before crashing out.
-x-
Ever since she woke up this morning and exited her tent and saw him, Sophia has stuck by his side the entire time and was there when he conversed with Bear who was trying convince him out of going back into the city for Merle with him going in his stead for two reasons, but before he could say them the young brunette interrupted and made him promise he wouldn't leave and after giving him a puppy dog look he caved which made her and his best friend smile. Carl then ran over and asked her to play tag which after some coaxing from both himself and the young boy she agreed, though only after he promised not to leave, and ran off to play.
He then turned back to his brother in all but blood and asked him if Amy was okay with this and he said it took some convincing, but she accepted. The former SFC then asked to hear Aaron's two reasons which he replied with one being he hasn't left the camp in weeks since he killed that deer a few weeks ago and two was that if Merle had escaped the cuffs then he would be of better use since he was the better tracker of the two and with Daryl's assistance they'd find the elder Dixon in a shorter amount of time.
The sound of two kids screaming and then calling for their parents and surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly, himself and without a thought he ran over towards where the cries came from with Bear and most of the camp on his tail. He entered a small clearing to find Carl and Sophia staring in fear at a walker tearing apart and eating a dead, with three bolts in its body, deers neck. Seeing him the young Peletier quickly ran over to him seeking safety, he quickly kneeled and wrapped her in his arms.
It was after this that several people ran passed him, neither of his brothers being one of them. The undead male got to his feet before the group of men began beating the walker with bats, pipes, an axe, as well as the butt of both a rifle and shotgun. At the men's rage and the sight of them beating the flesh eater instead of killing it and looking like barbarians while doing so, J made sure to keep Soph from turning her head and watching. Same could not be said for Carl who watched for a moment or two before being led away by his mother.
He wanted to yell at the men for their actions, but not scare the child in his arms Jake held in his anger and instead got to his feet and began walking away though not before sending Bear a knowing look who gave him a nod. He only made it a few steps before Carol appeared and seeing the way her daughter had her arms wrapped around his neck with no intention of letting go didn't make a move to try and take her from him.
"She's fine, just a little spooked" he told the elder of the two Peletier women who nodded, but still looked her daughter over for any bites or scratches which she let out a breath in relief when finding none. He then heard the sound of a suppressed shot being fired and knew Bear did what he'd asked of him and waited for the other male to appear at his side before heading back towards the camp.
By the time they reached the camp a couple minutes later Sophia had fallen asleep, the traumatizing moment taking more out of her than he'd thought and knew after some rest she'd be fine and dandy. Walking into his tent instead of the one the two women shared he entered with Carol, who had a confused look on her face, following behind him.
Jase who'd been asleep turned to see who entered and once he did he asked what the scream was which J answered informing him of what happened before telling him that he was going to let Sophia use his cot to rest and wanted his cousin to keep an eye on her. Even though the teen had a tendency to sleep like a log, he also had a tendency to be a light sleeper when he was asked to do something provided he would still be able to sleep which turned him into a light sleeper and every time someone entered their tent he'd wake up immediately. He was like a motion sensor, which sounded much better and less insulting than calling the boy a guard dog.
After putting the young brunette down and tucking her under his sheet blanket which she immediately pulled to her nose and took a deep inhale of the fabric before pulling it closer to her and snuggling it with a smile on her face. It was one that showed she felt safe and the sight warmed his heart and by the way Carol looked it was the same for her.
"I got eyes on her, you two go on and head out" Jase said before turning in his cot and facing the sleeping girl on the other side of the tent before falling back asleep.
The two adults then exited the tent and before Jake could say anything Carol grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward and into the tent she shared with her daughter which nobody appeared to notice not even when she let the tied flaps loose allowing them to fall and cut the sigh of them off from the outside world, mostly. He was about to ask her what she was doing, but the older Peletier woman cut him off by grabbing his face softly yet firmly with both hands, stood on her tiptoes, and dragged his face down to hers causing their lips to crash against one another's.
The action caught Jake by surprise, if only for a moment, before he placed one hand on the back of her neck and the other on her waist and began reciprocating the action with just as much vigor as the woman in his grasp before she moved one hand into his hair and the other around his neck to hold him in place. If it was suppose to be a closed mouth kiss from beginning to end he didn't get the memo because her body language said elsewise and after licking her bottom lip causing her to slightly gasp he slid his tongue into her mouth and it was only a second before hers starting fighting back against his, but not in an effort to force him out. She let out a low moan.
When the need for air became absolutely necessary both parties pulled away, but not far as they rested their foreheads against one another's while panting for breath with their eyes closed. Neither made a move to pull away or even reposition their limbs from their current spots, that is until what he believed was with a burst of confidence that she removed the hand from his hair much to his dismay before reaching down to the hand on her waist and moving it over towards her ass where she had him squeeze before moving her own back to his hair and looking up to him with a suggestive look and after giving the woman's butt cheek another squeeze her gaze turned lustful.
The grey haired woman then eased herself fully back onto her feet and thinking the moment was over with Jake moved to release her from his grasp, but she quickly reached over stopping him from moving the hand on her ass with one hand while moving the other to catch his now free hand and place it on her other cheek which was followed by a sexy smirk. Carol then began pushing him backwards towards her cot, which he knew was hers because he's helped her settle into it more than once since they met.
When the back of his calves hit the edge of the cot he slid his way down her body, without moving his hands, while lowering himself onto the woman's 'bed'. Once he was fully seated she climbed into his lap before smashing her mouth against his once again. He'd never seen this side of Carol before and it felt so different than the one he knew and out of place, but he couldn't keep himself from liking it and wanting more. If he did pull away it would probably hurt her more than him and he didn't want to hurt her, never, she'd been hurt enough.
Plus, he supposes this was coming with how close they'd been becoming and with how he'd been looking after and treating Sophia these past couple days, as if he were her father and in a way he guesses he kinda is because she never had one to begin with. He was also sure, this Carol was the one who hadn't been let out in years and had so much pent up sexual need which for the first time she wanted to fulfill instead of being ordered to do so against her wishes and never to her satisfaction. He knew she hadn't meant to tell him, but while telling her about the things Ed did to her she admitted to having a vibrator which she loved and missed,
1 though it never gave her that satisfied feeling.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt her grind against him and that was when he realized that he was sporting an erection and by the low moan that made it past her lips she felt it. In that moment, J didn't care that the tent walls were then, the flaps were technically still open, or that the whole camp would hear them but he wanted to take then and there and give her the sexual satisfaction she deserved and from her actions craved.
In a moment of his own confidence the former SFC moved one of his hands up her body and over to her breasts where he cupped one from outside her shirt, but could feel it and her bra in his palm which caused another moan to escape her lips which let him know she didn't mind especially after she grind down him again. The silver haired woman reached down to his waist and began undoing his belt, but the sound of people shouting and what sounding like fighting coming from outside destroyed the moment and the two quickly pulled away before fixing themselves which was her shirt and him doing his belt.
The two then slipped out from her tent and due to the commotion nobody noticed their exit or slightly still disheveled state, well all except for Lori who they didn't see glance over at the sight of them emerging from the tent before turning back to her husband and Shane trying to calm down an upset Darly, well more like double teaming him. She then glanced back at them to see the exact moment her former 'lover', the one good at sex, which she supposes is what he was, registered what was going on before moving to interfere.
"What the hell is going on here!?" Jake shouted before quickly covering the ground between himself and where Shane had Daryl in a chokehold and with some effort before pushing the former deputy to the ground with one hand and pulling the younger Dixon to his feet with the other prior to pushing him with a bit of force and placing himself between the two. "I ask again. What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On!?" He asked lowly in a seething voice that sent some chills down a few spines and the angry glare that was on his face sent another and they had to keep from physically shivering.
"You bastards left my brother handcuffed on a damn roof like a damn animal waiting for the slaughter! Fuckers practically used him for bait!" The younger Dixon shouted angrily, but also in fear at the thought that his brother was out there and left to get eaten by walkers. He understood where the man was coming from, he'd feel the same way if that happened to any of his brothers and would tear Atlanta down with his bare hands until he got them back.
"Listen, first off, I didn't leave nobody! My ass was out trying to save everyone! Now, secondly, Bear has agreed to help you find your brother in my stead because he's a better tracker and because of that you two will move faster through the city. Now, I'd lead you to where we were, but I made a promise to someone that I wouldn't leave the camp today and I intend to keep it. So, you're going to have find a different person to take you there" Jake told Daryl who stared at him while processing the information before turning to Bear who gave him a nod letting him know that what was said was true.
"Rick will show you, isn't that right" Lori spoke with her words sounding more like a statement, but her tone showed that she hoped she was wrong, but when Rick didn't move to deny her claim the Grimes looked unhappy. "Well, if you're going take Shane with you, I'd feel better knowing you two have each others backs especially when you find Merle who I imagine won't be anywhere near happy to see you and I fear you won't make it back" this shocked everyone though more specifically it shocked both her husband and Shane, but the latter more than the former who looked about to protest.
"She's right, I'm going to need you out there with me and having my back just like old times" Rick speaking to Shane caught the other former deputy off guard and cut off any argument he was about to provide and after an annoyed huff and quick glance at a glaring Lori he gave a nod agreeing that he'll tag along. "Thanks" the older of the two men says before turning and heading for his tent.
-x-
Half an hour later a group consisting of Bear, Daryl, Rick, Shane, T-Dog, and a reluctant Glenn headed off towards the city even after the shaggy haired man argued that they were taking too many men and a lot of the groups manpower which was easily counteracted by Jake when who said himself, Jase, Rone, Andrea, Morales, Dale, and Jim was more than enough manpower to protect the group much to dickheads chagrin.
Knowing there might be more walkers present in the area they were heading to than there was the day before due to the explosion, so Jake and the other three men agreed that the group shouldn't head into the city unarmed with only Bears SR-25 along with the explosives he was taking, Shanes shotgun and Beretta, Rick's barely loaded python, and Daryl's crossbow to protect them all especially if they get separated so they armed them.
Rick was given a suppressed M4 with an red dot sight and extra mag, Glenn was handed the same MPK he was given the other day though was now suppressed, and T-Dog was given a suppressed AK-47 with an extra clip all of which were from the trailer. When asked where they'd gotten the weapons and how much more did they have including ammunition the four just shrugged while not saying a thing.
'Into Atlanta march six men' Jake thought to himself as he watched the group pile into fully fueled vehicle before it was started and headed on its way towards the city in hopes to bring back Merle, that's if he were still there or even alive. 'Watch your ass out there brother because Daryl's on the warpath, Shanes dislike you by affiliation with his good buddy at his side, and neither Glenn or T-Dog will be able to do anything to stop either' he mentally told his friend who wouldn't hear him, but he was sure the other male already knew the situation.
After the group left the former SFC headed back towards the trailer where he got a suppressed bolt-action M24 SWS with a 7x scope that he handed to Dale, a suppressed MP7 which he gave to Andrea, a suppressed Glock for Amy, two snub nose revolvers with one being for Lori and the other Carol, and a suppressed MP5 which he handed to Morales and all guns were given extra ammo. He hadn't given any other out because he didn't trust Jim nor Ed, who he'd rather have dead, and everyone else didn't know how to shoot a weapon, so he didn't give them any.
It was an hour after the group to bring back Merle left and everyone was doing their own thing and sadly, he and Carol didn't get to finish what they started seeing as Sophia woke up and began following him around again that is until he excused himself to go to the bathroom which the younger Peletier huffed in annoyance at before heading over to her mother who was making some lunch for everyone and began talking to her. Nobody noticed the person who followed after him, well except for himself.
He walked further away from the camp than usual before walking up to a random tree and began watering it. The person who'd been following him grew closer while trying to sneak up on him, but he already knew they were there cause you can't outfox a trained ear and because they stepped on a branch which broke and gave them away.
"You know, with your husband back you shouldn't be looking to help me shake or offering anymore helping hands for that matter" he tells his pursuer who stays silent, but he can hear their breathing, her breathing which was more than likely due to the exertion of keeping up with him and walking through a slightly harder terrain than she was use to.
"Who said I came to offer to help you shake it or any other helping hands?" Lori asked and he didn't have to turn in order to see that question look she had on her face which was a raised eyebrow or that she crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her hip slightly. "What makes you think I, too, didn't come out here to use the restroom?" She questioned matter of factly and as to further prove her point her heard the brunette unzip her pants followed by ruffling of clothes and the moving of dirt, leaves, and sticks under weighted pressure which let him know she was squatting but hear no other sounds.
"Well you did follow me all the way out here through tough terrain instead of staying closer to the camp as usual and where people would be able to hear you immediately if you got into some trouble, plus I don't hear the sound of liquid splashing on the ground" he claims after shaking 'himself' and making sure there's no drippage before turning around to face her without moving to put himself away, those does button his pants to keep them from falling, and by the way she was staring at his lower region while he took a couple steps towards her and only stopping until his dick was a foot away from her face which she didn't shy away from he knew why she was here, well as if he didn't already know though she was going stubborn about it.
It wasn't like she was trying to cover her modesty which was fully visible to him and he could tell she was already wet but not from relieving herself for the ground, except for a few drops, was still dry.
"Is that some sort of threat?" She asked while looking up into his eyes with a teasing gaze and by the slight upturn of her lips into a smirk.
"No, just thought informing a friend about how dangerous it could be walking out this far. So, I suppose since you aren't hear to give me a helping hand I'll just be going on my way" he replies just as teasing while giving her his own smirk and he would've held off from partaking in this charade, but his little escapade with Carol earlier left him in need of a release.
"No!" She almost shouted before reaching out and grasping his penis before beginning to stroke it and it only took a few pumps before he was fully erect and she licked her lips at the sight of him. He would indulge her, this one last time.
Jake Gonzalez didn't mess with married women, Carol's situation didn't count. She was basically divorced.
-x-
"You know, the last time you did it that hard I couldn't sit down properly for a few days and Shane hovered over me like a mother bear" Lori complained about her companions roughness while pounding her ass and pussy, which both still hurt though the former more than the latter, while her pants and underwear on her thighs as she was squatting down and actually urinating this time. She watched as the former SFC was facing away from her while zipping up his pants after urinating, again.
"Yeah, well if you didn't want it that rough you shouldn't have asked for it that way" Jake shrugs nonchalantly as he turns around to face the female Grimes, neither caring that she was still peeing which people would find disgusting or weird, plus she did give him a hand the other day and there was such a thing as not looking down too far.
It could also have to do with J having seen some really disgusting shit in his day and this was nowhere on the list and it's possible that in a weird way that's how comfortable the two have gotten around one another. Plus, he's been to a lot of parties in his lifetime where the bathrooms have long lines and people have needed to find alternate places to relieve themselves. Some of those people had some nice gardens come spring.
Once the brunette was done she pulled a cloth from her back pocket and wiped herself before disposing of it then climbed to her full height all the while lifting up her bottoms which she zipped and buttoned with great practice. When she looked back up towards Jake he was giving her a calculating gaze and just as she was about to ask what he was doing when the 23 year old drew his pistol which caused her to grow concerned for a moment before relaxing when he turned it and handed to her.
"If anyone asks and they will, I'll just say I saw you about to practice and decided to teach you myself and because I didn't want you firing unsuppressed shots" he claims coming up with a backstory as to why neither of them have been seen for the last hour or so seeing as once they returned to camp they were likely to be bombarded with questions. They'd never needed an excuse before because they always arrived back at different times, but it was a good thing he was going to walk her back seeing as while following after him she hadn't paid attention to her path and with changing 'positions' had lost which direction camp was in.
"Got it" the Grimes woman replied before grabbing the gun and holding it in one hand. Afterwards she gives him a nod which he replies to with one of his own before turning in the direction of their camp and began leading the way with her falling into step beside him. It was good thing she had her sweater wrapped around her waist because she could feel his seed leaking from her anus and would without a doubt created a wet spot. She was going to change once she got back to camp.
It took a couple minutes longer to get back to camp since they switched course briefly so that it would appear she had gotten the same way he did which would help to their backstory because if they came back from the same direction someone may think she followed after him. When they emerged from the tree line with Jake talking as if he were still 'teaching' her only for them to grow quiet when they sensed the tense atmosphere of the group who kept throwing split second glances not at them, but the former SFC.
"Jake!" Sophia's voice broke through the awkward silence that had seem to have fallen over the camp as the young girl ran over towards them with a worried look on her face and Carl on her heel.
"Soph, what's wrong? Where's your momma?" He quickly questioned while dropping to his knee just as the children reached them and the younger Peletier crashed into him, but his green with grey eyes were searching the camp for the woman he asked about only to see that Carol, Andrea, Amy, Jacqui, and Jase were nowhere in sight. His eyes widened when his gaze landed on Ed's tent only to see it empty.
"She's down by the water washing clothes with Amy, Andrea, and Jacqui, but Ed is down there with them. Jase went down a little while ago to make sure that Ed didn't do anything to hurt momma or anyone else" Sophia explained with her tone sounding like a scared child who was on the verge of tears. He didn't miss how she called Ed by his name and not dad or anything of the sort, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
"Okay, listen. You're going to stay here with Lori while I go check on your momma and can an eye on Ed, alright?" He asked the Peletier child who usually argued about having to let go once she latched on, but hearing that he was going to go protect her mother she let go and walked over to Lori who he glanced at with a questioning look which she answered with a nod before handing him his gun then leading the two kids away.
Holstering his pistol the former SFC quickly make his way over towards the edge of the Quarry, ignoring the looks he was getting, where he could see his cousin sitting on a large rock and can with the way his head was faced towards Ed he was keeping an eye on the older man who was watching the women work while smoking. Not wanting to task the risk standing up there should anything go wrong he began making his way down the dirt road and down towards the bottom.
He was about halfway down when a commotion broke out and he turned his head just in time to see his cousin try and pull the Peletier man away only for Ed to turn swinging and landing a blindside hit to his cousin's face sending him to the ground. When the Peletier male turned back to the group of women he was met by a right hook to the face which shocked everyone around them, but him. Though, the shock didn't last long for the large man swung with ferocity sending his 'wife', because he hadn't accepted their new status, to the ground as well causing the all the women to quickly create a wall between the two.
At this point he was sprinting as fast as he could to get to the scene of the crime.
Jase had gotten back to his feet and attacked the motherfucker and the two traded a few blows before the older man used his size as an advantage and tackled the teen to the ground and began pounding on him though his cousin managed to block most of the hits. The girls were trying to pull the large man off, but to no avail and then out of nowhere Carol jumped on her former husbands back and began swinging at his face from behind.
When the elder of the two Gonzalez's was less than ten feet from the bottom he'd foregone going the rest of the way and took the seven foot drop to the ground before once again setting off in a sprint. He closes the distance between himself and the others in a short amount of time and shouts for Carol to get out of the way and she barely hears him before doing as she's told seconds prior to Jake spearing the large man off his cousin.
Ed hits the ground a couple feet away and groans in pain on the ground from the impact of the tackle and because of his weight lands a bit harder than he'd like on the ground while the elder Gonzalez landed a couple feet away from him and ignores the pain of the rocks jabbing into his skin before rolling three times across the ground then pushes himself onto his feet and quickly placed himself between the Peletier male and everyone else. Ed seeing this and not wanting to be a sitting duck pushes himself to his feet as well, but not as quickly or as steadily.
"Seems I'm going to have to remind you what happened the last time you laid your hands on Carol and it's going to be worse this time around seeing as you struck my cousin, my blood, so you basically assaulted me as well" Jake says in a serious tone while giving the older man a murderous glare before getting into a defensive stance.
"Last time you got lucky, this time I'm going to kick your ass and once I'm done going to take that bitch back and that daughter of hers before we leave this shit place" Ed claimed with as much venom as he could muster accompanied by a glare while also hissing from the pain coming from both his sides and face.
"I'd like to see you try" Jake hisses out and that's when the burly man takes his lunge at the younger of the two of them and due to the anger clouding his mind and inexperience compared to the years of training going against him doesn't see that he leaves himself wide open.
The wife beater swings once, J leans back dodging, he swings again though instead of pulling himself out of range the former Army Ranger ducks under the appendage and quickly moves himself around to the man's back before wrapping his arms around Ed's waist before mustering a good portion of his strength. What proceeds after is what in the fight world is called a suplex which results with the shithead being slammed front first into the rock covered ground causing him tremendous pain.
Though, not willing to let his opponent recover whatsoever, Jake quickly flips him over and climbs atop the other man's chest while placing his knees on both of the downed males biceps then begins to deliver the most brutal beating that those present had only ever seen in movies. It was scary seeing the elder Gonzalez male showing no remorse as he destroyed the Peletier males face. While sure, he had it coming this was a bit too far.
Then again his threats weren't exactly innocent and he'd laid a hand on both Carol and Jase and the former Ranger wasn't one to take threats to those he cares about lightly.
"J, J, that's enough!" Jake faintly heard before two arms wrap around his torso from behind and he's pulled backwards away from Ed who raises his beaten face slightly only to receive a size twelve boot heel to the face rendering him unconscious. "That's enough cousin" the voice of Jase reaches his ears and by the closeness of it, he's the one who pulled him off the son of a bitch.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's over. It's over" a voice softly says before hands are placed on his cheeks then turn his head towards them only to see that it was Carol, who had a split lip and red cheek both of which were getting puffy. His green with grey eyes met her green ones and he slowly began to calm down even moreso when she pulled his face into her chest and wrapped her arms around his head, holding him softly.
Neither of them cared that half the camp had made their way down the dirt path and catching the half of the fight where Jake, which can only be explain as obliterated, Ed then stopped a few feet away and stared at them with confusion, intrigue, but also fear at what was just displayed by the man they already half feared. They felt J had slightly gone overboard in his 'defense' and they were sure there was going to be a debate later when the group that went into the city returned about what was going to be done about the situation.
The next few hours were going to be quite the tense wait.
"It's over..." Carol continued to mutter to the man in her arms while running one of her hands through his hair soothingly.
A/N: Drop comment, hopefully it's not too bad of one. I know I'm crap at writing fight scenes, I'm working at it.