Bellabear- this is for you. I need reviews, guys- BADLY. you are the only thing keeping me updating. AP classes are killing me. I need you.
This is what everything this summer has been building up to- this it it- the big shebang. THIS IS NOT THE FINAL UPDATE! THERE WILL BE ONE MORE BEFORE THE SEASON 5 Premiere!
They spent the night in the woods, camping in a small abandoned shack they found about a mile or so away from the fences. Dawn broke to find Rick digging beneath the tree, wiping the sweat that dripped into his eyes as Daryl helped him.
There was a thwack of an arrow hitting a tree then, and Carl looked over to see Jamie pulling a squirrel from the homemade arrow and smiled slightly.
Rick tossed the gun bag into the ditch he'd dug, nodding to the group. "Anything goes wrong here, we can come back for it." he explained.
Carl studied his boots, pistol held idly at his side, and Jamie fiddled with the squirrel carcass, uncomfortable with the notion of Terminus being hoax.
Nothing bad was going to happen. They couldn't afford for things to go wrong- they were all still beat up from their run-in with Joe, and if things went to shit again, they might not be able to hold their own.
Daryl wordlessly covered the fleshly dug ground with leaves and wild grape vines, Jamie coming over to help him, handing Michonne her squirrel.
When everything was set, Rick nodded to them. "We'll sneak in the back way, make sure this place is what they say it is. Stay ready and keep everything loaded. Understood?"
Everyone nodded. They walked around to the back of the fence, surprised to see there were no sentries posted.
There was a large building in the back, and Rick nodded. "There. We sneak in, interrogate who we find, and decide if this is legit."
Jamie had her bow slung over her shoulder and wordlessly intertwined her fingers with the chain link, starting to climb.
Daryl smiled, looking amused, as he peeled her off the fence by her collar. "Where you think you're going?"
Jamie glared at him, looking frustrated as he set her down. "In." she growled. Wasn't it obvious?
"Like hell you are. You can take point when I'm dead, baby girl." and with that said, he hauled himself up the chainlink and jumped the fence.
Jamie rolled her eyes before following him, while Michonne watched the whole exchange, amused.
They worked there way around towards the back building, entering quietly. A woman was speaking into a microphone, broadcasting over the radio station, while others sat by loading magazines and doing other small tasks.
They looked up when they heard Rick cock his gun. He didn't aim it at anybody, but he held it purposefully, though it was angled at the ground. Not directly threatening, but they knew he meant business.
The man who appeared the be the leader, a good-looking guy in his mid-20s, studied them carefully.
"You here to rob us?" he asked finally.
"No." Rick grumbled.
"Looking for sanctuary?" he said calmly.
Rick raised his chin slightly in acknowledgement. "We're making sure this place is what they say it is."
The man smiled. "I don't blame you. Smart, actually. But the only way we let you in is if our guys approve. Set down your weapons- we'll give them back, we just want to see what you have."
Rick made no move to obey the order, and Jamie and Carl both exchanged nervous glances. What if they were right, if this place was a hoax...
"Be reasonable." the man goaded, then, and Rick slowly obeyed, setting down his revolver and freeing the knife from his belt.
Michonne and Daryl quietly followed suit, and Jamie exchanged a hesitant glance with Carl before they did the same, Jamie ditching her bow and pistol before rising back to her full height to stand facing everyone.
"Alex will search you. Make sure you aren't hiding anything."
The curly-haired man called Alex stepped forward, hands quietly searching everyone, patting them down and checking for unseen weapons.
As soon as Alex's hand made contact with Jamie shoulder, she flinched.
Something sparked in Daryl's eyes, and he seemed to become instantly more threatening. "Don't touch her." he growled.
Alex looked to the dark-haired man for confirmation, who nodded, and he obeyed the order, leaving Jamie be.
The dark haired man nodded to them all. "You can pick up your weapons now."
Everyone fought the urge to dive for their weapons like a starving man would at food. Show no fear, no unease.
The dark-haired man nodded to them. "My name is Gareth. This is Alex. If you don't mind my saying- you folks look like hell. Who'd you tangle with?"
There was a beat of silence. No one felt obligated to tell this man anything, but Jamie muttered something under her breath.
"What was that?" Gareth asked, stepping closer.
Jamie looked startled, slightly surprised he'd heard her. She blushed slightly. "Assholes. I said we tangled with some assholes." she admitted.
Gareth laughed. "Probably an accurate description."
The ice seemed broken, then. Gareth studied them all, eyes lingering on Jamie's busted lip and cut face. "We'll see what we can do about bandages later. For now, Alex will show you around." he smiled, facing the group as a whole. "You folks are going to like it here."
They quietly exited the room, following the curly haired man called Alex around. It seemed to be a nice place, with fences and buildings that weren't falling apart. That was always a plus.
Everything was fine until they reached the main road of the town. There were at least fifteen people or so, wearing an array of items such as a familiar looking poncho and an antique railroad watch.
It was then the mood instantly changed. Daryl's face hardened into a growl and Rick moved, seizing Alex by his hair and putting the man in a choke hold, placing the barrel of the revolver to the young man's head.
"Those clothes. They belonged to people we knew. Where the hell are our people?" Rick growled.
Gareth was staring from where he'd been talking with a group of fellow Terminus members. He approached them calmly, hands up.
"Rick. Don't do anything stupid..."
"We found them on people! They were already dead!" Alex burst out from where Rick held him. It was clear he was bordering on frantic and simply wanted a way out.
Rick glared. The articles of clothing weren't damaged in any way, no blood spatters or signs they'd been involved in a struggle. And if anyone from the prison had died, there'd be a struggled. Not to mention the probability of them finding all those survivors dead was practically 0.
"Bullshit." Rick growled.
Gareth made a discrete hand motion, and the group of citizens behind him quietly drew there guns. Alex's eyes widened. "Gareth! Gareth, please..."
Before he could finished, someone from the crowd fired.
Rick stepped out of the way, then, and the bullet struck Alex in the face. The man went limp, and Rick dropped him. Everyone's guns were drawn, then, when all of a sudden bullets rained down from the rooftops.
And then they were running, dodging the hail of bullets that rained down at their feet. Moving left and right, barely thinking of anything except for escaping the hail of deadly led that was raining down on them.
They managed to break into a building, racing across the cement floor and nearly stumbling on the piles of bones.
Candles. Dozens of candles were lit throughout the room, they were standing in the middle of some sort of grave yard. Jamie's eyes widened as she saw what laid beside the bones- possessions, things that probably belonged to the bones back when they'd been people. Guitars, jewelry, books... And words chalked onto the floor.
Never trust anyone.
And they were sprinting yet again, racing towards the farthest doors. Instinct took over from there, until they found themselves cornered between the fence, a building, and a boxcar.
The bullets suddenly ceased, then, as Gareth stepped into the scene, unarmed. He didn't need to be- not with the men holding assault rifles standing on the roof.
"Drop your weapons." he ordered, glaring at them. The kindness in his eyes from earlier was gone, instead replaced with a hard glare.
They didn't move from where they stood.
"Drop them." Gareth barked, stepping forward. His eyes fell on Daryl, then, flashing dangerously.
"Shoot the girl."
"No!" Daryl dropped his crossbow with a clang, seizing Jamie by the wrist and yanking her behind him. Gareth grinned, triumphant.
Rick and Michonne realized the guns were trained on Carl and dropped their weapons as well, raising their hands and glaring at Gareth hatefully. Jamie wordlessly tossed her bow into the pile, throwing her pistol onto the ground as well.
Her expression was one of fear, but hidden behind it was a spark of defiance, and that was enough to make Carl realize they'd all die here if he didn't comply. His gun, as well, was added to the pile.
Gareth smiled- a sickening, victorious grin. "Get in." he ordered, nodding to the box car. "The archer goes first." he glared at Daryl.
"Like hell I d-"
Before Daryl had even finished speaking, a gunshot rang out and Jamie was on the ground.
"Jamie!" Daryl fell to his knees, staring, shocked, at the bullet graze across Jamie's cheek, just below the right eye. The mark began to weep blood.
"Move!" Gareth barked. Daryl stood, backing away from where Jamie laid, realizing they'd kill her if he didn't. Against every instinct he had, he entered the boxcar.
"The Samurai goes next."
Michonne strode away from the group, lips set in a firm line.
"Now you." Gareth nodded to Rick. Rick scowled, but obeyed.
Jamie had pulled her knees to her chest, now, and had her head buried in her knees. She looked like she was sobbing her eyes out.
Gareth cast an unemotional glance at Jamie before turning to Carl. "You next."
"Not without her." Carl said firmly, looking at Jamie quietly. She didn't look up.
Gareth's gaze hardened, if that was possible. "You're a gentlemen, aren't you? You have one minute to calm her down."
And Carl was at her side in an instant, rough hand rubbing her back. His warm breath ticked her hear as he anxiously whispered to her.
"You have to get up. You have to get in the boxcar, Jamie. I can't live without you."
Unconsciously, his hands had started to shake, and he was tearing up at the notion they might kill her.
Jamie raised her head slightly- just enough so that her hair hid her expression from everyone but him. A trail of blood dripped down from the wound on her face, but despite her posture, her eyes were dry, a look of seriousness on her face.
"Get ready." she breathed.
It took everything he had not to stare. Jamie's arms, which had appeared wrapped around her knees, rested near the top of her boots, and he could see the hilt of a knife pressed against her calf. She had a weapon.
She quietly lowered her head again, shoulders shaking as she cried crocodile tears.
Carl felt something tingle at the base of his spine. Wether it was fear or adrenalin he didn't know, but he looked up at Gareth pitifully. "She's not going to be able to walk. She's scared."
Gareth glared. "I thought she was tougher than that. Carry her." he ordered.
Carl scowled. That wasn't part of the plan. They'd need someone over here, a distraction...
"I would. But you shot me in the arm."
Gareth's eyes widened what the noticed the blood dripping from Carl's upper arm, and he glared at the men on the roof. Their orders had clearly been to guide them with bullets, not injure them.
"Jerry- carry her." Gareth ordered.
A sandy-haired man stepped out of the crowd of terminus citizens, then, walking towards both children. Jamie hadn't moved. Carl managed to keep his expression completely calm as the man approached him. He knew what was going to happen next.
The man crouch, ready to carry Jamie bridal-style. Before he touched her she'd moved, there was a flash of metal, a splash of blood, and a scream of pain as she raked the knife across the back of the man's knees, slicing precious veins.
As she did, Carl dove forward onto the pile of weapons, seizing the first thing he could get his hands on- Rick's revolver.
It'd happened in the span of two seconds, the man sent to carry her fell, and Jamie. seized Carl's arm, yanking him to his feet and running as bullets rained down on them and people yelled a variety of things as they rushed forward to help their injured comrade.
They dove behind a pile of sandbags, backs against the chain link. Here, the chain link didn't quite reach the ground, there was a foot or so gap between the concrete and fence. That was all they needed.
"I'll cover you." Carl assured her.
Jamie nodded, squirming under the wire, ignoring how the chain link stabbed and raked her back like claws.
She managed to make it out, though. Carl handed the revolver under the fence and she took aim, hitting one of the snipers on the roof in the throat and watching, satisfied, as he fell off the roof and hit the concrete below with a satisfying thud and significant blood spatter.
"SHOOT TO KILL! DO NOT LET THEM GO!" Gareth was screaming like a madman above the roar of gunshot, and from where Jamie was crouching, still partially covered by the sandbags, she aimed and fired, grinning when the bullet sunk into Gareth's shoulder. The bastard had had it coming.
Carl scrambled out from under the fence just then, grabbing her and roughly shoving her ahead of them. They ran like hell, ignoring the bullets that flew and numerous grazes they received, instead disappearing into the trees.
"Holy shit. They made it." a male voice spoke in the boxcar.
Daryl looked up from where he'd been watching everything play out through a crack in the boxcar, nodding solemnly. They'd made it. But they were on their own.
"Rick? Daryl?"
He looked up at Maggie's voice, seeing her, Glenn, and a black haired woman, a man with a large forehead and long hair, a rough looking ginger, and a mousy looking girl who seemed familiar.
"Who are they?" Rick asked, nodding towards the ginger.
"Our friends." Glenn assured them. Abraham and his group had more than proved their worth.
Rick nodded. "They're our friend too, then."
"Jamie and Carl made it out?" Maggie asked, sounding hopeful.
Wordlessly, Daryl nodded. He had mixed feeling about the whole situation. He couldn't help the feeling of indescribable pride when he'd watched Jamie take down the citizen of Terminus with a knife to the back of the knees, or the way he screamed through the crack for her to fucking run as she and Carl dove behind the sandbags.
They'd made it out. They weren't here. It was enough to make him feel both incredible relief that they weren't trapped here by these sick fucks, but also enough to make him want to shake in his boots. Because she was out their, alone. And there was no telling how long they'd last.
Daryl quietly sat down, content to just think about what the hell had just happened for now.
"They're your kids?" the mousey-haired girl asked, looking surprised.
Daryl wordlessly nodded.
"They made it to the woods, sure. But they'll g searching for them." Rick said, sounding downcast.
Daryl looked up calmly. "Jamie knows how to cover her tracks. They won't found them. We best just pray nobody else does, either."
They all nodded solemnly, settling into silence.
Gareth grit his teeth as he held a towel to his bleeding shoulder, waiting for the bleeding to stop. it was a minor wound, all in all, but it hurt like a bitch.
He couldn't help but grin, though. Two kids- the girl, mainly- had just outsmarted him and escaped. He had to give the girl props- she was a good liar. And an even better fighter. He strode over to his fallen companion. The blood was pooling beneath him, he was unconscious. And he was going to bleed out.
Gareth quietly took a gun from an offered hand, stepping forward silently. He crouched beside the man. He was unconscious from bloodloss, his breathing ragged.
He cocked the gun, took aim, and fired. The ragged sound of breath stopped.
Still, he wasn't thinking about that. Instead he smiled despite the pain in his shoulder. He'd known from the minute he'd seen the girl, covered in blood and grime and staring them down, that she was special. A survivor.
But what he'd seen just now- the way she'd played them all like fools. Crying crocodile tears, playing an act- killing one of them with a knife, shooting someone off a roof. She wasn't just a pretty face. He'd underestimated her.
Sure, there was the boy, but it was clear the girl was the fox of the whole situation. The boy had simply played along. The girl was the devious one, the dangerous one. Th one who wouldn't back down when it came to the hard decisions.
He grinned. She was the kind of person Terminus needed.
I know, right!? It's like, 'holy shit, wtf just happened? Why the hell is Jamie not with Daryl? The fuck is going on here, what the hell if fluffykitty12 smoking!?' Well do not fear, my loyal readers. For I have a plan! It sort of depends on what Kirkman does, but this isn't the last chapter.
PLEASE REVIEW! i love all your predictions and theories, and some of them actually inspire me. I got 1 review for the last chapter, and I was so sad. I need you guys!