This chapter is basically just a drabble of how they got through to Alexandria, there experiences, and whatnot. But, boy oh boy... do I have plans for Alexandria!
First off- I'm getting really territorial, because Kirkman added in a female character (Enid or whatever the frick her name is) and IT LOOKS LIKE HE MIGHT BE TRYING TO PAIR THEM! JAMIE WAS SO FIRST, THEY'VE KNOWN EACHOTHER SINCE SEASON TWO, AND ENID IS A BITCH TO CARL AND SHOWS ABSOLUTELY NO EMOTION OR TRUST TOWARDS ANYONE! That is my honest, personal assessment so far, which may change after future episodes, but yeah... JAMIE AND CARL FOREVER! Please review and speculate! I wanna know your thoughts on this Enid chick.
He woke her, as he'd promised, at first light. They headed back through the woods, mostly stumbling over obstacles barely visible in the grey light. Jamie was half-awake and bleary eyed, but she was concious. And thiugh he could see the sadness in her eyes, she hadn't cried. So all in all- she was pulling it together.
They stumbled out onto the road just as the grey morning light ignited, orange tinting the horizon like a candle light as they clomped through the brush. Daryl let out a bird call and Abraham, who was on watch, lowered his weapon and nodded to them.
Rick had begun tending a small fire, and Jamie simply staggered over to the pick up they'd coerced inti the cover of the trees, clawing her way into it and sprawling, desperate for a few more hours of sleep.
Rick watched her, concerned, as he stood, walking over to meet Daryl.
"How is she?"
Daryl shrugged. "Wounded. On the inside, this time. Found her house- found some pictures. Was too dark to try and get back through the woods, there was no way she was gonna get that far, and I couldn't fight and carry her. We spent the night."
Abraham frowned. "She'll be alright, you think?"
Daryl nodded. "She's always alright. Might be a day or two before she starts talking again..."
He absently dumped out the sack he'd been carrying, and Rick stared at the two alarmed chickens, surprised the man hadn't simply killed them. The rooster clucked indignantly and led the hen a small distance away, and they began to scratch about under the truck...
"Found 'em. We ate one, but I figured we might get some eggs out of 'em before we decided to eat 'em..."
Rick again nodded, slightly amused the hunter would go to the trouble to bring them back alive. But he had bigger problems to worry about, and he quickly turned sombre again.
"We're going to check out the neighborhood today. Michonne, Glenn, and Tyreese are going. Think you and Abraham can handle the camp?"
Daryl nodded wordlessly, before unclipping his crossbow and heaving over towards the truck, settling down, back against the tire.
Rick nodded to Abraham, who, while he understood Rick's choice of leader- wanted to be in charge as well.
"We should be back by nightfall. Stay safe."
Daryl nodded seriously.
They were back with one less man, and one more corpse. Jamie stood beside the grave- more for Sasha's sake than her own. She couldn't wait to leave this place behind.
She looked up from the soggy floor of the barn, licking her chapped lips and raising her head slightly. She'd laid down beside Carl, huddled as close as they could with Judith between them to try and ward off the chill of their rain-soaked clothes.
The adults were bustling around them, trying to make things dry, to make things even remotely comfortable in this musty old place.
She could feel the exhaustion- not the tiredness, but the bone-deep weariness of the constant travel, the lack of rations, seeping through her, draining her strength like her wet clothes stole the heat off her body.
Her dull emerald eyes met Carl's now greyish blue ones. Neither of them spoke, but regardless, their question hung in the air. How much longer could they keep going?
Still, exhaustion overrode fear, and they were left to sleep like the dead.
As soon as they sat down near the dwindling fire, Daryl quietly moved to the side, brushing a length of near-shoulder length hair from Jamie's face and looking her over for a moment, noticing she was still pale.
He grunted with dissatisfaction for a moment, before settling back on his haunches, frustrated. He'd noticed both Carl and Jamie looking more gaunt than usual lately- probably due to the lack of rations they were getting. Hell, they'd all been going hungry, but it hit the kids the hardest. They were supposed to be growing, not wondering where there next meal would come from.
Rick kept his eyes low as well, gaze drifting from their pitiful fire over to the sleeping kids.
"They'll bounce back." Carol said, voice serious. "They always do."
"If they don't starve first." Daryl muttered, brushing his wet bangs from his face and staring angrily into the fire, as though it was somehow to blame for their situation.
There was nothing he could do, though, and he listened to the others talk for awhile before growing restless, heading to pace the barn.
She woke to the sound of boots frantically splashing through muddy water, the roaring of thunder, and the desperate, haunting cries of the undead. For a split second, she locked eyes with Carl and saw the pure terror that she felt in his eyes. They were going to die here.
Carl scrambled to his feet, lunging for his gun and fairly dragging her back, until they saw what it was... it was the door. The barn door was chained shut, with the entirity of the ground struggling to hold it against the frantic pushing of the undead as wind screamed through the barn rafters.
Jamie carefully uncurled herself from around Judith, stumbling to her feet and looking at him. They came to an agreement, apparently, because a second later they were side by side, jamming their shoulders against the barn door and struggling to keep their footing in the god forsaken mud.
She fell more than once, her front covered in mud. Each time she scrambled back to her feet to find a hand waiting to pull her up, before she took her place holding again, eyes locked with Carl as he'd begin to slide, both realizing the same thing- they were probably going to die here.
She didn't remember when they stopped holding the door, didn't remember collapsing on the floor, exhausted, Carl beside her. Didn't recall the exact moment the thunder stopped, or how she pressed her shivering, soaked muddy body beside Carl's, deserate for warmth. All she remembered was waking up in his arm, covered in died mud- alive. That was enough.