Ah, yes, another chapter. Carl and Jamie do some sneaky sneaking again, and Carl bites off a little more than he could chew. Will they get caught?
Also- nicotine poisoning is kinda a key element here. Basically, if you're a non-smoker and you smoke a lot your first time, you get pretty sick from it. It happens later on in the chapter, so it's kinda a need to know. Thanks for reading and please review!
"So- I heard you weren't in school today." Rick looked across the table at Carl quizically.
The clanking of silverware on plates stopped, and everyone seemed to look over at him. Carl blushed beet red. "Yah- uh- I just... I didn't wanna go today. Got tired of it."
Rick nodded, seeming to chew the answer over for a moment before deciding not to press the issue any further.
"And what did you do all day?" Daryl asked around a mouthful of beans, looking at Jamie critically.
"I was looking for Moe." Jamie lied without a hitch, nodding to the one-eyed black cat who was sitting on the windowsill. "Little bastard was hiding. Took me hours to find him- I had to search the whole damn town."
Carl's mouth twitched as he looked down at his plate, trying to hide a smile. Jamie had clearly though ahead and praticed her lie- he'd have to remember to do the same, next time.
Daryl seemed to accept the answer, though Maggie grinned knowingly at Glenn, who tried to hide his smile by staring down at his plate.
"They still letting you carry your pistol, Jamie?" Rick spoke up after taking a swallow of water, eyebrows scrunched
She nodded. "Nobody's asked for me to take it bak to the armory. Granted, I keep it in my waistband, under my shirt, but at least it's carrying."
Rick nodded. "Anybody says anything to you about it, you tell them to come see me."
She nodded appreciatively, turning back to her food.
Judith started to fuss from where she sat in her highchair, and Jamie stood, smiling. The two year old had apple sauce smeared all over her face. "Someone needs a bath and bed." she shifted the two year old onto her hip before heading upstairs, and a moment later everyone heard the bath turn on.
Carl stayed downstairs for longer, finishing what was on his plate, before quietly putting it in the sink and heading upstairs as well. No one really questioned it, and he was glad- it was almsot like all the adults had something they wanted to talk about without him around, but right now, he could care less.
He wordlessly stepped into the bathroom, swinging the door open to find Jamie looking damp, covered in water, while Judith splashed in the tub.
Jamie flashed him a wiry grin, before brushing a few strands of stringy wet hair from her face and turning back to Judith, trying to wash the kid as she splashed.
Carl just leaned in the doorway for a moment and watched, enjoying the show.
"You know, Grimes- she's your sister." Jamie growled, shooting him a strained look.
"Yeah- but it's fun to watch you squirm." Carl admitted, laughing as Jamie was hit directly in the face by one of Judith's splashes.
Jamie coughed into her hand, shooting him a look, before she grinned.
"Speaking of squirming- nice job at dinner." she said, voice laced with sarcasm. "I...I didn't wanna go to school, I guess..." she mock stuttered. "Way to throw them off our trail, genius."
Carl pouted. "I didn't think they'd ask questions..."
"Yeah, because we're living in a post-apocalyptic society, and disappearing for twelve hours and not showing up to school is totally normal. Not like your dad- the town sheriff- will find out or anything."
"That's being pretty damn harsh, Jamie..."
"No, it's telling the truth. I'll forgive you if you get your ass over here and help me bathe this damn kid."
She had an interesting way of asking for help, but Carl couldn't help but smile as he rolled up his sleeves and knelt beside the tub with her, doing his best to hold the toddler still so Jamie could wash her hair.
Soon Judith was dry and dressed and in her crib, and they wordlessly drifted apart to their separate bedrooms as everyone else came upstairs to get ready for bed.
Jamie waited until Daryl was asleep before she moved, quietly inching towards the edge of the bed and slowly, ever so slowly, until she slipped out from underneath the arm he'd flung over her, flowing onto the floor like water. She listened anxiously for a minute- his breathing hadn't changed at all, he was still asleep.
She army-crawled across the floor to her backpack, unzipping it quietly and pocketing a few things before she slipped down the hallway.
Rick Grimes was a light sleeper- they all were, honestly, so Carl was left wondering how Jamie had even managed to slip into the room undetected when he woke up in the middle of the night to find her standing over him.
"How did you?"
His whisper was cut off as her surprisingly soft hand was pressed over his mouth. She glared at him, jerking her head towards a sleeping Rick, pressing a finger to her lips before darting silently into the hallway.
Carl sighed- he really didn't want to get up, but he padded out of bed anyways, rubbing his eyes.
"Jamie..."
"Shh. We can talk once we're outside." Jamie whispered.
"Jamie, it's the middle of the night, I don't want to go outside..."
"So what you're saying is that you're a pussy." Jamie's hushed voice goaded him- she crossed her arms over her chest and cocked an eyebrow at him.
"No, I'm not a pussy, I just wanna sleep..."
"Carl- please. Daryl and I might be going scouting again soon. I wanna spend as much time with you as I can. Just... please?"
The change in her tone swayed him, and he sighed, brushing a hand over his face in an attempt to rub the sleep from his eyes. "Let's go."
They padded down the stairs- the house was dark, and though he was still getting used to it, Jamie seemed to glide through it, hunter's instinct taking over. She wordlessly took his wrist, guiding him through the minefield of tables and furniture that'd spell disaster if they were knocked over. She let go of him once they reached the back door, quietly pulling on her boots and helping him do the same.
A moment later they were ducking out the back door, shutting it slowly behind them so as not to make a sound, before they were stealing through the quiet streets into the night.
"Where are we going?" Carl's hushed tone caught her attention, and she slowed her pace for a moment, grinning, the moonlight shining off her teeth.
"You'll see." was all she said, before she was ducking down a dead-end side street.
The road was lined with small houses- most were a bit dingy, boasting of the fact they were unoccupied.
She led him to the farthest one- it would've been white, had the siding not become mostly grey with dirt. She bounded weightlessly onto the front porch, completely forgoing the door and instead striding over to the window that appeared closed, sliding it open as far as it'd go before she was climbing through, unlocking the door from the inside and grinning to him.
The place was mostly bare- there was some furniture, but it was musty and covered in plastic or sheets, and a dusty TV set.
"Like it? Nobody comes out here- from what I heard, some real bad shit went down here- woman died, came back, and ate her kid. Everyone seems spooked of the place."
Carl nodded. "You believe in ghosts?" he asked, eyes alight with amusement as he grew more and more used to being awake.
"No. I believe that some people have real bad luck and go out when they don't deserve it."
Carl nodded at the sombre tone of her voice, agreeing. They'd seem a lot of messed up shit, but not once had they seen anything supernatural. All they'd seen were people with bad luck.
"Anyways- it's a nice place. There's some blood stains on the floor, but otherwise, it's nice. There's some books upstairs- I come here when I wanna get away from people and I don't wanna go to the barn."
Carl nodded, taking stock of the place. It seemed locked up pretty tight.
"Wanna see the best part?" Jamie asked him, eyes dancing.
He couldn't help it- her happiness was contagious, and he nodded. A moment later he was following her upstairs into a deserted bedroom. She slid the window open, smiling at him teasingly, before she stepped out onto the black shingled roof- it was dark enough it looked as though she was perched atop the darkness itself.
He joined her a moment later, and they sat up on the roof, backs resting against rough shingles, as they stared up into the cloudy night, watching the light change as the clouds danced around, sometimes covering the moon.
"This place is nice." Carl admitted, and she nodded, agreeing. Carl made a mental note to come here later- when Jamie was gone, and he just wanted to be alone, it'd be a good place to crash, to be alone but still with her, somehow...
Jamie pulled something from her pocket, setting it on the shingles between them, before there was a lighter in hand and a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"Where'd you get those?" Carl asked, looking intrigued.
"Found 'em when I was outside the walls. I always wanted to try smoking- kept 'em in my pocket and didn't say anything, figured we could have some fun with them."
Carl nodded, looking at them cautiously- eventually, however, teenage curiosity won over, and he had a cigarette in hand and was examining it carefully.
Jamie lit her own cigarette before doing the same for him- they just watched the ends curl slightly as they caught flame, the paper turn from white to fiery red to black as it burnt...
"Any idea how to do this?" Jamie asked, glancing at him over her own cig.
Carl smirked. "You got cigarettes and you don't even know how to smoke?"
She punched his arm playfully, blushing as he laughed at her. "Shut up. I... I never smoked before, okay? Like, do you breath it in, or do you suck it like a straw?"
Carl realized he was at a loss, as well, then. "I-I don't know." I admitted. "Daryl smokes. Haven't you seen him do it before?"
"Yes I've seen him! I just don't know how to do it..." Jamie admitted sheepishly, before she put the cigarette to her lips, realizing it was burning down. She took a breath and ended up jolting forward, coughing, eyes watering helplessly...
She probably would've fallen off the damn roof if Carl hadn't grabbed her to steady her. He grinned at her slightly, amused. "So- you figured it out, then?"
"Shut-ugh-up." she growled out between coughs, slightly embarrassed. The smoke tasted acrid, but sweet, almost... She watched, enchanted, as the tendrils of grey seeped out her mouth as she exhaled, before nodding Carl.
"You just... you breath through your mouth, almost. It hits you really hard..."
Carl did the same thing as she did, and this time it was her turn to grab him and steady him as he surged forward, sputtering.
"I... you're s'posed to breath the smoke out, I think..."
Carl exhaled, panting, and she watched the smoke mingle with the night.
"That was fucking... awful." Carl got out, chest heaving as he caught his breath, wiping his watery eyes.
Jamie simply grinned at him before she had her own cig in her mouth again and was taking another drag, this time with much less struggle, as she exhaled the smoke before she could start choking on it.
"Second one ain't so bad. Tastes... funny... but if you exhale it before you start choking, it's cool..."
Carl listened to her instructions this time, finding his drag far more enjoyable, as well.
By the third puff, they both felt the nicotine buzz kicking in- the way their heart sped up and the world around them seemed to slow down- how the air around them seemed to taste bland, flavorless, even, compared to the tang of tobacco smoke...
"I see why Daryl likes smoke so much." Carl admitted, looking down at his cigarette butt disappointedly.
"Yeah- 's nice. We're gonna get fucking lung cancer, though." Jamie admitted aimlessly- she'd laid back and gone back to looking up at the sky.
"Well- if I had to get cancer with anybody, I'm glad it's you." Carl said jokingly, and she laughed. "Just like in that book- the chick has cancer and they guy only has one leg, and in the end they both have cancer, and the guy dies..."
"Fuck John Green. You're a much better character, I say." Carl said, reaching into the pack and drawing out another cigarette. Jamie tossed him the lighter, and he lit up, enjoying his second smoke of the night and playfully blowing the smoke into Jamie's face now and again, smiling at the way her face crinkled as it bothered her eyes and how she batted at it.
"Dammit, Carl, I'd have another cigarette if I wanted this much smoke..."
"Sharing is caring." Carl replied sarcastically, before he blew another puff in her face. He couldn't help but laugh at her expression, and they just laid there on the roof, staring up at the night sky, for the longest time. It was as close as they'd ever been to paradise.
Carl started to feel a little shitty after the second cigarette, but he brushed it off to him being unused to smoking. Slowly, the grey light of dawn started to break on the horizon, and Jamie nodded to him, grabbing the lighter and handing him the cigarettes.
"We should head back."
"Right." he nodded dumbly, a bit confused and nauseous when she handed him something that smelled flowery.
"It's a dryer sheet. Rub it on yourself- covers up the smell of smoke." she explained. She was already scrubbing her face and hair with it, and Carl did the same before they were ducking through the dark streets, back home.
He found it hard to keep up with her, but he did anyways, and he managed to make it upstairs to his room before he slumped over on his bed, trying to ignore the way his stomach was beginning to churn- a moment later, he was asleep.
He woke up to his father shaking him awake, just like every other morning. Today, however something felt different- off, almost. Rick was saying something to him, but he couldn't really hear him, everything was muffled, he felt weird...
The smell of breakfast cooking downstairs hit him like a truckload of bricks, and before he consciously realized what was happening, he was bounding out of bed, sprinting across the hallway, and puking his guts out.
Rick watched his eldest go from sleepy and confused to violently ill in about the span of five seconds and following him into the bathroom, concerned, to find the boy in a cold sweat, heaving.
"Carl- you alright?"
Carl nodded shakily, trying to say something but retching, another mouthful of bile coming up in place of a sentence.
Last night came back to him, and before he could bite back the urge, he groaned- he'd had too many cigarettes, probably...
Rick's brow creased with concern, but he wrote off his son's noise to the condition he was currently in.
He was fighting his instincts, honestly, trying to catch his breath as his stomach rebelled and spasmed and he tried to bring up whatever the hell was left in him.
Rick wordlessly got down beside the boy, wiping his mouth with a wet cloth and looking at him, concerned.
"How long have you been feeling sick?"
Carl didn't answer for a moment- he was still fighting to get his breathing under control, his abs ached from the epic amount of puking he'd just done, and if his Dad found out he was smoking, he was going to be in so much trouble...
He rested his head on the toilet seat for a moment, breathing heavily into the porcelain bowl, a sheen of sweat soaked his skin, but he had about a minute to pull himself together, otherwise his Dad might find out what he'dbeen doing last night.
"Y-yesterday night, I guess- 's probably just... something I ate..."
Rick nodded, brow still creased with concern, but he seemed to accept the answer. He wordlessly reached out, rough hand touching his son's forehead to find the boy warm- weather it was from his recent vomiting session or fever, he couldn't really tell.
But the way Carl looked shaky and weak threw him. His decision was made. "You're not going to school today."
"D-dad... I'm fi-" Carl began to protest but stopped mid-sentence to gag, before he spit into the toilet, taking another moment to compose himself.
Rick cocked an eyebrow in an 'Really?' look, and Carl found he didn't have the energy to fight him anymore. He focused on breathing, instead, slumping over and resting his head on the bathroom tile... He tried to ignore the way the smell of breakfast was still making his mostly-empty stomach churn, how weak he felt, the way his head was throbbing...
Rick looked down at the boy, both concerned and a bit caring. The boy looked like shit, for lack of a better term.
"You done?" he asked quietly, referring to the vomiting. Carl wordlessly nodded.
"Wanna head back to bed?"
Carl nodded again, summoning his will before getting to his feet. He took a step and his knees buckled- he barely caught himself with his shaky hands on the edge of the sink, and Rick watched the boy with concern as he slung his arm over the boy's shoulder, helping him stumble back to bed.
The kid said he was 'fine'. 'Fine' my ass. Rick thought, looking at the way the boy was shaking and exhausted. Still, he wrote it off to food poisoning- it could be a real bitch, he knew- and he perched on the side of the bed carefully.
"You want anything for breakfast?"
Carl winced and shook his head, and Rick nodded. "I'll have Carol send something light up- you're NOT going to school today, and don't even think about following Jamie outside those walls on her hunting trip today- you understand?"
"Yeah, Dad, I do." Carl admitted hoarsely, a slightly bemused look on his face. His father was giving him a lecture about staying in- it was ironic, because he honestly didn't think he could get up, even if he'd wanted to.
"Get some rest. I'll stop by to check on you later." Rick brushed the sweaty bangs from his eyes, his voice taking on a gentler tone, before he was headed down to hall, leaving a very tired, very odd feeling Carl wondering why he'd ever gone along with Jamie last night.
Aaaannnnnddd, nicotine poisoning. It's a bitch sometimes, isn't it, Carl?
MAILBAG
Sarah0406, Chapter 98
Jamie's equivalent of Enid's scene outside... Smart and not let's throw things at walkers for fun!
Thank you! I wanted Jamie t have some Carl time- since he's basically one of the people in the group she's closest to, I figured they'd want time together. Not to mention they work better when they have one another to watch their backs (didn't have to kill a single walker!). Not hating on Enid, but I gotta go for Jamie, personally. Enid's too much of a lone wolf- and while it might be fine for someone like Daryl to be a lone wolf, when you're a teen and so mych physically smaller than other people and walkers- you need to have someone to watch your back.
Paty S., Chapter 98
Oh so cute :)
Obvious Jamie couldn't stay still for long lol
Nice make out moment between them.
Great chapter
Yep. Jamie kinda hates being trapped within the walls of Alexandria with the people. It's ironic, but after everything, she's more comfortable outside the walls than in, because she's confident she can survive with walkers. It's all the unpredictable people she's worried about. Fight the dead- fear the living.
Gingerman454, Chapter 98
I've read this story about three times now (and its taken awhile) and it's still able to keep me on the edge of my seat well done and don't stop.
P.S amc need to hire you as the writer for the walking dead.
lol why thank you! *blushes*
Bagic, Chapter 98
Love this story, reread it about five times, I personally think that you are an amazing writer, thanks for giving us a great story to read!
:)