She caught him behind the house in the middle of the night, backpack slung over his shoulder, gun at his waist, trying to climb the wall. She stepped out of the shadows, grabbing onto his hand wordlessly- h whirled, eyes wide, and stopped just short of backhanding her, before he frowned.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed, frustrated.

"You're seriously going to go out after her?" Jamie asked quietly, frowning.

Carl sighed. "She needs to be found! I told you- she snuck outside the walls. She probably slipped out just after the attack ended, and then the walkers showed up and now she's stuck out there…."

"Or maybe she's with those guys. You know- the ones who fucking attacked us." it was plausible- though Enid was quiet and unassuming, she easily could've jumped the wall and met up with some friends.

"If you're just going to stand here and tell me how wrong I am, then you can leave." Carl growled, upset. "Let me guess- you'll go upstairs and tell my Dad I'm leaving, right? By the time he finds out, he won't be able to do shit- this whole place will fall apart without him here, he won't be able to go look for me."

Jamie said nothing, simply looking up at the emotional turmoil that was Carl Grimes.

"She really means that much to you?"

"Yes! No- I… I don't know, okay? But we can figure everything out later- right now I just need her safe. I'd do the same thing if it were you, and you damn well know it, so just stay quiet until I get over the wall, okay?"

She said nothing, simply blinking at him. The thudding and banging of walkers hitting chainlink and metal paneling resounded through the night, though she said nothing.

Carl frowned. "Well? Aren't you going to say something to me? A goodbye, at least?" his voice was raw, desperate, and he looked as though he was anxious as hell just to hear her say something.

She sighed, reaching over and taking his hand, marching towards the house. "I'm not letting you get your dumb ass killed out there. If you're going to do this shit, you're going to do it right."

She'd been through hell and back with Carl Grimes- she would've done anything to keep him alive. Still, she'd never thought she'd be digging up a dead body in the middle fo the night with him.

They'd picked a fresh grave, too. The deceased walker of a woman who'd recently slit her wrists, the guts were both fresh without being too putrid. It was all too familiar to slid the woman open and smear her entrails on their bodies- though it still made their skin crawl.

They walked around until they reached the area of lowest concentration of walkers, with only twenty or so stumbling around outside instead of banging on the fence. They lobbed a stone into the distance- the noise it made distracted the walkers long enough for them to drop down, and by the time the walkers had started to disperse, they were already walking towards the forest at a brisk pace, smeared within their scent.

They melted into the darkness.

Once they were certain they were clear of the walkers, Carl turned to look at her, his skin looking gray in the moonlight.

"You can go back. You didn't have to come. You got me this far- your plan was way better than mine- I can do this on my own."

They both knew he was lying. He was trying to save face, trying to save her- he didn't want to drag her into this. But there was no way she was leaving him now. They were better off when they were together. And she'd had another reason for coming out here, besides just making sure Carl stayed alive.

"No. You're one dumbshit if you think the only reason I came out here was to save your ass- my Dad ain't back yet. We look for this Enid chick- and we look for my Dad."

Carl looked up, surprised, before he nodded.

She would've come out here with him if he'd simply wanted to go for a goddamn walk- she didn't need any convincing to keep her only friend safe. But making Carl think she was in this for her father was a way of easing his conscience, so she'd told it to him.

She doubted they'd find either Enid or her father- they wouldn't get that far on foot. She couldn't control whether or not her father was alive- but she damn well could make sure the boy next to her stayed that way.

She felt a pang, thinking of Daryl- she hoped her father was alright. Everything had gone to hell and he hadn't come back yet- but he'd come back. It was just a matter of when, she convinced herself. He'd promised he wouldn't leave her alone.

They kept walking.

"We've got until sun up before my Dad realizes we're missing."

"They can't spare the manpower to come looking for us anyways. That place is falling apart- it's taking everyone just to hold it together. We'll look for Dad and your girlfriend for a few days, then head back…."

He nodded wordlessly, looking forward with trepidation. They'd find Enid, wherever she was pinned down, look for Daryl, or any of their group, really, and head back to the walls.

But still- as much as he wanted to convince himself it was true- things rarely went according to plan.

MAILBAG

Paty S., Chapter 101

HM..so suddenly Carl is into Enid? Lol
I don't like her and don't really see the purpose of her existence on the tv show..I'm happy she's gone.
Jamie should do what she thinks is best..she doesn't have to try to change for people who don't appreciate.
Great chapter

P.S: Glenn I sincerely hope he's alive..that episode I can't even think about it without becoming depressed.

Why thank you! I feel like in the TV show, Enid's Carl's first real relationship with another female peer (since they don't have Jamie). I feel like he;s not sure how to feel about her- some part of him knows she's with the wolves, but the naive part of him refuses to accept it.

Jamie's going with him to make sure he stays safe and to look for Daryl- though at the moment, she;s preoccupied keeping Carl alive. I thin Glenn's alive.

galwidanatitud, Chapter 101

Jamie knows not to forget how to survive. in the apocalypse, everything is a matter of life and death.
i am still in denial about Glenn. he's still alive in my mind. hehehehhe ;D

I actually have a theory that Glenn's still alive. I think it was Glenn who was on the radio calling for help at the end of this last episode- and I think Daryl heard him. Even if Glenn really is dead- I might have to inject some of my own ingenuity there, for the plot's sake. ;)

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