Woah!
Two updates in two days, you can tell I've had a weekend off work.
I'm gonna try and update about once/twice a week but I still have to write my other TWD fic (Kindred/Tethered - check 'em out :D).
xoxo
Chapter 7
"Lookin' good Officer!"Janis called over to Rick, who was now wearing his clean uniform, he smiled at Janis, something that disappeared from his face as Shane approached him, looking angry, as always.
"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?" He was in Rick's face, throwing his arms around.
"I'm not saying to hell with anybody, not you, Shane, Lori least of all." Rick managed to stay calm.
"Tell her that."
"She knows."
"Well, look, I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just, could you throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"
"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl was behind him now, looking ready to rekindle their fight from earlier.
"No, I did." The two men squared up to each other "Douche bag's what I meant."
"Hey Shane, leave it for once?" Janis' hand curled into the fabric of Daryl's shirt, holding him back, just incase.
"Merle Dixon The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."
"That ain't leaving it Shane." He gave her a look which Janis assumed was supposed to be intimidating.
"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst. Thirst and exposure...We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Shane got angrier with every sentence Rick said.
"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori asked, sounding genuinely concerned about her husbands welfare, left alone in the City with Daryl.
"Ain't just him and Daryl."
They all turned to her now, Rick looked surprised, Shane still looked pissed.
"You too Jay? You so fucking stupid ya' gonna risk your life for some redneck, backwoods drug addict? How much weed did Dixon sell ya huh?"
"Yup, Glenn too." She said, ignoring his second question.
"Ahhh what? You said I could have a day off Jay."
"Changed my mind."
"You're gonna risk four men..."
"One woman." Shane ignored her.
"No...four men." T-Dog was with them now, standing behind Janis, his arms crossed.
"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl kicked at the dirt.
"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?"
"Why you?"
"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."
Shane started to rant, as he did Daryl turned on Janis, fully taking her in as he slowly shook his head, indicating, she was sure, that there was no way in hell Janis was going into Atlanta. Behind them she could hear Shane still going on, but was silenced when Rick mentioned the guns he'd left in Atlanta.
"What?" Janis asked Daryl.
"You ain't comin'" he said as the rest of the group argued about their plan, Janis started to walk over to her tent.
"You gonna stop me?"
"If I have ta." His eyes were narrowed as Janis stuffed water bottles into her backpack.
"I've got just as much reason as those guys to save Merle, and I've been into the City more."
"Four's plenty."
"Then why don't you stay here." She walked past him, leaving him standing near her tent, hand scratching the back of his head.
She climbed into the back of the cube van while everyone was saying their goodbyes, giving a quick wave at Dale who was trying to get her attention. Darly jumped into the front seat, he didn't have anyone to say goodbye to either.
"Get out."
"Nope." Daryl just sighed.
He punched his fist into the horn "C'mon let's go!" He shouted at the group, Glenn clamboured into the back of the van, shooting Janis a look as he did so. The group carried on talking, much to Daryl's annoyance.
"HEY!" He revved the trucks engine as T-Dog joined them in the back of the van.
"He letting you come?"
"What's this about letting me do anything? I'm not a kid."
"She ain't comin'" Daryl called from the front.
"I'd pay to see you stop her man." T-Dog laughed as he winked at Janis, Daryl didn't respond as Rick finally got into the passenger seat.
"You sure about this Jay?" Glenn asked her under his breath as they set off.
"What the fuck Glenn? How many times have we gone into the City?"
"S'different."
"How's it different."
"We've never been in the City with two angry rednecks before."
"I heard that chink."
"He's Korean" Janis said at the same time as Glenn.
"Ain't matter what he is, you ain't comin." Daryl stopped the van at the edge of the clearing, hand resting on the back of Rick's headrest, looking at Janis in the back of the van.
"Well I'm not getting out of the van, so either you sweet talk these two lovely men to get me out, or you come get me out yourself, either way, I'll put up a fight, wasting precious time we could be spending saving your fucking idiot brother."
Daryl's tongue pushed at the inside of his cheek as he glared at Janis through the seats.
"She good?" Rick asked.
"She's fine." He carried on driving, still shooting Janis' annoyed looks as he did.
The ride wasn't awkward, but there wasn't a lot of talking, Glenn kept giving Janis questioning looks as they drove towards Atlanta, which Janis promptly ignored, choosing instead to watch the highway be speed underneath them out of the windscreen.
They finally stopped, not driving into the centre of Atlanta but stopping against a chain link fence, leaving the van safely outside of the Walker infested City.
Janis was in front with Glenn, she had her gun at her hip but continued to carry her aluminum baseball bat in her hands.
"The geeks can't get at him. Only thing is gonna get through that door is us." She heard T-Dog behind her, Daryl just scoffed as he carried on walking, crossbow aimed in front of him the whole time.
"Glenn..." Rick called, leaving Janis upfront as he fell back in line with the Sheriff.
"Wha' ya gonna do with that bat huh? Home run?"
"Bat isn't gonna run out of bullets...or bolts." She said nodding to Daryls crossbow.
"Ya fuckin' crazy y'know that?"
"Why?"
"Comin' out into the City..."
"Done it before." She interrupted him.
"S'different." Janis was about to ask him how when she was stopped by Glenn calling her name.
"Plan?" She asked.
"Yeah...we're gonna get Merle first."
"Damn straight." Daryl called over, not bothering to join them.
"Guns after, we'll just be doubling back otherwise."
"It's been a day, hopefully the group would have moved on a bit, we'll be able to get past without too much issue." Rick said, Glenn nodding along.
"And if they haven't moved?" T-Dog asked.
"We fight through." Janis answered, getting a nod from Daryl who had already started moving, disappearing into an alley ahead.
"Hey! Hey, Dixon, do you even know where you're goin'?"
"Don't need ta', I'm assumin' that's the buildin'?" He said, pointing ahead at, the department store they had indeed left Merle handcuffed to the roof.
Janis swallowed. The group had moved on, there was only about quarter of the walkers left surrounding the building. That was still more than they wanted to face. The clawed at the walls and doors, still trying to get at the faint traces of human scent.
"Back door?" Glenn asked
"Back door." Janis nodded.