Chapter 12

"A walker bit Jim!" Janis was suddenly pulled from the back breaking work, Jacqui was now backing away from the man, who was adamant it was nothing.

"I'm okay...I'm okay." He insisted, as the group converged on him, some still holding shovels and tools, making themselves look like an angry mob. Jim looked terrified.

"Show us." Shane was insistent, but kept his distance from Jim.

Janis still stayed back, not keen on getting any closer and not keen on making Jim any more scared. She watched as the group got angrier. Converging on Jim Daryl and T-Dog grabbed him as he screamed over and over that he was okay. Janis winced at the noise, glancing at the pile of walkers she worried that more would be attracted by the screams. The suddenly subsided when Daryl lifted Jims shirt, revealing a bright red, angry wound on his stomach, not being able to look anymore Janis dropped her tools, making her way to her tent.

Janis dropped onto her ground mat, not bother to move the sleeping bag she was half lying on. She looked up, watching as the sun shone through the tent, the shadows cast in green all around her. Footsteps approaching the tent shook her from the sleep she'd managed to find.

"Knock Knock."

"Come in."

She knew it was him before he lifted the flap of the tent, his gentle but even step giving him away.

"Ya takin' a nap."

"Trying to...wasn't too keen on taking part in the witch hunt going on out there."

"Ya think we should just let 'em turn? Kill us all?" Daryl asked, still crouched outside the tent, peering at her.

"No, but it isn't our choice. It's Jim's." She moved to come out of the tent, Daryl backing away so she could get past him "I've already told Glenn, if it happens, just shoot me, don't let me turn."

"S'what I said."

"What you said was to smash a pick-axe in his face...little different."

Daryl just shrugged.

"Don't matter anyway, they've decided to let him live."

"Did they ask him?"

"Whadda you think?" Janis laughed as Daryl raised his eyebrow looking over at Shane. However much Shane had done for the group, he had a tendency to make decisions for everyone, no questions first.

"We're leavin'" he said, not looking at Janis, squinting at the pile of walkers in the distance.

"Leaving? Where are we going? Fort Benning?" Shane had been talking about the Army base for a while.

"CDC...in Atlanta. Rick seems ta think it's Jims only chance."

"And you?"

"And me what?"

"What do you think?"

"What's that matter?" He still wouldn't look at her, his attention now on Shane and Rick digging graves.

"You normally know what to do."

"Not like no one listens."

"You gonna come with us to the CDC." She asked, ignoring his last statement.

"Need ta find Merle."

"He was in the City...maybe going to the CDC will get us closer to him."

He was silent for a long time, finally turning to look down at her, his sandy hair sticking to his head, the sweat beading on his forehead.

"Maybe." Daryl took one last look at Janis, a smile playing across his lips as he walked towards the ever growing pile of walkers at the side of their camp.

After hours of back breaking work, digging graves, moving walkers and finally setting fire to the huge pile of dead bodies, they were finished. The afternoon had continued in relative silence, the single gun shot of Andrea finally letting go of Amy echoed through the camp, threatening to break Janis' reserve as she watched them carry her to the graves.

The evening proved to be just as quiet, everyone broke off, choosing to be more solitary than the evenings previous, where they had gathered around a campfire, trying to ignore the ever changing world around them.

Janis was washing out the back of her truck, with the help of Glenn, taking buckets of water from the quarry, pouring them on the bed, in their best attempt to wash most of the blood from it.

"You hear about the CDC?" She asked Glenn, using a stick with a rag tied to the end to try and clean off something Janis hoped wasn't brains.

"Overheard Rick and Shane arguing 'bout it earlier...I agree with Rick, if there's anywhere that'll know what's going, on it will be the CDC."

"I'll be wherever you are Glenn...let's just hope this works out."

Janis stood in the back of her truck, empty bucket in hand as she watched the moonlight reflect on the water pooling in the grooves of the truck bed, Shanes raised voice pulling her from her trance.

"I've been, uh I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no There are no guarantees either way." He was fiddling nervously with his cap, shooting Lori meaningful looks as he talked "I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time, I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning.
Okay?"

He finished, looking now to the rest of the camp, searching for some agreement, she saw Glenn nod next to her. A few of the other campers looked in agreement, where others still wore the sad masks that losing friends and family had given them. Janis' eyes darted around the camp, searching for Daryl, he was nowhere to be seen, his tent dark, she sighed, jumping down from the bed of her truck, heading for her tent.

Glenn was close behind her, they settled in for the night, not bothering with dinner, they were both too exhausted.

"Glenn..." Janis started, not even sure what she wanted to say to him, he turned to her, the green of the tent now much much darker than before, casting ghostly shadows across his face.

"It's gonna be okay Jay...Rick, he has the right idea."

"It's in like, the middle of Atlanta, you and me, we both know what it's like down there. But Lori? Carol?"

"Rick wouldn't risk Carl, he wouldn't do this if he didn't think it was our best shot."

"I'm scared."

She heard Glenn shuffle towards her slightly, his hand grabbing for hers in the dark. Grabbing at it he squeezed, giving her more comfort than words could.

The morning came too soon, Janis was sure sleep had alluded her on purpose, her mind filled with all they'd lost and the journey they still had ahead of them. Glenn was still asleep, curled as small as he could get, his head resting on his balled up jacket. Janis couldn't help but smile, he looked so peaceful.

Careful not to wake him up Janis changed into a fresher pair of jeans, wriggling them on in the tent wasn't easy as she struggled to pull them over her hips. Discarding her grimy vest in favour of one of Glenns plaid shirts, Janis pulled it on, relishing the smell of soap that now felt like a luxury.

Glenn was still asleep when Janis left the tent, glad to leave him to rest for a little while longer. It was still early, the camp was quiet as Janis went to check her truck of gas. She saw a little movement in the RV, her heart aching for Jim.

"You runnin' off? Leavin' ya boyfriend?" She'd been checking the oil in the engine, her head under the hood as he approached.

"Just checking it all...don't wanna run out of gas on the way to the CDC." She ignored the boyfriend comment, Janis was bored of fielding questions when no one seemed to listen.

He squinted at her, like he always did.

"You coming?" She asked, replacing the dipstick in her engine. Whipping her hands on an already oil soaked rag she dropped the hood, making Daryl wince.

"Mmm." He made a non committal noise but was nodding his head "Gonna maybe go into the city, see if I can see the van."

"Once we get settled, we can get a proper search going...he can't have got too far, even if it is Merle."

"Ya don't gotta.."

"Merle's your brother, I know I'd do anything to get Glenn back." She smiled up at him as he studied her, his face relaxing slightly at the smile. "And if Rick had handcuffed him to a roof and left him for the walkers, well let's say I think you were pretty reserved."

"You against Officer Rick and Officer Shane? That I'd like to see."

"Shane's a puppy dog, if Lori's got him wrapped around her little finger, how hard can it be?"

A few of the other campers had started to emerge now, stretching in the sunlight. She watched as most of their eyes automatically turned to the fresh graves from the day before, sadness etched in their features.

When Glenn finally got up they packed everything they could, squeezing her only possessions in one small black backpack, throwing it in the back of the truck along with the tent, now clumsily rolled back into its bag.

Groaning came from the RV, Janis saw Glenn visibly wince as he looked towards it, his hand hovering over the gun at his waist. Rick was already heading towards the door, cautiously entering the RV. Janis' heart was in her mouth, her breathing felt constricted as she watched the still RV, waiting for any sign of danger. It was only after Rick exited, about 5 minutes after that she felt her breath come back and continued to help Lori put down the tent they were struggling with.

"Think ya can move your shit?" Daryl was standing above them, blocking the sun from their eyes. Janis looked at Lori, glad that the older lady looked as confused as her.

"Me?" She asked, still confused.

"Gonna put my bike in the back, save fuel, like ya said, wouldn't wanna run out halfway there."

Just chuck it in the back of mine." Shane was hovering protectively over them, glaring at Daryl. Giving the tent one last unsuccessful push into the bag, she just laughed as Shane took it from her, removing it from the bag, rolling it neatly and sliding it easily into its case.

"I could have done that, I just..."

"Go help the redneck." He laughed, his hand brushing her back as she left.

Glenn stood by Daryl loading his bike into the truck, his face unreadable, he turned to Janis and raised one slim eyebrow.

"He wants to save fuel."

"Sure he does...guess he'll be riding with you as well?"

"Didn't say."

"I don't think Jim will want him in the RV, Lori isn't a fan, and I dunno who'd come out alive if he rode with Shane."

"Daryl." Glenn didn't laugh, just stalked towards the RV, hands in his pockets.

"What's got him butt-hurt?"

"Nothing, you riding in the truck?"

"If it's okay with ya boyfriend."

"S'fine."

"Ya sure he ain't jealous?" He was already walking away, the smile on his face as arragont as ever.

Janis followed him, leaning up against RV, next to Glenn as she watched the group discuss leaving.

"We're, uh We're not going."

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people." After much persuasion from Morales, Rick handed them a gun, much to Daryl's dismay, he could hardly watch as Shane handed over half a box of ammo. Goodbyes were said, Janis smiled as she watched Sophia and Eliza hugged Sophia, giving the girl her doll.

"You be safe."

"I'm not riding with a walker Glenn."

"Dunno which I'd prefer." She playfully punched him in the arm before enveloping him in a hug, very aware of Daryl's eyes on her as he waited, leant up against her truck.

"Ya ready?" He called over, she gave Glenn one last smile before heading to her truck, shaking her head at the hunter.

"I'm driving," he said, holding his hands out for the keys.

"Like fuck you are." Janis ignored him, walking round to the left hand side of the truck "I might trust you with my life Daryl but this truck is another thing entirely." she was already in the drivers side, starting the engine before he slid into the passenger seat.

"Ya got a potty mouth for a city girl."

"And you have bad judgment for a hunter...I ain't always been city." She said, as she pulled out of the camp, giving the graves one last sad look, hoping they'd made the right decision.