Severance

Jamie groaned as she buried her face into her pillow, trying to go back to sleep. Why the fuck was someone trying to wake her up at this hour? The banging on her door continued and she finally huffed in annoyance and threw the covers off herself, throwing her legs off the bed and marched over to the door of her hotel room. She had to get up early as it was to get back home and she did not want to have to deal with someone at two in the morning.

"What the fuck do you want?" she demanded after she turned on the lights and began pulling the lock aside, dropping the chain and twisting the knob to open the door. She froze in place when she was greeted with a very pale looking hotel worker, their uniform coated in blood with a large chunk of flesh missing from their neck.

The man rasped loudly as he reached for her, his hands torn up and bleeding, and Jamie screamed as loud as her vocal cords could manage before she abruptly slammed the door closed again. Twisting the lock closed and putting the chain in place, she quickly flipped the lights off once more and pressed herself against the door, trying to quiet her breathing.

The man began scratching desperately at her door, growling and snarling loudly. Jamie placed a hand over her mouth before she pulled herself upward again and looked through the peep-hole, wondering briefly why she hadn't used that in the first place, and watched as the man began to run into her door in a fruitless attempt to get the door open. He wasn't even slamming his shoulder again it, he was just walking face first into her door over and over.

"Daryl," she gasped to herself before she stumbled through the darkness to get back to the bed, where she had left her phone on the nightstand. Her hands fumbled along the surface before she flipped it open and looked down at the screen. Three missed calls. All were from Daryl.

Hitting the redial button, she held the phone to her ear, picked up her bag and made a mad dash for the bathroom as the dead man continued to ram against her hotel door. She listened to the ringing in her ear from the phone as well as a rhythmic pounding of her heartbeat as blood rushed through her veins. The light stung her eyes when she had finally closed herself into the bathroom, the ringing cutting off as Daryl picked up.

His voice was frantic. "Angel?"

"What the fuck?" she nearly screamed into the phone as she began tugging clothes from her bag to change into, pulling a pair of jeans loose and beginning to hop about as she attempted to get them on and keep the phone to her ear.

"The world's gone to shit, babe. Where are you?"

"In the bathroom of my hotel room; a worker just tried to eat me-"

"Did he bite you?" Daryl demanded in a nearly menacing tone.

"No-"

"Don't let them bite you!" he yelled into the phone, nearly making her cringe as she finally did up her pants and soon began to look for a shirt to put on. "That's how it happens, don't let them bite you or scratch you or anything. I need you to get the fuck back here right now."

"I sure as hell ain't stayin' here," she snapped back, pulling the phone from her ear for no more than a second. "Daryl, what's going on?"

"I don't know for sure, but the military's all over the fuckin' place. Merle's havin' a fuckin' hay day," Daryl answered back, sounding angered and irritated. "Angel, I want you to stay away from anyone that tries to come near you, alright? Even if they don't look sick, stay the fuck away from everyone."

"You, too, babe," she whispered into the phone. "I'm going to have to go out the window; the place is probably full of those things. I'll call you back as soon as I'm in the car, alright?"

"Be careful, Jamie, I swear-"

"I'll be alright, Daryl," she assured softly, pausing in her actions as she looked to her reflection in the bathroom mirror; her hair was a complete mess and she looked like she had just witnessed someone being murdered. "I love you."

"Don't start talking like this is goodbye!" he growled through the phone. Jamie felt the need to start crying burn her eyes, but did her best to repress it.

"Hey," Daryl voice said, cutting of Jamie's thoughts suddenly. She looked up from the plate that was on her lap, her eyes moving to meet his. He looked concerned, though it was discrete because of his lack of openness around the others. She tried to smile to show that she was alright, but it didn't come off as well as she had hoped. "What're you thinkin' 'bout?"

"The hotel room," she said softly, "when I saw my first walker." He nodded in understanding, the concern fading slightly from his eyes. She took his hand gently and kissed his knuckles, knowing that she had to show him that she was okay in some way. He leaned over while he had the chance and kissed her temple, an answer to her own reassurance.

"Want some more?" Carol asked softly as she stepped over to them with the pan. Daryl lifted his plate up but Jamie declined politely, leaning her head against Daryl's shoulder. She hated that moment when she had been alone in the bathroom of her hotel room, completely petrified and with nothing more to do but run. She had no weapons, no way of getting out besides her window.

"Uh, guys," Glenn called softly, causing everyone to slowly turn their attention toward him. Jamie leaned back in her chair to look around Daryl's shoulder, seeing that he was rubbing at his face nervously. She wondered if he was going to admit to what had made him so nervous to a couple of days prior. "So…" he mumbled softly, dropping his hands before straightening up and admitting, "the barn's full of walkers."

Anyone that had only been half listening suddenly became very aware of him, turning their eyes to him as dread set over them all. Jamie rose to her feet shakily, looking past him to the barn in the distance as her empty plate clattered to the ground. Her heart hit the floor as she tried to comprehend what was going to happen. They had all been living, sleeping and moving about daily with a number of walkers yards away from them. She felt sick at the realization.

It didn't take long to make their way to the barn, standing in a group a couple yards from the entrance. Jamie limped along next to Daryl, his arm wrapped around her waist as he helped her along. His side injury was smaller than her leg one, allowing him to move around easier, sooner. She hated the fact that he had to lean on him all the time, but she was glad that he was there for her none the less.

"You cannot tell me you're alright with this?" Shane demanded as he looked between the cracks of the barn, watching the walkers as they mulled about inside. Jamie was half tempted to wish one would bite him, but knew that it was a horrible thing to wish on someone. She could hear the growling from where she was and felt the need to block it all out.

"No, I'm not," Rick snapped back, his eyes never leaving the barn. Jamie stayed silent, even though she knew that it wasn't Shane's place to say anything. She knew better than to go off and say something and draw Shane's anger toward her. He was a loose cannon, a threat to their lives and there was nothing that could be done. Because he was still human. "But we're guests here; this isn't our land."

"We can't just walk away," Jamie interrupted when Shane and Rick went at one another about leaving or staying. "They are a threat to us, but it's also a threat to them. If we decide to just up and leave then we will be responsible for their lives as well. What will happen if these walkers get out after we leave?"

"They'll die," Daryl answered for everyone else.

"That's not our problem," Shane growled, moving threateningly toward Jamie. Daryl stepped forward, blocking Shane's path and met his eyes challengingly.

"We can't just go-"

"Why, Rick?" Shane demanded, spinning around to face his friends again. "Why?"

Carol stepped up, moving around Jamie and Daryl and into the circle of conversation. "Because my daughter's still out there," she answered quietly, gaining the sympathy of all of the others. All but Shane. He looked irritated as he wiped his hands across his face, sighing loudly.

"She's right," Jamie said, looking to Carol before she laid a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Carol, I think it's time that we all just consider the other possibilities-"

"Shane!" Jamie yelled, interrupting him and stopping his words before he could complete his sentence. "We will not leave Sophia here by herself," she snapped, the anger inside of her starting to rise again. Her patience with the ex-cop was wearing extremely thin and she didn't know if she would be able to hold herself back from hurting him. He was like a bully, picking on others because he believed that he was above them. They could all fire a gun, they could hold their own. But he believed that he was in control.

"We're close to finding this girl, we just found her doll a couple days ago," Daryl added in, walking passed Jamie as he motioned in the direction that the doll had been found. Anger surged in Jamie and Daryl when Shane just laughed, sounding nearly insane as he actually grinned at them.

"You found a doll, Daryl. That's what you did, you found a doll," Shane mocked loudly.

"You don't know what the hell you're talkin' 'bout!" Daryl yelled out, marching toward Shane threateningly. Shane began to yell back, with Rick trying to step in between so that a fight didn't break out between the two hot headed males—everyone knew that that was bound to happen sometime within the near future. Shane took no notice of Rick's attempt to shut him up and instead turned his attention over to where Jamie was holding onto Daryl's shoulder.

"And let me tell you something else," he yelled, stepping around Rick. "If she was alive out there and saw you comin', all methed out with your buck knife and geek ears around your neck she'd run in the other direction, man-"

Rick expected a confrontation between Shane and Daryl, especially after Shane yelled that at the man, but he did not expect Jamie to launch herself over his outstretched arm, not able to stop her hand from snapping out and slapping Shane hard across the face. Daryl didn't reach back to stop her but was snarling and yelling back at Shane in just as much anger.

Andrea and Carol reached for Jamie, pulling on her shirt to get her back as Rick pushed Shane and Daryl apart, separating the fight that was quickly escalading.

"You don't know anything," Jamie screamed, not fighting against both women but continuing to scream at Shane from a distance. "Fuckin' pathetic, thinkin' you're so above! What have you done? What have you done!"

Daryl was the first to allow himself to be pushed back by Rick, moving back to Jamie and standing at her side once more. Shane turned on Lori, glaring at her next before he began to pace. Jamie leaned against Daryl's side as her leg throbbed in dull pain from her sudden movements, continuing to watch Shane with a critical eye. Her hazel eyes had never looked more dark then at that moment, watching as Shane stalked about like a caged animal.

"Just let me talk to Hershel, let me figure it out."

"Man, what the hell are you going to figure out?"

"You alright?" Daryl asked quietly as he leaned his cheek against Jamie's temple, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding onto her loosely, but still remaining there for her. She nodded her head stiffly against his cheek, watching Shane the entire time.

The only time she looked away from the group was when her attention was shifted to the barn, knowing that walkers were so close to her and the others sending shivers over her skin. It was truly unsettling to have such deadly creatures in the building that was on the same land they slept on, with only a rickety wall of an old barn stopping them from killing them.

The doors to the barn were pushed out suddenly, all of the noise and yelling drawing the walkers toward them and urging them to press against the doors to try and escape their confines. Daryl pushed Jamie gently to stand behind him, many of the others rushing to get further away from the doors to put themselves at a safer distance.

"Shit," Jamie mumbled, looking away from the doors. She couldn't bear the thought of having those things so close to her.

Jamie didn't really believe that there was a God up in Heaven, or that there was any kind of person that was watching over the people of the world. Truthfully, the only times that she ever really believed in or prayed to God was when she was afraid a life was about to be lost; whether that life be her own or someone else's.

At that moment, she found herself praying to God, hanging from the balcony of her hotel room with her bag strapped to her back and hoping that she didn't miss the balcony below hers and end up dying on the pavement. She prayed to God that she didn't die, that Daryl was okay—hell, she even prayed for Merle not to get his ass killed.

Taking a deep breath, she released her hold on the railing and fell, dropping down quickly. The breath she was holding rushed out of her lungs when she hit the balcony below, her chest slamming down on the railing as her arms and hands snapped out to try and take purchase on something. It took her a moment to regain her breath before she looked down to where the alley was beneath her, knowing that she would have to be careful not to land directly on her feet for fear of breaking her ankles.

The shockwave of pain that went up her legs when she hit the ground couldn't have been dulled even when she rolled onto her back, nearly landing on her bag. She swore to herself mentally as the pain surged through her side and legs, but she didn't allow herself time to hesitate and pushed her body up onto her feet until she was rushing toward the parking lot, toward her car.

There was no one else out on the streets, leaving her by herself and the blackness of night.

Falling into her driver's seat, she locked the door after and quickly made sure that all of the others were locked as well. She didn't waste time with pulling her phone out again, along with her car keys, and was soon on the road with the phone ringing in her ear. She didn't much bother with rules of the road and instead sped along the concrete to the nearest highway to take her home.

"Fuck! Daryl!" she screamed, her hand slamming on the steering wheel when the ringing only continued. She felt the same feeling of tears burning her eyes and ended the call, looking down at the screen briefly before she hit redial again and returned the phone to against her ear.

Still no answer.

"No, come on, baby, pick up," she prayed softly, but there was never any answer. She looked down at the screen one last time before tossing it into the bag on her passenger seat, turning her eyes back to the road. A scream tore from her lips when she saw someone standing in the middle of the road, struggling to walk about. She jerked the wheel as hard as she could, turning the car to the right and toward the ditch, but still ended up hitting the woman that was there.

Her scream cut short when the car kicked up onto its side, glass flying everywhere as the metal made a sickening crunching sound.

A lot of people have been saying how they wish for some kind of a prequel to the story, and I am thinking about it, but I also want to give some flashbacks that allow people to understand just why Jamie hadn't been with Daryl. So, ta-da, this is your first chapter with a 'beginning of breakout' flashback! :P

Chapter 29 – Wait For Me

"Have fun?" Glenn asked as he walked up beside where she was sitting, stopping in his trek up to the RV. Jamie fell down into one of the chairs with a groan of satisfaction, straightening her leg out before her to try and relieve some of the pain.

"What's this I hear about a drug store…?" Jamie asked, leaving the question to hang as she looked up to Glenn. Her payback for his teasing worked as a blush rose to his cheeks, his eyes moving to the ground. She laughed softly and patted him on the leg to assure that she was only joking. "Take a seat, kid."

"You're not about to give me some motherly advice or something, are you?" Glenn asked worriedly as he looked down at the woman in the chair. Her cheeks were flushed slightly and there were a couple of barely visible leaves in her hair. It didn't take a genius to guess what had happened after Daryl had appeared out of nowhere and abducted her from the camp, carrying her off toward the trees.

"Would you rather swap stories?" she returned, only causing his blush to deepen before he fell into the chair next to hers. "Good choice. Now, what the hell is going on with you?"