John
Shiela and Rachel…
They're alive…
I honestly can't believe it…
I didn't think anyone would find me. But… here we are.
I just… emotions overwhelm me at the moment, like a storm clashing with itself, creating a tornado of thoughts.
It's like nothing coherent right now.
I can feel the dampness on my shoulder from where Shiela's tears stain my shirt, and it's a wonder that I don't have her coat drenched from my own.
My chest has a damp spot as well from Rachel's own, and the emotions are just… insane.
All I can do is hold them as close as I can, and let them sob, let my own tears run.
"How'd you find me?" My voice actually sounds hoarse as I ask it, but maybe it just comes out in a low whisper.
Rachel pulls away so she can look at me, but she doesn't let go.
Neither do I.
"W-We heard an explosion at the CDC." Rachel answers, bringing one hand to her eyes in an attempt to dry her tears. A fruitless venture at the moment. "We saw tire tracks heading out of the highway, and we took a chance."
"They showed up yesterday." Shane's voice enters my ears, causing my gaze to turn to face him. He's got that smile on his face, one that expresses so much joy in such a small gesture. "They were helping us look for you and Sophia earlier."
"Why didn't you say anything?" My voice holds no anger, but I can't help but to ask the question. If they've been here since yesterday, then they've been with the group the entire time I've been at this farm.
Shane let's a small chuckle escape him, shaking his head a little. "Didn't seem appropriate at the time. Plus… you've been a godsend, John. Me and Rick wanted to surprise you if we could."
"Well…" There's trace of amusement in my voice as I speak, but it's mostly overshadowed by the rest of my emotions, and there's a noticeable quiver as I speak. "You did a damn good job."
I feel Shiela finally pull away from me, and I turn to look at her. Where I have her picked up in my arms, I have to raise my own head a small bit.
"Please don't leave a-again…" Her voice hitches as she says it, and her cheeks are pretty red already from her tears, her eyes red and puffy.
And I give a reassuring smile in response.
"Never." I promise her. That's not a mistake I'll ever make again, not as long as I breath. "How've you been?" I know the answer, but Shiela smiles anyway.
"Better n-now." She answers, finally bringing one hand up to wipe her tears. "I should kick your butt for making us come up here."
Oh, how I've missed the sarcasm from my little sister, and I can't help the laughter that escapes me.
"I know." I say as I finally let her down onto her feet. "Good luck though."
Shiela lets a giggle escape through the tears she's struggling to manage, and she's almost immediately tucked into my side once more. I let a hand come down to her back, rubbing it in a reassuring manner.
"How long has it just been you two?" I ask as I turn to look down at Rachel. From the way it sounds, only the two of them showed up, so it's safe to assume Peter's still out ther- wait a minute.
"About three weeks." Rachel answers, her face falling as she answers. "Peter was with us for about eight months… but he… h-he…" the tears begin building up once more, and she's clearly struggling to say it.
But I get the message clear enough.
And I can't help the disbelief in my features.
"No…" I mutter softly, shaking my head in disbelief. "Not Peter…" My eyes stay trained on Rachel for a moment, and she gives me a glance for only a second before her gaze falls and she tucks her face back into my chest, sobbing once more.
"I-It was my fault…" Shiela mutters under her breath, causing my head to snap towards her in absolute confusion. How on earth could it be her fault? "I-If I'd have p-paid attention-!"
"None of us were paying attention." Rachel speaks up as she turns her head towards Sophia, letting go of me as she crouches down in front of my little sister, placing her hands on her shoulders. "If we were, it wouldn't have happened, but none of us expected it."
"What happened?" I can't help but to ask, complete confusion mixed with disbelief at the fact that Peter was actually dead filling my voice.
"W-we went scavenging in Atlanta three weeks ago." Rachel says as she turns to me, standing to her feet as she tries in vain to wipe away her tears. "Peter didn't want to exhaust himself, so he hadn't armored up. We were desperate, and there was a walker we thought was dead in there. But…" Rachel's face morphs into one of guilt. If I had to guess, she blames herself for whatever happened, rather than Shiela. "Shiela went to grab a pack of beef jerky… and P-Peter got bit pushing her out of the way…" She devolves once more into sobs, and my heart aches at her pain on full display. "If I'd have just-!"
"Hey, hey!" I can't help the stern edge to my tone as I put my hands on her shoulders and lower myself so that I'm straight at her instead of down at her. "Like you just told Shiela, it wasn't your fault either." I tell her more gently, allowing my right index finger to hook under her chin and guide her to look at me. "Sounds to me like it was something nobody could've expected. It was just a freak accident, that's all."
Rachel stares at me for a moment, looking as if she wants to say something… but she doesn't. Rather, she lets her head drop once more for a moment, before slowly nodding her head.
"A-Alright."
I can't help the smile on my face. Peter's dead, and I just know that it and the other implications of it just being these two are gonna hit me like a freight train later…
But Rachel and Shiela were able to find me. They're here with me now. I can't be thankful enough for that.
"So, how long were you in Atlanta?" Rachel asked me, hoping to change the subject from the depressing topic we'd ended up on. Something I'm thankful for. This should be a happy moment, not a sad and bitter reunion.
I can't help but to chuckle. "Up until three days ago. How about you?"
"We were there for about a month, if I remember right." Rachel answered with a smile. "We were probably there at the same time you were. It's a wonder we never found you."
"Yeah." I nod my head in agreement. Especially since I was usually going all over the place in the city. "I take it you've met everyone already?"
Rachel nodded. "Yep." She turned her gaze down to Shiela with a small smile, putting a hand on her opposite shoulder and pulling the twelve-year-old into her side. "This one's happy to finally have people her age to play with."
I can't help the laugh that escapes me at her words as I glance down at Shiela with a smile. "I can imagine so." I remark as I let my hand come up and ruffle her black her, causing her to frown.
"Jo-o-ohn!" She groans as she tries to fix her wild hair, and I can only chuckle in amusement.
"Get used to it, Shiela." I joke with a grin. "I got nine months to make up for.
Shiela gives me a half-hearted glare, but I can see her trying to hide the smile.
"I can't say enough how good it is to see you two." I say with a smile as I pull them both close, just hugging them once more, as if to assure myself that this is real. "I missed you two."
"We missed you too." Rachel responds as she hugs me once more.
Silence befalls the three of us for a moment as we separate, and we're just looking at each other with smiles on our faces. However, the moment is intterrupted when the door is opened, and I can see Otis making his way down the steps, coming in my direction.
"How is he?" I ask in regards to Carl.
"Hershel has Patricia helping her, and they've got the boy under." Otis answers, letting a puff of air past his lips. His entire body is clearly tense in anticipation and nervousness. "They're removing the bullet fragments now."
I nod my head, and relief floods me. Of course, there's still a chance Carl won't pull through, but I can hope that he'll be okay. I have faith in Hershel.
Otis is visibly nervous, and I can't help to question about it. "Everything alright?"
Otis nods his head before glancing out towards the house, and I suddenly understand his nervousness when I spot Lori in the window, giving him one nasty glare.
"Ah." I nod in understanding. "Lori just gave you one hell of an ass-chewing, didn't she?"
Otis nods his head as he turns to look at me. "Woman's scary."
I can't help but to chuckle. "A good mother is gonna be scary when her kid gets hurt." I remark as I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm willing to bet she's just stressed."
"I hope so." Otis says with a sigh as he takes another look back the house for a moment, before his eyes turn to me, and then he glances at Rachel and Shiela. "So uh… who're these two?"
I can't help the smile on my face the moment the question leaves his lips, and I turn towards Rachel and Shiela. "Well, this is my little sister, Shiela." I introduce her as I pull her into my side, and Shiela gives a smile at me before turning to look at Otis. "And this is a good friend of mine, Rachel."
Otis nods his head towards them, and manages a kind smile as he offers his hand to the both of them. "I'm Otis." He introduces himself, and Rachel is the first to take his hand, shaking it with a smile and a nod, before Shiela does the same when Rachel lets go. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too."
"Same to you."
Both Rachel and Shiela respond in kind, and that's when Shane decides to step up and inject himself into the conversation.
"We got your tent set up next to the RV, John." He says, catching our attention as he points towards the RV. I glance towards where he's pointing, and sure enough, I see my tent set up a small distance from the RV. "I figure you all would like some time to yourself, and if you're up for it, we're gonna have a little bonfire before we all settle in for the night."
I smile and nod my head. "I'm all for it." I have absolutely no problem having a bonfire, especially since Rachel and Shiela will be there, while I have no doubt that they have already met everyone here… well, I guess I'd just like to tell some stories, be happy again, at least for a little bit.
I turn to look at the two with a smile on my face. "What do you say we go catch up for a bit?" I propose, gesturing towards my tent with a smile, which is returned by both of them, as they nod their heads in agreement.
"Lead the way." Rachel says with a smile, raising her arm up in a gesture for me to do just that.
I let a small laugh escape me as I turn to obey, waving them along as I lead the two fo them towards my tent. The entire time, I'm just enjoying the fact that I get to have this little back-and-forth with Rachel again, and it's something I'll never take for granted again.
I get to have little sibling spats with Shiela again. I get to have little disagreements with Rachel over something downright menial.
I get be an older brother to Rachel again. I get to sit down and talk with Rachel whenever something's bothering either of us, or we're just bored.
It's not often that I have faith in God, even though I do in fact believe in him, or, I believe he exists anyway. But this is one of those few, rare, golden times where I just want to collapse to my knees and pray my thanks to the all-powerful son of a gun.
I can see a few people in the group giving us smiles as we walk by, but I'm honestly in such a hurry to spend more time with Rachel and Shiela that I barely even acknowledge any of them, and in no time at all, I've led the two of them to my tent, and I'm unzipping the thing.
"This is yours?" Rachel asks as I pull open the flap. I turn my head towards the two of them with a small smile on my face as I nod.
"Damn thing was pain to set up and when me and Shane first tried." I explain, remembering my first day at the camp with a chuckle. "Maybe after Nebraska, I should've known better, right?"
Rachel giggles at my words, and gives me a small smile. "You always try to help, don't you?" She remarks as she goes to move into the tent, Shiela hot on her heels as the two crouch down and move to sit in the tent.
I lean down and follow in after them, plopping myself next to the door in case one of them want to leave for any reason, as unlikely as that is.
For a moment we just stare at each other with smiles, waiting for the other person to begin speaking and start up some sort of conversation. The silence is a comfortable one, and after a few moments, Shiela speaks up.
"So… no flannel?" She asks me, and I can't help but to grin a little as I glance down at my shirt.
"Thought it was time for a wardrobe change." I reply when I turn my gaze back up to her. "Up until a few days ago, I had that leather jacket Sophia's wearing."
"Why'd you give it to her?" Rachel asks, raising an eyebrow with an amused grin. "I think it's only five sizes too big for her." She says in a joking manner, sarcasm in her tone.
I let out a chuckle in response to that. "Yeah." I admit that's true. "But hey, it comes with it's bonuses. A walker gets ahold of her, he's not biting through that easy."
Rachel nods her head in agreement. "That's true. When I picked this jacket, I actually wasn't thinking of that." She admitted, glancing down towards the green utility jacket she's currently wearing. "All the pockets, easy place to keep ammo."
I can't help but to raise an eyebrow in response to that. "But, you don't need a gun." I can't help but to comment in slight confusion. I mean, she can shoot flames from her hands. She pretty much is her own ranged weapon.
"Doesn't mean Shiela doesn't." Rachel replies, catching me by surprise with that statement as she turns to look at the aforementioned girl. "Me and Peter gave her some training, including basic weapons training. She's pretty good with her revolver." She turns to look at me with a somewhat guilty look. "I know you may not be too happy about that, but…" She trails off.
Contrary to her belief however, I'm not angry or disappointed in the slightest. If anything, I'm proud, and I make sure it shows with the grin I decide to give Shiela.
"Good job." I say, catching the both of them off-guard as I nod my head. "Just remember, be careful."
Shiela nods her head, giving me a grateful smile in response. "Got it."
"So…" Rachel turns to look at me, a curious expression on her face. "What was it like in Atlanta?"
There was absolutely no way she could possibly know what kind of memories she drudged up with that question, but I can't help it when my face falls, images of all the monstrous and evil acts I'd stopped or been too late to stop slamming back into my skull.
After a few moments of awkward staring, I let out a reply. "A shitshow." I say with a sigh, shaking my head slightly. "Too many sickos, too much cruelty. Not enough good people, and most of the poor decent souls I encountered, I either saved or had to put them out of their misery."
Rachel visibly flinches at my response, and she averts her gaze out shame, rubbing the back of her neck slightly. "I should've guessed."
"What was the trip here like?" I decide to ask, but I can see from the look both of them share that it was anything but pleasant.
"Hard." Shiela is the one who speaks up, not Rachel, to my surprise. "Bandits attacking us, nearly impossible to find food, and no real assurance that our goal wasn't just a fantasy." She admits, bringing her somewhat saddened gaze to look at me. "I… I honestly wasn't sure if we'd find you."
In response, I give her a reassuring smile, and scoot a little closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a one-sided hug.
"Well, you did." I say, exchanging my smile for a small grin. "And I ain't going anywhere, I promise you that."
Shiela looks up at me, her frown turning into a smile of her own, before she leans in closer and wraps both arms around my stomach, hugging me as tight as she can manage, and I tighten my arm around her in a reassuring manner as I turn my gaze up to Rachel.
"What about the others?" I can't help but to ask, deciding to go ahead and get this particular conversation out of the way. "I know Pete was in Cincinatti when shit went down. Did he… do you know if he tried to find Maddie or Levi?"
At that, Rachel's face turns to an expression of sadness and regret, and her head droops, her eyes closing. I feel Shiela's hands tighten around me even more, a small whimper escaping her at the question, and that's all I need to know to realize that the answer isn't good.
"We don't know where either of them are." Rachel admitted, a noticeable quiver in her voice as she speaks. "Levi was on his way to Cincinnati, and Peter went to get Maddie before he picked me up. Instead, he found Alice a walker, Floyd dead, and the only real hint we had of where Maddie might be was the fact that her bedroom window was busted and covered in blood."
"What about Elroy? Or Ray?"
"Both were on there way to Cincinnati, but we couldn't get ahold of them." Shiela responds, her voice quiet. "Peter said he couldn't risk my safety to go looking for them. Said it wouldn't be right, even if it was for his dad or Rachel's brother."
"And he was right on that front." Rachel speaks up, causing my gaze to jerk towards her, to see her eyes upon Shiela. "I hope Ray's okay, and I hope Pete's dad is too, but looking for them… it wasn't worth the risk."
"And Maddie wasn't either." I say, causing them both to look at me in shock as I glance down at Shiela. "I love her to death, and I hope to hell she's okay, that I get to see her again some day… but if she were here, she'd say the same thing. Your safety isn't worth trading for her's."
Shiela stares at me for a moment, her eyes wide, jaw dropped, before she slowly nods her head and begins wiping her tears. "O-Okay…" She says as she let's go of me, causing me to unwrap my arm from her so she can sit up.
"And… what happened to Peter?" I can't help but to ask, glancing towards Rachel. "After… god, I can't even really process it. After he died, what happened?"
"I cremated him." Rachel answers, swallowing as she tries not to burst into tears. "I… I couldn't become a walker." Her voice becomes soft, almost a whisper as she speaks, her hands curling into fists against her thighs. "I couldn't…"
I go quiet as at Rachel's words. I can understand where she's coming from. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I were to let one of my loved ones, any of them, turn into a mindless beast, a walking corpse hellbent on consuming living flesh.
I let my own head drop as I settle my arms on my knees, curling my hands together as I think about what I've found out.
Mamaw, Papaw, James… all three of them are dead. Maddie and Levi are missing. Peter's dead…
"What about the base?" I say as I turn my gaze back up to Rachel once more.
"Gone." Rachel replies, taking in a deep breath as she returns my gaze. "We went to see if Alex had a plan, or some sort of idea, after they picked me up…. But the base was gone. All that was left was a crater.
At that, my eyes widen in disbelief, and I can't help the surge of horror that floods me at that. "No… it's really gone? Area 51? Everyone?"
Rachel nods her head, sniffling a little. "We have no clue where the others who were sent out are. When communications went down, we didn't have chance to hear from the others. After we left the base, that when we decided to come straight for you… but we ran low on fuel, and we had to land in Arkansa. We've been on our way here ever since."
That… that's gonna take some time to process. I'm silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next.
But Rachel beats me to it.
"Glenn seems to like you." She says, giving me a small smile. "He rode with us on the way here, said he wanted to know more about you."
I can't help but to chuckle in response to that. "Fucking Glenn… you know, he was the second person who found I was the Juggernaut?"
"Who was the first?" Shiela asked, tilting her head out of curiosity.
"Jim." I say in response. "He was at the shelter, and he's got a damn good memory. But Glenn… Glenn was the first person I told." I admit with a smile, shaking my head slightly, staring at nothing particular as I recall the events that happened a mere five days ago with a fondness I should've quite have. "He uh… he got my attention while I was walking down the street. Asked me if I was looking to get killed."
"Is that when you told him?" Rachel asks, a smile on her face, to which I nod my head in response.
"Damn near. To tell the truth, only reason I told him was because I didn't think I'd be coming back with him. I was trying to get him to safety." I admit, turning my gaze back towards Rachel. "But we made a deal. Hell, the rest of the group didn't know until a few days ago."
"What made you tell them?" Shiela asked, causing me to shake my head with a chuckle.
"It was more like I showed them. You've met Jenner, right?"
"He's the doctor." Rachel says with a nod. "A lot of people don't seem to like him too much. Dale's the only one who's nice to him."
"Can't say I blame them." I admit. "I feel sympathy for the poor guy now, but I can understand why everyone else isn't too fond of him. If it weren't for me, he'd have blown us to holy hell." I explain as I look between the both of them. "I got pissed and took the door down, and then me and Rick convinced him to come with us."
"So that's why the CDC was blown up! Why did you bring him with you?" Shiela asks, eyes wide, incredulous in her tone. "He tried to kill you all."
"Well, like I said, I feel a little sympathy for him. He misses his wife. But… we also need him."
"Because he's a doctor, right?" Rachel guesses, and I nod my head in response.
"There's that, but more importantly… he found a possibility to a cure for all this." I honestly can't help the grin on my face when I tell them that, nor can I help it when my grin widens at the way they look absolutely shell-shocked.
"Are… are you serious?" Rachel asks in disbelief, her eyes wide at the revelation. "There's actually hope to end this?"
I can't help the chuckle that escapes me as I nod my head, and I'm more than happy that this talk has taken a more positive turn. "Yeah. When we arrived at the CDC, Jenner made us submit to a blood test. A price of admission, he called it."
"Wouldn't they have known you were the Juggernaut, then?" Shiela asks, noticing that little tidbit. "Nothing can penetrate your skin. Not even Pete's metal could."
I just grin.
It takes them a moment, but after a few seconds, Rachel catches on, letting out a gasp of surprise, before she's smiling like crazy.
"It was of Peter's needles, wasn't it?" She realizes. "But how'd he get in?"
I can't help it when my grin disappears for a moment in place of a wince, remembering just how we got the needle into my arm. "Yeah, um… Jenner wasn't strong enough to pierce my skin with the needle. In fact, the only person in the room who was, well…"
At that, both of them visibly wince as they get what I'm saying.
"That could not have been fun." Shiela says, shaking her head back and forth quickly at the mental image she gets in her head.
"Oh, it wasn't." I assure them. "But they only found out I was a superhuman. At the time, I still wasn't ready to let group in on the fact that I was the Juggernaut."
"Until Jenner tried to blow you all up." Rachel guessed, before her brow furrows in confusion. "But how does all this lead to the cure thing?"
"Well, I was getting before being interrupted." I can't help the smile on my face as I raise an eyebrow in Shiela's direction, who looks sheepish at being called out.
"Sorry." She apologizes.
"Anyway, the good news comes with bad news, and I'll let you in on that first." I say with a sigh. "Do you two know that the virus is airborne?"
At that, the two of them go wide-eyed, paling slightly at the implications, even Shiela, who's always been smarter than she was given credit for.
"So, we're all infected?" Shiela can't help but to whisper, her voice holding a quiver to it at that horrific thought. "Does that mean that… we turn no matter how we die?"
I can't help the sigh that escapes me once more. "Yeah, it looks that way." I say with a somber tone, before smiling slightly. "But… here's the good news: when Jenner did my bloodwork, he found I wasn't infected. Whatever it is, I'm immune to it."
At that, their horror gives way for hope at the revelation.
"Y-you… you're immune?" Rachel can't help the way her voice sounds, so small, so hopeful, and I nod my head with a smile.
"Whatever this virus is, my white blood cells attack it at a vicious rate, until there's none left. Jenner thinks he might be able to use that to make a vaccine of some sort, maybe even a cure." I explain to them. "At the very least, I think he can do a vaccine. Get everyone else inoculated, so that the bites aren't always fatal."
The two turn to look at each other, in complete disbelief, before smiling as they turn their gazes towards me.
"The base gone, me and you are possibly the only two left of the militia, the world's gone to hell… and you're still trying to save it." Rachel says with a smile, laughing slightly as she says it.
And I smile in return as I nod my head. "Damn straight."
Any further conversation is interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and all of our eyes turn towards the entrance to the still unzipped tent, where we can see a pair of jeans and boots approaching, before the person crouches down so that they can peer in, revealing it to be… Daryl.
"Bonfire's up and going." He says, looking at the three of us. "You plan to join or sit out here on your asses?"
I can't help but to chuckle at his blunt and borderline rude words, and I turn my gaze back to Shiela and Rachel.
"What do say we go share some stories?"
At that, the two of them smile, the second biggest smile I've seen on them since they got here.
Rachel
It hasn't really sunken in, you know? Honestly, it just feels like one big dream, and I'm gonna wake up back in Atlanta, just me and Shiela, and no sign of John.
But that not the case. He's here. He's really here!
All that traveling, the hard times, the struggling, just barely surviving, it felt like… and it all paid off. I wish Peter could've been with us. He'd have picked John right up off the ground and hugged him.
John probably would've tried to do the same, seeing him again.
But John isn't just nearby, there's no more searching, hoping for a loose lead to pay off, expecting disappointment while hoping for fulfillment… he's actually here. Right in front of us.
Honestly, I feel like I'm about to start crying like a baby all over again, but I just can't help it. It's been too long since we've seen John, and after losing so much… seeing John again is a god given miracle.
Shiela seems to be in her own little world, a big grin on her face as we follow John out to the bonfire everyone has set up, and I don't blame her. She's got her older brother back, she got some family back, and she's probably up in the clouds with glee about it. Actually, scratch that, she's definitely in the clouds.
I can see everyone gathered around a big fire, smiling and talking to each other, with the exception of Rick and Lori, who's more than likely inside, waiting on the news about Carl.
Now that I think about it, Jenner is also missing, so I'm assuming he's inside helping with the surgery. Maybe he can help Hershel, improve Carl's chances. The poor kid doesn't deserve to die. Not like this.
As we grow closer, Glenn is the first one to notice us, and he gives us a big smile as he turns to face us.
"There you are!" He says. "I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show." He jokes as everyone turns to look at us.
"Well, Daryl decided to come get us off our asses, so we figured, why not?" John replies in the same joking manner as he takes a seat on the ground between few lawn chairs that have been set out and remain unoccupied.
Me and Shiela move and take each seat next to him, choosing to remain silent as someone else opts to speak up.
"Well, it's good seeing you again." Dale said with a smile. "Now, we just have to hope you don't run off and get yourself lost again."
John rolls his eyes at those words, but nods his head all the same. "Yeah, I know. Maybe I should work on that little issue." He responds with a amused grin of his own. "I see you got the RV working again." John notices, pointing towards the now operational Winnebago sitting in the grass.
"We manages to salvage a radiator hose, in good condition too." Jim speaks up, to my own surprise, a small smile on his face as he takes a drink of water. "That thing will probably be running for a while. I doubt the radiator hose is gonna be our next problem with the old thing."
"Plus, we can't take credit for fixing it." Dale says, glancing over at Glenn and tapping his arm with his knuckles as he speaks again. "It was all Glenn here."
"Yeah, but you had to tell me what I was doing the whole time." Glenn jokes with a small shake of his head.
"Glenn, everyone has to start somewhere." Shane speaks up with a chuckle, glancing towards the man in amusement. "You really Dale always knew his way around vehicles."
"Better to learn young, too." Dale speaks up once more. "Comes in handy, believe me."
John shakes his head and lets out a chuckle as he grins, amused by those words. "Makes me wish I'd had the patience to sit out and learn about vehicles with Papaw."
At that, I can't help my own grin working it's way onto my face as I glance towards John at that. "You? I don't if Bryan would have the patience to teach you after last time." I say, causing John to jerk his gaze towards me.
At that, Shiela giggles as well, recalling the incident I'm referring to easily. "Papaw wasn't happy when he had to replace the exhaust pipe."
"Oh, this, I gotta hear." Amy says with a teasing grin, causing John to let out a chuckle and shake his head once more, running a hand through his hair in somewhat sheepish manner.
"I didn't mean to do that and you know it." John says, looking at me with a playful glare, which is even less effective considering the infectious smile still on his face.
Instead of answering him, I look at the others as I begin the story. "So, Bryan wanted John's first car to be something memorable, right? So he bought a 1973 Volkswagon Beetle."
"Good car." Dale compliments with an appreciative nod, causing my grin to widen even further.
"It was until Bryan let John try to help him work on it." I say, teasing John a little, causing his head to droop in embarrassment. "It needed a new exhaust pipe, so Bryan bought one and put it mostly on, but he had John try to put on the last few bolts."
"Oh boy." John sighed as he glanced towards me, listening to me tell the story.
"Problem was, it wasn't lined up right, and John got frustrated. And instead of tell Bryan this, he tries to move it into place himself." I explain further, causing most of them to get the jist of where this story was going.
Dale has a big smile on his face as he turns his gaze to John. "You didn't."
Rather than try to deny it or offer some type of explanation, John lets out a sigh and nods his head. "I did." He admits with a small smile. "I tore that whole thing back off, most of the bolts, and bent it a bit out of shape."
Laughter explodes through everyone at the mental image conjured by the story, including both myself and Shiela, who were there to witness it, and even John himself lets out a few chuckles of amusement, willing to laugh at himself if it keeps everyone happy.
"I'd have loved to see that." Andrea says with a shake of her head as the laughter dies down, until it's mostly just chuckles coming from a few people here and there.
Shiela giggles once more. "I don't what funnier, him tearing out the exhaust, or the butt-chewing he got from Papaw."
"What's your grandpa like?" Shane asks with interest, a small smile on his face. "I honestly ain't heard you talk much about your family."
At that, John's smile turns to one of both sadness and fondness, as he glances towards Dale. "Give Dale there a sailor mouth and one helluva temper, and you'd have Papaw." He says, pointing towards the older man. "I swear, you are just like him when he's calm."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Dale says with a smile, nodding his head a little.
"How'd you two meet, anyway?" T-Dog asks, pointing to both me and John as he voices the question. "I know you're both well known superhumans, and I know about that militia thing, but I'm curious."
"You know, I'm a little curious myself on that." Jacqui says, glancing towards John. "You told me a lot about your loves ones on the way to the CDC, but you never really said anything about how you met her and that other guy, Peter."
Me and John look at each other for a moment, smiles on our faces as we recall not just how we met, but many memories we've had since then.
"Would you believe me if I told you we went to school together?" John answered as he turned his gaze back towards the others. "At first it was Peter just hanging out, sticking to himself, and Rachel was always talking up a storm, until suddenly, she was trying to stay away from people too."
"When my powers manifested, Alex found me at home." I speak up, telling the story of how I'd met Peter first. "I didn't join the militia till I was thirteen, and even then, me and Peter had to have a chaperone, someone more experienced. But Alex explained things to me, about superhumans, how Peter was one, that we needed to stay a secret for now. So me and Peter ended up sticking to ourselves."
"Mean as it sounds to say, up until I got my powers, I was just like everyone else in school." John admits, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I thought they were just the weird kids who didn't like anybody else, and I had no interest in trying to talk to them. I stuck with Maddie and Levi, my best friends."
"But Alex kept tabs on all the people who with the superhuman gene." I interject, continuing the story. "When John disappeared for a few weeks and came back, his gene was active, so Alex sent me and Peter to talk to him, explain everything, invite to join the militia."
"And that's how we met." John says with a fondness in his tone, nodding his head a little as he let his eyes wonder across our audience. "When I joined the militia, Pete and Rach here were the ones who trained me. Peter me better control and strategy, while Rachel was my combat trainer."
"You were a combat trainer?" Shane can't help but to ask in disbelief as he looks at me, and I honestly can't help it when I grin.
"I was the hand-to-hand fighter in the militia." I can't help but to boast, a little prideful at that fact that despite being five foot and just under a hundred and thirty pounds, I was probably the most skilled fighter here.
"I'll say it now," John speaks up with a grin on his face as he points me. "I'm a foot taller than her, and almost six hundred pounds heavier, and if it weren't my strength, she could put me on my ass without a struggle." He admits, and I can't help but to blush a little at the compliment.
"Thanks." I can't help but to say, causing John to chuckle.
"No problem, it's true." He says with a smile, as he turns to look at the others. "This girl is the same as me, and in the time between now and when she was thirteen, she's mastered five different fighting styles and she's proficient in about three others."
"That guy, Alex, he really put you through the ringer, huh?" Glenn jokes, but I can't help but to shake my head with a small smile.
"Actually, that's all me. Alex just required control of your abilities and basic military training, but it made me feel better, knowing how to fight without my powers, and I ended up looking for different people to train me in different styles." I explain to them. "Learning how to fight made me feel… I don't know, better, I guess. More independent, not relying on my powers… It made feel like I had control of something."
"What all did she teach you, if you don't mind me asking, John?" Shane asks, glancing over towards him.
At that, John gives a gigantic smile. "I don't make use of the training that much, admittedly, cause I'm too tough and too strong for most people to actually do anything to me, but I'm a brown belt in Karate, a green in Jujitsu, and she helped me master Systema."
"Systema?" Glenn questions in confusion. "What's that one? I've never heard of it before."
"It's Russian." I explain. "It focuses on pressure points and disabling the opponent. You'd be surprised how effective it is fighting someone with a weapon or a projectile based powers."
"I have watched this girl nail a man in gut and drop him to his knees." John says, boasting on me a bit as he points at me, making me blush once more from the praise. "Keep in mind that I'm talking about a guy who's seven foot six, and she put him the ground within ten seconds."
"That was training…" I can't help but to mumble, looking away in embarrassment. "And an accident…"
"The fact that it was an accident makes it even more impressive, I'd say." Jim speaks up with a small smile.
"I think we could all use some training from you." Shane says with praise, glancing towards me with a smile. "Because I was a cop, and I don't even know half you just told me you know."
I can't help but to smile and nod at the words. "I don't have a problem with that. Believe it or not, though, John would be better with gun training." I say, deciding to return the favor of compliments to him intead, causing him to chuckle a little.
"How so?" Glenn asks with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, I know he's a pretty good with a rifle, but I've never seen him use a weapon other than that."
"Glenn, you think I need to use a gun much?" John says with a teasing grin.
"I get that, but still…"
"Let me put it to you this way: I'm the fighter, Peter was sneaky one, and John… well, his aim is the best I've ever seen." I say, glancing towards him.
"Oh, yeah!" Shiela speaks up once again, after staying silent for the last couple of stories. "He said he works on it so that he can turn anything he needs into a ranged weapon!"
"Really?" Dale asks with interest, looking at John with a small grin. "How good is it?"
John shrugged, because he doesn't think it's that big of a deal compared to me and Peter, but personally, I think it's more impressive than he believes. "Give me a tiny little pebble, and I can hit a target from thirty yards with an underhand toss."
It's admittedly funnier than it should be, seeing everyone's faces go to stunned expressions, wide-eyed, dropped jaws… it's almost comical.
"You… you're kidding, right?" Daryl actually says in disbelief, speaking up for the first time since we got to the bonfire. "There's no way you're that accurate."
"Oh no, he is." I respond, nodding my head vigorously. "I've seen him put that aim to use. The force he can throw with, I've watched him take out anti-aircraft guns with a rocks from a football field's length."
"You got the best aim of all of us but you can't tell your head from your ass?" Merle jokes, jabbing at his sense of direction, but John isn't having that.
"This, coming from the guy who decided that getting strung in the middle of Atlanta was a good idea?" John retorts with a raised eyebrow, causing Merle to promptly shut up. "That's what I thought."
"That explains why you were so damn good with the rifle." Shane realizes, recalling a moment that was likely before me and Shiela came about to the group. "Back at the quarry, you were taking potshots left and right, and you never missed a shot."
"Well, guns are easier to aim to than something you're throwing." John reasons with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'd be willing to bet that I'd make one helluva sniper with a pistol."
"Cocky, much?" I can't help but to tease, causing John to look at me with a raised eyebrow and a grin.
"Am I wrong?"
"No, but still… cocky…"
"Fuck you."
I can't help but to giggle at John's words, while John himself merely chuckles.
"Um, I have a question?" For the first time since this whole thing, Sophia actually speaks, raising her hand as if she were in a classroom. "What's it like, having fire abilities?"
There's no way the girl could've known what kind of baggage that question could drudge up, and I do my best to hid the pain she unintentionally brings… but it's hard not to think about Raymond, or when my powers built up.
"It's… it's a lot harder than you think. At least, in my case." I admit with a sigh, looking at everyone as I speak. "To fuel my powers, my ability to create fire, my body absorbs oxygen. The problem is, if I don't burn some of it off, it becomes hard to control."
Out the corner of my eye, I can see John looking at me with sympathy, recalling the time he sat with me when we thought I was going to die.
"I have like a sixth sense, you could say, which lets me control fire as if it were a part of me, like an extra arm or leg." I explain. "When it builds up too much, I risk letting off a powerful explosion."
"How powerful are we talking here?" Dale asks, concern in his tone, though whether for me, everyone else, or both, I honestly can't tell.
Rather than answer, I just hug myself. Talking about the incident in any capacity has always been hard for me. Despite being so much more powerful at the time, I'd never felt so vulnerable in my life.
So, John takes up speaking for me.
"She goes off like an atom bomb." John explains, turning to look at the others. "And I'm not exaggerating either, I've been in the middle of the explosion. But we don't have to worry unless she's on fire and she can't stop the flame. It means her body is trying to burn out some of the excess before going into panic mode."
"How often do you need to… purge, I guess?" Carol sounds unsure of if she's asking the question right, but I understand what she's asking nonetheless.
"After three months of no missions and small, hand sized flames here and there, that's when my body reached critical last time." I explain as I turn to look at her. "Once a week, I find a place to be by myself, and I sit down for a few hours, letting myself burn some of it out."
"As long as we're careful, why would you have to be by yourself?" Glenn can't help but to ask curiously, thought something tells me he doesn't understand my actual reasons.
"I pretty much light myself on fire, Glenn." I explain to him, but he only looks even more confused. Luckily, John explains for me.
"Glenn, she's fireproof. Her clothes, however, are not."
That gets the message in, and they all suddenly understand why I want to be alone.
"That honestly sounds a little uncomfortable, sitting by yourself somewhere naked for a few hours." Amy comments, shooting me a look of sympathy, to which I shrug my shoulders.
"Honestly, it just lets me relax a little, and it feels nice, burning off the excess oxygen." I explain, smiling a little. "Kind of feels like a weirdly refreshing shower."
"Except with with flames, instead of water." Shane jokes with a small grin.
Another bout of giggles and chuckles echo through the group, but they are interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and everyone glances over to see Rick approaching, looking a little exhausted.
"How is he?" John asks almost immediately, referring to Carl as Rick moves to take a seat in an unoccupied lawn chair.
"Stable." Rick says with a sigh. "They got the fragments out and have him stitched up, but now they're just waiting to see if it gets infected, or if he'll pull through."
"Lori in there with him?" Shane asks, even though he already knows the answer, as well all do.
"Yeah, and I'm heading back in in a bit." Rick answers as he glances at his best friend. "I just need some air, and to unwind a little, I guess." His eyes come over to me, John, and Shiela, and he lets a smile grace his features as he speaks once more. "I see you've met the new arrivals."
John gives Rick a grateful smile, and nods his head. "After the past week? Best surprise I've had in months, honestly." He says with a sincere tone. "You helped me find some of my family again, and I can't thank you enough."
At that, John turns his gaze over to Shiela next ot him, who leans over her armrest to wrap her arms around John's neck and pull him into a hug, and I can't help the smile on my features as I watch the display play out.
And then John turns over to me when they separate.
"That includes you too." He says, surprising me for a moment as his words catch me off-guard, before I smile.
"Thanks." I say as he leans closer to me, allowing me to lean down and wrap and arm around him as best as I can, pulling him into a hug as well.
"If you weren't for you, I wouldn't have found mine. Probably would've died in that tank." Rick says, catching our attention once more. "And you've probably saved my boy, so I reckon I still have a favor to return."
John smiles at Rick's words, and nods his head towards the house. "Make every second count, and consider it returned."
"Wanna stay out here for a bit?" Shane offers Rick with a small smile. "You could use the distraction, and these three have quite the stories to tell.
"Is that so?' RIck asks, turning his gaze towards us, and I can't help the smile on my face. Without even looking, I can practically already see the grins on the faces of the Gallagher siblings.
"Ask, and ye shall receive." John jokes as he turns to look at me.
It's been so long since I've been able to sit down and have a conversation, just relax, not worry about the dead walking the world, or the psychos out there. Just… peace…
I've missed this.