rag doll | TWD

[27] indifference

it's not my time --- 3 doors down

♮♮♮
[JJ]

"You think they're all right?" I asked my brother through the plexiglass.

Rick nodded, "it was a long run. Farthest they've gone." He changed the subject, "How are you feeling?"

"Great." I coughed deeply.

He looked around, leaning closer to the glass and lowering his voice, "I know who did it. Killed Karen and David."

I squinted, "who?"

"Carol." He told me in a hushed tone. "Did it to try to stop the spread."

"Worked well." I commented. "What are you gonna do?"

Rick shrugged, taking in a deep breath. "I don't know."

"I'm sure whatever you do will be," I paused, gathering my thoughts, "it'll be-"

"Go rest, JJ."

I shook my head, "I need to do something."

"Hershel told me you keep tellin' him that. That you're tryin' to do stuff. You need to sit tight, save your strength."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because the second I do, I fall asleep, save my strength...what if I don't wake up?"

Rick shook his head, "That won't happen. You're stubborn as hell. You're not gonna let a damn flu take you out. The day you go, Hell must be freezin' over."

"Yeah, well, you'll be right there with me."

♮♮♮
[POV]

Tyreese, Bob, Michonne and Daryl walked the trail after abandoning ship, hoping to come across a new car, or something.

Daryl bent down, cleaning off a stone he found.

"Is that Jasper?"

"Mm-hm." Daryl answered Michonne.

"It's a good color. Brings out your eyes." She smiled.

"When Mrs. Richards went into A block, we were leaving. Asked me to keep a lookout. I'm gonna use it for her old man's marker."

"You know all of them back there?"

Daryl stood up, "You stay in one place more than a couple hours, you'd be surprised what you pick up."

Michonne chuckled, "Like how you like JJ."

"Pfft." Daryl scoffed, "Nah."

"Please. You make it so obvious."

"Yeah right." He kept walking, "How so?"

"Well, for starters, you carried her all the way from guard tower 3 to A block."

"She was sick. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You didn't carry Glenn to A block." Michonne sassed. Daryl rolled his eyes. "Just saying- you don't hide your feelings as well as you think you do."

"There." Daryl motioned ahead, "Might be something."

"We'll talk later."

"Don't need to talk about no damn feelings. This ain't Dr. Phil."

"Ah, so you admit it."

Daryl huffed, "let's just get the damn medicine."

♮♮♮

The group continued on, eventually getting a car at a nearby shop. They finally made it to the school, a day behind. Daryl led the way in, clearing the way for the others.

"All right. Let's make this quick." He told them, beginning to gather supplies.

Michonne and Bob rummaged through the cabinets, "Anything ending with -cillin or cin, C-I-N, grab it. We'll dissolve the pills in the IVs, put 'em right into the bloodstream. Dosage will be tricky, but considering the time we lost..." Daryl and Tyreese came back into the lab, setting their stuff on the table. "How'd you do?"

"Bags, tubes, clamps, connectors. Everything on the list." Tyreese answered.

Daryl asked them back, "what about y'all?"

"Yeah, we got it all."

Michonne held her flashlight up to the cabinet, doing one last check, "Yeah. We're good."

"All right, let's roll." Daryl took his crossbow, leading the way out.

In one of the classrooms down the hall, there were a bunch of walkers, which saw them go by and started to follow the group. They went into a nearby room, trying to shut the door, "Hey, door's busted." Bob informed.

Daryl tried to help blockade the entrance as Tyreese and Michonne went to clear the stairs, which were chained up and filled with walkers.

"How many?" Daryl asked, shining his light.

Michonne shook her head, "can't tell."

The walkers at the entrance started to file in. They had the same eyes as the ones at the prison...they were infected.

"We can take 'em." Tyreese assured.

"No! They're infected. Same as at the prison." Bob warned. "We fire at 'em, get their blood on us, breathe it in...we didn't come all this way to get sick."

Tyreese motioned to the walkers trapped in the stairwell, "how do we know the ones in there aren't any different?"

"We don't."

"Well, it's gotta change sometime." Daryl broke the chain keeping the walkers in. There were only three that stumbled out. Lucky for the group, they were able to run.

The infected walkers were gaining on them.

"We don't have an exit." Tyreese alerted.

"Then, we make one."

Tyreese threw a fire extinguisher through the window, shattering it. Michonne went out first, then Tyreese, then Daryl, and finally, Bob. He missed the landing and fell on his stomach- his bag dangled over the siding, but he held onto it. Even with the walkers below grabbing at him.

"Let it go." Michonne told him. "Just let it go."

"Let it go, man." Tyreese joined.

Bob wasn't budging.

"Just let go of the bag, man." Daryl snapped, pulling him back. The bag hit the walkway next to them. Hearing the noise it made, Daryl went over to it and pulled out half a bottle of bourbon. "You go no meds in your bag? Just this?" His voice lowered, "You should've kept walking that day."

When he went to throw it, Bob lightly touched his holstered gun, "don't."

Noticing, Daryl got in his face and took his gun, grabbing him by the collar.

"Just let it go, Daryl." Tyreese told him. "The man's made his choice. Nothing you can do about it. Just gotta let it go."

"I didn't want to hurt nobody." Bob looked down, ashamed. "It was just for when it gets quiet."

Daryl pressed the bottle against Bob's chest, "You take one sip when those meds get into our people, I will beat your ass into the ground. You hear me?"

The group went back to the van. Daryl sat in the passenger seat, angrily spinning the jasper in his hands, as the rest discussed which route to get back. JJ occupied most of his thoughts. He worried that it'd be too late when they got back.

"Taking highway 100." Bob informed.

"I heard." Daryl grunted.

"You were right, what you said before." Michonne got in the driver's seat. "About the trail going cold. I don't need to go out anymore."

"Good." He shut the door, "Maybe you were right...bout JJ."

Michonne smiled to herself, beginning the long drive back.