Janie's Got A Gun (A 'The Walking Dead' Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirty-Seven: No Exceptions

The next day there was chatter amongst the Saviours all over the camp. Last night Justin had gone missing, they spent all night looking for him and when they finally found him he was dead and it didn't look like an accident. Fights were breaking out and anyone who wasn't a Saviour was being blamed for his death.
"Guess they're gonna execute every last one of us!"

"SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!" Janie shouted from atop a pickup truck where she was stood, the crowd fell silent and they all turned to look at her.
"She's the one who killed him." One of the Saviours said and the arguing started again.
"SHE SAID SHUT IT!" Daryl yelled as he joined his niece on the truck.
"I bet they did it together." Another Saviour said and they all nodded in unison as the man picked up an axe from the floor. The crowd suddenly parted and a horse leapt into the space they just left, with Rick on its back pointing his gun at them.
"Everyone back off!" He yelled. "Right now!"
As everyone walked away, Rick got off of his horse and approached Janie and Daryl.
"Go ahead." Daryl grunted. "Ask."
"You think we killed him?" Janie asked and Rick sighed and looked to the ground.
"That wound on Justin looks like a puncture." He said. "I wondered if it could be from a knife but it's small, round and clean. Smaller and cleaner than a bullet hole. It kind of looks like an arrow hit him or a bolt."
"Is this the kind of shit you used to do, policeman boy?" Janie asked.
"When I had to." Rick replied.
"You really think we did it?" Daryl asked.
"No." Rick replied. "But others do so I'm making sure."
"If I'd have killed him, I'd have killed him in plain sight." Daryl said and Janie nodded in agreement. "I don't know who it is but I know why and so do you. Bringing all these people together, it was always gonna happen."
"It was the right thing to do, for the future." Rick replied and Janie grimaced at him.
"Why do they get this future." She spat at him.
"Why not Glenn?" Daryl asked. "Or Abraham? Or Sasha? All the people the Kingdom lost, Hilltop, Oceanside."
"Carl." Janie added.
"You ever think about what they want?"
"I know you don't agree with me but I want you both to try." Rick replied. "It may be the best decision you ever make, by not killing the guy who left your brother, your dad on a rooftop to die."

Soon enough there was news of another Saviour going missing, this time it was Arat, well known for being Negans lieutenant during the war. Rick told everyone to get into groups of people they trust and go out looking.

"You good with this?" Daryl asked Maggie as they trudged through the forest. "Or you just playing nice for Rick?"
"I'm not sure." She replied. "Everytime I look at my Hershel I think about how things could of been."
A walker growled in the distance and Janie ran ahead to find it. She stabbed it with her knife and, as it fell to the floor, she noticed a stick poking out of its chest.
"Daryl!" She called and him and Maggie came running over. "Look at this."
He pulled the stick out to reveal some kind of homemade arrow.
"I know who killed Justin." Daryl said.

They followed Daryl until they came to a large brick building that said, 'Hollowbranch Outreach Recovery' on the front of it.
"This is where the Oceansiders used to live." Daryl said when suddenly they heard a voice coming from the side of the building.
"Beg." The woman's voice got louder as they walked towards it. "Beg like you made them beg."
Arat was knelt on the floor sobbing and Cyndie was stood over her with a gun pressed against her head. A handful of other Oceanside members watched.
"Drop it!" Daryl yelled and the women turned to look at him. "You kill Justin?"
"He killed my husband." One of them replied as Daryl lowered his crossbow.
"They murdered my mother." Cyndie said before pointing at Arat. "She shot my brother right here."
"Please." Arat said, tears running down her face.
"Shut up!" Janie shouted at her before looking back at Cyndie and nodding, signalling her to continue talking.
"You asked me to beg for his life! He was crying and you smiled! He was only eleven years old and what did you say?"
Arat didn't answer.
"What did you say?" Janie repeated louder.

"No exceptions."

"Kill her." Janie said and Cyndie nodded as her friend loaded her homemade bow with her homemade arrows.
"Please!" Arat screamed. "Daryl? Maggie? I've changed! I'm one of you now!"

"No exceptions."

- Princexiero xx