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

Chapter Fourty-Five: Formation

5 Months Later
Waves crashed into the shore as the soldiers walked the beaches of Oceanside in a shield formation. They watched as three water-logged walkers stumbled towards them.
"Halt!" Aaron shouted and everyone stopped. "Drop!" There was a thud as the shields hit the ground and everyone crouched behind them apart from the bow wielders at the back, one of which being Janie, who shot at the walkers, killing them instantly. "Retreat!" Aaron yelled and the shields were lifted once again. "And march!" They marched towards the next set of walkers and this time the people with spears took spotlight. "Halt!" Aaron called as more walkers appeared.
"Open ranks!" Magna yelled as the shields parted for her, Michonne and Luke and their more upclose handheld weapons.

"Nice work everyone." Daryl said as people took their armour off and headed back to the village.
"You did really good today." Janie said, catching up to Kelly and Connie.
"Thanks." Kelly replied as Connie signed something before walking away. "So did you. I like your hair."
Janie smiled, she had messily chopped at her hair last night into an uneven bob.
"Thanks." She looked down at the floor for a moment and watched her foot sweeping the sand about before looking back up at Kelly. "I like your piercings."

Janie looked at her reflection in the cracked mirror in front of her before pulling a plastic bag from her pocket and emptying it onto the table. Inside was a sewing needle and three mismatched, rusty earrings. She took a deep breath before holding the needle up to one of her earlobes, a burning sensation surged through her ear as she stabbed it through and took it out again and it stung as she put the earring in. She did the same to her other earlobe but this time it didn't burn so she moved on to the top of her ear. She raised the needle once again and pushed as hard as she could through the cartilage.
"Arghhh!" She yelled in pain as Daryl appeared next to her, his arms crossed against his chest and Dog sat at his feet.
"What are you doing?" He asked and she just smiled and pulled the needle out. As soon as she did, the hole started spurting with blood, spraying all over the mirror and table. "You're an idiot." Daryl said as she put the earring in.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Kids found a mask by the river earlier." He replied. "We think they're back."
"Shit!" She exclaimed.
"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm going to the beach, you comin'?"

Jamie pulled her boots off and threw them behind her so she could feel the sand between her toes.
"Doesn't this feel so good?" She asked Daryl as the wind whipped through her hair but he wasn't looking at her. She spun around to see Kelly and Connie playing with Dog who had just run ahead. "Oh, I see why we're here." Janie laughed and Daryl looked at her confused.
"Why's that?"
"Connie." She smiled and he shook his head.
"Nah." He said as he watched her walk ahead. "I see why you're going over to them." He said raising his eyebrows.
"I'm going to Dog." She said.

"You guys okay?" Janie asked the sisters and Connie signed something in response.
"She said I'm sulking." Kelly translated. "I'm not."
"What's up?" Janie asked and Kelly sighed.
"I've got the same condition as Connie." She replied. "I'm losing my hearing. My doctor said at this age I'd need hearing aids but that's not going to happen, is it."
"Oh." Janie said. "I'm sorry."
Connie signed something and Kelly smiled.
"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed. "You pierced your ears."
"Yeah." Janie replied. "I'm not sure I did it right though."
"They are a bit wonky." Kelly nodded and pressed her lips together, trying to hold in her laughter. "And I think that one's infected."
Janie laughed and gently hit Kelly on the arm before noticing that Connie was staring at Daryl. Janie looked back at Kelly and raised her eyebrows.
"He's been learning sign language for -"
Janie was interrupted by a huge explosion up above and she looked up to see a bright flash of light in the sky.
"Come with me!" Daryl shouted and Janie quickly pulled on her boots and followed him. "Dog stay here."

They ran towards the forest where smoke was rising high above the tree tops. Inside bright orange flames crackled and turned the the trees black and, inside it all, was a large metal spaceship looking object on its side.
"It's a Russian satellite." Daryl said as they ran towards it.
"Wait!" Janie yelled. "Isn't this Alpha's border?" He ignored her and passed her a bucket full of water which she threw onto a nearby tree. The tree sizzled and the flames got smaller.
She looked over at Yumiko and Magna who were digging a trench in the dirt to stop the fire from spreading onto their side of the border. Suddenly there was a creaking noise behind her.
"JANE!" A voice behind her called and before she knew it she was being lifted and thrown to the side. She landed to the floor with a thud and her ankle made a snapping noise. She groaned in pain and rolled over to see Aaron lay where she was just stood and the tree slowly falling towards him. She quickly stood up on one foot and grabbed the collar of his shirt, she then tugged hard and fell again, pulling him on top of her. Her ankle twinged and she groaned again as the tree landed with a thud inches away from them.
Aaron stood up and pulled Janie to her feet.
"Thank you." She said and he nodded.
"Is your ankle okay?" He asked.
"It's fine."

That night Janie sat by the fire, nursing her ankle with Daryl sat opposite her sharpening his knife.
"Hey Daryl." She said and he looked up, she thought for a moment whether what she was going to say next would upset him. "Can I borrow that sign language book that you think you read sneakily but you really don't?"
He narrowed his eyes at her for a second.
"Why do you need it?" He asked and, as she opened her mouth to answer, he interrupted her. "Is it for the same reason you pierced your ear?"
"What's the reason?" She asked.
"You know." He replied. "Kelly."
"I don't know what you're talking about." She scoffed and looked down at her ankle.
"You tell me everything. Even this. I told you about Leah." He continued.
"I had to break my leg for you to tell me about Leah." She raised her voice slightly and he stabbed his knife into the log he was sat on making her jump.
"Is that why you didn't tell me, revenge?"
"No." She replied quietly, a tear falling down her cheek.
"Then why?" He asked. "You didn't think I'd be okay with it?"
Janie just looked at the ground and shrugged
"Jane. I am not your parents. Ever since you born the only thing I've wanted was your happiness. I dreamt of running away with you, away from Merle, away from everybody. But you know I couldn't."
"We've done it now." She smiled and he nodded.
"Yeah. We have." He stood up and reached into his back pocket before pulling out the sign language book and tossing it over the fire to her. "Here." He said and she smiled. "Good luck, it's hard."
"Thanks."

- Princexiero xx