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

Chapter Fifty-Two: Starving

Maggie arrived with her son Hershel and some others who she had picked up along her travels. She told them a group of people who called themselves Reapers attacked her village so she hoped she'd be able to return to the Hilltop to open arms. Unfortunately all she found was charred walls.

"One week." Gabriel said as he looked around at the table.
"That's it?" Daryl asked. "In that last run, just a week?"
"We can make it work." Aaron said.
"How?" Janie asked.
"We just took in two new communities." Carol said. "We have no crops, no back stock."
"The Reapers that attacked us." Maggie spoke. "They took months worth of food. We could take it back."
"Alexandria isn't in a position to be left alone." Aaron replied. "It's too dangerous."
"Well I'll stay behind." Janie said. "Help protect it." She looked to Daryl who nodded at her in approval

A day had passed since the group had left to steal their food back from the Reapers and Janie was helping Jerry plant crops in the vegetable patch. She looked up to see Kelly and Rosita approaching.
"We're going out looking for horses." Kelly said. "Wanna come?"
"Sure." Janie replied as she looked passed them to see Magna and Carol also walking over. She sighed as she stood up.

"Hey." Carol spoke cheerfully as they left Alexandria, Janie didn't reply. "I'm sorry about Connie but-"
"I don't accept." Janie interrupted her.
"Daryl and Kelly have both forgiven me." Carol continued. "I made a stupid mistake."
"I'm not Daryl or Kelly." Janie replied before running forward to catch up with Kelly.

They hadn't been walking long when Rosita pointed out the paddock up ahead, inside were five horses.
Magna stepped towards them slowly with her hand outstretched and a chestnut brown horse stepped forward, letting her hand touch its nose. Everyone copied what Magna had done with their own horse, Janie's horse was large and white which meant the blood on its hind leg was very clear. She knelt down to see a deep wound in its thigh, she reached out and touched a spot near the injury and the horse flinched and kicked its leg out almost hitting her.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as she stood up again and stroked its nose.

Everyone reigned up their horse and led them home.
"When Connie was first losing her hearing," Kelly said to Janie as they walked, "we would play hide and seek and I would whisper her name so she couldn't hear me."
Janie opened her mouth in shock and laughed.
"That's so mean."
"It would take her ages to find me." Kelly continued, laughing. "Have you got any siblings?"
Janie nodded.
"Three." She replied. "Two older sisters and an older brother but I've never been that close to them. I haven't got any nice stories like you."
"Oh, come on." Kelly spoke. "You must have one nice memory from your childhood."
Janie thought for a moment before chuckling to herself.
"There was this one time my brother stole some fireworks from the garage and lit them in his bedroom."
"No!" Kelly gasped.
"Yup." Janie replied before continuing. "Then he freaked out and didn't know where to put them because he had bars on his window so he ran to my room and threw them out of mine, he set fire to my curtains in the process."
"What happened after that?" Kelly asked and Janie's smile dropped.
"Our grandad, Daryl's dad, damn near killed him. I'm serious. He pinned Theo down on the kitchen floor and started punching him and-"
"Okay." Kelly interrupted her. "You're right. No nice stories."
Janie laughed.
"I told you." She shrugged

The group returned to Alexandria and led their horses into the stables.
Janie patted her horses back and turned to leave the stable when she noticed Magna blocking her path.
"I know what you're doing and I want you to stop." She spoke calmly.
"I'm sorry?" Janie asked.
"You're giving Kelly false hope." Magna replied. "You don't think Connie's alive but you know she'll believe anything you say because she likes you. You're just making it harder."
"I am going to find Connie." Janie replied sternly.

- Princexiero xx