Not Alone ✔

Ch. 31 - Leaving Jim

Daryl
As we drove towards Atlanta, I felt Anna scoot over in the seat back towards her side of the cab but then she laid down with her head coming to rest on my lap. Within minutes she was out, guess she didn’t really get that much sleep since she’s been with us. Or maybe it’s just the ride, she always told me back before all this shit started, that car rides made her sleepy even when she’d slept completely the night before. She looked so peaceful when she slept, like she didn’t have a care in this geek infested world, like nothing had changed. As we continued on, growing closer to the city with every mile driven, I placed my hand lightly on her shoulder so I didn’t wake her, and began lightly rubbing her.
This girl has been a big part of my life ever since I moved onto her street. Now grant it, the first few weeks she came around the house, after she’d leave to head home Merle would start the teasing. But that was to be expected from him. I glance down at her from time to time, making sure she’s alright and still there. I don’t know, I just felt like if I didn’t look down every so often then she’d disappear or I’d wake up and all this would be just a dream. Up head, I see smoke or steam or something rising out of the RV and already know this can’t be a good sign as the caravan veers off to the side of the road, coming to a stop.
“Anna,” I whisper as I lightly shake her shoulders, “Anna wake up.” “We there,” she asked groggily. “No,” I said as I shake her shoulders a little more, “but we have a problem. C’mon get up.” “Okay,” she mumbled as she slowly sat up and rubbed at her eyes while I climbed out of the truck as everyone began making their way to the RV. Anna and I make our way over to the RV, again with my arm draped over her shoulders just as we heard Rick and Dale talking about the problem with the RV. “I told you we’d never get far on that hose,” Dale said as everyone gathered around, “I said I needed the one from the cube van.” “Can you jury-rig it,” Anna asked as Rick and Dale turned to look over at us.
“That’s all it’s been so far,” Dale said as we looked back to him, “it’s more duct tape than hose. And I’m out of duct tape.” “I see something up ahead,” Shane said, grabbing everyone’s attention, “a gas station if we’re lucky.” Just then Jacque came running out of the RV, actually managing to cause Anna to jump from her sudden rush. “Y’all,” she said panicked, “Jim. It’s bad. I don’t think he can take anymore.” “Hey Rick,” Shane says before anyone makes a move to the RV, “you wanna hold down the fort while I drive ahead, see what I can find.” “Yeah,” T-Dog said, “I’ll come along too, and back you up.” “Y’all keep your eyes open now,” Shane said as he and T-Dog make their way to a vehicle and head towards whatever it was he saw.
I watched as Rick walked into the RV but most of us stayed outside while he was in there talking to Jim. It wasn’t too long before Rick came out and called everyone around to him for a group discussion on what to do about Jim, and what it is that he wants. “Jim wants to be left here,” Rick said once we were gathered around, “it’s what he says he wants.” “And he’s lucid,” Carol asked. Anna and I decided to keep out of it for now, so we stood off to the side away from everyone but close enough to hear what was being said, Shane and T-Dog were back now too. “He seems to be,” Rick said, “I would say yes.” “Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down,” Dale said as we looked to him, “you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we asked Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer.”
“We just leave him here,” Shane asked, “we take off? Man, I’m not sure I could live with that.” “It’s not your call,” Anna said from beside me as everyone looked to her, “either one of you.” Shane and Rick shared a looked, they knew Anna was right. Jim made his decision, we should at least honor him in it. I wrapped my arm around Anna’s shoulders again as we watched Rick and Shane carry Jim out of the RV and up the hill beside the road to the tree line. We stood and watched as everyone said their goodbye’s to him before walking away. I felt Anna turn away and walk back down the hill with Carl and Sophia as the two kids began to cry.
I watched her stand by the cars with the kids both holding onto one of her legs as they cried, her hands resting on their shoulders as she stared up at Jim. I turned my gaze back to him as everyone else said goodbye to him. When I was the last one left, he knew I didn’t talk much to anyone other than Anna. He smiled weakly at me as I walked around to turn and leave. When I looked back at him, all I could manage was a simple nod then I turned and left. Reaching Anna who now stood alone, I could see the wetness on her cheeks. “C’mon,” I said placing my hand at the top of her back and turning her to the truck, “let’s go.” She nodded and turned, walking ahead of me as she wiped at the wetness on her cheeks. This hit her harder than I thought it would.