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Jo

We were on the road early the next morning. Michonne had everyone up at dawn. Her excitement to get on the road was palpable and the others fed off it. Rick had managed to find another car and he, Michonne, Carl and Judith all rode together. We got Eric settled in the bedroom in the back of the motor home. Aaron hadn't left Eric's side since his returned the night before. It was obvious how much they loved one another and the rest of us were giving them time together. Every single one of us understood what it was like to think they had lost a loved one.

Abraham was driving while Rosita rode shot gun with a map spread open across her lap. Carol was sitting behind them watching anxiously out the window. Everyone else was squeezed into the benches around the table. Michonne's good mood had been infectious and the group was still enjoying it. They were laughing and chatting while playing a game with a deck of cards Glenn found in one of the cabinets.

I was sitting on the floor again leaning back against the paneled kitchen cabinet. I was exhausted. I felt like the stress from the last few days, hell the last few weeks, was all catching up to me at once. I couldn't think of the last time I simply sat down and rested. Though, just because my body was resting didn't mean my mind was able to shut off. I was running through every possible outcome both negative and positive of us going to this community. I wouldn't say I was nervous about it, I just wanted this whole situation to be done one way or the other. I couldn't stand not knowing what we were walking into.

Daryl was sitting next to me, his head back and his eyes closed. His crossbow was sitting in his lap, his hands resting lightly on it. When I woke up that morning, though Rick was up and out on watch, Daryl was still awake and even more on edge. Now, he was dozing off and on. He would fall asleep and then jerk awake only minutes later. I think in many ways he was even more apprehensive about this move than I was. While I would certainly fight for the group, I was not one of the leaders, and in the end this wasn't my call. It was however Rick, Michonne and Daryl's, and Daryl was obviously feeling the pressure.

"Hey Abraham, look," Rosita said from the front.

Everyone suddenly began to chatter excitedly. I opened my eyes and saw they had all turned in their seats and were facing the front. I half rose so I could see what they were all looking at out the windshield. Stretching out across the horizon before us was Washington DC.

I sucked in a breath.

DC was a very large city with a very high population before the turn which meant there would be a huge population of walkers now. It was a city none of us were familiar with. We could not go anywhere near that city.

Daryl bumped my shoulder with his own and when I looked at him he frowned. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and shook my head. There was no point burdening him with my own fears and paranoia he had enough on his mind.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes praying we passed DC without incident. It would be just our luck to get mixed up in some kind of trouble here. I silently began running through all the information I knew about the city. I had visited a few times, been to capitol hill and of course all the museum's. Tommy had always driven when we visited though, so I didn't have a good geographical feel for the city itself.

Someone who was not Daryl cleared their throat next to me. I flinched and my eyes snapped open. I was surprised to find Carol crouched next to me. She was worrying her lip and she looked preoccupied.

"I've been thinking," she said in a quiet voice.

I felt Daryl stir beside me but Carol was looking at me. She glanced back towards the bedroom and when she continued her voice was lower. "This place sounds like it's a dream come true, perfect in every way, but I think we'd be stupid to not take a few precautions to protect ourselves...at least until we know what's what."

I frowned at her not completely understanding why she was coming to me with this. It seemed as though this should be talk we had with Rick. "What do you have in mind?" I asked cautiously.

"Well..." she looked me up and down. "Aaron said they want us because we are a strong group...but maybe we don't all need to appear as strong as we are. Having someone...or a couple someones in our group that they are not expecting might be a benefit."

"Like a sleeper?" Tara piped up from behind her. I looked over Carol's shoulder to see Tara shamelessly eavesdropping.

Carol shot her a disapproving look and glanced back towards the bedroom again, worried we might be overheard. Tara looked appropriately contrite and glanced away.

Carol turned back to me and nodded. I frowned, was she serious? She wanted some of us to pretend to be weak. It was certainly a decent idea. I couldn't help but think how much better off I would have been in Woodbury if I had the skills I had now but no one was aware. I glanced around at the group trying to decide who would be best suited to the task.

I glanced over at Daryl, but he was staring at Carol thoughtfully. Clearly not him. I looked over at the table. Glenn would be a decent choice if he was willing to go along with the subterfuge.

Tara was frowning over Carol's shoulder and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, determined to remain a part of this conversation. "Like...you want to de-badass Jo?" Tara's eyes shot over to me. She looked me up and down and snorted. "Wouldn't someone else be easier?"

Carol turned to look at her with disapproval. "We need someone capable, who could hide their abilities...Jo is pretty and small, she is also well spoken and intelligent. If this group is as Aaron had portrayed it then I think Jo and myself would be our best options. A housewife and an academic would be largely overlooked."

She turned away from Tara and glanced from Daryl to myself.

"Besides won't Eric and Aaron know?" Tara asked from behind her, continuing to push the matter.

Carol glanced back at her then looked at me. "Has either of them seen you fight?"

I shook my head slowly. "Eric came up to me with the rest of the group, but never saw me kill any walkers...he was worried about me..."

I looked back at Daryl, he was chewing on his lip thoughtfully but had kept silent.

When neither of us spoke Carol shrugged "just think about it," she said seriously. Then she stood and went back to her seat.

A hour later the motor home started slowing down and I frowned as I heard the engine sputter and die.

"Shit balls," Abraham muttered as he coasted it to a stop. Abraham and Glenn climbed out first and went around to open the hood. The others slowly started trickling out to stretch their legs. I followed. I felt like a caged animal stuck in here all day. I was absolutely no use in engine repair and being this close to the city was making me antsy. I climbed the ladder up the back of the motor home to keep watch.

Daryl followed me up the ladder. We paced together, each of us watching our own side of the road. I could hear the others but it felt like we were alone, it was peaceful.

"I've been think'in," Daryl suddenly said after nearly an hour of silence.

I turned back to him.

"'bout what Carol said...I think she's right. I think it would be good...just in case."

I nodded thoughtfully as a thousand new potentials ran through my head. "Okay," I agreed.

Daryl nodded too. "It would give ya a break too."

I turned to face him, frowning. "A break?"

His eyes widened a little bit as though he were suddenly afraid he had made me mad. "Yeah, ya know from-" he motioned awkwardly at the knives tucked in various places on my body.

"It makes sense for the group, it would be better for us to have a few surprises of our own right?"

He nodded.

"I mean it shouldn't be that hard to just act like myself right?" I forced out a chuckle to cover my nerves. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able pull this off. I had been this person for so long I didn't know if I remembered how to be the Jo from before the turn. Jo the academic. Not to mention there was the small issue of me occasionally having a PTSD episode. I shook all those thoughts away and forced myself to take a calming breath. "Just go back to being me. No problem," I muttered as I toyed with the handle of my kukri.

Daryl shifted uncomfortably and turned his attention back to the trees.

The motor home's engine sputtered and all of a sudden roared to life. The group below us cheered. Daryl flashed me a grim smile and climbed down the ladder. I followed him and when I was almost down I felt his hand on my low back to steady me. He kept it there once I was on the ground until we turned the corner of the motor home.

Once we were back inside and back on the road I looked over at Carol. "Okay," I said. "I think it's a good idea."

Carol nodded and seemed pleased. "Okay, so you and I." She looked me up and down. I did the same and let out a sigh. I started pulling out my weapons and laid them on the floor in front of me. I shrugged out of my leather jacket and removed my shoulder harness. I tucked them both away in my backpack. It left me in a black tank top, dark and stained skinny jeans and knee high boots.

Maggie cleared her throat. I looked up at her to see her holding the black duffel bag from the hospital. I hadn't realized she had it. She licked her lips nervously and reached inside. "Here," she said in a quiet voice. She handed me a soft, blue tank top.

"I think it was Beth's," she said her eyes darting to where Daryl had gone completely still behind me.

I pulled it on over my head and frowned down at it as I tried adjusting it a few different ways. Maggie snickered and stepped forward, she moved the straps and then stepped back. "It's supposed to hang like that."

I nodded though I didn't like it. The billowy fabric was soft but it also felt like a great thing for someone to grab onto or to get in my way. It was not something to fight in. Which I suppose was, in fact, the point but it made me feel uncomfortable and vulnerable.

I looked back down at my weapons thoughtfully. Even someone harmless would never go without weapons. I glanced over at Tara to see what she was carrying. She had a single knife and a handgun. I slid my handgun onto my belt and the hunting knife Daryl had given me on the opposite hip. The flowing fabric of the shirt covered both weapons and unless I tucked it back, made it nearly impossible to draw either weapon without getting tangled up. I glanced back down at the knives thoughtfully. If I was really going to try and pull this off I should leave it at just one knife, but I wasn't sure how comfortable that made me. I frowned down at the pile and finally slid one I could throw into my boot. The rest I gathered and shoved into Daryl's bag.

He was watching me closely, especially when I put my kukri in his bag. I tried not to let my hand hesitate over letting it go. I turned to look at him I flashed him a gentle smile. "Well, do I look harmless enough?"

His eyebrows pulled down like he didn't like the thought but he didn't respond. I shook my head, he was impossible. I turned back to Carol. "What do you think?"

"I think you look great!" Tara piped up from behind Carol. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Tara really was a good person, and she meant well, she was just a little exuberant for my taste.

I turned my attention back to Carol. She nodded her approval. "So what? I just tell them I'm some helpless woman who was studying wild life biology at the turn? And thank god these amazing people took me in and took care of me or I'd be dead?"

Carol continued to nod slowly but her eyes were on Daryl and not me as though she were gauging his reactions instead of mine.

"I think that would be good...do you think you can do this?" She asked leaning into me so only Daryl and I could hear her. I could see in her eyes she was genuinely worried. Though, I couldn't tell if it was for me, or if she was worried I was going to screw up her plan.

I reached down and touched her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine with it," I promised her. "It's a good idea. We have no idea what we are walking into. I like Eric and Aaron, I do, but that doesn't mean Alexandria is going to be the right place for us and I don't think it's bad for you and I to have the advantage." I snorted humorlessly. "Appearing small and helpless has it's advantages. People tend to either trust you quicker or disregard you entirely. It's not always a bad thing. Daryl and I have used a similar trick plenty of times. Just maybe not to this extent."

My words seemed to make Carol feel better and she gave me a small smile before she returned to her seat. I leaned back against the cabinet next to Daryl once more. It felt strange to not be wearing my shoulder harness. I felt a little naked. I rolled my shoulders, trying to get myself used to the feel of unrestricted movement after wearing it for so long.

I rolled my head to the side to look at Daryl. He was only a few inches away, chewing on his lip, his eyes downcast.

"Hey," I whispered to him.

He glanced up at me, his gaze troubled.

"You okay?" I asked in a gentle voice. I looked down at where his hands were resting on his crossbow in his lap. I really wanted to reach down and take his hand but we were surrounded by the group and I wasn't sure if he would like that.

He nodded, pursing his lips. "Gotta be."

I looked away and sighed. I was really beginning to hate that expression. Once upon a time, it was my mantra, now it felt a little bit like defeat.

The motor home began to slow. I rose, so I could see out the window. Ahead of us was a fifteen foot high fence and gate. The fence was made of solid steel and I could see the support trusses from here. It was a fence that meant business. The gate itself was metal bars but there was a tarp across the inside which prevented us from seeing inside. There was no way to know what we were walking into.

Abraham stopped the motor home and slid it into park. He sat perfectly still for a moment, studying the fence in front of us. Then he turned back to face the group. "Okay lady's and gents let's pucker up. It's show time."

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They made it!!! Alexandria!

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