Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

-8-

JINX

Jinx sat up on the roof of the RV, she could hear people occasionally moving around inside, it seemed she wasn't the only person who couldn't sleep, but no one spoke.

The next morning, Rick rolled out a small arsenal of weapons that Carl had proudly told her he'd found, telling everyone to take one. Andrea argued, wanting her gun back, but Jinx was relieved when Shane informed the group that only he, Rick and Daryl were carrying, that they couldn't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles.

Despite the very real threat of being eaten by a reanimated corpse, the knowledge that she wouldn't accidentally be shot in the back by an inexperienced gunman while they searched made her feel a little more comfortable with the plan.

Daryl outlined the plan to follow the creek, it was the only real landmark the girl had so he expected she would stay near it and the group assembled packs of food and water to keep them going throughout the day. Carl managed to convince his parents to let him come along and Dale and T-Dog stayed behind to continue repairing the RV.

Everyone stayed silent as Andrea began arguing with Dale, she was angry that he'd forced her hand back at the CDC, frustrated that he'd taken the choice of an instantaneous death and being reunited with her lost sister away and now on top of that he'd taken her gun as well. Jinx understood the woman's frustration, she'd been pretty close to that point herself not so long ago, but she was glad she hadn't gone through with it and hoped that with time Andrea would also be grateful to Dale for saving her life.

Jinx felt bad for the older man, he was so kind to everyone, it pained her to see Andrea speak so unkindly to him when he obviously cared about her so much. There wasn't anything she could do though, it wasn't her place to say anything, so she turned and followed the rest of the group into the woods.

As they were walking, Carl excitedly tried to tell Shane about the weapon his parents had allowed him to carry, but the man quickly shut him down, telling him to focus on the task of looking for Sophia. Dejected the child walked ahead as Shane turned around keeping an eye on the path behind them.

Jinx motioned to the boy calling him to her side, letting him tell her what he had wanted to tell Shane, although now with a little less enthusiasm in his voice. She glared at the back of Shane's head, this kid obviously idolised him and he was treating him like shit. If she'd thought there was something off about him when it came to Lori and Rick's family before, this seemed to confirm it. He'd been fine with the kid before the CDC, but ever since, he'd been acting like he didn't care, and it pissed her off.

Daryl and Rick were leading the group, silently they indicated for everyone to stop as they spotted something through the trees. It turned out to be a tent, but all that was inside was a dead man, someone who'd 'opted out' as Jenner had once so eloquently put it.

As they looked at each other in disappointment, church bells started to ring in the distance, reigniting a little hope in all of them. They ran towards the sound, hoping they were signalling them where to find Sophia.

As they left the cover of the trees, Shane stated the obvious, the church they were looking at had no steeple, no bells, there was no way the sound could be coming from there, but it was. Rick broke into a run towards the building and the rest followed quickly behind. As they pushed open the door it was an eery sight to behold.

Three once-churchgoers sat in the pews, slowly turning around with the haunting raspy growls like something out of a bad horror movie. Rick took the first out with some kind of large knife Lori handed him, Shane handled the second and Jinx stifled a laugh as Daryl took out the last, a real life corpse bride that almost fell on top of him.