Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

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JINX

The next morning, they fought their way through the prison yard and into the building. They'd encountered a little trouble with some walkers that had been in full riot gear, but Maggie had found a way to pull their heads back and take them out under their helmets.

The first area they entered was empty, bar a few entirely dead bodies and Rick found a set of keys on a guard who'd 'opted out'. They used the keys to move further in, finding a cell block marked with sign saying 'C Block' above the door. It had a row of cells on the ground floor and a set of metal stairs that led up to a second set directly above. Rick and Daryl took out a couple of walkers locked in cells upstairs and dropped them over the balcony for T-Dog to drag out.

They decided that the cell block was secure and would be their home for now, at some point someone had found a second set of keys so both Rick and Daryl had a set. They decided they'd sleep in the cells and push out to find the cafeteria and infirmary in the morning.

"I ain't sleeping in no cage, I'll take the perch" Daryl told them heading up the stairs. Jinx took the cell closest to where Daryl would be sleeping, she liked the idea of having her own space again, but she was going to miss sleeping beside him.

She called him over, motioning for him to take the mattress from the top bunk as she wouldn't need it, once he'd gone again, she laid down on the bottom bunk, surprised by how comfortable the thin prison mattress was after so many nights on the ground. The little cat let her stroke it's back a few times before promptly jumping down to sleep on the perch with Daryl, it seemed the feline didn't like the idea of being in a cage either.

After what was probably the best night's sleep any of them had in a long time, they got up to find Rick had collected everything he could from the walkers they'd taken out the day before. Jinx walked down the stairs to see the guys looking through the haul. "Flashbangs, CS Triple-Chasers. Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take 'em" Rick said.

She watched as Daryl picked up one of the riot gear helmets and slime poured out, she grimaced just as he said "I ain't wearing this shit" he was no stranger to being generally dirty, but even he looked disgusted by the concept, T-Dog suggested boiling them and Daryl only looked more disgusted "Ain't enough firewood in the whole forest. No." He put the helmet back down and picked up a guard's baton, "'sides we made it this far without 'em, right?" he gave the stick a small practice swing.

Carol called Hershel, nodding her head towards where Lori had slept. Rick asked if everything was alright and when Carol confirmed it was nothing to worry about, he went back to what he was doing. Things hadn't been right been right between the sheriff and his wife for a long time now, the relationship gradually getting more strained throughout the winter. By the time they'd found the prison the pair hardly spoke at all, and Carl seemed to blame his mother, also barely speaking to her.

Hershel was going with the group to look for the cafeteria and infirmary, so Jinx stayed behind with Carl, Carol, Beth and Lori. Now Lori was so close to giving birth it had become an unwritten rule that either she or Hershel would be nearby at all times.

She didn't like being apart from the group that had gone, specifically Daryl, even though she knew they could take care of themselves. She'd heard Rick tell carl if something happened, he could be the last man standing and although she knew that was just Rick's way of making sure the boy felt better about staying behind, it still left Jinx with a pit in her stomach that she knew wouldn't go away until they all returned unharmed.

She busied herself attempting to tidy up the cell block and setting out what little food they had left off to the side of the tables on the ground floor. She hummed as she worked and eventually Beth joined in, the pair softly singing as they went along. Eventually though they decided to take a break and drifted apart to their separate cells to rest.