Without A Voice

Chapter 32: Shock

~word count: 1452~

The group made it back to the prison in one piece, except for Oscar, who was killed during the rescue. Glenn was bruised and bloody and Daryl was nowhere to be seen. As soon as the trucks pulled in, Carol and the others ran out to greet them. One person was missing from the welcome party. Jane.

"Where's Daryl?" Carol asked with a knot in her chest.

Rick reassured her, "He's okay. He's alive."

She let out a sharp breath waiting for him to explain, "We ran into his brother. They went off."

"He left? Daryl left? He's gone?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Is he coming back?"

Nobody could answer her question. Tears brimmed in her eyes as Rick pulled her into an embrace. That's when he noticed Jane's absence.

"Where's Jane?" He looked down at Carol.

She didn't even know where to start, "Something happened while you were gone."

Rick shook his head in fear and ran into the prison, Carol followed not too far behind.

"Where is she? Where's Jane?" He rushed passed the cells until he got to Jane's.

Glenn and Hershel were standing there with a concerned look on their faces. That's when Rick saw her. She was just sitting there on her bed, staring into the void. Dried blood covered her arms and knees. She was wearing nothing but a nightgown. Her eyes were blank. Empty.

"What the hell happened?" Rick looked wide-eyed at Carol.

"Don't know. She was taking a long time in the shower so Daniel went to check on her. When I went in there he was dead and she was just sitting there."

He turned to Hershel, "Did he hurt her? Is she okay?"

"The back of her head is busted and two of her fingers are broken but other than that I have no idea. We tried to talk to her but she hasn't responded."

Rick gazed at Jane through the bars and sighed, "What about Daniel? What happened to him?"

"She stabbed him in the neck with a shower hook. It was pretty gnarly." Carol grimaced at the memory.

He went to go into her cell but the door was locked, "Why is it locked?"

"After what happened with Beth I thought it would be for the best. We took her weapons away too." She eyed him.

Rick sighed, "Okay. We've got bigger problems to deal with so just keep eyes on her. Hopefully, she'll come out of it."

But she didn't. Days passed and Jane still hadn't moved. She was stuck. Replaying that horrific moment over and over. Tears would randomly fall from her eyes every time she thought about his fingers on her throat. He was checking her pulse. Making sure she was okay. And she killed him for it. Time moved quickly in her state of mind. Vibrations ran through the prison. They were under attack. The Governor had rang the doorbell. In all the chaos, Glenn had stopped right outside Jane's cell. He couldn't stand to see her that way. His best friend. Taking Daryl's set of keys out of his pockets, he opened the door and walked over to her. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he pulled her into a hug. Was she a lost cause? Stuck in a mental battle until she dies? He stood in front of her, gazing into her empty eyes before attempting to reach her one last time.

"Jane if you can understand me, you need to get up. I won't pretend to know what happened between you and Daniel but he's gone. And we're here. Carol is here. Rick is here. Carl and Hershel. Me. We need you. Please."

But she didn't respond. He groaned in frustration and matched out of the room. It was tiring. Everyone just wanted her to be okay again. When it was all over, two people returned. One of them unwelcome but the other, excited to be seen. Daryl Dixon and his brother Merle. Their voices rang throughout the prison walls but Jane couldn't hear them. She didn't have a clue. Hershel was yelling at Rick. Everything seemed downhill from there.

"Where's Jane?" Daryl gazed at Carol with concern. His heart raced at her hesitation to answer.

She looked up at Jane's cell, "She's in shock. Has been for days."

"What?!" He rushed into her cell, staring at Jane's bloody arms, "What the hell happened to her?"

Carol didn't even know where to start, "She killed Daniel. He went to check on her cause she was in the shower for a really long time. When I went in there he was dead. She slashed his throat with a curtain hook."

"Wait.." Daryl looked between the two, "Tell me exactly what you saw."

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion but ultimately agreed, "Jane went to take a shower but she was in there for a really long time so Daniel went to check on her. After a while, I went in and he was dead on the floor. Jane was sitting next to him. The back of her head was bleeding and two of her fingers were broken."

Daryl remembered what Jane had told him that day in the forest. "I slaughtered him like an animal" What Randall had said about her. "Stewart's head was nearly off his body when they-" What she had done. The others never knew the details but he did.

"I think I know what happened." He realized as he sat across from Jane.

Carol followed him waiting for him to continue, "What do you mean?"

"PTSD. Ever since she killed that guy in the woods, she's been showing signs. Nightmares and stuff like that." He sighed.

"Can you get me a rag and a bowl of warm water?" He glanced at the confusion on her face, "To get the blood off, woman!" She quickly left the room, leaving the two alone.

Daryl gazed at Jane's solemn eyes. She looked broken. He could tell the guilt was killing her.
Carefully walking up to her he planted a kiss on her forehead. Jane actually looked at him for a moment, gaping at his icy blue eyes. Carol finally came back with a small bucket of water with a rag floating in it. She watched as Daryl gently scrubbed Jane's arms. He held her hands with ease as he maneuvered the rag around her bandaged fingers. After the blood was finally cleaned off she stared at her arms. They almost looked empty.

"It was an accident, wasn't it? You would never hurt anyone you love. I know you wouldn't. But right now, you're hurting us. We need you. I need you." He begged, "Please come back to us Robin Hood."

As he signed the words ran through her head. Glenn's too. Everything they said was true. Even though she couldn't live with what she had done, she knew she didn't have to. It was an accident. Just a stupid accident. Her own words caused a tear to form in her eye.

"I did it all for her. For Sophia. I chose to live so I could see her again."

She needed to wake up. To get up. For Sophia. For Dale. For Amy, Lori, and T-Dog. For everyone, she loved that was still alive. Carol. Rick. Glenn. The man she was falling in love with. Daryl.
But most importantly, herself. The idea that one day she would be able to hear again was enough. All Daniel wanted was for her to be happy. Wherever he was, looking down on her, she knew he saw her guilt. Her regret. And he wouldn't want that for her. He knew it was an accident. It doesn't undo what she had done but she can live knowing she'll pay for it eventually.

Daryl was about to stand up when Jane wrapped her arms around his neck. She sobbed as he clutched her. Rick, Glenn, and Carol ran in while many of the others waited outside the cell. They stared in shock as she came back to reality. She was going to be okay, and that was all they could ask for.

Jane pulled away and looked back at Rick and Carol, "I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Rick asked with concern.

She hesitated, "I slipped and hit my head. Danny was checking my pulse but I couldn't control it. It was like I was back in the woods. I didn't mean to."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his hand on the back of her head. Jane knew immediately she made the right decision. Even if it meant she would die tomorrow, at least she would have the chance to say goodbye.