𝐈𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐲𝐧𝐧 and Simon went to Hilltop to put them back in line, and everything seems to be going great so far. Simon and Jaylynn have been avoiding each other at any cost. Jaylynn knows that deep down he hates her guts, all because she's risen to power faster than he ever could. She hates how all Simon wants is power, she hates how she's the only one who sees it. And she hates that he's Negan's right hand, it's only a matter of time before he challenges Negan to become the leader of the sanctuary.
Jaylynn hates how he's able to hide behind his facade of being Negan's little helper. How everyone is blinded by his act. How is she the only one who can see through people's bullshit? First, it's Dwight and Sherry and now it's Simon. Jaylynn pounders on the thought of ratting him out, but she knows that both Negan and Arat would be pissed off and wouldn't believe her. Maybe she should just wait it out, wait until he snaps and challenges Negan for power.
Jaylynn takes a deep breath as she continues to punch the shit out of the punching bag. It's 3 in the afternoon and everything around the Sanctuary has been boring as hell. Nothing interesting has happened in forever. But even with nothing happening, Negan still finds work to do, leaving Jaylynn all alone to do whatever she wants.
Sometimes she'll have to stop a few drunks from fighting, which usually ends pretty well. Everyone around the Sanctuary both respects and fears her. They don't want to get on her bad side, and not because she's married to Negan, but because she's just plain scary. Since the beginning, she's made a reputation of herself, and she's upheld it.
Little by little, Jaylynn is starting to get bored, she wishes something interesting would happen. When she was living on her own, off her own instincts, it was never boring, there was always something to do, walkers to kill, even humans. She never knew where she'd get her next meal, if she'd die that night, if maybe, by some small chance, she'd run into Michonne.
Now she's safe behind these walls, guarded by her husband's men, with nothing to do.
"Jaylynn!" Jay hears Arat call out her name, urgency in her voice. Jaylynn glances over her shoulder at the almond-toned girl.
"What?" Jay asks, turning her full attention to Arat.
"That satellite station was attacked last night," She says out of breath, as if she ran all the way to Jaylynn.
"Oh my god, is Paula and everyone okay?" Jaylynn asks, taking powerful steps toward Arat.
"Yes, they took two captives, two girls. They're held up in one of our safe houses, waiting for us to go. We need to leave now!" Arat says, her voice quick with urgency.
"I don't have my guns or katana on me," Jaylynn says as she begins to walk toward her and Negan's room.
"They're waiting for you in the car, come on." Arat grabs Jay's arm, pulling her towards the front of the Sanctuary. Jaylynn's heart is beating like a war drum in her chest, all she can seem to think about is if Paula is okay. Negan, Laura, and Simon are already in the car waiting for them.
"Glad you could finally join us," Simon remarks, malice laced in his voice, Jaylynn rolls her eyes, sitting in the back of the car. She's bouncing her leg uncontrollably, her anxiety spiking the longer it takes to get there.
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"We're about twenty minutes out, how are you guys holding up, over?" Jaylynn asks, still wired for sound. She rummaged through the artillery box in the backseat for some bigger guns, and they were set up for an all-out battle.
"As well as we can be, over," Paula replies, voice crystal clear now.
Jaylynn nods. "How many of them raided the outpost, do you know? Over?"
"Eigh, maybe?" her voice comforting, just knowing they were still alive. "The scruffy guy with a heavy southern tang seems to be the ringleader, he's the one I've been talking to. If he's killed Primo, I swear to fucking- Donnie!" The click of the connection ending had the sound of finality to it that made Jaylynn's stomach sink down into her toes.
"Paula?!" Arat screams into the radio, and Jaylynn winces at the reverberation through her own. "Paula, what's happening?" There was only static to answer them and Arat threw her radio in frustration, the clatter of it hitting the dashboard echoing in their heads like a gunshot.
"Paula?" Jaylynn tries to keep her voice firm. "Paula, come back, over." Her hand shook as she listened, straining her ears as hard as she could for something, anything.
When they reached the slaughterhouse and there was no vehicle in sight, Jaylynn's feeble attempts to stay positive evaporated.
Arat, Negan, Simon, and Jaylynn snatched up automatic rifles and dove out of the vehicles. They stayed low to the ground, but there was no attack. There was nothing but the wind in the trees, and the far-off caw, caw of a crow.
Arat reaches the slightly open door fire and eases it wide open with the barrel of the gun. She ducks into the dark hallway and the rest followed, covering each other.
Walker's groans fill the concrete hallway and the knot of anxiety in Jaylynn's belly tightens.
"No," Jaylynn whispered the word and broke into a run. Her face drains of color at the sight of Puala's lifeless body impaled on a spide amidst a group of chained undead.
Their friends were dead. Their family.
The radio crackles at her hip, hearing it reverberate from Puala's belt was a cold reminder.
"Regina, ten minutes out, over," Came the stern voice from the other end.
Jaylynn shakily presses the button. "They're dead." It came out in a broken rasp, and she clears her throat. "I'm doing a sweep of the slaughterhouse but they're all dead." She took a deep breath, straightening her spine. She knew she actually did have to do a sweep, to make sure there weren't any nasty surprises waiting for them.
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Sorry for such a short chapter, I'm trying really hard to write this. I have terrible writer's block, so please be patient with me. Thank you for 11k reads🥳, it really means a lot! Please follow, comment, vote, and share this book!
