Free Fall (TWD)

4 // guy's a cop

Jayla spent most of the next day the exact same as the previous days. She always spent them with Amy or the kids. When she wasn't doing chores alongside the blonde, she was usually found joking around with Carl and some of the other kids on camp.

Her conversations with Amy were different on this day. Amy's sister, Andrea, had gone with other members of their group up to the city on a run. To say that Amy was worried would be a major understatement.

It was a constant loop of "I hope Andrea is okay". Jayla couldn't do anything else other than try her best to console the girl. She couldn't blame her for acting this way. She'd be the same way if she were in her position.

She was sitting next to Carl, who was talking to Shane on his other side. The man was trying to teach the boy how to tie a knot. Jayla watched as Amy paced the grounds, hands ruffling her hair out of stress every couple of minutes.

The blonde sighed. "It's late. They should've been back by now."

Dale glanced up from working on his rv along with a man named Jim. "Worrying won't make it better."

Amy turned her head away from him, choosing to ignore his words. She continued to pace around, stress seeping through her.

Thunder rumbled slightly in the distance as Jayla tuned out the conversation between Shane and Carl. She always enjoyed storms. They brought a strange sense of peace to her.

Back when she was in elementary school, her and childhood best friend would always spend every spring outside. That's when it usually stormed the most. The two kids would always go running through Jayla's front yard, splashing into newly formed puddles.

The small rumbles brought a sense of nostalgia to the girl. It was almost as though she could hear the faint giggles of the two children that once belonged to herself and her best friend.

She was brought out of her daydream when she heard static. "Hello, base camp? Can anybody out there hear me?" The voice was a familiar one. It belonged to T-Dog, a nice and friendly man that resided on their camp grounds with them. He had been one of the few who volunteered to go into the city.

Jayla watched as Shane stood up from beside Carl and off the rocks below them. He headed for the rv, which held the radio. Jayla stood up, grabbing Carl's arm to guide him as they followed everyone else. Lori came running from behind them, eyes wide.

There was static again. "Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?"

Dale was quick to climb up the ladder on his rv, reaching out for the mic on his radio. He clicked the button of it, bringing it up to his face. "Hello? Hello? Reception's bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."

It went off again as a muffled voice came through. They could barely make out the words. "Shane, is that you?"

Lori placed her hands on her hips as she stood beside her children. "Is that them?" She asked Dale. The man held a finger up to her as he messed with the knobs on the radio.