No Way Out *Negan/Daryl/Joelle

No Such Hope

Jo went in and out of consciousness after she crumbled to the bottom of the stairs. 

...She felt herself being dragged outside, by her arms...

...Someone was used her stomach as a seat while making it hard for her to breath...

...Restraints were being wrapped around her wrists...

..Someone was holding her up while her hands were being fastened to something...

Jo's body was being roughly jostled, while her arms felt like they were going to be ripped out of their sockets. Lazily, Jo opened her eyes and screamed. She remembered  to breath and calm herself before she hyperventilated. She couldn't afford that, especially then. 

She looked up to see why her arms hurt so much and it was due to her wrists, that were tied to the top of  a moving truck. The rest of her body was free to move and slam against the back door, with every little bump the damn truck went over. She didn't know how long she had been hanging there, but didn't think she would last too much longer. The pain was quite unbearable for her. 

Not too long after she came to, the truck slowed down, and started backing up down a street. It came to a stop just outside a big gate. The sign on the gate said 'Alexandria Safe Zone'. Jo had no idea what this place was or what on earth they were doing there. 

The truck doors opened and slammed shut before Negan took his time to walk to the back. He peaked up at Jo with a big smile. 

"Wakey, wakey. Eggs and bacie!"

Jo whimpered and growled through the mask at him. That only made his smile grow. 

"This ain' about you, lady balls. You are just here 'cause I don't trust you to not pee on the furniture at home." he winked before he turned and walked up to the gate. 

Negan banged his bat on the metal three times, before the gate slowly started to open. 

Jo let her eyes rest while she tried to manage the pain in her arms. When she looked up at the group that walked out from behind the fence. She gasped and her eyes widened. Rick, Maggie, Glenn and Michonne stood right in front of her. There was no way! All this time and they were right here. Hope was restored times one hundred in her heart. She started to wriggle and squirm against her bindings and scream their names. It hurt like a bitch, but she didn't care. She needed to get their attention. 

Negan spun around from his conversation and glowered at Jo, he seemed to notice that she knew who these fuckers were. 

"Rick!" He said, without turning to him. "Go take a look at my lil' pet and see if you recognize her. She sure seems to think she knows you."

Rick looked at Negan with a confused look, yet started walking towards the hanging girl. He grabbed the side of the truck and hoisted himself up to her. She looked at him with desperation in her eyes. He didn't seem to recognize her, considering nothing could be seen of her besides her eyes. He hesitantly reached his hand out and gently grabbed her chin. He peered into her eyes and a spark of happiness fluttered in his. "Joelle?" he whispered. Jo nodded her head eagerly. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry Jo."

Before Jo could do anything else, Rick was thrown backwards and onto the ground. 

"So you assholes do know each other! I should have known, with all the shit she has given me." Negan yelled at Rick. "In fact, I'm quite tired of ALL your shit! I've had a long day and want to go home to my damn, hot wives.... You!" Negan screamed at someone on the side of the truck. 

"Get your lazy ass over here and start loadin' my stuff." As Negan said this, Jo heard a jingle of chains as a muscular man with long greasy, brown hair came shuffling towards the gate. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw his bare back. There were several long, deep scars and she instantly knew who it was. Daryl. Her best friend. He was alive and right in front of her. She didn't understand why he was obeying Negan's orders. He definitively was not that type of guy. But she didn't care, her family was here in front of her. 

Daryl had filled his arms with boxes from inside the gate and started walking back towards the truck. His eyes never left the ground. 

Negan walked up to the door of the truck, unlocked it, and banged on it. The door shot upwards and the handle knocked hard on Jo's back and head. She let out a muffled whimper and Daryl looked up. 

His eyes went wide and he dropped the boxes in his hands. He knew who it was right away, even with the mask she wore. His heart pumped so hard in his chest, he forgot what was going on around him and ran to the truck. He jumped up to where Jo was hanging and grabbed her face. His eyes were glossy as tears started falling down his face. He found his best friend, she was right here in front of him. He had lost hope six months after she was taken and now he regretted it. 

Their reunion was cut short by Negan's bat. He shoved it into Daryl's back and he fell past Jo and into the truck. He shot back up onto his feet, but met the end of a gun. He froze, not wanting to die, just after being reunited with his friend. He threw his chained hands up in front of his face. 

"Alrigh' boys. Looks like you're goin' to have to do some work. Get Rick's shit and load up the truck. Keep the dog in there and throw the bitch in as well." Negan said, impatiently. 

Negan's men did as he said and loaded the truck with Rick supplies. Negan kept a gun trained on Daryl and he stayed put. Jo was the last to load. Dwight pulled himself onto the truck reached  up to take Jo's restraints off. She instantly fell to the ground and cradled her arms. Daryl instinctively reached for her but was knocked out with the butt end of Negan's gun. 

"I assume you liked our lil' trip, you sorry shit." He seethed at Jo, spit sprinkling her face. He then picked her up by her throat and pushed her into the truck. Her body landed on Daryl, who made a grunt in his knocked out state and her head hit the floor of the truck. 

The truck door slammed shut and Jo was left with her friend, her thoughts and blackness.