I'm With You ➝ Daryl Dixon

under a tree towards the cdc.

ten.

"Layla! You comin' or you just gunna stand there?" Glenn shouted over towards the girl, looking fondly across the Quarry where she had found her new family and lost them all over again.

"I'm coming', jeez!" Layla replied, making her way into the RV.

The group had decided that the Quarry was not safe anymore. They had heard the CDC was working on the cure and considering Jim's condition, he might be able to get some kind of help there. Dale drove his RV out of camp, Glenn beside him whilst Layla and Jacqui sat in the back caring for Jim. Layla watched as the red sports car they left behind faded into the distance. She could still see the hill where Amy was buried for a while longer.

Rick drove a car up ahead with Lori by his side, Carl, Sophia and Carol on the backseat, followed by Shane's car, T-Dog's car with Andrea, and Daryl's car with a motorcycle hooked on the back.

"You think Morales will be okay?" Layla asked, swatting away some sweat that had accumulated on her forehead.

Jacqui patted Jim with a cold wet cloth, "Course honey. He's a smart man, they'll be okay." She sounded confident, but Layla couldn't help but feel they were stronger in numbers, and with half the camp gone, she certainly didn't feel hopeful.

They had barely started along the highway when a shot rang out and Dale made a sound that Layla could only associate with him burning his food over the campfire or him putting his bare foot in wet mud. The RV came to a holt in the road.

Layla left Jim's side and walked up to the front of the RV to Glenn.

"The RV's radiator hose burst," Glenn explained.

Layla nodded like she understood and then asked, "...What's a radiator hose."

"Something we need or we ain't moving any further." Dale explained as he got out the driving seat with a sigh, fixed his hat onto his head a little tighter and began to exit the vehicle.

Layla sighed, grabbing a fresh bottle of water for Jim and returning to her seat next to him.

"Here Jim, try sipping this, you need to keep your hydration up." Layla smiled and unscrewed the bottle cap.

Jim nodded in agreement, "Wherever I float to you better not follow me Layla, the boats goin' soon but you can't come. You gotta stay, with Rick and Daryl and Carol. You-You all watch so no one else gets in."

Layla teared up, her voice quiet amongst the clanging of tools and chatter outside of the RV, "Of course Jimbo. Of course. I'll make sure of it."

Jim looked at Layla with the softest of smiles, his face pale and sweaty and eyes red. He let out an enormous wale of pain, the agony etched into the lines in his forehead as he squeezed his eyes together. Nothing they did seemed to ease the pain or slow the rapid decrease in Jim's strength.

Jacqui got to her feet quickly and Layla could hear her call to the group briefly before coming back to Jim's side.

Layla let Jim hold her hand tightly, squeezing it in both comfort and support.

"Hey Jim," Rick said delicately as he came into the open door of the RV, light from the hot sun outside pouring in onto the dirty old carpeted floors of Dale's van. "We'll be back on the road soon."

"Oh no. Christ... My bones... My bones are like glass. Every little bump..." Jim struggled, "God, this ride is killing me. Leave me here. I'm done. Just leave me. I want to be with my family."

Layla gulped a little, "Jim..."

"I know. I know." He smiled softly at her.

"They're all dead." Rick replied, "I don't think you know what you're asking. The fever... You've been delirious more often than not."