[DISCONTINUED] FIND YOU ( T. WALKING DEAD )

- I.

And that brought unto Jack a feeling she couldn't begin to explain- some mix of anxiety, relief, worry, fear. Too many things to describe in just one word.

And the only way to end that amalgam of emotions was to go see for herself their status; with that realization, Jack reluctantly opened the door of the truck, wincing at the way it screeched on its hinges. Her sneakers smacked against the cool pavement with a light thud and padded their way towards the building. The truck door was left ajar for Jack doubted that anyone would spontaneously appear and steal a truck that could barely function, and she also knew that it needed to be open for convenience if she, for some reason, needed to get back in the truck in a hurry.

She didn't want to admit the latter, though. It was depressing and she was trying to be as hopeful as she could manage to be, especially when it was Shane's life to worry about. More than anything, it was Shane. Always. Otis, however good of a man he seemed to be, was a mere stranger scrambling to fix his mistakes.

And Shane simply didn't make any mistakes, to begin with; at least not according to Jack. She almost idolized him for his bravery, his courage, his goodwill towards her and her family. They would've been torn apart and eaten alive if not for him, and Jack greatly acknowledged that; unlike her mother, who had grown some kind of personal vendetta against Shane that Jack just couldn't seem to fathom.

Arms wrapped around her own body in an attempt to maintain warmth amidst the frigid November air, Jack was quick to pace past the expansive high school. It felt as if each brick had eyes, watching her every move closely and intentionally, though Jack knew it was just a forsaken building.

Her paranoia had gotten so extensive that even simple buildings caused anxiety to arise.

All at once, she heard the impending roar of what must've been a thousand walkers. Acknowledging individual snarls seemed impossible; it seemed to be just one massive growl that got closer and closer with every step that she took. And then she saw them - all of them, the very moment she turned around a corner. An entire crowd of flesh-hungry beings that used to be people, but were now just empty, feral shells of who they used to be.

And in front of the horde were both Shane and Otis. Otis looked as if he was on the very verge of fainting, with his heavy breath clouding before his panting mouth, and Shane couldn't seem to walk correctly; he appeared to be putting in extra effort just to pick his right foot off from the ground. Even Jack knew that Otis' unsuitability and Shane's injury could prove to be rather fatal, in the sense that they were getting slower and slower and the mob seemed to be getting faster.

Eyes wide, her entire body froze. Not even her own heart seemed to be moving at that moment, as this was one of the only times in which she couldn't feel it pounding in her chest.

The last time she'd seen anyone freeze, or it was when walkers attacked their camp that lied on the outskirts of Atlanta, leaving thirteen members of their group dead. Everyone that froze lied lifeless on the ground minutes later.

And more than most things, she didn't want to die.

"Shane, Jack, will either of you speak for Otis?" Hershel's smooth words tore Jack from wherever it was that her mind had wandered to, and she was quick to turn her head and meet his tired eyes with her own. Slowly, she looked him up and down, eyeing every button and seam of his suit. Something about his formal wear burdened her - how he had the ability to dress up for a funeral, and she was just struggling (and failing, usually) to find a different outfit to wear each day.