runaway --- bon jovi
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[POV]
The ones who had been sick were getting better by the hour. The antibiotics were doing what they needed to be doing. JJ had gone back to her usual cell.
"You're looking better." Rick asked his sister, who was sitting on the second story looking down at everyone getting back to normal.
She looked up, "I'll take that as a compliment?"
"You should. You looked like shit just last night."
"Thank you so much, Rick." She rolled her eyes. He laughed, sitting next to her. "You never told me about what happened with Carol."
Rick looked around, sighing and biting his lip, "Had to send her away. She didn't even show remorse for what she did. She thought it was right." He huffed, "would you have sent her away?"
"I don't know." JJ shrugged, "I'm just glad I didn't have to make that call."
"Yeah." He nodded his head.
"How'd Daryl take it?" Rick looked at his sister in a way that she could tell. "You haven't told him? Rick. He's gonna flip his shit when he finds out. Especially if it's anyone but you telling him."
"I was hoping you could help break the news?"
JJ scoffed, grinning, "Yeah...no thanks. I'd rather watch that shit show from a safe distance."
Rick put his head down.
"And here's your opportunity." JJ patted his shoulder, slowly standing up as Daryl came up the stairs.
"Hey."
"Hey." JJ greeted back, smiling.
"Can we, uh, talk?"
"Yeah, but, I," JJ looked back to her brother, "I think Rick needs to talk to you first. Find me after?"
Daryl nodded as JJ slowly went down the stairs, still not feeling 100% from being sick.
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[JJ]
The sun felt indescribable. After I left Rick and Daryl to talk, I sat the steps outside, taking in the fresh air and warm Georgia sun. I could've taken a nap sitting right here, no matter how uncomfortable these stairs were.
The peace didn't last long.
We'd been hit.
I hunkered behind one of the side buildings by the courtyard and was quickly joined by Maggie, Beth, Sasha, Bob and Carl. Tyreese, Daryl and Rick weren't too far behind.
"Get back!" Rick shouted at us.
"Rick! Come down here. We need to talk."
The Governor.
Where'd he get a fucking tank?
"It's not up to me! There's a council now. They run this place." Rick shouted back.
"Hershel on the council?" The Governor calmly asked, signaling to one of his minions. They brought Hershel out from one of their trucks. My heart dropped. No, no. Not Hershel. Not him. "What about Michonne? She on the council too?" Another minion brough Michonne next to Hershel.
"I don't make decisions anymore!"
The Governor had Michonne and Hershel on their knees execution style, "you're making the decisions today, Rick. Come down here. Let's have that talk."
Rick looked to Daryl and nodded. Then, he looked to me. Then, Carl. In his way, it was telling us it'd be okay.
"We can't take 'em all on." Daryl mumbled to us. "We go through the admin buildings through the woods like we planned. We ain't got the numbers no more. When's the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"
"Day before we hit the Big Spot. We were running low on ration then. We're lower now."
Daryl nodded, not taking his eyes off the Governor, "Yeah, we'll manage. Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everybody know."
"What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad? How long do we wait?"
"As long as we can." Daryl told Tyreese as he slowly went for the guns bin. Daryl discreetly handed everyone a rifle. He handed me one last, tapping my back with it.
We couldn't hear what they were saying. Just saw the Governor shoot some nearby walkers.
All of us aimed our guns at the Governor and his new crew.
"We've gotta do something." Carl told Daryl and me.
"Your dad's got it."
"They're talking. We could kill the Governor right now."
"From 50 yards?" Daryl judged.
"I'm a good shot. I could end this right now."
I sighed, "yeah, or you could start something else. We gotta trust Rick."
After more talk, the Governor got down off the tank, holding Michonne's katana to Hershel's neck. I looked over to Maggie and Beth, fear spread across their faces. There was a pause. It seemed that the Governor was listening, that no one would have to die.
I was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Governor sliced through Hershel's neck.
I heard Maggie and Beth both cry in torment. Rick fired the first shot, and then, we all started firing. We shot as the Governor's group began to push in. The tank rolled right over the fence.
Rick went down, crouching behind the bus, holding his leg. "Rick. Rick's been shot." I muttered. "I have to-"
"You go out there, you'll die. Rick can take care of himself." Daryl told me, "Come on. We gotta move."
Carl realized, worry in his eyes, "Judith's inside."
I looked back at the building, then back to Carl. "I'll go find her. You stay here."
"JJ." Daryl stopped me, grabbing my wrist.
I shook my head, "I have to." I took his hand off my wrist and smiled, "come find me after."
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[POV]
Despite Daryl's protests, JJ ran inside the crumbling building, looking for her niece.
"Beth, where's Judith?"
She shrugged, "I think she was in the admin building. I was running back for her."
"Go help the others. I got Judith."
Beth nodded, but the second she turned to walk away from the building that JJ had just run into, it was hit by the tank.
Seeing Beth standing, watching the admin building burn, Daryl ran up to her,
"D'you see JJ?" She didn't answer. "Beth, did you see JJ?"
"I was trying to get the children out." She breathed, "That was supposed to be me."
"What are you talkin' bout?"
Beth turned towards Daryl, "JJ went in for Judith instead of me."
"In-" Daryl motioned.
"It was hit not even a minute after she went in." Beth frowned, "They're gone."
Daryl stared at the burning prison, walkers nearing them, "We got to go, Beth. We got to go."
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Rick struggled up the hill, desperate to find his family. "Carl! JJ! Carl! Carl?" Walkers came from around the rubble, only to be taken down by Carl. Rick tightly embraced his son, "Judith, JJ. Where are they?"
Carl sadly shrugged, "I don't know. JJ went looking for- I don't know."
The two began walking, coming across Judith's baby carrier drenched in blood sitting next to JJ's gun. Rick immediately began to sob for his daughter and for his sister. Carl saw the nearing walker and shot it over and over again.
"Carl. Carl!" Rick stopped him just as his son broke into a sob as well.
"It's my fault! I sent her back for Judith. It's my fault they're dead." He cried.
"No, no it's not. But we've got to get out of here. We've got to go. It's over."
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JJ ran, and ran, and ran...until her legs gave out from underneath her. She collapsed to her knees, eventually falling to the ground. As she sat back, she cradled Judith, keeping her close.
As JJ began to cry, her tears confused Judith.
"What do we do, Judith? Huh?" JJ looked down at the baby. "It's just us." Judith cooed at her aunt. "Just us."