╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

You're not alone, together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know, I'll take your hand
When it gets cold and it feels like the end
There's no place to go, you know, I won't give in
No, I won't give in
•Keep Holding On; Avril Lavigne•

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸

The next day was just like the last. She cleaned and stitched up a few wounds, ignoring some of the men who asked her to hang out later that night. She wasn't interested in faking friendships, not this time around. She told Carson to go enjoy his lunch and that she would clean up after their eventful morning. Surprisingly he agreed, which left Jolene alone. Finally. She let out a deep exhale the moment the door closed and she was free to let her emotions take the reigns again.

She wasn't sure how long she had stayed in one place within those four walls. Her hands rested on the cool metal table, the temperature difference between her skin and the material beneath her had a calming effect on her. She couldn't come up with any ideas on how to get Daryl out of here. She no longer had any source of comfort in the sanctuary with Jiro being dead. Her chest tightened again at the thought of him dying alone without knowing that she really did love him - at one point - and that she was happy that he had saved her when he did.

She wasn't thrilled with the man and who he really turned out to be, though, which had ultimately helped her make the decision to get out when she did. She turned the radio on, keeping the volume low enough to where she could still hear what was going on around her. Her senses were fucked, honestly. She was still quite sleep deprived and hungry, refusing to eat in the common areas with any of the other saviors. She didn't think she deserved to eat a real meal when Daryl was locked away, starving in a cold dark cell. Again her heart lurched at the realization that she was pretty much helpless when it came to the situation. She wasn't strong enough to get him out, not if she still wanted to keep that small part of her innocence.

There wasn't much to listen to, Jolene fumbling through Carson's cassette collection before she landed on Hank Williams Jr. Her daddy listened to him a lot so she was well versed in his music. A soft smile, the first one in what seemed like weeks now, crossed her face as she pushed the cassette in and pressed play.

"The darkness of my world was all cleared away
The flowers are blooming it's
A beautiful day
There's a girl with a heart as big as
The sky she's sunshine and I know why
All for the love of sunshine all
For the love of sunshine
The Lord smiled down on this life of mine
And sent me the love of sunshine"

Jolene sang along softly to the music, her head bobbing along with the tune as she moved around the room to clean up. She had just gotten through with wiping down the countertops when a sweaty, strong arm wrapped around her shoulders. A hand pressed firmly against her mouth and she froze immediately, not knowing if putting up a fight would be worth it yet. She squeezed her eyes shut, doing what she could to stabilize her emotions and work to control her breathing, when a far off familiar scent wafted up and caught itself in her nose. Even being locked away and treated worse than the scum on the bottom of Dwight's boot, Daryl still smelled like himself.

"Daryl?" Her voice was muffled against the hand and slowly, her body turned around to face the man who held her. The moment his arms dropped from her, she launched herself into him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she held herself up and against his chest, "What are you doing here? Where's Dwight?"

"Ain't got time for talkin'." Daryl whispered, his voice was hoarse. He hadn't spoken since they came here, not much anyway, and even in such a short amount of time it was beginning to take its toll on his vocal chords. "Gettin' out of here." His hand quickly encased her own before he dragged her with him out of the room and along the dimly-lit hallway. Jolene's heart was beating a mile a minute at this point, sweat beading up along her hairline as she gave his hand, the one still holding hers, a tight squeeze.

"This is dangerous, Daryl. Too dangerous. We need to plan." She whispered in his ear, her body pressed against him as he leaned into the wall. His head turned slowly, carefully peeking out from the end of the wall before noting the hallway was empty. His mind was plagued with the plan of escape, so much so that he didn't comprehend how nice her body felt slotted against his. "Please. I can't lose you, too." She grabbed his face with her free hand, hoping that if he looked her in the eyes he would understand how serious she was about not doing this now.

"Don't know unless we try." He replied, his eye twitching slightly as her thumb brushed against his skin. Jolene stayed silent and watched him before she quickly leaned in and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was extremely chaste, and she pulled back almost immediately. "Wha' was that for?" He questioned, pulling himself further away from her.

"Because you thought of me. You aren't leaving me behind."

𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸

The moment they got through the doors, leading them to the outside and under the warm rays of the sun, Daryl let go of her hand as he rushed over to the line of bikes to see if any of them would start. Jolene could feel the hairs on the back of her arms stand to attention, an uncomfortable chill coursing through her body as two separate doors opened up and men began filing out to surround them.

"Daryl!" She couldn't help but whimper, reaching for him as he rushed back to her side. Her hands sought purchase on his arms, grabbing tightly and not letting go as they turned around facing off against the circle of men now surrounding them. A soft, yet strong whistle echoed in the air around them and Jolene tightened her grasp on Daryl's arm.

"You're not this stupid, Jolene." Negan chuckled, shaking his head as though he was a disappointed father scolding their petulant child. "I told you what could happen if you tried some shit like this again, didn't I, sweetheart?" Negan huffed out a chuckle before turning his attention to Daryl.

Jolene watched as Daryl and Negan went at it, well - truthfully it was Daryl trying his hardest in his weakened state to get at Negan. The next thing the brunette knew, Daryl was sprawled out on the ground and being surrounded. Negan tucked her into his side with a wide smile upon his lips, his dark eyes narrowing as they stared down at her. "Come on, Jo, it's time to go."

Jolene frowned, eyes watering as she looked at Daryl. She was useless. She always knew she was, but now she really felt it. Negan's hand was firm on her hip and as he walked away with her, her head kept its position craned towards Daryl. The first fist that landed on his jaw made her flinch and judging by the defeated look in his eyes he wanted her to look away.

𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸

After that attempt at escape, Jolene had been locked in Carson's office. The older man was under strict orders from Negan to not let her out of his sights. It was beginning to feel worth it, though. That small taste of freedom was that breath of fresh air Jolene needed to know that her life did not end here. That it would not end here.

When Negan himself came and dragged her out of the room, she knew she'd have to work hard to hold her tongue. She sat perched on the end of a twin sized bed, across from Negan as he lounged in the armchair. His dark eyes twinkled mischievously as the door opened and Daryl stumbled in with Dwight hot on his heels. Her fingers twitched by her thighs, aching to reach for him and do whatever she could to try and take away his pain.

"Don't you worry, I'll have Carson stitch you all up. Jolene's in time out right now so she's out of the question, ain't cha, Jo?"

"Yes, sir." Jolene mumbled, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the ground so she wouldn't roll them at Negan.

"You thirsty?" Negan turned his attention back to Daryl, holding out the glass of water. "Oh, that's right, you probably need a straw." Negan chuckled, turning to Jolene now. "Get him a straw, sweetheart. Come on, hop to it!" Negan whistled lowly, gesturing with the turn of his head to the countertop behind him.

Jolene scurried quickly and grabbed a straw. She was just a handful of steps away from Daryl when Dwight stepped in, snagging the straw from her grasp. He wouldn't let her near Daryl and that was just fine. She was sure Negan wanted her in the room for some sort of power play. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and folded her hands back in her lap again. One way to describe Negan was to say he was like a ticking time bomb.

There was no way of knowing when he would explode. Jolene thought back to when he had protected her from a man who wanted to assault her. And she also knew if she pissed him off enough, or really wronged him in any way, he wouldn't think twice about harming her in some way as her form of punishment.

She looked up slowly when Negan began mentioning the point system. The brunette couldn't help but flinch at the mention of Tina. A tight sensation in her chest grew quickly at the way Negan had used manipulation so easily. The man thought nothing of his actions and their repercussions. It was like his second nature. He truly thought he was some sort of king, or god even - Jolene didn't want to get lost in the workings of his mind though, that was for sure.

"You could imagine my surprise when Dwight stole all of the medication and ran off with his super hot wife and my super hot, soon-to-be, fiancé!" Negan bellowed, stopping for a moment and turning to look at Daryl. "And this one, too. You must have leeched onto them, huh, Jo? Like an unwanted pest just looking for a ride."

Dwight glanced down at Jolene before quickly bringing his attention forward again. The brunette stayed silent and only nodded her head in agreement with Negan. She didn't have the strength to fight him again, not yet atleast. "Hmm, this is more like the Jolene I know. Timid. Follows the rules. And now she ain't got Jiro to protect her. Ain't that right, sweets?"

Jolene looked up and met Daryl's gaze. She frowned and just nodded once more, "Yes."

Negan sighed, happily. He turned his attention back to Daryl. "Dwight saw the light. Fortunately for him, and he came back." Negan put emphasis on the last part as he glanced over at Jolene. "But Lucille," he grinned and inched the bat a bit closer, "she's a real stickler for rules. And Dwight, here, he begged me not to kill Sherry. So obviously I was going to kill him." Negan sighed, showing obvious frustration in a playful manner as he twirled Lucille around. "Sherry begged me not to kill him, of course. Said she'd marry me if I let him live, which was funny, because you know I was supposed to marry her sister."

Jolene frowned. Sherry never got to tell her directly what had happened as they had planned the other day and now she knew. It hadn't been hard to guess, of course. It was very obvious that Sherry and Dwight were no longer together and in a sense it wasn't by choice. A choice to save their lives, sure, but not for their own wants, or needs. Jolene worked hard to keep a straight face as she looked up and watched the trio before her.

"Anyways..." Negan chuckled, shifting himself closer to Daryl. "It was a start. So Dwight, he got the iron."

Jolene let her eyes travel to Dwight. A feeling of pity took over her anger towards the man. She knew, deep down, that he had done what he did for survival. She still hated him for it - for his crude behavior, his volatile treatment of Daryl - but now she got a sneak peek into the window of his life and knew why he made the decisions he did.

Daryl was weak, standing hunched between the two other men with a slight tremble that shook his entire body. His hair was full of grease, dirt, and blood and hung in curtains over his forehead. His eyes remained low but eventually, as Negan continued to talk, he brought his gaze higher and met Jolene's stare. She was locked onto him already, nervously playing with the skin around her thumbnail as she sat perched, shoulders firm, up and back in a rigid state, watching him.

Jolene's eyes tore from Dwight the moment Negan suggested that Daryl was 'ready' to be his top guy. Daryl's eyes followed Jolene's path to Negan, his weak frame still trembling as he listened to Negan, eyeing up the bat that swung around so casually. "Look around," Negan offered with a grin, his free hand moved to grab hold of Jolene's chin, looking down at her, "this could all be yours. Including the free, consenting, pussy." His grasp released roughly. His hand had jerked forward which pushed Jolene slightly off to the side. She stayed quiet and rubbed at her chin for a moment before she straightened herself back up again.

"All you got to do is answer one simple question."

Daryl refused to look up at Negan. His hands hung loosely by his sides, sweat formed beads around his hairline and by the base of his skull, slowly cascading down his dirty skin and collecting in the collar of the sweatshirt he was wearing.

"Who are you?"

Daryl did not respond. His eyes shifted slightly to look at Jolene who could only stare back at him in fright. Negan chuckled humourlessly. This situation was not funny, the chuckle escaped out of frustration. Jolene looked over to the older man, his eyes searching his features in hopes that he wouldn't lose his cool on Dwight.

"What, cat got your tongue? Overwhelmed?" Negan's eyes narrowed at Daryl, his irises seemed to darken with anger, now looking a much deeper shade of green then they usually were  He leaned down and back, looking at the slightly hunched form of the man in question, "I'm gonna ask you one more time." Negan stepped closer, Lucille raised to sit just beneath Daryl's chin. "Who are you?"

Jolene stood up quickly, blood pumping through her like it was a race car driving down the speedway fighting for the cup. Stupid so-called sport her daddy used to watch. Dwight shifted as though to stop her if she moved any closer, Daryl's head tilting back slowly so he could meet Negan's gaze.

"Daryl."

Jolene was certain if she had been hooked up to a monitor the beeping would have been going haywire. She could feel her stomach drop, fast, and a strange tingling sensation crawl up the back of her neck and head. Of course he would have rather been dead then call himself Negan, but Jolene didn't want that. She wanted him to live, she wanted him to get out and be back with his family. And now with Dwight causing a ruckus and Negan shushing him with a smirk plastered wide on his face, Jolene was sure that would never happen now.

"It's cool, D." Negan shook his head. "He made his choice. Ain't my problem if he made a dumbass choice."

"Negan, please." Jolene whispered, an attempted plea to save the man's live who had once saved hers fell on deaf ears. With one look in her direction, she sat back down on the edge of the bed and watched as Daryl was dragged back out again.

𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈𖥸

The following day, Jolene found herself leaning against one of the railings in a long and narrow stairwell. Her eyes were shut tightly, hands grabbing onto the cool metal railing as if it was going to help bring her back down. She couldn't even remember how long she had been there for, not once she heard the saviors exiting the compound and the roaring to life motor of one of their military grade vehicles.

Knowing that she would have some sense of freedom, she escaped from the medical office and wandered until she knew nobody would find her.

"Jo?"

Sherry's soft voice eventually brought her out of the haze. She pulled her forehead from the wall and turned slightly to look at the woman taking a seat at the top of the staircase. Jolene offered a small nod and shifted to press her back against the wall instead. "How are you?" Jolene questioned, eyes following Sherry's trembling hands as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit the stick she had placed between her thin lips.

Sherry took a long drag and shifted herself to lean against the wall so she could get a better look at the woman speaking to her. "Alive." Sherry replied bluntly, the smoke filtering out of her mouth as she spoke. Her hands held out the pack and Jolene eyed them for a moment before succumbing to the need to anything other than the pain she was feeling now. A small rush of nicotine wasn't much, and it certainly wouldn't help ease her nerves, but it was something to busy her mind with atleast for the moment.

With eager hands, Jolene lit the cigarette and inhaled deep. The smoke billowed out of her nostrils and slipped between her pursed lips like an early morning fog rolling through the open pastures of her childhood farm. She decided to stay silent for another moment before she took another drag and looked over at Sherry once more. "You sure about that?"

"I'm not so sure about anything anymore." Sherry sighed, the cigarette loosely clasped between two fingers as her arms extended along her knees. The staircase was narrow and restricting but it gave the two women privacy while Negan had taken a good chunk of his people off property. Jolene wasn't even sure where they had gone but if she had to guess, then it had to be Alexandria - he took Daryl, after all. "What you did the other day was real stupid, Jo."

"Don't tell me what I already know. Got out once, though, with your help..." Jolene quickly finished the cigarette and pressed the nearly burnt out end into the wall to make sure it was completely out before tossing it down the staircase without a care in the world. "I don't belong here and neither do you, Sherry. You and D could've gotten far from here, from Negan. You'd still be-"

"Don't say it." Sherry snapped, an accusatory finger basically jammed into Jolene's face. Sherry stood up and finished her cigarette, flicking it down the stairs the same way Jolene had just done moments before. "I know what we did. And I know what we could've done. What's done is done. Don't risk your life. You got a roof over your head, food on the table. You got skill that will keep Negan happy and that will make him not wanna lose you again."

Jolene couldn't help but roll her eyes. She hated the fact that others thought they owed Negan their lives. In a sense - sure, she was happy she had been saved in the first place. But this wasn't a way to live her life. It wasn't for her. She wasn't happy. She would never thrive here with Negan. But Alexandria? She could thrive there. She felt it the moment she cascaded out of that truck, killing the undead with people she had only just met.

Alexandria housed numerous families, the young and the old, the people just trying to find a way to survive. Jolene could have only hoped that this would've been the type of place Jiro brought her to when he saved her. That fateful day seemed like a lifetime ago but Jolene could remember every passing detail as if it was just yesterday. The whole reason she had left in the first place was that she was sick of being controlled. She had been so unhappy, scared of saying the wrong thing because it could have been her who got the iron. It could have been her forced into a sham of a 'marriage' with the ruthless egomaniac that was Negan.

"I gotta go." Jolene muttered, making her way down the stairs to get away from Sherry as fast as she could. She knew that Daryl was not going to go down without a fight. She wouldn't let him do it alone. She wouldn't let anyone, especially Sherry, talk her out of it.