I’m Not a Bad Person- Chapter Four
SUMMARY: Troy Otto does have feelings you know. He’s in the process of figuring them out; especially when it comes to his childhood friend, Jaymie. Whatever they are, they’re rooted deep, and they’re growing.
WARNINGS: Language, Warped thoughts, Violence.
WORD COUNT: Fuck if I know.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: My plan is to follow along with the events of season 3, but with my OFC involved. I’ll veer off plenty of times and probably switch shit up completely. Not sure yet. We’ll be exploring different characters’ POVs throughout the series. I’m not great at this writing thing but I try my best. Hope you like it enough. All characters except my OFC don’t belong to me.
None of this would’ve happened if Nick hadn’t left us to wander with the dead. Mom was on a mission to find him after that, even though it was clear he didn’t want to be found; but we did- in a new world death camp lead by Troy Otto.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m grateful to be reunited with my brother. I missed him. It’s just that a lot happened while he was gone and, well, it would’ve been nice if he was there for us.
As much as Nick didn’t want to be around the living, it turned out he had joined another community. It honestly hurt. Didn’t he want to be away from people? He got so wrapped up with that group that he even ended up with a girlfriend.
Enough of these thoughts right now. They’re not helping. I should be focusing on the task at hand.
Jake and I are heading to his ranch by foot now. We’ve been carrying Nick’s unconscious girlfriend between us for the past few hours. I’m fucking exhausted. Everything about life is exhausting now. No use in complaining though. At least I’m not in Luciana’s boots. She had been shot and was already in bad shape before the helicopter went down. I’m still shocked the three of us made it. I just hope we make it to the ranch in time. If anything, for Nick’s sake.
Finally, our destination is in sight. A handful of people come to the gate to meet us; either to help or to find out what’s going on. Jake and I carefully lay Luciana down so a red-haired man, who appears to be a medic, can check her vitals.
My thoughts wander again. I’m worried about my mom. How is she going to handle it when she sees Travis isn’t with us? She’s always been so strong; even through all of this mayhem with the dead rising. Will losing him break her? I guess I’m about to find out.
I am given a quick hug and then I notice her looking down the road, expecting to see Travis lagging behind. “Where is he? Where is Trav?” Realizing he isn’t coming, she asks once more, looking me in the eyes this time. “Where is he?”
“He,” I hate this. “He’s not-” I see it in her eyes. I don’t need to say any more.
“I’m sorry-” I cut myself off. Those words seem so pointless, though I mean them from the bottom of my heart.
Mom doesn’t have time to mourn right now unfortunately. Here comes Nick, sprinting towards the scene. He goes straight to Luciana and kneels at her side. I see fear in his eyes.
“Luci.. Luci, hey.. Hey, it’s Nick. Luci..”
“Not sure she can hear you,” the medic tells him.
“What? What do you mean? Nick panics.
"She’s not going to make it is what he means.” That’s an all too familiar voice- Troy fucking Otto.
“Help her!” Nick shouldn’t even have to say that. They should be on it already.
“No. We take her to the infirmary, she may turn. It’s against policy.” I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now. Why is this even up for debate? Luciana is still alive!
“It’s your fault! You shot her!” Despite the fire in his voice, Nick sounds scared and helpless.
“I was defending my people. I’ll do it again.” Troy walks over to Luci while pulling out his pistol. “I know what to do.”
“No no no no.” Nick stands and puts himself between Troy and Luciana.
“This is how it has to be.” Troy nonchalantly pushes Nick to the side. I can’t believe what’s unfolding in front of my eyes. Nothing feels real anymore. Why isn’t anybody doing any-
“Troy!” A girl about my age approaches the scene, interrupting the tension. She gets close to Troy, and looking up at him with pleading eyes, she speaks quietly as if only to address him; though she can faintly be heard anyway. “This is one of those scenarios we talked about, ok? Do the right thing.”
Troy mirrors her volume. “I am, Jaymie. I’m keeping you safe. I have to keep you- and everyone here, safe.”
“But she could pull through, Troy. You know this isn’t right. We should give her a chance.”
“She’s not worth the risk.”
“What if, what if it was me laying there?”
The way he looked into her eyes was so intense. He went quiet; her words sinking in. After a brief moment though he swallowed hard and shook his head slightly.
“It isn’t.” Then Troy addresses Nick again. “Come on, out of the way. Move aside.” He fails to heed the direction of this Jaymie girl. She looks more disappointed now than concerned for Luci’s life as she was just moments ago.
Troy advances on his target.
“I’ll do it.” I barely heard him, but Nick said it twice. “I’ll do it. I’m allowed this.”
Troy contemplates Nick’s words. He continues to stare down at the dying girl, his pistol ready to fire. I was stunned when he actually agreed.
“Troy wait-” Jaymie doesn’t trust my brother. The transaction is already in progress though. Troy released the hammer of the gun and passed it over. Nick was now the one pointing the weapon at his girlfriend. There’s no way he’ll do this. I bet he’s-
His arm raises, aiming the pistol directly at Troy’s face. I knew it. The crowd reacts in gasps as a few others draw their own guns.
Jaymie doesn’t hesitate to step in front of Troy. “Nick, please! Please don’t do this!” Troy gently but hurriedly pushes Jaymie to the side and gives her a stern look. Her expression is one of utter desperation. “Nick, put the fucking gun down!” Tears form in her eyes. It’s hard to believe someone actually cares this much about the guy.
“Let her in,” Nick demands.
Jake has his own pistol trained on my brother. “Nick, this is not how we do things here.”
Nick stares Troy dead in the eye, then changes his aim, putting Jaymie in the line of fire.
The color in Troy’s face drains and his entire body language changes. He certainly didn’t seem all that phased when the pistol was pointed at his self. “Whoa, hey, Nick, this is between you and me. So you keep that thing aimed at me, alright?”
Nick doesn’t move it. “I said let her in.”
With his unpatched eye trained on my brother’s trigger finger, Troy cautiously reaches over to Jaymie, hoping like hell Nick won’t pull the trigger. He guides the girl behind his body, shielding her. She is clearly against the idea, as she shows restraint, but Troy’s grip on her is persistent. Unsure of what else to do, Jaymie wraps her arms around him, splaying one hand over his heart and the other on his stomach, like an instinct to protect his vitals, perhaps? Of course it would do no good since Nick is aiming for Troy’s head anyway; that and her hands aren’t going to stop a damn bullet. She doesn’t seem that stupid, so maybe she’s just grasping at straws.
“Nick, please. I’m begging you!” Jaymie’s voice cracks as a tear runs down her cheek. “Don’t do this!”
“Put the gun down, Nick.” Mom’s voice chimes in.
More tears run down Jaymie’s face upon hearing Nick’s words. She attempts to hold in her sobs. If I’m being honest here, her reactions are breaking my heart. I actually feel bad for her. Too bad it’s Troy she’s defending.
“Do what your mommy says.” Troy provokes Nick, who takes another couple angry steps towards him. Jaymie’s hold on Troy tightens as she lets out a yelp.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jeremiah steps between Troy and my brother. “Nick, Nick, easy there. Let, let me have the pistol, son.”
It’s Nick’s turn to have a broken voice. “You can’t let her die.”
Jeremiah’s voice is soothing. “If she’s got a pulse, we’ll let her in; but you got to give me the gun.”
“Do it, Nick. Give him the gun,” our mom encourages.
Nick reluctantly disengages the hammer and hands the gun over to Jeremiah. I look over at Jaymie to watch her let out the breath she had been holding, and the remainder of her tears fall. She rests her cheek against Troy’s back, and moves her arms to wrap around him completely. He affectionately places his own hands on top of hers.
“Get her to the infirmary, and secure her before you treat her.” Jeremiah gives the commands concerning Luci. “Everybody, that’s enough fun. The show’s over. Go back to what you were doing.” At last, the crowd disperses.
“Everything’s alright, Jayms.” I hear Troy calming Jaymie as he turns around, interrupting their embrace. He then puts his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and guides her through the gate.
I have a feeling we’ll be staying here awhile. Maybe befriending this Jaymie girl would be in our best interests. If anything, we could probably find out some useful information from her. I suppose I should wait for some of the emotional distress that my brother is responsible for to dissipate though. She was obviously terrified for Troy’s life. What a sweet, foolish girl.
