OK so this is my first fan fiction and I'm really excited I hope you guys like it. Disclaimer I don't own anything except my two OC's Lillie and Jacob, and not any of Robert Kirkmans lovely creations. The ratings may change ;)
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Chapter I: Days Gone Bye (Part 1)
My heart raced faster in my chest than it ever had before. I longed to stop and rest, but the sound of muffled steps and loud groans behind me kept me moving. If I stopped I'd die, and if I died he would to. I turned my head up to look at Jacob still running quite a distance ahead of me.
Jacob was 7 and still quite small for his age. He was so young but the months of running for his life, scavenging for food, and the constant killing spree that we had put ourselves in, had hardened him. His face showed the man he was slowly become, his childhood lost, and there was nothing I could do about it. The creatures were closer now gaining on me.
I reached to my holster and pulled out my gun cocking it and turning to shoot the things. My first shot hit the closest one in the shoulder slowing it down for a second but soon regained its footing and resumed chasing me. "Damn," I said out loud and shot it again this time the bullet made contact with its forehead. It toppled to the ground and oozing dark red blood onto the ground.
I shot a couple more before I turned around and started running again. My feet burned in my boots that were two sizes too small. I had picked them up back at the sporting goods store we raided a couple of days ago, they were too small to begin with but better to run in than my Mickey Mouse flip flops I had been wearing. I had been tempted to leave them behind knowing I'd never be able to wear them again but I stuck them in my book bag anyways.
They were the last thing from my life before. I caught up with Jacob just as the moans began to disappear behind me, their attention momentarily taken by a deer. I felt that it was safe but I didn't let us stop, I had become paranoid that we were never safe a survival tactic. "Can we stop now," Jacob finally asked breathing heavily and leaning over to place his hands on his knees.
I stopped momentarily to listen for the signs of anything out of place in the otherwise quite forest. "Sure," I said finding nothing that made me scared, "But let's climb the trees just to be safe." Jacob didn't argue he seldom did these days. We were 12 years apart, but we were so like each other it was scary. We both had the same piercing blue eyes and shagging blond hair. When my mom brought him home from the hospital he was instantly my responsibility.
My mom being the way she was spending most of her time passed from her drugs or alcohol on the couch in our two bedroom trailer, and my dad never being in the picture except to get my mom nocked up I was always responsible for everything.
I paid the bills with my babysitting money, I shopped for groceries, and I took care of Jacob, while still going to school myself. This is why I never had boyfriends or friends, nothing mattered but me and Jacob. The day I turned 18 I left home taking Jacob with me. Our mom never tried to contact us. I lifted Jacob up to the first branch and handed him his book bag.
It had been his school bag before all this, the one I packed his lunch and notes for him to read, it was where he put his homework and carried with him everywhere. It had been the one bag I grabbed when I realized we had to go. I duped all his school papers and books on the kitchen table and stuffed all his cloths I could find in it and his stuffed bear, Burt, his prized possession on top, but when I we t back to the kitchen he had his school books in his arms.
"But I wanna learn," he had said to me with tearful eyes. They were useless to take and they took up space but I let him put them in it. In my bag, the one I took when I went to my college classes, I stuffed me some cloths, my gun I kept under my pillow, the steak knives from their place on the counter and a couple cans of food and some water bottles which we quickly used up from all our running.
I had been tempted to steal a car but I felt bad about it for some reason, like I would lose my humanity, but lately I knew that eventually I would have to. I lifted myself up into the trees and climbed after Jacob until we reached the farthest we could go and still be safe if we dropped. Jacob opened his bag and took out his bag of animal crackers that I had been able to get from the grocery store in the last town before it was overrun. I had almost lost him that day.
I pushed it from my mind and watched him eat the elephant. He hummed the elephant song he had learned at school. He never told me the lyrics because it was a secret between him and his best friend Carl back before this. The thought made me sad to think of little Carl the one who we would take out for ice cream, and come over for sleepovers and play dates was gone.
Ripped from his short life by this new world. Jacob didn't talk about Carl or any of his friends, he was coping, and I didn't push it. "Are we gonna stay here tonight," Jacob asked drawing my attention back to the current world. "Yeah I think so bud," I replied running my hands through his shaggy hair. It was getting long, soon it would be in his eyes and I'd have to cut it, but for now I had to keep it back with the one bobby pin I had left and kept in my hair constantly checking to see if it was still or if it had left me just like everything else.
I took it out and used it to push his bangs back. The sun was going down and the day suddenly turned to night. I had no way of telling the time anymore and I had long ago stopped counting the days, I was even unsure of what month it was. Jacob yawned and leaned up against the tree; soon I could hear his light breathing and knew he was asleep.
"Rest easy little man," I said before climbing down to the branch beneath it. I rarely slept anymore to afraid that if I closed my eyes a monster would reach out and tare me open in the night, but we were safe for now.
As the sun finally settled down and the pitch black consume the forest I looked out over it, listening to the sounds of the crickets chirping and the stillness of the night. I closed my eyes and finally slept for the first time in ages.
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When I woke the sun was high in the sky. I'd overslept, half the day we could have used to get somewhere, gone. "Damn," I said out loud. I looked up to Jacob on his branch, and the space was empty he wasn't there. "Shit," I said and jumped down to the forest floor the force hitting the balls of my feet and sending pains up my legs.
"Jacob," I screamed ignoring the consequences of being heard by anything other than my baby brother. Suddenly is started to panic and ran around screaming. After what seemed like forever I found him leaning over a creek and playing with the tadpoles in the shallow water.
"JACOB," I yelled at him. He looked up startled and frightened. I fell to my knees and took him in my arms. "You scared me buddy," I said to him. "I'm sorry," he said tears streaming out of his eyes. "It's okay," I replied to him rubbing away the tears. "I was afraid you were dead." "I'm alright I have this gun to protect me," he said lifting it out of his pocket and showing it to me with a teethe grin.
"Where did you get that," I said alarmed at the sight of it. "In the bushes over there," he pointed to them behind me next to the river. "Can I keep it, I need something to protect you with," he said puffing up his chest. Normally I would have been appalled at the idea simply because he was a kid and kids shouldn't have guns but I couldn't refuse in light of recent events.
"Sure," I replied a little unsure of my decision but I knew it to be the best thing. We made our way back to our tree and Jacob made the climb to the top to retrieve his bag. When he returned to the bottom we continued our journey forward crossing the river. After a while the trees began to get farther apart which meant we were coming to the end of the forest.
When we came out of the forest we were in a clearing and as we got to the edge we realized we were on a steep hill overlooking a valley with a large lake. "Lillie, look there's a camper," Jacob said his voice full of excitement as he tugged on my shirt. I looked to wear he was pointing and my eyes grew big with wonder at the odd sight then with hope as I saw and heard the people milling about around it and threw the several tents pitched in front of it.
Then I heard someone scream and everyone's attention was suddenly drawn towards us as people started pointing. They saw us and they realized we had seen them.
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I and Jacob made our decent down the hill that was really more of a mountain. I held onto his hand not letting go. Some of the people were running towards us and I was still untrustworthy of the new group we had wondered upon. A man reached me first and I was surprised to recognize him. "Officer Shane," I asked my voice unsure if my eyes were deceiving me. "Lillie Carver, is it a real surprise to see you," he said laughing and running his hand through his hair.
"What are you doing here," I said giving him a hug. "I could ask you the same thing," he replied. "Hey buddy, it's nice to see you to," he said to Jacob. "I found a gun, and I'm using it to protect my sister," he replied his voice full of pride as he pulled it out to show to Shane.
"That's nice, son," he said looked down at Jacob with a smile. "Shane," someone said behind him. It was an old man in about his sixties with a grandfatherish look to him. I instantly liked him because of the niceness of his voice and the look of good nature in his face. "Do you know them," he asked gesturing towards me and Jacob.
"Yeah, they lived in King County with me and Lori," he replied. My face suddenly looked up at the name. Lori and I had been great friends for a long time, Carl was her son and we had spent many hours talking over the phone and eating out together while the boys played in the playgrounds outside of the local restraunts. "Lori is here," I almost screamed.
"Yeah," Shane replied, "Come and see." Jacob ran ahead of me into the camp excited at the prospect of seeing his best friend after what seemed like years. When I saw her I quickened my pace and fell into her arms. "Oh thank God," she replied between happy thoughts. I laughed as we hugged each other tight afraid to let go and realized it was all a dream.
She stepped back from me taking a look over myself to make sure I was alright and put her hands on my head. "I thought we'd never see you again," she replied happy tears falling from her eyes. Lori was several years older than me but we were the same height and we looked each other in the eyes. "Me to," I said and hugged her again.
I looked over to Jacob and saw him running to Carl, they both fell on the ground with his impact and I laughed out loud. Lori looked towards the boys and began laughing as well, "It's good to see them together again." I nodded. I looked around at the rest of the confused faces looking at me and Jacob and suddenly felt self-conscious about my appearance.
I hadn't had a bath in a really long time and my once white shirt was now darkened by mud, sweat, and blood and guts from my few close calls against the dead. The old guy walked up to me first and shook my hand. "My name is dale and this is my RV, feel free to use it anytime," he said giving me a wink and walking towards the two blond girls standing next to the camper. "I'm Andrea," the eldest one said to me," And this is my sister Amy." "Hi," Amy said waving to me.
Then came the rest of the camp. A nice black woman who told me her name but was forgotten among the bustle of other names. T-Dog who refused to tell me his real name. A nice shy Asian boy named Glenn. Carol, her husband Ed, and their daughter Sofia who was around Jacobs's age. The Morales family who seemed to be nice and who also had kids around Jacobs's age and several others whose names I forgot.
It was happy time as I got to know everyone and shook their hands. Jacob became boastful from all the attention and showed everyone his gun. Lori gave me a look of disapproval, we would be talking about it that was apparent but I would refuse to take it away. It was for his protection but I would talk to him about waving it out in the open.
Lori's husband would understand he had told me once at one of Jacobs school functions that he believed that if a kid was responsible enough and he was in danger he could wield a weapon. I looked around for Rick but frowned when I didn't see him. "Where is Rick," I said to Lori. Her face fell and a few tears fell these ones I realized to be sad ones.
"He didn't make it," my eyes fell. This was devastating. Rick had been the father to Jacob that ours would never be and the thought of him gone was almost unbelievable. "Come on in the camper," Lori said giving me a smile. "We have a lot of catching up to do," I said.
As we walked towards the camper I talked with her about me and Jacobs's journey from Kentucky to Atlanta where we had been heading. I had heard of the safe place it was and was sad to hear of its demise. I was so caught up in asking Lori questions about how they had come to be here that I didn't see the snake that had slithered out in front of me to bathe in the sun and I stepped on it.
Thrown back in fright from its attack on my thick boots I waited for myself to hit the ground but I never did. I felt a strong set of arms catch me and the musky smell of the earth and animals hit my nose and I starred up into the most gorgeous blue eyes I had ever seen.
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So what did you guys think? Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear back from you guys! Also if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them. I know there wasn't allot of Daryl in this chapter but I get there I promise! ;) Thanks for reading!