-The hardest of days-

-Chase Monihan-

Today would have been my little sister's 16th birthday. Though she'll never be able to celebrate it now that she's gone. She died about a month ago,fighting off what my father calls walkers or roaming zombified men,woman and children. She fought them off to protect me. Now I'm looking around the old used to be gorgeous town I knew and loved so dearly.

Though this time,there are no people talking on cell phones,no dogs barking at squirrels off in the distance,and no children laughing while they play tag in the town's square. I miss the laughter the most. I love children and some of them I knew and even raised from the day they were born. Well,turned out that their parents thought it was smart to let them go play in a hospital recovery center,seeing as there wasn't supposed to be anyone there.

The government issued a spot check and kill,meaning if there were any survivors of this horrid epidemic they were to be shot and killed whether they had the illness or not. The children were killed on sight. Only one survived. My sister. She was 15,she should have stayed out of the hospital. But I was just glad she wasn't hurt. Though when she came home,she was bleeding from her shoulder saying a man was chasing her and must have scratched her. She didn't turn right away.

She lived for another three months before fighting off zombified friends and family members to help protect me while I climbed out of our crashed car. She was torn to bits by those animals and now...I'm determined to kill them all and everyone who gets in my way.

I sit in the local bar,lying on the counter drinking whiskey and coke.

"What are you doing here?" A man asks in a low voice,obviously trying to scare me.

"What does it look like?"I say,holding up the bottle before taking another drink. He smiles a surprisingly heavenly smile and walks over.

"May I?" He asks sweetly,grabbing a glass and handing it to me. I smile,sitting up and pouring him a glass and handing him a coke. He smiles,taking it and drinking the whiskey quickly before opening the coke. I can't help but laugh at his technic.

"You laughing at me,sweetheart?" He asks,looking over the rim of his coke can. I nod,laughing. He smiles,looking down at my legs. I hadn't realized they weren't closed like a proper girl's would have been. I couldn't help it. I sit like a boy. Oh well. I smile,lifting his chin so he looks me in the eyes. His were beautiful. They were like clouds of golden brown with specks of green and even blue. Amazing.

"I'm Shane Walsh,sweetheart. And you are?" He says softly,inching closer with every breath.

"I'm Chase Monihan."I whisper against his lips teasingly before turning to take a drink of whiskey and walk out from under his arms. He laughs,amazed,and turns. He grips my arms and pulls me back to him hard.

"You staying anywhere,sweetheart?" He asks,tapping the gun in my thigh holster,ignoring the gun closest to his hand in my belt.

"Not really. No place is really safe anymore."I answer,smiling sweetly. He smiles wider and tightens his grip on my waist,turning and sitting me back on the bar counter.

"What would you say if I said I know a place that's actually pretty safe and you could come there with me?"He whispers softly,inching closer to my lips again. I lean closer,wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

"I'd say that I was eternally grateful and that I'd probably have to kiss you if this place turns out to be as safe as you say it is."I say softly against his lips,biting my smiles and pulls me close.

"Well Chase. It looks like you're coming home with me." He says happily,picking me up again and walking me to his car.

When we arrive,I can't help but smile and look out the window like a new puppy at its new house. He laughs and shuts off the car.

"Welcome to your new home sweetheart." He says smiling. He gets out and opens my door for me. Who knew with zombies on the loose you could still have gentle men? I smile,taking the hand he offered me,and walking with him up the gravel driveway and through the tall grass to the house.

"Shane!"Some girl yelled,walking out of the house angrily. She had shoulder length curly blonde hair and dulling blue eyes.

"Who the Hell is she?!"She growls,walking up to me. Shane pulls me behind him,stepping in between me and the hate filled girl.

"Andrea,you need to calm down."He says sweetly,putting a hand on her shoulder. She shrugs him off and charges for grabs her waist,trying to restrain her.

"No Shane,let her go. You wanna fight a girl you don't even know? What are you his girl friend or something?" I ask,looking at her. She looks at him and charges me more.

"No." She growls.

"I just don't like new girls."She finishes,baring her teeth inches from my face.

"Then you have to have a crush on Shane,because no girl acts like this unless he's her's."I say calmly,not budging an inch. She smiles an evil smile and punches me in the ribs.

"Andrea!"Shane yells,running over to me.I put my hand up,stopping him. I smile,content with my next move. I punch her in the ribs like she did me,not letting anything hold me back, and punch her once in the temple. She fell to the ground with a thud,knocked out cold.

"How did you..."Shane asks softly,more to himself than me.

"Her father was a boxer and her mother was a nurse. They taught her everything they knew."A familiar voice sings softly on the porch.

"Dale Horvath." I say turning to him. He smiles that old man smile and hugs me.

His white hair covered in an old vacation hat while his beard curled around my neck from the wind.

"Chase?"I hear another familiar voice call from in the runs out onto the porch and hugs me tight.

"Hey Glenn,good to see you too."I say smiling and laughing. Shane smiled and walked into the house,holding the door open for me.

"This is Rick and Lori Grimes and their son Carl."Shane says smiling down at Carl.

"Hi there sweetheart,how are you?"I ask,kneeling down to Carl. He smiles and puts a hand to his mother's stomach.

"I'm gonna be a big brother soon." He says happily.

"Aww,what a lucky boy. I bet you're gonna be a great big brother." I say sweetly, smiles and hugs Carl.

"Yeah,he's a great kid."She says nervously. Rick smiles and shakes my hand.

"Welcome. I'm guessing your name is Chase." He says jokingly,hearing Glenn's call earlier. I nod and smile down at Carl.

"I'm Chase Monihan. Dale is friends with my father and Glenn was an old child hood friend of mine. No need to be worried,I'm great with people."I say sweetly. Yeah, as long as they stay out of my way. Rick smiles again and walks to the side of an older man.

"This is Hershel Greene and his two daughters Maggie and Beth."He says smiling. Hershel smiles,shaking my hand.

"I believe I knew your mother. She worked along side me and many others down at Mercy Heart Center."He says smiling and cupping my cheek like I was his granddaughter.

"Looks like you have more of a home here than I do." Shane whispers softly,wrapping an arms around my waist,and picking me up. I yelp,waving good bye to everyone,knowing I won't get myself down and out of this man's iron grip.

"Is it safe enough for ya,my dear?"He asks softly,pinning me against the side of a tree.I smile and lean closer.

"Like you said,I have more of a home here than you do." I say softly,brushing my lips against his. He bites his lip before crushing his lips to mine. They were gentle and yet hungry,like no real woman has ever really kissed him before and he craved the satisfaction of its taste. I wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. He slides his tongue in between my lips and plays with mine. I melt myself to him,not wanting to let him go.

"Everything seems to be rushed now that the walkers are around."He whispers softly against my lips,breathing hard.

"Yeah,I know. But you never know who or what you're gonna lose next so you do what you want when you want because you may not live to see the next few minutes." I say softly,looking deep into his eyes. He grins an evil grin.

"I think youre the only one who gets that." he whispers and kisses me again. I could really learn to like this place.