"If I could save time in a bottle,

The first thing that I'd like to do,

Is to save every day,

'Til eternity passes away,

Just to spend them with you...,"

-Time in a Bottle; by Jim Croce

Looking out the window, Rory let out a sigh. There was a thunderstorm going on outside, and Rory would've given anything for it to stop. In the dining area, she could hear her dog's whining. Elwood, Rory's German shepherd, hated thunderstorms. It made him anxious, all the noise and the complete dreariness of the weather. She couldn't blame him, storms were the absolute worst. The one thing she was grateful for was that she and Elwood were experiencing the first thunderstorm since the end of days. That had to count for something, right? Since civilization fell, the weather had been consistently overheated. Elwood had been a panting mess, and Rory could only imagine how miserable her dog had to have been feeling. Now, hearing him whimpering and scurrying around, she felt guilty and pitiful for him.

Seeing the rain spatter on the window, all the trees and bushes billowing in the wind, it made her shudder. She had been lucky to find shelter before the rain got too hard. Looking over at Elwood, Rory's heart clenched. The four-year-old German shepherd had his ears down and his tail between his legs. His big brown eyes were wide and he looked like he was about ready to pounce at any given moment.

"C'mere, boy," Rory said softly, kneeling down to look more at Elwood's eye level. "C'mon!"

Elwood immediately ran over to where Rory was, near the front end of the house where she could see the front door. Curling up in front of her, Elwood buried his face in her legs. Rory sighed, petting his fur. Another roll of thunder and lighting hit and another whine came from the dog, his body tensing. Rory sat down and adjusted herself so both her and her dog were comfortable. She remembered the day she adopted Elwood. He had been a rescue dog, having been sent to a shelter after getting out of an abusive household. He was a little over a year old when Rory found him, and he was terrified of people. After some time to really trust her, Elwood showed that he was a gentle, loveable dog. He was easy to train and did everything to make Rory happy. She eventually named him Elwood, two months after adopting him, while watching The Blues Brothers, after Dan Aykroyd's character. The German shepherd always howled whenever Aykroyd came on the screen, something Rory found hilarious. That was when she decided to name him Elwood.

To Rory, her dog became her best friend. Elwood eventually became a kind of guard dog in a sense. Whenever friends came over, he'd be by Rory's side no matter what. Anytime a boyfriend was brought home, he'd be growling and barking at them. So when the end of days came, Rory felt herself worrying for Elwood's safety. Would he survive? Would he abandon her? After everything they had gone through, Rory didn't want to imagine having to survive without Elwood. Thankfully, he stuck by her side through thick and thin. While countless people were getting infected with the virus, to the first wave of rioting, to the safe-zones, to the dead coming back, to the official end of society, Rory and Elwood stuck together. Having her dog with her kept Rory sane. That meant she had a companion, someone to live and experience the new world with. Even if Elwood wasn't an actual human, he was still there. And Rory liked that the most.

~...~

Rory remembered the day the virus was first broadcast. It felt like it was yesterday, that was how fresh it was in her memory. News stations talking about a new, unknown virus that was popping up in random cities and towns. Scientists couldn't figure out where the virus originated from, but they knew it was aggressive and a very fast spreading virus. People started to feel uncomfortable — Rory sure did — but it was pushed off to the side, in hopes that doctors and scientists would be able to make a vaccine for it. That was the first mistake. Because no one could figure out the virus' origins, or what kind of virus it was, it was difficult to really create medication for it. Those who were infected were seeing rapid decline in their health, having to be sent to hospitals in hopes of getting better medical care. Over-the-counter medication just wasn't cutting it.

When hospitals couldn't save the infected, that was when people started to really panic. The infected started dying faster than anyone was comfortable with. No amount of advanced medical attention could save them. At that point, months after the virus had been discovered, thousands of people had already died, and scientists were still not even close to finding out anything. Panic started to explode into full-blown rage and fear. People started to loot stores and topple cars. Some people could be seen fighting in the streets, killing other people for what they thought would be valuable merchandise. Policemen and policewomen were sent to calm everyone down, but it only made things worse. The first wave of rioting lasted a week and a half. Eventually, the government issued that the best way to enforce peace and safety was to send everyone to a safe-zone. With the virus spreading rapidly at that point, it was the best way to keep the infected away from the uninfected and to keep a close eye on the survivors.

The military kept an eye on the safe-zones. The government thought that soldiers would be the best choice in keeping everyone calm. They gave survivors food, essentials, the proper care that was to be provided. Sadly, not long after the formation of the safe-zones, the radios stopped broadcasting and the cameras stopped rolling. Tensions started to rise again. The military started to become more hostile when the signals disappeared. They were power-hungry. It was at that point the survivors started to realize what was really going on. When the infected died, they'd eventually come back. A few safe-zones saw it happen firsthand. Those who were sick but kept hidden from the soldiers eventually changed. The only way to kill them was to hit them hard enough in the head.* Rory's safe-zone had been one of those who saw the dead firsthand. She saw a little girl die and come back as something else. A soldier shot the little girl in the head.

It was after that moment the second wave of rioting hit. At least in Rory's area. She and Elwood managed to get out before things got too bad, but that meant she and Elwood were also exposed to the elements and whatever horrors were out there. That was the most terrifying. Rory had been adjusting to the idea of the dead coming back, that the world was so violent and horrendous. Not to mention she didn't know where her family was, meaning it would be just her and Elwood for who knows how long. And that was what happened for the longest time. Every now and again, Rory would come across a group, some were better than others, but Rory did manage to benefit from the ones she encountered. Because of the people she met on her journey, Rory became, in her mind at least, stronger. She came to understand who the genuine people were and who the manipulators were. Not only that, but she came to understand the various weapons she could use to kill the dead. In the beginning, she had a handgun with her. When she ran out of bullets, she found a hammer in one of the abandoned homes she occupied. Once the hammer was useless, Rory's main weapon became a kitchen knife. Quick and easy. The good thing about having Elwood around was that he could smell the dead before Rory even knew they were there.

Rory didn't want Elwood to attack the dead, she didn't want him getting infected in any way. She'd have her dog stay back while she took care of it. For the most part, it seemed like Elwood understood that, too.

Everything was changing. Rory had to adapt somehow, or else she'd end up dead or reanimated. She did her best, hoping to keep herself going mostly for the sake of Elwood, not wanting to have her dog left alone in the world. Without any knowledge on what happened to her family, Elwood was the only family Rory had left, and she wasn't about to throw her life away for anyone or anything.

(A/N):

Sorry for the delay on this chapter, but here it is! It's not the best first chapter, I'll tell ya that, but whatever constructive criticism you guys have is welcome.

TWD isn't mine. I only own my OCs and the subplots I put in.

I did have another TWD story before this one, but I deleted it (obviously). For my previous TWD story, THE GHOST OF YOU, I just didn't feel that connection to it anymore, so I wanted to write a new one. Whichever direction this story goes remains to be seen, though. Hopefully it goes well.*

Don't hesitate to give suggestions on how to improve the story, how I can improve my writing skills, and how I can improve my characters. I'm hoping this story does better than my previous one, and I hope I can maintain that connection with this one. With my previous story, I didn't really get much help from reviewers, so I'll hopefully be getting help from you guys.

That's about it, I guess.

Let me know if there's anything that's confusing.

Thanks.

Zahra