"Damn this Georgia heat," I grumble before my blade is buried deep into the rotten skull of this poor son of a bitch. Wiping the back of my long sleeve across my forehead I sigh as it comes away drenched in sweat. Plopping down next to the corpse and leaning my head against the bed now being ruined by walker brain matter. I shut my eye and remember when I used to live up north where the seasons changed properly and the summer lasted its couple months before a long bone chilling winter would set in. Sometimes winter would cancel out spring and most of summer and skip straight to blustery fall. Moving to the south was probably number three on my list of regrets before all hell broke loose. Number one being that I didn't fully retain anything from those survivalist shows I would binge watch on Netflix. Man I missed Netflix. Actually I just missed not having to worry about someone trying to eat me alive. Sleeping with one eye open is not as badass as it looked in the movies. It's exhausting on you physically, mentally and even emotionally. You become some withered husk of the person you used to be, focused solely on making it to the next day worrying about the bare minimum.
Water. Food. Shelter.
Those three things are the biggest pain in the ass to find all in one location. If you find a decent enough water source where you won't become violently ill even after boiling it, good luck trying to find food and I'm not talking cans because screw going to towns or even cities anymore and houses are basically shells with nothing in them, but I mean real cave man type food like nuts and berries and a squirrel or rabbit. Now you've got two out of three and if you have found the first two odds are you're in some back country with acres of forest set before you. So either you brought a tent which I wouldn't recommend simply because walkers can rip through flesh so what the hell is a nylon pop tent going to do to stop that thing from getting in? Or you're sleeping in a tree. High ground seems to be the safest bet when it comes to shelter. Needless to say I've figured out an almost fool proof sleeping arrangement. What you've got to do is get a good, long, thick piece of rope (major pain to carry with you but it's worth it!) and find a decent enough tree to climb and you'll want to get as high as possible than once you've got your pack secure (if you've got one) tie it and yourself to said tree tightly to the point of rug burn status and lay back and try not to think about the creepy crawlers your about to bunk next to.
I hear shuffling of feet and thanks to this new and not at all fun environment I now live in I'm up on my feet with reflexes I never thought I'd possess ready to hit what threat lay beyond the room I'm in. It takes me three swift strides until I'm pinning down the next walker against the railing on the second floor. Once considered fingers with nails now just blunt bone are digging into my shirt trying to claw at my shoulder meat. "Hoping for a little snack are we?" I'm answered only with chomping noises and groans, using my forearm I hold what once was a man down as I reach for the knife attached to my thigh. Or so I thought. Shit. Gripping nothing but the holster I realize I had left it in the head of the one in the bedroom. Why would I think to take it out and secure the rest of the second floor before going off on a rant about Netflix and trees?! Slight panic overtakes me and the damn dead man pushes me off balance and forces me back until my head makes a nasty cracking noise as I collide with the wall opposite us. Now I'm not a small girl by any means especially not before all this and I can usually handle the force of these things when they get this close but not having found any water for two days and food even longer the fatigue is making its presence known now of all times. Biting my bottom lip I thrust all my energy into my right leg and kick off the wall. Unfortunately I find myself feeling like an idiot for not realizing how close the railing was from the wall just before we flip over and I'm free falling with my back towards the first floor. Eyes closed I'm prepared for this being my death location. Figures this is how I would go what with me thinking heights was the way to go. This is the down side by the way getting to bottom again. Time definitely slows down with adrenaline pumping through your veins, being in tons of near death situations as myself you become accustomed to the blood pounding in your ears and the lump stuck in your throat. You don't even feel the tension in your muscles as they tighten up ready for impact. So falling from the second floor to the first felt like a small eternity in the fiery pits of Georgian hell when in fact was only 10 maybe 15 seconds in Georgian hell. Snapping my eyes open I realize duh! I've been in this situation before (Not this exact situation, but I've almost died my fair share) "Pull it together girl!" I grind out through clenched teeth. Snapping my eyes open and forcing my body to react like it wants to live I move against the adrenaline. Taking a deep breath and reaching for the walker hovering above me I roll us in the air like a waltz move and brace for impact.
Have you ever heard a pumpkin being smashed? That's what it sounded like landed on a walker. Never minding the sound, landing on it felt like a Jell-O mold with rocks inside. Those rocks being its bones. Peeking my once again closed eyes open I sigh with relief that the drop at least smashed its skull to smithereens. Rolling off the now gooey mess of flesh that saved my life and onto my back I clench and unclench all my muscles and pat my thighs to upper body feeling for anything broken. "Nothing seems to be broken" I mutter to myself lifting up onto my hands and flexing my feet. "Fucking Shit!" I shout as I realize I'm not alone in the room and see at least 5 sets of eyes on me. "Holy shit dad did you see that!" a kid with a sheriffs hat said. "Carl language, get behind me." Shoving the kid behind him a man with a gun and some type of silencer on it glared at me. I go to stand when I instantly feel what might be a pointy stick at the back of my head "okay best to play this safe." I mutter to myself. "What did you say!?" with a squeak I drop back down on the ground and raise both my hands above my head. "Nothing! Just talking to myself." I manage to get out before letting out a nervous laugh. Laughing in serious situations has always been something I've done and by the looks I'm getting from the rest of the people now piling into the room it's not something they've encountered. "God I must look nuts" chuckling even more the man in front of me cocks his gun and aims down at me. "Heyyy wait a minute! I'm not armed. Don't kill me!" I tumble over my words and begin shaking and backing up until I bump into someone legs and get kicked forward onto my hands and knees. Really this can't be happening. I haven't seen people for months, and now after just surviving the fall of life I'm going to be shot down by some guy while a group of people and kid watch! "Oh hell no," I tighten my raised hands into fists and prepare myself to lunge up somehow when a Santa Claus looking man speaks "Rick she's just a girl. Are you alone?" Oh thank the lord! Someone rational. Am I alone? Tilting to my head to the side "Well technically yeah." Before I can finish I'm pushed back by the Rick guys gun to my face "who are you with? Where are they?" crap, good job. "No I mean I am alone but I'm not alone, alone you know? I have myself for company is what I was meaning." Should have said no. Yes I talk to myself, no I'm not losing it but if I don't I'll really go insane. Or maybe I already am and I just keep saying that because that's what none crazy people say. Wait what? Confused myself. Snapping fingers in my face bring me back to attention. "Oh right, you guys… what did you say?" Rick glances around the group before looking back down at me. "I asked how long have you been on your own?" All eyes are still on me "Ummm about a few weeks after this all began. I don't have a calendar for reference so I can't give you the exact. But I'm not with a group or anything and I don't mean you guys any harm. Honest I was just passing through. You guys can take this house if you want. I mean there's nothing really here but you can have it. Just let me go, I don't want to die today." I hope my eyes are conveying something to Santa and Rick, because I really don't want to hurt anyone. Not that I could take out everyone here but I'm not going out alone I'll take one or two with me. Maybe not the pregnant lady and the sheriff hat kid clutching at her leg though or the old man and the couple…ugh who am I kidding I'm wouldn't kill anyone.
Rick lowers his weapon and takes in what the strange girl who just came crashing down into their world has said. By the looks of it she hasn't had it that much better than they have. She looks just as dirty as the rest of them. Taking in her appearance he's a little shocked to see her hair is bright shade of purple and aims his gun down at her. How had he not seen that? Come on keep it together. Shaking his head he is slightly put off by her responses. She really has been alone if she's talking to herself and in front of them. Her eyes keep glazing over like she's off in another world. And she doesn't have a southern drawl so she mustn't be from around here. But she's alone and looks harmless enough for someone who just survived a fall like that. Herschel keeps giving me the 'what are you going to do eyes' looking around I realize everyone's looking from me to her and back again waiting for the next move. Since the farm and the incident with Shane I should kill her and move on, I did say this is no longer a democracy so they may not like that choice but its mine to make. The way she's looking at me though makes my gut churn so nix that thought. I can't let her leave though. She could be lying and I can't jeopardize the group like that. I guess that really only leaves one option. I crouch down in front of her, "We aren't going to kill you. But I can't let you leave either." A confused look crosses her face than she makes an oh sound "So I'm your prisoner than?" huh I guess she is. I nod and stand up I reach a hand out to her and she takes it getting up. Grunting at Daryl he lowers his bow and stands back.
"Thank you, I think? Oh and I'm Raevyn by the way. You can call me Rae if you want or prisoner?" I chuckle nervously. Santa steps out from Rick offering me his hand "I'm Hershel, this here is Rick and his wife Lori and son Carl, my daughters Maggie and Beth." I simile towards them and shake Hershel's hand weakly. "Hello there," I say awkwardly. I mean what else do you say? I'm there prisoner and I don't really want to cause unnecessary hostility towards myself. Than Rick turns to his son who quickly turns his head when I catch him looking at me and runs up to the pregnant lady. I mean Lori. Use names Raevyn it's polite, you're with people now, they walk off into the living room with Hershel and his daughters in tow. An Asian man introduces himself and the man and woman standing next to him and Carol and T-dog. I wave at them before they too turn and join the others in the living room. I let out breath I hadn't known I'd been holding and stretch my hands above my head I turn around only to be met with a piercing gaze and the pointy stick which is an arrowhead attached to a cross bow aimed at my face. "Holy crap! You scared the shit out of me" his eyes narrow further and his grip tightens on his bow" where you think you're going girl?" he grumbles out. "Well it's not like I was trying to escape or anything." I mean I was. They all walked out of the room for crying out loud! Of course I was going to just leave. These people had to be some kind of stupid to leave a prisoner unattended, I mean come on? Should have realized that I didn't see a pointy stick on anyone so obviously not everyone left the room. This fatigue is no joke my situational awareness is all off. "You must be my guard then…" I wait for his name but all I received in an answer a grunt. "Well my things are upstairs, mind if I go get them?" I give my best please smile and all I get is another grunt. Great. He lowers his bow though and allows me to pass him and head up the stairs, I glance back and he's a step behind me bow raised and at the ready again. Pulling at my shirt and wiping my face I groan at the now soaked sweaty sleeve. This should be fun.
A/N: Hey so first Walking Dead fiction here! Yay me for trying right? So this is somewhat maybe loosely following some type of timeline with the show but not really. So if you notice things out of whack or what not I know…its 4 am so don't judge me too harshly ok? So yeah leave a comment or something! I like those they give me warm fuzzes!