Contigo page 1

Author's note: This story is set completely apart from my other Walking Dead story: Minority. This one pretty much follows the tv series – when it catches up there's a bit of pre-series first. It follows Michone's journey across Georgia – taking a bit from the comic where the tv series leaves gaps. It's slightly more serious than Minority but not by much. Enjoy.

Michone hadn't seen another human in months. Save for the walkers that seemingly sprang up everywhere she went. They ignored her for the most part thanks to her ability to be quiet but the ones that didn't were easily dispatched. So to say she hadn't seen another human was inaccurate. She hadn't seen a living, non-walker human in weeks. She tried to avoid them at all costs. The ones she had come into contact with had been less than human – more savage than the walkers. It disgusted her how fast people lost their shit when all this happened. She'd come across traffic jams that made absolutely no sense – by the looks of them it started with one panicked idiot doing something that got over a hundred people killed. Every time she thought about acquiring a car she'd change her mind when she saw this. She came across men that thought they could just take what ever they wanted because there was no law to stop them. And to a certain extent that was true. But she had to teach one bastard that she was not on the list of things he could just 'take'. In her opinion he had gotten too far before she could stop him.

So she tended to avoid men. And women were rarely seen alone – without someone to protect them from the big bads of the world now. What set the man she saw apart was how fast he was moving. She had been just meandering down the highway, using it to guide her east towards the ocean so she wouldn't lose her way in the woods. He ran right across her path – she first spotted him as he slid down the pine needles on the right side, the side with the traffic jam. As soon as he hit the pavement he bolted through the cars. She didn't see why for about two seconds when a herd of walkers followed him down the off ramp. The incline made them fall and tumble over each other. The ones that didn't fall trampled over the others and continued after the man. The cars were keeping them back but a few were able to catch up and he took them out with a long, firemen's axe. He took off the pack he was wearing and tossed it over the divider. He was able to bound over the wall by getting some leverage off the side of a truck. Rather than risk a twisted ankle he tumbled to the ground. As he got up he spotted her.

"Mi dios!" He gasped. He hesitated and a walker tackled him. Michone rolled her eyes before she approached to help him out. She killed the walker and he tossed it aside. He hopped up. "Graci—vamos!" He pushed her aside and he killed a walker behind her. He grabbed his pack and pulled it back on. "Sigume!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her after him. She resisted at first but then she got a look at the herd as they started making it across the highway. She wouldn't be able to out run them – if he had a place to hide until it thinned out she'd go. He led her through a hole in a chain link fence, into the parking lot of an apartment complex. It wasn't filled with walkers but there were enough to let her know it wasn't secure. She hesitated again but he just gestured to the building in front of them. "Vamos!" He led her through the hall before he finally let go. He grabbed a rope and swung across a gap in the stairs. He tossed it to her and she swung up as well. He had the same set up on the next flight – four out of seven stairs had been destroyed to create a gap in the middle of the flight. A rope was the only access to the next landing. The building was only three floors and they went all the way up until they came to an apartment next to the last steps. He unlocked the door and ushered her in before closing it. She watched him lock it and the privacy latch before he moved a small dresser in the way to block it. He then went about checking the rooms – there were only two and a bathroom in the entire apartment. The back door was already blocked and more than likely led to a small balcony. After he double-checked everything he let out a sigh and took his pack off. "Es seguro."

Michone just watched him as he sat on the floor in the living room. The couch was occupied with other supplies and was right by the window – not that walkers could fly. There was another couch but it was blocking the back door. Everything else was in shambles – who ever lived there must've taken their valuables and he had burned the rest for firewood. She studied him from the small foyer as he unpacked his stuff. Pilfered cereal and canned peaches. He noticed her speculation after a while and looked up at her with a smile.

"Por favor—

"You speak English?" She interrupted. He looked at her for a second before he let out a chuckle. She sighed, thinking he didn't understand her and rolled her eyes.

"I thought I was speaking English." He said. She looked at him sharply. He had a bit of an accent but she couldn't place it – more than likely he was from Mexico he was speaking Spanish. But he didn't 'look' Mexican. And she wasn't trying to stereotype. His hair was going silver along his temples, the rest was a dark slate gray. His skin was tan but not weathered. When he took one glove off she noticed his relatively smooth hands. "Please, sit." He offered and gestured towards the floor in front of him. She looked around the apartment one more time before sitting down. She didn't take her pack or sword off though. When she focused on him again he was staring at her. "Lo siento - sorry. It's been awhile since I've seen anyone – let alone a woman." He scooted back when she gripped her sword. "Didn't mean it that way." He slowly picked up a can of peaches and held up the can opener so she could see it. "What I meant was… I can't believe you're real."

"…" She glanced at him – reaffirming her grip on her sword.

"All I've seen for weeks are those spooks." He went still when he realized what he had just said. When he looked up at her she just lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't mean it that way. Not all of them are…I meant it like they 'spook me' and not just because they're…I'm—" He trailed off and sighed. "So, I'm Salvador by the way. My friends used to call me 'Sally'. Y'know before they all died…"

"…" She watched him open the can of peaches. He leaned over, slowing down when she flinched at his fast movement. He set the can down and slid it over to her.

"They're good. No botulism. Don't expire for…" He looked at the digital watch on his wrist. "Oh, they expired a week ago but they don't smell like poison." He took up another can and gave it an examination before he opened it. She watched him eat – which kind of disgusted her. He wasn't very neat about it – trying to get the peach slice to his mouth before it slipped between his fingers. He slurped and smacked and hummed to himself every now and then. When he got them all he drank the juice and let out a loud belch. Afterwards he looked at her a little sheepishly. "Sorry…again – been alone for a while." They stared at each other for a moment before he pointed to the can in front of her. "You gonna eat that?" he asked. She just took it up without a word and started eating. He smiled and went about to checking the other food he had gotten. She figured he had been going through that gas station off the ramp when the herd snuck up on him. He also had combos, zebra cakes and hot cheetos – the cereal was in little travel boxes. He looked down at the junk food a little disheartened and she could tell what he was thinking. It was all crap – after eating any of it he'd be hungry in an hour or so. There was no protein, just salt, sugar and fillers. "I suppose it's better than going to sleep on an empty stomach." He sighed and opened the combos.

They ate in silence. Or as close to silence as they could get with random walker grunts sounding off every few minutes. One in particular had Michone reaching for her sword. Salvador looked around too for a second before he heard it again. "It's below us." He assured her. She glared at him – wondering how a walker got up a rope. "I only cleared this floor after I knocked out the stairs." He stood up and she did too. He put his hands up like he was apologizing for moving too quickly. He practically tip toed over to a stack of blankets. He handed her one and she took it. "If you want some privacy the master bedroom has it's own bathroom – the water still runs but it's cold. I'm gonna sleep out here – find a way to get my foot out of my mouth." She snorted and headed for the bedroom. She looked back as he got settled in the living room. He was the first person that didn't treat her as hostile or try to control what she did. And he trusted her to just leave him be. She checked the door to the master bedroom – the only lock was on the inside – it could be opened with a coin but other than that there was nothing that led her to believe he'd try to trap her or something. She closed the door and locked it. No use taking chances.

Michone didn't really sleep soundly. The walker trapped in the apartment downstairs kept knocking over things and growling in his confinement. She managed to rest somewhat and was surprised to find Salvador had kept to himself all night. She walked out into the living room to find the back door was open. Upon closer inspection she could see Salvador peeing off the side of the balcony. Only one hand was on his dick – the other was absently pushing a tooth brush back and forth in his mouth. He didn't notice her there so she watched him. He had been wearing a long sleeve shirt yesterday but as he stood there he was only wearing his pants. He had tattoos all over his shoulders, back and arms. Some kind of a crazy, colorful design with the face of a girl on his right bicep. She grunted when the sun got in her eyes and he jumped.

"Whoa!" He tried to make sure she couldn't see him and ended up dropping his toothbrush over the edge of the balcony. "Aww man." He sucked his teeth. He finished and zipped up as she came out on to the balcony. She looked over the side and tried not to make a face when she realized he had been urinating on a small group of walkers below. They didn't even seem to notice as they milled about in a patch of grass. His toothbrush had landed in the hair of one and gotten tangled in it. "Don't take this the wrong way – but I forgot you were here."

"…" She glanced at him.

"You're very quiet compared to my other house guests."

"You had other people here?" She asked. She tried not to laugh at his shocked expression when she spoke. She realized she hadn't actually said anything to him since they met yesterday. Other than asking if he spoke English.

"A few." He answered. "Some guy and his wife. Three bastards that beat me up and took all my shit." He sounded a little bitter – she was surprised he invited her in after his ordeal. "Three very scared girls who were worried about their parents. This used to be their place…they took all the pictures with them before they set out for Atlanta."

"You stayed? Why?" She asked.

"There's food. Those…things can't get me up here. And this isn't localized." He answered. "I knew Atlanta would be a mess because the second I landed here the airport was over run. And the…ghouls were coming from the city – attracted by the planes and people. A bomb went off – they were bombing the city so I found someplace to hide." He shrugged. "Not my preferred tactic but my gun got tied up in customs." His eye brows went up like he suddenly thought of something.

"They confiscate tons of fire arms – it's an international airport." Michone shrugged.

"And if I'm just now thinking about it that means no one else has."

"Or they tried to get to that stash and failed." She said. He sighed heavily.

"You're right." She looked at him – no man had ever told her that. Not even before all this happened and she had been right on a number of occasions. They'd rather turn up their noses and develop contempt for her than give her the slightest bit of credit. "So what's your plan?"

"The coast." she answered simply. He made a face – gritting his teeth and looking away from her. "What?"

"There were news reports about the coast before the power went out. Those…things just walked out of the water – swarmed big ass oil tankers…but that was weeks ago. It may have cleared up." He shrugged and gave her an optimistic smile. "Good luck."

Michone sighed as she jogged along. It felt like she was going in circles. Every time she made a little headway she was cut off by a herd and forced to double back. Then while she was doubling back she'd get cut off again and forced to head north or west – every direction except for the one she needed. She crossed over the county line for Cobb for the second time that day and decided to take a rest. It had been another month. She tried to stay away from Cobb when something along the I-75 blew up. Just out of nowhere one day some building went up in flames. It had really woken up the walkers. They were attracted to the noise. She tried to head in the opposite direction but they came in droves. She had made it nearly completely around the 285…twice.

That time wasn't all spent on the road. She'd gather supplies and hide out for a few days before she headed out again. It was also difficult to avoid survivors. She had actually observed a group of people for a while – trying to decide if she wanted the company or the help to get through the herds. They were forced out of their hiding place by bandits and Michone disappeared before either side spotted her.

"Fancy meeting you here!" She whirled around – ready to defend herself until she recognized the man talking to her.

"Sally." She said.

"I was hoping I'd see you again." He said as he trotted down the on ramp. She looked around and sucked her teeth when she realized she was basically back where she started.

"No visitors after I left?" She asked.

"No. When you left I realized I never got your name." He said as they hopped over the divider. She gave him the smallest of smiles.

"Michone." She answered simply.

"Nice to meet you." He said as he offered his hand. She looked at it and he pulled it back after a second. "So is the world really that small or did the coast not live up to your expectations."

"I never made it. I kept getting cut off by…spooks." She said. He eyed her before he tapped his chest.

"Oh…I caught that." He said as they climbed the ropes. "Just for that, no stale cookies for you." She just snorted and followed him in the apartment.

"Did you ever make it to customs?" She asked.

"Thought about it but a close call made me crawl back here." He said before he showed her a nasty scar on his right shin. "Passed out twice while sewing myself up. Ran a fever for two days – thought I was gonna change into a monster or get gangrene but then…woke up the third day with no fever and a vicious need for junk food."

"That gas station must be running low by now." She pointed out. As he emptied his pack he only pulled out a sleeve of cookies and two bags of pork rinds.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to cast a wider net." He said. "Maybe get down to the shell station on the other end of Cascade."

"Or…" She began and he looked at her while trying to rip the bag of rinds open with his teeth. She tried not to laugh. There was something about this guy. Something that told her he wasn't the silly 'Sally' he was portraying himself as. His accent, his tattoos, his trip through customs – no way he was a school teacher before this began. "We can go to customs before we head for the coast." He eyed her for a second.

"What about the mountains. Less ghouls in the hills – no big cities. Might be a nice place to hole up. Lots of hunting cabins."

"You know how to hunt?" She asked in disbelief.

"Learn by doing." He shrugged. She gave him a look. "So when do we leave?"

Author's note: So now that the introductions are over, let the fun begin!