Georgia. Known for it's intense heat and some pretty killer peaches. That's where Natalie found herself at the end of the world, not in a safe bunker, not in her home. But on the outskirts of Atlanta with the headquarters being a rusty old RV and her dead dads best friend being the leader of the rag-tag group.
Don't get her wrong, out of all the hands that could've been dealt this was one of the less shitty options. Natalie still had her mom, her little brother and was surrounded by relatively nice people. But she's seventeen years old, a teenager, it's in her nature to complain just a little. Internally of course, she wasn't that much of a brat. But when your stuck in the zombie apocalypse, it must be alright to have some woes.
Like how her dad, her favorite parent, was dead (as well as most likely all of her friends but that was another sob story for a different day). The fact he was her favorite parent was not unknown to the adults in her life. Especially when Natalie found out her mom was screwing Shane barely two weeks after he told them her dad died. Carl doesn't know, but Natalie had the misfortune of walking in and the knowledge that they weren't "wrestling". Natalie's relationship with Shane also took a massive tumble, given that she called him a heartless asshole.
Also the fact that one of the two good friends she made at this camp was on a run to the extremely dangerous city of Atlanta, and the other one was a bundle of nerves since her sister went with them. So for the past day Natalie had taken it upon herself to distract Amy from the dangers her sister Andrea was facing, with a wonderful round of cards. Until she dropped her hand and ran to the radio when it started making noise.
" Hello?" Natalie couldn't hear the actual voice from where she was sitting, only a faint murmur, but she could hear Amy just fine.
" Yes your coming through over!" There was another murmur. "Yes were just outside Atlanta! Can you hear me? Hello? Hello?" No response. Amy huffed in frustration " He can't hear me-"
" Try and raise him again," Dale, the camp 'old wise man, with an awesome beard' suggested before looking at Shane whom was striding over with an axe. " You try son, you know how to work this thing."
" Hello, hello, is the person there still on air?" Shane waited a beat before continuing, " This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown please respond." Another beat. "He's gone." Natalie couldn't decide whether to feel happy that there was at least another person out there or disappointed that they weren't able to reach them. Her mother was the one to voice that opinion out loud.
" There are other's, it's not just us."
" We knew there would be, that's why we left the CV on," Shane responded calmly sensing her Moms attitude. Natalie couldn't resist an eye roll at the small fight that commenced shortly after Shane spoke. It always happened like this, mom would complain, Shane would counter reasonably logically, she would go off and pout and then boom make up sex or whatever privacy a lots them. Another woe in her new post apocalyptic life.
" Hey, hey it's alright bud, go take a seat ok?" Shane ordered Carl who made a move to follow their raging mother, as he went and followed their mom instead, not before eyeing Natalie then pointing at Carl. Natalie made sure to deliberately roll her eyes at Shane before he turned around further irritated. Brushing the wavy brown hair that had fallen into her blue eyes back, she approached her younger brother.
" Hey kid, let's play some cards," she suggested giving his head a gentle shove in the direction of a stump.
" What game?" he asked sullenly, making Natalie raise an eyebrow before continuing.
" How 'bout some gold old fashion war," she supplied cheerfully, however the sad look on his face did not change in the slightest. " Which I'm totally gonna beat you at by the way." That perked him up.
" No way! You know I'm the best at this game!"
" Uh huh, prove it." Natalie's relationship with her little bro differed significantly from most teenage girls with their kid siblings. She was actually nice to him, most of the time at least. Probably had to do with the fact that the world ended and their dad was dead. Things like that tend to bring people closer together or farther apart if you were talking Natalie and Lori Grimes. Of course, it was probably only in Natalie's eyes that what Shane and Lori were doing could be considered adultery. Also because she was probably the only one who cared, as she's sure the other campers knew.
Apparently the prospect of a game could not hold Carl back as he jumped up when Natalie was mid deal and briskly made his way towards the tent that he shared with his mother. Natalie thankfully had her own tent and could at least have some privacy, being the near adult she was. Cursing under her breath Natalie followed him.
Until Shane grabbed her by the upper arm as she walked past and spun her around to face him.
" Natalie-"
" What Shane?"
" Look I know this is difficult for you, your mom and I…"
" Ok, I'm not my mother's father, you don't need to ask for my permission on anything."
" Well I know we haven't really talked about this-"
" And I don't really care, it's the end of the world, do whatever you want, whoever you want, I'm not gonna stop you," Natalie said with a shrug, but after receiving a disbelieving look she continued, "Doesn't mean I have to like it, but it's not like I can do anything about it right?" Shane opened his mouth to speak some more but then shut it after thinking it through. He let go of her arm as soon as Carl walked passed and awkwardly patted her shoulder before walking away. Shaking her head she continued towards the tent where her mom sat.
" What'd Shane talk to you about?" Her moms fingers were taping her knees in a nervous way.
" What do you think?"
" Nat…"
" Mom, I already told you my thoughts and opinions on the whole thing, you don't need to keep bringing it up. Seriously. It's like the last thing I want to think or talk about." Her mom moved back into the tent and sat on one of the cots, she then gestured to the one across from her. After some hesitation Natalie flopped down on the cot and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms.
" Well, then what do you think about?"
" I really don't want to have this conversation,"
" Baby, it's the end of the world, and I know the reason your mad at me is the whole Shane thing, but he's been helping me-"
" Ya, clearly," Natalie scoffed flopping her hands back to her sides, her mom gave her an exasperated look.
" Helping us," she continued, " Natalie, I know you loved your dad, I did, Carl did, but he's dead honey, your gonna have to accept that. Sooner rather than later, especially with the situation we're in." Natalie sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees.
" I realize that but-" Natalie took a shuddering breath, as all the fondest memories of her dad came rolling through her brain one at a time " I can't, I can't do it." Natalie couldn't hold back the tears any longer. The ones she held when she thought she was being strong, when dad got shot, when she saw the nasty dead man take a chomp out of their next door neighbor, when Atlanta got bombed. The strength went away when someone actually made her open her mouth about her dad, made her actually think.
" Oh baby," her mom muttered before climbing behind Natalie on the bed and hugging her, something they hadn't done in a long time. It had always been dad. This made the waterworks come even harder as Natalie turned to grasp on her mother tightly as she ran her fingers through her hair. This lasted a few minutes before her mom hit a nasty snarl.
" Do you ever brush your hair?" her mom chuckled, and Natalie couldn't help but give a watery one in return.
" Occasionally," she replied smiling slightly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
" We'll get through this okay?" Her mom said brushing the damp wavy brown strands out of Natalie's face.
" Okay," Natalie responded giving a half hearted smile.
So maybe her mom wasn't all that bad.
/
Rick brushed the photo of his family gently. God he hoped he'd find them soon. Lori, even though they had their issues before he was shot, what he wouldn't give to have her in his arms again. If only to yell at him about how stupid he was to get shot and leave them behind. He focused on Carl next, oh how he loved his little boy, doted on him. He was the one who inherited most of his moms looks. But to be able to hug his kid again, to still be able to teach him all the things about being a grown up, thankfully they've already had the chance to do the whole baseball thing before the world ended. The last person in his family was his eldest kid and daughter Natalie. Though she'd been born while both Lori and Rick were in high school, that didn't stop Rick from loving her any less.
Rick fondly remembered the time she came home crying after a boy cheated on her and when the boy came to the front door he was met with the barrel of a shotgun and Shane standing next to him imposingly. Lori was absolutely horrified, but seeing the grin on his daughters face was beyond worth it and he was glad he could fulfill that southern stereotype.
Within their family, it appeared they fulfilled all the stereotypes. Carl being momma's little boy and Natalie was definitely daddy's little girl. Cheater boy wasn't the only time Rick had had to play threatening cop, and while a lot of the times Natalie claimed it embarrassed her, she wasn't able to hide a smile from him completely. Rick was also the first one Natalie turned to in times of need, and he was generally always there to help.
With that memory came a fast track of others, getting married, the births of each kid, the grand canyon road trip, taking Natalie to the gun range, taking both kids to get ice cream after Carl's baseball game, Natalie attacking him in a hug after a particularly dangerous police investigation, zooming around in the patrol car with Carl. It took all Rick could muster to not start crying right then and there.
But he toughed it up, removed the photo from the visor and put it in his pocket before climbing out of the car. He had to find gas and then his family.