It was cold and wet from the rain last night within a forest somewhere in Ohio. The stench of decay wasn't as bad, the rain probably helped with that. Isaac used to track herds with his mother when they were in a group almost a year ago, back in Texas. So he knew there was always going to be walkers close by. Maybe around 20 per area on a good day.

Isaac is a twelve-year-old, white male with dark brown hair that is long enough to reach the top of his shoulders. His mom routinely cut it short for him before she died a couple weeks ago.

He is 4'11 in height and skinny enough that his rib cage was showing a little due to always not having enough food. His dark blue eyes shifted to either side of him every few minutes. One must always be cautious when traveling alone, especially during these dark times.

Isaac, always prepared, had a wooden bow drawn. It's the only weapon he has that's quiet (other than his hunting knife) and has a long range. After he and his mom left Texas behind to head north, Isaac's mom gave it to him, and she taught him how to use it over the eight months they traveled. At this point, Isaac only had two arrows left to use, so he had to make sure to only use them if he had no other choice.

The only clothing he owned was a black hoodie, brown jeans, and dark blue sneakers. He also had a red hoodie in his small brown backpack, for emergencies. And a dark blue towel he has used for sleeping.

Isaac kept his footsteps silent as he walked, picking up small sticks to use for a campfire at night. Isaac stared at the bunch of sticks in his hand for a few seconds before shaking his head and stuffing them in his backpack.

Before stuffing his bag, he noticed a folded photo inside. He took it out and examined it. It was a picture of him, his mother and her boyfriend at the time. He was around seven years old at the time and they were all at Disney World for the weekend, if he remembered correctly. Isaac stared at this photo and shed a tear or two before folding it back up and putting it away.

As he swung the pack over his shoulder and picked up his bow, he heard the snarl of an all-too-familiar creature, if you could even call it that anymore. Isaac turned around and glared at the corpse of what used to be a person, crawling towards him since it had only one leg attached to its body.

Isaac approached it as he pulled his knife from his pocket. "I'd rather see a dead walker than a live one." He thought to himself. Isaac used his left foot to kick the walker's head, stunning it for a moment. Isaac took his knife and plunged it into the walker's temple. Destroying its brain and killing it permanently.

He pulled the knife out and wiped it clean on his jeans. Isaac took a look at it and sighed. "Next time I find running water and soap, I need to clean it." He then sheathed it and shoved it back into his pocket.

Isaac started following the trail he was walking on and picking up any sticks along the way until he had to find somewhere to set up camp.

XXxxXX

Isaac checked the position of the sun to see how much time he had before night rolled in. After checking, he figured that it was about time to hunker down for the day. He had been following the trail all day; killing walkers along the way and gathering wood for a campfire.

Ahead of him was a tree that had fallen on the trail, blocking his way. He climbed over it and kept going. He was starting to smell decay again, which either means there is a live walker nearby for the fourth time today or a perma-dead body. Either way was unpleasant to think about unless its right in front of you, so he ignored the smell and kept going until he stopped to read a yellow sign along the way.

It just warns about dangerous animals in the area like bears, coyotes and other things. Isaac hadn't seen any of these animals while hiking though. "I'm sure they're hiding in their holes or caves. I know I would." He then went on for a minute before discovering an open area. The smell was a lot worse here. Isaac looked over to his right and found the source of the smell.

It was the decomposing corpse of a man with a whole sign pole going through its head. Isaac closed his eyes for a moment before stepping away. "Hopefully, he was already dead." He turned his head and saw a wooden cross in the ground, symbolizing a grave. He approached it, bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Whoever you were, may you rest in peace."

At that moment, he heard a small sound from somewhere behind him. Isaac turned within a few seconds and gasped when he saw a little girl who looked to be soaking wet, hugging herself for warmth. The girl looked to be African American with amber-colored eyes that were locked on to Isaac. She was wearing a purple long-sleeved shirt with white stripes on the sleeves, dark blue jeans, and brown sneakers. She also had a white and blue baseball cap with a big letter D on the front.

Isaac quickly took his backpack off and opened it to grab his towel. The girl took a step back since she was scared. Isaac looked up at her as he pulled out his towel. "You're wet and cold. Take this." He then passed it to her. She caught it and immediately wrapped herself in it.

Isaac looked around the area and noticed some kind of broken wooden platform that leads to a running river. "How'd you get there?" He then looked back towards her and noticed that she was still shivering. Isaac then picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "It's getting pretty close to dark. I'll start a fire down there." The girl nodded her head in agreement and followed Isaac back down to the river.

The girl dropped down from the wooden platform first, Isaac doing the same a few seconds later.

XXxxXX

The night came a couple of hours later. Isaac managed to start a fire for the both of them. The girl hadn't spoken yet but stopped shivering as much. Isaac only had one unlabeled can in his pack. After opening it, both children were relieved to find sweet corn inside.

While he was warming the corn up by the fire, he glanced over at the girl who had a small smile on her face for a couple seconds before it transformed into a frown. "So... How'd you get in the river in the first place?" The girl looked up at Isaac for a moment before turning her gaze back to the fire. "My friend and I were attacked this morning. I fell in trying to get away."

"Walkers?" He asked. "Yeah. People too." She responded.

"Dang. I'm sorry." She looked at Isaac and smiled. He then grabbed the can of corn sitting by the fire to check if it was warm enough, which it was. Isaac picked it up and scooted over to the girl. He then handed her the can. "Go ahead." She accepted the can. "Thanks." She then ate half of the corn and handed it back to Isaac, who took it and did the same.

After finishing the corn, he washed the can in the river before stuffing it into his pack. He sat down and they were silent for a few minutes before the girl broke the silence. "What's your name?" Isaac turned his attention from the fire to the girl who was looking at him. "My name's Isaac. What's yours?"

"I'm Clementine." Isaac nodded his head. "That's a cool name."

"Thanks." Clementine then yawned into her hand. Isaac did the same a few seconds later. "I can keep watch first while you rest." Isaac told her. Clementine nodded her head and laid on her side with the towel Isaac lent her used as her blanket. She fell asleep within five minutes. Isaac stared at the fire as he kept his ears open for anything or anyone nearby. "Hopefully I can keep her safe. I don't want another death on my hands."

Hello. It may confuse you as to why I deleted my last story and upload this one.

In truth, it confuses me too after I do it, which is weird. I was looking at it while I was trying to rewrite it, but then I realized that I changed a few details without knowing that I do. So I deleted what I was writing previously and started on this one. Hopefully, I don't do the same thing to this one.

I'm sure you're all, or most of you are, confused or ''weirded out'' by my explanation, and I tend to ramble. Like I'm doing now...

So I'm just going to leave it at that. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask. I'll do my best to answer.

G'night, and... I don't know... hope you enjoy the story.