Everyone has firsts. First kiss, first love, first date, first car, first job, first walker… This is a collection of one shots of our favorite characters and their first walker sighting.
Due to me being the author I am going to start with my favorite, Carol! Before I start I just want to be very clear about something. Ed sucks. I grew up with a "man" like him and the worst part about them is that in-between the hitting and screaming, they could act like a real human being, just long enough for you to forgive then do it all again. So, if Ed seems a little non-cannon, that is why.
Lori, Shane & Carl are next on my list! FYI!
**Disclaimer. In regards to The Walking Dead, I own nothing more than a bunch of trades and a few blue-rays.**
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Carol and Sophia sat on the floor of Sophia's pink covered bedroom. An open suitcase in front of them, everything that Sophia would throw in Carol would quickly take out, refold and set back in.
"Sweetie, Why on Earth would you need this?" Carol pulled out a bright blue one-piece bathing suit.
"What if there is a pool?" Sophia shrugged.
"This isn't a vacation, we are going for our safety. Atlanta has a refugee center. We'll likely be sleeping on cots, pressed in end to end with hundreds of other people in a high school gym. Only take what you need. " She pulled a large plastic storage bag filled with nail polish and lip gloss out. "Like this. Only one or two, not the whole bag!"
"But…" Sophia started with a whine.
"But nothing missy! Jeans, tee-shirts, undies, bras"
"Mom!" She yelped crossing her arms over her chest blushing fiercely.
"What? You don't want me to talk about your bras?" Carol smirked at Sophia's obvious unease.
"No!"
"Fine, just think practically. Books? Yes. DVDs? No." they were quieted by a crash of the front screened door slamming shut. "I made sure to pack all of the pad and tampons too, just let me know when you need them."
"Oh my god! Mom! Stop it!" Sophia giggled as her blush crept to her ears.
"I'm going to see if Daddy needs any help." Carol quieted as they herd another crash from down stairs. "Practical." She warned as she left the room.
She stopped at the top of the stairs to grab the bags she had already pack for herself and Ed, her own being annoyingly heavier as it was filled with long sleeved over sized sweaters. It might be 90 degrees outside, but those sweaters were as practical as everything else she packed when her Ed came at her, leaving bruises everywhere he touched.
"Ed, Sophia is almost done, Can I help… Mrs. Lamont?" Carol stopped at the bottom of the stairs, dropping the bags to her feet.
Their next door neighbor, a small quiet older woman, stumbled in the front entryway, stepping in a large pile of shoes that had been knocked off of a caddy by the door.
"Mrs. Lamont? Can we help you?" she asked cautiously.
Mrs. Lamont turned to face Carol. Her formerly kind soft brown eyes were now milky and unfeeling. Her bottom jaw was not missing completely but hanging from a few straps of skin, the entirety of the bone showing through wet blood. Her dark read tee shirt shined with fresh blood. Carol screamed out in terror.
The older neighbor shuffled further through the shoes, her arms reaching out for Carol, a low guttural sound escaping her throat. Sophia thundered down the stairs barreling into her mother, unknowingly pushing her closer to their dead neighbor.
Mrs. Lamont tripped, her left leg twisting to an unnatural angle, her elderly bones cracking. She then used the plush carpet to pull her mangled body through the shoe hazard, even closer to Carol.
She quickly scanned the area spying the umbrella bucket nest to the door. Sophia stood still as a statue, staring at the nice woman who used to live next door.
"Sweetie, don't look. Go get Daddy! Now!" Carol gently pushed Sophia in the opposite direction of the dead woman.
She rushed off in the direction of the attached garage screaming, "DADDY! HELP! DADDY!"
Carol whimpered slightly as she bit into her lip trying to muster the courage needed to stay calm. She reached over the woman in front of her snatching a large black golf umbrella. Using the large spiked tip she pushed the woman away.
The dead woman's tongue began to smack hungrily on the roof of her mouth as she reached for Carol's ankle.
Ed rushed into the room with his hunting rifle in his hand just as the dead tongue touched Carol's exposed skin. She screamed again and jumped back.
"Ed! Help!" Carol swung the umbrella harder into Mrs. Lamont's broken face. He came to a stop and offered nothing but a hardy chuckle.
"Woman, it's not gonna do anything to you. It don't have a jaw." Ed kicked at the bone hanging from its face to make his point.
Carol quickly moved behind her husband as he continued to poke and prod the dead woman. "Where is Sophia?"
"Calm down, I put her in the car, just in case this was a real threat." Ed laughed and pushed his boot slowly into the walker's mouth, lifting her slightly and pushing her back against the door. "Look at that!" he pointed excitedly at the broken limb.
"Ed, the news said they are dangerous. It said to shoot them in the head when possible." Carol backed further away into the stairwell avoiding any opportunity to look at Mrs. Lamont's face again.
"Fine. I'll take care of it. Get the kid's bag, we'll leave as soon as I get this corpse out of my house." Ed pulled his rifle off of his shoulder, pushing the barrel in to the gaping hole that was the walker's mouth.
Carol rushed up the stairs and into Sophia's room and buried her face in her pink comforter as she burst into tears. She clutched the chain around neck and prayed as she heard the rifle fire.
"Let's go!" Ed yelled up the stairs.
Grabbing Sophia's bag she wiped tears off of her face and made her way to the garage to her waiting family putting every ounce of energy into avoiding looking at the blood stains on the front door. She dropped Sophia's bag on the back seat and leaned in and kissed her crying daughter on the head. "We'll be okay. We'll be okay." She comforted her child.
"Stop crying. It was already dead, I took care of it and it is over. I'm not driving all the way to Atlanta listinin' to you two sobbing away." Ed growled.
"We'll be quiet. Right?" Carol took a deep breath and looked Sophia in the eye.
"Right Mom. Sorry Daddy." Sophia said softly wiping tears and snot on Carol's sleeve.
Carol shut the back door then climbed into the passenger seat. Buckling her seat belt and hitting the lock button she took another deep breath, they were on their way to safety. Everything would be better once they got to Atlanta.
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