It hadn't been this calm in months, or maybe it never even was. The sun was bright, and warm against my skin, which glistened with sweat making my hair stick to my face. I walked up to the small creek hidden behind bushes and trees, and kneeled down, cupping some water in my hands and splashing it against my face. It felt refreshing, and tasted even more so. I licked my lips, tasting the creek water. I craved the coolness of it against my tongue, and for it to run down my throat, and so I reached down bringing another hand of water to my lips, this time I let it sit in my mouth, savoring the flavor of the dirty water before I swallowed it. In that moment everything was perfect. In that moment the walkers didn't exist, and the world was peaceful once again. I was a young fifteen year old girl without a care in the world, and for a moment, just a small moment in this miserable broken world, I was free.

But that wasn't this life, that life was long gone, and with that foul hissing noise behind me, my stomach muscles tightened, and the hair on the back of my neck, and arms stood on end. I reached for my knife, remembering everything my mom taught me before she died. I had to grow up fast, and learn as much as I could from her, and from others. I'm not going to lie, it was, and still is hard.

I tried to mellow out my breathing, and gather my surroundings, it was quiet once again, but I did not move from my position behind the bushes. I was prepared for a fight, if need be. A few more quiet seconds, and I had decided it was time to head back to the house that my parents had raised me in.

It was a nice neighborhood at one point in time, the kind where children gathered outside afterschool and on the weekends and played outside all day long, or where parents would gather and gossip for hours while they sipped lemonade in the front yards. As I walked down the streets, exhausted, hungry, and filthy, I imagined life back then. Everything was peaceful. Ashley Marrow would come by on her pink scooter, and ask if I would play with her, and I would gladly tell her, "yes."

I took a step towards my white wood house, and sighed, knowing that I was returning to an empty smelly house, with no family, or anyone to care for me. I was alone, and alone is how I would stay. I had already come to the conclusion that I was the only one left on this planet, a scared, lonely, exhausted fourteen year old girl, and I would most likely die this way.

I grabbed my knife, just like I always did, prepared for Flesh Eaters to come my way. I opened the door, and cleared the entry way, along with the living room. I heard a noise from the kitchen, and shakily made my way there next. I was ready, knife in hand, prepared to stab this thing in the head. I peeked my head around the corner, and my body filled with shock, and emotion that I didn't know could exist in a person before. There was a boy, in my kitchen, reaching for my pudding, a giant can of chocolate pudding, and he was taking it. No Hannah, it's just your imagination. There is no one there, you want there to be someone there, but there isn't anyone there. I blinked a few times, I couldn't tell if my mind was deceiving me, or if there really was a boy in my kitchen. I watched him climb up on the chair, then onto the counter, and grab the pudding. He was real!

"Hey!" I said, now fully standing inside the kitchen, my knife pointed in his direction. I scared him, and he turned towards me, a gun drawn pointing at me. Now I felt dump, I would lose this fight in a second. "What are you doing in my house?" I asked, my knife shaking. The boy lowered his gun, but kept it in his hand pointing to the floor. "Sorry, I didn't think anyone lived here anymore. I was looking for food."

"I don't have much food here." I told him, and it was true, there wasn't much there.

"Who are you living with?" He asked, I knew then I had to lie. I had to protect myself, knife still pointed at him. "With my mom." I said. "Where is she then?" He kept asking questions. My mind was racing, and I couldn't think, so I choose to ignore him, and ask one instead. "Where did you come from?"

"It's just me and my dad, we had a group… we were staying at the prison… things got messed up." I knew that look on his face; it was the same one I wore after my parents died. They died protecting me from the flesh eaters. "I'm sorry." What else could I say? We both lost people in this unforgiving world. So there we stood in my kitchen, staring at each other, it was awkward, and maybe it was because I had been alone for so long, or maybe perhaps it was because he was a stranger in my house, trying to take my food, I found myself hoping he would leave, but he didn't.

"So, um, what's your name?" He asked, fixing the sheriffs hat on top of his head, so he could see better, and revealing his sweaty, dirt covered face for the first time. "Hannah." I replied. "I'm Carl Grimes."

So this is my first TWD fanfic. Just something I was thinking about today while watching TWD reruns, hope you guys like it, and review it. I was going to make this a one shot, but I might turn it into a short fic, what do you guys think?