What Doesn't Kill You, a walking dead fanfic

What Doesn't Kill You

Chapter One

Fandom: The Walking Dead

Rating: T – Might go up.

Pairing: Carl/OC

Side Pairings: Rick/OC, Glenn/Maggie, Daryl/Beth

Warning: Violence, gore, cussing, sexual situations

Summary: In a world where the dead wander and devour the living, Gracie Edwards struggles to find a reason to keep on living. When her parents die, her and her older adopted sister are taken in by the Greene family. Life is mundane and boring... Until a cop comes running across their field, carrying a bleeding boy in his arms.

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Author's Note: This was moved from my old profile.

"Gracie! Get down here! It's breakfast time!"

Gracie Edwards looked away from her reflection in the mirror of her vanity and called back, "I'm coming, Maggie!" she pulled her waist length, black hair into a high ponytail, giving up on pinning her Chinese cut bangs back. She sucked in a deep breath and turned, leaving her room and making her way down the stairs. The thirteen year old padded into the kitchen find Maggie and Beth Greene setting the table.

Gracie remembered the first day she started living here; it wasn't that long ago, really. Her parents both died a few weeks ago, and since they were close friends to the Greene's, Herschel took Gracie in and gave her a home with them. Gracie loved the Greene's… She just missed her adopted parents. Her parents were the only real family, besides her eighteen year old adopted sister, Lucinda Edwards.

It was hard to pretend that she was okay when she wasn't, but the last thing she wanted was for Herschel to sit her down and start babbling about 'God's plan'…

Gracie remembered when she still believed in a God. Before everything happened, she went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. She worshipped and prayed, but now she realizes that she was only praying to a God that didn't exist. At least that's what she thinks.

If there was a God, then he has a horrible sense of humor.

"Good morning Gracie," Beth greeted her with a kind smile.

Gracie pretended not to notice the sympathy in her green eyes as she returned the smile with a strained one, "Good morning Beth, Maggie," she moved to the table and slid into one of the big chairs.

Maggie smiled, "Today we're having some eggs and bread," she walked over and gently stroked the top of Gracie's head, "And you're going to eat every bite of it, understand?"

Gracie's face heated a bit, she should've known she couldn't pull one over on Maggie, "Yes ma'am," she says respectfully as Herschel enters the room and takes his place at the head of the table. Patricia moved around the table, putting food on everyone's plates and making sure everyone got a fair share before she served herself and took a seat. Jimmy was the last to arrive; he took his seat next to Beth and dug in almost immediately.

"Where's Otis?" Maggie asked as she chewed on an egg, eyeing Gracie until the little girl relented and took a bite of her own food.

"He went out hunting," Patricia answered after swallowing her food.

"And Lucy?"

"I let her sleep in; she seemed pretty tired last night," Maggie informed her, "Patricia saved some breakfast for her."

"Was she up crying again?" Gracie asked softly.

Silence met her words.

Gracie turned back to her plate, allowing her mind to wander elsewhere. Her poor sister was dealing with the loss of their parents. The poor girl would hole herself up in her room and spend her nights crying her eyes out. If not, she was sitting on the porch and staring out into the distance, barely talking to anyone that approached her. Maggie would have to force the girl to eat as well; since Lucy seems too depressed to eat herself.

The last dinner they had, Gracie barely touched her food. She didn't throw it away; obviously, she just gave the rest to Lucy and anyone else that seemed to need it more than she did. There wasn't enough food to go around to waste it nowadays.

"Gracie?"

Gracie snapped out the reverie she didn't realize she was in and feigned a smile, "Yes, sir?"

Herschel gave her a smile, but it was sincere, "What are your plans for today?"

Gracie shrugged her shoulders and played with a stray piece of egg with her fork, "I was planning on reading on the porch for the day… Then maybe taking a shower and helping out with dinner tonight… if that's okay with Patricia?"

Patricia looked up from her own dinner, "Of course that's okay with me, sweetie," she pushed a stray strand of blond hair out her eyes, "Thank you for offering to help out. Hopefully Otis brings back some big game."

Gracie smiled another fake smile and nodded her head, "You're welcome," she scooped up the last of the eggs and swallowed it, despite how dry her throat felt, "May I be excused?" she asks after she takes a long gulp of her water.

"Sure," Herschel excuses her.

Gracie picks up her empty plate and glass of water and takes it into the kitchen. Setting it into the sink, she made her way up the stairs and into her room, searching for a good enough book that would entertain her for the afternoon.

A few hours later, Gracie was seated on the rocking chair located on the porch, reading a love novel that was lost on her. She barely registered the words she was reading, but she had to find some way to pass the time. Not only is the apocalypse dangerous and intense; it's also very boring.

Gracie put down the novel and began to rock in the chair, staring off into the distance and enjoying the wind as it blew against her, blowing her hair out her face and cooling her down. It was a sunny and peaceful day out; Gracie loved these types of days the most. She thought she heard something like a gunshot in the distance, but she figured that that was just Otis taking down some game. Nonetheless, she kept a watchful eye out.

The porch door swung open and Maggie stepped out, "Hey Grace," she greeted her and leaned against the porch railing, crossing her arms over her chest, "Just came out here to check on ya."

Gracie ran her fingers along the edges of her book, a bit annoyed with Maggie's constant checking on her, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to come off as unappreciative, so she shrugged and replied, softly, "I'm fine… just enjoying the peace and quiet."

Maggie looked out to the great field's that was Herschel's land, "Yeah, it's pretty out here."

The brown haired woman paused for a brief moment, "How you doin', Gracie?"

Gracie muffled a sigh and feigned another smile, "I'm fine, really," she assures her and opens her book back up, pretending to be engrossed in what she was reading, "I guess I'm dealing with the loss of my parents better than Lucy is. I mean… I guess everyone deals with loss differently."

"You internalize your emotions instead of letting them out and talking about it," Maggie simplifies it for her, crossing her arms over her chest, "That's not healthy, you know. You're too young to push back your emotions and pretend that you're okay when you're not."

"But I am okay," Gracie insists and closes her book again, looking up at her with her big brown eyes, "They weren't even my real parents. They adopted me a few months ago, I barely knew them. Of course I love them and all… But I'll get through it, really. Lucy's just havin' a harder time because she was their daughter ever since she could remember."

Maggie sighed, "Listen, if you ever feel like talkin' about it, I'm here, alright?"

Gracie got up and leaned her elbows against the porch rail, only tall enough to peer over the top, "Thank you, but I think I'm… What's that?"

Maggie turned to see what Gracie was seeing, and when she saw it, her jaw dropped.

A man was running across her father's field, in his arms was a boy, probably around Gracie's age. He was limp, and there was blood on the man's shirt, staining the brown material. He was probably in his thirties, and he was wearing a police uniform. A sheriff? Behind him, there was a taller and more buff male dragging along Otis, who was having a hard time keeping up with them.

Maggie grabbed Gracie protectively, "Get inside," she ordered her and hurried her inside, calling out to her father to come out quickly.

Naturally, Gracie wasn't told anything that happened. But, as far as she could gather, Otis accidentally shot the boy when he was tracking a buck. The bullet apparently went straight through the buck and hit the unnamed boy, and the sheriff and his friend rushed here once Otis told them that Herschel could help him.

Naturally, Herschel did his best.

Gracie eavesdropped, even though she knew it was wrong, and over heard one of their conversations.

"Lori doesn't know…" the sheriff was mumbling numbly, tears streaming down his cheeks as his friend attempted to comfort him, "I have to tell her—she has to know…"

"Right now, you belong right here with Carl. You worry about tellin' her later—Carl needs you right now. I won't let you leave," the guy scoffed and shook his head lightly, "Heck, I'd break your legs if you tried to."

Beth caught her eavesdropping and sent her to her room, telling her that everything was going to be fine and that things were just complicated right now. Gracie hardly believed her, but obeyed, and went into her room, knowing that somehow, things were going to get complicated from here on out.

At least things weren't boring anymore."Lori doesn't know…" the sheriff was mumbling numbly, tears streaming down his cheeks as his friend attempted to comfort him, "I have to tell her—she has to know…"

At least things weren't boring anymore.