A/N: whether this is a zombie apocalypse au or a TWD au, I do not know! This story is planned out to be finished in 5 chapters, 6 at most. I didn't actually do the prompt, which is "are you flirting with me?" but maybe i'll do it in the latter chapters of this story. Who knows? It was from a cute/fluff prompts list but I can't write fluff so…
prompt request by the lovely Ro, raceshadowsinthemoonlight on tumblr 3
Reviews and constructive criticisms are always welcome! :)
At first it was just him - running around and killing the undead. It's such a fucking boon that he was a criminal before all this shit happened. At least he knew how to fight and how to be merciless.
It was just him for months and then came Isabel. He found her stuck to a tree, crying and throwing broken branches at the undead below. He killed them off easily and she hasn't left his side since.
Next came Farlan. They stumbled upon him when they were looting the same grocery store. He asked if he could join them; Isabel asked if he could drive. He said yes and the three were inseparable since.
They run out of gas in the middle of the freeway. It was nighttime and Isabel made a move to turn on the flashlight.
He laid a hand on hers to stop her, "Don't. Light attracts them."
She nods and puts it back in her bag, "What are we going to do now, big bro?"
"We'll walk," he says before exiting the car.
She's on wall duty tonight with Gunther and a few others. The wall isn't actually a wall, per se, but rather it's made of two cargo trucks, back to back with each other, the spaces below and between them were stacked with tires and galvanized iron sheets.
She's the sharpest shooter in the district and he's best with a crossbow. She has sharp senses as well and the slight movement in the bushes didn't go unnoticed by her eyes.
"Gunther, look there," she points to the bushes.
Gunther squints and hands her a rock slightly bigger than her closed fist. She pulls her arm back and throws.
They hear a startled scream and muffled voices.
"Who goes there?" Gunther shouts and the others get curious and start walking towards her and Gunther, but she stops them and tells them to go back to their stations.
"Don't worry. We can handle this," she smiles to reassure them. They're just kids - most of them only 15 - but they're too old for their age. This is what the apocalypse has done to them.
Petra turns her attention back beyond the wall and sees two boys and a wounded girl between them.
"Raise your hands!" She orders.
"You threw the fucking rock!" The small one snaps.
She cringes at the acid in his voice.
"She's fucking injured because of you!"
The taller boy reprimanded the short one and he calms down enough to ask them for help.
Both she and Gunther went outside and ushered them in.
"Give her to me, I'll take her to our doctor," she tells the short guy with the intimidating grey eyes but he refuses to hand the girl over.
"I'll bring her there myself. Just lead the way."
Dr. Jaeger stitched the cut on Isabel's forehead; he tells them that the wound is only superficial and should heal in no time. The girl with the ginger hair is still there, standing by the doorway and biting her nails.
"Big bro?" Isabel croaks. She'd been fatigued and dehydrated and Dr. Jaeger hooked her up to an IV, supplying the necessary fluids her body needs.
"I'm here. Are you okay?"
She nods and asks for Farlan. He tells her that Farlan went to go see the Commander - whoever the hell he is.
The girl with the fiery hair rushes over, "Oh, thank God, you're okay! I'm so sorry. We thought you were one of them. Can you forgive me?" She looks at him and then at Isabel.
Isabel nods and gives the girl a weak smile and he watches as the girl takes hold of Isabel's hand and gives it a squeeze.
"I'm Petra," she smiles and he tells himself that it's fucking irrational for him to remain angry at her just because of an honest mistake. And he forgives her, too.
The guy named Gunther brings Farlan to a house and into an office. The man on the desk has blonde hair swept to one side and eyebrows as thick as his pinky finger.
The man gives him a quizzical look, "And who is this new friend of yours, Gunther?"
"Farlan Church, sir." Farlan answers.
The man nods and turns to Gunther for an explanation. Gunther tells the man everything and it hits Farlan that this guy must be the Commander who's in charge of their district.
"Is that all?"
"Yessir"
"You can leave us now, Gunther. Go back to the wall,"
Gunther Schultz nods and turns on his heels, leaving Farlan Church in the hands of the Commander.
Farlan watches as the Commander stands, disappears through a door, and returns with a tray in hand. He pours a cup for him and tells him to sit down.
"Do you intend to join us?" the Commander asks once he settled back down behind his desk.
Farlan takes a sip of his tea and scratches the back of his head, "I think you should ask our Chief."
Farlan and a boy named Armin comes for him.
"The Commander says he wanted to speak to you, Chief,"
He raises an eyebrow at him. Farlan walks over to where he sits beside Isabel's bed and whispers, "He thought I was in-charge and asked me something. I said I wasn't in the position to decide and that he should talk to you. Try and be friendly."
He nods and vacates his seat; Farlan occupies it immediately and takes a bite out of the sandwich that Petra made for him.
"I'll take you to him, sir," Armin says and he follows the boy out on the street and into the Commander's home.
"You must be the Chief! Please, sit down," the Commander offered him a seat and a cup of tea.
He doesn't sit down nor does he take the cup of tea. He finds it annoying that people waste time with pleasantries so he asks him straight up, "What do you want from me?"
He can feel the aura in the room change. The friendly Commander is gone, replaced by a hard and unforgiving man.
The Commander takes a deep breath, "Do you intend to join us?"
Do you intend to join us?
The question plays over and over in his head. He thinks about what joining them would bring. If it were only him, he'd rather not join them, preferring to be constantly on the move and surviving on his own. But he isn't alone now – he has Isabel and Farlan to take care of and their safety and security is his topmost priority. A roof over their heads and warm food in their stomachs is more than he could ask for so he tells him Yes. We would like to join you.
The Commander smiles, "We always welcome those who'd like to join us with open arms. But we need something in return. What can you offer to help secure the safety of our humble community?"
His brow creases. What does this fucker want? We're fucking starving and tired and, "We have nothing. We only have our clothes on our back."
The Commander shakes his head, "No, we don't need material things. We need people who are willing to risk their lives to protect this place. We need fighters."
Fighters, huh? We've been fighting for our lives since this whole shit began. And it's been five fucking years.
"Are you willing to fight and protect everyone within these walls, Chief?" The Commander props his elbows on his desk and rests his chin on his intertwined fingers, looking at him and waiting for his answer.
He balls his fists, takes a deep breath, he has thought his choices through and he has decided, "I am."