I didn't know if I wanted to write this. I've had this idea for a while, but I don't have anyone to read it. I'll post it here and see if someone likes it, if people are interested I'll write more, if not than that's ok too.

Here it is: the start of Stranger.

I awoke face down in a dark room. The cold of night seeped in through the closed black curtains hanging from the broken window. Every part of me was burning from a fight that still was fresh in my mind, with a man I won't soon forget.

"Johara", my mind said with a hiss.

Bringing my hands to the side of my torso, I lifted myself up slowly. My body was telling me to lie back down on the cool hard wood flooring where I had awoken, but my mind was telling me to continue on, I guess this was really a mind over matter sort of situation. I needed to find Johara, the man who put me here. As my body lurched into a sitting position I felt a searing pain in my side. Looking down, I could make out the large liaison that was cut into my flesh. The blood was trying in vain to clot so the wound would at least stop bleeding.

"Fuck..." I muttered to myself, since at that very moment I noticed I was naked. Searching the room with my eyes I noticed that the place was abandoned. Most of the room was ransacked and everything valuable was taken. This must have happened before I came, not that I cared in the least. Placing my hand on my wound I tenderly got to my feet, stumbling a bit I placed my hand on the bed to steady myself. Wincing I stood at my full height, the cool air washed over me from the window, making my body shiver and my wound ache.

"Gotta find something" I thought to myself. I made my way over to the sturdy solid oak of the closet door; I pulled on the golden knob. To my dismay the fucking thing was locked. Growling deep in my throat I pulled hard on the knob, forcing it from its place with a violent jerk bringing the whole door with it. I looked at the door in my hand and sighed, I tossed it behind me muttering something like "I don't know my own strength" as a sudden smell of death intruded into my nostrils. I've smelled this before, the smell of decay. I moved the clothing to the side, and as I figured, the clothing revealed the body of a young man lying on his side in a twisted sort of fetal position. Any other person would have been upset at the sight of this body, to me this was a minor setback. I grabbed the black dress from the hanger and slipped it on, it was snug but a small rip on the side of the skirt made it manageable.

Turning back into the quiet empty room, I searched for my weapon. The only friend I've ever truly had. I caught the glimpse of my sword's sheath, it was laying beside the pool of blood on the floor, I sighed in relief.

"So it did come with me after all." I mused inside my head. I walked slowly towards it, feeling this sort of guilt building up in the pit of my stomach. I paid it no mind knowing in a matter of time the dreading guilt will be replaced with an unwavering desire of revenge. I kneeled to pick up the sword from its resting place and ignored the pain shooting through my side. The wound itself will heal in time, and I wasn't trained to go limp over such a small wound. The sound of clothing moving turned my attention back to the small of the closet. The man had attempted to stand but was caught in the clothing. His decaying arms outstretched at me, his fingers spreading out in vain trying to grasp at something but all he was getting was clothing. The clacking of teeth echoed in the dark room.

"...no" I uttered. I began to stand slowly as he managed to free himself from the clothing with a desperate jerk of his arm, he stumbled from the closet with clumsy feet, although his wobble was too much and he fell to the floor in a sickening thump. A wail of frustration escaped his rotten lips, once again reaching out to me with a thin frail arm and a greedy hand. I couldn't believe my eyes, even though this wasn't the first corpse I've seen; it was the first I've seen in this world. I didn't think Johara would have unleashed his power on this world. I had failed once again.

"Forgive me" I whispered onto deaf ears. I pulled my sword from its sheath and walked towards the man. He grabbed my ankle with his boney fingers and pulled himself towards my foot with a hunger that was insatiable. His mouth opened revealing broken teeth and dry tongue, his only goal now was to taste the wetness of my blood. I dropped the sword from my hand, it landed on the back of his neck severing the head. The body went limp as the head rolled under the bed, the clacking of teeth was still heard. I didn't connect with the head like I hoped.

"...damnit", I groaned walking towards the bed, grabbing the box spring I hoisted it into the air. I could see the milky whites of the head searching for me, when he saw me standing above him he clacked his teeth at me. This time I brought my sword down connecting with the brain. Blood poured out of the head wound as well as the nose. Pulling the sword out and dropping the bed I made my way towards the door to the room, it was open slightly indicating that the door was closed in a hurry and in that hurry the door failed to clasp shut. I swung the door open with my sword and looked down the darkened hallway. The pictures of the family littered the floor, the looters must have knocked them when they were fleeing.

"Typical humans" I stepped over the broken glass of the picture frames. I noticed I wasn't wearing any shoes, and I didn't really care. Shoes to me were simply a formality to me, and I fight better without those weighing me down. I kept my ears perked for any signs of life in the house. I suppose life would be an insensitive word to use in a situation as complex and unique as this. These creatures were devoid of any sense of the word, their only option now is to gorge themselves with whatever they can get a hold of, and I wasn't going to be on that menu. Walking by the last door on the second story I couldn't help but notice a room that wasn't ransacked. Curiously I peered in; the room was a collection of travel souvenirs from around their world. On the wall was a perfectly framed black kimono, Chinese dragons surrounded the black fabric with elegance and grace. Seeing it as going to waste here, I smashed the glass with the end of my sword sheath. I pulled out the kimono and looked it over, to my surprise it was a dense and thick cloth rather than silk; perfect for the outdoors on cold nights. Slipped it on over my black dress I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The black dress flattered my toned body and accented my curvy body well, much to my chagrin. The long silver hair I've prided myself in was tangled and covered in blood. At this point I was unsure if the blood was mine or someone else's, of course when I thought about blood my wound began to throb.

"Johara will pay..." I seethed grabbing my sheath and tying it around my waist. If I was going after Johara, I needed to first catch my bearings. I might not know this world, but I can't at least read a map. I clenched the banister tightly, taking my time walking down the stairs. I just came to realize how sore I actually was. I had no time for human emotions; I had a mission to accomplish. The front door was locked and boarded up, which was a smart thing to do considering the dead were walking around. Too bad the people who owned the home didn't think about their windows. The living room curtains fluttered in the morning breeze, the glass from the large bay window lay in pieces on the blood smeared floor. The feet of a child poked out from behind the couch, the pool of blood stretched beyond the tiny feet. I decided not to investigate, seeing a child in this state might,

"Mommy"

"Damnit" I cursed opening the door and stepping out into the dampness of the morning. I was clearly in a richer part of town. Each house looked the same as the next, some doors were wide open while others showed signs of forced entry. I didn't hear any screaming, crying or even wails of the undead. The sound of silence filled my ears. I was unsure of how to proceed, and was unsure of which way was out. Knowing Johara he would be enjoying the carnage and bloodshed, so I began to follow what I had hoped to be his bread crumbs, but in reality they were bodies of people and the fires of destruction.

Hours passed of me walking what seemed like forever when I noticed a big blue sign that read "Atlanta" with the population scratched out, I started to get excited. Perhaps he was here, living in a new empire he had built for himself. The sidewalk I had been following was a dead end a few miles back, so I opted to take the road. On one side of the road it was clear, minus some initial debris. On the other, were horseless chariots in a long line leading out of the city. These must have been the survivors who tried to flee the city during the first stages. I noticed many dead people still trapped in their cars. I shook my head; these people were careless and deserved nothing less than death.

I entered the city of Atlanta. I could see 4 of the metal of horseless chariots crunched together in what seemed like an accident, the fire was long put out but the pile of twisted metal blocked my path. The roof might seem like a better option for the time being, at least there I could get a bird's eye view of the city, and avoid potential scuffles in the process. I looked the building closest to me, wasn't that high but it was a start. I lowered myself into a crouching position, judging the distance between me and the roof. I leaped from the ground onto the roof, and landed with the grace of a bird. Gunshots broke the silence in the ghost town.

"Survivors?" I murmured to myself, wasn't my concern anyways. I had to find my objective. Another gunshot rang out making my head turn towards the sound.

"It's not far" my inner voice echoed. I shook my head, it's not my damn concern! Another gunshot; swearing in my head I walked along the roofs until I managed to see the cause of the gun shots. A lone man running from the horde he had so unfortunately stumbled into. This still wasn't my concern but I decided to watch and see what will happen. I lost sight of the man as he crawled under a large armoured chariot.

"This is your duty... to protect the innocent" my inner voice echoed out again. I cursed the fact that I took that oath, but this wasn't my world, and I have no duties here. Although my excellent hearing could hear the man yelling, struggling against the dead that were surrounding the armoured chariot in a dense massive clump.

"... blast me for a fool!' I growled jumping down from the roof. I unsheathed my sword as I landed. The dead closest to me turned towards the new sound and shambled towards me with outstretched arms. I ran towards them, knowing they didn't have the ability to dodge or fight back I quickly dispatched them with a quick slice to their heads.

"YOU! Come on!" I yelled over the grunts and wails of the undead. The horde turned to me and let out a collective moan, signalling their next meal was in view. I dealt with the ones closest to me without problems, and I continued my deadly dance without even breaking a sweat. I guess one that I missed stood up behind me. She fell forward after slipping on blood and went for my neck. A shot rang out killing the one behind me. The man from before had fired it from on top of the armoured mass. He landed beside me and grabbed my arm, we both broke into a run and turned down an alley way. An Asian man wearing a ball cap met us there, the gun wielding man held his weapon to the Asian's head.

"Not dead, not dead!" the Asian said in his defense, 'follow me" he took off down the alley followed by the man I just rescued. The moans were getting louder so I opted to follow the men rather than face them in a tiny space. We managed to climb up the metal ladder towards the roof. I could have easily jumped to the roof to save time, but I was unsure who people of this world might react to something like that, so I decided to play human for a bit. Both were hunched over, hands on their knees, panting to catch their breath and sweating when they got to the top of the ladder, I on the other hand was bone dry and perfectly fine. The man I had saved looked at me, his blue eyes had nothing but thanks and appreciation.

"You saved me back there" he said standing up straight, he offered his hand, "Rick Grimes, Sheriff's Deputy" I looked at the hand offered to me. It's not that I didn't want to shake it, I just didn't want to get attached. I simply nodded at him instead.

"Nice clothes your wearing, surprising you didn't get torn apart out there" the Asian man joked, "But you handled yourself nicely with that sword, its better than using a gun" his eyes shifted over to Rick, "I'm Glenn by the way"

"Where's your group" I asked. Glenn went quiet and Rick looked me over with suspicion. I knew they suspected me of something, but I wanted nothing more than to get them to where they needed to go and head out. They will simply slow me down.

"They're held up in the store there, come on" Glenn started as he began walking off. Rick followed and I took up the rear. These men were too trusting in my opinion, seeing how I handled myself in the horde would somehow have them second guess me. Nevertheless they were leading me towards their group. A shot echoed as Glenn cursed,

"Damnit, Merle!" he took off into a run. Rick shot me a look and hurried after Glenn. Sheathing my sword I calmly followed, knowing whoever this Merle is, he didn't sound like much of a threat, just an idiot.

"Woo! Looky 'ere! Little chinky got's some balls!" Merle laughed waving the gun in Glenn's face, "you want mah gun, take it than!"

"Stop it Merle, you'll bring the walkers here and..." Glenn was cut off when Merle grabbed the back of Glenn's head and leaned in real close.

"We gotta stop fearin 'em and start killing 'em" Merle whispered into the frightened Glenn's ear. Rick took this opportunity to cease the gun and handcuff Merle to the pipe. Merle struggled for a bit before giving up, he laid against the pipe in defeat. He then got a glimpse of me.

"Hey 'ere pretty lady, wanna...give Merle a quick show?" this man simply disgusted me. I paid the simpleton no mind and walked down the stairs I saw Glenn and Rick descend and join the rest of the group downstairs. I noticed Rick having a heated discussion with the blonde woman near the counter, the black man stood near Glenn and looked very worried at the two new visitors that were standing before them. I crossed my arms and watched the interaction unfold.

"We don't have enough food to be bringing new people into the group Glenn!" the blonde shouted at Glenn.

"Andrea, he would have died!" Glenn protested, "and we saved her too" he motioned towards me.

"Saved would be an understatement" I said, "Hindering me would be more of an appropriate statement"

"If we're hindering you, than leave!" Andrea shouted. I tapped on the glass that the store had all along the front,

"I'd keep your voice down, glass won't hold these creatures, and I assume you don't have enough hand to hand experience or bullets to take care of the horde searching for the next meal" Andrea clammed right up and pulled her lips back into her mouth. Rick began asking Glenn for a way out of this building.

"There's an escape route down below, I use it sometimes but I had to take the back way since I had more people to take with me this time" Glenn explained.

"Then you and T-Dog go under and find us a way out" Rick said, "otherwise we'll find a way out from up here" Glenn nodded at the plan and walked off with the black man I assumed was T-Dog. Rick walked up to me and stood beside me,

"Thanks again for rescuing me, I don't know how else I would have gotten out of there"

"It's nothing" I shrugged

"It is to me, I have a wife and son I'm looking for" Rick pulls out a picture, a smiling family in a time much simpler than this. He asked me if I had seen them which I replied no, in fact Rick was the first alive person I've seen since coming here.

"It would be nice to know the name of my saviour" Rick stated rather frankly. I looked at him, his eyes never faltered; I could tell this man was destined for great things, but it would be up to him how he chooses to do them. I guess it wouldn't matter if my name was shared, after I got these people back to their group I would be out of here. I would be nothing more than a campfire legend, which is just what I wanted to be.

"Maionis" I answered, Rick gave me a raised eyebrow look

"Just call me Mai" I offered knowing people would get suspicious of my foreign name. Rick simply nodded as we heard Glenn and T-Dog return from their trek under the city.

"No good, walkers down below" T-Dog said with a huff. Clearly these people are not in shape to be running for long periods of time, so my suggestion of making a break for it was out of the question. Rick suggested driving out, and Glenn pointed out the construction site at the end of the road, and offered to get the cube van. Rick didn't want anyone splitting up and suggested another way. After much discussion, the cube van was the best option. I was confused as to why they called it a cube van, it still seemed like a horseless chariot to me.

"But the walkers outside will kill us all" Andrea pointed out, "We can't make it pass them"

"If we cover ourselves in guts of a walker, we might make it through" Rick suggested. The whole group was brought back by his suggestion, but I thought he was brilliant. Walkers wouldn't smell the stench of the living, only the stench of the dead. Before long Rick and Glenn were covered in the guts of the walker they brought in from outside. The aroma of death swept through the lobby of the store, Andrea began to throw up in the corner. My sensitive nose curled but I was use to this smell, I've been on battlefields with thousands of dead fouling up the air.

"Here we go" Glenn whined as Andrea opened the door. Rick and Glenn walked out onto the street as Andrea closed the door.

"I better go upstairs and get Merle ready to go" T-Dog said out loud to no one in particular, "Do you have the keys?" Andrea handed T-Dog the keys as T-Dog walked up the stairs to the roof. I didn't want to stand idle so I walked around the store looking at all the merchandise displayed on the counters and walls. Seems Atlanta wasn't looted as much as the richer part of the city was. I could see Andrea eying me up as I walked around.

"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked. I looked towards her; sure I was wearing a kimono and a dress, but I had to go with what was there right?

"It was there" I answered bluntly, I really didn't feel like having a conversation with someone who just previously told me to leave. Telling by the look on her face this wasn't something that is going to be dropped so easily.

"A dress I could see, a kimono might seem a bit excessive... a jacket would have been something a bit more suitable" Andrea sneered, obviously disliking my wardrobe.

"I survived didn't I?" I retorted, seeing as I was still standing regardless of what I picked.

"But for how long? A kimono isn't something everyone chooses to take with them when packing up to leave a home" Andrea addressed this fact as if I should have known this. Sighing loudly, I began to dislike this woman strongly.

"This was the closest thing to my uniform back home" I explained in a rather disturbed tone. Andrea cocked an eyebrow and looked at me,

"What, you're from Japan?" She asked crossing her arms. Before I had a chance to say anything my ears caught the sound of screeching tires and T-Dog running down the stairs,

"They're here!" he yelled running towards the back doors. Andrea yelled after him,

"Where's Merle?" T-Dog looked at her with panic in his eyes,

"I dropped the keys, I..."

"You what!?" Andrea screeched, as the sound of shattering glass shut everyone up. The walkers fell through the glass like undead ooze, falling to the floor in a sticky pile of blood and bodily fluids. Wasting no time I pushed the two arguing people towards the door and opened the shutter with ease. Rick had the back shutter open to the cube van, he was holding his arms out and yelling at us to get into the back of the van. Andrea went first, followed by T-Dog.

"Where's Merle?" Rick asked me.

"Upstairs" I answered.

"I dropped the keys!" T-Dog confessed again, "but...I locked the door!"

"We have to..." Rick started.

"There's no time! Rick let's go!" Andrea yelled getting her weapon ready to fire. Rick looked at me with hope flooding his eyes, begging me to save Merle like I saved him.

"...go on without me" I said knowing I'll kick myself for this later.

"Wait...Mai you can't!" Rick argued with a sudden change of heart. The back door broke down as the walkers stumbled through. One heading the pack was a big woman with an ugly flowered sun dress, her nose was fallen right off, and her intestines were hanging to her knees. I had no room to pull out my sword and use it, the blade would other hit Rick who had gotten out of the van and was now standing beside me, weapon pointed at the woman. Or it would hit the low ceiling of the concrete room. I had no choice. As the woman got within arm's distance I pushed Rick back and stood in front of him. I lifted my right hand quickly so it was level with the woman's head, my black nails grew out with a force that punctured the woman's skull. She fell limp instantly and fell to the ground in a heap, my nails retracted as I readied for the next one. I glimpsed Rick beside me, his mouth agape in shock,

"What...the hell are you?"