Hello! Bet you weren't expecting this seeing as how I promised awhile ago that I would continue with Elemental Ashes! Well't don't worry, I will get back to that... Eventually.

JK! I actually plan to finish the next two chapters of this then work on this and Elemental Ashes at the same time. One week I will upload a chapter of Elemental ashes and the next week I will update First days.

Hope you guys haven't been waiting too long!

I never thought it would actually happen. Never thought that the world would turn into a horror movie straight out of Hollywood. Never thought that it would happen in my life. Real life. Never thought about the collapse of society as we know it. Never in my life would I wake up to a world where the dead would rise up and turn the living into corpses. Never thought I would be alone.

Yet, it's oddly comforting to be alone, I don't have anyone breathing down my neck. No teachers or parents expecting me to do stuff I can't; mainly math. No friends to annoy me. No people who piss you off.. No one to start speaking to me when I don't want them too. The world is silent. And I like it that way.

No cars clogging the roads. No police sirens to make me groan about crimes in the city. No babies to make me cringe at their loud wailing. No text messages to interrupt my music time. No getting called to do the dishes, or to do the cat's litter. No more t.v blaring from the other room. And most of all, nothing to make noise. It's just so silent. I feel at peace.

But, that only lasts so long. The moans and groans of the dead as they shuffle by in two's and three's. The dogs barking for their owners to feed them fill the air, or at the dead as they come near them. But. It's the sound of silence that deafens those sounds. I can read and write in silence, nothing to distract me. I am safe in my little apartment here in Atlanta. Safe and sound, happily writing away on a pad of paper. Guess the world forgot about me.

I was awake the day the city went dark, most had left by then. And I was awake when someone rode into town on a horse. It was a stupid move, as I watch from my window I can tell they weren't expecting the city to be this deserted. Most have been from out of town. He's gone under the tank now, his horse is dead. Gone, just like the rest of the world. Funny. I always assumed the police were dead.

I sit and wait for a few minutes just watching the tank. My radio crackles and a voice comes through.

"Hey you, Dumb-ass. Hey, you in the tank. Cozy in there?"

Almost immediately I know that I would have to leave soon. If there was more than one person here then it would only be a matter of time before the food would start to deplete. I guess I should start to pack up. I stuff my food and pots and pans into a duffel bag and sling it over my shoulder. The rest I can just bring it down in another two trips.

I had a working cargo van sitting at the bottom on the fire escape I was currently going down. I blocked off the alley way so I'd be able to move to the van without being swarmed. I unlocked the back doors after jumping down the remaining 5ft. and threw the pack in. I left the doors open and then got back onto the fire escape. I only had to run up 6 flights of stairs before I got to the apartment. A few shots rang out and I had to assume that any of the dead that heard the shots would be heading there, leaving the streets open for me to move the bus out of the way without much trouble.

Lucky for me.

As I expected, it took two more trips to grab all the stuff I had down to the van. The extra fuel cans I had laying around were shoved into the middle of the van and I locked it back up. Now, to move the bus. Simple. Nice and quick. I had it moved and was almost to the van when I started to hear this blaring car alarm moving closer to where I was.

"Are you kidding me?" The first words I'd spoke in months and oh god did it sound horrible. My voice was hoarse from not speaking and I almost jumped in fright at the sound of my voice. I hadn't heard it in a long time. Speaking of things I haven't heard in awhile, that car alarm was headed right in my direction. I turned and fled to the van, almost ripping the door off when I flung it open and threw myself into the driver's seat.

I took off out of the alley way and just about rammed into a red mustang with the horn blaring. A huge horde of the dead was right on it's tail. I back up slightly and it sped off, a hand hanging out the window waving me after it. Might as well follow it. I drive after the mustang and after a while it whips by a moving van leaving the city. I roll my eyes, great. People.

After what seems like an hour we all drive up to a quarry. There is a little camp set up with people milling about. They all turn around and move forwards when the cars pull up. I turn the van off and move into the back. I better prep my knives and hide my guns before I make an appearance. I take a deep breath and open the back door, taking the first steps outside the van and towards the camp. But not before closing and locking the van up.

"She nearly ran into the car. She came out of an alleyway that I swear had a bus in front if it." The guy I nearly hit with the van, I caught a glimpse of him, is speaking and gesturing towards me and the van. I stop walking when I am standing just in front of the van. I guess I look a little different than what they are used to because I look healthy and clean. I took a shower/bath everyday, the water was still running in the city for a while. No one bothered to shut if off, along with power. But I had a bunch of batteries and a flashlights for when it did. Along with 6 jugs of water.

"Who is she?"

"Was she in the city the whole time?"

"How did she survive?"

"Is she bit?"

"She looks clean, is there still running water in the cities?"

"Are there other survivors?"

"Is she part of the army?"

So many questions...

"Where's Merle?"

Silence.

Oh dear...

A small group, the same that came back from the city minus me, stood off to one side speaking while an older man walked over to me. I hadn't moved from where I was, I stood there just watching people move about doing whatever it is was they were before we arrived. He had a rifle, by the look of it though I didn't know one gun from the other; just that they worked, slung over his shoulder and a fishing hat on his head. He smiled at me when he got closer.

"Hey there. Glenn said he ran into you, well almost did." He sounded like my grandpa. Not that I didn't like my grandpa, I loved him, he just sounded like him. I didn't think it would be a good idea to speak. I didn't know these people and I sure as hell wasn't about to start running my mouth and getting killed by it. So, I nodded.

"Well, there was talk about letting you into the group, among other things. Though I doubt Daryl would really care if someone joined or not. And as for Merle.. Well we don't know anything at this point. Would you join us for dinner? The ladies are making soup tonight." He smiled more and waited for my answer. Join them for dinner? Um... Free food? That I don't need to make? Meh, what the hell.

I nodded again and he put his hand on my shoulder, dropping it when I tensed and moved away when he did. Human contact was never my fortè. I shied away from that kind of thing. Never liked to be touchy with people. I just don't like it when people touch me.

He seemed to notice that and gave a sad smile.

"Come on and meet the group. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to meet you." Oh boy... Friendly people. Just what a girl who chooses not to be around people needed. He waited for me before I sighed and started walking towards civilization.

The first one to greet me was a taller man with a head of curly dark brown hair.

"Names Shane. Shane Walsh." He stuck his hand out for me to shake and I cringed. He narrowed his eyes at that and dropped his hand.

"You got a name?" He asked. Of course I do. It's... It's... Oh fuck me sideways and call me June. I forgot my own name. How the hell do you forget your own name? Guess I spent too much time alone. I opened my mouth but quickly closed it and shook my head. He put his hand on his hips.

"You forget your own name? How the hell do you for-"

"Shane!"

Oh boy... Cut off by a woman. A very angry looking woman.

"What Lori?" He snapped and turned his body away from me. I let out a breath and rolled my eyes. The lady, Lori, caught the movement and her anger dissipated.

"There's no need to be angry. Give the girl some space... She... Tired..." Girl... She called me girl... Like, a little girl. I am a woman thank you very much. I tuned out the rest and I focused on the one word. The word swirled around in my mind before I was snapped back into reality by a voice.

"Hey." His voice was rough but gentle. A man in a police uniform was standing near me. I thought it was kinda funny that a man would still be wearing a nice and clean cop outfit in this kind of world. I almost laughed but held it back. I looked at him to show I was listening.

"My names Rick Grimes. It's nice to meet you. I hear you'll be joining us for dinner? Maybe you can tell me about what happened in Atlanta?" He had a southern drawl. It wasn't overly southern, but just enough to know where he was from. In fact they all did. Or at least most of them. The most I gave him was a small smile and a shrug. Still didn't know these people so I wasn't about to open my mouth and speak.

So I will remain silent.