CHAPTER ONE

"Terror made me cruel…"

Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

She was quick and silent, hardly more than a shadow as she darted across the street, swerving to avoid one of the stumbling, undead bastards. She paused only for a moment to sink the blade of her knife deep into it's skull, jerking it out with one swift movement before continuing on her way without looking back again.

Once upon a time, the geek had been a living, breathing woman. She might even have been pretty, when she was still alive, but now she was nothing more than a reeking, dead carcass on the ground. She had died twice now, but luckily she would not have to die again.

The young woman dashed down an alleyway, adjusting the bag she wore on her shoulder as she moved, dark eyes always observing her surroundings. Her hunting knife was held aloft, ready to be used to defend herself, and across her back was a bow and a quiver of arrows. That silent means of taking out geeks from a distance was one of the reasons Glenn allowed her to come trips into the city without too much argument. Using a gun on the streets of Atlanta might as well have been a death sentence now, with the sheer amount of walkers inhabiting the streets of the city and while a knife could be used to take out a small group of walkers up close, taking care of them from farther away was still the safer, preferred method.

Cordelia Dixon turned a corner, tensing as she prepared herself to potentially have to defend herself, but this alley was empty just like the one before it, and Cordy allowed herself to relax slightly. She wasn't worried about the walkers, those she could handle. What she couldn't handle was another goddamned lecture if they made it back to camp late that evening, and with any luck, Glenn would already be waiting for her with a bag full of supplies. The longer they stayed at the quarry, the more frequent their trips into the city were becoming. They needed food and clothes and weapons, and everyone back at camp was depending on Glenn and Cordy to get those things for them. Well, they partially depended on Daryl's hunting abilities. Nobody could ever say that the Dixons didn't pull their own weight. Or, more specifically, that two-thirds of the Dixons didn't pull their own weight. Merle was a notoriously lazy bastard, and if it weren't for his two younger siblings, Cordelia had no doubt that they would have kicked his ass out already.

In the alley ahead of her was an old chain link fence, the sign that Cordy was getting close to the rendezvous point, a mostly empty parking lot that they preferred because it was easy access in and out of the city. With a grin she ducked down, pulling part of the fence away from the frame so she could slip carefully through. The car that she and Glenn had drove into the city that morning was parked at the very end of the alley, around the corner. A quick glance at the sun, descending lazily across the sky, was enough for Cordelia to know that if Glenn was not already waiting on her, she could only hang around for him for about a half hour before she needed to leave. The city was dangerous enough during the day, but at night it would be even worse.

She stepped back out into the open, instinctively looking around for any walkers before starting for the car at a brisk pace. It was an unassuming vehicle, an old gray tahoe that they had acquired on their first trip into the city. Already, she could see Glenn's dark silhouette sitting in the driver's seat, peering anxiously through the windshield. When they had first started making these trips together, Cordy and Glenn had tried sticking together, and to be fair sometimes they still did, but most of the time now, they decided to divide and conquer. Both of them were smart enough and capable enough to survive in the city on their own, after all. She reached the passenger side door and tapped gently on the window to catch his attention, before opening the back door and heaving her bag and bow and quiver inside. A moment later she was settling herself in the front seat, retrieving one of the bottles of water she had stored in the glove box that morning and taking a long swig.

"Am I late?" She asked finally, with a wry grin.

"I was getting ready to leave you here." Glenn said simply.

Cordy rolled her eyes. "No you weren't," she said, matter-of-factly. "You know my brothers would kill you, if you did that. Speaking of, if we aren't back at camp soon, they might kill you anyway. Just to make a point."

"Yeah," Glenn replied dryly. "I know.

He turned the keys in the ignition, allowing the car to hum to life, before putting it in drive, maneuvering onto the street that would lead them out of the city with ease.

It was not a particularly long drive to the quarry, but it was still enough time to relax, and so Cordy reached down to tug off her boots and socks before rolling down her window and leaning her seat back. She propped her feet up on the dash, letting out a content sound as a rush of air swept over her. Georgia was hot as hell, there was no denying that, and it only seemed to be hotter in the city, with heat rising right up off of the asphalt. It certainly smelled worse in the city, that was for sure.

"It's hot as balls." Cordelia announced, reaching up to swipe a hand over her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had collected there. "When we get back to camp, I might just go jump in the water to cool off. You know, assuming they don't have a million and one chores waiting for us when we get back."

"With that sort of attitude, they'll think you're lazy," Glenn grinned as she rolled her eyes, huffing slightly.

"They can kiss my ass."

"That sounds like something Merle or Daryl would say." Her companion pointed out, just as they were leaving the last of the buildings behind.

"Us Dixons are known for our pleasant personalities." She told him matter-of-factly. She liked these trips with Glenn. For one thing, they got her out of camp, which could feel absolutely stifling at times. Besides that, Glenn was nice. She got along with him. She liked him. And it was a nice change of pace, being around someone who she didn't feel like she had to look after. Not that she had to look after Daryl but when they returned, Cordy expected Merle would be passed out in his tent, and it would likely fall on her to make sure he was okay.

"Oh!" Cordelia cried out suddenly, twisting around in her seat to unzip her bag to retrieve the bottle of Jack Daniels she had found. "Look." She announced victoriously. "I've needed a drink for weeks."

"With everyone sharing that, it won't be much of a drink." Glenn pointed out. Cordy rolled her eyes.

"This is mine. As if I'd share it with anyone. Well," She added quickly. "I'll share it with you. They can think of it as a finder's fee."

"Trying to get me drunk, Cordy?" He asked.

"With the world gone to shit, I'd like to be a little drunk, wouldn't you?"

"With the world gone to shit, I'd like to be a lot drunk."


As usual, when they returned, the inhabitants of of their little camp gathered around to see what they had collected. Cordelia stood by, leaning against the Tahoe, watching as they went through the contents of the bags. She had already hidden the bottle of Jack in the glove box, deciding to wait until later that night to crack it open. She knew better than to open it up now and, more importantly, Merle could not know or else he would likely steal the bottle and drink it all himself.

She reached up, gathering her thick curtain of dark hair and lifting it off the back of her neck, fanning herself with her free hand. It really was hot, and as soon as they were done she was tempted to just shuck off her clothes and go running into the lake.

From across camp, she could see her brothers lurking outside their shared tent, Daryl cleaning his crossbow and Merle smoking a cigarette, taking long drags and blowing smoke rings into the air. Cordy had found a couple of packs of cigarettes for her brothers in the city, but with the rate that Merle went through them, they likely wouldn't last for very long. Merle was not particularly good at rationing.

"Oh, actual cans of soup!" Amy exclaimed excitedly, pulling the cans of chicken noodle that Cordelia had found out and displaying them happily for her sister to see. Amy was eager about...well, mostly everything, even after the world had basically ended. She was so unlike her sister, in that sense, because Andrea was mostly very serious.

"I don't know about y'all, but I'm tired of beans." Cordy drawled. "There's some Slim Jims in there too."

"Daryl mentioned something about going on a hunting trip tomorrow." Dale mentioned offhandedly as he reached into the bag to pull out a box of Irish Spring soap. "Are you going to go with him?" He was an oldest member of their little camp and always wore an ugly ass bucket hat spent most of his time keeping wat

Cordy hesitated, exchanging a look with Glenn. He had mentioned briefly going back into the city the next day to try and scavenge in the downtown area. "Probably not," she said finally. "Supposed to head back into the city tomorrow."

From the corner of her eye, Cordy could see Daryl's head snap up, eyes narrowing slightly in her direction. Her brothers did not like when she went into the city, especially Daryl. Despite the fact that she was clearly not a little girl anymore, those overprotective instincts never went away.

"We're going to try a different part of the city." Glenn explained quickly. "See if we can find anything useful there."

"How's it lookin' in the city?" Shane asked, as he approached, gaze shifting between Cordelia and Glenn. It was Cordy who answered, pushing off from the vehicle to start heading over to her brothers. "About the same as yesterday." She replied. "And the day before that. And the day before that."

She didn't pause to wait for a reaction from any of them, continuing over to the area she and her brothers had claimed as theirs. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a new pack of cigarettes just as she reached them, tossing them into Merle's lap. "Maybe you could try practicing some self control with this pack." She suggested, taking the empty lawn chair and crossing one leg over the other. "You know, instead of smoking them all in one day."

"You're goin' back out again, tomorrow?" Daryl growled, barely sparing her a glance. He didn't need to though, for Cordelia to tell that he was annoyed by the whole thing. She could hear it all in his voice.

"We need supplies." She pointed out, leaning back and stifling a yawn.

"The Chinese kid can go an' get 'em." Daryl pointed out, huffing slightly. Cordelia snorted, shaking her head slightly.

"He ain't Chinese. He's Korean." She corrected.

"Who the hell cares." Merle interjected, making her roll her eyes. "Once again, big brother, you exhibit your mastery of tact." She told him. She was starting to regret ever coming over here at all.

"You should stay. Come hunting with me, tomorrow." Daryl said, ignoring her exchange with Merle.

"Nah. You can hunt just fine on your own. Glenn needs me to cover his ass. Besides, how the hell else am I gonna keep our dear brother supplied with smokes if I don't go get them myself?"


It was dark when Cordelia finally made her way down to the water, the bottle of Jack in one hand and her bag of toiletries in the other, a towel and fresh clothes thrown over her shoulder. Even with the sun down, it was uncomfortably muggy and Cordy found herself thinking longingly of the clear blue water.

It was their only source of water, but lucky for them there were fish and it was large enough that there were no worries about running out. As she grew nearer to the water, Cordy found herself glancing around, making sure there were no geeks to be seen anywhere.

Her bow was back at the camp, inside her tent, but attached to her belt was her hunting knife, blaringly pink against her otherwise dark apparel. Cordelia could still remember the look on Daryl's face when she had picked it out, pointing at where it lay behind glass, amongst all the other cold, deadly metal. It had stood out then as it stood out now, starkly as if it didn't belong in a world like this. But Cordelia liked pink, it had always been her favorite color, and she had become resigned to the fact that she just had to accept the little joys, like keeping her pink hunting knife, or finding her favorite shampoo and conditioner in the city.

She reached the edge of the water and pulled her shirt off, dropping the dark fabric on the rocks at her feet. Tomorrow, hopefully, they would get lost along with all the other clothes at camp. Cordelia really hated washing clothes. Her boots were kicked off, and a moment later the rest of her clothes joined her shirt. Leaning down, Cordelia spread everything she would need out before stepping into the water. It was an instant relief from the muggy Georgia night, and without hesitation, Cordy stepped into the water the rest of the way, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

First, she would enjoy the cool water and wash off, and then she would enjoy a drink before returning to the responsibility of camp.

"Cordy!" A voice called gently from the darkness, making her whip around to face the way she had come, sinking low into the water so that she was mostly submerged. A dark shape was making it's way down the path, stumbling occasionally and she couldn't help but smile. She didn't need to be able to see him to know that it was Glenn.

"Here to take a bath too, Glenn?" She asked, before tilting her head back to wet her hair.

"Shit!" Glenn had gotten nearer, enough that Cordy could vaguely make out his face in the darkness, and it seemed he had finally caught sight of her before he immediately turned on his heel, facing away. "I didn't know you were-"

"Bathing?" She offered with a small grin, swimming closer so she could grab her bottle of shampoo.

"Naked." He replied.. "Sorry. I just...saw you headed down here and didn't think you should be out here alone."

"So you followed to make sure I was safe? My hero."

"So I followed to make sure you had someone to watch your back." He corrected, making her grin.

"Well since you're here, would you also like to wash my back?" He groaned, making her laugh lightly as she lathered the shampoo into her thick hair, the scent of coconut filling the air around her.

"Lucky you're here. I was going to open that bottle of Jack when I got done. Care to join? In the drinking, not the bathing."

"You came out here to get drunk?" Glenn asked incredulously, making her snort.

"And to get clean. I felt like I had about 5 layers of sweat and grime on me." Tilting her head back, she ran her fingers through her hair, working to get all the shampoo out of it, before straightening up and moving to grab her conditioner, repeating the process. "Give me a minute and I'll finish up, then we can enjoy a nice, stiff drink."

"Do your brothers know you're out here drinking?"

She scoffed. "My brothers don't need to know everything I do, and I don't ask them for permission. I'm a grown ass woman, thank you very much."

Cordelia finished washing quickly before getting out and drying off, getting dressed in the fresh clothes. Without electricity and the convenience of a washing machine, they had to resort to hand-washing everything, but even so, the clothes felt heavenly compared to the last ones.

"You can turn around now." Cordy told him, stooping down to gather her dirty clothes in a bundle, before beginning to towel dry her hair.

He peeked over his shoulder at first, almost hesitantly, before turning to face her. Cordelia straightened up, grabbing the bottle of Jack in one hand and extending it towards Glenn. "I'll give you the first drink." She offered graciously, earning a grin.

"Really?" He asked, reaching forward to accept the bottle, wrapping slim fingers around the neck of it. "You'll do that for me?"

"Us Dixons are known for our giving attitudes." She said with a wink, earning a snort of contempt in response.

Walking over to perch herself on a rather large, flat rock, Cordelia patted the spot next to her which he took immediately, unscrewing the lid and taking a quick swig. He immediately began to cough, making her laugh again.

"Don't have much experience drinkin', huh?" She asked, reaching out to take the bottle from him. She immediately tilted it back, taking a long drink. Glenn's eyes were on her, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth as she clearly showed off the fact that she could handle the strong taste.

"Not much experience with whiskey, no." He agreed, accepting the bottle back once she held it out to him. "I mostly stick to-"

"Beer?" Cordelia asked, earning a nod. She grinned. "Figured. You haven't had much experience with the good stuff. I'll educate you yet, Glenn Rhee."

He didn't respond, eying the bottle in his hand, before tilting it back and taking a much small drink than before. Cordelia watched with an amused expression, brows raised and he swallowed and smacked his lips thoughtfully.

"It's not bad," he consented. "It'll just take some getting used to."

"Next time I'll look for some pretty fruity drink for you, darlin'." She teased, leaning over him to grab to bottle, taking it back. "Just tell me you appreciate me letting you drink with me before I start to feel like it was a complete waste of booze."

"I appreciate it, Cordy." Glenn told her sincerely, as she took a long drink. "I really do."


Daryl Dixon had only seen his baby sister drunk once, and that had been a disaster of such epic proportions, that Cordy was in no hurry for it to happen again.

In her defense, she had no expected Daryl to react in quite the manner he had. She had, after all, grown up seeing their no good brother drunk off his ass more times than she could count, so why in the hell should Cordelia have expected that she would be any different. As it turned out, she was in a big way and there was no way she could have prepared herself for the way Daryl had reacted.

By that point, she had been sixteen years old, just another no-good Dixon in the small town that they called home. Their dad was dead by then and her mom had run off to God only knew where, leaving Cordelia behind when she had been very small.

She had been out at a party with some friends of hers from school, drinking and smoking pot before sneaking home to their double-wide in the early hours of the morning, creeping in through the front door to find Daryl sitting there, waiting for her in the darkness. She hadn't expected him to care. Boy, had he been wrong.

He didn't yell at her, didn't explode like Merle did. He knew better than to yell, had decided to do better than their good-for-nothing daddy ever did. But it was his quiet disappointment that had stung, the look in his eyes as he examined her before shaking his head. He had told her that she could do better than them, was meant to do better than them, and that she shouldn't be throwing it all away. And then he had turned and walked down the hallway to his room, and Cordelia had bawled like a baby.

It was an experience that had stuck with her, even now, and as she and Glenn staggered drunkenly back up to camp, she had enough good sense to decide that Daryl didn't need to see her drunk now. She leaned heavily against her friend, having drunk far more of the whiskey than was sensible and pressed a hand to her forehead.

"I'm drunk." She said, decisively. "I am definitely drunk."

"So I gotta ask...why the pink knife." Glenn asked suddenly, tapping the belt where it was secured. Cordelia paused, looking down at her knife before smiling slowly.

"Because it's my favorite color." She told him simply. "And because, in a world gone to shit, we gotta enjoy the little things, you know?"

"Yeah…" Glenn blinked blearily before looking around at the mostly silent camp. Her tent was far on the other side and a real gentlemen would help her get there.

"Wanna bunk out in the RV tonight?" Cordelia asked. "It'll be like a slumber party."

"You two alright?" Dale called from the top of the RV where he was keeping watch. He peered down at them curiously, rifle slung across his lap.

"Shhhh." Cordelia held a finger to her lips before falling into a fit of giggles. "We're drunk." She told him.

"Lord, that was real smart of you." Dale commented sarcastically.

"Don't want Daryl to know." Cordelia said, starting towards the RV and dragging Glenn with her. "Can we have a slumber party in the RV?"

"Little old for a slumber party, aren't you?" Dale asked, amusement in his voice. "Do I need to worry about pillow fights?"

"What?" Cordelia asked incredulously. "No. Don't be silly, Dale." She rolled her eyes, huffing slightly, before opening the door to the RV and disappearing inside, Glenn trailing inside after her.

She flopped down in the nearest seat, closing her eyes and pressing her fingers to her temple as the world tilted dangerously around her. Glenn sat across from her, blinking blearily through the darkness before leaning back.

"I'm going to sleep." He announced, Cordelia nodding wordlessly in agreement as she leaned forward, using her arms as a pillow against the table.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, there you have it. I'm attempting a TWD fanfic again and I must say, so far I love Cordelia as a character. You guys should definitely let me know what you think!