Hey guys! Long time, no see~
Today, I'm doing something a little differently than my usual stories. Today, I will be writing a reverse harem!
Wait! Don't leave!
Hahaha, I promise I have a good reason behind doing this! You see, I'm thinking about making a zombie survival dating sim, and what better source to draw inspiration from than The Drama-Drama Zombie flick brimming with desireable men that is The Walking Dead~? Here, you'll have your pick between the hunky dad that leads the pack, Rick Grimes; the rebellious outsider with the kind heart, Daryl Dixon; or the young, cute nerdy boy, Glenn Rhee.
Ok, so, you won't get to do a whole lot of "picking" in this version, but you will get to help me out in choosing who our protagonist ends up with! Just vote in the comments who you would like our main character to spend her time with in the next episode! The guy that gets the most votes will be featured in the following chapter, and each event will add affection points for that character; by the end of the series, the guy with the highest affection level will win our protagonist's heart!
Some things to keep in mind: this doesn't really follow anything in TWD timeline. It is an AU story, and some characters may have different fates and ages than in the series. To help make this work... (Like, I might add an aged up Carl as an option? Idk. I'll let the readers decide! I'm... probably gonna age up Carl anyway... just in case P: ).
The locations used will be (mostly) fictional, and likely won't be places that have appeared in the show. I want to make this as original as possible, with new locations and events.
I don't particularly like reader-insert stories as it kills the immersion for me, so I'm giving the protagonist a name, personality, backstory, all that jazz; though, I'll try to make it easy to put yourself in her shoes, I don't want a drab, boring main character. I've found first person accomplishes this better than any other writing style, so I'll be sticking (almost exclusively) with that.
There will be only one ending to this story, which all you lovely readers will help us achieve. The game, however, will have branching paths and multiple endings differing from the path our protagonist takes here. (Hell, I might even add character customization.. That takes a lot, though. I'd like to stick to basics for the game atm; I want to build something that works first and then add on to it, and not overwhelm myself with such details...) But I digress!
The Walking Dead and all it's glorious manbabes belong to their respective owners, disclaimer, disclaimer, etc.
Ok, I think I got everything. Now that all that crap is outta the way - boom! Let's do this!
I couldn't remember how it all began. Walking down the highway, the sun glaring down on me. Burning my sensitive skin. I squint my eyes against the rays of light, my feet dragging along as I force my body to continue on.
How long have I been wondering like this? Has it only been a few days now? Or have they stretched into weeks; months? Time just seemed to have blurred together, ever since I woke up amongst the pile of rubble and corpses. Miraculously, I was mostly unharmed; aside from a few scrapes and bruises that were already fading, erasing the past.
I couldn't recall how I had ended up there, surrounded by destroyed buildings in the middle of nowhere, but I didn't have time to dwell. The past held little value now; survival was all that mattered. When the corpses began to rise around me, only incoherent words of growls and gargles able to pass their pale lips, I fled. I ran, and I haven't looked back since.
My feet ached, and my stomach let out a low rumble. I hadn't eaten anything of sustenance in days; just little things that I managed to scavenge in the forest. Grass and tree bark were hard to survive on, and there wasn't much else.
I paused as I heard a loud caw, turning to the source of the noise. The reflexive instinct had my eyes meeting with a black bird. It was perched on a large bush, riddled with colorful berries. The bush was so inviting, sitting at the edge of the forest. I took a step off the road, my feet carrying me of their own will toward the plant. My stomach grew louder as I approached, scaring away the bird that had been scavenging the fruit.
They looked so delectable, the purple orbs glistening from the rains that had fallen earlier that morning. I reached out and plucked one from the cluster. The reddened stem faught the assult to its fruit, bending with it until the berry popped off, and I drew it closer to my face to examine the food. It looked harmless enough. Almost like a grape. A quick sniff of the purple ball gave me no definitive results; it didn't have much of a scent to it. With slight reservation, I rubbed the berry gently against my sleeve and popped it into my mouth.
As my teeth crushed the item, juices squirted out and assulted every crevice of my mouth. I grimaced slightly at the at the taste. It had a slight tang to it, bitter mixing with a mild sweetness. Not bad. It sure beat chewing on grass like a cow. I swallowed the berry, the small amount only causing my hunger to grow. I grabbed another, my hungry stomach deeming them safe, and before I knew it, I had nearly picked the bundle clean. I stopped myself from eating more, my stomach seeming to protest with a gurgle. I pat my midsection absently, closing my eyes as the food settled. It was enough to curb the hunger, at least.
I wrapped up a few bundles of the grape-like berries into a bandana, stuffing them into my satchel for a later date. It wouldn't do any good to eat it all now, but they would make a good snack once the hunger settled back in. With the new food supply, I continued on, my new destination in the thicket of the forest.
The trees provided a nice shield from the harsh rays of the sun. My arms were already turning red again. I managed a slight tan in the passed days I had been traveling, but I still hadn't completely adjusted to constant exposure to sunlight. I sighed and shook my head, wondering absently how long it had been since I had spent any time outside, before this whole epidemic. I must have been a bit of a shut in - not that I could remember. That was definitely changing now, though; the thought filled me with a strange exhilaration rather than dread.
A twig snapping drew me from my musings, and I instantly jumped to attention. I froze, straining my ears for another sound, eyes darting wildly around. I heard the leaves rustle in the gentle breeze. The birds had grown silent. It felt as though the forest had just died. I dared not breath.
A rustle sounded from behind me, and I turned slowly; silently. I felt the sweat drip down my brow as my eyes stared into the unknown. My heart pounded in my chest. The bushes began to rustle violently; my breath hitched in my throat. It was coming.
I braced myself, taking a step back. In a flash, it leapt out, aimed right at me. I panicked. Stumbled backward. My foot caught on something and I tumbled down.
No! I wouldn't die like this! I shuffled backwards, head spinning with the adrenaline to survive. My vision blurred momentarily. A soft squeak managed to snap be back to reality.
I barely caught a glimpse of brown as it darted passed. It barely avoided collision with me, and it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. I breathed out a sigh, not realizing I had been holding it in.
A rabbit. I felt rather silly, having lost my cool over a little bunny scurrying by. I pushed myself up, but my arms gave out on me. My heart was still pounding against the confines of my ribcage. Was I that startled?
As if to answer my question, my stomach made a horribly loud noise. I grabbed at my abdomen, doubling over in pain. My intestines felt as though they were twisting and winding inside my body, an overwhelming force pushing something up. I managed to push it back down. The bush in front of me rustled once more, and my head shot up. My stomach tied in knots, and I shuffled away desperately from the noise.
Hide. I had to hide. I managed to push myself up, enough to crawl away. My vision blurred as I moved, and I reached desperately for a guide. A wave of pain hit me like a brick, and my body gave out on me again.
Growling met my ears as I writhed in pain. Tears filled my eyes at the impending doom. I couldn't die like this. Why did I eat those damn berries!?
I reached out as the wave of pain subsided, my fingers wrapping around a branch that lay on the ground. This would have to do. I managed to push myself to my feet, hands shaking as I clenched the branch. My legs wobbled at the strain, and my vision began to fade once more.
Despite that, I could see it. It used to be a man. A business man. It's once pressed suit was dirty and torn. A nasty wound festered on the base of his neck, the blood long dried, caking the shoulder and chest of the clothing. His hair was missing in clumps, his face distorted and rotted, and his eyes colored milky white, staring ahead soullessly.
It stumbled closer to me, and I fought off the wave of nausea that built in my chest. I closed my eyes, my vision all but useless at this point, and swung wildly. My hands vibrated from the shock that traveled up the stick with a resounding thwack. I swung again, as hard as I could muster. The beast groaned at the impact its body falling to the ground. I opened my eyes, glaring down at the monster. Its skull was deformed now, along with its arm twisting in an unnatural position. I held my breath for several moments as I stared the creature down, but it did not move.
I exhaled and backed away from the still corpse, leaning back against a tree. I couldn't hold it any longer. Doubling over, I spilt the contents of my stomach onto the ground before me. My legs grew weak, and I slid down into a crouch. Again, the vile built. Wave after wave. I felt like I was dying; but this was for the best, right? I needed to get all the toxins out of my body as quickly as possible.
I coughed as the flow began to stop, spitting out the vile taste from my mouth.
I really wish I hadn't drank the last of my water this morning. The taste lingered as I slowly pushed myself back up, grabbing the tree for support. The smells didn't help either. I wiped my mouth, carefully pushing away from the tree; away from the rotting body all to near.
I stumbled, catching myself on another tree trunk. I couldn't stay out in the open like this. It wasn't safe. I looked up; could I muster up enough strength to climb into the safety of the trees? It wouldn't be the first time I had passed out while clinging to a branch. And the chances of finding some kind of shelter on foot were slim. Guess I had little choice.
I swallowed what little saliva I could build in my mouth, trying to muster my strength. Another noise drew my attention, my body growing tense. I didn't have time to rest. I scrambled up the tree, managing to get a hold on a lower hanging branch. I tugged myself upward as the muffled growls grew louder, sweat dripping down my face at the strain.
My arms began to shake, legs kicking desperately against the bark. I managed to pull myself onto the first branch, breath ragged and burning with every sharp inhale. I heave myself up onto my feet, legs wobbling as I stare down. Another monster appears from the thicket. Two more from the opposite direction. And one more from another area. I was all but surrounded. The branch I stood atop was too low to be safe; they could easily pull me down from here, considering that even with their lazily slumped posture the creatures towered over me.
I looked up once more, heart pounding at the oncoming threat. I reached for another branch, sweaty palms making it difficult to get a good grip on the smooth wood. I managed to pull myself up one more level, laying flat against a branch and securing my arms and legs around it for extra measure.
My heart wouldn't slow as I watched the monsters stumble around below me. My eyes grew heavy as I waited for them to depart. I felt like puking again, but I held it in, pressing my warm cheek against the branch.
Crack. I tensed, clenching the branch tighter as it curved a little under my weight. Not good. I tried to push myself up slowly, but the branch dipped further as I did. My breath caught in my throat as milkey white eyes shot in my direction. Hungry growls erupted from the small hoard below. Another crack sounded. I couldn't breathe.
With a final snap, the branch gave under my weight. I screamed as I fell, my body colliding painfully with the ground below. I tried to scramble to my feet, but my body refused to cooperate with me. Coughs escaped, ripping their way out of my chest until I was choking.
I still couldn not bring myself to surrender to the impending death. I scrambled pathetically away from the nearest threat, tears threatening to flood my vision as it was swallowed by darkness. A boot stepped into my view, and I strained my neck to follow up the connected leg. Rips and tears littered the dirty fabric covering the limb. A whoosh sounded, and the last noise I recall hearing before my conciousness slipped away was a gargled growl and a thud. Then, everything disappeared around me.
Whoop, chapter 1 done~!
Here comes the first vote! Name our protagonist!
Now, I do have a name in mind, if I end up not getting any comments, or if the name is too ridiculous to bring myself to name her (like... Buttface or something... ;w; )
I'll leave a few suggestions here to vote on, but feel free to suggest your own! If you see something in the coments you like, be sure to vote for that; it's more likely to be picked if more people want it~ Anyway, here are some names I have in mind. Don't forget to review and place your vote~
1. Kayton
2. Ray
3. Sammy