DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

The sky above seemed the same. It always did, maybe a little clearer now. But the stars shone brightly and it made the world seem familiar. She remembered the same sky above her tent in her back yard as a child, the same as when she'd wrecked her first car then the first time her band had played their first sold out stage in Texas. It had been raining all day, but cleared up right before they went on. Thousands of faces and arms waving in the open night air. She remembered the humid air making her skin sticky and her shirt feeling like a second skin.

She'd been 16. She had been discovered online, immediately signed and given a band. They toured for a year and right after her 17th birthday she was featured as Rolling Stone's 'Rock's Princess and Your Guiltiest Pleasure'. Her family had went crazy with her wealth and her mom checked into rehab. But she never let it get her down. She made music, toured and posed for controversial photo shoots. She had been the youngest person ever to be in the 'Sexiest' list every celebrity trained up and strived to be on. Her songs known across homes all over the world. She'd been picketed, honored and even kissed babies.
Her band performed for the royals of the UK and made so much money she couldn't spend it all. She had it made. But she'd worked for it. Growing up poor would do that. Of course the world hadn't known that. They seen the edgy records about sex appeal, the leather, glamorous make up and cut low shirts.
But then everything fell to shit. The world died. Well most of it. Zombies. The paranoid kooks had been right. Her family, band, bosses and fans mostly dead. By Gods grace she was alive and had lucked out. It had been a year since everything fell apart.

She was alone and traveling. So nights like tonight, Clara Jax, enjoyed the sky that reminded her of days before. Her legs dangled over the tree limbs as she secured her safety harness she'd found in a sporting goods store. Her back pack and guitar case hidden within bushes, she hunkered down to get some sleep.
Her chest rose and fell under a night sky that made her relax and broke her heart simultaneously. One day, Clara hoped. One day, she'd find people who wouldn't try to dominate or rape her. Who would take her in as a regular person and not see her as a conquest or trophy. Her life on the run had been hard. She'd had to learn so much. How to fend for herself, how to hunt, how to gather…how to kill not only the dead but the living.
Almost 19 years old. Been around the world. Sang in front of millions. Been bathed in diamonds. Now she was in tight torn jeans, hunting boots, plaid shirt and no makeup what so ever. Her mouth turned up in a rueful smile. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

When she woke in the morning, she heard something. It sounded like squirrels or chipmunks maybe. She yawned quietly and looked around. She carefully undid the harness and descended the she landed on her feet, the noise caught her attention again. Her bladder screamed at her as she went behind a bush. Clara groaned as the fall's chill hit her bare bottom.

"Shit!" She hissed as she finished up and gathered her things ready to head out.

Her map showed a small town a few miles out and she hoped to reach it by noon, and that depended on what she encountered along the way. Her water bottle was was running low, so she made a mental note to fill it up at the next stream. An hour or two of walking in silence she hummed and quietly sang to herself. Her hazel eyes trained on the scenery. Clara loved the fall. It reminded her of Thanksgiving and being with her crew on the road.
But soon after she smiled she frowned, everyone was dead. She shook it off and decided to stop to eat a granola bar. It was a blueberry one and it felt good settled in her stomach. Despite the sunshine her body was chilled. She really hoped there was some stuff left somewhere where she could at least find some canned goods and maybe a heavy coat. Clara would like to wash up somewhere out of the weather, too. She knew she had went south months ago, now traipsing around in Georgia.

More hours later she found herself sneaking down back allies in the town she'd been looking for. There was walkers here and there, but nothing she couldn't get around or take care of. There was a general store that had been picked through, but she managed to get a few cans of soup and corn. She grabbed some new socks and bandages. Immediately she stuffed her back pack with what she found and went to walk out when her hackles rose.

It was an engine. Sounded like a car. Her heart raced and fear uncurled in her belly. She feared the living more than the dead. Humans were usually ruthless, but she tried keeping hope for someday finding a home. She ducked behind the counter and became still. She gripped the .38 Special she took off the body of a jealous girlfriend of a past…hiccup. she only had about a dozen bullets left for it in het pocket. Clara breathed in deeply as she heard the voices outside. Male and a female.

She concentrated trying to hear them through the broken glass of the front door. They were talking about a list and something about a baby. Her heart sank. What a world to keep a baby in. She frowned and let her thoughts drift as the couple came into the store, shoes crushing broken glass beneath them.
"Door wasn't broken last week." The woman whispered. Her southern draw colored her words. Then the male spoke up, less of an accent.
"Noticed that. Think someones been here?"

The woman sighed. "I dunno, maybe. Seen those dead walkers around the corner. They were recently killed."

Clara felt her nerves jump and her breath quicken. Shit. She was gonna get made. Slowly and as carefully as possible she crawled towards the back where and exit had to be. The 18 yr old found the barred door and silently hauled her pack onto her back. She slipped out and put her gun into her thigh holster. She took out her machete and had it ready to head back from where she came.

Her boot padded quietly on the pavement until she rounded the corner and was confronted by a group of walkers. Her breath hitched and she skidded to a stop. There was at least a dozen. Clara gripped the handle and her eyes found her guitar case on the other side. She gritted her teeth and slowly stepped back behind the corner of the store. The gargling and groans from the walkers made her hair stand on end. Clara was waiting for the two inside to realize what danger lingered outside. She waited a few moments, still nothing. Frustrated, knowing she couldn't live with herself if a baby starved to death because these two died.

Her hands gripped the gun and pulled it out. The revolver felt heavy as she looked for someplace to perch from while she got everyones attention. The fire escape across the road would work. She took a deep breath and stepped back out. As soon as she aimed her gun at a walkers head, she heard something behind her. Clara spun around and then there was blue eyes looking right into hers. She wanted to scream but he covered her mouth with a callused hand.

"Quiet now, wouldn't wanna make a scene…" His voice was gruff and he spun her around, taking the revolver from her hands. She wanted to fight him but he shh'd her again.

"M'not gonna hurt you girl, my peoples in there. They know what they are doin."

Clara was scared as his hands were still on her, holding her to him in restraint. She seen his hand drop out of sight and felt him put the gun in her holster.

"You can keep that there, understood?" She nodded and he started to pull away, as if he was waiting on her to lash out.

She probably should have. But she kept her eyes straight ahead and felt pissed she'd let him get the on up on her. When her back lost the excess heat she knew he was out of her personal space.

"You alone?" He asked casually as if there wasn't walkers merely 20 odd yards away. Her instinct was to lie, but then she heard the back door opening. Duh. Her cheeks colored and she felt like an idiot. These people weren't idiots, obviously.

"Yeah, for a while now." She kept her eyes glued on the threat in front of her while her other senses kept on the one behind her.

"Killed any people before?" His question threw her off but before she could answer it she heard a crash and the woman gasp. Clara flinched as she knew the woman must have bumped into the stack pallets behind the store.

"Shit!" The man behind her hissed as he took off in other's direction.

Clara watched as the walkers averted towards her and they started groaning and reaching out. She gritted her teeth. She never gets a good break!
Carefully she pulled her machete out and took a deep breath. Her mind wondered where the others were, probably leaving her to deal with this. Whatever. She set her jaw and dropped her pack against the building.

"Alright assholes." She said simply as she gave a good warm up swing and cracked her neck. Her muscles bound up and she sprung.
The first few fell like flies, she kept the swings controlled and close into her body. Then as more rushed her she pushed, pulled, ducked and jumped…trying to avoid any bites. But she wasn't alone for along as she noticed new faces hacking away at the crowd of dead. A pretty brunette with large eyes. She was taller than her, slightly older…but pretty. Then there was an asian guy, ball cap and tee shirt. His face was screwed up while he focused.

She wondered where the other guy was long enough to get pushed into a wall by two walkers. She growled and tried to kick but they had her legs pinned. Clara's eyes watered as something painful went through her thigh. She was dead now. She was bitten.

Her anger pumped adrenaline through her and she pushed them off. Her machete raised and came down hard into a head, then before she could get the other it fell over. Her body shook as she seen the crossbow bolt glistening with walker other two were done and watching her lean against the building. She let tears fall over her cheeks and she made eye contact with the woman. The woman looked at her cautiously. Clara smiled, clearing her throat.

"I'm too scared to look. Is it bad?" She felt the pain in her left thigh burning. Clara felt woozy at the thought of how horrific her leg must be. The woman shook her head and came up to her.

"We can fix it. My dad should be able to patch you right up…"

Clara smiled, now sweating and accepting the womans out stretched hand. "Can't fix a bite…" Before she could finish she heard the woman sigh.

"Sweetheart, Daryl shot you with his crossbow." The brunette eyed her and finally Clara looked down, blanching.

"Oh..damn! That sucks….but I'll take it."

The Asian guy lifted Clara's arm around his shoulders and helped support her weight. "I'll have Daryl get her stuff, lets get her in the car. We need to wrap her thigh."

They worked as a pair to help the hobbling girl over to the car they'd drove into town. She hissed as they laid her down in the back seat. All the adrenaline was out of her system and she was in pain! Her hazel eyes watched them run back and forth, piling stuff into the trunk and waiting on the other guy
to bring on her case and pack.

"So..you guys have somewhere safe?"

Her voice wavered as her head felt light and her body felt more chilled. The other woman slid into the drivers seat and snapped at the other guy, Daryl, about something. She turned as she shut her car door and the Asian guy shut the door at Clara's feet. She seen him a second later climbing into shotgun.
As soon as she had time to wonder where her shooter was she felt her torso being lifted and someone sliding in under her. Her head was starting to spin and she looked up into blue eyes. He looked aggravated. She gave him one in return.

"You shot me, asshole." She had wanted that to sound like a serious accusation, but her voice was weak with blood loss.

Daryl looked down at her and nodded."Yes'm I did. Walker moved las' second."

The woman driver had started talking but Clara could no longer hang on to her coherency. Without protest she passed out in the back of that car.

Thank you for reading. Please comment and let me know what you think.