Esther Lori Grimes was never meant to live in a world where the dead could walk and the living could kill. Seeing as she was raised in a secure home with a vast amount of privileges, she wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention the fact she had lost her father a few months prior to a coma that he, apparently, succumbed to according to Shane who had attempted to rescue him before he ultimately lost his life. She still felt numb to it. She figured if she didn't think about it, she didn't have to feel the pain. But this world didn't hesitate to harm her in other ways. Being the way she was, she has yet to adjust to the atmosphere.
The world was practically gone by now. Civilization was a thing of the past, and now when you came across people, it was either to be their allies or their enemies. Esther always made herself the enemy. It was very hard to like someone like her, a selfish girl with a tendency to whine about simple things. The group she now lived with pretty much just wrote her off as nothing more than an annoying teenage girl. She normally scoffed at that. It wasn't like she was the only one there!
But that would be getting ahead of herself. Jumping the gun was her specialty. If someone wanted to get personal, they'd know Esther was the bastard child of Lori and Rick. Their relationship had always been rather rocky, but everything changed when she came along. Lori had gotten pregnant with her in her senior year of high school, pretty much ensuring the fact they would remain in King's County for good. Rick, being the good man that he is, stayed with Lori. They would not hesitate to show their daughter love, even if she was a complete accident.
She was born about a month after graduation, and Rick had been working odd jobs before the sheriff's department took him in as an officer. Lori never worked. She had become something of a housewife, taking Esther and raising her to be just like her mother. A few years later, when they were somewhat comfortable in a clean home with an average atmosphere, her parents decided to have Carl. Esther much preferred the only child life, but deep down she did love her pest of a brother.
Soon enough, her father was the sheriff, her mother a complete socialite with the other moms, Carl enjoying life as a kid, and Esther herself surrounding herself with books rather than friends. Truth be told, the only real friend she had started out as a mortal enemy just because her father forced her to befriend Esther in the first place. Annabelle Walsh was the complete opposite of Esther. She was pretty, popular, dated the golden boy of their local high school, and had a bright future ahead of her. Her father also happened to be Rick's partner at the department.
When Rick expressed concerns for his daughter's lack of a social life, Shane wanted to help his friend and honorary niece by forcing his only daughter to go and attempt to be Esther's companion. At first, it had been agony. The girls constantly argued, and it was very obvious Anna was embarrassed by Esther, but soon the humiliation went away and the girls bonded. They happened to have a lot of stuff in common; plus, it was just meant to be, especially with their fathers being best friends.
When one looked at Anna, they didn't see Shane. While Esther wasn't born so innocently, Anna had been the result of a one night stand gone awry. The woman had returned after nine months with Anna in her arms and basically just dumped her on Shane before leaving. She hasn't been seen since. Esther wasn't even sure that Anna even knows what her mother looks like. According to Shane, they could've been twins. Anna had pale skin with a heart shaped face. Her eyes were a dark green and almond shaped while her hair was a light blonde that flowed perfectly down her shoulders. She had a fair frame with muscles lining her biceps and thighs from spending all her time on the cheerleading squad.
Anyway, besides all of that mess, Esther pretty much had the perfect life. She was going to attend Yale, with honors, and she was going to leave once and for all to a much better state with an excellent job to show that she made it. Unfortunately, when things went wrong for the Grimes family, it started with her father being shot. Esther had found out about it during school when her counselor called her out after receiving the news. Esther had been devastated.
She loved her father. He didn't care that she wasn't much of a social butterfly with several friends. He didn't mind she'd rather spend her time studying than going out to parties. He always understood her when her mother didn't. He didn't even die; he had been in a coma. He was stuck in that damned hospital for several months until the outbreak happened and Shane and Anna suddenly showed up at their house, the cruiser apparently full to the brim with their belongings.
Shane ordered them to get their things so they could get the hell out of there. According to someone from the station, Atlanta was a safe haven. That's where they needed to go if they wanted to survive this thing. After all, it would die down in a couple of weeks, right? Without much of a choice, the family grabbed as many things as they could and squeezed into the tiny cruiser. Anna and Esther clasped their hands tightly together.
They would make a pitstop at the hospital, however. They weren't going to leave without Esther's father. That wasn't even option. Shane had went inside, but he came back alone. All it took was a look to send Lori, Esther, and Carl into hysterics. Rick didn't survive. He was gone. That was it. The drive to Atlanta was spent with long sobbing and hiccupping. Esther knew she'd never be the same again. And she wasn't.
Atlanta wasn't safe. What a surprise. Instead of falling in despair, Shane took it upon himself to form a group of some sort. Right now, they were up to several people, but Esther only bothered to know a few. By names, it was herself, Lori, Carl, Shane, Anna, Dale, Andrea, Amy, Morales, T-Dog, Jacqui, Glenn, Carol, Ed, Sophia, and quite possibly the worst family in the entire world.
Esther couldn't understand how she could be one of the most hated people of their mini camp outside of Atlanta when the Dixon siblings existed. You had Merle Dixon, a racist, misogynistic asshole with a vindictive personality that often clashed with Shane. He was broad and very strong. Esther was sure if he and Shane would go head to head, Shane would have his neck broken. The younger brother was Daryl Dixon. He wasn't as cruel as Merle was, but he was still short-tempered. If someone wronged his family, he'd attack. It doesn't matter what the argument was about or whether or not they're in the wrong, he will put harm to anyone that hurts his siblings.
And, finally, there was the youngest sibling. Avery Dixon, the only other teenage girl the camp had with an annoying personality. Unfortunately for this group, they'd have to deal with an entire trio of emotional teenage girls. But Avery Dixon was the worst. She was disgusting, gruesome, and often picked fights with Esther and Anna just for the fun of it. Heaven forbid they go a day without someone's anger flaring up like some kind of disease. Avery and Anna couldn't even defend themselves. If the Dixon brothers were anything, they were definitely protective. Avery always used this to her own advantage.
But that was how she got here, father-less, one friend, and pretty much hated by everyone that wasn't her family. Shane had taken over as leader, sitting them on the outskirts of Atlanta so they could make any necessary runs to gather supplies. It wasn't even comfortable. They slept outside in tents as if they were camping. Esther miserably missed her bed, especially when she tossed and turned throughout the night trying to find a comfortable spot.
She hated the camp. She hated the people. She hated the Dixons. She hated Avery. She hated this world without her father. She hated the fact Shane forced them here. She hated how her mother made no effort to make it better. She hated how her brother bugged her constantly. She hated how her future plans for attending Yale were thwarted. She hated how the dead now walked with the living, threatening to sink their teeth into people and eventually turn them. Esther, at this point, hated being alive.
The day was young. The camp was half empty thanks to the fact that half of their people left to get necessities from the city. Thankfully, Merle had left along with them. If only his siblings would've followed. However, as if answering her silent prayers, Daryl had taken off a day after to go on a hunt. All they had to deal with now was Avery. She was very annoying, but Esther liked dealing with only her rather than the entire trio of Dixons. It was easier on the nerves.
She was helping Anna stitch together old pieces of fabric of her old ripped t-shirts and jeans. Carol had kindly lent some needle and thread to help their process. Anna was freezing at night, and all she wanted was a decent quilt to keep herself and her father warm. The project started with the scraps of clothes that were useless to anyone in the camp. By the time they would be finished, Esther thought, summer would come and the quilt would be basically useless.
Everyone else was doing their own thing. It was rare they got a day off. Survival wasn't a five day job where you get weekends off. Funny enough, Esther didn't even know what day it was anymore. She just tested the seasons by their temperatures. Her mother was helping Amy with the food while Shane stood guard, as per usual. He has been doing an excellent job with all of them. Their little community was thriving, in her opinion. Esther was sure they could spend the rest of the apocalypse here before the government finally figured out how to get rid of the outbreak. There was a cure for everything.
"Ouch! Damn it, Esther, you got my finger," Anna hissed, bringing her left hand to her mouth to suck on her bleeding thumb. Esther winced, biting her lip and looking at the offending needle she had caught her friend's hand with. She had been so buried within her own thoughts. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing, just thinking," Esther sighed, picking up a spare piece of fabric that had been tossed for being too small and handing it to her to cover her new wound. "These days I just go over everything that's happened just to be sure it was all real. I'm sorry." That wasn't a lie. She had to remember her past, her father, and the journey she has taken to get to this point in time. She'd go crazy if she didn't. Unfortunately, she seemed to be the only one. Everyone else easily forgot their lives in order to gear toward their future.
"Can you do that without stabbing me?" Anna huffed, wrapping the fabric tightly before resuming her stitching. "I don't understand you sometimes. I get that you have pretty much given up the future of a lifetime at Yale, but...it's over and done with. As your only friend, I'm gonna give you the tough love: get over it."
"I wasn't just thinking about Yale," Esther scoffed, offended.
"You know what I mean. I'm talking about everything, Esther. You're so in your own head sometimes that you're not even yourself. I think some of the others here are happy about that because that means less tantrums," Anna glanced towards Dale, who was relaxing atop his RV with a book. He was meant to be a lookout, much like Shane. "And I mean that in the nicest way as your friend. Why don't you start venting instead of bottling it up?"
"Because I'm afraid Mom will hear me," she sighed. "She always asks me and Carl before we go to bed if we're okay. It's like she's so worried about whether or not we're good that she'll be absolutely miserable if we're even slightly leaning to being not okay. I don't want her to suffer here because of my own thoughts. That isn't fair."
"Neither is keeping it all in. Look, I get it. You lost your dad-"
"Anna," Esther started warningly.
"-And pretty much gave up everything else because of this stupid outbreak, but it's over. It happened. We're living outside of Atlanta, Georgia in the damn woods with people we hardly know. Even coming from me, it sucks. But I tell my dad everything. You know what he tells me?" Anna leaned forward, pausing her stitching for a moment. "Suck it up and wait for the sun tomorrow."
"What if there is no sun?"
"Then wait for the next one. Hand me another piece of fabric, please," Anna sighed, resuming her ministrations. Esther bit at her bottom lip to suppress a retort, obliging her friend's request and lifting up a patch of what looked to be remnants of a tacky Hawaii shirt. Grimacing, she handed it over and continued with her own work, now mindful of Anna's hands.
"Hey, girls," Amy chirped, approaching with two plastic cups. She bit her lip and held them out. Amy was nice, but she often seemed to try too hard to intervene with their friendship and become part of the group. She was a little older, probably in her late teens-early twenties. But all she had was her sister, Andrea, and she had been part of the group to go into Atlanta. She was probably lonely. "I brought over some lemonade if you're thirsty."
"Thanks, Amy," Anna smiled, taking hers and quickly sipping. Esther didn't grab it right away, instead looking rather stubbornly at Amy as if challenging her. It should've gotten old by now, but the young Grimes couldn't help it. As a girl with little to no friends with only one companion to show for it, it was very easy to become possessive. Annabelle Walsh was her friend. She liked their dynamic just fine with it being the two of them.
Nevertheless, she finally took the damned lemonade. Amy looked relieved at that. Before Esther could shoo her off, however, she sat uninvitingly on one of the stumps on Anna's other side. She lifted up the finished side of the quilt in amazement.
"I can't believe you girls have actually made this. It's awesome. I was never one for makin' clothes or anything, myself, but I did take a bout of home-ec class back in high school. You mind if I grab a pin?" Amy looked at Anna specifically, seeming to already suspect Esther's answer. Before she could interject, Anna traitorously lifted up a pin and handed it over to Amy. Esther sniffed angrily, flipping her brown locks over her shoulder and ignored the both of them. Anna and Amy paid her no mind.
"Why didn't you go with Andrea to Atlanta?" Anna asked conversationally.
"I tried, but she refused. I guess she prefers working alone without having to worry. I'll tell you what, though, I can fight for myself just fine. Biters ain't nothin' but crocodiles and snakes if you really look at 'em. Besides, the way Glenn described it, it was an in and out situation. I just wish they'd use the walky Dale lent them," Amy glanced over her shoulder at the small radio laying squat middle of their camp. The range was terrible, but it worked well for Atlanta.
"They'll be fine," Anna smiled. "Trust me, Andrea's one strong woman."
Amy smiled and nodded. Esther fought the urge to roll her eyes. Deciding the sight of two people conversing was repulsive, she suddenly got to her feet and mumbled something about needing to use the restroom. Anna and Amy barely acknowledged her as she got to her feet and wandered toward the RV. She hoped it wasn't occupied. It was always awkward standing outside it and waiting.
Dale's RV was a real mess on the inside. Esther could only assume when the outbreak occurred and everyone started to leave, Dale had grabbed just about everything in his house before taking off. The counters and shelves as well as the cabinets were cluttered with nonsense that weren't even necessary for survival. While no, it didn't really stop them from their initial goal of surviving, it was still annoying to see. Esther thumbed at an old newspaper that was from two months ago. She wondered how he'd react if she suggested a little spring cleaning.
"Snoopin's rude you know."
Esther jumped, startled, but she recognized the voice. Standing straighter with a grimace, she barely looked over her shoulder to reply.
"What the hell do you want, Avery?"
"Such vulgar language from a hotshot spoiled princess," Avery snorted. "Relax, I only came in here to grab a beer. I'm exhausted; Walsh's kept me working with the fishing nets. Sometimes that asshole really grinds my gears, you know?" She fished around in the small fridge for a moment, looking far too comfortable with herself despite being in someone else's property. "Where's Belle?"
"You mean Annabelle? Hard not to spy her talking it up with miss Amy. Swear she's been up our asses since we all came here," Esther huffed, completely forgetting why she came in here in the first place. "It wouldn't kill you to actually use or name, or even call her Belle. You know she hates that."
"Well, she can kiss my ass. As if I give a shit what any of y'all think," Avery growled, before taking out a beer can and facing Esther while she popped it open. "Don't test me, Grimes. Everyone else may walk on egg shells around you because you're Lori's daughter and all, but I can't give two shits who you're related to. S'far as I'm concerned, we could very well do without you."
"Excuse me?"
"Just speaking from personal observation. With this whole shithole atmosphere of people dying and coming back as dead people cravin' flesh, can't help but feel like you're the outcast in this scenario. Pretty weird to bring it up now, but I'm feeling a little brave since you wanna try and be smart with me. Is it because my brothers ain't here?"
Esther scoffed, rolling her eyes. She leaned on the counter coolly, her façade put up to make her look stronger than she was. If they did, indeed, go head to head Esther would lose. Avery was several inches taller and had a lot less to lose. Plus she was sure she spent most of her high school career picking fights and having sex. She looked like a real whore.
"You don't even know me. Thought you just came in here to get a beer, not try and talk shit," Esther's voice shook with anger. She hated that. When Esther was mad, she was emotionally mad. Her tears weren't because her feelings were hurt, it was because she was so furious. But, of course, those that angered her thought otherwise. Maybe that was why she was stereotyped to be some kind of crybaby. "If you'll excuse me, Anna and I need to finish her quilt."
"Her quilt? The hell we in now, some kind of knittin' club?"
"It's sewing, dumbass. And no, I just decided to help her because she's freezing and I managed to convince everyone to hand over some old clothes that are useless so we can use the fabric."
"Well, if Belle's cold, my arms are always open!"
"Screw you, Dixon," Esther grimaced, shaking her head and making her way to the door. Her bladder could wait until Avery disappeared. Another moment with her would be another minute of wanting to claw her own damn eyes out. She often flirted with Anna. It was no secret she liked her, but she was a complete bitch. She was just like her brothers. It was infuriating.
Before she could return to Anna and vent, however, the silence of the camp was suddenly interrupted by the radio spurring a few sounds. Esther's eyes instantly flew toward it in shock, her heart suddenly becoming much more noticeable as it happened again. From the quilt, Amy suddenly got to her feet and rushed over, seizing the microphone and speaking hurriedly into it.
"Hello? Hello, is anybody there?"
No reply. But it was clear to everyone what they had heard. There had been someone else on the other line.
