This is my first shot at The Walking Dead, so please be kind.
I own nothing, apart from any OCs that I will and might add as the Story goes on. For a start I will say that Harriet, Ryan and Tiffany are MINE and will stay MINE, even if I decide to kill any of them off. I will try to make everything as believable as possible.
Also I have not once read the Graphic Novel - I wouldn't even know where to get it, as I live in Germany – so I will try to stick to the Series and the Timeline I have found online.
Chapter One:The world had gone to shit.
It had been about two and a half months since the virus had broken out and wiped out most of America. Those who had been lucky to survive this thing that killed people and then brought them back as the living dead, were probably doing the same thing she was. They were trying to survive one day to the next; without getting attacked and killed.
The last time she had heard from someone, was the night the military decided they were going to bomb the damn city. That was the last night she had heard from her brother and to be honest, she just hoped he was surviving just as well as she was. But then again if he made it into the city as he had hoped to, she doubted it. She had barely made it out alive, between the walkers and the bombs being dropped. And still she kept venturing back into the city; eyes wide open in case she spotted Shane or Lori… hell even Carl would be a hellava lot more than what she was going on now. She had nearly given up on hope, when she heard the gun shots and an explosion, from her hiding place near the city.
The CDC! She thought staring into the sky towards the smoke. Fuck! That was her last chance to see if she could get a message to Shane before she left Atlanta for good. The Walkers were increasing and she didn't want to risk getting caught. Hell her ammo was low and she didn't really want to give up her gun just yet.
Slumping against the stolen Harley Harriet still stared in disbelief. Hell it was a good day to die; her last hopes of reaching her family had just gone up in smoke after all.
"Mummy?" a small voice piped up behind her, causing Harriet to turn on the spot. "Mummy, what's going on?"
It was the hopeless look in those deep brown eyes that made Harriet realized that they had to keep moving. There was no more CDC that would help them. Shaking her head Harriet crouched down to her daughter, "We need to keep moving baby."
"But mom –"an older boy – maybe around 16 spoke up from the nearest car, "You said we were going to the CDC."
Harriet sighed, "I know, hunny." Hopes were running low between the three of them ever since her ex-husband had deserted them in panic. His ass was more important to him then his own kids, she thought bitterly. "Let's hit the road before the Walkers decide to come this way." She added, her eyes wondering over to the smoke that now loomed over Atlanta. It would draw Walkers to it and she didn't want to be near when it did.
Piling her kids into the beat-up pickup truck she had refused to get rid of when the world went to shit, she closed the door behind her daughter. Tapping the hood of the truck she called out softly, "Keep in safe distance behind me, Ryan."
"Gotcha," Ryan replied and started the car. His face was a picture of determination, but she could see how scared he was. His eyes gave him away – eyes very much like Shane's, she thought sadly climbing on the stolen Harley.
Its owner wouldn't be using it anymore, so she didn't see much of a problem taking it. It might not be the quietest thing in the world but it kept her babies safe. She could ride ahead and check things out while Ryan and Tiffany followed her at safe distance. Nodding slightly she pulled in front of the Truck and together they headed out of the city.
Crap! Was the first thing that came to mind when they hit a traffic jam on the highway. It looked like so many people had been trying to flee the city when the virus spread and got caught when the sick turned. It was a nurse's worst nightmare that much was sure. But that didn't matter anymore. She couldn't help the dead.
Stopping the bike Harriet just sat and listened for a few moments. No groaning, no growling… No telltale signs of Walkers. Maybe they could stop here and load the truck up with supplies from the other cars. It would help keep the kids alive for a while longer, if they had more food and water. Ryan had just pulled up behind and she could feel her son´s stare on her back, so she turned towards him.
"Get your stuff; we need to see what we can find."
Ryan nodded and grabbed the shotgun beside him, handing it out the window to his mother, before climbing out. His little sister followed closely, not wanting to be left alone in the car. Harriet tried for a smile but couldn't quite muster it.
"Stay close, Tiff." She said quietly walking towards the first abandoned cars, with her daughter close behind her she started looking for anything and everything that they could use.
Food, bottles of water, medicine, anything that looked like a weapon and batteries… hell she even packed a couple of mp3 players and iPods so that the kids could at least have some kinda fun. Her pack was getting quite full of things that could be useful when she heard Ryan call out from his look out position back at the truck. Grabbing her gun she half dragged Tiffany back with her, "What is it, Ry?"
"Cars." His voice sounded happy and Harriet had to admit so was she. More survivors meant not everyone had been attacked by the Walkers. But still she was wary; the Walkers weren't the only ones that were dangerous these days. Humans trying to survive could be worse if you let them.
"Get in the car and stay down." Harriet replied, already bending to pick up Tiffany. Terrified Tiffany looked at her mother, her little face covered in dirt and streak with tears. Those deep brown eyes filled once again as Harriet placed her under the dashboard making her heart clench and her throat close with tears of her own. "Shhh baby, nothing is going to happen, I promise." She whispered.
Shutting the door tightly Harriet turned to look at her son, no words were exchanged but Ryan knew the drill. If anything should harm his mother he was to take his sister and run as fast as he could. He didn't have to like the idea, but he knew that was the only way Tiffany would be safe. He dreaded the thought of Tiff being on her own in this kind of world.
Once both of her kids were hidden in the truck Harriet waited. Climbing onto the truck bed she looked through the binoculars that Ryan had collected somewhere. At the time she thought it was silly, but in moments like this she was glad she had them. Crouching Harriet watched as an RV, a motorbike and a car came closer as she didn't want these people to think she was a Walker and shot at her.
Harriet watched as the FV started smoking, looked to her like they had car problems. She shook her head slightly and watched as everyone stopped. The door to the RV opened and no one was paying any attention towards her, which meant she could watch the people and get a first impression of this weird group, before they got to close to her kids.
She watched as a guy walked out followed by Shane, then some Asian male… Suddenly she did a complete take back. Shane! Her head screamed out before she could even really realize she was moving. She had jumped of the back of the truck as was weaving in and out of cars. She hadn't even realized that she had dropped her knife and the binoculars. Shane! Lori! Carl! Rick! Her mind was screaming, but she couldn't say a word. She didn't even come to a stop until suddenly she was staring at the point of an arrow.
"What the fuck?!" her voice came out in a snarl. "Go point that fucking crossbow elsewhere, cowboy, before I shove it down ya ass!"
Shane, Rick and Lori turned instantly to stare at the woman Daryl had pointed his crossbow at. The voice was way too familiar to not be someone they knew. Uncertainly Shane walked forward, his eyes widened at the sight of the speaker. She had her long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and she looked like crap but it was his sister. He grabbed her and pulled her into a huge hug which she returned, tears were threatening to fall. "Shane… Oh my god… Shane…" Harriet muttered.
"Ya know this lunatic?" the cowboy asked, his crossbow still pointed at her. Everyone else was staring at the siblings in disbelief. Lori and Rick smiled at each other and Carl was looking around, like he was searching for someone.
"Harriet's Shane´s baby sister." Lori explained with a half-smile.
Shane was about to say something when Carl interrupted, "Harriet, where are Tiff and Ryan?"
This confused everyone but the close group from Kings County. Harriet nodded towards her truck, "Told 'em to hide in the truck. Wanna come and get 'em?"
"Can I?" Carl looked towards his mother who nodded. With that Harriet and Carl walked off towards the truck. Everyone else watched Shane looked relieved as he watched Harriet go. She was alive, his niece and nephew were alive.
"So, your sister, eh?" Glenn asked looking at Shane.
"Thank God." Shane muttered before turning back to the RV. "We need to get up and running again and not stay out in the open." Obviously he didn't want to speak about Harriet. Daryl seemed to agree with him because he lowered his crossbow and started looking through a car.
"If ya can't find a radiator 'ose here, there's a whole buncha other stuff we could find." He pointed out. The others looked around, he did have a point. Carl and Harriet were walking towards them with Tiffany and Ryan with them. Carl was chatting along to Ryan who towered over Harriet by a head or two.
"We already started clearing out some of the cars," Harriet explained when she caught the gist of the conversation, although she didn't want to really get involved with this lot of strangers. For one she didn't know if she could stay with this group or if they would send her on her way – even if she was Shane's sister.
She had no idea who these other people were but the old guy smiled softly and even the others – apart from the cowboy – didn't seem too bad at the moment. She was seething at the fact that he had could have killed her with that thing and didn't seem to wanna apologize.
"This is a graveyard," Lori said, her face said what she was thinking and even though Harriet agreed with her, they probably didn't have that much choice. Everyone seemed to look at Rick for answers so she just waited it out. Even if no one wanted her to join them, she could at least get some more stuff for her and the kids.
Shane looked towards his sister, "What you got in the truck, Harriet?"
Ryan looked up from his conversation with Carl und watched his mother. She just shrugged, "Food, mostly, medicine that I stole from the hospital when the world went to shit. There wasn't much time to grab anything else when they started bombing Atlanta."
"Not many places were ya could hide without being killed or eaten either." The cowboy replied. "'ow did ya get out?"
Leaning back against a car Harriet looked over to him, he was taller than she was – but that wasn't very hard, with her barely touch 1,55m – her lips were pulled into a small smirk as she replied, "Ya think a girl can't fight her way out, cowboy?"
Shane exchanged a look with Rick, "Alright now." He said before Daryl and Harriet could get into a fight. Daryl did have a point though; Carol and Lori would have never made it out of Atlanta alive, not with two kids with them. Even though he knew Harriet was capable with quite a lot of weapons he had given up hope in finding her, after Glenn had found the apartment she had been living in empty and ransacked. "Let's get looking and then we can get moving again."
Everyone agreed and started to canvas out, looking in cars, siphoning fuel out of the cars standing around them. Carl and Tiffany stayed near their mothers and Carol tagged along behind Lori with Carl and Sophia. With Dale and Rick standing watch everyone knew they would have their backs watched. Together the Harriet and Ryan wondered off to collect some more things together when Shane and Glenn started getting excited.
"It looks like they've found water." Ryan said with a small smile. Harriet just smiled and carried on emptying the trunk of a car. Clothes, blankets and other things went into a suitcase next to her feet. Tiffany had found a doll as was playing with it beside Ryan. Everything seemed to be just fine.
And that was when all hell broke loss among the group.
Rick came running towards everyone, "Lori, Harriet!" he shouted softly, not wanting to draw attention to himself. "Get under the cars. Get down now!"
Everyone started to rush around, crawling under cars; Lori even grabbed Carol's mouth to stop her from shouting out to Sophia. Harriet grabbed Tiffany and shoved her under the nearest car before crawling under it herself. Ryan soon followed, lying down under the car next to it. The only for people Harriet couldn't see were Andrea, Dale, T-dog and the cowboy. But they could care of themselves Harriet gathered, after all they had survived so far.
Suddenly Harriet spotted T-Dog, blood pouring down his arm as he ran to hide from the Walkers. Fuck, she thought, he was gonna get himself fucking killed!
She pulled Tiffany closer to her body, covering the little girls eyes as the first Walkers went passed. Her eyes moved towards Ryan, who looked calm, to Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophie. Carl and Sophia looked as scared as she felt, same as Carol. Lori looked about ready to crack as well but she held it together for the moment. It was then that everyone heard Andrea screaming from inside the RV.
Not long after that things seemed to have gone quiet and Harriet let go the breath she had been holding. The whole thing couldn't have lasted more than five minutes but she was still freaked. Not being able to see if all the Walkers had finally gone freaked her more then she wanted to admit. Sophia started out from under her car, thinking the coast was clear but one of the Walkers heard her and she freaked out.
It started following her under the car, which made her retreat. Carol started panicking as well, but Lori shht her. Rick grabbed his gun and started out from under his car as Sophia managed to crawl down the ditch next to the highway. As Rick followed after Sophia and the Walkers the rest of the group crawled out from under their cars and ran towards the ditch.
"Oh, Lori, those two Walkers are after my baby." Carol said loudly, panicking. Lori grabbed her, forcing her not to scream out and draw attention to them.
As much as everyone wanted to follow Rick but not knowing which way he went to follow they were forced to wait. While Rick was gone everyone else either watched for Walkers or collected more stuff. Carol was staring into the woods until Rick came back without Sophia. Taking Daryl, Shane, Glenn and Harriet – on Shane's insistence and after she patched T-Dog up – with him, Rick heads back out into the woods again.
It didn't take them long to get back to the creek where Rick and told Sophia to hide until he had drawn the Walkers away. But Sophia wasn't in the hiding spot.
"Are ya sure it was here?" Daryl asked an uncertainty in his voice. After all it was getting dark and Rick wasn't a tracker like himself.
"I left her right here and took the Walkers off in that direction, up the creek." Rick explained.
"Great. Another crappy situation." Harriet muttered, leaning against a tree. Daryl looked at her, the way she was nursing her crossbow, it was like she had never done anything else but hunt.
"She was gone by the time I got back here. I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way," Rick pointed off in the direction of the highway. "And keep the sun on her left shoulder."
"Hey short round, would you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail." Daryl turned his attention to Glenn.
"Assuming she knows her left from her right?" Shane replied and Harriet rolled her eyes at her brother. What child at the age of Sophia didn't know their left from right? But then again, look at the mother, Harriet thought before she mentally kicked herself for thinking it. It had only taken one look into Carol's face to know her – now - very dead husband was abusive. One sentence to confirm those thoughts but Harriet didn't have any pity for the woman. She had chosen to stay and raise her daughter in that kind of environment instead of getting out, getting safe.
"Shane, she understood me fine." Rick snapped.
Putting a comforting hand on Ricks arm Harriet spoke up, "Kids tired and scared, Rick. She had a close call with two Walkers. Gotta wonder how much of what you said stuck."
She couldn't do much more the reason with her brother's best friend while cowboy looked for a trail. A job she could have done just as well, she noted smirking. Not that cowboy knew this. Until she moved back to Georgia after her divorce from Brian she had lived in Texas, where she had to learn how to find trails, hunt and run a freaking farm, when she wasn't working in the local hospital or looking after the kids. Ryan could hunt just fine; his daddy was always taking out into the woods to hunt, unless it was Football Season.
"There are clear prints right here." Daryl interrupted, still looking at the ground. Everyone seemed relieved, they had something to go off, a lead in finding the scared little girl. "She did what you said and headed back to the highway."
Rick and Harriet walked through the creek over to him while Shane looked towards his sister for confirmation. Sighing Harriet crouched and checked the prints herself, "I agree with cowboy here, guys. Let's spread out. Let's go, she couldn't have gotten far."
With that she grabbed Glenn's hand and let him help her out of the creek. Daryl's mutters making her smile as she started to follow the trail. The guys all on her tail – apart from Daryl, he was checking the trail just like she was. This is gonna be a bitch, she thought placing her steps carefully. She could hear Shane speaking to Rick and Glenn following her and Daryl but she kind of blocked them out. They would only be a distraction and/or in Daryl's case a huge irritation.
