She felt weak as she leaned against the wall of a building. Violet Peletier was positive her ankle was badly sprained but she couldn't do anything about it in the infested streets of Atlanta. Clutching her knife, she limped inconspicuously to a door leading to a building that used to be a department store. Luckily, there weren't any walkers. Violet let out a hysteric sigh of relief and made a beeline to a corner of the main room. She fell to the ground, resting her injured leg out against the wall. Taking a deep breath, she pulled up her pant leg and almost vomited. Her right ankle was severely swollen, the veins dark and tender. She scanned the store for any sign of a first aid kit nearby, but to no avail. She held her knife so tightly in her hand that her knuckles had turned bone white and the tendons raised from her skin like taut wires. Her eyes fell on a rack of clothes and she grabbed a couple items and wrapped them around her small body for warmth. Eventually, she rested her head against the wall and drifted into a restless sleep. Unbeknownst to her, a group of survivors were sneaking into the very store.
Glenn Rhee led the others into the abandoned department store. The group spanned out to make sure there weren't any walkers. He walked to the farthest corner and a small dark shape caught his eyes. There was a girl, about his age. She was asleep, wrapped in clothes for warmth. She had long brown-blonde hair, braided down her shoulder. Her pale lips were full and Glenn immediately thought she was beautiful. She was coated with dust and blood, her clothes torn in some places. A backpack sat beside her with a strap hooked under her arm. Glenn realized her leg was out in front of her and he noticed her purple ankle. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open. The hazel orbs met Glenn's brown and immediately widened in pure terror.
"Hey, hey, I'm not going to hurt you." He assured her quickly. A flash of silver and a knife was in between him and her.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice only a whisper.
"My name's Glenn. What's yours?" he replied, softly.
"V-Violet." She answered, the fear still evident in her eyes.
"It's an honor to meet you, Violet." Glenn smiled.
"Well, well, well, look what China boy found." A thick, southern-accented voice cooed. Violet's eyes snapped to an older man, who stared back at her like she was a piece of meat.
"Leave her alone, Merle." Glenn told him.
"So you can have that body for yerself?" the man named Merle smirked.
"Go to hell." Violet spat.
"Aren't we already there?" He retorted before walking away. Glenn looked back to Violet as the rest of his group came forward. Violet felt her heart pound in her chest as more eyes looked down at her.
"Guys, this is Violet." Glenn introduced. A woman with skin the color of chocolate and a nice smile knelt in front of the young girl.
"Hey, sweetie. I'm Jacqui," she told her.
"Nice to meet you," Violet whispered, her voice thick with worry and fear.
"We're not gonna hurt you, Violet. I promise." Jacqui said. Violet nodded, still wary of the people around her. The older woman turned to the others. "Y'all see if there's anything here. I got 'er." At her words, the others scattered through the store. The only one who stayed was Glenn, who seemed completely captivated by the strange girl. Violet blushed heavily and so did Glenn before he got up and left. "Can I see your ankle, honey?" Jacqui asked. Violet nodded and she moved forward and pulled her pant leg up, hissing at the damage. "It's sprained alright. Hey, baby, can you hand me a first-aid kit?" She called to a man with slightly lighter skin than hers. He obliged and tossed it over to her. She opened it and pulled out some gauze. "I'm gonna take your shoe off so I can wrap it. I'll be careful." She explained. Violet nodded and caught her lip in her teeth to keep her from crying out. Jacqui untied her tattered sneaker and very gently slipped the shoe off and then her sock. The foot was dark blue and purple and incredibly swollen. She started to wrap the gauze tightly so it would heal properly. Tears blurred Violet's vision as a copper taste filled her mouth. "How did this happen?" Jacqui wondered.
"I jumped from a window to escape a bunch of walkers," Violet answered, quietly. Memories of that moment played before her eyes.
"Well, it should be better in a week or two if you stay off it. Do you wanna hand up?" she asked, standing and holding out her hand. Violet took it and she managed to balance on one foot. She grabbed her bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder.
"Thank you," she told Jacqui.
"You're welcome, honey. Why don't you come meet everyone." She said with a smile, helping the young girl to the others. Jacqui pointed to a Hispanic man, "That's Morales," then to a blonde woman in her mid to late twenties, "Andrea," and to the man who gave her the first aid kit, "and T-Dog. And you know Glenn." She introduced.
"Thank you all." Violet said, a shy smile on her face. They smiled in reply.
"Now, let's raid this joint." T-Dog smirked. Violet hopped towards a clothes rack, and looked for anything in her size. She found some more jeans and a couple of shirts. After stuffing them in her bag, she wobbled and almost fell if a pair of strong arms caught her.
"Need some help?" Glenn asked jokingly. For the first time in a long time, Violet smiled.
"Thank you, Glenn."
"You're welcome," he replied, a smile on his lips.
"I have to go on a run. I'll be back soon." He explained.
"Are you sure it's safe? The city's swarmed," Violet started to worry for her new friend before he interrupted her.
"Hey, I'll be ok. I promise." He told her. She nodded hesitantly and he leaned forward, kissing her forehead. Both of their cheeks turned bright red before he jogged out the door. Violet stared after him for a moment before looking around. She found what she was looking for. Limping, she hoped over to the broken clothes rack. She reached out and yanked the top bar out of the remaining socket. Testing the height, she smiled a little as she found a walking stick. She hobbled over to the main part of the store. A group of walkers stood against the outer set of glass doors, growling and trying to break in.
"Creepy," she muttered as she went and sat down once more against the wall. Absentmindedly, she grasped the bronze tree pendant that rested at the hollow of her throat. She remembered the story of Yggdrasil, the Norse Tree of Life, and how her mother gave the day she left for college. 'I hope Mum and Sophia are in Heaven' she thought, a pang of sadness striking her heart. She was at college as a literacy student when the apocalypse began. She never got to see her mother and little sister after that. Violet despised her father, who abused her and her mother. The pendent was the last thing she had of her family. Gun shots sounded from outside, making her head snap up.
"Violet, sweetie, come over here." Jacqui called to the younger girl. Violet did as she said, using the bar to hurry over to the group. Glenn's voice came through on the radio.
"I'm back. Got a guest plus four geeks in the alley." Morales and T-Dog suited up in protective gear, baseball bats in their hands. They burst through a door that led into the alley and Violet watched as Glenn and another man run inside as Morales and T-Dog beat down the walkers. As soon as the stranger was inside, Andrea slammed him into a rack, shoving a gun in his face.
"You son of a bitch. We ought to kill you." She snarled.
"Just chill out, Andrea. Back off." Morales told her.
"Come on, ease up." Jacqui agreed.
"Ease up? You're kidding me, right? We're dead because of this stupid asshole." She argued. Glenn made his way over to stand by Violet.
"Andrea, I said back the hell off." Morales ordered. She didn't move the gun. "Well, pull the trigger." Andrea backed up, her face screwing up with tears.
"We're dead – all of us, because of you." She accused the stranger.
"I don't understand." The man said.
"Look, we came into the city to scavenge supplies," Morales began, harshly grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the front of the store. Violet stayed in the back and Glenn stayed with her to make sure she didn't fall. "You know what the key to scavenging is? Surviving! You know the key to surviving? Sneaking in and out, tiptoeing. Not shooting up the streets like it's the O.K Corral. Every geek for miles around heard you popping off rounds." Morales said as the group stood before the double glass doors where the crowd of walkers was beating at the outer set.
"You just rang the dinner bell." Andrea stated.
"Get the picture now?" Morales asked. A walker pushed its way to the front of the group, a large chunk of concrete in it's rotting hands.
"Oh, God!" Andrea cursed. The human group backed up as far as they could. Violet tripped and Glenn caught her by wrapping his arms around her waist. They didn't have the sense of calm to blush as he held her close. "What the hell were you doing out there anyway?" Andrea asked the stranger.
"Trying to flag the helicopter." He answered.
"Helicopter? Man, that's crap. Ain't no damn helicopter." T-Dog said.
"You were chasing a hallucination, imagining things. It happens." Jacqui told him calmly.
"I saw it." The stranger snapped.
"Hey, T-Dog, try that C.B. Can you contact the others?" Morales asked.
"Others? The Refugee Center?" The man wondered.
"Yeah, the Refugee Center. They've got biscuits waiting in the oven for us." Jacqui said sarcastically.
"Got no signal. Maybe the roof." T-Dog suggested. A gun fired from above.
"Oh, no. Is that Dixon?" Andrea groaned.
"What is that maniac doing?"
"Come on, let's go." Everyone starting rushing up a series of steps. Glenn stopped Violet before she moved.
"You stay here. You'll hurt your ankle more if you try going up those stairs. Stay here." He told her. Before she could argue, he ran up the stairs. Violet sighed, looking at the monsters just outside the doors. She couldn't help but wonder if her mother and sister were one of them. She shook her head, getting rid of the thought. Sitting down against the wall, she pulled out one of her most precious possessions: A signed copy of 'Harry Potter: The Philosopher's Stone' by JK Rowling. It was a birthday gift from her mother. Slowly, she ran her fingers over the cover. She opened to the place where she left off and started to read. A familiar feeling washed over her as she drifted off into her reading.
"Whatcha reading?" a voice asked, snapping her out of it. Her head flew up to see the stranger, kneeling beside her with a warm smile on his face.
"U-Um, Harry Potter." She stammered, blushing madly.
"Oh yeah, those books were great." He said, smiling at the younger girl. She felt herself slowly smile back. "We weren't properly introduced. I'm Rick," he held out his hand. She reached out and shook it.
"I'm Violet."
"Nice to meet ya, Violet." He nodded before getting up. Then she noticed that Glenn wasn't there.
"Where's Glenn?" Violet wondered, brows creased in worry.
"He's with Morales looking for a way out. He's fine." He told her before walking over to Andrea. She heard the two talk before the sound of glass shattering filled the store. She put her book back in her pack and forced herself to her feet. An arm wrapped around her waist to keep her steady. Violet looked up to see Glenn, watching as the walkers started to bang on the inner glass door.
"What did you find down there?" Rick asked Morales.
"Not a way out." He answered.
"We need to find a way… soon." Andrea said.
"Back to the roof. All of you." Rick ordered. Glenn didn't argue this time, not wanting to leave Violet alone with the monsters just a sheet of glass away. He half carried, half walked her up the stairs to the roof. She was hardly surprised to see Merle handcuffed to a pipe. Glenn helped her to the edge, where she could see the overrun city. She remembered how Atlanta used to be, so full of life instead of death. Thunder rumbled lowly in the distance as Rick looked over the city with a pair of binoculars. "That construction site, those trucks – they always keep keys on hand." He explained to the rest of us, handing the binoculars off to Morales.
"You'll never make it past the walkers." He told the former cop.
"You got me out of that tank." Rick argued, looking to Glenn.
"Yeah, but they were feeding. They were distracted." Glenn said, stepping away from the ledge.
"Can we distract them again?"
"Right. Listen to him. He's onto something. A diversion, like on 'Hogan's Heroes'." Merle remarked.
"God. Give it a rest." Jacqui snapped.
"They're drawn by sound, right?" Rick asked.
"Right, like dogs. They hear a sound, they come." Glenn answered.
"What else?"
"Aside from they hear you? They see you, smell you and if they catch you, they eat you." Morales explained.
"They can tell us by smell?"
"Can't you?" Glenn frowned.
"They smell dead, we don't. It's pretty distinct." Andrea agreed. Rick was quiet.
"I got an idea." He said, heading back to the stairwell. Violet, not wanting to get left behind, she waited for the others to go before limping towards the door.
"Here," Glenn told her, squatting down a little in front of her. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink; she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He moved slowly down the stairs, her weight not really bothering him as he carried her down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he carefully set her down.
"Glenn, you and I, we're going for the truck. Then, we'll double back and get the rest of you." Rick explained.
"And again, how will you get through the walkers?" Morales asked.
"We grab a walker from the alleyway. Then, we use the… guts… to blend in to the herd." Rick told them. Violet's nose scrunched up in disgust. "We need large coats, latex gloves. Everything." He instructed. That set the group into motion, gathering the supplies they needed.
"If bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold." Glenn stated.
"He's right. Just stop. Okay? Take some time to think this through." Morales stepped up to Rick.
"How much time? They already got through one set of doors, that glass won't hold forever." He defended, tossing a large coat to Glenn. The group of survivors wrapped the coats around their bodies. Rick and Morales ran back into the alleyway, grabbing a fallen walker before dragging it back into the warehouse's garage. Everyone stood in a circle, except for Violet, who leaned against the far wall. Rick took a deep breath before lowering the plastic facemask to protect his eyes and mouth. He swung the crowbar to the glass case that held the fire emergency hatchet. It was silent as he stood over the corpse, the ax ready to be brought down. He raised it, about to swing before he jumped away. He threw the mask and the ax down on the ground. The others watched as he ripped off his gloves and patted down the body. He pulled out a wallet from the pocket of its jeans. "Wayne Dunlap. Georgia license. Born in 1979. He had $28 in his pocket when he died. And a picture of a pretty girl. 'With love. From Rachel'. He used to be like us. Worrying about bills or the rent or the Super Bowl." He told the group, who were silent. "If I ever find my family, I'm gonna tell them about Wayne." He finished before getting suited back up.
"One more thing—" Glenn drew everyone's attention. "He was an organ donor." He informed. After that fact, Rick raised the ax and slammed it into the corpse. Violet gagged as the blood burst from the body. The man's internal organs squished out of the abdomen, as there were many groans and cries in disgust. Glenn had his hands on his head, whimpering. Violet felt the urge to comfort him but she stayed away from the bloody mess. After a few more chops, Rick once again took his mask off.
"Keep chopping." He told Morales.
"I am so gonna hurl." Glenn groaned, nearly doubled over.
"Later." Rick said as Morales continued to beat the bloody corpse. Violet forced her eyes away. "Everybody got gloves?" The former sheriff asked. Those who were going to 'gut' them nodded. "Don't get any on your skin or in your eyes." He told them before taking a deep breath and scooping up a handful of the corpse before rubbing it on his coat. Glenn moaned as he put two handfuls of guts into the pockets of his coat.
"Oh god. Oh, jeez. Oh, this is bad. This is really bad." He hissed as Andrea draped an entrail around his neck.
"Think about something else—puppies and kittens." Violet spoke up.
"Dead puppies and kittens." T-Dog commented. That was it for Glenn, who turned around and vomited.
"That is just evil. What is wrong with you?" Andrea asked.
"Next time, let the cracker beat his ass." Jacqui agreed.
"I'm sorry, yo." T-Dog apologized.
"You suck." Glenn retorted. Violet pushed herself off the wall and walked toward Glenn. Avoiding the vomit, she framed his face with her gloved hands. His brown eyes looked into her hazel ones.
"Stay calm, Glenn. Just don't look." She told him. He immediately felt a sense of calmness. She gave him a small smile before getting out of the way of the others.
"Do we smell like them?" Rick asked.
"Oh, yeah." Violet nodded.
"Glenn." Andrea grabbed his attention, holding out a gun.
"Just in case." She said before tucking the gun into his waistband.
"If we make it back, be ready." Rick told them.
"What about Merle Dixon?" T-Dog wondered. Rick pushed back his coat and pulled the handcuff key from his pocket, tossing it to T-Dog.
"Give me the axe." He said. Morales handed it to him.
"We need—we need more guts." He stated before bringing the hatchet down once more.
Violet watched in worry as Rick and Glenn left the warehouse.
"Violet, sweetie, we gotta go." Jacqui told her. She braced herself for the sharp pain that would emit from my ankle and ran with the others. They ran up the staircase to the roof. Morales burst through the door to the roof.
"Hey, what's happening, man?" Merle asked.
"Hey, T-Dog. Try that C.B." Morales ordered.
"Hey. Come on. Talk to me, y'all." Merle shouted.
"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me? Can anybody out there hear me? " T-Dog asked into the walkie-talkie. Violet stood beside Morales as he searched the streets for Rick and Glenn.
"There." He pointed.
"That asshole's out on the street with the handcuff keys?" Merle questioned angrily. T-Dog glared, waving the silver key tauntingly. An answer came through the walkie-talkie.
"Reception is bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."
"Shane, is that you?" T-Dog asked.
"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store. There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded." He frantically reported. Violet followed the two men as they staggered through the herd of corpses. Suddenly, she felt raindrops on her head. Thunder rumbled lowly.
"Oh, man." Morales muttered.
"It's just a cloudburst. We get 'em all the time. It'll pass real quick." Violet struggled to see through the rain. Rick slammed his ax into the head of a walker that was too close. The two broke into a sprint. The walkers chased them. "Come on. Come on. Come on." Morales encouraged. The men reached the fence and climbed it, managing to evade the walkers for a short time. They shed their gut-covered jackets and ran toward the trucks. Rick drew his Python and began taking down the walkers that were managing to climb the fence. The duo managed to get to the truck. The fence collapsed and they drove away from them.
"They're leaving us." Andrea whispered.
"What? What?" Merle asked from behind them. Numerous pleas that they come back filled the air. Violet didn't say anything. She wasn't giving up on Glenn. In the short time she knew him, she knew he wasn't going to leave them.
"Those roll-up doors at the front of the store facing the street – meet us there and be ready." Glenn's voice came through the walkie-talkie. Violet smiled.
"Come on! Let's go, let's go!" Morales ordered. Violet shoved down the stinging in her ankle and ran with her backpack as the others grabbed all their loot.
"Hey, you can't leave me here! I'm not fooling, man! Morales! Hey, man! Don't do this!" Merle yelled after them.
"Come on!" Andrea screamed. Violet looked back at the trapped man before Jacqui gently pushed her forward. She ran down the stairs, making it through the store just as the last set of glass doors began to shatter. Morales, Jacqui, and Andrea clutched the chains to raise the door. They listened intently as a car alarm blared outside.
"They're coming!" T-Dog shouted. The door was pounded on. They desperately lifted the door and launched the loot into the back of the truck. Rick grabbed Violet's hand and pulled her into the truck before running to the driver's cockpit. The others piled in and closed the door just before the walkers made it in. Jacqui held Violet close as she caught her breath, fear gripping her heart. It was silent and they all were asking the same thing.
"I dropped the damn key." T-Dog admitted, guilt lacing his voice. Then Violet realized who else was missing.
"Where's Glenn?" she panicked.
"He's okay. Don't worry." Rick assured the younger girl. She leaned back, thinking of what will happen next.
My first TWD story for everyone's favorite Korean. 3 Let me know what you think! Face claim for Violet: Taissa Farmiga 3