You'd think living in a big city like Atlanta would be exciting but you'd be wrong. Especially for a yankee like me, the city felt like it was permanently stuck in slow motion. I was always being admonished for talking too fast or accidentally bumping into people I tried to speed past walking on the sidewalk. I lived in a small suburb just outside the city. It was all picket fences and manicured lawns; it's enough to make a person sick. I felt like I was living in a Norman Rockwell version of where's waldo, only it was where's the yankee. I stuck out like a sore thumb every time. The only things I could really relate to down here are my love of coffee and guns, both were very important down here. I moved to Georgia when I was about twenty five to get away from some family drama back home. I worked at the morgue at Atlanta General and subbed in the pharmacy when they needed me.
I mainly kept to myself but I'd made a few friends. One of the first friends I made down here was the deputy sheriff Shane Walsh. He was down at the morgue running over some paperwork with our c.m.e (chief medical examiner) Jonathan when I walked in for my shift just to have the swinging door smash me in the face. Next thing I knew I was staring into a pair of whiskey colored eyes. I slowly mumbled, "My face hurts." There was a chuckle from the man standing over me, "Yeah well you took a pretty good knock there. How many fingers am I holding up darlin'?" I laughed lightly, "As soon as I figure out which one of you is talking I'll let you know." He looked at me quizzically. "Sorry feeble attempt at humor, double vision two cops, head injury. Sorry I'm really tired." The officer helped me to my feet slowly, "Well you can't go to sleep until we're sure you don't have a concussion." "I'm fine officer really just tired and sore." I gasped a little as I lost my balance, catching myself on the nearest wall. He reached out wrapping his arms around me to catch me before saying, "Alright I'm taking you home right now." One of my doctor friends said I was alright to go home and just needed some rest. I leaned on the friendly cop thankfully as I stumbled to his cruiser. I mumbled something about my purse and car before he told me he'd send another officer to get them and bring them to my house for me. I was giving him directions to my house when all I could see was those pretty eyes again. He was tapping my cheek lightly, "Come on darlin' wake up you don't want to sleep right now, open your eyes." I giggled as I slowly opened my eyes feeling almost drunk, "I've got a name you know." He flashed me a brilliant smile, "Well if you'd stop passing out on me I'd ask you for it." "I'm Trystan Cole and you are?" He outstretched his hand to me, "Deputy Walsh, Shane Walsh." "Well thank you for everything Deputy Walsh." "Please call me Shane, Deputy Walsh sound so official considering I just knocked you out." I laughed as I shook my head still feeling a little fuzzy.
After that day Shane and I became good friends. He would visit me at the hospital and once he found out I didn't have any family around I was forever being invited to bbq's and such with his friends. Funnily enough they were the first people to make me feel at home there. Shane was always very flirty and a little handsy when he'd been drinking but he was also probably the best friend I'd ever had. I think we got along so well because we both just accepted each other faults and all. We were very different but it worked. I remember when it all started going to hell. First Shane's best friend Rick was shot on the job, so I ended up spending a lot of time at the Grimes', Lori and I had become close over the past couple years. Then one day I was in morgue with Jonathan and another morgue tech when we started hearing pounding coming from the cooling tanks in the other room. The screams started not long after that. We all grabbed whoever we could and took off running toward the entrances. As I was running I caught something out of the corner of my eye, I turned to see Shane at the other end of the corridor. I yelled, "Shane run get out of here, run." He motioned for me to follow him, "Come on Ty move it we have to get the hell out of here." Suddenly it hit me, "What about Rick, you can't just leave him here." He grabbed my arm as he started pushing me toward the door, "No Ty I already been there he's gone. We've got to get Lori and Carl, get as far away from the city as possible." We drove quickly to the Grimes' house. While Shane was helping them pack up all the essentials I took his jeep to my place stuffing everything I could into duffel bags. As silly as it sounds I remember crying as I let my cat and dog run free into Atlanta.
Shane literally had to force Lori into the car. She was screaming about going after Rick and wouldn't calm down no matter what he told her. She cried a while longer as we sped out of the city. We only got about thirty or forty miles out of the city when we hit gridlock. Cars in all lanes were backed up as far as the eye could see. After sitting for a while discussing our options we all climbed out of the car to talk with other people milling around all over the place. I was hoping someone knew something we didn't, anything about what the hell was going on.
As day turned into night Shane and Lori went to see what they could, if anything was happening in or near the city. Carl seemed content playing with his new friend Sophia. I told him to stay with Sophia and her mom as I took a quick look around to see what I could see. I was walking quickly weaving through groups of people when I heard a loud whistle by my ear. I turned to see a taller older redneck standing beside an older pickup truck. I looked him over, not even trying to hide my revulsion, "You've got to be kidding me cowboy." A wide smile broke out across his face, "Aww come on sugar don't knock it 'til you've tried it." He stepped closer to me as he ran his hand over my cheek. I reached up to push his hand away but before I could I felt my hand grabbed away. I whirled around to find Shane, pale as a ghost, standing next to me. Shane sized the other man up quickly, "Think again redneck." He started shoving me toward the car, "Come on Ty move it, we've gotta get off this road." "Shay what the hell is going on, you look like you've seen a fucking ghost." He stopped for a moment; he was breathing heavily and looked on the verge of tears. "They….the helicopters were dropping napalm on the city. Ain't no on making it out of there now." I just froze as what he'd said soaked into my brain. All my friends, coworkers, everyone they were all dead, all of them. I burst into tears as Shane hugged me tightly, muttering that things would be okay, and that he'd keep us safe somehow.