Disclaimer: I own nothing related to The Walking Dead. I am open to constructive feedback and comments so please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts. I hope you enjoy the first chapter.

AN: This story is set around the time when Alexandria is introduced. The only major changes I've made is obviously the input of my own OC and I've not included Eugene and Rosita. Instead of Abraham finding Eugene, and eventually crossing paths with Rosita, he found Rebecca (my OC).

One Foot in Front of the Other

It felt like we'd been walking for years. With each step, my knees trembled slightly and my legs begged for rest. How much further would I get until I dropped to the floor in exhaustion? Before all of this, before the dead rose with a scary appetite and bad breath, I couldn't even run a mile. That soon changed. I learned quick that survival depended on your physical strength. The faster you run, the harder you push, the more likely you'll be standing on top in the end. But this, walking across the country for nearly three days straight, barely six hours of sleep under our belts, was taking its toll on my body.

My army boots were caked in mud and dirt and blood, and my jeans weren't in a much better condition. The straps of my rucksack dug in hard at my slightly sun-burnt skin of my shoulders and for the hundredth time today I tried to readjust them. My hands were filthy but that didn't stop me from pushing my dark hair out of my face, smearing whatever it was that was on my hands onto my forehead in the process. I couldn't remember the last time I had my hair cut, but it definitely needed one now. Although I was in no way a 'typical' girl - the type to care about my hair style or the state of my nails - I would jump at the sight of a shower and some shampoo right now. Hell, show me a river and I'm diving in.

Up ahead, marching - he was always marching - was Abraham. His bright red hair stood out vibrantly from the green leaves and dark oaks of the trees, and in his thick arms rested a machine gun that he held confidently. I could see the way his muscles tensed in the sunlight as he readjusted his grip on his trusted weapon. He must have felt the weight of my gaze on his back, as he stopped in his tracks and looked back at me. Waiting for me to catch up.

As I closed the short distance between us, I hoped he'd see the fatigue in my eyes and suggest we start finding somewhere to camp for the night. But as soon as I came to his heels, he turned on the spot and continued marching again. A pathetic groan rumbled in my throat as I trudged after him. Would it hurt, when I fall over, I mused, or would my body be so thankful for being able to lie down that it'd feel like bliss?

We kept walking along the pathways we found: a long, straight road, a guessed shortcut through a field, a sheltered path through the woods. So long as we followed the sun, we were going in the right direction. And soon enough, the sun began to sink beneath the tree line, the orange rays barely fighting its way through the dense forest. The sweat on the back of my neck suddenly turned chilled as the breeze picked up, making the leaves on the floor rustle against the dirt. The noise almost masked the sound of a twig snapping behind me. Almost.

I turned on my heel, my body commanding energy somehow to whip my dagger out from its holster on my hip. A walker stumbled out from the shadows of the trees and onto the path, its arms outstretched and its jaw hanging open. I raised my dagger and stepped forward to meet the walker, my hand curling around its neck to direct the snapping teeth away from my face. Instinct kicked in and my hand brought the dagger down in one fluid motion, the knife penetrating the bone easily. Dark blood splattered onto my collarbone and ear.

The walker went limp in my grip and once I pulled my dagger free I let the corpse hit the floor. But as soon as I went to take a step back, my sudden surge of energy evaporated and I found myself falling backwards. Before I could stop myself or even cry out, I landed heavily on the seat of my jeans with a very unladylike grunt. Well,I thought, it does hurt to fall down when exhausted.

Abraham had his hand curled around my elbow within seconds. He hauled me to my feet easily and proceeded to check me over. Just like he did whenever I came away from an encounter with a walker. Satisfied I wasn't bitten or scratched, he released my elbow and quickly took in our surroundings.

"We'll stop here," he said, his voice channelling power and control. There was no arguing with Abraham. He headed in the opposite direction to which the walker emerged, ducking beneath the low branches of the trees as he made his way deeper into the forest. I was filled with relief when I realised he was trying to find us cover - somewhere we can sleep for the night. If I wasn't so tired, I would have grinned.

Later that night, with the moon partially hidden behind the clouds, I tightened the rope around my waist and shuffled down a little on my branch to get comfortable. When I was fifteen years old, I went on a school trip to an adventure camp. It had been there where I learnt how to correctly tie myself up in a tree so I could sleep without falling out. I'd also learnt how to fillet a fish, how to tell which forest fruits were poisonous, and how to make a water filter out of a plastic bottle. My parents nearly sent me to the science camp, but now I'm thankful they allowed me to keep my original choice and go to the adventure camp.

Abraham was tied to the tree just next to mine. I could see the faint outline of his jaw and nose as he took a puff on his cigar. The first time we'd done this, we had tied ourselves in the same tree, shoulder to shoulder. But in the morning, we'd woke up with his arm around me and my head on his chest. It'd been awkward between us for the better half of a week. Since then, we slept in separate trees.

He took a long drag on his cigar. "It won't be long now," he said, quiet enough so any walkers lingering below wouldn't catch his words, but just loud enough for the wind to bring them to my ears.

"You better hope so," I murmured, closing my eyes as my body began to accustom to the sturdy feeling of the bark against my back. "I'm starting to think you don't know what you're doing."

He snorted a little around his cigar and cast his gaze across at me; his piercing blue meeting my shadowed dark eyes. "Have some faith, will you?"

The burning embers of his smoke withered a little beneath the breeze that filtered through the treetops, and with a quick glance towards the ground, he flickered the butt away from where we could hear a shuffling walker down below. I checked my rope one last time, giving it a firm tug just to make sure. And then before I could even think about if we were getting closer to another camp - to another community - I was asleep.