Author's note:
As mentionned in the summary, I'm french and writing in french. This is my modest translation, and I can say I did my best. (Google helped me. Thank God for Google.) If you find any mistakes, feel free to tell me!
I published this story under the name "Alice's adventures in land of the dead" a few years ago, but never finished it. Since then, the story changed a lot, so did the characters. I deleted the original version, I know how frustrating an unfinished story is.
I'm still not sure if I will bring characters of the show in this story, maybe.
I took a lot of liberty with some things, others are very researched. I've never been to the US, so I can't tell for sure that everything is said the way it should be, I'm probably using some British words. At then end of the chapters, I'll explain what's researched and what's not.
- … stay inside, safe, and don't put yourself in situation at risk …
For two days, this message has been on loop on the radio. Stay inside, stay safe, everyone that's bitten is doomed, aim for the head. The army is coming, believe my child.
But for now, the army doesn't seem very victorious. Everything we've seen is a car, probably stolen by survivors.
Mom wants us to stay here, but we don't have a lot of food and we're downtown, with a lot of dead around. I don't really want to die eaten by the downstairs neighbor, who was a sweet old little man until yesterday afternoon. Now... Let's say I'm happier than ever that the previous tenants installed a reinforced door.
We're not in a big city, I don't even know if we can call Laurens a city, but I still saw a lot of dead passing. They're disgusting and fascinating at the same time. Some look like normal people, just a little bit tired. Until they face you, and you see their decaying face, their white eyes that look at you but don't see you. I even saw her girl that was in highschool with me.
I go out through the window and sit down on the fire escape stairs, letting my legs hang into the void. I've always loved sitting here, especially at night, when the stars are bright, it's so relaxing. But for a few weeks, it also started being dangerous. If a dead see me or hear me, he's gonna join the little group of them who are waiting in the first floor. I don't really know who they are. Some of them are tenants from the building, some are not. Sometimes when something make a noise they move, like they suddenly snap out of their trance, but if they don't find anything interesting, they fall back in again.
- Alice, come in, we're gonna talk.
Ah. Maybe she's thought about my proposal to go. We talked about it many times, and my opinion is that it's too risky staying here. There's not a lot of people, but also not a lot of ressources. And it's an occasion like any other to see this state a bit more. For more than a year that we're here, and I still haven't seen a lot of it. I'm so optimistic, it's amazing even for me.
I get up and go back in my room, carefully closing the window and the curtains, to make sure the light doesn't go through at night.
I join Mom in the living room, where she's sitting on the couch, seeming nervous and uncomfortable. Nothing new.
- We're gonna go. I thought we could head for your aunt's house, it should be easier to protect.
Yeah, you will also completely follow Gloria, instead of having to chose for yourself.
- Very good idea ! I'm gonna pack my things. When do we go ?
-I was thinking tomorrow morning, that way we can drive without attracting attention.
I nod and go back to my room, not finding anything to add. It's been a long time since me and Mom really talked anyway. When we finally got away from my father, I thought things would change. That she would regain control. That we'd have a better life. I was far from expecting she wouldn't change at all. And yet, here we are, further from each other than ever.
In the beginning, I tried to push her to go out, to meet people. Oh of course she's still kindness in a person, with me and others, but I wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up. To live for herself.
My things are already packed, in case we had to go quick. After diner, Mom starts to pack hers, and she spends most of the night doing so. She's gonna be vigorous tomorrow...
We had gas for a while, but when we fell short, we had to walk. Mom isn't athletic or resistant, and we progress at a ridiculously slow speed. I'm in rage, but I keep my opinion to myself.
We were lucky not to see too much dead. Anyway, I got equipment as soon as I could. I made a spear to get out of the building safely, with a broom, a knife and some tape, but as soon as I saw an armory, I got some better things. I found a few cool knives, and a pretty lightweight bow. I've never been happier than in this moment that I learned how to use it two years ago, during a nature class. My memory isn't perfect, and I need practice, but I'm not that bad. I need to train, just to make sure I don't die. That kind of concern.
Mom didn't took anything. It's not like her, even self defense isn't her thing... She told me she refused to kill people, and didn't want to hear anything about the fact that, in general, a head separated from it's body isn't really a person, or that when they try to eat us, killing them first seems like a good option.
So I'm doing the defense, on my own. As I can. Because we stayed at home for a while, I knew I had to aim for the head. What I didn't knew, was that the dead don't feel pain. Thinking about it, it makes sense, or they would agonize while rotting, but I didn't thought about it at first. I fully realised it when I thrust my blade into a dead's arm, and it didn't slow it down. I think I almost died at that point, but I got out.
I took a map and markers at a gas station, and every day I mark our progression roughly, to know approximately how much time we have left. But at our pace, it will be at least two weeks... We have to do a lot of detour, to avoid the places with too much dead.
My aunt live near Atlanta, in a house she bought about five years ago to this weird man, who wanted a huge wall around his property so that the neighbors wouldn't watch him. My aunt got it for her dogs to have a huge space to run in without them escaping. I've only been there once, but the place is creepy. I never really got used to it. I mostly remember that the walls were casting shadows everywhere, giving a feeling of confinement, which I hate. But for defense, it's handy.
I didn't say anything, not to dampen Mom's mood, but I know that the odds that aunt Gloria is still alive are almost non existent. She needs a lot of care, every day a nurse come to her house, and she spend a lot of time in hospitals. I doubt the hospital is still running, or that the nurse is still coming.
When night comes, Mom and I, well mostly I, decide that we're gonna spend the night in a sort of shed that is here. It's better than outside, because we can lock ourselves in, and sleep at the same time. I wake up every time there's a noise, but Mom doesn't, so when we're oustide we have to be on guard, and it's exhasuting which makes us even slower the next day.
I check every door that I can find, and we lock ourselves in a small study. The only other room that can be closed is full of electric stuff, and I don't want to get electocuted in my sleep if there's still power. Here, there was just some paper, that I threw outside. The person responsible for this study was messy... We both have a sleeping bag, found in an abandonned house that was very clean, and we use jackets as pillow.
Late in the night, I hear noise. Mom is asleep, but even if she wasn't she wouldn't be helping. I go out of the room and close the door, it will prevent the dead from coming in.
I move silently in the shed full of kitchen equipment boxes, trying to hear other noise. My knife is in my hand, reay to be used.
But it's not nescessary, because the people I see are alive.
Actually, they see me first. They litereally fall on me, and my training take over, putting one man down, and trapping the throat of the other in my arms. I press a little, to make him understand he better stay still. The one on the ground get up, painfully, but doesn't try anything, seeing is friend in a bad situation. A third one, older, comes and seems to understand what's going on.
- Wow.. Can you let him go ? We don't want to hurt you.
The two other nod. I let him go and move back, taking my other knife out, the first one fell during the fight.
- Sorry for attacking you, we thought you were a walker.
- A walker ?
- Yeah, like, a dead.
The man rubs his throat, but I know he won't have any bruises. Not a lot at least. I don't know why I'm saying man, because he looks more like a rebel teenager.
I unwind a little. They don't look like they're gonna attack me a second time, and apparently they're not bitten.
- Are you alone ?
I immediatly curse myself for being so stupid. Never let your guard down. Above all when the ennemy is stronger and in larger number.
- What does it change ?
I'm not sure how to react. How can I know if they want me any good ?
They look at each other, apparently surprised by my reaction. The youngest, who stopped rubbing his throat, says :
- To know if we have to expect being chocked again.
- I barely touched you, you won't even have bruises, so stop whining.
Hmm, I'm so great at giving a good first impression. One of them laugh, making fun of the other one for being owned like that.
- The real reason is to know if you're in a group or if you want to join ours. You seem to be able to defend yourself on your own, but we're stronger together, so if you're interested...
I think about it for a moment. I never thought about joining a group. Until now, the goal was to join aunt Gloria alive, and then improvise. But it's a tempting offer. Not having to make sure two people make it out alive on my own would be a huge relief.
- I have my mom with me. Only us two. I need to talk about it with her.
They didn't say anything when I mentionned Mom, so I guess a second person wouldn't bother them that much.
- Okay, we'll look around in the same time. But hurry, we won't stay more than ten minutes.
I have nothing to add, so I just turn around and go back to Mom. On my way, I pick up my knife, putting it back in the sheath around my thigh. I hear them talk, and one of them follow me. I'm curious, but I don't turn around.
After waking Mom and explaining her the big ideas, she agrees almost instantly to join the group. It must be a relief for her to think she won't have to make any more decisions...
I pack my things quickly, and go out of the study, followed by Mom a few minutes later.
Good thing I didn't turned around earlier, I would have had a hateful look form the rebel teen, who followed me. He look at the bow with surprise in his eyes, but soon go back to his resting bored face, with a little bit of "fuck you" in it.
I inform him of our decision, and he just nods. Soon, we're on the go to their camp.
But is it the right thing to do ?
The town mentionned is Laurens, South Carolina.
Thank you for reading, if you feel like leaving a review I would love it very much!