Chapter 1

Disclaimer: i do not own the walking dead or teen wolf

Rated M for gore violence, minor language, and some sexual content

Enjoy

King's County Hospital, King's County, Georgia, October 30...

In the darkness of the cold, trashed hallway, Dinah Ramos quietly stalked through. She had a pistol strapped to her thigh, but it was tucked in. Her hands hung at her sides, her fingers relaxed. Her dirty dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her intelligent black eyes peered through the darkness with ease. She could see everything in the dark clearly as if it were day. Her steps were barely audible as she made her way to a nurse's station at a hallway intersection. She rifled through the cabinets, sniffing as she did. With the disuse of cleaning supplies, Dinah was able to identify the different scents, even amongst the rotten stench hanging in the stale air. She forced open a locked drawer and found some first aid supplies. She took off her backpack and began stuffing it. Just as she closed the drawer, the sound of something crashing caught her attention. She could hear it far across the hospital. "Nurse!" a frail voice cried. "Help!"

Dinah threw on her backpack and darted down the hallway towards the noise. "Nurse! Help!"

She came upon a room that had a hospital bed pushed up against the door. She shoved it aside, causing the wheels to screech. Dinah shoved the door open as she drew her gun. Her gaze immediately went to the floor where an extremely pale, handsome, thin man in a hospital gown and boxers laid. Dinah aimed her gun, and spoke softly. "Who are you? What're you doing here?"

"I...you're not a nurse," he said, his pale blue eyes studying her demeanor.

"No, shit," she snapped. Her nostrils flared, filling with the scent of the man's fear and confusion. "Why are you here?"

The man studied her gaze. Her eyes were like a predator's, unblinking and unwavering. Dinah knelt down in one fluid motion, her gun still pointing at the man. "Your bandage. What's it for?"

"What?" he asked. His voice was rough and scratchy.

"Did you get bit?"

"What?"

Dinah cocked her gun and the man flinched. He raised his hand, trying to protect himself. "Please. No. I-I was shot. I was shot." Please," he begged. "I need help."

Dinah lowered her gaze to his bandage then back to his face. The bandage wasn't soaked in blood like she had seen before. It had a faint orange stain from dried blood. Her nostrils flared again, no scent of the rotting flesh she had become familiar with. Dinah lowered her gun and holstered it. She went to the man and slipped her arms around him, helping him to his feet before he had a chance to protest. "How long have you been here?" she asked.

The man swallowed as he glanced at the dead flowers. "I don't know." He eyed the bathroom. "Water. I need water."

She helped him walk to the bathroom. Thankfully, the water was still working. The man bent over and gulped as much water as he could from the faucet. Dinah glanced around, her ears listening to all the sounds around them. "We need to go."

He continued drinking. "Hey," she said, "you're gonna make yourself sick. Come on."

He stood up and gasped, panting from relief. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and nearly fell. Dinah grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the bathroom. "Come on. We need to go."

"Go where?" he asked.

"Just come with me."

She led him out of the room. The man stopped, shocked to see the hospital in such a destructed state. Dinah gently grabbed the man's arm, steering him to follow her. They reached a T intersection. Dinah peeked around the left corner, finding the hallway empty. She noticed the man standing in front of the right-hand hallway doors, shaking with fear. Dinah snuck up behind him and saw the half-eaten corpse of a woman on the other side of the doors. He jumped upon noticing her proximity. "What happened here?"

Dinah studied his horrified expression. "It's a long story. And we're not safe here."

She led him towards the left-side hallway. Dinah ignored the bullet holes and bloody handprints on the wall, but the man stared at all of it, growing increasingly confused and paranoid. She continued on, but the man stopped in front of a set of doors that read Don't Open, Dead Inside. Something on the other side of the doors stirred. The chains rustled as something threw itself against the doors. The stumbled back in fear and hobbled after Dinah. He caught up with her just as she opened the stairwell door. Inside was only darkness, pure, bitch black darkness. Rick hesitated as he followed her in, keeping the door open. "Do you have a...a flashlight?"

"No, but I know where I'm going." She held out a hand to him. "Trust me."

The man glanced back at the light of the hallway. He turned back to Dinah. The man took a deep breath and stepped forward, letting go of the door. His hand gripped hers as the light disappeared and his vision filled with black. "What...what is that smell?"

"You'll get used to it," she whispered as she led him down, step by step. "By the way, my name's Dinah."

"I'm Rick," he whispered back.

"Well, Rick...welcome to the end of the world," she said absent-mindedly. She let go of Rick's hand, and he panicked, not sensing where she was. Before he could say anything, Dinah opened the exit door. Rick shielded his eyes, turning away at first. She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside. Rick slowly followed her down the steps to the ground. Dinah walked through the lot, but Rick stopped. The entire back lot was filled with dead, some even piled up in trucks. Dinah ran through the lot entrance, making sure the coast was clear. She hurried back to Rick. "Come on. I'm tired of telling you."

"All...all these people..."

"Rick, I'll explain everything later. For now, you need to follow me." She grabbed his arm and made him walk a little faster.

Suburban area...

Dinah kept a watchful eye out. Rick stumbled a bit, but managed to keep himself up right. "Where are...where are we going?"

"Some place safe," she said.

Rick squinted his eyes at the sun beat down on them. As they walked, he noticed something across the street. "There's someone over there."

"Where?" she demanded.

"There," he pointed. Dinah saw the man walking around on a lawn. "Hey!" Rick waved.

Dinah hushed him and pulled him along. Rick frowned. He tried to pull her back, but found his strength easily overpowered by hers. "Wait. Wait!

She said nothing as she continued to drag him down the street. Rick resisted but it was futile. "Wait! Why are we running away?!"

"Stop yelling," she snapped.

"I don't understand."

Dinah stopped and whirled around to face him. "Look, we're not safe. You need to be quiet and hurry."

"Why? What's going on? What happened?" He tried to wrestle his wrist free, but he couldn't escape. "That man could help us."

"No, it can't!" she snapped. She suddenly shoved him down. Rick fell to the ground in a heap. Dinah swung her arm, her fist connecting with the jaw of the man that was following them. The force of her punch caused him to whirl around and fall to the ground. Rick watched as Dinah grabbed the man's collar, keeping him down. She jabbed her fingers into the back of the man's head. Rick gasped in horror as he heard the sickening crack of the man's skull. Dinah jerked on the man's head, ripping his skull and brain apart. Rick opened his mouth wide in a silent scream as he scrambled away.

Dinah turned to Rick. He caught a quick glimpse of her eyes; they were a blazing yellow but turned back to black. Rick scooted further back. "No! No! You killed him!"

"Shut up!" she snarled as she stepped towards him. "Rick, come on!"

"No!" He fought her off. "No!"

"You damn idiot!" She shoved his arms aside and punched him. Rick fell, his eyes rolling up inside his head as he passed out.

Drakes' residence...

Rick rolled his head to the side and slowly opened his eyes. He was resting against a pile of pillows on the wall. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. He was in a living room and the windows were covered with thick blankets. Several candles were lit as well as old lanterns. Across the room, Dinah was serving food. She placed steaming bowls of chili in front of two others. A young, teenage girl with dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. The other was a boy who had Dinah's complexion and black eyes. Rick found himself zip-tied to the stairwell.

"I changed your bandage."

Rick turned his attention forward. Dinah knelt down in front of him, her movements fluid and quiet. "I also checked you for any bites, scratches...you're clean."

She reached out to him and he recoiled, eyeing her fingers suspiciously. "Hey, I'm just checking for a fever."

Slowly, she placed her palm on his forehead. She nodded, satisfied, and lowered her hand. She pulled a pocket knife from her back pocket and pointed it at him. "Look, I may have saved you, but don't get any funny ideas. If you try anything..." she shook her head "...I will kill you."

She reached up and cut the zip-ties. Rick pulled his hands to his chest, rubbing his wrists silently as Dinah walked back to the girl and little boy. Slowly, Rick wrapped a fleece blanket around himself and walked over to the them as Dinah served him a bow of chili. "Eat up. It's the last two cans of chili we got."

Rick sat down and crossed his legs like the rest of them. The little boy stared at Rick, wide-eyed and cautious. Dinah tapped the boy's fork. "Eat, baby."

He tore his eyes away from Rick and began eating. Rick stared at his food then at Dinah. "What?" she growled.

"You killed that man."

"That wasn't a man," the girl scoffed.

"Oliver," Dinah scolded.

"It wasn't!"

"You killed a man, out front. A man. You even..." his voice trailed as he glanced at the little boy. Seeing his face, it was obvious the boy and Dinah were related.

"It was a Walker," she corrected. "Now, eat."

"You-"

"Eat."

Taken a back by her sternness, Rick reluctantly ate a spoonful of chili. After a long while, Dinah wiped her mouth and cleared her throat, "Rick, do you even know what's going on?"

"I woke up in the hospital today...then you found me. That's all I know." Rick was still glaring at Dinah, his eyes often lowering to her fingers.

"You remember all those dead people? The ones at the hospital?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, there were piled up in trucks-"

"No, I mean...the ones you heard behind the doors, remember?"

Rick glanced up in thought, shuddering at the memory. "You're saying there were dead people in there? They didn't sound dead."

"Oh, they did," she leaned closer. "We call them Walkers. See, about two months ago, the dead just...just started rising. It spreads by bite, even a scratch...the infection spreads throughout your body and the fever burns you out. You die. But...you don't stay dead for long."

"You know how insane that sounds?"

"Well, it's true. Why do you think I killed that Walk...that man?" she asked sternly. Rick absorbed her sincerity. He turned back to his food and ate another spoonful.

After dinner, Oliver and the boy went to sleep together on a mattress, huddled together to keep each other warm. Dinah covered them up with thick blankets as she dowsed the lanterns, leaving the candles to burn. She tip-toed to Rick where he sat on the couch. "Come with me. I wanna show you something."

He reluctantly got up and followed her up the stairs. Dinah led him to the master bedroom. The whole time, Rick's heart beat into his chest. He entered the room and found her waiting by the window. The moonlight illuminated her silhouette. She ushered him closer and he shuffled to her. Outside, dozens of Walkers were milling about aimlessly. One was repeatedly running into a light pole. Rick blinked as he watched them. "Those are...?"

"Walkers, yeah."

Dinah sighed and sat down on the bed. "I've, uh...seen the turn happen."

Rick turned around the face her as she talked. "When everything started to fall apart, I got my son, Nico, out of school and met up with my girlfriend, Alex, and Oliver, her daughter. And Alex...she was attacked during our escape. She got bit and by the end of the day, she was dead. A few minutes later...she got up."

She shook her head, rubbing her arms. "I killed her. I had to."

Rick eyed her from head to toe. "Like you killed that Walker today?"

Dinah didn't meet his gaze. She folded her hands in her lap. Rick leaned back against the wall. "I remember what you did. You...broke that Walker's head with her bare hands."

Dinah said nothing as Rick continued. "I know what I saw. You didn't use your gun...you didn't use a knife. No one can do that to a skull, Walker or not. No one has that kind of strength. What are you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said, standing up.

"Try me."

Dinah walked over to the door, and shut it without making a sound. Rick's senses heightened as his heart beat faster. "Some things are easier to believe like the dead coming back to eat us...some things are harder."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Before, I would've done anything to keep you from knowing this secret." She lowered her head, her breathing getting heavier. "Now...now, I suppose I don't really care if you know. My world is just as in jeopardy as yours." She spoke over her shoulder, still keeping her back to him. "I'll show you what I am."

She rolled her head, the bones in her neck making soft pops. She turned slightly. "Don't scream."

She finally faced him. Rick took a step back. Dinah's eyes shined that same blazing yellow from before. She had fangs in her mouth, and her face was contorted with wolf-like features. She had claws on her hands and pointed ears. Rick stared at her, wide-eyed with disbelief. Despite her strange, unnatural features, there was a sort of beauty about it. Dinah stepped forward. As she walked into the moonlight, her face returned to normal. Her fangs and claws disappeared. But her strange yellow eyes remained. Rick blinked rapidly. "What...you're...what are you?"

Dinah blinked and her eyes returned to their black color. "You know what I am. You've seen the movies. You've heard the stories."

Rick shook his head. "You can't be real."

"Oh, you have no idea what's real." Dinah went back to the window, staring down at the Walkers. "I know it's a lot to take in. So feel free to stay up here tonight. Away from us."

"Are all of you...?" his voice trailed off.

"No," she said. "Just me."

As she turned and reached for the knob, Rick spoke, "Wait...don't...don't go." His head, though clear of a fever, was beginning to ache from his swimming thoughts. "Wait."

Dinah obliged and turned to look at him. Rick licked his lips as he struggled to think of what to say. "Walkers...werewolves...what else?"

She raised her eyebrows in surprise and turned to completely face him. "Really? You're asking about everything else?"

"Is it that strange?" he asked as he sat down on the bed.

"No." She cleared her throat. "Just that...most people take time to process the fact the supernatural are real, and don't really want to know more unless the subject comes up."

Rick processed her words. "Vampires real?"

Dinah chuckled and sat down beside him. "No. Those are not real. That myth is linked to werewolves."

"Wow." Rick scratched the back of his head. "I feel like my mind is gonna explode."

Dinah fidgeted with her nails. "You know it's been awhile since I've had to tell someone my secret. Feels weird telling someone I just met." She snuck a glance at him. "Um...by the way, are you a criminal or something?"

"Huh?"

"You got shot, right?"

"Oh, that." He snorted and wrapped the blanket tighter around his body. "No, not a criminal. Sheriff's deputy. Or I was."

Dinah held out her hand. "Registered Nurse."

Rick glanced down at her hand then up at her. He shook her hand, her grip firm and professional. He frowned as he remembered something. "How old is your son...Nico?"

"He's 8."

Rick reflected her soft smile, nodding as well. "I have a son, too. Carl...he's 12."

"Where is he?" she asked.

"With his mother." Rick stared out the window, seeing the moon. "I hope."

Grimes' Residence, October 31...

Rick led the way to the living room, and began rummaging through the cabinets. Nico clung to Dinah as she and Oliver stood in the middle of the living room, watching Rick. He hurried in and out of the various rooms. "They were here. My wife and son."

Dinah took a deep breath. There were faint scents, but they were unfamiliar to her. "How do you know?"

"All the framed photos on the wall are gone." He pointed to the empty space above the fireplace. "All the photo albums...they're gone."

Oliver glanced at Rick, frowning in thought. "They're probably in Atlanta."

"Why there?"

"Refugee center," Dinah answered. "Broadcasts said there was a big one with plenty of supplies and weapons...at least before they stopped. And there's also the Center of Disease Control. Heard they were working on a cure."

Rick glanced away in thought then headed to the kitchen. "I have an idea."

Sheriff's Department...

Rick led the group through the front of the building. Inside, everything looked untouched. Mail was still sitting in it's slots. Old coffee was still sitting in the jug. He brought them to the locker room where the showers were. He turned the knob and after a groan, water spurted out from the shower head. He turned the knob to hot and waited. After a moment, he shrugged. "It's warm. Closest we're gonna get, I bet. I'll let you ladies go first."

After showers, they gathered between the lockers. Oliver changed into clean jeans and a Doctor Who t-shirt. She finished towel-drying her hair and braided it back. Dinah, still in her towel, helped Nico dry his hair. "Good. Go get dressed, baby."

"Okay." He smiled shyly.

Nico followed Oliver out of the locker room. Once they were gone, Dinah began towel-drying her hair. Rick unfolded his uniform. "Atlanta. Sounds like a good, safe place."

"That's where we were headed." She stood up, slipping her underwear on. Rick kept his back to her as she pulled her jeans on, too. "We've been here for about three days. It's time to move on."

Rick nodded in agreement, trying to avoid glancing at her. Dinah moved to the edge of the bench and dropped her towel. Rick absently looked at her and noticed something. On her back, a tattoo of a lightning bolt ran down from her left shoulder blade to her right hip, with smaller bolts attached to it, like a river and it's tributaries. He broke his stare and started getting dressed. Dinah threw on her bra and a tank top. "I know. It's a weird tattoo, right?"

"Why such a big one?"

Dinah buttoned up her shirt. "It's a reminder."

"Of what?"

She ignored his question. "I'm going to check on the kids."

She grabbed her things and bolted out of the locker room. She stopped just outside the doors and took a deep breath. She heard Rick's footsteps enter the hallway. He finished buckling his belt. "I, uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay," she said. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's just...it's a long story."

Rick gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Dinah frowned and glanced at his hand then up at him. She stared at him with a curious expression. Rick blinked and withdrew his hand, frowning at his actions. He swallowed hard and walked around her, clearing his throat. Dinah silently followed him to the armory. Oliver and Nico waited patiently as Rick unlocked the gun cabinet, grabbing a few duffel bags. Oliver stepped in a carefully touched a rifle. "Can I learn to shoot?"

"You have to learn," Dinah said, grabbing a shotgun. "And learn to use it right."

"That's right. When you fire a gun, you gotta mean it." Rick touched Oliver's shoulder. "Remember that."

"Yes, sir."

Oliver and Nico helped pack the ammunition. They separated the guns evenly into each bag. Rick took one and Dinah took the other. Oliver carried the other bags of supplies. Nico carried his own backpack full of water and the last bit of food they had. As they began taking the bags to the patrol car, Dinah hesitated as she emptied out the last bag. She pulled out a small jar of black powder. Rick paused upon grabbing his hat. "What's that?"

Dinah pulled out another jar. "It's called Mountain Ash."

Rick held his hand out. Dinah hesitated for a second then placed a jar in his empty hand. He turned the jar around, studying the pitch black power. "What's it for?"

Dinah scratched the corner of her mouth. "Well, seeing as you know werewolves are real, it's only right you know about our weaknesses."

"Silver, right?"

"No."

Rick frowned. "Silver isn't a weakness?"

"I mean, you stab me with a silver stake to the heart, I'll die. Same if you stab me with a wooden stake. I'm not invulnerable. Just harder to kill." She tapped the jar in his hand. "This...is more of a protection. For you."

"Protection?"

"Yeah. Mountain ash is sort of a...repellent of the supernatural. You toss this at your feet, the ash will form a protective circle around you...protecting you from a supernatural creature." She glanced over at Oliver and Nico. "Now that you know what I am...it'll be harder to remain invisible to the rest of those like me."

Rick gestured to the other jar. "One for Oliver and one for Nico?"

Dinah bit her lip. "One is for Oliver...the other belonged to her mother, Alex."

"You don't have one for your son?" Rick frowned at her.

"I kind of...lied before." She turned to look at her son who was talking and smiling with Oliver. "Nico is like me. He's a werewolf, too."

Rick's eyes flicked back and forth between Nico and Dinah. "Oh. So then...you weren't bitten? Were you?"

She shook her head, still biting her lip. "I was born this way. So was my son. There are bitten wolves, though."

Rick exhaled loudly as he processed her words. He tossed the jar of Mountain Ash in his hand and gave her a grateful smile. He walked around her and headed for the door. He stopped short of it. "If you bite me, I'll turn into a werewolf?"

"No." She shook her head. "It's kinda complicated. But, you can relax. I can't turn you."

Highway 85...

Dinah peeked in the rearview mirror, seeing Oliver and Nico sleeping on each other. Oliver had the hood of her hoodie covering most of her face with Nico leaned on Oliver's shoulder. Rick pulled the sun visor down and grabbed a photo, handing it to Dinah. "This is my family."

She took the photo, studying the faces. Rick was wearing a nice beige blazer and black tie. His life was pretty, and his son had a genuine, adorable smile. Dinah smiled. "Your son, Carl...he's got a handsome smile. Looks like he'll be a heartbreaker."

Rick laughed as she handed him to photo back. "You think so? I don't think Carl's ever been interested in girls. At least, not yet."

Dinah hummed in response. Rick tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm wondering...why have you been so open and honest? You said so yourself you keep your secret hidden."

"I don't know." She gazed out the window. "Guess you're just very trustworthy."

Rick glanced down at the dashboard. "Damn."

"What?"

"Running on empty."

Rick pulled over to the shoulder of the road and parked. Dinah got out and woke up Nico and Oliver. They gathered their bags and Rick grabbed the gas can from the trunk. They started walking, following the road. After an hour, they came upon a small ranch. A white house sat at the end of a trail with a barn behind it. Rick and Dinah left the bags with Oliver and Nico while they went up to the house. "Hello?" Rick called, climbing onto the porch. "Police officer out here! Can we borrow some gas?"

Dinah paused before stepping on the first step. Her face scrunched up into an expression of disgust. "Rick."

He turned to face her after peeking through the small windows beside the door. He noticed Dinah's expression. "What is it?"

Dinah shook her head as she took a couple steps back. "Something is wrong. I smell...blood."

"Blood?" Rick raised his eyebrows. "Like someone's hurt?"

"No," she said. "Like someone's dead."

Rick turned back to the house. He peered through the windows, trying to see through the curtains. He walked around the porch and peered into the larger windows. He stopped, his expression turning grim. He stumbled back and hurried off the porch. He met Dinah's gaze and nodded. "You were right. A couple. Both dead."

He rubbed his face as he processed what he saw. He placed his hands on his knees as he controlled his breathing. Dinah stared at him, smelling the numerous emotions coming off of him. She stepped closer. She reached a hand out, but stopped herself. "Rick, I-I know this is a lot to take in. But...this is the world now."

"I-I know," he whispered. "I know...never in my life...have I seen things like that. Never."

She nodded and finally placed her hand on his shoulder. "Rick, there's nothing we can do about it. We have to keep going."

After a long moment, he nodded. "Alright."

"Mom!"

Dinah whipped her head to the west. "Nico? Nico!"

She took off running, following the sound of her son's voice. Rick was right behind her, though he could not match her speed. They found Nico and Oliver by the horses ring. Two beautiful horses pranced around nervously. Dinah ran up to Nico and wrapped him in a hug. "Baby, you can't be yelling like that. The Walkers could hear."

"But I've never seen horses, Mom."

Rick grabbed the top of the wooden fence, keeping the horses inside. "Maybe we don't need gas after all."

Atlanta, Georgia...

Rick rode the brown horse with Oliver sitting in front of him. He had one weapons duffel bag strapped to him. Dinah at the other, riding the blond horse with Nico sitting in front of her. The horse was a little uneasy, but Nico kept petting it to keep it calm. They rode into the city on the right-hand side of the highway. The left-hand side was littered with abandoned cars. They rode silently, only the sound of the horses' hooves could be heard. After passing through a military blockade, they reached the city streets. Dinah noticed several Walkers resting inside a scorched bus and pointed it out to Rick. She whispered into her son's ears, "Stay quiet, alright?"

He nodded and buried his face in his backpack. The Walkers exited the bus, but the horses were already across the block. Rick glanced down the intersection. "Let's go this way."

Dinah signaled the horse to follow Rick around the corner. They kept going, passing by a tank and several cawing crows. Dinah and Nico stopped, looking around. Dinah raised her gaze to the sky. "Do you hear that?"

Rick stopped his horse. He and Oliver listened. After a moment of silence, the soft swirls of a helicopter could be heard. Oliver pointed. "There!"

They glanced up at the glass building, seeing the reflection of a helicopter. "Let's go! He-ya!"

He shook the rains and the horse broke into a run. Dinah did the same, keeping up with Rick's horse. They turned left and the horses' slid to a stop. The entire street was packed with over a hundred Walkers. They all turned towards them and began snarling. The horses neighed in fear and turned back the other way. The hoard of Walkers took off running after them. They reached the tank and found several dozen pouring in from each street. "Shit," Rick cursed.

"Rick, where do we go? Where do we go?" Dinah demanded.

The Walkers swarmed them. Rick and Oliver went down, falling off the horse as the Walkers began tearing into the poor horse. Rick grabbed Oliver's arm, dropping the duffel bags he was carrying and dragged her under the tank. A Walker sank it's teeth into Dinah's horse and it collapsed on top of the Walker. "Nico, jump!"

She threw Nico onto the tank and he latched onto it, climbing for dear life. Dinah lost hold of her duffel bag as she jumped after her son, the strap breaking. The Walkers started climbing after them and Dinah pulled out her pistol and began shooting their heads. But new Walkers began to replace the dead ones. "Fuck!"

"Mom, over here!" Nico cried, trying to lift the top hatch of the tank. Dinah shoved it open and dropped down. She quickly checked the inside, only seeing a dead soldier. "Come on, baby!"

Nico fell into her arms. She set him down and quickly closed and locked the hatch. Nico went to the corner as Dinah watched the soldier. She saw a hatch on the ground and quickly threw it open. She saw Oliver and grabbed her arm, "Oliver!"

Oliver scrambled up, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Come on." She shoved Oliver into the corner with Nico, and stuck her head through the hatch, seeing Rick firing at the Walkers. "Rick!"

He glanced back at her and crawled backwards towards her. She moved to let him climb through the hatch then slammed it closed, locking it was well. Rick scrambled back to the other side of the tank as Dinah panted, running her fingers through her undone bun. "Oliver? Baby? You alright? You aren't bit, are you?"

They both shook their heads. Dinah glanced at Rick just as he took the dead soldier's gun. But the soldier stirred awake, making the inhuman growl. Rick gasped and aimed his gun. Dinah pulled out her knife, "No, Rick, wait!"

He fired. All of them covered their ears as the blast echoed off the walls. Finally, after several seconds, the ringing in their ears subsided. Nico went to Dinah, burying his face in her stomach. Oliver went to Dinah as well. Rick checked the clip in the soldier's pistol. "Where's the duffel bags? With the weapons?"

"The strap on mine broke. It's in the street," Dinah gave him an apologetic look.

"I dropped mine, too."

Oliver glanced up, "I dropped my duffel. I'm sorry."

"Its okay. Its okay. As long as you're alright," Dinah soothed her. Oliver buried herself in Dinah's shoulder again. "Rick...we can't stay in here forever."

"I know," he buried his face in his hands.

Suddenly, the radio in the tank buzzed. Then a voice came, "Hey, you...hello? You four in the tank...cozy in there?"

Rick and Dinah exchanged looks. The voice came again, "Hello? You gonna ignore me?"

Rick quickly grabbed the radio talker and pressed the button, "Hello?"

end of chapter 1

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