Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead comic or television series adaptation or either set of characters. My original characters and plot twists are my own.
Prologue
Abilene May Pickens sighed, fanning herself in the Georgia heat.
Summertime.
The worst time for the zombie apocalypse to be full blown and air conditioning to be out of commission permanently.
Also a bad time to be pregnant, but there was nothing to be done about it now. She smoothed a hand over her still flat stomach and stared out of the passengers side window as the landscape passed by.
It had taken almost two months to travel this far, avoiding bad or overrun roads, scavenging and taking shelter by nightfall.
Willy, her brother in heart and name, was doing everything possible to make the journey comfortable for her. He had apologized profusely about not being able to consistently provide air conditioning in the car, because conserving gas was also a high priority these days. She waved him off, the wind and the homemade fan he made her to make up for it were enough. The result of the first was the honor of being the last vehicle in their groups lineup as they searched for shelter, permanent or temporary.
The twenty two year old smiled wistfully at the though of having a home, somewhere safe to deliver her little one.
A sudden honk from somewhere up front broke the silence, halting the procession.
Willy sighed, letting off the gas and allowing the beaten up Chevy to crawl to a stop. He released his seatbelt and reached down beside him for the rifle he kept on hand just in case we ran into another, less companionable group or any kind of walker trouble. He reached into the glove box for the six shooter pistol, turning off the safety and handing it to her. "Stay in the truck, I'll be back as soon as I can."
She nodded, swallowing hard.
She watched him walk around the truck and pass the Toyota Camry directly in front, then further out of sight, his rifle held at the ready.
She waited anxiously, watching every angle of the truck for signs of movement. Two men and a woman climbed out of the Toyota, leaving their car doors open while they headed toward the head of the caravan. More people were getting out and following.
"Abi?" A small voice whispered in fear.
"We're okay, we're just stopping for a minute." She soothed the five year old girl reflexively, eyes peeled.
"Where's Tim? And miss Leah, she should be with him, cause they're married." Missy said, tugging on the bottom of her shirt.
"I'm sure they're both up front with Willy." Abilene reassured her, smoothing her hand over her head.
Willy came back, shaking his head and his weapon pointed downward.
Sensing something bothered him, she stepped out of the car, turning to the little girl. "Missy, why don't you go up to see Miranda? Ask her nicely if you can play with Susie?"
"Kay!" The child responded cheerfully, bouncing past the Camry and toward the baby blue Dakota.
"Willy?" Abilene probed cautiously.
"It isn't anythin' too serious." He started, his southern accent thick and warm. He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. "There's a traffic snarl ahead, there's too many abandoned cars on both sides ta jus' turn around an' it will take a while ta push the ones we need ta make a clear path. We're lookin' at maybe spending the rest of the day here, if we take breaks an' the weather stays decent."
"What are we going to do about shelter? Sleeping? We can't stay out here in the open!" She fretted, fighting tears.
"Charles is headin' a scoutin' party while the first team starts workin' on movin' the cars, I'm goin' with him as an extra gun. We'll find somewhere ta spend the night, I promise." He assured her, kissing the side of her head affectionately.
She smiled at him trustingly, nodding.
"I'mma go find that troublemaker of ours an' make sure she minds." He said, an affectionate grin splitting his face as he turned to walk away.
"Tell her to be back here if Miranda or Hector aren't able to keep her company." She called to his retreating back. A wave was all the response she got.
time jump
Abilene gasped for breath, her heart pounding as fear and adrenaline pulsed through her body.
A small snap to her right had her whole body tensing, fight or flight instincts gearing up.
She ran, flying through the forest as fast as possible with the limited light of the moon.
"Abilene!" A hoarse voice called quietly in the darkness.
Relief burst in her chest, replacing the heavy waves of fear.
"Hector?" She whispered, leaning her head around the tree she'd been passing.
"Thank God, senorita, I had feared the worst. Have you seen what became of the others? Is anyone with you?" The stocky middle aged man asked quietly.
"No, you're the first I've seen. I ran with Linda, but I lost her a little while back. I got separated from Willy early on; Charlie, Lucy, Miranda and Stacy are dead. I saw Timmy and Joel run toward the highway, but they were followed, I think. I don't know about anyone else, it all happened so fast. Did you see what happened to Willy? Do you know if he's okay?" She choked out, worry replacing relief.
Hector had moved closer while she spoke, now he paused beside a tall oak. "I didn't see Willy go down, but he was in the worst of it when I lost track of him. Jenna and Kyle are dead as well, I saw them go down. We should try to make it to the rendezvous point, in case anyone else made it."
She nodded, grateful for a purpose, a direction.
They walked for what felt like the entire night, but in reality was more likely only three or four hours, resting only when no other option was available. At last, the highway came into sight.
Abilene scanned the abandoned cars; eyes straining in search of survivors, messages, or the undead.
Hope began to stutter, then fail. She didn't see anyone, or anything.
Please be alive. Please be here. She begged any and all gods that existed, any higher power that may or may not be listening. Please.
"Abilene!" A whispered shout from nearby stole all the breath from her body.
She turned, blinded by tears, and ran into a muscled chest with warm arms.
"I got ya, yer okay, I got ya." A warm accented voice soothed her, rubbing her back comfortingly. "We're okay."
"What do we do now, Willy?" She whispered, burying her face further into his chest.
"We move on, head down ta Atlanta like we planned, see what's what. Go from there."
The remains of camp were packed, the dead buried, the undead burnt and the gas siphoned then stored in the two cars that were needed.
The newest journey began at first light.