Ok, new story here! This is my first time writing for The Walking Dead and this will be a story between my OC Rhiannon Greene and the sexy redneck Daryl Dixon. Enjoy my second attempt at fanfiction!
The bustling streets of New York City were loud as usual despite the strange stories on the news about a deadly virus that would have any normal person cowering behind the safety of a locked door. Like they say, the city never sleeps.
Rhiannon Greene expertly dodged the crowds of tourists and the speeding cabs as she walked to her apartment building. Her large dance bag was hung over her shoulder, the ache long gone after carrying it year after year.
She was grateful to have her earphones in, Aretha Franklin crooning loudly in her ear, drowning out the sounds of traffic. She inwardly sighed in relief as her home came into view. Quickly unlocking the door and making her way upstairs to her small apartment, she practically melted with exhaustion as she closed the door behind her. She sluggishly walked to her living room and threw her body down on to the couch. Dance rehearsals had kicked her ass today.
She contemplated staying there all night. Screw the shower. The noise of her phone ringing caused her to groan loudly. She was surprised she could hear it with her music still blasting. Again, she contemplated not moving a muscle and letting it go to voicemail but thought better of it. Rhiannon sighed and sat up, taking her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans, a wide smile spreading on her cheeks as she saw who was calling.
"Hey, gorgeous." She spoke, flopping back down on the couch.
"Rhiannon," Her younger sister's voice filtered through the line, the tense tone in her voice making her sit up straight.
"Maggie? Is everything ok?"
"You gotta get back here, now. The town's goin' crazy, I don't know what's happenin'."
Rhiannon was immediately on edge at the sound of her sister's teary and frantic voice. Was she talking about those insane stories on the news? There's no way it's true.
"Maggie, breathe. What do you mean it's going crazy?"
"People are eating each other. Lacey had a bite on her arm and now she's really sick. The schools are shutting down, everything's shutting down, its just- its crazy. Rhi, you gotta get home, please."
The eldest Greene daughter swallowed thickly. "Is everyone ok?" She asked quietly, her mind immediately going to her father and youngest sister Beth.
"Yeah, Dad and Bethie are fine. Worried as hell about you. How quick can you get here? Daddy said the airports are closed, maybe you could take the train?"
She shook her head. "That's like a twenty hour train. Maybe I could rent a car." She mused, practically talking to herself as she weighed her options.
She could hear Maggie sigh shakily on the other end. There was the sound of rushing footsteps. "Is that her?" She heard an enthusiastic young voice.
"Yeah, she said she's gon- Beth!" Maggie yelled accusingly at her younger sister as she stole the phone right from her hands.
"Rhi! Are you ok? Please tell me you're on your way."
Rhiannon almost had to hold the phone away from her ear at the volume of Beth's voice. She laughed lightly, "Yeah, I'm just about to pack my stuff. I'll leave first thing in the morning."
"No! You have to come now! Rhiannon please, it's too dangerous out there." Beth cried.
She sighed and ran a hand through her long blonde locks. She could just picture the tears running down her sweet innocent face. God, that girl could always get anything she wanted from her with those big, bambi eyes.
"Ok, ok. I'll leave now, but don't complain when you're dealing with my grumpy ass tomorrow."
"I won't I promise. I love you."
"I love you too, Bethie. I'll see you soon." She ended the call and sat still on her couch letting out a deep exhale. This was definitely not how she thought her night would go.
The silence was unsettling. She was hesitant about the long journey ahead of her, am I really gonna drive all night? The absolute terror in her sister's voices brought her back to reality. Something was happening and whatever it was scared the hell out of them, the least she could do was sacrifice a night of sleep to ease their mind.
Rhiannon grabbed her dance bag and dumped it upside down on her bed. Tap shoes, pointe shoes, she didn't need those. She figured she'd be back by monday in time for her morning ballet practice. Rehearsal for the winter show was coming up and she knew this would be the only weekend she'd have free in a long time, it was a good thing she was going to see her family before she didn't have any time at all to visit.
She packed a few pairs of jeans and shorts and some shirts. She hesitated for a second and lifted her pillow, grabbing the hunter's knife she kept hidden there. Being a single girl barely over 5 feet tall living in New York City, she could never be too careful. The knife twirled in her hands, would I really need this?
She remembered what Maggie said, people were eating each other, one of her friends got bit. Even if the bullshit deadly virus was just that, bullshit, she still wanted to protect herself from methed out freaks who took a bite out of their neighbours.
Finishing her packing, Rhiannon put her jacket back on and grabbed her ipod, there's no way she was driving 14 hours without it. She took the subway to the edge of town where the car rental building was, praising the man upstairs that for once in New York there wasn't a huge pile up.
She walked into the office to get the car, going through all the paperwork with ease. There was a nagging in the back of her mind though. Maggie's scared voice made a chill run down her spine. She hesitantly looked over her shoulder, making sure she was the only other person in the room. Her hand clutched the shoulder strap of her bag as she noticed what looked like a military jeep driving down the road. Another shiver ran down her spine, The town's goin' crazy. Military was never a comforting sign.
"Here you are, Ma'am."
She broke out of her frightening thoughts and smiled gratefully at the man, grabbing the keys on the counter. "Thank you." Her voice was only a whisper and without even bothering to put on a smile, she quickly scurried out of the building, turning the corner to the underground garage.
Of course the car that was picked for her was at the far end of the creepy, dark garage. She scowled at her unfortunate luck and began her trek across the garage. Her footsteps seemed to echo in the silence, it made her wince each time, seeming to be louder than it actually was.
"Woah, man. You ok?"
She turned her head, her eyes falling on a man packing up his car, his wife and daughter standing close by. Another man was stumbling towards them, low, hissing moans escaping his mouth.
Rhiannon furrowed her brow but kept walking, well, I guess you that's New York for ya, place is filled with creeps. This wasn't the first time she had seen some strange people in the city, it made her wonder why she'd bother to live there for so long.
A shrill scream was heard making her almost fall right on her ass. She turned abruptly, jogging back to where the family was and this time she actually did fall on her ass tripping on her own feet as she stumbled back at the horrific sight in front of her. The man who she originally assumed was drunk was taking a bite out of the man's neck. the blood gushed, choking him through his screams of agony, his wife and daughter screaming just as loudly.
Rhiannon ran towards them, mentally checking that her knife was still tucked away in her boot. The wife was tugging at the man's arm, desperately trying to get him off of her husband who was already long gone. The deranged man turned and swiftly grabbed at her arm and took a bite. Rhiannon felt fear stab at her chest, what the fuck is happening?
The young daughter screamed relentlessly as she watched both her parents cry out in pain, watched the blood pour from their wounds. She stumbled to her feet and started running away.
"Hey! Little girl, wait!" Rhiannon yelled. There was no way she was letting that girl go on her own, especially not after what she just saw.
The man, who she was starting to realize was not a man at all, turned his attention to her, her loud voice breaking him from his feeding frenzy.
"Oh fuck." She muttered as it rose to its feet and reached out for her. She pushed at his chest but flinched back each time he growled loudly at her and snapped his jaws too close to her face for her liking. She kicked at his legs knocking it off balance, praising herself for becoming a dancer and developing a strength in her body she wouldn't have otherwise had.
This thing was stronger than she thought, bringing her down to the ground in his grip as he fell. Rhiannon yelped, barely missing the jaws that lunged for her. She grit her teeth as she pushed the heavy weight away from her, her arms beginning to shake. She felt something poke at her ankle as she shifted her leg, her knife. She swiftly brought up her knee to its chest, knocking him back for a moment. It was enough time for her to grab the knife from her boot and she swung her arm out, catching the thing in the abdomen as he lunged for her again, only it didn't stop him.
Rhiannon stabbed again and again until her the sleeves of her jacket were covered with black gore. She groaned in frustration, exhaustion catching up to her as she held back the used to be man who was twice her size. She raised her arm and thrust her knife up through his chin, halting his movements. The creature fell to the pavement, Rhiannon falling with him, her grip still on the hilt of her knife.
She backed up, crab walking away from the dead creature sprawled out in front of her. Her bottom lip trembled furiously as shaking gasps left her mouth. Tears ran down her pale cheeks. Rhiannon stood slowly, her legs trembling. She slowly moved toward the creature, watching for a few minutes, making sure it wouldn't move again. She reached down cautiously to grasp her knife. She pulled it out roughly, blood splattering on her hands as she did.
A few deep breathes left her parted lips before she bent over, hands on her knees as she emptied her stomach. What did I just do?
She wiped at her mouth, wincing at the vile taste in her mouth. She wiped the knife on the creature's pant leg, getting rid of the mess on the shining blade and tucking it back in her boot.
Her eyes scanned the dimly lit garage. Where was that kid? "Hello?" She called out, wincing at the volume of her voice. She didn't want to deal more of those fuckers. "Little girl? I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise." She spoke, looking under the cars for the young girl who had ran away from her dying parents.
Rhiannon checked the whole perimeter of the garage, eventually making her way outside, calling out to the lost girl. She had made it down to the end of the street when something caught her eye. It was a stuffed animal, the same one the girl had been clutching as she ran. It lay abandoned on the pavement. Her eyes frantically searched the area, jogging up the road, praying she would find her.
Her footsteps slowed as she heard a noise that made her heart pound fiercely in her chest.Raspy growls were heard from around the corner halting her movements. She let out a shaky breath and slowly peered out from the wall she stood behind.
Her hand flew over her mouth, covering up the sob that she let out. One of those monsters was hungrily feasting on the young girl. Her small body practically torn apart on the sidewalk.
Rhiannon could hear the blood pumping through her veins, could hear her heart pounding in her ears, every beat felt like a punch to her body. All she could do was stare at the gruesome scene in front of her.
She didn't know how much time had passed as she cowered behind the cement wall, the noises making her stomach turn. Low growls startled her out of her state of shock. More were coming. Wiping the tears from her cheeks she stood and hastily made her way back to the garage, making sure to avoid the murder scene she had witnessed. Grabbing her bag she had dropped om the way, she got to her car and unlocked the door. Her breath finally came back to her in a deep exhale once she was sat in the driver's seat, the doors locked tightly.
Her shaking hands started the car and she sped out of the garage, not daring to look in the rearview mirror at the scene she left behind. She had to get the hell out of the city. Once she was on the road, speeding across the bridge to the highway she let her sobs free, her chest aching with each powerful release of tears. Her hands clenched on the wheel. Please let my family be ok. Please let me see them again.
*Three Weeks Later*
Hershel Greene sat on the swinging chair on his front porch, his eyes casting over the land before him. The sun was just rising and just like every other morning for the past three weeks, he was praying. Praying that his eldest daughter would return. That he would see her beautiful face again, her brown eyes that reminded him so much of his late wife.
He had had a rocky relationship with Rhiannon. He disapproved of her choices, wanting her to take over his veterinary business rather than go to Juilliard to dance. He swore that girl was trying to give him a heart attack when she came home with a nose piercing and then of course the tattoos and she couldn't stop at just one.
His little girl was a spitfire that was for sure. She had been such a troublemaker, too much for him to handle after her mother had died. Rhiannon rebelled once he had gotten remarried, lashing out at him every chance she got. He regrets some of his choices, sending her away to boarding school was not one of his finest moments but he didn't know what else to do. At that point he was sure she would send him to an early death. Thankfully she matured and smartened up. He didn't know what it was that had changed her, she was always so private about her life, he was just glad that it happened.
She was still a troublemaker, that's just who she is, but she'd become a little less self destructive than she was in her teens. But there were still things between them that needed to be resolved. He wished for more time with her to repair their relationship, something he would never get.
"Daddy?" Hershel turned his attention to his middle daughter. "You should come inside and eat something. All this waiting, it's not good for you."
"My baby girl is out there."
Maggie froze at his words, her throat closing up at the mention of her sister. She was sure she would never see her big sister again. It should have been a days drive, but three weeks later and she hasn't shown up. Maggie could only assume that Rhiannon was dead. Her sister, her best friend, dead. She never even got to say goodbye, the last conversation they had was cut off by Beth taking the phone from her. God, Beth. The youngest Greene sister was an absolute mess. Rhiannon was her idol and she was practically inconsolable at the loss.
"Daddy please. I can't lose you too." Maggie whispered hoarsely, her eyes stinging as her tears threatened to fall.
Hershel looked to his daughter, his watery eyes locking with hers. He grabbed her hand and held it tightly, wishing for words of comfort but he had none. He lost his daughter, he was a broken man. Not even when Annette and Shawn had come down with the fever did he break like this. But this was his daughter, his first born, his baby girl.
He opened his mouth, willing his inevitable breakdown to subside long enough to comfort the daughter he had left but was cut off by the sound of an engine and the crunching of tires against the gravel driveway. Hershel shot up from his seat, flying down the steps with a speed that made him feel like a young man again.
An unfamiliar car pulled up but he saw the long golden hair, he knew it was her.
Maggie ran inside, the door slamming behind her. "Beth! Get down here!"
Rhiannon turned the car off, already sobbing as she saw her father approach, looking just as shell shocked as she felt. She opened the car door and was immediately enveloped in a bone crushing hug, her father's hand holding the back of her head affectionately, as he had always done when she was a little girl. She let out pitiful cries, she certainly didn't feel like a grown woman in this moment.
"Thank you. Thank you." Hershel repeated like a mantra. Holding onto his daughter as if he was afraid she would disappear if he were to let go.
Rhiannon heard rapid footsteps and she felt two more pairs of arms around her. She could hear crying and knew it wasn't just her. Her sisters clung to her almost painfully. Their rapid questions made her head spin. She couldn't even make out the words they were saying, they were talking so fast. The sobbing wasn't helping either.
"I'm ok." She breathed out, feeling winded with the onslaught of emotions. "Please tell me those generators are working cause I need a shower asap."
They let out an amused chuckle, still feeling as though this was a mirage, that the woman they had been waiting three weeks for wasn't really there. "I'm ok, I promise." She reassured them, seeing the looks of disbelief on their faces.
Hershel placed his hands on either side of her face, a wide smile stretching on his withered features. He felt as though he had aged ten years in the past month. "Baby girl, you are a miracle." He kissed his daughter's forehead and pulled her into his arms once again.
Rhiannon smiled, a breathless laugh escaping her chapped lips. Her excruciating journey had come to an end, she actually made it back to her family. She had lost all her hope over the past few weeks but here she was, with her family again.
The Greene family walked towards the house, arms laced around each other, holding tightly, not daring to let their precious woman out of their grasp. Rhiannon smiled warmly at Patricia and was wrapped up in a long hug, the older woman softly crying, muttering how happy she was that she was here.
Otis gave her a crushing hug, her feet dangling off the ground for a moment causing her to laugh loudly, she had always loved those enormous hugs when she was a kid.
"What happened to you out there?" Beth asked, seeming to finally notice her disheveled appearance. The blood and gore that covered her jacket and boots were unmistakable. Her hair was unwashed and tangled and she had a mark above her left eyebrow that wasn't there before. To put it politely, she looked like shit.
"I'll tell you later. All I want right now is a shower and my bed." Rhiannon responded tiredly, dragging her feet into the house. Her shoulders were tense as flashbacks of her journey assaulted her mind. She didn't want to give her little sister nightmares, there was no way in hell she was telling her, or anyone else what happened out on the road.
Her family followed closely, not letting her out of their sights. She doubted she would get any privacy for the rest of her life. But after what she experienced out there, she doubted her life had a long timeline.
"How about some food, honey? You get any smaller and you'll disappear into nothin'" Patricia placed her hands on her shoulders, guiding her to sit down at the table.
Her stomach immediately growled at the thought of a hot meal. The canned crap she had been suffering through didn't quite satisfy her. "That sounds amazing." She smiled brightly. She leaned her elbow on the table, willing herself to push past her exhaustion.
Her father and her sisters sat around her, their smiles seemingly permanently etched on their faces. Rhiannon laughed at them and shook her head. "It's good to be home." She spoke softly, grabbing her father's and sister's hands.
*1 Week Later*
Rhiannon sat on the steps of the porch, blowing on the steaming cup of tea in her hands.
"You're staring again." She spoke plainly, not taking her eyes off of the tree lines. Maggie was seated next to her, her elbows resting on her knees cupping her chin in her hand and yes, her green eyes had yet to leave her sister.
"Are you ever gonna tell us what happened out there?"
"There's nothing to tell." Rhiannon shrugged, hoping her sister would drop the subject and move on. She didn't want to relive what she went through trying to get back. She didn't want her family to disown her after almost dying to get to them.
"Seriously? Rhi, how stupid do you think we are? Do you honestly believe that we don't hear your nightmares, that we didn't notice the scar on your face or the fact that you're out here for hours every night checking the fences? We're safe here, you don't have to worry." Maggie spoke reassuringly, placing a hand on her sister's arm.
Rhiannon jumped and stood up abruptly, almost knocking Maggie over. The pained look in her eyes made Maggie cower slightly. "We are not safe here. We're not safe anywhere." She spat viciously.
Maggie was stunned to silence, her mouth hanging open at her sister's outburst. Rhiannon saw the frightened look on her face and her shoulders sagged. Great, I'm definitely the biggest asshole on the planet.
"I'm sorry." She shook her head of the disturbing images in her brain and leaned against the porch railing. "I just really don't want to talk about it." She whispered.
Maggie had never seen her sister so shaken up. Her big sister had always been her rock. She had always admired so greatly the strength she had, standing up to her father and taking huge risks to get what she wanted in life. To her, her sister was an unbreakable superhero. Seeing her so tortured and on edge made her chest ache. Rhiannon had been so reserved the past week and had become even more closed off after hearing about her stepmother and stepbrother.
"Ok, I won't ask again...Just know I'm always here if you wanna talk. No matter what happened, I'm here for you."
Rhiannon smiled slightly. "I know." She wrapped her arms around her, sighing in content. Maggie's words echoed in her head, no matter what happened. She doubted Maggie would be saying that if she actually knew what had happened, what she was forced to do in order to survive.
She suddenly saw something from the corner of her eyes making her head snap to the side so hard she worried if she just gave herself whiplash. A figure emerged from the tree line running towards the house.
"What the hell is that?" She muttered. It was too fast to be a Walker and it looked like he was carrying something.
"Get Dad out here." She told Maggie who immediately ran inside.
Rhiannon slowly made her way down the steps, approaching the man in the sheriff's uniform as he stumbled towards her. She now saw what he was carrying, who he was carrying. A small boy was cradled in his bloody arms. She gasped and felt her knees quake.
"Help me." The man whispered through tears sounding broken beyond repair.
Damn, this new world just keeps getting crazier by the day.
Let me know what you think and whether or not I should continue. If I do get some feedback I hope to have weekly updates, depending on how school goes. Uni is hard y'all. Throughout the chapters you'll get more backstory to Rhiannon and what she went through those three weeks on her own. Things will unravel. And Daryl will be here soon! Thanks for reading! xx