A.N This is yet another story that I started. Bet you're getting annoyed now. :P

This is all for college so they probably won't get updated I'm sorry to say.

Disclaimer - don't own any of the Walking Dead characters, they belong to AMC, the creators of this awesome show. I olnly own the characters you don't recognise.

The highway was still, silent, eerily so. Nothing moved, no, cars, no people, nothing, just a stretch of complete silence. That is until a police car pulled up to the abandoned petrol station. A man exited the car, wearily, glancing around for any sign of movement. Rick Grimes was the Sheriff's deputy at King County Sheriff's Department in Georgia. He walked stealthily around the overturned vehicles. Trash littered the floor. Clothes were scattered all over the place. In his left hand, he held a small fuel tank. He needed some petrol for his car, desperately. All of the cars were dry of any fuel that he could use. He tried not to look at the decomposing bodies that sat slumped in some of the cars. Flies had already started their meal on the dead flesh.

He continued walking, hesitantly, but he knew he had to find some petrol, or he'd be stuck there, amongst the rotting corpses. The petrol station was visible now, the neon sign flickering on and off as it used its last burst of electricity. Finally. thought Rick. His relief was short lived, as he noticed the large sign, 'No gas,' was printed in large letters in all of the fuel pumps. He sighed in disappointment. As he turned, ready to make the long track back to his car, he heard the little patter of footsteps. He placed the tank on the floor and knelt down, hoping to catch a glimpse of the source of the footfalls. He saw little feet covered by pink rabbit slippers. He stood and made his around to the girl. Rick nearly gasped. She was young, maybe six or seven years old. She was wearing a ratty light pink nightgown and in her hand was a dirty teddy bear, its legs dragging on the floor. The poor girl was filthy and freezing, by the looks of it. Her skin was pale, almost too pale. Rick grew even more concerned and took a cautious step closer.

'Little girl?' He said, in a soothing voice. 'I'm a policeman. Little girl?'

The little girl suddenly stopped. She just stood there, not moving a muscle. The teddy hung limply from her hands.

'Don't be afraid. Okay, little girl?'

The girl turned slowly, almost clumsily. Rick cried out in shock as he saw her face. One of her cheeks were missing, the inside of her mouth visible from the decay. Her eyes were bloodshot and dead. She shuffled slowly towards the startled police officer. She groaned loudly, her shuffling transforming into a run. Rick didn't hesitate, not for one second. He whipped out his pistol from the holster and fired. The force of the bullet pushed the girl a few yards away. The bullet hit her in the middle of the forehead. A small dribble of blood exited the wound as she fell to the floor on her back. The innocent teddy bear landed next to her, still wound up in her hand.

Rick stared in shock, his gun still outstretched in the direction of the now dead little girl. He didn't notice the bodies in the cars moving, their eyes jolting open at the gun shot, hungry and wild.

'Hey!' Rick jumped, thoroughly startled. He turned, gun ready to shoot if needs be.

A girl, around eighteen years old stood there, with a large gun in her hand and a rather large dog by her side. Her eyes scanned around her, making sure no more of the zombie-like creatures had moved.

'Come with me if you want to live. Ha, I've always wanted to say that. Good ole' Arnold Schwarzenegger.' She laughed, causing Rick to stare at her as if she was insane. At a time like this, how could someone be having a joke?

'Who are you? What are those things?' Rick asked, walking a step closer, gun still raised. The dog at the girl's side raised its hackles and its teeth bared, ready to defend if necessary.

'I'm Alyxandria. Alyxandria Redwood. You can call me Alyx.' The girl, now known as Alyx smiled again, friendlier, if that was even possible. '"What are those things?" Where have you been?'

The two were now only a few feet away from each other. The dog seemed to have calmed down, as if sensing that Rick was a good man.

'I'm Rick. Rick Grimes.' He held out a hand for her to shake. Which she did so without hesitation. She had a firm grip, Rick noticed. He also noticed that she was tense and he could definitely see why.

The dog's head suddenly shot up, his teeth bared menacingly and the hackles on his back more raised than they were earlier.

The girl let go of Rick's hand, 'What is it, Loki?' she asked, gun at the ready. The large weapon didn't seem to fit with the petite stature of the girl. She was tiny, only five feet tall, with long blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her face was a heart shape, with a little dirt speckling her cheeks but other than that, she was spotless.

A few of the zombie creatures shuffled in-between two cars. There were only two of them and Alyx was glad that her gun had a silencer on it. She held it up and aimed. She evened out her breathing and fired. The bullet pierced one of the zombie's heads, causing to fall to the flood, dead. Rick didn't even have time to blink and the creature was on top of him, biting at air, trying to get a chunk of Rick's living flesh. The police officer grabbed the thing by the shoulders and heaved it off him, only the thing didn't move. Rick finally caught the upper hand and managed to push it away. The thing was back on him in seconds. Its gnawing teeth got closer and closer to his skin and Rick closed his eyes. All movement stopped in a matter of seconds. Rick opened his eyes wearily. He could still feel the dead weight of the decomposing man on top of his body. The body was pushed off him, allowing Rick to stand. The girl held a hand for him to grab. She heaved him up, dusting off his police jacket.

'That was fun, right?' She asked, walking away, the large dog following suit.

'Wait!' Rick shouted, jogging after her.

Alyx stopped next to a large black Hummer. The windows were tinted and Rick even suspected the car to be made from bullet proof materials. She patted the hood, 'This is my loyal companion, other than Loki.' She added when she saw her dog look at her, somewhat resentfully. Her voice suddenly turned hard, as she turned to Rick, "Why are you out here, anyway? It isn't safe."

Rick took off his deputy hat and shuffled his messy hair, 'I'm looking for my wife and son.'

Alyx's green eyes turned soft again. 'Your wife and son? I'll help you find them.' she smiled and got into the big vehicle, 'You comin'?'

Rick sighed, also entering the car. The interior was spacious, with at least ten more seats, as well as a large boot space. A variety of guns were sat in a duffel bag next to him, he could make out a combat rifle, a few machine guns and few pistols, all loaded with a silencer and plenty of ammo to stock a small army.

Rick opened his mouth to thank her, when she cut him off, 'Why don't you get some sleep? You look exhausted. I'll wake you up when we make a pit stop.' She patted his knee gently and stroked Loki's head. The dog had made himself comfortable behind Rick, his head was laid on the small compartment between the seats.

Rick thought it best not to argue, so he just nodded and leant against the window. His eyes gently closed, as he remembered what had transpired, what seemed like months ago.

Rick laughed uproariously at something Shane said. They sat in the police car together at a diner. Shane Walsh was his best friend, has been since high school. They had met in fourth grade and had been friends ever since, they even joined the police service together.

'What's the difference between men and woman?' Rick asked, causing the other dark haired man to look at him funny.

'Is this a joke?' he laughed.

'No, serious.'

Shane shook his head, 'I never met a woman who knew how to turn off a light. They're born thinking in a switch. It only goes one way. On. They're struck blind the second they leave a room. I mean every woman, I ever let have a key... I swear to God. Come home, house all lit up, and my job, apparently because… because my chromosomes happen to be different 'cause I then gotta walk through that house, turn off every single light this chick left on.'

Rick listened intently and his features turned sad, 'Lori and I have been fighting a lot lately.'

Shane looked at him with an unreadable expression. 'Have you tried expressing your thoughts? Do you share your feelings and that kind of stuff?'

Rick nodded. 'Yeah, but the thing is… lately whenever I try… everything I say makes her impatient, like she didn't want to hear it after all. It's like she's… pissed at me all the time, and I don't know why.'

'Look, man, that's just shit couples go through. Nah, it's… It's a phase.'

'Guess the last thing she said this morning?'

'Mmm…?'

Rick tried to imamate his wife he pitched his voice higher. 'Sometimes I wonder if you even care about us at all. She said that in front of our kid. Imagine going to school with that in your head. Difference between men and women? I would never say something that cruel to her. Certainly not in front of Carl.'

Carl was the name of his eleven-year-old son. He was the splitting image of both him and Lori. His brown eyes were Lori's and the mop of dark hair was his. Carl Grimes was the perfect combination of both of his parents.

Before Shane can answer, a call comes through on the radio about a high-speed chase. Shane picked up the radio. A calm female voice came through. 'All available units, high speed pursuit in progress Lincoln county units request local assistance. Highway 18 south. Registration plate, GTAAD W217 243. Proceed with extreme caution.'

Rick furiously turned on the car's ignition and sped out of the car park. Shane placed the radio back in its holder and chucked his food in the bin, as they drove past.

As they zoomed down the highway, they listened intently to the radio, 'Suspects are two male Caucasians. Be advised, they have fired on police officers. One Lincoln county officer is wounded.'

They arrive at the scene in minutes. Multiple police cars lined the road, waiting for the criminal to draw closer. A speeding dot could be seen on the horizon, gradually getting closer. The police officers laid out a spiked ribbon on the width of the road, hoping that it would stop the men in the speeding car.

'Hey, we'll get them on one of those video shows, you know, like World's craziest police chases, what do you think?' Newly recruited, Leon Waller exclaimed, as Rick and Shane came onto the scene. They had parked their car near the others and made their way to the frantic police officers.

Rick turned to him, somewhat annoyed. "What I think, Leon, is that you need to stay focused. Make sure you got a round in the chamber and your safety off."

Leon hastily put a clip of ammo in the magazine chamber of the pistol and turned the safely off, his face, slightly red from embarrassment.

The car smashed in the spike strip and flipped a few times, before landing on the roof.

'Holy shit!' Rick shouted.

The army of officers aimed their guns at the upturned car. The driver's door suddenly opened and a man crawled out with a large gun. He started firing rapidly, none of the bullets hitting the police officers. It was obvious that the man was seriously injured, but Rick couldn't bring himself to care. The man's injuries were impairing his ability to shoot, as he continued firing, until one of the officers took him down with a simple well-aimed bullet to the chest, right where was heart sat.

Two more men exit the vehicle, guns raised and shooting. Some bullets hit Rick Kevlar vest. He barely noticed that one had hit him in his shoulder, just missing the Kevlar vest. Rick went down with a thud, as Shane shot the two men with his shotgun. Shane threw his gun to the floor. He knew all of the men were dead. He skidded to the floor next to his possible dying best friend.

'Rick! Rick! No, no, no! Shh, shh, shh. No, no, no, no… He's hurt! Leon! You get that ambulance down here, you tell them there's an officer down. Do it now!'

Shane carefully pulled Rick, so he was laid across the younger man's legs, his arms supporting Rick's neck. Rick gently closed his eyes, the pain leaving him and the world slowly turned black. A soft voice brought him back.

'Rick? Wake up.' The man shot up in the seat and looked around wildly, grasping his previously injured shoulder. 'You okay, Rick?' Alyx asked, as she pulled to the side of the road. She grasped his shoulder and turned his face to meet hers. His eyes were misted over, as if he was in some sort of trance. 'Rick?'

Rick jolted, his eyes demisted and he found himself staring onto the concerned eyes of his eighteen-year-old travel acquaintance. He glances out of the lightly misted window. The sky was a dark blue, thunder clouds hovered overhead and rain had started to fall, very heavily. He didn't recognise his surroundings as he looked around. There was no sign of life, anywhere, not even the groans of the un-dead.

'Where are we?'

Alyx never replied. She was too busy sorting through her guns. Rick was astonished to see that she also had a bow in her bag of tricks. She pulled out a quiver of arrows and set them down to the side.

'We're just outside Georgia. I had to take a detour, all the roads are blocked.' she frowned, reaching for a bag of chocolate, 'Want one? They're yummy.'

'Ha, thanks.' he savoured the sweet piece of chocolate heaven. He didn't know the next time he would ever get to taste the soft indulgence.

'I'm gunna go and look for survivors in the hospital,' she waved her hand to the left. Rick could faintly make out the outline of a large building, a bright spotlight shone on the sign, 'Valley State General Hospital'. Rick's mind flew back and he suddenly found himself back in the hospital. It was like watching a movie, like an outer body experience. He watched himself, laid in the bed, so still, so quiet, so... dead. The steady beat of the heart monitor was the only indication that he was still alive. He slowly walked to his own body. He watched as the other Rick wince as he sat up, groggily and disorientated. He exited the room gingerly. Present Rick followed him, he knew what was about to transpire and was reluctant to follow, but he knew he had to. He felt that the only way of leaving was to follow the previously comatose Rick. The lights flickered on and off, before staying off altogether. This made both Ricks weary. The corridors are a mess! Upturned beds and paper littered the floor. Rick noticed that there was a bed forcing his hospital room door shut, as if defending what was inside that room. The uninjured Rick held his shoulder in pain. The small hospital gown didn't really cover anything and he was freezing. They shuffled to the end of the hall where a large double door stood. Before the door was a desk, with 'a phone!' Rick thought in delight, running as fast as his body would allow. Picking up the phone and placing it next to his ear, he was disappointed to hear the dialling tone, indicating that the phone wasn't working. He slammed the phone back on the receiver in anger. A pack of matches caught his eye. He struck one and to his immense relief, it lit, not very brightly but it was an up from total darkness. The match blew out a second later. Rick watched, as his other self, tried a few more candles, before throwing the box to the floor.

A light flickered through the small window in the door. Rick was able to make out a figure laid out on the floor. He walked closer and glanced, almost hesitantly through. He cried in shock, fear and disgust. The woman's body was in parts, part of her stomach was missing, the entrails of intestines trailed on the floor grotesquely. Her eyes were wide and full with permanent fear. The dreaming Rick noticed for the first time that he recognised the woman. She was Lori's friend Susan, she was a nice woman, always looking after Carl when they fought and they didn't want him to hear the argument.

His eyes scanned the hallway. Just as a hand pushed itself through the chains on the door, Rick's eyes shot open…

'Ya know? If your gunna keep day dreamin' like that, we're gunna have problems.' Alyx said. She had said that with a smile, but her voice was anything but.

Rick looked at her. She was now outside of the car, her faithful companion beside her. "Just remembering." He said, also exiting the car. As much as Rick really didn't want to go into the hospital, he knew he had to. He had to prove himself… to himself. The tall man retrieved his colt 911 pistol from the holster and reloaded it. Alyx had a bow and arrow. It wouldn't have been my first choice. But effective, I suppose. They were quiet as a mouse and fast, very fast. They could reach to the phenomenal speed of three hundred feet per second.

They made their way to the massive hospital. Rick hoped they wouldn't be searching the whole hospital. He just wanted to find Carl and Lori. Alyx, Rick and Loki entered the hospital, weapons raised, ready to attack. Alyx had put an arrow in the bow and pulled the string taut.

They searched most of the building but found no survivors, only a few zombies. Alyx was disappointed. She wanted more people to take back to her home. Her house was completely zombie proof. Her father had been a survivalist and had assumptions that the government were planning something disastrous. He made the house on an island that he had purchased several years ago. There was only one way to get to the island, an underwater tunnel. Her brother, Logan was currently in Afghanistan, fighting the zombies. If Rick thought it was bad here, I got letters from Logan, things are much worse over there. Her father, Lawson was there as well, he was a scientist. He was sent there when the first outbreak of the infection surfaced. He wanted to find a cure and he started off in the large country, Afghanistan.

More days passed and the two of them were slowly losing hope, Rick from not finding his family and Alyx for not finding any survivors. She didn't like to think that the world was damned, but she knew it was. As soon as the first humans started to get the disease, the world was lost. It started as a fever. Next was the sickness, headaches and blackouts. After that, people started to feel better, then they would take a turn for the worst. Another fever took them, a very high one at that. Then death. What was more disturbing was that just hours after their deaths, they were alive again, but not fully there. They tried to eat people, kill them. A single bite or scratch could turn you into one of them.

The military started to evacuate major cities, things got out of hand, when the dead became more popular than humans. The army lost the war against the zombies in America. In other countries, they were fairing a little better. In Afghanistan, where her father and brother were, the zombie population was high, but the army were able to keep the numbers in order.

Alyx tapped on the steering wheel, as she and Rick drove down a small country road that outlined a dense forest. They had been silent most of the time, the car filled with awkward silences and nothing but the muffled snores of Loki.

The constant beeping of a car alarm broke the silence, causing the three of them to turn to the sound. A bright flash of a car zoomed past them, totally oblivious of the other car.

'Survivors!' Alyx gasped, following the car.

Not following far behind the bright Dodge Charger was a large truck, with a just as big trailer attached to the back of it. Neither vehicle seemed to notice the massive hummer, much to the relief of the car's occupants. They didn't want to be revealed just yet.

Alyx was jumping in her seat. Other than Rick, she hadn't found any more survivors. She wanted to find as many as she could. However, the journey to her house was a long one, it would take more than a couple of days to reach it.

They stealthily followed the truck as they turned off on to a muddy side street and into thick woods. Alyx, being more of city girl didn't see vast forests like this often, so this was all foreign to her.