Authors Note:
So this chapter has now been combed through for mistakes, just 6 more to go! Have fun with this one.
Disclaimer:
The Walking Dead and all it's characters belong to Robert Kirkman and AMC respectively. Alexis is of my own creation.
Chapter 1
A new world, A new journey
The next morning brought quiet to the street, I awoke a few hours after sunrise. Probably from one of the best sleeps I'd had in a while. Apparently I wasn't the only one as Morgan, the only other up, seemed well rested as well.
It wasn't long before Rick joined us in the living room and we began to plan the morning. We voted to skip breakfast, especially for dad as he would be killing his first Walker today and it wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world.
While Morgan got Rick armed and talked him through how to handle the Husks, I decided to go to Carl's room. I stood in the middle of the room staying true to my vow looking for his comic books and perhaps even some other things for him. I looked in the storage cupboard finding a moderately sized cardboard box full of many different comics, I flicked through a few of the covers when one in particular caught my eye.
It was thicker than the other comics, black and white fine line art by the look of it. The cover's primary colour was red, the main font was large and edgy. The picture on the cover was seemed to be a photo in a broken picture frame, a family of three were standing together. Three different zombies stood facing the readers. It was called The Walking Dead.
I considered reading a little before scoffing to myself before picking up as many comics as I could fit in my bag without taking up all the room in there, luckily as my backpack was a large survival pack I was able to get most of them. I picked up a few things, a couple of other things for Carl, my sketchbook and pencils and a few other things before heading back downstairs.
The three males had apparently been waiting for me before starting. My dad stood there looking apprehensive, with a baseball bat in his hands. I sighed rolling my eyes at the weapon, that was not going to be the easiest way to take care of a husk.
We didn't have to go far to find a Walker as there was one propped up against a fence in front of the house. The four of us exited the house behind my Dad who hesitated again.
"Are you sure they're dead? I had to ask one more time." he asks us.
"Dad, they're 100% undeniably dead. Just remember to go for the head okay?" I reply nodding towards the Walker. He nodded back before quietly heading towards the Husk.
The Husk saw Rick earlier than I would've liked it too and stood up to try and take him but instead got beat to the ground by my dad with his trusty baseball bat, it took dad about 6 hits to kill it but it took its toll winding him severely causing him to gasp erratically while kneeling over the corpse.
"Dad! You okay? Is it the wound?" I panic as he gathered his bearings together.
"Yeah, I just need a moment." He tells me still breathing heavily, I nod in response before helping him stand and following him into the house.
"Not bad but if you're going to survive in your current condition you're going to need something a bit more insta-kill." I comment retrieving a spare large hunting knife from my backpack, passing it to my father who voiced his thanks.
"Go straight through the eye socket, it's easiest. Unless you're behind one, then just hack away." I advise receiving a nod which I returned as Morgan and Dwayne joined us in the dining area.
"They're alive, my wife and son. Alexis told me they left for Atlanta when things got bad, we have to go find them." He directs the last part to me, I nodded my agreement. Dad continued conversing with Morgan as I thought of the chances of my mother and brother still surviving out there in Atlanta.
"Hey can I ask you something?" Morgan inquired bringing me from my train of thought.
"Of course but I can't guarantee an answer." I answer grinning his way, earning a small chuckle.
"I don't want to seem rude but I was wondering how in the hell you've kept yourself so clean if you've been trekking the city every day since the start of all this?" He questioned me. It wasn't a surprising question, I managed to keep my hair clean and healthy; my body wasn't covered in as much dirt, sweat and grime as it should be.
"I've been using the showers at the police station, they've got their own propane system. It still works and should for a while, I've literally only used them for 5 or so minutes a time." I explain, smiling at Dwayne's excitement of a hot shower.
"Well I was going to suggest heading there to see what was left in the armoury, a hot shower seems like a good idea. We good to leave now?" Dad asked around for any objections, Morgan and Dwayne were eager to go but I wanted to clear out the basement.
"Before we leave I could use some help clearing out the basement, there's some useful things down there." With those words I lead the way down to said area. I grabbed my flashlight, one of those self-generating on movement ones, from the shelf by the door before lighting the way downstairs.
There was little light coming through the window near the ceiling so I had to find matches to light up the gas lamps I had put in the room to see clearly. Brightening up the room revealed the loot I had gathered over the last couple of months.
Various different knives and the odd machete and bat along with a couple of various weapons were neatly piled into one corner of the room; another corner had a range of survival gear, a few tents, backpacks, flasks, canisters, containers and cooking supplies. A reasonable pile of food sat between the other two piles. Tools and some other items littered the room too but the last lot of loot was the medical supplies on the shelves above everything else, I made sure to stock up in case myself or anyone else got hurt. Mainly I gathered as much as I did in case my dad woke up but needed care.
"Where..? How'd you find all this stuff?" Morgan asked a little in awe by my collection of things, I thought about the trouble I had to go through for some particular items.
"Since the beginning everyone started raided department stores, I didn't, in fact I stay away from them if I can. I went scavenging in the smaller stores no one thought about; fishing stores, survival outlets, outdoors equipment stores, hunting stores. The meds were the hardest to get, pharmacies are wired so anyone who would try to break in would set off an alarm. I spent days trying to rewire it so that it wouldn't trigger any sound to alert the dead around town, I took as much as I could fit in my pack and did many trips. Cleared out an entire drugs store; didn't think I'd need more than this right now so I didn't try to break into another. Doesn't mean I won't have to in the future though." I explain to the man, already going through what I would take and what I would give to Morgan and Dwayne.
"We'll split the meds and the food, there should be plenty for that. There are a couple of family sized pop up tents, we'll take one each, you never know when there won't be house around. You're welcome to some bags and flasks and the such but the weapons we'll have to talk about." We get to work sorting through the piles of loot.
It took a while but we split everything up, by the time the food and medical supplies were split up evenly there was one full bag each filled to the brim. We took a tent each as well a few cooking supplies, clothes and survival gear filling another backpack. Unfortunately, a lot of it was going to get left behind, there was only so much we could carry.
So the last pile to go through was the weapons. I wasn't going to lie, I wanted first pick. I went through the trouble to get them so it was only fair right?
Without a word I walked over to the pile and started rummaging through it, finding what I wanted to take and what I didn't. I pick up an ice pick, feeling the weight and examining the blade before putting it aside in a separate pile. I grab a couple of hunting knives adding them to the pile as well as a lightweight hatchet. I was about to stop and let Morgan take what he wanted when something caught my eye, a belt was laying at the bottom of the pile. I lift it up to find it housing of different knives. Throwing knives, I guessed, without thought I put the belt around my waist, maybe I could learn to use them.
I picked up my chosen weapons and headed over to my dad, nodding to Morgan who immediately started searching through the pile with Dwayne.
"Nice belt, know how to use those?" Dad nodded to my newly acquired belt, I follow his gaze to admire said item before meeting his eyes again.
"Not really, but there's always time to learn. Even if I don't any amount of sharp knives help a lot these days." I chuckle handing my dad a large hunting knife and the hatchet, keeping one of the knives and the ice pick for myself hooking it through the centre strap on the back of my pack. No longer having any business at the house we picked up our packs and headed to Morgan's car and headed towards the station.
Once there we did a quick recon of the station, making sure there were no husks walking around before heading for the showers. I split from the males heading to the girl's side of the shower room. I smiled as I heard Morgan and Dwayne loudly enjoy the rare hot water through the ventilation, a rare luxury in this new world.
Once clean I met up with the others in the reception area, from here we made our way to the armoury.
"A lot of it's gone missing." Dad said absentmindedly entering the caged room.
"Most of it was used up trying to fight back in the earlier days, after everything was over run no one's bothered coming to claim it. Not the smartest weapon to have anyway, too noisy." I comment examining a couple of pistols before finding a couple of sheaths to put them in and hooking them onto the knife belt.
"Daddy can I learn how to shoot? I'm old enough." Dwayne asked hopefully.
"Hell yes you're going to learn but we got to do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon." Wise words, unfortunately that may not be the case if a husk goes after the kid. He'll have to point and hope for the best, whether he knows the discipline or not.
"That's right it's not a toy. You pull the trigger; you have to mean it. Always remember that Dwayne." Dad said to them and I almost laughed, now it was shoot or be eaten. That's just the way it was.
"Yes sir." He replied before following his father's orders and helping loading the bags with as much ammunition as we could. I waited for dad and Morgan to restart their conversation before saying my piece to the kid.
"In a normal world, my dad would be right but we both know the world is a lot harsher. If you see a walker coming for you and you have no way to take it down quietly, you aim for the head and pull the trigger. Even if it was someone you used to know, someone you used to love, you still do it. You can't let the past get you killed kid."
I could see the understanding flash in his eyes before the sadness did, he knew exactly what I was talking about. If his mom came after him, he had to kill her for good. He nodded at my words, knowing I was right.
We exited the station and headed to our own vehicles with 2 full duffle bags each.
"Conserve your ammo, goes faster than you think. Especially at target practice." Dad called to Morgan as he leads us to the parking lot. I felt a pang of emotion go through me as Dwayne started loading their car, he reminded me too much of my own brother.
"Morgan are you sure you don't want to come with us? There's strength in numbers." I try to reason with the man hoping he'd change his mind, he didn't.
"Few more days. By then Dwayne'll know how to shoot and I won't be so rusty." I sighed as dad passed a radio to Morgan, I play with the knives in my new belt before making a decision. I search my backpack before approaching Dwayne once again
"Here take this knife, I hope you won't need to use it often if at all but you should have a safety net. Take care of yourself kid." I pat his shoulder after his thanks and go to get into the passenger seat of the cop car when a walker grabbed our attention.
"Leone Basset? Didn't think much of him, careless and dumb but I can't leave him like this." The sorrow in Rick's voice was thick as he remembered his fellow officer.
"You know they'll hear the shot?" Morgan states more than asks a little rattled.
"Who says they'll be a shot." I add walking to stand with my father, I give him a look and he takes a moment before nodding. I walked up to the fence unsheathing my hunting knife, I grabbed his shirt through the fence to pull him closer before plunging it through his eye socket.
We said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways, I felt bad about leaving the two behind as we headed to Atlanta without them but that was their choice. I just hoped we would find salvation in Atlanta, as well as our family.
Authors Note:
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and want to continue with the story. Any comments welcome but please keep any negative comments constructive, See you next time.
