The World of the Walking Dead
Disclaimer: I do not own AMC's 'The Walking Dead'. If I did, Rick would have a spin-off series entitled 'The Life and Grimes of Rick: Sherriff's De-beauty'. Haha. I absolutely adore puns. I apologise.
"You're comin' with us Little One. I'm not askin' you, alright. You are comin' and you're comin' now!"
"Do you trust me?"
"This isn't about trust! This is about keeping you SAFE! Do you understand what I'm saying?!"
"Do you TRUST ME?!"
"You know I trust you, Little One. I fuckin' trust you! I just don't wanna leave you here, alone. This isn't some fun-time theme park. You could die!"
Zero looked up at him; she stared Shane right in the eyes.
"Trust me. I won't die. I'm not stupid, Shane. You'll have a hard enough time keeping Carl and Lori out of danger. I know he'll wake up and he'll need a familiar face. He won't have a clue what's going on. He'll be vulnerable as it is having come out of a coma. I'll stay and I'll find you in Atlanta. I'll keep to the back roads, I won't draw any attention to myself and I have a wicked knife. Now you get back to the Grimes house and you get them out of Atlanta, okay? I will meet you there, ya hear me Officer Walsh?! That's a promise and you know I don't break my promises."
Shane hesitated. Once he heard the shouting and shooting coming from the reception area though, he sprang into action.
"Okay, okay. But I swear to God Little One, if I can't find you in Atlanta, you better watch yourself 'cause you'll be in big trouble when I do."
She smiled at him briefly and peeked into the hallway.
"What will you do, Officer? Punish me? Hahahaha. I'll find you and I'll bring Rick with me. Now go."
Shane embraced her, pulling her close.
"Better not be lying, Little One. I'll go. I'll barricade the door as best I can, okay? See ya soon."
"See you, Walsh."
Shane hesitated at the door and looked back once more, sending a final nod as a goodbye then closed the door. Amidst all the chaos, he managed to place an unoccupied gurney in front of the door and then escaped the massacre.
''
The two of them, Shane and Zero, had a rather unconventional way of meeting each other. It began one morning, at around 3 AM, and Shane was crashing at Rick's.
He made his way down the hall and into the spare room. He kicked off his shoes, took off his shirt, belt and pants and grabbed up one of the sheets from the bed and two pillows. Making his way as quietly as he could, he approached the couch. It had good back support for him and the spare room could get stuffy in the early mornings, no matter how cold it may have been outside.
He went to sit down on the couch but promptly fell off, eyes wide and completely confused as the couch started screaming in fright. It then got up and moved. Shane jumped back up.
"What the fuck?!" He exclaimed as he was then charged.
The figure got him to his knees, hands behind his back and placed a foot at his spine.
"Make one wrong move and you'll no longer be attached to your arms, got it?"
Shane struggled and nearly got loose. The figure changed tactics and the man ended up in a choke-hold. The lights were turned on and there stood Rick, with his revolver out and pointed at Shane. He quickly lowered the weapon and breathed in a sigh of relief.
"Hey! That's so cool! How'd you get him there, Miss Zee?" Carl then started laughing at the look on Shane's face. He'd been beaten by a girl!
Lori shook her head and made her way to the kitchen, putting the kettle on the stove. Of course this is what would happen.
"Oh, oops." Zero let the man go and offered her hand to him, a sheepish smile on her face as Shane looked at her in disbelief.
"Well, you've now met Zero. Zee, this is Shane Walsh; one of the best officers in King County and my brother."
Zee passed Shane his blanket and went to shake his hand.
"Sorry about that. I thought you'd want to sleep in the bed so I took the couch for the night. Uh, I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"
"No, no. I'm Shane Walsh. You got a powerful set of arms on ya woman. Jesus!"
"Yeah, sorry about that too. I thought you were a burglar or some deranged, homicidal maniac that decided to target the Grimes' house."
Rick couldn't help it. He started laughing, setting off Carl again and soon everyone had joined in.
"I gotta say, that is the strangest way I've ever met somebody."
"I've got to admit that this has been one of the more normal ways I've ever met somebody. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Officer Walsh. I hope that, despite my first impression, we'll become friends."
Shane nodded, eyes raking over the little slip of a woman in front of him. Friends? Sure, why not. He could do that. If this first encounter was anything to go by, this woman would worm her way into his life easily. She seemed like a very lively person; a lot of fun to be around.
"This may be a little personal but I was wondering," Rick raised an eyebrow, not sure what Zero would say to his best friend, "do you normally get undressed and sit on unsuspecting women or am I just special?" She finished with a cheeky grin, a wink and then started laughing again.
"I joke, I joke. Sorry! Couldn't help myself."
This would be the start of a beautiful relationship, Shane thought. This is going to be fun.
''
"Rick? Can you hear me? Don't sit up just yet, alright? Lay back down."
Zero placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back onto the bed. She turned around, went over to a little cabinet, opened its draws and rummaged around for a few moments. Once she found the water and painkillers she scrounged up, she went back to his bedside.
"You feeling any good Officer Friendly?"
"Whe…Where am I? What happened?"
"Here take these. It'll make the pain seem like just a dull ache. It's the best I can do. You were shot. No one listened to me when I asked for confirmation of the number of suspects. At one point, there'd been a tip off saying that there were over 8 people huddled together in that damn car. I yelled at them, called them an idiot and told them that we weren't looking for a bloody clown car. Boss man wasn't too impressed, mind you."
"Huh, bet he wasn't. There were 3. The first 2 were shooting, and then he came out of nowhere from somewhere behind the car. I didn't notice. Didn't think there'd be another. Stupid mistake; stupid rookie mistake."
"Yes, well, we can't all be Robocop now, can we? You hungry?"
"Starving. I won't have to wait until the hospital food arrives, will I? I hate that stuff."
She rummaged around in a duffle bag and handed him a tin of ready-to-eat spaghetti bolognaise.
"Rick, I need to tell you something. Something incredibly, uh, weird happened while you were out and when I say weird, I mean so unbelievable that you'll think I'm crazy or joking and you won't believe a word that I'll say. Now before I start, Carl and Lori are safe. Shane got them out in time."
Rick stopped eating. His brows furrowed together, confusion and concern taking place on his face. He looked at her.
"What happened? Where are they Zee?!"
She hushed him.
"Keep it down or they'll hear you. That's the last thing I need. I cleared most of the hallways around here. I don't need you bloody going and ruining it all. Now you listen and you listen good: I'm not lying. You know for a fact that I'd never lie to you so please don't interrupt. You've missed quite a lot Mr Grimes. You've missed the beginning of the end."
''
Rick sat there in silence. He scanned her face for any signs of a lie, any trace of laughter, but found none. She was as serious as she had ever been. She wasn't lying but she couldn't be telling the truth.
"There are hoards of zombies outside right now and there are refugee centres, set up all around the country, because it's the zombie apocalypse?!" He asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"Then why are you here? Why didn't you get to safety with the rest of them?"
"To help you of course. What, you think I'd leave a comrade behind, a fellow officer of the law? Pfft, you wish Officer Friendly. Shane took them both to Atlanta. It was broadcasted as a safe zone of sorts. They had it barricaded in and the army was there assisting with survivors. This infection, this disease, it brings people back to life. You can't let yourself get scratched or bitten. I think they carry mutated bacteria of some sorts. In fact, I reckon we're all infected. It'd make a hell of a plot twist."
"You've been in and out of the hospital since this started, haven't you?" He eyed the duffle bag warily, knowing full well that she had.
"Well, yeah, I mean, I did need to get food, medicine and more IV bags for you and what not. I even found a manual to help me administer everything you needed. Sorry about all that by the way. You know I'm a complete professional; didn't do anything untoward at all."
Rick chuckled at this.
"Well now I'm suspicious. You sound awful defensive for a supposed innocent professional. Am I going to have to get a restraining order?"
"Oh, yes, definitely. I just couldn't keep my hands off of you!" She placed a hand over her forehead dramatically, laughing quietly along with him.
"Rick, this isn't going to blow over anytime soon. We need to go to Atlanta once you're feeling better. We then need to find a suitable place to set up living quarters, make it impenetrable. Build a fortress, hell, build a mote if we have to."
"You've always wanted a mote, haven't you? If it's a mote you want though, you're digging it and filling it up. I'll build the draw bridge but I'll be the only one who can let it down. Deal?"
They continued talking and eating the food Zero had stock piled over the weeks. Tomorrow they would leave the hospital behind.
''
"So just bash them in the head? That's all there is to it? God, they really are zombies aren't they?"
"Well, you don't necessarily have to bash their head, just destroy their brains. If you can't get to their brains then lop off the head and kick it as far away as possible. Their bodies can't move if their head isn't attached so that's all good. Oh, and you might not want to call them zombies to other survivors, if we meet any. They tend to be a little over sensitive. Apparently calling them zombies makes it seem as if you're downplaying the whole apocalypse thing. I don't know, okay? Zombies are zombies! I tried telling that to one lady and she about died. I say about because she sprung right back up afterwards, wanting a piece of me."
Rick just gave her a funny look. Of course she'd be telling jokes, no matter how distasteful. He rolled his eyes, shook his head and then psyched himself up for battle. This is it, he thought.
''
"And they're off. All seems quiet; a little too quiet. Where are all the zombies? This is what we've waited for, ladies and gentlemen, but it seems they aren't able to deliver because the zombies have all been killed. I guess someone should be thankful to that detective though, she figured out the right method to get rid of them and, as fast as a cop gets up to grab a donut, destroyed as many as she could. She currently holds that record. A whopping 72 zombies since the outbreak. Quite impressive. Not too bad for such an unassuming-looking, hobbit woman."
Zero continued her little commentary until Rick pointed out something on the grass. Curious, he walked up to it. The decomposed figure of a woman reached her arms out towards Rick with a guttural moan of hunger, desperation clear on its humanoid face.
"I think she likes you."
Rick continued to stare at it. At the zombie in the park.
"We need to head back. I told you that they're attracted to sound. This one will attract the attention of one nearby. It'll create a domino effect and next thing you know, every zombie in the tri-state area will be after our behinds looking for a little alone time with our slowly dying bodies."
They continued down the road, took a turn here, another one there, and finally came upon the Grimes house. Well, what used to be the Grimes house.
Rick checked all the rooms. He noticed the photo albums were missing. No one was home. No one was around. No one was alive.
"We'll find them Rick. No doubt about it. They're probably camped out in the woods or something, beside a stream. Lori's washing the clothes, Carl's getting into trouble and Shane's probably going on supply runs to keep them all well fed."
Oh yeah, he'll be keeping someone well fed alright, she couldn't help but think afterwards, snickering to herself quietly and that's when she heard it; a noise outside attracting both of their attentions.
Cautiously Zero made her way to the front of the house. She pulled out a machete that she'd acquired once the initial hysteria calmed down. She still kept her 'wicked knife' though, just preferred not to have to be too close to the zombies if she didn't need to be. They smelled horrible and she just couldn't get some of the stains out of her clothes from the blood. She reached the door and peeked outside from the front window.
A lone walker stood outside, slowly ambling towards the fence line. He was dressed to impress but now his clothes were as tattered and worn as his decomposing body.
"You wanna try, Rick?" She whispered.
He turned to her, nodded his head and gripped the metal bat tight enough to cause his knuckles to turn a scary white. He ventured out of the house and immediately caught the attention of the undead man. Aim for the head, aim for the head, it's alright 'cause he's already dead. The stupid rhyme was stuck on repeat as the man came up to greet him. Zero and her bloody rhymes, he thought. He raised his bat and hit the man straight in the face, continuing his assault until there was no movement whatsoever.
"That'll do, Rick, that'll do."
''
After Rick cleaned himself up and came to terms with what he had just done, Zee made them a cup of chocolate and they sat down in the lounge room, just thinking. Of course, that was until a man and child turned into the room, gun trained on the two people on the sofa.
"Huh, look at that. Who are you? What are you doing here?" The man asked, keeping his boy behind him.
"Could you please lower your weapon, sir? I am Rick Grimes, former Sherriff's Deputy and this is my house." He announced as he slowly rose to stand, hands in front of him in a placating gesture.
"I'm Zero, I was living here with Rick. I worked as a detective before it all happened. Could we have your names please sir?"
The man looked at them both and lowered his gun. They didn't seem to be a threat.
"I'm Morgan. This here is my son Duane. We're staying next door. Seems secure enough. I haven't seen either of you before. Where have you been hiding?"
"He just came out of a coma. We've been at the hospital this entire time. I've been making runs downtown though. I wouldn't suggest going anywhere up North. Went up there for looksee and it's bad up that way." Zee informed them.
''
"So you've been here nearly the entire time? Just you and your son?"
Morgan looked away from Rick, shook his head and took a deep breath.
"No. No it wasn't just me and my son at first. His mother, my, my wife, she, uh, she got bit. Couldn't save her. The fever hit. I tried so hard. I couldn't even shoot her. Not even after she turned."
"Duane's a strong boy, Morgan, and you're an incredibly strong man." Zero placed a comforting hand on the mans' shoulder.
"You keep strong for that boy and you'll be fine."
Duane had already finished his dinner and went upstairs to sleep. A herd of walkers, as Morgan referred to them, had gathered on the streets as if they were all meeting each other for a night out on the town, though essentially that's exactly what it was.
"She'll be here soon. She always is. I swear she, she knows, she remembers; she's still there. She's still there…"
The house was silent. There was something at the front door. The 3 adults went to their respective sleeping areas, laid down and tried to ignore the sounds of the door handle rattling and the feral groans of frustration from outside when Morgan's wife was unable to get in.
Maybe she does remember, was the last thought Zee had before a dreamless sleep claimed her.
''
Authors Note: Well that's all for Chapter 2. I do realise I seem to take up too much time with trivial things but I do feel it necessary, especially as I'd decided to skip the months spent with Rick and Carl…..and Lori (Typing her name is a burden in and of itself).
Oh, if you missed my rather, how can I put it, complete and utter loathing where Lori is concerned I shall give you a heads-up, per say.
I found her to be a massive twat. She was an unsatisfied, attention seeking twat. Yes, my OC is going to be as prejudiced towards her as I am, even more so actually, because I cannot write Lori in a positive light. I've tried before but couldn't bring myself to keep it or continue. Her attitude towards Rick left much to be desired and she was just negative all the time, unwilling to do her fair share, made stupid decisions and was unable to look after Carl properly. Yes, Rick may have put duty and moral obligations ahead of her but she should know that Rick is a selfless man.
Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed, or at the very least liked, reading this chapter and there will be more soon.