Authors Note:

Right so tidied up this chapter a bit, replaced a few missing words and the like. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer:

The Walking Dead belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC respectively.

Chapter 2

Just down the road aways, Walkers wait for their prey

We drove for hours and the gas was running dangerously low, there was no way we'd make it in the car if we carried on the way we were. We tried stopping at some station miles back but came up short and we didn't have the tools to siphon it.

Dad had tried contacting someone, hell anyone by the radio but there was no reply. At one moment it seemed to sound like a quiet voice over the static but it must have been my imagination.

A few miles on and the car was completely out of gas, we picked up our gear and headed to a small farm that we saw up ahead. Dad had high hopes of someone being there, I however highly doubted it.

"Dad I'm really not sure anyone's going to be here." I start wanting to avoid this place altogether, he didn't listen instead taking a loud approach that made me want to kill him.

Hello? Police officer out here! Can I borrow some gas?!" He yelled walking up to the house. Despite my protests he continued to shout, hoping for an answer but receiving none. He froze at a window and I followed soon finding out why. The family that owned the land had opted for the easy way out, shooting themselves straight in the head and destroying the brain. The sight alone made me heave but the worst was the smell that wafted through the slightly open window. I could see Dad wasn't taking it well.

"Some people couldn't handle what was happening, thought the world was being punished by god, judgment day or something. Others were too scared to try and survive, so they opted out." I explain sadly thinking of the mass suicides they showed on the news in the beginning.

"You think your Mom would decide for that?" For the first time I heard how lost and hopeless he felt and it made me wonder how he had hidden it so well till now.

"No, Shane wouldn't let her do it. He cares, he cares too much." I end slightly bitter, to which I received a look from my Dad.

"What do you mean?" He asked confused and slightly accusatory.

"Nothing." I say quickly, carrying on to examine the property. By the time I circled round I found my Dad trying to calm a horse by talking to it, I leaned up against the fence and waited for him to finish...whatever it was.

"Atlanta's just down the road aways, it's safe there. Food, shelter, people, other horses too I bet." He speaks softly to the animal, calming it down as he did.

"Dad you realize you're talking to a horse right? Did Dwayne hit you harder than we thought?" I joke as he lead the horse from the pen, I laughed as Dad took him to get saddled up. I guess you have to work with what you got right.

It didn't take long to reach Atlanta but when we did I didn't like it. It was quiet and still. It just didn't seem right.

"Dad, why are there so many cars facing to leave but none to get in?" I question feeling uneasy

"I don't know but I don't like it." He replied, spurring the horse on.

The city was a wreck, nothing like the emergency forecasts said it would be. There were no barricades, no refugee centres and the military had been wiped out. This city belonged to the dead.

We slowly made our way deeper into Atlanta, each step filled me with dread. Mom and Carl were supposed to be here but the city didn't belong to the living anymore, so where were they?

A few Walkers got up to follow us so we picked up the pace to put some space between us when we heard something I never thought we would.

A helicopter.

Dad quickly spurred our ride into action to follow but as soon as we rounded a corner we had to turn tail. An entire horde of Walkers packed up the street, I could swear there were hundreds. We tried galloping away the way we came in but got cut off by another herd. The horse got over run forcing me and Dad to clamber off to survive, losing our gun bags and my food/med backpack, as the Husks tore into the poor animal.

I quickly dragged myself off the ground, hiking my way up a nearby tank shouting at my Dad to do the same. I almost cried seeing him instead crawl underneath it and had to close the hatch in fear of Walkers following inside. I try to find something, anything that could help my Dad but found nothing. Despair hit me as I thought I would lose my father so soon after getting him back before I noticed the open hatch in the floor.

I crawled over to see my Dad ready to blow his brains out, I scream out stopping him and help him inside slamming the hatch shut behind him. He scrambled back as I sat where I was before looking towards Rick and freezing. There was a soldier next to him, dead. Except he was breathing.

"Dad, don't panic okay. The soldiers a Husk." I frantically whisper but it was too late, Dad had already looted the Walker rousing him. I could see him going for his gun but that could deafen us in here!

"No Dad wai...!" Too late again, Rick shot the Husk in the head but the metal shell of the tank caused the sound to bounce back on us.

The ringing in my ears had me cringing holding my hands over them hoping it would stop. Dad was worse off being so close and had lost balance collapsing on his side.

It took a couple of minutes but the ringing was replaced by the insistent banging of the Walkers wanting to get in.

"What the hell do we do now!? There's like hundreds of them out there waiting to rip us apart!" I whisper yell, my ears still feeling sensitive.

"I thought it was safe, Morgan said it was safe but it isn't, far from it." He panics gesturing wildly

"Really?! What gave it away?! The empty streets? The Walkers roaming around!?" I retort sarcastically. I could see that Rick was going to yell back at me, but we both froze instead.

A voice was coming through the tanks radio.

"Hey you, dumb-ass'." I stared disbelievingly at the radio, there was no way!

"Hey you two in the tank. Cosy in there?" I turned to face my Dad unable to find any words

"You alive in there?" Those words seemed to knock Dad out of his daze as he practically threw himself at the radio knocking his head making me stifle a laugh.

"Hello? Hello?" he called into the receiver panicked

"You had me wondering, both of you okay?" Our mystery man stated as I made my way to the radio in a slightly more dignified manner.

"Yeah we're both good, how are you doing?" I ask acting as though nothing was wrong. There was a short chuckle on the other end before things got serious again.

"Where are you? Can you see us from where you are?"

"Obviously, Look can you help us out or not?" I demand taking the receiver from my Dad ignoring the look he gave me.

"Make a run for it. There's only one geek left on the tank, the rest are having a feeding frenzy on the horse. What are you packing?" He asked and Dad scanned the tank looking for anything for a weapon.

"3 Beretta's, one clip each, 15 rounds. I have one, Alex has 2 of them. Do you have anything else Alex?" He looks to me with hope that I'd have something up my sleeve, unfortunately he's out of luck.

"Just a lot of knives and an ice pick." I respond grabbing said weapon.

"Okay Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going and there's an alley about 50 yards down. Be there." I got the hatch ready to leave as Dad finished up the conversation.

When he was ready I opened the hatch, coming face to face with a Husk. I plunged my pick through his skull testing the weapon. Quickly I got out of the tank and leaped to the right side, my Dad not far behind. We dashed down the street, slicing and shooting our way out. I could see someone in the alley ahead waving at us, Dad rushed on as I finished off a Walker lagging behind slightly.

"Alex get up there!" I heard my Dad shout as I ran into the alley way, waiting for me to follow the stranger up the ladder. I climbed as quick as I could, shouting for my Dad to climb when he hesitated for a second.

I breathed a sigh of relief when all three of us stood safely on the platform leaning against the railing.

"Thanks, you really saved our dumb-asses there." I laugh at our saviour. I take a good look at him for the first time. He was of Asian descent dressed in a black t-shirt with another shirt over the top, straight leg jeans and a maroon baseball cap.

"No kidding, nice moves there. So what are you two? Sheriff and deputy riding in to clean up the town?" He asked sarcastically making me laugh, though Dad seemed less impressed.

"Not my idea to ride in on a horse. That was my Dad's idea." I reply pointing to my Dad

"It wasn't our intention." he said simply.

"Yeah whatever. You're still a dumb-ass." he commented before we told him our names and he introduced himself as Glenn.

We didn't get time to chat as a Walker had figured out how to climb the ladder and I damned the Husks for being smart enough for basic actions. We ourselves quickly ascended the one behind us.

We followed Glenn across the rooftops until we descended some stairs into an alleyway as he radioed what I assumed to be other survivors. We waited a Moment until two people in riot gear came out to dispose of two of the four Walkers in the alley before running inside.

I had expected a warm welcome but boy was I wrong.

A blond woman pulled my Dad and pinned him as soon as he walked in pointing a gun in his face. I shook off Glenn as I rushed up to the woman and put my own Beretta 92fs to her temple making her freeze slightly.

"Son of a bitch! This is your fault! We're dead because of you two!" She yelled tightening her grip on her pistol, ignoring the calls from her group.

"Put the gun down." I say in a calm forceful manner

"Alex don't." I ignored my Dad, keeping my focus on the emotional blonde in front of me.

"I won't say it again, put the gun down." I demand pulling the hammer back.

"You think I won't do it?!" She challenged, I let my gaze flicked to her side arms and back again before smirking

"No I don't think so but I could." I tighten my grip as I watched the woman, whose name I heard someone say was Andrea, visibly flushed with anger.

"And why do you say that?" I laughed a little watching her tense at the sound.

"Because I didn't leave the safety on." I watched Andrea visibly deflate as she examined her own pistol, realizing I was right.

"Now what's the problem?" I ask before following the others as instructed, fear hit me like a brick as I saw the horde of Walkers smacking away at the windows to get in. We all jumped back as one Walker in particular started to crack the glass with the brick in his hands.

"Okay, I see your anger is justified." I comment to a collection of scoffs. One of the survivors, T-Dog, had a radio but couldn't get any signal. That was when my world crashed, the refugee centre didn't exist. Sadness hit me as I thought of my little brother, now I had no clue if he was alive or not. T-Dog was about to speak again when a shot went off from above.

"Oh god is that Dixon?!" Andrea cried before rushing off with the others, me and my Dad following.

We burst through the door onto the roof, seeing a rugged man with a rifle standing on the ledge of the roof shooting down below. The other male, whose name I didn't know ran up first.

"Hey Dixon, you crazy!" He yelled over to him drawing his attention.

"Hey! You ought to be more polite to a man with a gun! It's only common sense!" Was his reply as he came further onto the roof.

"Man you're wasting bullets we don't even have! And you're bringing them down on our ass! Man just chill!" Joined T-Dog jumping over the ventilation system to come face to face with him. I slowly made my way around so that I was behind this 'Dixon' observing how this was going to go.

Dixon went on about taking orders from anyone other than a white guy. T-Dog lunged at him, swinging for the other man. Dixon was having none of it and swung the butt of the rifle at him, knocking him to the floor. At this point my Dad tried to pull him off but only received a fist to the face.

I quickly but quietly moved toward the wild man as he beat down T-Dog, drawing my hunting knife. I threw all my weight and strength to push him off the struggling man, rolling him to the side. Immediately I straddled his chest pushing him down with one arm while putting the knife to his throat.

"You want to go, let's go. But I can't see you doing too well with my blade to your throat. Dad! Cuff him!" I demand, Dixon started struggling when Dad moved forward so I pressed the knife harder against his throat. Once he was cuffed I moved off of him sheathing my knife.

"You bitch! Who are you to do this to me!? You'll pay for this you scumbag pig! You too you little whore!" Everyone stared at me and Dad as the wild man yelled, turns out he had drugs on him and was high. Dad threw the little bag over the roof starting him off again but no one paid notice.

"That wasn't really necessary." The other woman commented but I just shrugged her off as I walked to sit on the ventilation shafts near the cuffed man.

We waited to see if T-Dog could get a signal to the camp outside of the city, Morales kept asking to no avail. Suddenly we had the plan to try and see if we could get access to the sewers; Dad, Andrea, Glenn, Morales and Jacque headed downstairs to see if this building had an entrance while me and T-Dog stayed with the Dixon.

T-Dog continued to try the radio, continuously talking into it. The Georgia sun was fiercely beating down on the three of us and I sighed feeling the boredom set in. So I decided I would try my luck.

"So what's your deal? Redneck racist with an attitude problem? Or is that just when you're high?" I ask turning to the man cuffed to the roof, I didn't expect an answer from him but thought I'd try anyway. Surprisingly he started to laugh.

"It's not anything personal, it's just that I don't think his kind and ours are meant to mix." He replied shrugging his shoulders. Now it was my turn to laugh.

"Now if that wasn't a racist remark I don't know what is. It's just the genetics that are different, he's just as human as we are and he should be treated as such. There's' no point to fighting everyone all the time, especially if they're helping you stay alive." I explain to receive a scoff from the man next to me. I shrugged before continuing.

"Whatever, just don't let your views get in the way of helping someone. Cause somewhere down the line they could be the one standing between you and a pack of Walkers. Your actions with decide theirs." I finished hoping he'd heed my words; he may have acted like a dick but that didn't mean he deserved to die. We sat in silence for a few Moments before conversation started up again.

"So what' do I call you? Other than bitch and whore." He laughed, me joining in a little before answering.

"Alexis Grimes but people call me Alex, Lex, Ali. Whatever abbreviation exists for me. My Dad's Rick. What about you? What do I call you other than asshole and dickhead?" I asked back raising an eyebrow.

"Merle, Merle Dixon." That was when Glenn came up asking for T-Dogs help downstairs. I was curious but did not follow choosing to watch over Merle, it wasn't long before the others rushed up and to the other side of the roof looking over the edge intently.

"What is it? What's going on?" I shout making my way after them before I realized something, my Dad and Glenn were missing.

"Where are they? Where is my Dad!?" I yell suddenly shocking the others before Morales shouts out that he'd spotted them.

"I can't believe you let him down there! I only just got him back and now I could lose him again for good!" I continue pacing quickly.

"What do you mean, again?" Andrea spoke up.

"He was in a coma months before this all started and he only woke up yesterday!" I finish loudly, tears starting to gather in my eyes but I wiped at them before they could fall. I looked them over once more, looking at their shock before walking to sit by Merle again just as he discovered T-Dog had the key to the cuffs.

"Told you so." I comment childishly laughing as he pushed my shoulder half annoyed half playful.

"A coma huh? How'd that happen"

"Shot on duty. When the world went to shit, my Mom left for here to find refuge with my little brother. I stayed behind for Dad." I explained before noticing the look Merle was giving me.

"What?" I ask confused.

"Nothing Just thinking is all." He replies hurriedly, ignoring the look I gave him.

It started to rain quite heavily then the next thing I know Glenn had raised T-Dog on the radio telling everybody to pack up and wait at the shutter doors. Everybody rushed to grab their stuff and ran down the stairs. I got up but hesitated at the anguished cries of the man behind me, I switched from Merle to Morales who was shouting for me and T-Dog to get a move on. T- Dog seemed to be having the same problem as me, he battled with himself before turning and rushing to help Merle knocking a toolbox over on his way.

He pulled the key from his pocket ready to uncuff Merle. But the fates were cruel, T-dog tripped and dropped the key. We all dived for the tiny object trying to catch it but it was in vain, we watched the key fall down the drain.

Merle went crazy at T-Dog, yelling that he did it on purpose. T-Dog could do nothing but apologize before going to leave, picking up a chain and lock. I however didn't move and he noticed this at the door.

"Alex c'mon let's go!" He cried gesturing for me to follow but I just shook my head.

"No, I'm staying. Go, It'll be fine." I turned and sat next to the man who was staring at me shocked. I ignored the feeling of hopelessness that came with the sound of the door closing behind me.

"Why the hell would you stay?"

"I guess I'm hoping that if I help you now, you'll save my ass later." I shrug making Merle chuckle.

"You're really something girly." He shook his head and I couldn't help but sigh.

How the hell was I going to get out of this one.

Authors Note:

Well there it is. Hopefully you are enjoying the story so far and will stick around to read the rest.