A/N: Just a forewarning it will be a few chapters before the Walking Dead cast comes into play. Right now were thirty days ahead of the beginning of the series. No Pairing as of yet, but if you have suggestion please review and tell me.


Purifying the Dead:

Days of Innocence Past Part III


Pop pop pop pop.

Greg put his ratchet in the passenger side of the car, before starting up his 2009 Nissan Maxima. Three zombies hit the ground and he didn't blink as he drove past them. He couldn't believe what'd just happened let alone what he just had to do.

Killing zombies.

What he saw going on the news had him worried about his family and homeboys. 'I did it for a reason.' A reason that seemed so pointless right now. His duty to help his patients.

A patient had called him to come to her home that she was having a breakdown and refused to leave her home till he came. He'd been working with Barb for nearly four years, one of the first to join his psychology practice. Unfortunately, she lived an hour outside of the city in the country. He'd made the trip and went into the house only to find himself facing Barb's ex-husband, Donald, strapped to a chair with duct tape and he'd been bitten. He smelled vile and got worked when the door closed. Groaning and snarling, his weird lifeless eyes staring straight at him like a tasty Big Mac.

Barb pulled out a gun and asked if she could shoot him.

"He's good as dead now. Might as well for all the shit he put me through before.'

Greg had done his best to calm down Barb, but it was obvious she was too far gone. The duct tape wasn't tight enough and her ex-husband escaped and attacked her. It was only natural to rush forward and help her. The gun went off and shot Donald in the knee, which didn't work. He shoved back Donald taking the gun from Barb to shoot it in the head. He turned around to Barb sobbing, she'd been bitten, three of her fingers gone.

He seen and heard the news.

"Um Barb no offense, but I…I got to go," and with that he hightailed it out of there.

Just as he got outside another zombie came out of the wheat field.

'Fuck Greg today is not your day.'

He shot the zombie and hightailed it out of there.

As he drove he passed through a town that was littered with them, one ran straight into the side of his car causing him to veer off and hit a traffic pole.

He scrambled out of the car grabbing the pistol he'd taken from Barb. The vehicle now had smoke rising from the hood and cursed hearing the groaning behind him and took off. All his years playing football and staying fit paid off. He moved quickly it took him about an hour of dodging zombie before he found a car with door open and keys in the ignition.

He found a dead man in the driver's seat and pushed him out of the car.

Greg couldn't think about anything but getting home.

With the new car he took off, only slowing when he saw a gun shop and going with his gut he pulled in. Inside he found it was abandoned, most of glass cases broken. He salvaged what he could grabbing bullet, a ratchet, a few knives, and a handgun.

Which led him back to where he was now.

Speeding down the road back to Charlotte, but in the back of his mind he wondered how much better his city would be. And just when he started to wonder the outline of the Queen City came into view and he felt horrified.

He drove down familiar streets, his eyes widening in despair at what he was seeing. People were looting in the streets, guns firing, and people running. After ten minutes in the city he saw why, walkers were in the streets, a few eating a couple on the sidewalk. Some were toting sharp objects trying to fight back before more showed up overpowering them.

He tried his phone, but the line was dead.

A haunting feeling began to build in his chest as he pushed the speed limit to pull up to his mother's house.

"Ma! Ma!" he yelled running up the porch, the door was ajar and he naturally pulled out the pistol. Slowly pushing the door open he moved past the living room laden with antiques and other Knick knacks his mother had. He took each room one by one. Each looked like it had been ransacked in some sort of way, which didn't sit well with him. When he was done making sure no one was there. He checked to see where his mother could've gone.

That's when he encountered the note on the fridge under the ugly magnet he made her in elementary school and she refused to throw away.

'Greg the government has set up buses to go to a evacuation refugee camp about two hours outside of the city in the countryside off the highway. Hurry there! Charlotte is too dangerous!'

Below she printed directions.

Now he could understand the state of the place.

He grabbed the magnet placing it in his pocket before he left. He stopped by his house to grab a few things and went to fill up on gas.

When he got to the gas station he wanted to curse as he sped out of the parking lot. Several cars were all backed up there, people yelling to get gas to get the fuck out of dodge. He didn't bother with all that he knew a gas station on the way out of the city where less people would be hopefully.

It didn't take him long to find it and fill up and buy an extra gas tank.

The cashier saw him and told him to get as much as he could.

"I'm fittna leave, my family is leaving later on today for the evac-site. The owner is gone, so you might as well grab what you can," he said.

Greg smiled, "Apreciate it." He said going down the aisles to grab some snack before coming back up to the counter, "Can I get some Newports, one hundreds if you have them?"

The cashier nodded placing three on the counter.

"Somehow I feel you're going to need it," he told him.

He took the things after they were bagged up and pumped his gas before getting in. He put his stuff in the passenger side before taking off, following the directions his mom gave him. In the meantime he put on some Lil' Boosie for the drive to calm his nerves.


~oOOo~


It seemed like a few minutes but really it had been an hour since he left, now it was straight back highway. Forest on both sides and no car in sight. He'd turned off his music to think.

The city. His hometown was a mess.

Worse than the usual crap, but really falling into a state of no law. When he left the city it was even more populated with zombie or these "Walkers" as the news chose to call them. 'But ma is safe.' And he doubted his mother went alone.

His family was close and they were no doubt already there.

Just as he came around the bend he was surprised to see another bus heading his way, when it flashed his headlights and began to slow down he followed suit. He rolled down his window as a Asian woman struggled to open her window before throwing her hands up and getting out of the bus to come talk to him.

When she came around he realized she was small even for his height of five inches and six feet. "Hey, my name is Kagome. I was wondering are you going to the evacuation site?"

Greg was surprised when she mentioned the evacuation sight thinking maybe she need directions at first, he looked at the shuttle bus and noticed the print on the site advertising the evacuation site.

"Yeah, my mom and family are there. I was driving there now," he told her.

Her face looked stricken and she paled slightly, while her eyes dilated slightly.

Greg could read her after nearly fifteen years study people and their body language he knew well that it wasn't good news. He looked back at the sign on the side of the bus and noticed slight specks of blood now and a…handprint.

"No," he whispered, then he looked at her turning off the engine and climbed out.

She backed up some and he noticed her hand reach for her side. He held his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "Don't worry I won't hurt you. My name is Greg, could you tell me what happened Kagome right?"

She swallowed then nodded.

"Yes, uhh," she paused before continuing, "I—well we were on one of the evacuation buses—this one to be exact towards the evacuation site yesterday. Our driver ran into a man and got off to check up on him long story short he was a walker. Killed the driver and the screams from some of the curious passengers who got off the bus attracted a whole hoard that must have been in the forest or may have come from the…evacuation site. Anyways only I and my new friend Willow made it," a teen who looked goth poked her head out from around the corner before coming forward slightly, a baseball bat gleaming in her hand.

"I decided to head to the evac-site as planned, but it was too late. We met a guy right outside of the place who had been bitten, but told us what happened. Some of the people didn't report that their family members had been bitten and they were trying to process so many people coming in from Charlotte and Durham area that it was too late. The people changed and bit people, then hordes came either from the people screaming, the gun shots, or the smell of people altogether and overran the place," she explained solemnly.

He was shell-shocked.

'Ma. My family. Friends.'

"What about the people? Did anyone survive? Wasn't the military supposed to be protecting them?" Greg was near shouting and tried to control himself. He didn't yell at women, but damn if he wasn't as crazy as Barb right now. What had happened to his family?

"The military wasn't prepared for enemies inside as well as outside the camp. One of the officers tried to blow away for those who hadn't been bitten, but many didn't make it. The guy, Charles, said some escaped to the town nearby more than likely. Willow's dad was there too, we're heading there now. If you'd like we could all head there. I'm not going to lie…we're out of gas and it'd be easier in a vehicle. We've got weapons and can fight," she quickly added.

Kagome was desperate.

They woke up this morning drove ten minutes only to see the fuel gage was low.

Then they saw this sleek car riding down the road, here no cars had yet to pass despite it being a highway. It was their only option. She was prepared to keep her and Willow safe. And help Willow find her dad. She felt bad for this Greg guy and prayed to the kamis his family was safe.

Greg was stuped, but looking at these women he couldn't turn his back on them.

"Do you know where the town is?"

She nodded quickly, "Should only be about thirty-minute drive from here. Honestly we would have walked if we hadn't seen you."

He nodded, "Okay get in do you have any stuff?"

Willow ran and came back with two duffel bags, he got in and popped the truck and unlocked the doors for them.

Kagome was about to get in before she ran back on the bus and reappeared with something only to run over to the side of the bus. In big letters she used a marker to write No EVACUATION! COMPROMISED! Not SAFE!

Once everyone was in he followed the woman's directions. After five minutes of awkward silence he decided to break the tension.

"So what exactly did y'all do before this?"

Kagome was quiet, before answering. "Med student at Duke University transferred from Tokyo U in Japan, in my second year of medical school. I wanted to work in pediatrics," she murmured realizing that dream would probably never happen.

"Okay cool, I'm a psychologist. Had my own practice and was helping people up until one of my house-calls turned into my patient pulling out a gun with her ex-husband turned zombie duct taped to a chair. I may need some counseling after this myself. Do you smoke because I could use one now," he said encouragingly before ending in a freaked out manner as if it were all just now hitting him.

She shook her head, "No, but smoke doesn't bother me, my roommate used to smoke all the time," she said.

Willow just shrugged, "It's your car. And all you need to know about me is that I really hope we can live through this shit and see my dad. I'm really starting to hate this week," she said crossing her arms over her chest, making her seem her age.

Greg laughed, "I know the feeling," he rolled down his window before pulling out a cigarette putting it to his lips before he lit it. He took a long drag before exhaling the smoke out the window.

Willow could only snort. While Kagome had a tight smile.

She'd felt like today would be a horrible one when she saw the gas meter, but running into Greg who was going to the same place as them was a relief. And probably saved the guys life if he went there unaware.

Greg smoked his cigarette and could only pray he found his mother and family safe in this town. While Willow, who had woken up cranky had her thoughts revolving around her father. Irrational guilt in the pit of her stomach made her feel that maybe this wouldn't have happened if she'd just listened to her dad more. But rationally she knew this wasn't something her stupid teenage rebellion could've prevented. She had to survive Kagome taught her that.

The rest of the car ride was a more amiable silence with everyone stuck in there own thoughts.


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