Previously

I growled in frustration and stomped inside the house to see most of the rest of the group has risen, great. I stomped into my room and shut the door, feeling a little better having my own space and being slightly secluded from the rest of them. I didn't know them that much and I wasn't ready to be completely… civil with them just yet. I opened the case that David had left me and opened the book again and couldn't help but looking, at the pictures. I one thing I was certain on was I wasn't going to forget my past, it was made me who I am even if it didn't apply in this day and age. It was hours later and I was pulled from my thoughts when I hear light knocking at my door.


"Grace?" Carl asked as he poked his head in

"Hmm?" I asked standing quickly, shutting David's journal of drawings "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," he nodded "Just wondering if you were okay… you have been in here for quite a while."

"I'm fine," I nodded "I'm just not used to so many people being in my house and having to… get used to other people… it's been a long time you know since I have seen other people."

"Fair enough," He shrugged walking into my room and sitting on my old bed's frame next to me, looking around at my room "I like your room."

"I liked it a lot more before the turn." I snorted

"Why's that?" He asked quirking an eyebrow at me

"Because I could sleep in it without being terrified that while I am sleeping the house will get over run and I won't be able to escape." I shrugged, it was completely true, it was one of my biggest fears now that the house will get over run and I won't have anywhere to go and I will die after all my hard work

He snorted and chuckled I just glared at him and snapped "What, you find my very rational fear funny?"

"Kind of," He snorted, his blue eyes twinkling "I mean it would take a crap load of walkers to get in here, you're pretty safe."

I bristled and said angrily "I have had to do everything on my own Carl, sorry if you take being in a group for granted."

"No, I'm sorry, didn't mean it like that," he said, eyes wide "I mean you are luckier than most to have a set up like this…"

"So you think I am lazy and haven't had to do shit all the whole time since the break out?" I growled standing up "You know I thought you were okay, forget it."

"No, Grace!" He called out after me as I stormed out, heading straight to my shed

I walked past the group who were giving me curious looks and straight into my shed where I looked at the bike on my lifter. I pulled some tools out and began stripping the bike down so I could see what was going wrong with it, dad taught me a few things but as of late I seemed to be teaching myself most things. I cursed as a part slipped and caught my finger, jamming it. I wrenched it out and peered at it, I had a large bruise forming under my nail already. I growled again and set my tools down, why did he have to make me so angry?

I heard the door separating the main house and the she swing shut and I looked at Maggie who was watching me with a… odd expression on her face, I couldn't read that expression.

"You okay, you seem really wound up?"

"Spectacular." I snorted sarcastically

She just raised her eyebrows at me

"Sorry," I sighed leaning back against my bench "I'm just not used to people around anymore."

"When was the last time you had someone with you?" She asked settling back against dads boat, sitting on its trailer

"Maybe…" I trailed off thinking "Two weeks after the start of the outbreak."

"Shit," She mumbled "That is a long time."

"You're telling me." I nodded leaning forwards and grabbing a cloth seeing oil leaking out of the forks of the bike

"How did you lose them, get separated or did they turn?" She asked cautiously

I gave her a long look before I shrugged "The outbreak began while we were away, how far from home were we…" I trailed off thinking "About a week's drive I guess give or take a few days. I was at Nationals for the sport that I did, I was catching up with some of my friends that I only got to see once a year and mum and dad had gone on a day trip to give me some space. My sister had flown home the day before with her boyfriend, we had heard rumors on the radio of zombies but we just laughed it off my friends and I, thinking it was a hoax or something. We had gone to the beach that night and were walking home when we heard the screams, we all went running to see what it was but none of us saw that one that was coming up behind Issac's back, it ripped his neck out right in front of us. We all scattered, I didn't know where to go so I just went back with my friends after we regrouped again at Whitney's parents' house. We didn't have a clue what to do; we were all scared shitless hearing the screams that went on all day and night for two solids days. I wanted to go home, I knew my house was safe and my friends did too but I didn't hear from my parents and I wasn't about to go charging off no knowing that happened to them. That afternoon the geeks (Walkers) came knocking, they broke the door down and came pouring in, we all bolted in different directions trying to get away, most of us got caught though. I climbed up into the roof and waited, there was nothing I could do and it was suicidal trying to go back down and save them."

"The next day I was delirious with… shock I guess, I was the only one left. All my friends were gone eaten and turned by the geeks. I don't know how they did but my parents found me and we started driving home. We hit a herd on the second day of driving and we figured we would bunk out somewhere till they went past. In the morning we were running for the car and mum tripped, it was bad, she had broken her ankle. It was sticking out at the wrong direction and a group of geeks were bearing down on us. Dad flat out refused to leave mums side no matter how much she pleaded with him and they told me to run, find a way home and find my sister and just… work out everything once things settled down and that they loved me." I let out a harsh chuckle and felt tears slip out of my eyes

"So I ran, when I was away enough that they wouldn't come after me I turned around to see them ripping my parents apart. So like they asked I ran, cars be dammed I wasn't thinking clearly I just ran. A while later I stopped and bunked in the roof of a house, stuff being on the ground where they can get to you. I got water, food from the house that I scavenged from and flogged their car. I didn't stop, I just drove, running geeks down, no way in hell I was stopping. When it ran out of fuel I got out on foot and began running on a back road that I knew from our many trips around this area. I found another car with people inside that had turned… I pulled the door opened and ran away from them, leading them away from the car, I doubled back when I lost them and began driving again. I did that for days until I reached home and went straight to my sister's house. She wasn't there. I was exhausted and no use to her dead so I headed back towards home for some much needed sleep. When I saw her crappy little car in the dive I don't think I had ever been so happy in my life. So just like that things went back to normal sort of…" I shrugged stopping my story

"What happened to her… if you don't mind me asking." Maggie asked, tears staining her face as well

"A couple days later she went out to get something for the car with her boyfriend and they both got bit," I shrugged "I let them back inside, seeing if I could tend to their wounds and that might have kept them from turning but it didn't… I had to put them down before either of them got me. Ever since I have been living on my own, doing whatever needs to be done, keeping myself safe, healthy and fed."

"Well you got us now," Maggie nodded pulling me into a hug tightly, stroking my hair softly "And I am going to do my damnedest to keep you safe and apart of this group."

"Thanks." I nodded, my tears wetting my shirt. This is the most loved I have felt since my parents and sister died, and I would be stupid if I didn't say it felt nice…


Okay so don't kill me but this chapter did take a long time in the making. Please review to let me know your likes, dislikes or anything else, i love reading your feed back it is wonderful to know that people actually read and (hopefully) like my writing :)

Sorry about the wait for this chapter again...