The Walking Dead:

Through The Lands of Demons & Monsters

Chapter One

Dani Evans woke up in the attic of the house she was staying in for the night. She knew it was morning, and it was time to move on again. She sat up and yawned, stretching her arms up in the air. She was never a morning person. But since the world has gone to Hell, she had learned to accept the harsh reality that the early bird not only gets the worm, it stays alive.

She turned to her back-pack she had used as a pillow and pulled out a can of pears she had found earlier in the pantry downstairs. She then grabbed the can opener from her pack and proceeded to open the can. As soon as she lid pried open, she immediately drank the sweet and tangy fruit juices. Afterwards, she scooped the pieces of pears and shoved them into her mouth. For her, this was a great treat. And just finding this house practically untouched was a miracle in itself! Dani couldn't believe how many canned goods she had found in the pantry. And thank God it wasn't dog food! She recalled the time she had to eat that stuff during the winter one night. Never again, she told herself.

As soon as she finished, she gathered her things together and stuffed them in her pack. She then put on her black leather jacket and grabbed her .270 Winchester. She brought out her ammo, and slid one bullet into the slot of her rifle. She cocked it, and was ready to go. She then knocked on the pull-out door to the attic and waited to hear sounds. She had to be cautious. Not hearing a sound, she then pushed open the door, and brought down the folding ladder. She carefully walked down the ladder, holding her gun, making sure no one was here. Assessing that she was alone; she grabbed her belongings and left her hiding place. She walked into kitchen and opened the back door. She jogged to her brother's black Dodge Challenger, and pulled out her map. She figured she had about 60 miles to go to reach her destination. Hopefully she could reach Washington D.C. in one or two days. She did manage to find more fuel from several abandoned cars the other day, so she estimated that she had enough. Still, Dani found it a little depressing that these greatly needed things were becoming easier to find lately. And what worried her the most was she hadn't seen anyone in a couple of months. Anyone living, by the way. The one question she had on her mind was is she the only one left? It was almost comforting as it was distressing.

She then heard the familiar low hungry growls from behind. She turned around and saw four walkers staggering towards her, arms outstretched, snarling. Dani shrugged and got into the car. She turned the ignition and drove off, leaving the walkers in her wake. She then put in a CD of mixed music her brother made, and the first song she played is Whipping Post by the Allmond Brothers. Seems appropriate, she thought as she made her way towards a small town she knows is on the map. Maybe there'll be more supplies there.

She reached the town in about two hours, or what was left of it. From a distance, she could see that the elements had already taken its toll on what used to be a quaint little place. Some of the buildings were starting to crumble, with their roofs sloping down on their sides. Their windows were broken and paint long chipped away by countless storms. Debris and dead leaves scattered all over the roads, with weeds and small trees growing from cracks in the concrete. Though the town looked deserted, hopefully there were a few things she could scavenge. She parked her car by the curb, got out and began her search.

She had been through at least five store fronts and two restaurants and didn't find much of anything. Even the gun shop was empty, save for BB gun pellets. Well, that was a good thing, she figured. She had a BB gun in her trunk, and these are great for killing small animals. Also, doesn't create noise like her Winchester. Better than nothing.

But she did come across a clothing boutique that had a couple of cotton shirts. Cloth can come in handy sometimes. As she grabbed them, she accidentally caught herself looking into a large mirror. Her image surprised her, for she barely recognized herself. She had lost so much weight and her face looked older and harder. Her deep blue eyes seemed larger; her cheeks hollow. And she noticed some grays in her dirty dark brown hair. She looked so old at 36, but vanity is no longer a luxury. It's how it is now. She shook her head in disappointment and moved on.

Her last stop was a used record store. Maybe there wasn't anything useful in there, but at least there could be more of a selection of music in there. Maybe some CCR or Skynard. Anything good. She tapped on the window of the store, and was let down immediately. The many rotted faces of walkers greeted her, pressing their bodies at the glass, which seemed to be cracking a bit. There had to be at least 20 of those things in there. After careful observation, Dani decided that a new selection of music wasn't worth the risk and proceeded to walk back to her car.

She stopped in her tracks, and aimed her Winchester toward the man trying to break into her car.

She crouched down, and began to walk slowly up to this man. She could see no one else as she kept her aim only on him. As soon as she was close enough, she stood up and put the barrel of the rifle to the back of his head. "Hey, get away from my car and put your hands up," she commanded in a firm tone.

The man raised his head, followed by his hands. He slowly backed away from the car. "Sorry Ma'am," he replied. "I weren't doin' nuthin'. Car was just here. Just checkin' it for stuff we need."

"Just turn around and kneel. Place your hands on top of your head," she ordered. The man obeyed, turning slowly around and kneeling. The man, a scruffy filthy guy with stringy long hair and a dirty beard then looked right up at her. A faint smile played on his lips. Instantly, she spun around and shot whoever or whatever was behind her.

To her surprise, it was another man, this one being older and uglier. She shot him twice, once in the chest and once in the head. He immediately went down like a sack of potatoes. Suddenly, Dani felt arms circling around her chest, as the younger man grabbed Dani and held a revolver right to her head. "You bitch" he intoned in her ear. "You gonna pay for that! That was my cousin Earl! When I bring you back to camp, you gonna wish you ain't livin'!"

The scumbag didn't even notice that as he was holding her, Dani was slowly reaching into the inside sleeve of her jacket, unbuttoning a clasp that held her small knife.

"Damn shame too," this prick went on. "Hate to mess up all this loveliness. But at least you gave us a sweet car!"

"Hate to mess you up too," she replied. She then lowered her head, and hung it there for a brief moment. Then she slammed her head back as hard as she could, right into what she hoped was his nose. It was a relief to her that as she hit him, she heard a clear crunching sound. He immediately let go of her, clutching his now bloody nose. She spun around and instantly stabbed him in the side of his head. They stood there together for a few seconds. His hands dropped to his sides, and he fell to the ground, her blade slipping from his head. She took a few big breaths to maintain her composure. No matter how many times she's come close to death, it almost always knocks the wind out of her when it happens. And this was way too close. What if that guy behind her just shot his weapon? What if she didn't take that grin that asshole gave her seriously? What if she couldn't get to her knife in time? All of these questions were running through her head simultaneously. But she knew she needed to keep cool. Being too paranoid could cost you now.

She began to search their bodies, in case they had more things she needed. She took the revolver the asshole had on her, followed by the few bullets he had left for it. The older man did have a hunting knife and a machete on him. It was good when she found decent blades. Older guy also had a wallet. Not that anything in that wallet was worth anything anymore, she still opened it up. The first thing she saw was a small picture of himself with a pretty women (his wife, obviously) and a young girl about 13. She looked back at him and shook her head. At one time, this guy was a nice guy. Very much like everyone who was with a nice little family, good job and a relatively painless life. And then the world went to Hell, and everything turned upside down, including him. Or maybe….

She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it anymore. She had gotten what she needed and it was time to get out. If these guys came from a camp, their buddies might come looking for them soon. And she wanted to get as far away as possible. She threw her newfound items in the trunk. Right behind her, she heard the sound of glass breaking. She turned around and saw the used record store's window collapsing as the walkers emerged from their long captivity. It was definitely time to go.

She hurried into her car, turned on the ignition and drove off. She hoped she wouldn't run into any of the men's friends along the way. And since she was getting close to Washington DC, she figured it might be a good idea to just keep driving and not stop anywhere.

She wondered if what her brother David said could be true. That Washington DC could be safe. She started to remember his last words to her before she ran:

"If I don't meet you, just get in my car and drive to DC! It's our nation's capitol! It's gotta be safe!"

A tear started to fall. She wiped it clean and kept driving.

"You have to live, Dani. You have to make it! One of us has to!"

She started to choke a bit, but breathed heavy to suppress it. Tears don't count anymore. They make you weak. And weakness will get you killed.

And David would want her alive. She has to live, because it has to be for him. For all of them.

As she continued on her way, she said a tiny prayer.

And an apology.