Disclaimer: I do not own Telltale The Walking Dead, only my character.

Suburban Neighborhood, South of Atlanta Georgia

July 19th, 1333 Local Time, 2003

… Rioters are attacking police in growing numbers...

… People are eating each other!...

… Mass panic in multiple cities across the U.S…

… Ohio State Governor declared martial law...

… President Evacuated to Air Force One…

… We're all gonna die!...

*EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM*

A NATIONWIDE STATE OF EMERGENCY

IS IN EFFECT. PLEASE STAND BY

AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.

Zoey could not believe what she was happening. For the past few hours, reports of sickly people attacking each other at random on the streets had been on the news. It seemed that whatever was happening was taking place throughout the entirety of America.

It's just like those apocalypse movies… The nineteen-year-old thought.

When her father had suddenly been called to work earlier that day, she knew something must have been off. Her father, Sergeant Melnikov of the local police department, and her were taking advantage of one of his day's off from duty to play some video games and watch horror movies. At least, that had been the plan until he received the call back at eleven or so.

The sudden ringing of the phone caused Zoey to jump in surprise as worry rushed through her body. Getting off the couch, she went over and answered it, a familiar voice coming over the line.

"Zoey, honey is that you?"

"Dad? What's going on?" Zoey asked.

The line remained silent for a moment, although she could hear her dad shift around and mutter a curse. "I- I don't know sweetheart, but do you remember where I keep my spare pistol?" He asked, his voice indicating something was terribly wrong.

"Y- yeah, why? Dad, what's happening?" Zoey answered.

"Go get it. Lock the doors and stay away from the windows, I'll be home soon." He instructed before ending the call.

Doing as she was told, Zoey put down the phone and headed upstairs to her father's bedroom. Reaching under the bed, she pulled out an aluminum case that, once opened, revealed a loaded Glock 17 and three full spare magazines of 9mm rounds. Taking the pistol in one hand, she stored the magazines in the pockets of her woodland camo cargo pants.

Now armed, Zoey quickly made her way back downstairs and locked the doors. With those two primary tasks complete, all she had to do now was wait. Deciding that keeping up with what was going on would be for the best, she went back to the living room where the T.V. was still turned on with the same emergency message displayed.

For the next few hours, Zoey would gather up all the canned goods and store them in the living room. After having watched hundreds of different horror and apocalypse movies, she knew she would have to be prepared to leave. With this knowledge in mind, she went up to her room and retrieved her black DIGBUG backpack that her father had bought her a few years ago.

Over the course of the next half hour, she would prioritize and balance out supplies that she could carry. On top of that, she also went to the garage and grabbed her wooden baseball bat, making sure to keep it near her for the time being.

The opening of the front door would catch Zoey's attention just as she was putting her pistol into a holster on her right thigh. Looking over, she watched her dad enter the house covered in blood and with one arm wrapped with bandages, his face sickly pale.

"Dad! Are you ok?!" She worryingly asked as she rushed over to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine kiddo. One of those things just scratched me is all." He replied.

He kept his guard down as his daughter pulled him into a harsh hug. He grimaced at the pain in his arm, but that didn't stop him from reciprocating the act. "Ok ok, that's enough." He eventually said as he pulled away. "I'm gonna go change, then we're gonna head to the police station and see if they have any weapons left. Afterwards we're getting the hell outta here, alright?"

Zoey quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Good thing we watched all those movies, huh?" She jokingly said, hoping to make light of the horrifying situation they were in.

Her father smiled at his daughter's humor and replied with a 'yeah' before hurrying up the stairs. It wouldn't be long however before a loud crash could be heard. Worried about the state she had seen her father arrive, Zoey rushed up the stairs to see if her father was ok.

Upon arriving at the top of the stairs, she swore she heard something akin to growling coming from her father's bedroom. Taking out her pistol, Zoey cautiously made her way to the slightly ajar door. Pushing it open, she would see her father, still dressed in his police uniform, sitting against the wall. Nearby, a cabinet had fallen over, its contents spilling all over the place.

"Dad?" She said as she entered the room.

His eyes weakly fluttered open, his skin deathly pale with blood and sweat covering his entire body. "Honey… stay back…" He said in a dry voice.

Zoey was confused as to what was going on. Just what exactly was happening? "W- why, what's happening to you?"

He remained silent for a moment, his breathing heavy and restricted. "I'm so sorry sweetie, I should've told you earlier." He stated before a cough interrupted him. "People who… who were bitten by those things… they… they turn into them honey… I thought I would be fine, but not anymore..."

Zoey was at a loss for words. Her father was the strongest person she knew, yet, here he was saying that he was about to die. Tears filled her eyes as she fell to her knees, sadness gripping at her heart.

"Y- you have to shoot me kiddo… don't let me turn…" He pleaded with her.

Zoey looked up at him with tear stained cheeks. She tried to verbally deny it, tried to say that everything would be ok, that he would be ok, but her words died off before they even reached her lips.

Reluctantly, Zoey took her pistol and aimed it at her father's chest. Her father shook his head at her before weakly pointing towards his head.

"In the head. Y- you can do it kiddo…"

Zoey closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

Suburban Neighborhood, South of Atlanta Georgia

July 20th, 1641 Local Time, 2003

Zoey kept a tight grip on her M4 as she walked down the street, ready for anything to jump out at her. She had already checked the police station where she had managed to obtain her rifle, so now she was on the hunt for any other supplies or, if possible, other survivors.

Her ponytail swung in the afternoon wind. The cool breeze that came with the setting sun sent a chill up her spine, forcing her to put on the brown bomber jacket that her father had gotten for her last Christmas.

That caused another tear made its way down her cheek, one that she quickly wiped away.

Can't think about that right now. Dad would want me to keep going, no matter what. Zoey thought as she grit her teeth and pushed yesterday's events to the back of her head. She knew she would have to face those thoughts eventually, but now was not the time.

Broken glass from shattered windows of houses and crashed cars littered the road. Thankfully, Zoey had managed to find a pair of fitting black side zipper tactical boots from the police station earlier.

Each house she would check had its windows shut and the front door either locked or barricaded, making it nearly impossible to search. She was also not going to risk checking around the back in case one of those things snuck up on her.

Better to stay out in the open for now. Zoey thought as she went over to check another house.

Luckily, this one's front door was unlocked, allowing her to step inside. The house itself was dark with the only light being that of the T.V. and the back porch. Closing the door behind her, Zoey made sure to remain quiet should any of those creatures show up.

Slowly moving forward, she saw a massive blood stain on the wall in the kitchen. A bad sign. Holstering her rifle, Zoey took out her baseball bat and kept herself ready for a sudden attack. On a nearby counter, she spotted what appeared to be a child's coloring book.

Oh my god, hopefully they got out. She thought. The idea of someone so young living in this quiet hell… it unnerved her.

The flashing red light from the landline caught her attention and curiosity. Hm, whoever left must've left in a hurry… I don't blame them. Zoey thought. Peeking around the corner into the kitchen, Zoey saw a figure standing there with blood covered clothing and chunks of its skin missing.

Just one? Hm, easy enough. She confidently thought.

Knocking on the wall to grab its attention, Zoey kept her distance as the thing shuffled towards her with unsteady movements. Once it got close enough, she swung her bat and smashed its head in, repeating the process a few times to make sure it was dead.

After waiting a few seconds it failed to move, leading her to believe it was dead. Now that the house seemed clear, she went on to search for supplies. Careful to not slip on the immense puddle of blood that covered the kitchen entryway, Zoey quickly opened the different drawers and cabinets but discovered nothing much of use. At least, until she came across the last drawer.

Pulling it open, Zoey pulled out a radio. Giving it a quick check, it didn't appear to be damaged unlike the other few she had found before.

Deciding to see if it worked, she pressed the red button on the side and spoke into it. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She asked, hoping for an answer.

The radio remained silent for a few seconds, leading her to mutter a curse in annoyance. As luck would have it however, a voice eventually came through.

"You're not my mommy." A young, child-like voice said.

Holy shit, someone's alive! Zoey thought gleefully. "You're right, I'm not. My name's Zoey, can you tell me yours kid?"

"... It's Clementine, and you need to be quiet. The monster could still be inside." The girl replied.

"Clementine? Hm, cute name. And don't worry about the monster, I already took care of it." Zoey gently informed her. "So, where are you now?"

"I'm in my treehouse. Look outside." Clementine told her. Following the child's instructions, Zoey took a look out the window and saw the treehouse she was talking about. More importantly, she saw Clementine peeking outside the door.

Zoey gave her a smile. "Smart move kid." She complimented.

Clementine gave her a short chuckle through the radio. "Thanks."

"Say kid, where are your pare-"

The sound of a gun going off cut Zoey short as she ducked behind the kitchen counter. "Clementine, stay in your treehouse. Do not come out unless I say so, got it?" She ordered the girl.

Once Clementine gave her an 'mhm' over the radio, Zoey clipped it to her pants and pulled her rifle from over her shoulder. For a whole minute Zoey waited patiently, listening for anything out of the ordinary. All she got in return was silence. Deciding that the coast was clear, she let out a deep sigh of relief.

Too close. She thought before she retrieved the radio. "Alright Clementine, looks like we're clear. It's safe inside so you can come down now."

"Ok." She replied. Zoey watched through the window as a small child with fluffy curled hair and baseball cap climbed down and made her way to the patio door. Zoey jogged over and slid the door open with ease, letting the child inside before closing it once more.

Clementine looked like she was about to speak but got startled by something. Fearing another monster, Zoey quickly turned around and aimed her rifle, but found nothing except the empty room.

"D- did you do that?" She heard Clementine ask. When she turned to see what Clementine was referencing to, she saw her pointing to the corpse of the monster, its head nothing more than a mere splatter on the ground.

"Yeah." Zoey said as she nodded. "I uh… I'm sorry you had to see that. Is she someone you knew?" Zoey was careful about her words so as to not scare the child anymore than she already was.

Clementine slowly nodded, her eyes still wide in shock. "Yes. She was Sandra, my babysitter. My parents went on a trip to Savannah and haven't come home yet..." As Clementine spoke, she seemed to be on the verge of tears. In response, Zoey quickly wrapped her arms around the child and gave her a comforting hug.

"It's ok Clementine, I know exactly how you feel." She said as she released the hug. A soft smile then grew on Zoey's face. "Hey, how about this? I'll take care of you until we can get you back to your parents. Does that sound ok?"

Clementine stayed quiet for a moment but ultimately nodded, having appeared to calm down. "What should we do now?" She asked.

"Well first we need to get you into some clean clothes. I already have enough food in my bag as is, so let's go ahead and get you changed, then we can leave." Zoey answered.

"Ok." Clementine said. "Come on, I'll show you my room." Zoey followed her to one of the other rooms. Opening one of the doors, Zoey entered a mostly sky blue colored room with different assortments of art supplies, coloring books, and stuffed animals. Next to the door was what Zoey deduced was Clementine's backpack. Picking it up, she dumped out all the school supplies that were inside and sat on the bed.

I wonder if she likes to draw. Zoey rhetorically thought.

"Alright Clementine, go ahead and pick out your favorite summer and winter clothes." She instructed. Whilst she went and chose, Zoey made sure to snag one of the cleaner coloring books and a box of crayons.

"Hey Zoey?" Clementine suddenly asked, catching her attention. "Can I bring my stuffed dog?" She said as she held up one of the small stuffed animals.

Zoey shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't see why not, go ahead." She approved. With that out of the way, she packed up the few sets of clothes Clementine had picked out alongside her stuffed animal. Zipping up Clementine's backpack, she handed it to the girl who promptly put it on.

"Alright, seems like you're all set. We should get going before more monsters show up." Zoey said.

"But what if my parents come home? I don't know if I wanna leave in case they do." Clementine sadly said.

Kneeling down to her, Zoey placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry about that Clementine. We won't go far, ok? Just enough to where we know we'll be safe." She reassured.

Although Clementine seemed unsure about the decision, she nodded and went along with Zoey's idea either way.

With their bags packed and their minds made up, the pair left the house through the front door. At the same time, a red truck sped down the street with a growing amount of monsters shuffling behind it. Zoey chased after it and managed to get its attention, stopping it in the middle of the street.

Whoever was driving the vehicle jumped out and frantically waved them over. Seeing this is their only opportunity, Zoey ran back to Clementine, picked her up, and carried her to the truck.

The driver, seeing Zoey put Clementine into the bed of the truck before climbing in herself, got back inside and floured it.

With the walking corpses becoming smaller by the second, Zoey let out a sigh of relief knowing that she and Clementine were safe.

Greene Family Farm, Rural Georgia

July 20th, 2219 Local Time, 2003

Zoey was awoken by someone shaking her on the shoulder. As her eyes tiredly fluttered open, she turned her head to the culprit who had awakened her and was met with the soft eyes of the guy who had saved her and Clementine.

"Sorry to wake you, but we're here." The young man said.

Zoey yawned and rubbed her eyes. "And where is here exactly?" She tiredly asked.

"My family's farm. We're a good ways out of the city, so it's pretty safe." He replied.

The door to the house they were parked outside of suddenly opened up, revealing an older man with gray hair and a green outfit. The look of happiness on his face at the sight of the younger man was warm as he gave him a welcoming hug.

"Good to have you home Shawn." The older man said.

Shawn returned the gesture in full. "Happy to be home dad."

The older man then focused his attention towards Zoey and Clementine, the latter of which Zoey had woken up herself. "... And I see you've brought a few guests with you as well."

"Oh yeah! Dad, meet… uh, sorry, what are your names again?" Shawn sheepishly asked.

Zoey comically rolled her eyes before pointing at herself. "I'm Zoey, and this here's Clementine."

"Well it's nice to meet you Zoey, Clementine. My name's Hershel Greene." He introduced.

The obvious signs of fatigue didn't go past Hershel's judgement. Even though Zoey looked well armed, it was clear that she didn't have any hostile intentions, especially with Clementine at her side.

"So I'm guessing you and your little sister here need a place to stay the night, correct?" Hershel eventually asked the duo. Zoey lacked the energy to correct the man for the time being, so she just gave him a nod, and Clementine rubbed one of her eyes sleepily. Herschel let out a 'hmph' before pointing towards the barn. "Well our house is already full, so you'll just have to use the barn."

Zoey shrugged before adjusting her backpack to make it slightly more comfortable. "Better than nothing I suppose. Thanks."

Herschel nodded before turning around and heading back inside, his son following right behind him. Taking their leave, Zoey and Clementine walked over to the barn. Near the entrance was a pair of rolled up sleeping bags. Zoey laid out one for Clementine before taking her personal sleeping bag from her backpack and laying it out next to Clementine's.

With another yawn, Zoey set her bag, rifle, and bat down next to her before crawling inside the sleeping bag. With a quick 'goodnight' to Clementine, she closed her eyes and let sleep take over.

Some Hours Later…

"Psst, Zoey! Wake up!"

Zoey gradually opened her eyes before shutting them tight as the bright light of the sun hit her face. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted to light, allowing her to see clearly. She could feel someone shaking her left arm who she easily identified as Clementine.

"Morning Clem." She greeted as she sat up. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm. Now I'm itchy though." Clementine complained. Zoey forced a chuckle back at the little girl's behavior.

"But at least we're ok. That's what matters." Zoey said, still somewhat relieved about yesterday.

Getting up, Zoey popped her neck releasing the stiffness. Just as she and Clementine were about to step outside, a man with a handlebar mustache entered.

"Oh, you're awake." The man said with a hint of surprise. "Well, saves me the time of doin' so then. Name's Kenny." He introduced himself as he went for a handshake.

Zoey shook his hand with a nod. "Zoey, and this is Clementine."

Kenny looked down at Clementine who was somewhat hiding herself behind Zoey. "Well hello there little lady." Kenny stated with a friendly smile before refocusing on offered him a friendly wave, one that he returned. "So Zoey, how'd you and your little sister manage to make it all the way out here?"

"Oh uh, we're not related. I'm just someone who found her alone is all." Zoey honestly replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. There was no point in lying to the man, especially after he had just been friendly to her and Clementine.

Kenny narrowed his eyes for a moment whilst looking up and down at her. After a few seconds of this, he shrugged. "Well, better a youngin' like you than someone else I suppose. You certainly seem ready for whatever's going on." He said, referencing her clothes and equipment.

"Dad!" A child's voice shouted. Looking past Kenny, Zoey saw a young boy who looked to be around Clementine's age standing at the entrance of the barn. "We're gonna build a fence! There's even a tractor!" The boy happily exclaimed before looking directly at Zoey. "Who's that?"

"Duck, this is Zoey and Clementine. They're new arrivals, so let's make sure to give them a warm welcome, ok?" Kenny instructed.

Duck excitedly nodded, told Kenny 'ok' and ran off, presumably to the tractor. In turn, Kenny just rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go give them a hand."

The three left the barn with Clementine staying close to Zoey. She figured the little girl must have been shy which she understood well.

I mean, when was the last time we had some crazy shit like this go down? Zoey thought. "Hey Kenny, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you call your son Duck?"

"Because nothing really affects him ya know? Like water off a duck's back. I personally think it's because he's as dumb as a bag of hammers." Kenny answered, which received a complaint from Duck. Kenny and Zoey both laughed at his reaction, with Clementine letting out a short giggle.

When they arrived at a woman sitting on a bale of hay, Kenny pointed his thumb towards her. "Zoey, this here's my wife, Katjaa. Her and I have been together for god knows how long."

Katjaa, a slightly overweight woman, waved at the duo who waved back. "Anyway, you two got any plans about what you're gonna do next?"

Zoey shrugged. "No, not really. Why?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"Well, my wife and I were planning on heading back to Fort Lauderdale down in Florida. You look like you can hold your own and I doubt you'll leave the kid behind, so if you two want a ride somewhere, we can take ya once I get my truck running." Kenny offered.

"Really now? Well, thanks. I'll be sure to take you up on that." Zoey said before Clementine tugged on her arm. "After I talk about it with Clem."

Kenny nodded before excusing himself to go work on his truck. Clementine let go of Zoey and sat down on one of the nearby bales of hay and began speaking with Katjaa.

Just as Zoey was about to talk to her, a blood curdling scream broke relative calamity. Rushing over to the source, she saw Shawn with his leg trapped beneath the front tire of the tractor which was now turned on. On top of that, a couple of walkers were now banging against the fence trying to feast on both him and duck who was in the driver's seat.

"I'M COMING, JUST HANG ON!" Zoey shouted at the top of her lungs. Dammit, it's too risky to shoot em. Guess I gotta go with plan B. She thought.

Taking out her baseball bat, Zoey swung at the walker that had grabbed duck, smashing its head in and causing it to stumble backwards. Now free, Duck jumped off the driver's seat and ran over to Katjaa and Clementine.

"Kenny, push the tractor! I'll get these things off him!" Zoey ordered as she went to attack the closest walker. Kenny did as she said and began pushing on the tractor with all his might, but it was no use as the tractor wouldn't move.

Fuck! Hershel, where are you?! She thought in a panic.

As Zoey hit the other walker that had been pushing against the slowly collapsing fence, three more arrived from the cornfield. Seeing as she could now freely use her guns, she pulled out her pistol, took aim, and began shooting each one in the head. Once the last walker fell dead, she made sure to keep watch so that none would sneak up on them anymore. After a few minutes of seeing none and more painful screaming from Shawn, she holstered her pistol back on her thigh.

With the coast now clear, she saw Hershel run up to them with a shotgun. Hershel dropped the shotgun and pulled himself onto the driver's seat of the tractor. He then put it in reverse and backed off of Shawn's leg, freeing him. Herschel and Zoey quickly helped him to his feet, although he had to lean on his father for support due to his left leg having been completely crushed.

"Don't worry son, you're going to be ok. We're gonna get you inside and patch you up, alright?" Herschel said, worried for his son.

Shawn nodded his head as he continued to take deep breaths. "Y- yeah… argh! My leg… it hurts like hell…"

"I know son, I know." Herschel tried to comfort his son to some avail. A young woman ran out of the house and over to Shawn, taking over Hershel's job and leading him back to the house. Herschel watched them to make sure they got inside ok. Once the door closed, he trained his attention on Kenny.

"Look what your boy did!" He angrily exclaimed.

"I- I'm sorry Hershel, it was just an accident! My son didn't mean to-" Kenny said, but was cut off.

"JUST AN ACCIDENT?! YOUR BOY'S CARELESSNESS ALMOST GOT MY SON KILLED IF IT WEREN'T FOR ZOEY! YOU NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!" He shouted before storming off back to the house.

Zoey, Kenny, and the others were left in shock at the old man's outburst. After a minute, Zoey spoke up. "We'll take that ride if you're still offering."