Title: New Dawn
Summary: A few lost kids try to make it home with only a voice on the radio to guide them.

New Dawn is part of a series that is set in a shared universe. The timeline is the same as in both shows, although the canon divergence in the Supernatural universe starts earlier. The events detailed in the summary below will be covered in the planned prequels.


IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT WARNINGS:

I've chosen to opt out of warnings. I REPEAT: THIS STORY WILL NOT FEATURE ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. If you're worried about any specific triggers, please feel free to contact me. If you want the trigger warnings anyway and don't care about spoilers, please feel free to contact me.

Note that the story will only get as dark as the source material, which is... plenty dark on its own. It's also a very light-hearted story at the same time, so, yay?


THE ROAD SO FAR - SUMMARY OF PAST EVENTS

Dean Winchester makes it out of Purgatory only to find that the world went to hell in his absence. In the years that follow Dean finds his family, falls in love, loses a few friends, and generally, basically, fights to keep on living. Eventually, things start going Dean's way. And then, someone important to him disappears.

Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma only to find that the world went to hell in his absence. In the years that follow Rick finds his family, falls in love, loses a few friends, and generally, basically, fights to keep on living. Eventually, things start going Rick's way. And then, someones important to him disappear.

This is not their story.

Established Rick/Michonne, established Dean/Castiel.

(SPN canon divergence as of 8.01. TWD canon divergence as of 6.14. Rick carries out the deal with the Hilltop community but hasn't met Negan yet).


Chapter 1: It's a New Day

Rick Grimes woke up to the sound of birds.

He remembered waking up to worse sounds. Like walker moans, or his old phone's alarm tone, when he spent the night on the couch because he had a fight with Lori, and was too wound up to go to sleep at a decent hour even though he had work in the morning, watching infomercials instead.

Or like walker moans.

The birds were kind of loud, though. Michonne obviously felt that way, from the way she grumbled in her sleep, burrowing her head against his back.

Animals, in general, hadn't fared well in the new world. He'd encountered his share of them over time, but it was obvious their numbers dwindled, domestic animals and wildlife alike. Cats and dogs had either gone feral, were eaten when their people got too hungry or survived in closely guarded communities like Alexandria.

Wildlife too was scarce - as he and his family learned while living on the road, there was simply not enough fresh meat to go around, no matter how hard Daryl applied himself. It was a shame, Rick thought. No matter how strong, fast or agile the animal was, the damn walkers got into everywhere, through either strength or sheer numbers.

But, it wasn't just the shambling, roaming dead that were a threat to the wildlife. Animals didn't turn if they got bit (though they got sick and died just like humans). They died if they themselves bit into the dead. Rick had heard of it from other survivors, but he'd seen it for himself in Alexandria not too long ago.

His neighbors, a sweet old couple, used to have a Doberman by the name of Charlie - a friendly, docile old thing that was lucky enough to arrive in Alexandria with his owners at the very beginning. After the walker herd attack ended, Charlie helped himself to a fresh enough walker cadaver before any of the cleanup teams got to it. The poor dog took ill and died in a matter of hours.

Birds didn't get sick, however. Rick had seen crows pick at walker guts for hours without so much as a wobble, nothing at all indicating them becoming sick.

Back at the prison, watching the crows play with the dead was what passed as quality entertainment. The large black birds would often toy with the walkers that surrounded the prison fences, luring one or two away in what Rick considered exemplary teamwork. They swooped in when the walker stumbled and left itself open for a picking attack, or just left juicy bits of its guts on the ground.

It was morbidly fascinating. It also was the reason Rick and his family avoided birds in their menu as much as they could help it, even if the birds were making it easy for them by literally nesting on top of Rick's roof.

Right now they couldn't be bothered to test the birds' dubious meat. The Hilltop community came through and through, supplying them with enough fresh vegetables, fruits, even eggs, to overflow their stockpiles. Their current concern was how to preserve anything they couldn't consume immediately, so it wouldn't rot and go to waste.

If nothing else, seeing his people fed and taken care of strengthened Rick's resolve, knowing that they've made the right call by taking care of the Saviors. The world didn't need any more people who preyed on others, and if taking care of them meant Rick could feed his children, well, two birds, one stone, right?

"I'm thinking omelets for breakfast," Rick said, rolling to face the stirring Michonne. His fingers drew patterns on her naked shoulder. "With tomatoes," he kissed her forehead, "and sweet peppers," he kissed the tip of her nose, "the leftover beans from dinner…"

Michonne gave a little groan of pleasure. "Sweet talker."

They took advantage of the still silent baby monitor. After a shower, Rick was busy making true on his promises, humming to himself while the eggs cooked. Michonne was still upstairs getting ready.

When she had to, Michonne could slum it up with the best of them. She would never complain about the gore, the dirt or the smells following unwashed human bodies. Sometimes, simply surviving - staying alive despite all other odds - that was enough, and asking for more than that had seemed downright ungrateful.

But when she didn't have to, when they had hot water and toiletries and the time to spend on them - Michonne made sure she enjoyed them. Thoroughly and at length.

Things like soap and toothpaste were finite, though. Like food today, sooner or later scavenging wouldn't be enough. Hell, even the food they bargained out of the Hilltop community wouldn't last forever. Rick and the people of Alexandria needed to start figuring out how to produce things on their own. The knowledge had to be out there somewhere - Rick made a mental note to start visiting libraries and bookstores on their next supply runs.

Michonne drew him out of his musings when she came into the kitchen. As always, he was immediately charmed by the way she looked in her bathrobe and toweled hair. "Where's Judith?" She asked. "And Carl?"

"Still sleeping, I think," Rick said. True, Judith keeping silent so late was unusual, but Rick wasn't in any rush to wake a sleeping toddler. He gestured at the baby monitor. "Wasn't this thing working fine last night?"

Lately, Judith was the one who woke them in the morning. Not by crying, but by babbling to herself in the way toddlers liked to do. If Rick didn't think she was too young for it, he would have thought she had an imaginary friend. Sometimes it looked like she was having an actual conversation with someone.

"Judith isn't in her crib," Michonne said with a frown. "I knocked on Carl's door, he's not home either."

"Where would Carl take Judy at this time of the day?" He turned off the stove, then stalked to the staircase. From there he could also see Carl's shoes where he kicked them off by the front door yesterday. He called out, "Carl? Carl?"

Receiving no answer but a "told you so", from Michonne. He went outside to check to ask his neighbors. Joe used to be a tax attorney before he retired with his wife Anna to Florida. They had been visiting relatives in Washington DC when the dead started walking and stumbled on Alexandria by mistake. Joe routinely woke up at the break of dawn to walk his dog, then sit on his porch for hours in what he called "a time for reflection." He kept at the habit even after the dog passed away.

Rick found him on the porch as expected. "Hey Joe, have you seen Carl and Judith this morning?"

"Morning Rick," said Joe. "Haven't seen them, sorry."

Rick raised his hand in thanks. He was getting irritated. Carl was a fantastic older brother. He cared for Judith deeply and he never complained about watching her, or changing her, or when she was acting fussy. He also knew that Rick wanted to know where she was, who was taking care of her. It was very out of character for him not to do so. Rick exchanged an uneasy look with Michonne.

"Maybe he took her to Denise?" he wondered out loud. Was Judy feeling sick, with Carl taking her to the clinic to be looked at? Still without telling either Michonne or Rick?

By noon, the entire community was searching, and Rick's irritation turned into outright fear. His kids weren't at the clinic, or at the storeroom, or the armory, or the church, or at any of the houses. No one had seen hair nor hide of Carl or Judith since yesterday. It wasn't long before they realized Enid and Mikey, the two other teenagers living in Alexandria, were also missing.

Maybe the kids went on a joyride outside the walls. Rick would have been furious, sure, but he also knew that Carl could take care of himself. Enid too for that matter, although he wasn't too sure about Mikey. Teenagers messing around was - not expected, he expected better of his boy - but not entirely unheard of. Teenagers acting dumb was a reason to be angry, a reason to be fearful, yes, but there would have been an explanation at least.

But Judith? Why take Judith?

By nightfall, Rick's (and Michonne's, and Maggie's, and Glenn's and Mikey's dad Kent's) fear grew into abject terror.


Carl woke up to a vague feeling that something was missing.

Eyes blinking open, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. There were little star pasties stuck to it, somehow still glowing despite the sun rays that filtered through the window.

The room was large and in shades of blues and grays. It was cluttered, but not in an altogether messy way. There was a huge television directly in front of Carl's bed. A blue shining light at the bottom corner told Carl that wherever this was, they seemed to have electricity. The TV was hooked to a gaming system, with stacks of video games arranged in neat little piles.

The bedroom walls were decorated with a dart board as well as with posters of bands and celebrities Carl couldn't name if he tried. There were shelves with sports trophies, and a bookcase overflowing with hardcovers and comic books. Face warming, Carl also noticed a box of kleenex tissues and a bottle of lotion on the nightstand.

He reached under the pillow, not surprised to find an empty space instead of a knife. He spied a baseball bat that was perched on one of the shelves, next to a baseball glove, ball, and a trophy shaped like a giant golden cup. He went to pick it up, but the inscription on the trophy base gave him pause:

Carl Grimes
Player of the Year Award

Feeling more than a bit unsettled, Carl collected the baseball bat, feeling its weight and balance in his hands. He gave it a test swing and then, satisfied, tiptoed towards the door.

There was no one in the hallway beyond his bedroom. Carl was silent as he made his way down the hall, aided by the carpeting beneath his bare feet. The rest of the doors were closed. He stopped and pressed an ear to each one, advancing only when he was sure there was no movement behind the door.

The hallway walls were not bare either. There were a few hung framed photographs of smiling babies. They looked a bit generic, almost like those stock photos that came with picture frames. A large mirror hung at the end of the hallway.

As he moved closer to the flight of stairs at the end of the hallway, he realized he could hear someone moving around below, likely at the kitchen from the sound of clinking glasses and cabinets being opened and closed. And then there was a frankly wonderful smell of something sweet cooking…

He dropped the baseball bat. It hit the carpet with a dull thud. Carl stared at his reflection in the mirror. He pushed his messy hair back, stepping close enough that his breath fogged the glass. Suddenly he knew exactly what he woke up missing.

Carl had known physical pain before, but nothing like the ache in his eye and in his head for the past few weeks. It had dulled some, true, and the pain medication was helping, but it was always there. Carl had felt it ever since the horde attack at Alexandria, when he woke up to his father clutching his left hand, and he'd had to turn his face to see him, because Carl's right eye was just gone.

That pain was missing now. He didn't need it when he was staring at his two - two, he had both of them - eyes.

He didn't know how long he stood there staring at his reflection. He would have thought nothing could draw his attention away from the fact his eye had somehow grown back, but he was wrong.

"Carl, honey, are you up yet?" A voice suddenly called out to him.

"...Mom?" he whispered.

"Who else, silly?" Lori said. "Hurry up now, I've made waffles."

Tears falling freely, Carl abandoned his baseball bat to the hallway and made his way down the stairs.

This is a dream. He thought. Or I'm dead. But before he could lay eyes on his dead mother, Carl watched her leave through the front door.

"I'm just heading to the store," she called over her shoulder, "Look after Judith and be sure to eat some fruit with your breakfast."

"Mom, wait," Carl said, rushing after her. "Mom!"

Somehow, in the two seconds it took for Carl to make it to the house's front door, Lori had already buckled herself inside a shiny silver car and was pulling away from the curve.

In his PJs and bare feet, Carl gave chase.