We Carry On

by midnitstar

Joanna's only jobs were take care of her sister while her parents were gone and only call the babysitter in an emergency. Step two was easy, but step one just got a lot harder in an apocalypse. (Next Chapter in progress)

Episode One: A New Day

'Hold fast to one another, we will stand stranger to brother…' We Carry On - The Phantoms

A violent scream clawed its way out of my lungs and lodged itself in my throat.

Images of my life flickered before my eyes, from childhood to present, it played like a black and white reel burning against the back of my mind. My thoughts croaked one last sentence: 'This is it'.

The white hot pain sprouted in my forearm first, taking root where my babysitter's rot coated teeth had sunk into my flesh and blossoming to my pulsing fingertips. It didn't take long to develop beyond just my fingertips, creeping up the length of my arm and out into the rest of my body until all of me was thrumming to the loud rhythm in my ears. It felt like someone poured a pint of kerosene into my veins.

I was burning from the inside out.

My palm hit Sandra's forehead in an attempt to shove her off, but there was little to no force behind my trembling arm. Her soulless, white eyes caught my dark brown, staring through me with endless pools of hunger and anguish. Sandra's sunken black cheeks stretched as she cried and those gnarled, mummified fingers scratching pitifully at my skin when she was torn away. Her incisors dislodged painfully when the taller, masculine figure of the man from the wood flew around the woman's waist and crashed to the linoleum floors in a tangle of limbs.

Vision hazy with fresh unshed tears, I stumbled into the end table just behind me and with a smash, the answering machine and family pictures were sent into the ground, me along with them. Blood painted my mocha skin, bubbling past the tips of my fingers and staining the front of my black, graphic tee. Over the drumming in my ears, the man from the woods fought with the shell of my babysitter. He struggled to his feet, a strangled shout of warning barely touching my lips before the beast pounced on the unsuspecting man.

Once more, they fell.

Both he and Sandra became blurry wrestling silhouettes against the strikingly red and orange sunset pouring through the open glass doors of the deck. Through all of the commotion came a soft, melodic voice, "Here!" My younger sister cried, so much terror held behind the single word. There was more grunting as the brawl continued, the man's hand stretched to grab something from the little girl in the doorway.

And with an enraged shout, the stranger thrust his arm forward, the force of his newfound weapon catching Sandra in the jaw and knocking her away. He clambered atop of the hungry monster, then proceeded to strike her again and again and again until her feral growls had died off and dark blood pooled on the floor. For a moment, there were no sounds other than that of our labored breaths.

Then, "Is it dead?"

"I...I think so." The stranger of the woods spoke breathlessly, slumping slightly in relief.

Not more than a second after the confirmation, the shadow of my kid sister flitted across the threshold and made her way to me. "Jo!" Clementine cried, throwing her little arms around me, her warmth seeping past my t-shirt and absorbing into my already perspiring skin.

Part of me wanted to throw her off by the shoulders, scream that it was too hot and too dangerous for her to be so close to me, but instead I found myself clinging onto the back of her sleeveless white gown and burying my face into the crook of her neck. I inhaled the comforting scent of dirt and oreo cookies, her presence being priority over my own comfort at the moment. "A-are you okay, Jo?" Clementine asked tearfully, her sniffling loud in my ear as she pulled away to arm's length. "Your arm," she swiped roughly at her eyes with the back of her hand and fought to keep her 'tough' face, "does it hurt?"

I swallowed all the usual sarcastic remarks I would have normally spewed at her, the cynicism so thick I thought I could've choked and died right there. Rather, I gave a subtle shake of my head, blinking with a smile as warm tears streaked down my cheeks. If these were to be my last moments with my sister, I didn't want them to be filled with bickering. Clementine frowned, worry glittering in her honey brown eyes. "Liar."

"Guess you caught me, huh?" I forced out a small laugh.

The stranger approached us now with the same terrible limp he'd had when he'd made his way inside our home. He extended a calloused hand out to me with a soft, "Here. Let's get you up."

I looked up at him, really looked at him for the first time since we'd bumped into each other. He was an Afro American male with tight curls trimmed close to his head, with big, kind brown eyes that reminded me of our fathers. He wore a wrinkled, bloodstained pale button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a dirty white undershirt peeking out underneath. As to be expected, his jeans were in much worse shape. They were ripped in the knees and littered with dirt and other filth from the woods out back. Blood surrounded his right knee, the one he favored, dyeing the denim an ugly violet color.

He didn't seem like a bad man, after all, he had just stopped the carnivorous husk of Sandra from eating us. I hesitantly took his hand, the two of us desperately grasping at one another to stop from keeling over on either side. He released a short, painful groan with one last pull. "Let's take a seat and take a look at your wound, if that's alright with you?"

Weakly, I nodded and the three of us shuffled to the dining table. I noticed how it wasn't in its usual position, one end a little more to the right than the other. Though, based on the sounds of the scuffle that had led to Sandra's ultimate demise...it wasn't difficult to understand why. Clementine lifted a fallen chair from the ground and despite my protests, the man insisted that I took a seat before him. As soon as we were settled, my sister tucked close to my side. The stranger held out his hand again. "Can I see…?"

Hesitantly, I held out my bleeding arm for him to see. His hands examined my injury as gingerly as possible, cautiously turning it this way and that to inspect the bite. He turned to Clementine and asked, "Do you have a first aid kit anywhere?"

"Yeah! We have one in the treehouse, Jo filled it up with bandages and stuff. Do you want me to go get it?" A nod was all it took before she was bounding outside towards the treehouse. I had been sure to pack a makeshift first aid kit up there in the first few months our father had built it. It was simply a precaution, originally for smaller wounds...perhaps a bad scrape or splinter or two. No longer it seemed.

There was a beat of silence.

"So, the two of you have been all on your own this whole time?"

"Yeah.." I said in a small voice. "I..I'm supposed to be looking after her until our parents come home, but…"

"Oh..well--"

"I'm going to become one of them...like Sandra, aren't I..?" I croaked, gaze drifting off to the ransacked interior of the living area off to the left. Days filled with family nights and laughter were nothing more than memories now.

"No, no." I could see the lies in his deep brown eyes when I looked at him again. "We'll get you cleaned up and bandaged, and it'll be okay."

"You don't have to lie to me." I told him, my voice cracking under the pressure of fear of what was to come. "That's how it works, right? You get bit, or scratched and you become one of those things."

The man's Adam's apple bobbed nervously. "Let's not focus on that for now...alright?"

My lower lip curled in a frown, but I silently agreed. Even so, I couldn't help but worry. Clementine was only eight years old, the girl could hardly open the cookie jar without any help, how was she going to survive all on her own? With our parents and babysitter clearly out of the picture, there was none left to turn to. Yes, there was a chance our grandparents or aunts and uncles had survived, but most of them lived miles if not states away.

I wasn't going to last that long.

Sandra surely hadn't.

"So…" The man paused awkwardly. "I'm Lee...what's your name?"

At first, I was taken slightly aback by the fact that we were doing introductions now of all times. Then again, would there really be a better time to do so? "I'm Joanna..the younger girl is Clementine. As I'm sure you've guessed by now, she's my sister."

Lee's eyes softened, a small smile gracing his lips. "Joanna and Clementine, huh? Those are some pretty names." For a moment, I shared his smile.

"Thanks. I like yours too. Your name, I mean…" I trailed off as Clementine came huffing and puffing back through the open glass doors with a small container of bandages, peroxide, and band-aids. It looked like our supply had dwindled from the last time I'd checked, I guess that happened when you spent your days and nights in a treehouse.

"I found it." She beamed, passing the items across the table straight to Lee.

Lee gave her a few words of appreciation before scanning over our pathetic excuse of a first aid kit. He grabbed the bottle of peroxide and the roll of bandages. "This is going to hurt." I cringed.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Try not to make too much noise, okay?"

That sounded a lot easier than it would be. Clementine held out her tiny hand to me and I graciously took it with a whispered 'thanks'. I half expected her to whine about how disgustingly sweaty it was and rip her hand away, but surprisingly she didn't mention a single thing about it. Anxiously, I watched as Lee tilted the bottle to pour the peroxide into my bite.

The pain exploded much faster than I had anticipated.

I screwed my jaw shut as another scream threatened to alert the neighborhood. My nostrils flared and my eyes burned with fresh tears. The wound bubbled and fizzed for a while before shrinking away agonizingly slow. Lee took the hurt arm with care and began wrapping it up with the bandages. He pulled it taught, making sure it was secure enough to maintain pressure as we had. By the time he'd finished, there wasn't nearly enough for him to tend to his own leg. And butterfly patterned band-aids surely weren't going to do the trick.

"What about--?"

"I'll be okay." Lee reassured me with a smile. He then tilted his head to look over his shoulder. It was going to be night soon. "Though, if we want to get help, we should probably leave before it gets too dark out."

"Yeah...probably…"

"But Jo," Clementine tugged on my hand, "what about mom and dad? What if they come back home and we're not here? They won't know that we're okay."

The question stung almost as much as the bite did.

I had managed to catch the tail end of the messages on the answering machine that Lee had played back...

' Babies, if you hear this, call the police. That's 9-1-1. We love you...we love you… we love y--'

...Our mother's last words to us were forever ingrained in my head. Even before hearing the messages, I had my doubts..especially with how easily Sandra was overtaken.

"We won't go too far, I'm sure they'll be able to find us. Until then, I'll keep an eye out for you guys." Lee said. My younger sister smiled softly and nodded, seemingly reassured by his answer. Even so, she looked at me for approval. I agreed with Lee...I would tell her, but not now. "Okay, you guys ready--uGH!" His teeth ground together when he stood, hand catching the corner of the table before he could fall. Fresh blood caused the purple stain to grow larger.

Clementine and I all but leapt to his aid. "Your leg!" She exclaimed at the same time I cried out, "Lee!"

"It's okay." The man grunted as he straightened himself. "The sooner we can find help, the sooner we can get properly fixed up. Okay?" His eyes met mine, and reluctantly I nodded in agreement. I knew he was only trying to include me in an attempt to put my lingering fears to bed, but deep down we both knew what the end result would really be. He kept saying that I'd be okay, but my boiling body screamed the exact opposite.

We inched our way out the backdoor, past Sandra's mutilated corpse. Clementine and I kept ahead of him, hands intertwined and Lee limping not too far behind us. The three of us gradually made our way down the steps and towards the side gate leading into the front yard. My gaze held onto the sight of the backyard for a little while longer. This would likely be the last time either of us would ever lay eyes upon our home ever again.

I would miss it, dearly. There were plenty of great times shared in this house. Birthdays, holidays, parties, and more. Lifetimes of memories stored in one place. Clementine gave my hand a little squeeze and I knew then that she too shared some of my feelings.

But, it would be better to follow Lee.

No one else would be coming for us. For Clementine.

"Do you think we should've left a note or something…?" Clementine whispered to me. "Won't they be really worried?"

I did my best to smile. "They would want us to do what's safest for us. As long as we're okay, I'm sure they'd be relieved."

Lee waited for the two of us to catch up before opening the gate. It gave a soft groan when he pushed and then, "Oh shit!"

"Don't eat us!"

Startled by the two figures in the road, I squished Clementine's fingers tightly in mine. They were two young men, probably in their early to mid twenties. One was at average height, a lean male. He had combed back dark hair and hazel brown eyes. He wore a navy green button down and a brown pair of jeans. In his hand was a pistol...which he had aimed at us. "Don't shoot!" Lee called, raising his hands in surrender as he maneuvered in front of us. Clementine tucked herself beneath my arm, her fingers twisting in the filthy fabric of my shirt. "We're not gonna hurt you."

"Sorry man," the dark haired man chuckled anxiously, lowering his gun, "we thought you and the kids there were about to give us the chomp."

He wasn't too far from the truth if we were all being honest with each other.

"I'm Shawn." Said the one with the gun.

"I'm Chet." The other gave us a small wave of encouragement accompanied with an inviting smile. He was taller than his friend, a little more on the husky side as well. He had a mop of light brown hair sweeping back from his face and dark eyes. He wore a grimey white shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

"Lee," he then gestured to Clem and I with his head, "this is Joanna, and the small one is Clementine." My sister spared a wave in their direction. I gave them a nod.

"Have you run into any of those things yet?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah...There were a lot of them in the woods. I'm not sure if they're still there." Lee glanced back at the way we had come.

"Hopefully not." Shawn rubbed the back of his neck. "Chet and I were hoping to get out of the city, it's just too dangerous here, but as you can see…" Our eyes fell upon his vehicle...which happened to be one of many stuck in the road. He continued, "We, uh, hit a bit of a dilemma. But, as soon as we're out, you and your girls are welcome to hitch a ride with us out of the city if you want."

"They're not my daughters."

"Oh?" Shawn quirked a brow. Even Chet gave Lee a look, not that I blamed them. "So, who are you then?"

"I'm...the babysitter. Their parents are out of town."

Had I had the energy for it, I would have laughed. Unfortunately, the wave of lethargy was hitting me hard. But only that, but it still felt as though I were burning alive from the inside out. It was the worst fever I'd had by far. Even the time I caught the flu in the sixth grade couldn't compare to this.

"Well, we should get moving. Staying in the open like this for too long is a mistake for sure." Shawn said.

Lee half-turned to us. "What do you girls wanna do?"

Truth be told, it probably was our best bet. The city was overpopulated and a clear danger to Clementine. There was also the chance that wherever we were going would have supplies for Lee, without his leg in good working condition, he wasn't any better off than I was. Clementine bit her lip. "I…"

Familiar, ravenous growls filled my ears. I was not the only one to hear them either. Everyone's head swiveled to look for the source of the sound. With all the noise that had been made in the past twenty minutes or so, I wasn't surprised to see the peeling faces of the dead. It was more shocking that they hadn't arrived sooner. "Them monsters are comin'!" Chet shouted. "We gotta go!"

"Shit! Time to go! Lee, help me out, would ya?!" Shawn made a beeline for the truck and began to push.

Chet had retreated to one of the stray cars, occasionally firing over the hood of the vehicle to try to keep the approaching deceased off of our backs for just a little while longer.

Lee hurriedly limped forward, pressing his wounded figure up against one of the obstacle vehicles to get it rolling out of the way. Maybe I could try to help...it might go faster… My vision swarmed with speckled colors and I swayed on my feet when I stepped forward, stumbling a couple of short steps off to the side. "Jo..?!" Clementine cried, shoving her body against my waist to keep me from collapsing. It was just enough to work.

"Good enough! Go, go! " Shawn shouted.

"I'm okay, I'm okay…" I blinked a few times and lightly shook my head. While the colors dissipated, the world felt like it was still steadily spinning. "Come on." I pulled her towards the truck, the sound of Chet's voice right behind us as we moved.

Once we got close enough, Lee grabbed us. His hands went under Clementine's arms and hefted her up and inside, not wasting a moment to grab me by the waist and lift me onto the seat of the truck. As Lee climbed inside, there was a small dip on one side of the vehicle as Chet clambered over and dropped into the bed. The moment everyone was in, Shawn threw his truck into gear. The tires squealed and we were all jerked back before the vehicle lurched forward. The truck side swiped the front of one of the cars, then completely knocked a second out of the way.

Shawn's hands desperately palmed the wheel as he struggled to keep in control as we bounced over the curbs while zooming around the corner of our street.

Well...that most definitely could have been worse.

Much, much worse.

"Wow! As far as babysitters go, their parents definitely owe you a tip."

To Shawn's words, Lee pulled a grim look. Little did either of these men know, Lee really wasn't our babysitter. Though, at this point, he may as well have been.

"How's that arm feel?" Lee asked me in a hushed tone.

I too decided to follow suit and keep my voice low. "Not good." It was all I seemed capable of mustering up. In fact, I had many things that could've been said about how I felt, but I was too tired to elaborate. All those words had shriveled up in my dry throat.

"Whoa, is she okay?" Shawn questioned, eyes flickering towards me from his peripherals. "She's not looking so good."

Lee mulled over his options for a moment. I held my sister tight to me in fear. If he decided to tell Shawn, then what was stopping him from putting a bullet between my eyes right now? There was nowhere to run. I had nowhere to hide. But if Lee had lied, it would catch up to him. Someone else could get hurt. Someone that wasn't already bitten.

"She's...well...she's been bitten." Our new guardian spoke with hesitance. I didn't blame him for admitting the truth. If things went awry, it would've been best for them to know...right? My grasp on Clementine grew tighter, and she too shifted closer to me as if to protect me from whatever lay ahead.

"What?!" Shawn screeched with the sound of his tires. We flew forward at the abrupt halt, Lee throwing out an arm to prevent Clementine and I from smacking our heads on the dashboard. "Are you fucking serious right now man?! The kid is bit?! What if she turns?!"

Lee paused to look down at me. "She's just a kid."

Shawn opened his mouth to say more, but quickly snapped it shut. Chet rapped on the back window. "What's the hold up?" His muffled voice called to us through the glass.

"We'll burn that bridge if we happen to get there, but until then, she's still a living, breathing person." Lee said. "Considering you just saved our ends back there, I thought it'd be fair you knew the truth."

With a heavy sigh, Shawn looked at me. I stared back, trying my best to keep the look of pain off my face. I probably looked pitiful enough without it. He eased his foot off the brake and we started rolling back onto the road once more. "Sorry about that man...I didn't--

"I get it. I do."

"Yeah…it's been a day…"

For the duration of the ride, there was no further conversation. There was just the dull hum of the engine while we drove. At some point, the city scene gave way to the countryside. Rather than being leveled by miles of suburbia and skyscrapers, the land rolled with fields and farmland. And as we drove, the sun fell behind the horizon for the day.

Night was here now.

Clementine had dozed off in the comfort of Lee and I, and truth be told I felt like I wasn't far behind her. Although, I was far too scared to fall asleep. I was terrified that I would close my eyes and when I awoke, in my place would be a creature with an uncontrollable hankering for people. So, I fought off the sleep threatening to overtake me and held on until we arrived at the farm.

---

Between my sister and I, she tended to be the heaviest sleeper, but this time seemed to be the exception. Clementine was relatively easy to wake up when we arrived. With just a few calls of her name, she was sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She took a moment to look around and take in her surroundings before climbing off my lap and towards Lee who was beckoning for her to follow. I was the last one to clamber out of the cab of the truck with Lee's help.

Chet gave a large groan, stretching his arms over his head before smacking his lips. "Hey Shawn," he said to his friend from over the bed, "I'mma run on home. My ma's gonna be in a snit."

A hint of a smile on his face, Shawn waved the man off. "No sweat, man. I'll catch ya tomorrow night. Say hi to your ma for me and dad."

"Sure thing." The larger man then turned to the three of us with a friendly smile. "It was nice to meet ya'll"

"Likewise." Lee said with a wave, and then Chet was leaving.

Shawn led us over to the farm house, and as he did he explained to Lee that it was probably best that we didn't speak a word about my bite to his father, Hershel. And as if summoned by his name, the man emerged from the front door with a scowl..though, it didn't last long when he noticed his son on the front step. His old shoulders sunk with relief and his crinkled eyes softened. "Thank god, you're okay."

The boy took two large strides up the steps to engulf his father in a hug. "I was worried it'd be bad here, too."

"Pssh, been quiet as usual these past couple o' days. Ol' Breckon down the way thinks his mare's gone lame, but that ain't nothin' new."

"It's real bad in the city." Shawn admitted, running a hand over his face with a troubled sigh. "I honestly don't think I would've made it back without Chet."

"Well, I'm glad you took him with you then." At that moment, the old man named Hershel took notice of us. And we examined him as well.

Hershel appeared to be worn from the years, and definitely had a 'take no shit' kind of attitude going for him. He wore a crisp, long-sleeved, navy green button down with patches both on his chest and sleeve with what appeared to be an elk of some kind on it, a clean grey undershirt, and a matching pair of dark green pants. Truth be told, I found him rather intimidating. I had no doubt in my mind that if he perceived me as a threat to him or his kin, he'd have taken me out.

The porch creaked under his shifting weight as he warily eyed us. I resisted the urge to hide behind the towering figure of Lee. "I see you've brought a couple of guests."

Lee moved forward. "We just need a little...help..is all. We won't stay long."

"Good." He hummed. "You're welcome to stay here, but just for the night. I don't exactly run a bed and breakfast."

"Thank you."

"So," the old man's eyes ran over us one more time, "it's just you and your daughters then."

I couldn't quite see why everyone saw Lee as our father. While there were a few resemblances, it only took a double-take to see that Clem and I were not in fact the offspring of Lee. "Oh," Shawn chuckled, "they're not his daughters. I thought the same thing. Lee's the babysitter."

Hershel squinted suspciously at Lee. He then descended the stairs, his boots crunching the dirt and gravel on the path as he made his way over. Crouching before both Clem and I, Hershel then, surprisingly, questioned us in a warm voice, "Sweethearts, do you know this man?"

"Yes." Clementine hesitated before speaking. Those dark eyes of his found me next, questioning, prying. I nodded.

"Yes."

"Okay then." With a small 'hup' under his breath, Hershel stood. "Well, looks like ya hurt your leg pretty bad there. Not to mention, as the babysitter, ya really oughta' take better care of your girls here. The oldest looks 'bout ready to pass out, and those bandages of hers look 'bout ready to be changed as well."

Raising my injured arm, I realized that he was right. The bandages really did look ready to be changed, though I wasn't quite sure if it mattered at this point. I felt like it was a little too late to worry about me. Lee gave me a sympathetic look. "Yeah, we're not doing so good."

That was an understatement.

"Well, I can help ya'll out. Shawn," he called over to his boy, "run on in and check on your sister. You two, go 'head and take a seat up on the porch and I'll go see what I have."

While the two men retreated inside, Lee, Clementine, and I all made our way up onto the porch. While hesitant, my sister let me go at the steps, most likely to keep out of the way. My stomach knotted as I sat beside Lee. I doubted I could talk Hershel out of changing my bandages, but I also doubted that I could spin a lie fast enough to keep him unawares that I was infected. I gripped the edge of the porch bench tightly, trying to keep my breathing steady before completely throwing myself into a panic.

What could I tell him it was? A dog bite...but it looked nothing like a dog bite. I was sure he worked with animals all the time, he was on a farm after all, he probably knew what a dog bite looked like. As I searched for another excuse, Hershel had returned from the house with a roll of bandages. "You first." He said to Lee, kneeling down to inspect his busted leg. "Let's have a look...yeah, this is swollen to hell."

"Could be worse." Lee shrugged, I gave a small snort.

"That's what it sure sounds like. Seems like things got awful bad in the cities." Hershel assisted Lee in splaying his leg outward. The farmer gave it another quick look-see before he began to wrap it up. "What'd you say your name was 'gain?"

"It's Lee."

Hershel raised a hairy brow at me. "Oh..Joanna."

"Nice to meet ya', Lee, Joanna. I'm Hershel Greene."

Hershel gave the bandages a nice tug, causing Lee to inhale sharply. I too almost winced at the sight. "How'd this happen?" He gave another loop of the bandages.

"Uh..car accident."

"Hmm, that so? Where were you headed? Before the car accident?"

"Home."

"Where's home?"

"Grew up in Macon." Lee ran his tongue over his lips before continuing. "We hit a guy, one of those things you've been hearing about, on the road."

"Who were you with? One of the girls? Or both?"

Our guardian looked at me before turning back to the man on the ground. "Er, I was with a police officer. He was giving me a ride."

"Awful nice of him." Then, he was moving over to me. "And the girl--?

Before he could begin unwrapping my arm, I placed a trembling hand over the bandages to stop him. "If it's all the same, I think I'm more comfortable with Lee changing my bandages." I said quietly. "I know him better is all."

Hershel blinked in surprise, staring at me for a long moment. I held onto my poker face, careful not to give away any real apprehension on my face. Although, with how fast I spit that lie out, my mother would have had a heart attack. My sister and I were definitely not raised to lie, especially not to our elders.

"Well," he slapped his knee and stood up, passing the bandages to Lee, "whatever you're more comfortable with, darlin'." As Lee attended to my arm, Hershel continued to speak, "House is full up with mine. We've got another displaced family of three sleeping in the barn, you and your girls are welcome to rest there, when we're all done 'ere."

The spotlight then shifted to my sister as Hershal asked what her name was.

"Can't even begin to imagine what you and your sister have been through, Clementine." It's probably better that way...

"I'm looking after her and Joanna until we find their parents." Lee said, passing back the roll of bandages and balling up the dirty ones. Hershel volunteered to throw them out inside.

"You do just that. Don't want any further harm to come to these girls. I'd still like to know how this one's arm."

"I hurt myself...trying to get away from one of those things. Lee was there to help though." It wasn't a complete lie. I just omitted a few important details.

Nevertheless, Hershel seemed somewhat satisfied by my answer. Which was a relief because I didn't know how much more talking I could manage.

There was a creak and slam of the porch door being opened.

"Hey, dad," Shawn's voice sliced through the awkward tension as he stepped back outside, "so, I'm thinking, first thing tomorrow, we gotta reinforce the fence around the farm."

The father scoffed, hands folded on his hips. "That doesn't seem necessary."

"Look, I don't know what you saw on TV, or heard on the radio, but there's some serious," Shawn's eyes flickered to Clementine who was leaning against one of the wooden columns, "shit hitting the fan. I don't think anyone knows how big it is yet."

"Your son is right. You're gonna wanna fortify this place as best as possible."

"As soon as possible." Shawn agreed.

Hershel rolled his eyes with a huff. "Stuff like that doesn't happen around here, Shawn."

"Dad, I'm serious. Lee, come on, tell him what you saw out there, man."

"I got chased by a couple of dead people."

A couple...? There were dozens on the other side of that fence...if they stuck around any long we'd all have been goners.

The man waved them both off, swinging his hand dismissively. "Do what you think you should. We've got plenty of chores as it is."

I couldn't quite understand his reluctance to secure his home. After what Shawn and Lee had told him, I would think that he'd be jumping on the chance. I sure as hell knew that I would be...especially with all things considered. "Lee and those folks in the barn can help out in the morning. We gotta do it, really."

"I already said okay." Hershel shot his son an irritated look. "Say, do me a favor, get some tylenol for the oldest, Joanna, will ya?"

"Sure." The man went back inside with a but of a skip in his step.

Shawn left and was back within seconds with a glass of water and a pill. He passed them to me, reminding me to be careful before leaving inside once more. "That should help bring down that fever o' yours." Hershel explained. "We'll be sure to give ya some more in the mornin' if it still hasn't gone down."

"Thanks." said Lee.

"'N if that leg o' yours gets hot or the swelling doesn't go down, you're probably dealing with an infection."

"What do we do then?"

"We'll probably have to shoot you."

I choked on my water, spitting some of it back in the cup and coughing violently into my good arm. "Jo!" Clementine rushed over.

He's going WHAT?!

Hershel barked a laugh. " Careful darlin'. No need to worry. We'll clean it, re-dress it and you'll be fine."

Lee swallowed hard. "Yeah...that'd be preferable..

"There's blankets 'n such in the barn. We'll be seeing you bright 'n early." Hershel took the glass from my hands, turned to leave, but paused at the last moment. "Come tomorrow, which way ya think you're headed?"

"Towards Macon, I suppose."

Hershel nodded, seemingly pleased enough. Opening the front door, he gave both Clementine and I a warm smile before going inside.

Then, we were on our own once more.

We all ventured off the porch and towards the big barn across the yard, passing an old, beat up yellow pick up I assumed was part of the other family Hershel had mentioned. The plates weren't from here, but from Florida.

"Good thinking back there," Lee told me, "I was worried I wouldn't be able to come up with an excuse in time."

"Thanks…" I said. "To be honest, I was worried too."

"Me too." Clementine piped up. Lee smiled at her, patting our father's cap on her head.

---

We settled on the lower floor of the barn with the animals.

And it smelled anything but pleasant.

Foul smells immediately assaulted my nostrils the moment we stepped inside, but unfortunately it was all we had for the time being. Suddenly, I was starting to miss the treehouse. Although it caused my back to ache and left nasty splinters, it definitely didn't stink like horse crap. Not to mention, the hay, while softer than a wooden floor, caused me to itch.

Clementine squirmed next to me, curling her lips and scrunching her round, little face. "It smells like…"

"Shit." Lee offered.

My sister gasped, giving Lee a prompt smack on the shoulder. He chuckled. "Sorry. I shouldn't talk like that."

"That's a swear." She huffed.

"He's not wrong though. It really does smell like crap." It was my turn to be slapped. Though, I definitely got off easier than Lee.

"Mom says you're not allowed to use that word."

"Crap, crap, crap--"

"Joooo!" Clementine hissed in my ear. My chest rumbled with laughter.

"Alright you two, calm down, you don't wanna wake anyone up do you?"

Clementine and I shook our heads, falling back into silence, but only momentarily. My sister, in a solemn voice said, "I miss mom and dad."

"I miss them too." I told her.

"I bet." Lee hummed.

"How far is Savannah?"

"Pretty far, Clementine."

"Oh. Okay."

More silence ensued...followed by the soft snores of Clementine and Lee. I listened to their breathing, staring quietly up at the dark roof of the barn with my hands folded over my stomach. Terror gripped me in that moment and refused to release. How was I meant to sleep like this? Even now, I could still feel the burn of my arm..as if Sandra were still gnawing away at me. Soon, I would be one of them. I could feel it.

I wondered if this was what everyone felt before they changed. The fear of knowing you were next, what lay in store for you once you passed over. Would I be aware? Would I know that I was eating some poor person, know that I was giving them the same fate, but be unable to do anything about it? Or would it be a void...only nothingness? To be honest, I'd never thought about what came after death. I was only thirteen, my mind was more focused on whether or not I'd pass my algebra test, not if I would die.

Especially not like this.

Tears crept back towards my hairline, my lower lip tucking under my teeth as I silently cried to myself.

Was this how Sandra felt in the house that night?? Pressed up against the sliding glass doors, out of breath and trembling..all alone, knowing that she was all alone in this. She knew that she would never see her family or friends again, that she would never again share another evening with Clementine and I. All because she had protected us.

Though, it felt like it was all for nought. Here I was, staring at the blurry black roof with a bite mark and a conclusion drawing ever closer

Perhaps I should've taken myself outside. At least then I wouldn't be as big of a threat.

Or maybe I should've left all together...taken my frail, burning body down the road and wherever it led. Gone, never to be seen again.

The thoughts I'd suppressed throughout the day bombarded me relentlessly until my head ached terribly and my puffy eyes could hardly keep themselves open.

And in mere moments...I was under.

---

A/N: Thank you to all my friends who have been supporting me in my endeavor to make this fic. I've spent years of reworking and flip-flopping before finally getting to this point.

This is also my very first TWDG fanfiction I've ever made, as well as the first of anything I've posted in years :)) so finally posting is a big step for me. For a moment there I really thought I was a lost cause :'D

Anyways, I have lots of ideas for Joanna and her story, despite the concept being used quite a few times. But I'm just here to have fun and enjoy the ride :))Thank you for reading!! -Star