The truck Aggie was driving dinged to indicate the gas light, meaning she was running out of time to find shelter. She started to panic and hyperventilate. She always did have an anxiety problem, due to the fact she worked at a major company being yelled at by customers for a living.
She was in the middle on nowhere, empty fields and trees were her company. She drove for another 20 minutes before the truck finally died. Huffing and steaming, Aggie got out and walked to the front of the truck and started to freak out on it, kicking it, screaming at it. After throwing her fit she felt much better. She scanned the area 360 degrees around her before deciding she was alone.
She moved to the drivers side and got back in the truck. She made a move and froze seeing the bushes on the other side move slightly. She slowly plucked her baseball bat from the passengers seat, but this wasn't just any old baseball bat, no, this one was special. Aggie had hammered 6 inch nails into it 23 of them to be exact, all sticking out randomly. It was her weapon of choice, as she learned very quickly that gun shots attract them like moths to a flame. She kept her sisters pistol holstered on her hip, always loaded, safty always off, just in case.
She proceeded to move slowly towards the bushes she had seen move. Swinging the bat slightly into the bushes to coax the dead out. Suddenly a mangled corpse moaned very low and waddled out. Aggie backed up looking at it with pure disgust. You couldn't even tell if it had once been a man or a woman, limbs hanging on by only the bone and cartilage. The face was so gone it looked like a skeleton now. She swung the bat and with a crunch, the head fell off and stuck to the bat. Aggie then slammed it onto the ground to make sure it was dead, then placed her foot on the head and pulled.
Groaning at the mess she made of the bat. She walked back to her truck and threw it into the bed until she could clean it. She looked down at herself and groaned again, as she had splattered guts and brain matter all down the front of her. "Fuck my life... Oh wait." She let out a faint chuckle. "I crack myself up." She threw the soiled t-shirt and jeans on the ground and kicked them away, knowing full well you can't get that smell out at all. She then slipped on a pair of shorts too short for public, but since she hasn't seen a person for a better part of 6 weeks she thought 'What the hell' before pulling on a plain black t-shirt. She redid her dirty blonde hair and pulled it into a tight bun. She cleansed her face and neck with a baby wipe. Feeling much better, she took off her boot and changed her socks but not before walking around her truck and wriggling her toes in the soft cool grass, since it was still early in the morning the dew wiped away some of the dust, dirt, and toe jam.
Feeling as though she was a new person, Aggie then gathered her belongings, a backpack full of clothes, her cell phone, and the last note her sister ever wrote to her. She also grabbed a large black duffel bag full of hunting knives, a couple of pistols, one hunting rifle, and 2 shot guns, plus assorted ammo for the guns. She grabbed her bat and a half a pack of Camels with the lighter stuffed in the box and she took off into the woods, looking for a tree to climb for the day to rest and think about where she should go.
Aggie found a tree that was easy to climb but hard enough for the dead to not figure out. She rose all the way up to the top branch so she could have a birds eye view of the forest floor. After hanging her bags off the branch, she laid back and closed her eyes.
A few hours later Aggie woke up and lit a cigarette and puffed on it while contemplating where her life was headed next. She thought about heading to her parents house, although she dismissed it just as quickly, after she remembered her parents are dead and she didn't want to face that ever.
She was deep in thought when she heard a branch snap. She immediately grabbed her trusty bat holding it with all her might. Then she saw him. Some guy sneaking around staring at the ground holding a crossbow. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of another living human being and deciding what she should do.
"I can smell the smoke. Might as well show yourself!" He yelled.
'Shit!' She thought. She smashed the cigarette against the tree branch before even thinking about it. "Aw Fuck me sideways!"
"There you are. How 'bout you come down slowly now, ya hear!"
"Bite me!"
"Look little girl, you cost me a buck with that cigarette. I ain't going back to camp empty handed. Now get your ass down!" He yelled frustrated by this girl who ruined his hunting for the day.
"Oh, so you and your buddies can have a turn at me, take whats mine, then throw me to the dead!"
"What?"
"Sorry to ruin your fun, but I'm really a dude." She lied.
"I really don't care, but I'm sure you would wanna avoid the heard coming this way." She whipped her head in the direction of the 30 or so walkers headed their way. Probably drawn in by the witty banter going on.
She gathered her stuff lightening fast and climbed down but not before throwing the bat between them and telling crossbow man to go in front. He held his free hand up and turned and briskly walked in the direction she could only assume was his camp. She didn't have a hard time keeping up as they didn't need to move at a running pace.
After awhile they slowed down to a walk and she finally asked. "Who are you?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, I wanna be able to call you by name when I kill you for raping me." She smiled sarcastically. He laughed.
"Trust me babe, that won't happen, too many cops."
She looked at him like he just said something absurd. "What the fuck kinda group did you join with cops?" She stated more than questioned.
"A broken one." He stated bitterly.
"Oh." Now she wasn't so sure about following him, but she didn't know what he would do if she tried to run.
"So are you gonna offer the man who saved your life a smoke?" He questioned.
"Saved my life? HA! Yeah right, I can take care of myself." She pulled out the pack and slipped him one before grabbing one herself with her teeth. She went for her lighter only to find her cigarette already lit, and a smirk on the mystery mans face.
"Am I going to get your name or do I get to make one up?" He quirked an eyebrow at her. "It would be fun to make one up, you could be Sandy!"
He scrunched his nose and glared at her. "It's Daryl." He huffed at her.
"Well if you even care I'm Aggie."
"Nope, not really."
"Charmed, I'm sure." Sarcasm dripping from her lips.
They walked in silence for awhile, Aggie was starting to get tired and since she was wearing her shorty shorts, she started to chafe on her thighs. "How much further?"
"About a mile as the crow flies."
"Do I look like a fucking crow?" She snapped. He looked her over from the corner of his eye, maybe looking a little too hard at her bare legs for her liking.
"I woulda never thought you were a guy with those legs."
"Well I am. I have a big fat penis, so don't touch me!" She replied.
Aggie was never a small girl. She had thick thighs, a round rump, a belly that could jiggle but not bulge. Her hair was a dirty blonde, but without a proper shower it wasn't shiny and sunny like normal. Her arms were starting to tone from swinging her bat, and her breasts were large and perky. She felt self conscious about her body most of her life, but knew she was desirable.
They fell silent again, walking in tandem, him in front and her behind, bat at the ready. They came to a clearing and boy was she relieved to see a huge house. "Nice digs." She mumbled. He replied with a grunt.
Daryl led her to an RV parked about 30 yards away from the big house and as they got closer she noticed tents scattered all over the place.
"Dixon! What the fuck do you think you're doing bringing strangers to camp!" She heard a strangely familiar voice, not one she would care to hear again. "Aggie?"
"Shane?" Shane stopped in his tracks, mouth slightly open in shock.
"Rick!" He started yelling. Aggie whipped her head around looking for him. He came running around the house and almost tripped when he saw her.
"Agatha?!" She ran into Ricks arms holding onto him for dear life. He looked different from when she last saw him, he looked older, more worn, like the world was on his shoulders. When he finally let her go, he bombarded her with questions, if she'd been bit or scratched, if she was hungry or tired.
"I can't believe you're here. I thought I was the only human left." She sobbed into his chest. Aggie felt relief, not only had she found people, but that she knew and trusted one of them with her life. "Lori?" She hesitantly asked. He chuckled.
"She's in the house." Aggie lit up and went to the front door.
"LORI! GET YOUR ANOREXIC BUTT OUT HERE AND SAY HI TO YOUR FAVORITE NIECE!" Aggie yelled.
Lori came out a door kiddie corner to the one Aggie yelled into and when she saw her, Lori lunged into welcoming arms and held onto her niece and started to shed tears. Carl came around the house clad in his fathers Sheriffs hat and Aggie let go of Lori and fell to her knees enveloping the child in a hug.
"Oh my little heartbreaker. I've missed you somethin fierce." She cried into Carls shoulder.
"Aggie you're embarrassing me." Carl pushed her off and she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him on each cheek.
"That's my job little man. I'm going to embarrass you every chance I get from now on." He groaned and rolled his eyes.
Aggie noticed a group gathering near them. Most of the people she didn't know except her Uncle Rick Aunt Lori and Shane.
"Everyone this is my niece on my brothers side, Agatha Grimes." He smiled at her and pulled her to her feet and introduced her to the whole group. She met Dale, Glenn, Andrea, Carol, and T-Dog, she also met the owner of the farm Herschel and his daughters Maggie and Beth, plus Patricia and Jimmy.
"How did you survive on your own for so long?" Carol asked Aggie as she took her backpack of clothes that needed to be washed.
"Stuck to the roads, never stayed anywhere for more than a night. I avoided cities and large towns, they seem to still be overrun." Aggie sighed.
Her Uncle Rick took her duffle bag from when she dropped it to give him a hug and started to sort out all the ammo inside.
"You got a nice collection here." He stated.
"Found it in a Dodge I commandeered a few days ago. I left it out on the highway, it still has some supplies in it. I'd like to go back and get the rest." She pleaded knowing full well if she gave her pouty look to her Uncle, he would give in.
"Well, not today. You look like hell, and smell like it too. Plus I'd like for you to go with someone and we've got a situation to handle today."
"What kind of a situation?" She asked curious.
"Nothing for you to worry about. Just trying to keep the group safe." He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head.
"Speaking of smelling." She joked.
"Go see Lori. She is running a bath for you inside the house, and I'm sure she has some proper clothing for you to wear." He scolded
"Yes Sir." She saluted him and treked up to the house.
Agatha stepped into the scalding hot water thankful for the burn. She couldn't remember the last time she had a hot bath. Her Aunt Lori was sitting on the toilet looking suspiciously at the soiled shorts.
"What in the world were you thinking wearing these for hiking in the woods. No wonder your thighs burn." she laughed
"Daryl seemed to like em." Aggie joked. Lori gave her a worried glance before putting the shorts in the sink to soak with her t-shirt and panties. Agatha hadn't worn a bra in a week as all the ones she owned were soaked with guts and blood.
"We will have to go to the town to get you some new clothes." Lori sighed.
"Nah, don't worry about it I've got plenty to wear for the time being."
"I think Rick would prefer you wear a bra though. I'll see if Maggie has anything that might fit you." Aggie laughed and muttered "Jealous" at her Aunt.
Aggie dipped her head down to the bottom of the tub and scrubbed her hair scraping her nails along her scalp. When she camr back up for air she noticed her water had literally turned black. Sighing she squirted shampoo into her hand and began to massage it into her hair, once it was rinsed she did the same with the conditioner and a sweet smelling bar of soap on her body. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.
Looking around quickly she squealed when she saw a razor. And carefully shaved under her arms and legs. She almost regretted it seeing all the little hairs floating at the surface.
She stepped out of the tub, let the water out and rinsed the dirt and hair from the tub, and wrapped herself in a big pale blue bath sheet. She dragged her hand across the mirror and to her surpise saw herself in the mirror, not just the ghost she had seen everytime she walked past a mirror or a store front window. She used to be a shell of herself dwelling on the first day and her last words with Annie, her sister. Now she could, in a sense, start over. Finding family was the best thing to ever happen to her in this world, maybe the best thing to happen to anyone.