Much to Del's dismay, when she arrived in Atlanta, she found it to be in the same state as Boston, and all of the other cites she witnessed in between. She had managed to make the drive from Boston to Atlanta in just two days, stopping along the way to loot stores for supplies and siphon gas out of the abandoned cars. She was able to gather an arsenal of weapons from various police stations, and empty campsites.
She set up shop in an old pharmacy on the outskirts of Atlanta. It was only supposed to be temporary, but she grew weary of travelling, and most of the dead didn't roam in her area. She would search the city every few days, looking for things to supplies and any other survivors, but after a few weeks, it became clear to her that Atlanta had nothing left.
Del had been alone in Atlanta for two months when she was discovered by Rick's group. Upon hearing male whispers outside of the pharmacy, Del ducked behind the counter where she lay on the floor, feigning sleep. She held her knife at her side, out of sight just in case she needed it.
The voices neared her, halting as they noticed her.
"She dead?" one whispered.
"I don't know," the other responded. His voice was softer than the first man's, younger. "I can't see any bites or scratches."
"Check her pulse," the first one spoke.
"Why do I have to do it?"
"She's just a girl, man, she ain't gonna hurt you if she's alive. Check it." The second man mumbled something that Del couldn't understand, before she felt someone moving closer to her. Just before he could lay a finger on her, Del grabbed his wrist and rolled over onto him, pinning him between her and the ground with her knife to his throat.
"Woah!" the young Asian boy yelled, closing his eyes and cringing.
"Hey hey!" the other roared, aiming his gun directly at Del. "Drop the knife!"
"Drop the fucking gun, or I'll slit your buddy's throat," she seethed. "And lower your goddamn voice before the corpses hear you." The older man glanced between her face and that of the young man on the floor, noting the pleading look in his eyes. With a sigh, the man lowered his weapon and nodded his head.
"Alright then," he whispered. "Just let him go." Del stood, allowing her victim to scramble to his feet, and cower behind his friend.
The men watched as the young woman closed her butterfly knife and slipped it into her pocket. They remained quiet as she picked up her revolver and carefully made her way to the entrance of the pharmacy. She peered out the glass, making sure that none of the walkers were spooked by the commotion. Satisfied that they were still safe, she made her way back to the men.
"Who are you two?" she asked. "And what are you doing in my pharmacy? I've been through this town at least a dozen times, and I've never seen you two before. Where did ya come from?"
"My name is Glenn, and this is Shane," the Asian boy said, hurriedly. "We're with a bigger group, and we've been staying in the mountains outside of town. We're collecting supplies before we move out." She studied them momentarily, trying to determine if she could trust them. "Wh-what's your name?" Glenn inquired.
"Del Costigan," she mumbled, narrowing her eyes at the pair.
"Are you alone here?" Shane asked, looking around at the makeshift home she had set up behind the counter. There was only one sleeping bag, next to a kerosene lamp along with other belongings, such as comics and books. He noticed several different types of guns under the counter as well.
"Yeah, I am," Del admitted. "You're the first living people I've seen in months."
"How have you made it this long?" Glenn asked.
"Pure luck, I guess."
"You should come with us," Glenn offered. "There's plenty of room at the camp for you. I'd hate to see you out here by yourself with all of this."
"I've managed just fine this long," she responded, her voice indignant.
"Don't be dumb, girl," Shane chimed in. "You cannot honestly think that a kid like you can survive out here on your own. If we leave you here, you'll be dead in a week."
"Let's get one thing straight, Maverick," she began. "You don't call me 'kid', and you don't call me 'girl'. Now, the two of you obviously came in here to gather pills, and I'm in possession of plenty. If you continue to patronize me...well, I could carve you two up nice and slow without so much as a second thought so I could protect what's mine." Shane smirked at the girl's words.
"You don't sound like you're from around here. What did you do before all this shit went down? Besides high school, ya'know." Del glared at Shane.
"I was a State Trooper in Boston," she said. "And I'm twenty-four years old."
"Shane's a cop, too," Glenn said.
"Yeah, I could tell," she mumbled. "Had a few like you in my division."
"Ya'know, you're a long way from home," said Shane. "How'd you get down here?"
"Maybe we'll take a stroll down memory lane another time," Del said.
"Look," Glenn said, before Shane had a chance to come up with a retort to Del's words. "Atlanta is lost, and we're on our way out. I'd never forgive myself if I leave you here alone like this. No matter how certain you are that you're safe." Del sighed, feeling like Glenn was genuine, unlike the other man in the room.
"There are three backpacks in the utility closet stuffed with scripts," she said, fishing a key from her pocket and tossing it to Glenn. "All the pills you'll need." Glenn dashed off to the back of the pharmacy to retrieve the medicine. "Hey, Maverick, why don't you gimme a hand with these weapons," she called out, as she began gathering her guns. Shane made his way towards her, helping her stuff the guns into the dufflebag she had nearby. "Carry those," she said, shoving the bag to him.
"Yes, ma'am," Shane laughed. "You're bossy, ain't you?"
"Seth called me headstrong," she replied, gathering the rest of her belongings to slide into her backpack.
"Who's Seth?" he asked. Del stopped moving, and stayed silent for a minute, before swallowing hard and standing back up straight.
"Your friend is pretty slow, isn't he?" she asked, pushing past Shane. "Hurry up, man. It'll be dark soon, and I don't trust being in the streets at night with corpses around every corner." Glenn came back towards them, carrying three camping packs filled with prescriptions.
"You weren't kidding!" Glenn beamed. "This is like the Holy Grail."
"Alright, man, let's get outta here," Shane hurried him. The three survivors headed out of the pharmacy slowly, so not to attract any walkers. Glenn and Shane led Del through the streets towards where the others were waiting with the cars. As they approached the RV, a man in a sheriff's uniform came around the corner, startling the group. "Woah, man," Shane whispered. "Just us."
"Who's the girl?" the man asked.
"Del Costigan," Glenn said.
"We found her alone in the pharmacy," Shane added.
"Rick Grimes," the officer said to Del. She nodded, shaking the hand he extended to her. "Glad to see someone else alive."
"Feeling's mutual," she said.
"Let's get everyone on the RV and get the hell outta here, man," Glenn said, pushing past Rick and climbing into the RV. Rick smiled at Del, placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her towards the RV.
Del stared blankly down at the table before her. Her eyelids were heavy, but she swore to herself not to sleep. She couldn't recall the last time she actually slept, or ate real food; it had been days, maybe even weeks since she had either. It surprised her how much the human body could truly withstand, but she could still feel the effects wracking her body.
"Hey, kid, you okay?" Del lethargically directed her gaze in the direction of the person speaking, looking at a thirty-something black man she had yet to be introduced to. He was peering at her fixedly, concern in his eyes.
"Yah, I'm good," Del rasped, closing her eyes and resting her face in her hands. "Fuckin' great."
"Name's T-Dog," he added.
"Del Costigan." The conversation ended as quickly as it began; Del didn't expect it to last long because she figured there isn't much to talk about at the end of the world.
Lifting her head up from her hands, she saw Shane sitting across from her, cleaning one of his guns. He wasn't paying her any mind, but was instead entirely focused on his work.
"I can clean your weapons for you, too, if you'd like me to," he spoke finally. He glanced up for a moment, then continued on with his work.
"Ya'know, I appreciate the offer," she began. "But I'm perfectly capable of maintaining my own weapons. I've been keeping up with them just fine." Shane inhaled sharply, glaring at her with frustration in his eyes.
"You look like ain't slept in days," he mentioned. "Settin' aside your attempt to skin Glenn in that pharmacy, I can tell you're operatin' at less than a hundred percent." He paused, running his hand over his hair. "Just thought you could use some help," he murmured.
"Thanks anyway, slick," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and relaxing against the seat.
Her gaze cut to the window, watching all of the scenery as they drove past. The land was much different than what she was used to in Boston, and it intrigued her. She had never been south of Pennsylvania, so it was a new experience to see stretches of prairies that seemed to go on for days.
It was so peaceful, even in the wake of the unknown pandemic they were faced with. Having been cooped up in the pharmacy for two months without any contact with another human had taken it's toll on Del. She knew the people that had helped her out of that pharmacy had good intentions, but she kept her walls up, adapting quickly to the way the world was changing.
While they drove, Del heard mention of the Center for Disease Control. The man driving the RV was speaking to a young blond about, saying that it was their best option if they wanted to survive. Del hadn't heard any news on the state of the country since she arrived in Atlanta, and didn't know what to expect as they traveled.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the CDC, but it felt like an eternity for Del being trapped in the RV. As she went to stand up, she felt her legs quake beneath her, and swiftly gripped the table in order to brace herself.
"Hey, hey," Shane piped, hurriedly reaching out to grasp Del's arms. "You okay?" Del groaned weakly, not understanding her sudden exhaustion. Even as she tried to open her mouth to speak, all she could manage was a soft rasp before everything started to turn black. "Alright now, girl, stay with me!" Shane's panicked voice rang, becoming more faint with each syllable.
A/N: Okay, I hope everyone likes this. I slapped a few pictures together of what I imagine Del to look like (keen eyes may recognize the young lady), and I have linked that in my profile (since I am currently unable to figure out a way to link it here). Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for reading, and I look forward to continuing this story to tell you Del's story.