Omigosh, I'm not writing a crossover this time! Shocking! Well it is a rare moment indeed, it's still something I've been wanting to write for quite some time but have been to lazy to do so. That said, I hope you enjoy such a tale that is about to unfold.
This story takes place in the comic book universe of Image Comics' The Walking Dead. Instead of Officer Rick Grimes waking up in a hospital, he wakes up on the side of the road, and his partner Shane Walsh nowhere to be found, leaving him to die. This time he finds a new group of people, a camp that has some interesting survivors that he'll need to trust if he wants to survive. But will he? Only time will tell…
Note: Any characters that are similar to the actual comic series characters are purely coincidental.
Now, on with the show!
Issue 1: Days Gone Bye
Rick Grimes awoke on the side of the road with a jolt. He barely remembered anything that happened, though he felt a pain in his shoulder. Looking down at it, he saw it covered in bloody bandages. A piece of paper was stuck to his pant leg by the use of tape. He took it off and examined it.
Dear Rick,
Sorry I had to leave ya for dead, but it was getting too dangerous around here. I'll try and find ya as soon as I can. Don't worry about Lori and Carl, they're safe. I took them to a camp in Atlanta.
Again, I'm Sorry
-Shane
'That asshole.' Rick thought angrily, but he brushed it off, sighing heavily. 'As long as Lori and Carl are safe… I'm fine with that.'
Rick stood up and looked around. He remembered he was shot in the line of duty, but this definitely wasn't where he was shot. He noticed a cot nearby him. Was he… was he brought somewhere by someone?
"Oh, you're up." Rick noticed a teenage boy walking towards him. The boy looked to be about 18 years old, and he had somewhat messy black hair, a red tee-shirt with no sleeves, and a necklace that had a golden medallion at the bottom with a smile on it. The boy also wore cargo pants and boots.
"Who are you?" Rick asked. "Where am I? What's going on?"
"Whoa whoa, slow down with the questions." The teen said.
"Sorry," Rick said. "Who are you?"
"Name's Trace." The teen said. "Trace Oxford, and I'm the leader of my group over here." Trace pointed to a small camp made up of tents and one large RV nearby.
"Okay then, Trace. I'm Rick." Rick said. "How did I get here?"
"My dad found you on the side of the road." Trace said. "He told me there was still a heartbeat, so he took you with him back to camp."
"That's mighty fine of him." Rick said, giving a small smile. "Now why is there a camp out here?"
"It's somewhere we can stay to fight off the hordes." Trace said.
"Hordes?" Rick asked.
"Wait, you don't know?" Trace asked.
"Don't know what?" Rick asked again.
"About the infection." Trace explained. "Some weird virus or bacteria or whatever is causing people to die and reanimate as zombies."
"Zombies? Hard to believe." Rick said.
"I ain't lying." Trace said, crossing his arms. "Besides, you'll be safer with our group than out there. Come on." He led Rick towards the camp. As soon as they got there, a young red-head girl, about 12 years old and wearing a flannel shirt and blue jeans and shoes, ran over to them, smiling.
"Trace! You're back!" The girl said, hugging Trace.
"Howdy, sis." Trace said, hugging the girl back. "Rick, this is my lil' sis, Sarah."
"Nice to meet you." Rick said, giving a small wave to the young girl.
"Sarah, this is Rick." Trace said. Sarah smiled and waved to Rick, then ran off to play. "She's one strong girl, that's for sure. I gotta keep her safe."
"It's good that you do." Rick said. A man walked over to them, this one having straight brown hair and some stubble, as well as an orange long-sleeve shirt and black jeans and boots.
"Ah, he woke up?" The man asked Trace.
"Yeah dad, he's part of us now." Trace said.
"How are ya, sir? Name's Lucas, Lucas Oxford." The man held out his hand and Rick firmly shook it.
"I'm Rick. Rick Grimes." Rick said.
"Well it's a pleasure to have you here, Rick." Lucas said, then he walked over to check on Sarah.
"So how many people are in your group?" Rick asked.
"As of now, we have 9 people, including me, my dad, and my sis." Trace said.
"Any more family?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, my mom's around here somewhere." Trace said. "She usually tries to keep this place clean and does most of the watch."
"Who else is here?" Rick asked.
"Let me show you around." Trace led Rick over to the other side of the RV, where a blonde haired teen in a black uniform with golden buttons and black jeans was hooking a ladder up to the back of the vehicle. He looked around 17-18 years old and had a cigarette in his mouth, a fake one.
"Huh? A new recruit?" The teen asked.
"Sachiel, this is Rick Grimes." Trace said. "He'll be a part of our group now."
"Nice." Sachiel said with a smile. "I gotta get back to work. Pete'll give me shit if I don't fix the ladder."
"What's wrong with it?" Rick asked.
"We crashed into a building on our group supply run." Sachiel said. "The ladder got damaged and now it won't hook on."
"Here, lemme have a look at it." Rick said, taking the ladder. He looked it over. "This thing's got screws missing all over the place." Sachiel smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, I knew that." He snickered nervously. "I'm just… gonna go find some extra." He walked off into a nearby tent. A man in a white shirt with a black beard and comb over walked over and blue jeans and brown boots walked over.
"That boy's gonna get it tonight." The man said. "Overheard your conversation. Your name's Rick?"
"Yes sir." Rick answered.
"Name's Pete, nice to meet ya." The man held out his hand and Rick shook it. "My son should be around here somewhere…" He looked around.
"I'm right here." A teenager about 19 years old said as he walked over. He had a baseball cap and a beige shirt on, as well as black sweatpants and white shoes. He carried a brown paper bag filled with cans and other things.
"Ah, Nick, you just come back from a run?" Pete asked. Nick nodded. "What'd ya get?"
"I got a bunch of stuff." Nick said, looking through the bag. "Some cans of food, candy and coloring books for the kids, toilet paper for the RV, and some clothing."
"Great, that should keep us going for some time." Trace said. "Rick, this is Nick. Hey, that rhymes!"
"Nice to meet ya." Nick said, standing up and shaking Rick's hand. "Nick. Nick Logans."
"Rick Grimes, nice to meet you as well." Rick said. "Wait, you said kids, but I've only seen that girl Sarah. Who else is here?"
"We've got a kid named Carlos." Nick said.
"Carlos is head-over-heels in love with Sarah." Pete said. "He'll do anything for her. Sarah finds it flattering, but he's not really her type."
"Heh heh, that's kinda cute." Rick said.
"Yeah, but Sarah is starting to get annoyed by it." Nick said. "Well, we gotta get back to work. Pete has to wash the clothes and I gotta go on another run." He picked up the bag and walked over to the door of the RV. Nick opened the RV door, put the full bag inside, then picked up an empty bag and got into a nearby car and drove off toward the city.
"I'll see ya around, Rick." Pete said. "Glad to have you in this group." Then, he walked off.
"So who's left to meet?" Rick asked.
"Not many." Trace said. "Carlos should be around here somewhere."
"That him over there?" Rick pointed behind Trace, who turned around and saw a Hispanic boy around age 10 that was picking roses from a bush near the woods. The boy had short black hair, a salmon-colored tee-shirt on and was wearing black shorts and yellow shoes with blue laces.
"Yeah that's him." Trace said. "His dad went to jail two days before the outbreak."
"What for?" Rick asked.
"Framed for a crime he didn't commit." Trace said. "Pete found him the first few days in and saved him from a lurker. Then he took him in and, well… he's been here with us since then."
"Oh, is that another group member?" Rick asked.
"Huh? Who?" Trace turned and his eyes widened as a lurker stumbled towards Carlos from behind.
"I'll go introduce myself." Rick began walking forward but Trace stopped him and ran towards Carlos.
"Carlos! Behind you!" He yelled. He pulled out a small handgun and aimed it at the lurker, then pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out as the bullet pierced its head, killing it instantly. It's dead body fell in front of Carlos, who screamed and ran towards Trace.
"Trace! It tried to get me!" Carlos hugged Trace tight, who returned the hug.
"I know, but you're okay now, boy." Trace said, reassuring the young child. "Now go find Sarah and make me a mud pie, okay?" Carlos smiled and nodded, then ran off.
"Damn, Trace. You handle kids well." Rick said.
"Well, when you're me and you have past experience, it ain't so hard." Trace said.
"Yeah, I bet, with you and your sister." Rick said.
"I once had a brother, but… he died in the early days of the outbreak." Trace said. He turned away and sniffled a little, tearing up. "Sorry, I don't wanna talk about it…"
"You don't have to." Rick said, patting Trace on the back. Trace wiped his eyes.
"Thanks, Rick." Trace said, smiling. "I'm gonna go check on my mud pie." He chuckled, then walked off towards the kids."
"Oh? A new member?" A woman in a blue shirt and blue pants with short brown hair walked forward. The woman appeared to be 37-38 years old.
"Ah, hello. I'm Rick, Rick Grimes." Rick said, shaking the woman's hand.
"Maria Oxford, a pleasure to meet you, Rick." The woman said.
"I've met your husband and kids. Quite a pleasure to see some life here." Rick said.
"Thank you, Rick." Maria said. "I try to keep them as safe as I can, though Trace does most of the work."
"I can see that. He's a strong kid." Rick said.
"He is indeed." Maria said. "Well, I'll be off." She then walked off toward her husband.
'I wonder if I'll ever see Lori and Carl again.' Rick thought to himself. He looked at the ground solemnly. 'Maybe someday… Maybe someday…'
:::::
The group members all piled into a cabin that was near the entrance of the woods. They sat around a candle-lit table that could fit all 9 of them. Trace stood up to make an announcement.
"Whose ready for some dinner?" He asked. The kids cheered, and the adults told them to keep quiet. "Bring out the dishes, Sachiel!"
Sachiel exited with two trays in his hands, 5 bowls on each of them, and steaming coming from the bowls. He set each of them down in front of the group members. Rick was the last to get a bowl, but when he did, he noticed something.
"Um, Sachiel?" Rick got the teens attention.
"Yes Mr. Grimes?" Sachiel asked.
"There's an extra bowl." Rick pointed out.
"That's for Elizabeth." Sachiel said.
"Who?" Rick asked.
"My girlfriend." Trace said. "She usually goes out with Nick on big supply runs, then comes back at dinner time."
"Oh." Rick said. He looked in the bowl. "What is it?"
"Soup." Trace said, taking some of it in a spoon and shoving it in his mouth. "About a third of our food stock is cans of soup. Hope that's alright with ya, Rick." Rick smiled.
"It's perfectly fine." He began eating it as well, and the cabin survivors chowed down on a delicious dinner, one of the best they had.
Then, the door opened, and a teenage girl about 17 years old with long blond hair, a white shirt and white jeans, as well as red shoes stepped inside of the room. She sat down at the empty spot which was right beside Trace. Trace smiled at her.
"Sup babe?" Trace gave her a soupy kiss on her cheek, which made her blush.
"You're so immature." The girl said playfully. She wiped her cheek and noticed Rick. "Who's this?"
"Elizabeth, this is Rick." Trace said. "Rick, my girlfriend Elizabeth."
"Nice to meet ya, ma'am." Rick said.
"Same." Elizabeth said.
"So, hon, what'd ya get on the run?" Trace asked as he ate more of his dinner.
"Nothing much." Elizabeth said. "Nick did most of the work anyways, grabbing a shit ton of cans and other stuff. And then a ton of lurkers piled in."
"Can't believe we got out without a scratch or bite." Nick said.
"What's wrong with that?" Rick asked.
"That's how you turn into a lurker." Trace said. "If one bites or scratches ya, you die in a matter of moments, or hours, maybe days even. Then you come back as one of them, and the only way to kill them is to destroy the brain before they reanimate or after they've been zombified."
"Oh." Rick said. "Was I bitten or scratched while I was out?"
"We didn't know whether you were or not." Lucas said. "That's why we left you in that cot on the side of the road away from the camp. Sorry about that."
"It's fine, I couldn't care less about it, anyway." Rick said.
"So, Mr. Rick, how'd you end up on the side of the road when my dad found you?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah Rick, how'd that happen?" Trace asked.
"I was a police officer before the outbreak, and I got shot in the line of duty." Rick explained. "My so called 'best friend', Shane Walsh, left me for dead on the side of the road."
"Damn, harsh." Carlos said.
"Watch your language, young man." Pete said sternly.
"You're not my dad, lay off, old man." Carlos said.
"That's it, you've lost gun training privileges for the next two days!" Pete said.
"But Pete, I gotta learn!" Carlos argued.
"Reminds me of my son." Rick said. "God I miss him and my wife…"
"Maybe we'll find them someday." Maria said. "For now, let's enjoy this meal. Not many survivors get to eat meals this big."
"Yeah, you're right Maria." Rick said, and he continued eating.
:::::
The next morning, Lucas woke Rick up early, bringing him to the side of the RV, where Trace was standing, holding an assault rifle.
"What do you guys need me for?" Rick asked while yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"We're going hunting." Trace said. He handed Rick a shotgun.
"Why hunting?" Rick asked.
"Canned food will eventually run out." Lucas said. "Animal meat provides protein and health."
"Makes sense." Rick said. "What're we hunting?"
"Anything we can eat." Trace said. "Rabbits, deer, birds, etcetera."
"Alright then, let's go." Rick said. They went out into the woods, following a small gravel path. After many hours of walking and no luck finding animals, they started to make conversation.
"So, Rick, you ever been hunting?" Lucas asked.
"Not much, I went out with my son Carl once." Rick answered.
"Maybe we can find him someday." Trace said. "Right dad?"
"Who knows, son." Lucas said.
They all heard some rustling coming from the bushes. Lucas signaled for them to be quiet, and they ducked down behind a thick shrub. Looking out from behind it, the three survivors saw a deer not too far away. Trace raised his gun and aimed for it's head.
"Son, it's not the right time to shoot it." Lucas whispered.
"Dad, I can make the shot." Trace whispered.
"No you can't! It'll miss!" Lucas whispered angrily.
"Forget this, I'm taking the shot!" Trace was about to pull the trigger, but Lucas grabbed the gun, making him fire into the sky accidentally, scaring the deer away. "Dad! What the hell?!"
"Quiet son! Lurkers might come!" Lucas said.
"No, fuck that! I don't care!" Trace shouted angrily. "You never let me try to shoot anything! It's like you don't even trust me with a gun!"
"Shut the fuck up, son!" Lucas shouted back. "You gotta learn that we can't take too many risks like that! We can't waste ammo on missing shots!"
"How do you know that would've missed?!" Trace shouted. He shoved his father away, who in return punched him in the face, sending him to the ground. Lucas immediately realized what he did.
"Oh shit, son, I'm so sorry!" Luca said, kneeling beside his son who had a large bruise and gash in his left cheek.
"F-Fuck you, dad!" Trace managed to shout, his eyes filling with tears.
"I didn't mean-" Lucas was interrupted as a lurker snuck up on him, tackling him to the ground. "Oh SHIT!" Lucas struggled with the lurker, trying to shove it off.
"D-Dad!" Trace shouted, reaching for his handgun. As he did, another lurker pounced on him. "Oh f-fuck!"
Rick acted fast. He bashed the lurker on top of Lucas in the head with the back end of his gun, then did the same with the lurker on top of Trace, destroying their brains and killing them instantly.
"Oh G-G-God…" Trace stuttered, getting up, trembling. He leaned on Rick, who supported him. Lucas got up as well and tried to hug his son, but Trace pushed away.
"Son, I'm sorry." Lucas tried to say, but Trace ignored him.
"Let's get back to camp." Rick said, and they all trudged back to the campsite.
:::::
The three of them returned back to camp by mid-evening, as they were out for a long while, and Maria was tending to Trace inside of the RV.
"There you go, sweetie." Maria placed an alcohol covered bandage on Trace's bloody cheek, making him wince in pain. "Lucas, child abuse isn't right whether the law is around or not."
"I'm sorry, alright? I overreacted." Lucas said. He turned to Rick. "Thanks for the help and all."
"No problem." Rick said. "You sure you'll be alright?"
"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be fine." Lucas said.
"Hon, I think we should move the camp soon." Maria said.
"What?! We're fine right here!" Lucas said, disagreeing.
"Nick and Elizabeth came back from a run with bags so empty you could put three cities in them." Maria said. "The city is empty, we need to find some other place to go to survive."
"…fine." Luke stormed out of the RV, leaving the others.
"Rick, you were acting like a fatherly figure to Trace out there, keeping him supported." Maria said. "Thank you for that."
"No need to thank me, ma'am." Rick said. "I was only trying to get him back safely."
"Well, I think I can trust you for now, Rick." Maria said. She turned to Trace. "Now you just rest up and it should be healed in the morning."
"O-Okay, mom." Trace stuttered. He hugged his mother and trudged over to the couch to lay down.
"Rick, can you keep an eye on him during the night?" Maria asked.
"Sure thing, Mrs. Oxford." Rick said. Maria smiled at him before leaving the RV. Rick sat on the couch beside Trace.
"H-Hey, Rick?" Trace said.
"Yeah?" Rick asked.
"You're a nice guy." Trace said, giving a small smile. "Stay in the group as long as ya want." Then he fell asleep.
'Maybe I will, Trace.' Rick thought, falling asleep as well.
'Maybe I will…'
-(End Of Chapter)-
Whew! Finally got this beginning chapter started! What do you guys think of all of these new characters? Again, if they seem to be similar to characters that already exist in the comics, it's purely a coincidence. Another thing I want to note is that Lori, Carl, Shane, and all the others will NOT be appearing in this story, and the plot will be VERY different than the comics plot because, well, Rick has a new group, so expect a LOT of new characters along the way, and a big new plot that shall unfold. I hope you enjoyed this starting chapter, reviews are highly appreciated, and as always…
Stay Tuned!
~087-B