Hello everyone, 087-B here, bringing you the fourth issue of The Walking Dead: Alone And Forsaken. In the previous issue, Rick and Trace went out to the city of Macon, Georgia, on their first supply run along with Nick. Trace admitted he had a fear of heights, then he sprained his ankle and Rick had to save him, and then the group of survivors packed up and moved on from the campsite they stayed at for who knows how long.
In this issue, the group heads toward the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia to hopefully find a safe place they can live in. Will they make it? If they do, will it be safe? If it isn't will they make it out alive and in one piece? These answers will come as time progresses forward…
Now, on with the show!
Issue 4 - Long Road Ahead
Night rolled around as the RV drove down the road with Nick's car following behind it. Trace was still awake, an ice pack resting on his ankle. He played his Gameboy most of the night with Carlos watching in fascination. Sarah was eating some candy and was playing a game with Rick.
"I spy… something orange." Sarah said.
"Your hair?" Rick asked jokingly. Sarah smiled.
"Yep." She said. "Your turn."
"Lemme see…" Rick looked around. "I spy… something dorky."
"My brother?" Sarah asked jokingly.
"Bingo." Rick said. The two chuckled. Trace rolled his eyes.
"Oh, ha ha, very funny." He said annoyed.
"We're just kidding around, Trace." Rick said.
"Whatever…" Trace muttered, returning to his game.
"What're you even playing?" Sarah asked.
"Super Mario Land." Trace answered. "Playing video games really takes your mind off of the apocalypse."
"Don't call it the apocalypse." Carlos said. "There's still hope that things will go back to normal."
"…yeah…yeah, you're right, Carlos." Trace said, smiling at him. "There's still some hope left in the world. Now it's getting late, so you go get some rest, okay?"
"Okay Trace." Carlos said smiling. Then he ran off toward the back of the RV.
"So Trace, I've heard that Carlos' dad went to jail before all this?" Rick asked.
"Yep, Winchester Manor Prison." Trace said.
"Where's that?" Rick asked. Trace shrugged.
"No clue." He said. "He's probably dead though."
"What about his mom?" Rick asked.
"She used to be a part of our group." Trace said. "Her name was Consuela."
"Did she die?" Rick asked.
"Nope. We got attacked by lurkers one day and then she just ran off into the woods." Trace answered. "And thus her fate is left unknown." He returned to his game.
"Carlos' dad's name was Roberto." Sarah said. "I saw his trial on the news before the outbreak."
"Okay you two." Lucas said, walking back to see the kids. "Time for bed. Get changed and head into the back."
"Alright, dad." Sarah said. She grabbed some clothes out of a box and walked into a small bathroom in the RV.
"Dad, I don't wanna sleep." Trace said.
"Oh really?" Lucas asked sarcastically. "Well…" He slowly walked over to Trace. "How about… NOW!" He grabbed his son and affectionately tickled his stomach, making him laugh and struggle. Rick smiled.
'Good to see those two getting along again.' He thought. Trace pushed away and landed on the ground, still snickering.
"Now you gonna sleep?" Lucas asked smiling. Trace got up and nodded, then walked off to the back.
"You know Trace ain't like any teenager I've seen." Rick said. "Usually on TV teens would be snot-nosed brats that would try and act cool."
"Well I raised him right." Lucas said.
"He's the kind of teenager you'd actually WANT to raise." Rick said. "He's got a fear of heights, he doesn't talk shit, he learns easily, and he's willing to help out almost all the time. He's just like a little kid, easy to raise and fun to be around."
"Yep, you're right. Just how I like him." Lucas said. "You know, I think this is the first time we've ever actually agreed on something."
"You're right, Lucas." Rick said.
"Now you get some sleep." Lucas said. "Tomorrow, we're stopping and making a hunting trip." He went back up to take night watch on the road while Maria continued to drive. As soon as Rick began to drift off to sleep, Trace snuck over from the back and sat down next to Rick, falling asleep as well.
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The morning arrived with the RV parked near the entrance to a forest. Nick pulled his car in to the small clearing. Rick and Lucas exited the RV, Rick carrying his shotgun and Lucas carrying his assault rifle. Sachiel stepped out of Nick's car carrying a hunting rifle.
"You joining us, Sachiel?" Rick asked.
"I haven't shot anything in a bit." Sachiel said. "My firearm could use a good work out."
"Your gun looks fine." Lucas said.
"Not that kind of gun." Sachiel said, smirking. The three chuckled. Trace stepped out of the RV, yawning.
"Nope, get back inside." Lucas said, noticing Trace exiting.
"Lay off, Lucas." Rick said. "He's gotta improve himself."
"Shut up, Rick. Don't make me mad." Lucas said.
"Relax, I'm not hunting today." Trace said.
"Then what're you doing out here?" Lucas asked.
"Mom said I need to do vehicle watch." Trace answered, climbing the ladder on the back of the RV. Once he was on top, he sat down and took out his handgun.
"Okay then." Lucas said, then he, Rick, and Sachiel went off into the woods. Once they were gone, Trace set down his gun and took out his Gameboy. Carlos and Sarah appeared on top of the RV next to him.
"Hey you two." Trace said smiling. "What're you guys up to?"
"We're bored." Sarah said.
"We want you to play with us." Carlos said.
"I can't right now, I have to stay here on watch." Trace said.
"Please?" Sarah put on a pair of 'sad puppy' eyes. Trace rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Okay, you win." He said, putting his gun in his back pocket. He jumped down from the top of the RV while Sarah and Carlos climbed down via the ladder. "So what do you want to play?"
"We're playing Monkey In The Middle." Carlos said. "I'll stand in the middle." Carlos positioned himself between the two. Sarah picked up a ball.
"You ready?" She asked Trace and Carlos. They both nodded. She threw the ball.
Carlos jumped to grab it but missed, and the ball landed in Trace's grasp. He threw it towards Sarah, who caught it. Sarah threw it again and Trace caught it. Trace threw it, but this time, Carlos managed to jump and grab it, landing with a smile on his face.
"Yes! I got it!" He said.
"Nice job, Carlos." Trace said, clapping.
"Yeah, great catch!" Sarah said. "Now you and Trace switch-AHHHH!" Sarah fell to the ground as a crawling lurker bit into her ankle. She screamed in pain as the lurker continued to rip out the bloody muscle and bone.
"SARAH!" Trace's eyes widened as he pulled out his handgun and shot the lurker in the head, killing it. He ran over and kneeled beside Sarah, holding her body. "Sarah, speak to me!"
"T-Trace…" Sarah gasped for air before she passed out. Trace tried to hold back tears, but he couldn't contain them as they trickled down his face.
"S-Sarah… n-no! N-No no no!" He hugged Sarah's body and cried. Lucas, Rick, and Sachiel appeared.
"I heard the screaming and the gunshot! What happened?!" Lucas asked in shock. His eyes widened when he saw Sarah. He ran over. "Oh no… not my baby girl!" He knelt down beside Trace and stared at Sarah.
"She's been bit…" Trace said, sniffling and wiping away tears.
"Oh no…" Sachiel said, walking over.
"Is she…?" Rick gasped at the sight of her ankle. He slowly reached for his hatchet. Lucas seemed to read his mind.
"Rick, if you're thinking about cutting off her ankle, don't even-" He was interrupted as Trace whirled around, grabbed Rick's hatchet, then proceeded to chop away at her ankle until it was detached from her body.
"What the fuck?!" Lucas looked at Trace angrily.
"It might work!" Trace replied through his tears. "Let's just get her inside the RV."
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Trace sat on his bunk in the back of the RV. The group was on the move again as the RV and the car drove down the road. Rick walked over and sat next to him. His face was red, an obvious sign he had been crying for a while.
"How's she looking?" Rick asked.
"She's not dead…" Trace said. "But she's barely alive."
"I'm sorry this happened." Rick put an arm around Trace.
"It's all my fault." Trace said, tearing up a little and sniffling. "If I kept watch, I would've noticed, and I could've saved her…" He started to cry, then he hugged Rick, who returned the hug. "I don't want to lose her…"
"All the more reason to get to the CDC in Atlanta." Rick said. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. I'm sure of it." Trace nodded and wiped his eyes.
"Yeah, you're right." He said. "…what do you think…"
"Huh?" Rick asked.
"What do you think the CDC will be like?" Trace asked. "I know you said you didn't know before, but…" He stopped for a moment. "My mom heard something on her radio in the night. She told me it was a message from the CDC saying the safe zone was still intact and that all survivors are welcome."
"Well, it sounds pretty safe to me." Rick said. 'Then again…'
"Maybe the doctors there can make a new foot for Sarah." Trace said. "A prosthetic one, I mean."
"Yeah, maybe." Rick said. Then Maria appeared.
"You two better get some rest." She said. "We'll be walking tomorrow."
"Why?" Trace asked.
"The vehicles are almost out of gas." Maria said. "The extra gasoline tanks are empty, so they're completely useless."
"So tomorrow we walk toward the CDC, then." Rick said. "Are we close to it?" Maria nodded, then walked off. Rick turned to Trace who was already asleep. He smiled and fell asleep as well.
A few hours passed and it was early evening. Everyone else was still asleep in their respective vehicles. After a while, Trace stirred in his sleep, hearing a small whirring noise outside. It got louder and louder until it appeared to stop outside the vehicles, and the noise that followed was the screeching of tires. Trace woke up and looked out the window and saw a large truck on the other side of the road. A man in a gray hoodie exited the truck holding something in his hand. Trace's eyes widened.
'Holy shit, a grenade!' He thought. He ran to the couch in the RV and picked up the unconscious Sarah. 'Don't worry, you'll be okay.' He sprinted back over to wake up Rick, who was already awake and looking out the window.
"I heard them fuckers speaking." Rick whispered. "Get everyone up and go out the back."
"Got it." Trace said, sneaking off. Rick got up and snuck out the back and around the RV. He looked around and saw the strangers chatting outside their truck. There were about 5 of them and they all appeared to be men.
"…we just wake 'em up and bring 'em outside. Then you three keep watch while we go in and steal their shit. Then we kill them all and blow up their rides." One of the men said. "Sound good?"
"…I don't know…" Another man said. "Honestly, I don't think killing folks is the best thing to do."
"It's the only thing we can do." The first man said. "How do we know they'll trust us?"
"We don't but we have to at least try." The second man said. "Fine, do what you want. I'm not gonna be a part of this, though."
"…well that's fine then." The first man said. He quickly pulled out a silenced revolver and shot the second man in the head, killing him. The second man's limp body fell to the ground as a pool of blood began to pour out of his head.
'Holy fuck!' Rick thought as his eyes widened. He slowly began to reach for his colt python in his back pocket.
"Now that THAT problem is outta the way…" The first man said. He held his gun up and swung it around at the other men. "Anyone else wanna bail?" The other men shook their heads quickly.
"Let's just kill them already." The third man said quickly.
"…alright then. That's settled-" The first man was cut off as the bullet from Rick's colt python zoomed through his head, blood spluttering out. The gunshot was loud as the man's eyes were wide as he fell to the ground, dead.
"Got ya!" Rick whispered in success. The other men panicky ran behind their truck then pulled out their guns. They began shooting at the RV. Rick was about to shoot again when another gun went off. The bullet from said gun shot into the fourth man's head, killing him and sending his limp body to the ground. Rick looked over to see Trace holding his handgun.
"Let's do this thing." He said. Rick nodded and the two began firing shots rapidly, and it quickly became a firefight. The fourth man jumped out from hiding and began firing, but he missed every shot and ended up with a bullet in his head from Trace. He fell to the ground, dead.
The third man quickly ran to his aid but was shot in the side by Rick. He walked over to finish the job before the fifth man shot towards him, missing his head by an inch. Rick simply held up his colt python and shot the fifth man in the head, then stomped down hard on the third man's head, killing both of them.
"Well, they're all dead." Rick said. "Where's everyone else?"
"I… don't know…" Trace said, looking around. Then, a sixth man jumped out of the car holding two grenades. Before the two could react, the man chucked one into Nick's car and one into the RV, and after a moment, the two vehicles exploded in a fiery and smoky mass of rubble. The two stared in disbelief as the man cheered.
"Ha! They're all dead!" He cheered. "Now what're you gonna do? Huh? Now what-" He was interrupted as a bullet struck the side of his head, killing him. His limp body fell to the ground. Rick and Trace looked over to see Sachiel lowering his gun and the many other survivors behind him. Maria was holding the still uncurious Sarah in her arms, her stump bandages and covered in towels.
"You guys okay?" Sachiel asked.
"Yeah." Rick said.
"Well…it looks like we gotta start walking…" Trace said, staring solemnly at the destroyed vehicles. "…and with all of our supplies gone…"
"Let's not think about that." Pete said. "We're pretty close to the CDC, let's get going."
Then, they all began to walk.
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It had seemingly been hours and hours of walking, roughly three hours. The sun was starting to rise, and the city of Atlanta could be seen on the horizon. The survivors smiled upon noticing the CDC a little closer, although it was still pretty far away from their current location. They began walking again.
"I can't believe that we're almost there…" Trace said.
"It took a while." Rick said. "Maybe they can help Sarah."
"Yeah, maybe…" Trace said. He turned to his parents. "How's she doing?"
"Her pulse is slowly returning and her heart is still beating." Maria said.
"She'll be fine, as far as I can tell." Lucas said.
They walked down the long highway road before stopping on the other side. The CDC itself was right in front of them. They approached the large building quickly. Once they did, they saw movement from within the building. They stopped as the front door slowly opened, and out stepped a man in a doctor's uniform. The man appeared to be in his early 40's and he had flat, dark brown hair. He had on a thin white coat with a doctor ID card on it, tan pants, and black shoes. The man seemed surprised to see them, especially Sarah.
"Um… can I help you?" The man asked as the group quickly approached him.
"Name's Rick. Rick Grimes." Rick said, holding out his hand. The man shook it.
"Doctor Edward Mason." The man said. "Now… is there anything you need?"
"My sister needs help." Trace said, stepping forward. He pointed to Sarah. Edward's eyes widened but he quickly regained his composure.
"Bring her inside." Edward said. "I'll see what me and my wife can do."
-(End Of Chapter)-
Enter the mysterious doctor, Edward Mason! The group arrived at the CDC and met this strange man… what's in store for them?
Okay, I better come clean about this… This story isn't what you think it is… well, it is, but originally, this story wasn't supposed to be a Walking Dead story whatsoever. In the early stages, this story was FAR different than what it is now. It was originally a personal novel I was writing called Alone And Forsaken: A Story On Zombie Survival, and would feature all of the characters seen in this story except for Rick Grimes, Shane Walsh, Carl Grimes, or Lori Grimes. The story had a much bigger, more different plot that I won't go into right now, but due to the change in said plot, I had to leave out a few characters. This includes Trace's younger brother, who was originally going to be the main protagonist of the novel, and his girlfriend Dawn, who was going to appear in this story after the change but I cut her for… personal reasons.
If you guys have any questions about my previous attempt at writing a novel, you can PM me said questions. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, reviews are highly appreciated, and as always…
Stay Tuned!
~087-B