++++++ I do not own the Walking Dead or any affiliated characters apart from my OC's ++++++

Seven

It was almost two in the afternoon according to my watch when Rick and I found the truck that we were looking for. The keys were obviously long gone but it didn't take my sheriff friend too long to find a pair of bolt cutters and take out the occasional walker that he came across.

Using the bolt cutters to break the lock on the back of the truck, I stood by, arrow ready to fire just in case there was anything in the back of the truck, but the first thing that I noticed when he pushed open the door was the smell of rotting meat and off milk. The odour was so pungent that I almost spilled my lunch but forced myself to swallow my vomit and breathe through my mouth.

"Do you think that any of this food will be any good?" Rick asked me.

I put the arrow back in my quiver and pulled myself up into the truck. "Well the cold storage is in the back of the truck so I ain't even game to touch any of that." I opened my switch blade and cut on of the cardboard boxes open, the big grin on my face on my face had Rick jumping into the truck to join me. "We have four boxes of Mountain American Jerky," I grinned, "Buffalo, elk, antelope, venison, beef and salmon. Ok these we definitely take." I marked the box whilst Rick moved on to the next boxes which revealed several different types of canned goods, a couple boxes of toothpaste and a couple boxes of those travel first aid kits that they sell in chemists. We spent the next couple of hours sorting through the truck and carrying boxes back to the jeep.

The original plan was to come back in the morning for the rest of the supplies but after a deep discussion, Rick decided against the plan so he set about searching for something that he could hotwire and drive back to the farm with more boxes loaded up in the car whilst I stayed look out. We managed to drain a couple of cars of the last remaining gas that they had in their tanks and I even found a couple of colouring in books for the kids and some new clothes that Ebony and I could sort through back at the farm. The worst thing was that my rabbit would grow and grow so clothes would be a problem for her where Ebony and I always shared even though she was somewhat dismisses of all the black I wore.

"We should come back in the morning for more," Rick suggested, "I think that we have enough for now."

I urged him to wait a moment and went back up to the cabin of the truck to search the glove box-if I was lucky, the driver would have left a packet of cigarettes in there…low and behold today must be my lucky day. There was a pack of Cambridge with only two missing. I grinned and pocketed the pack, just as I wriggled my way out of the cabin I spotted a walker weaving in and out of the cars. I shrugged, a walker is easy to take care of.

"PJ!" Rick called out in a low whispered before he grabbed me from behind.

"What?" I hissed, pushing him away at the same time I grabbed for my knife. "Dang it Rick! Are you mental?"

"Walkers!" he whispered back at me. "Herd!"

I didn't need to be told twice. "Get up top," I ordered, climbing up the side of the truck, Rick followed and the two of us lay flat down on roof of the Lorie silently, listening as the shuffling, moaning and groaning got louder and louder. "This is bullshit," I whispered. "Stuck on a roof-last time that happened I polished off half a bottle of peach schnapps and lost my virginity to Karl Jenkins. Except this time it's to avoid getting eaten and not getting caught by my dad."

Rick stared at me and shook his head. "You know those moments in life where people share too much information?" I nodded. "That was one of those moments, PJ."

The two of us grinned.

"Well, we're stuck here looks like," I sighed, pulling the pack of cigarettes out of my jeans. "It'll be nightfall soon and I ain't dumb enough to travel at night. Smoke?" I asked. Rick took the cigarette off me and I lit us both up, kind of ignoring the herd moving around below us. After ten minutes of just lying there and watching the sun slowly move in the sky I looked sideways at Rick. "Tell me Rick, alternative weapons?" I asked him, staring at the Colt Python that was holstered on his hip. "Or are you a gun man?"

He smiled at me, trying not to get the walker's attention. "Says you, Robin Hood." He stared up at the darkening sky. "I general have a knife on me as well, actually. Aren't you worried that a bow will get you injured?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. I've killed walkers with my bare hands, only cause I'm crazy enough to get up close to the mothers." Grinning, I turned to Rick, "if you hit someone hard enough, and at the right angle, you can send bits of bone straight into the brain and kill them."

"Really?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Yup. I can show you if you want?" I offered. "Also, it might be a good idea if you wall get some kind of grasp on hand-to-hand combat basics because in this world you have to worry about living people as well as the dead."

"You'd be willing to teach me after the way we treated you?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "Live and let live I always say. Tomorrow when we get back to the camp, you and me are gonna start with the basics. I'm gonna kick your ass, Grimes," I smirked. Putting my cigarette out and had a quick peak over the side of the truck. By the time Rick and I found our way back to the cars, it would be dark and neither of us, as it seemed, like travelling in the dark. "I think we're stuck here for the night," I announced. "Good thing I've got some pleasant company."

"Do you snore?" Rick asked me.

I snorted. "Do you?" I replied.

Just my luck, a find a guy who actually mucks around with me and he's married…if this wasn't the end of the world I'd be laughing so hard I'd cry.