#twdfandom

“Oh, come on big boy, don’t play this game with me,” You joke around, attempting to make light at the situation, holding your already bloodied knife up. “Flirtin’ around, taunting me, walking slowly. That’s so not nice!” You pretend to frown. “But, since I am just such a nice person, unlike you who could probably use some lessons in politeness, I’ll do you a favor and make this shit fast.” You run up to it, plunging the knife into its forehead.

The walker, and thankfully the last one, falls to the ground. You wipe a bead of sweat off your forehead, putting your knife back into your pocket. Despite your big girl attitude, taking on walkers alone takes the energy out of you, especially since you’re currently only living on fruit and water. You pick up the items of food that you dropped earlier, setting them back into your backpack before leaning back up against the tree stump.

You take your water bottle out of the side pocket and down about half the water- not the best idea in retrospect, as you don’t know where the nearest water source is, but the heat and the exhaustion from walking all day is getting to you.

“Goddamn, you know for some dead people, you’ve got some strength to you.” You breathe out, still trying to catch your breath as your heart pounds.

After a few minutes, your heart rate has settled and you finally feel comfortable enough to relax. You’re about to set up your camp for the night when you see a shadowy figure hiding behind a tree. You squint your eyes, attempting to see clearer, but all you can make out in the evening light is a dark shape. You know that it’s an actual human being instead of a walker, since they’re just standing there and, you know, not trying to attack you.

“I see you.” You call you, giving the person a little wave. “Come join the party, we’re talking about our favorite Disney princess’.”

You can see the person step forward a little bit, almost hesitantly. You’re well aware that they could potentially be a dangerous person, but you’re also very observant. If they were going to hurt you, they would have done something sooner. They’re probably just as cautious about you as you are about them.

A man steps out into a light, his gun at the ready, a look of confusion on his face. He looks around at your surroundings- a few dead walkers off to the side, your backpack just beside you as you’re sitting down on a blanket. A look of sympathy flashes his face as he lowers his gun and walks closer to you.

“Who are you?” You raise an eyebrow at him, keeping your right hand beside the pocket where your knife was residing.

“I’m Rick. Are you alone out here?” He asks you, the sympathetic and worried look still on his face. You hesitate to answer, the possibilities of ‘what if’s’ running through your brain.

“I’m Y/N.” You end up saying, deciding that he looked genuinely worried enough about you to be someone harmful. “And yes, I’m alone. Me and my group… Well, long story short, it’s just me now.”

“How long have you been on your own?”

“I don’t know. A year, maybe.” You shrug your shoulders, taking your hand away from your knife and reaching over to your water bottle, taking another sip. “Why?”

“Look, Y/N,” Rick puts his hands out, showing that he’s not going to hurt you. “We’ve got a camp a few miles north of here. If you’re willing to answer a few questions, you can come back with me. It’s not safe for a young girl like you to be out here on your own.”

“Oh, holy shit, I’ll answer any question you want.” Your eyes go wide with excitement. The possibility of living with other people again is a luxury you didn’t think you’d have.

“How many walkers have you killed?” Rick asks, looking at you in the eyes seriously.

“I don’t know, I don’t keep track. Usually a few per day.”

“And how many people have you killed?”

“None. Haven’t needed to. Although, I don’t think I would hesitate to if it put me in danger.” You answer honestly. Rick stares at you, as if trying to decide if you were being truthful or not. Eventually, he lets out a sigh and he nods.

“Alright, Y/N. Come on.” He motions for you to follow him as he begins to walk away. You pick up your backpack, setting your water bottle back inside as you get up to follow him. He holds out his hand to take your backpack from you, offering to carry it.

“You know, I saw you kill those walkers back there. I’m pretty impressed.” Rick comments as you hand him over you pack, thankful to not have to lug around a heavy bag.

“At what?” You question. “I stabbed them in the head. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

“No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” Rick shakes his head. “You’re just, I don’ know, you seem different. The way you went about it, what you were saying, how you were just crackin’ jokes along the way… Just don’t see that very often, that’s all.”

“Well, there must be some boring as shit people in your group, huh?” You smile at him. “But really, the way I see it, just don’t take everything so seriously and don’t be so tense all the time. Cracking jokes and poking fun is what gets me through all this shit. Also, imagining it like it’s some kick ass video game helps.”

“You’re something else.” Rick laughs. “The walk to Alexandria shouldn’t be too far, only about an hour or two. I think you’ll like it there. You can live with my kids and I until I can find you a more permanent place to stay.” Rick tells you. “I’ve got a boy around your age, sixteen or seventeen.”

“Oh, god no, I’m not wearing any makeup!” You say dramatically, earning a slight laugh from Rick as he shakes his head.

“I think you and Abraham will get along real well.”

“Who’s Abraham?” You question.

“He’s a part of our group, you’ll meet him once we get there.”

-

The walk didn’t take too long, as you tried to keep the conversation with Rick going. You’ve learned that there’s a few people around your age inside Alexandria, and you’d be lying if you said that you’re not excited to meet them. The only person you’re a little nervous about is meeting Carl, who Rick said was about your age. You’d always been awkward with guys, even back at your previous camp. You never failed to make them laugh, which was a good sign, but when it came to actual conversation that required more than just joking around you always got all shy.

“Here we are.” Rick says, and your jaw audibly drops when you realize that this ‘camp’ he was talking about was an actual walled up city.

“This… This was not what I was expecting.” You gape.

The main gate opens, revealing an entire civilization inside. Everyone stops as they see you and Rick walking inside the main gates, giving you odd looks. You smile and wave at all of them, trying as hard as you possibly can to be friendly. It normally comes to naturally, as you tend to be very extroverted, but you wanted to try extra hard. This is the first group you’ve come along since the beach camp- you want to make a good first impression.

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” You reach out your hand to the man who had opened the gate for you and Rick. He stares at you for a good few seconds before hesitantly reaching out his hand to shake it.

“Come on, Y/N, let’s get you settled in the house.” Rick says, and you follow him to a white house on the corner of the street. It’s cute, and something about it screams ‘safe’ to you. The entire place of Alexandria just makes you feel as if the apocalypse never started, like you’re right back at home. Although you have come to terms with the fact that things will never be the same as they were, and you’d even dare say that you embrace it now, it is a nice feeling to be safe.

“There’s an extra bedroom you can have for now. I’ll show it to you and then I’ve got to step out for a while. I’ll let you get acquainted with the place. There’s a working shower inside the bathroom, I’ll have Carl or Michonne bring you some new clothes. That sound good?” Rick asks you as he walks up the stairs of his house into the upstairs hallway.

“That sounds more than good, thank you.” You beam at him. He opens up a door to your right, and lets you inside. You immediately run over to the bed and jump on it, relishing the fact that you don’t have to sleep on the ground every night now.

“Hell yes. This shit is comfortable. Please excuse me while I sleep for three years.” You laugh.

“Enjoy yourself, and rest up. You’ve got a long day tomorrow, lots of people to meet.” Rick laughs before shutting the door behind him.

You lay in the bed for a while before deciding to get up and use the shower. You look through the drawers in the dresser, pulling out a towel and a flannel. You’re assuming that the flannel was put in there for this exact reason, just in case a guest was over.

You walk over to the bathroom, closing the door behind you. You turn on the water and begin to strip of your clothes. The water is warm on your back when you step in, and you relish the feeling. Once you finish up, you step out of the shower and wrap yourself in the towel, drying yourself of the excess water.

You quickly throw on the flannel and brush out your wet hair, letting it cascade down your back. You put the towel onto the hanger before you exiting the bathroom and heading back to your room.

“’Cause baby you’re a firework, c’mon let your colors burst,” You sing under your breath as you walk into your room, grabbing your underwear and sliding them back on. The song was very popular before the apocalypse started, and you’d be lying if you said it didn’t still get stuck in your head every once in a while.  

“Oh god,” You hear a voice say from behind you, along with the crash of a few things falling on to the floor. You jump, turning yourself to face the person who had caused such a ruckus. There was a guy standing there, wearing a flannel similar to the one you currently had on, a sheriff’s hat, and holding a pile of clothing in his hands. On the floor beside him was a lampshade that he had seemingly knocked over, earning a giggle from you.

“You’re Carl, right?” You ask, still laughing. His face goes red as he sets the clothes down on to your bed and proceeds to pick up the lamp.

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that.” He smiles in embarrassment, shaking his head. “Just wasn’t, uh, wasn’t expecting to you to be standing here in only my shirt.”

“This is your shirt?” You raise an eyebrow. “Good taste. It’s comfortable.”

You want to laugh and make a joke about how flustered he seems by seeing you in such little clothing, but he seems to be embarrassed enough. You take notice that he’s very attractive, probably the most handsome guy you’ve seen in a long time.

“Yeah, I like it, too.” He laughs. “Well, um, I’m gonna go. Gotta check on Judith. Nice to meet you, though.”

“You too! I’ll see you later!” You beam at him.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you need!” He tells you as he walks out the door.

Once he’s left the room, you settle yourself into your bed. You can’t help but think as your falling asleep about this new life you’re seemingly living now, and how much you can see yourself enjoying it.  

-

You don’t know how long you’ve been asleep, but by the time you wake up, it’s morning. The sunshine is beaming through the windows, your new bed feeling very comforting as your eyes flutter open.

“Y/N?” You can hear a voice say through the door, a few light knocks following.

“Hmm?” You say out groggily.

“It’s Carl. Dad wants you out here so you can meet everyone else.” Carl calls through the door.

You groan, throwing the blanket off of you as you throw one leg off the bed, forcing yourself to get up. Unfortunately for you, your eyes weren’t completely open yet as you started to walk to the door, and you trip over your own feet, landing face first into the floor.

“Motherfucker!” You yell out in pain, rolling over onto your back. You smacked your head pretty hard onto the hardwood floors, as well as a cut on your arm from the bedframe scraping you.

Carl rushes into the room, alerted by your yelling, and starts dying laughing once he sees the positon you’re in.

“How the hell did you manage that?” He asks in between laughs, and you start to laugh as well.

“Who the hell knows, I’m tired.” You shake your head, slightly embarrassed that Carl witnessed that. “Of course I had to embarrass myself in front of a cute guy on, what, the second day we’ve met?”

“I’m cute, huh?” Carl raises his eyebrows, reaching out his hand to help you up off the ground. You disregard his offer to help you up, and you get up on your own.

“Yeah, I’d say you’re pretty cute.” You wink at him, and now it’s his time to blush.

You walk over to your dresser, grabbing a pair of jeans and sliding them on. You know that Carl is watching you, but you don’t mind. You then put on your shoes and walk out of the room with Carl, heading downstairs to go meet up with Rick.

As you’re walking down the stairs, his eyes glance down to the cut on your arm. He reaches out to touch it slightly, making you wince.

“You get that from your fall upstairs?” He questions, and you nod. “It looks like it hurts.”

“Yup, it hurts. But not ‘getting fucked in the ass without any lube’ kind of pain, I’d say it’s a mere paper cut level pain. I can handle it.”

Carl begin to choke on the air he’s breathing, unable to contain his shock at what you just said. It soon turns into laughing, and you can’t help but grin. Laughter looks good on him.

“I can’t believe you just said that.” He laughs.

“If I’m gonna be living here with you guys, you’re gonna have to get used to it. Everyone here seems so tense, so serious. You guys need to learn how to let loose and enjoy yourselves every once in a while. What’s the point in living if you can’t crack jokes and have fun?”

“I guess you’re right.” He agrees with you as you two enter the living room area, heading towards the front door. “I think you and Abraham will like each other.”

“I’m intrigued. I wanna meet Abraham as soon as possible, because your dad told me the same exact thing.”

You and Carl walk down the steps of the patio, the warm sun beaming onto both of your faces. People are walking by, but this time they aren’t giving you any kind of weird looks.

Carl motions for you to follow him. You stay close behind him as he leads you some place, you’re not sure where. After a few minutes of walking, you’re in front of a decent sized building with at least a dozen people standing outside. Rick is standing in the center of them, his eyes lighting up when he sees you two.

“Hey, Y/N, come here. People wanna meet ‘ya.” Rick waves you over.

“I’ll talk to you later.” You tell Carl, nodding at him as you walk over to Rick.

Everyone is looking at you sympathetically, which you hate. You don’t like sympathy and you certainly don’t want any from these people. They all look nice enough, though.

“Well, hi everyone! I’m Y/N.” You smile at them all. “Sorry to intrude on your camp here. Didn’t even wanna come, Rick here practically had to force me.”

A look of shock crossed all of their faces before they realized you were kidding, and they all started to grin.

“You already know me, and I’m assumin’ Carl since you’re wearin’ his shirt. This is Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Glenn, Michonne, Rosita, Eugene, Abraham, Tara, and Sasha. That over there talking to Carl are Ron and Enid, and Ron’s little brother Sam.” Rick introduces you to everyone.

“We’re glad that you’re here, Y/N.” The woman Rick had introduced as Maggie tells you.

“So you were all alone?” Carol frowns, a look of concern on her face. “You can’t be older than seventeen, which must have been terrifying.”

“I mean, not really. To the being scared part. At first, yeah, it was nerve wracking going from having all these people with you to suddenly being by yourself. But it wasn’t too terrible, really. I didn’t mind. I’d even go as far as saying that there were times when I enjoyed myself.” You explain. “But yes, alone as a cat lady on Valentine’s Day.”

“You’re funny. I like you.” Abraham comments, patting you on the back. “I see why Rick here has been sayin’ you’re like a girl version of me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” You smile. You can see Carl staring at you while he is talking to Enid. Or, more specifically, she’s talking to him. He’s nodding at her, obviously not listening, as he focuses on what you’re doing. You give him a smile, and he grins a little bit before tearing his eyes away from you.

“Carl, huh?” Maggie raises her eyebrows.

“Hm?”

“I see you two lookin’ at each other.”

“Oh, no, we’re in this, like, contest to see who can embarrass themselves the most in front of each other. It’s sad, really. He almost broke a lamp when he first saw me, and then this morning I fell face first onto the floor, and… Yeah, I’m rambling. I’ll stop. But, I won’t deny that he’s cute.”

“You’re adorable.” Maggie laughs. “Well, if you ever need anything, let me know.” She says before walking off with Glenn.

You talk to a few more other people, all of them intrigued and genuinely shocked at how you managed to be so upbeat and friendly during a time like this. But overall, everyone here is nice and you get along with them pretty well.

“You know, if you’re talking to someone, you could try to look a little more interested in the conversation.” You whisper into Carl’s ear as you approach him.

“I was interested.” Carl lies, turning towards you. “I’m going back to the house, you can come if you want.”

“You looked bored out of your mind talking to that girl Enid. You just couldn’t tear your eyes away from me, huh?” You tease him, following him as he walks to your shared house.

He doesn’t respond to you, keeping his face straight as he focuses on getting to the house. You take this time to admire him, realizing just how attractive he truly is. You noticed it last night, but he just seems to only be growing more handsome to you by the minute.

“You know, I can’t tell why you’re being so nice.” He comments as the two of you walk up the porch steps and inside the door. “I’ve never met anyone like you before, you know.”

“To be fair, I’ve never met anyone like me, ether.”

“I like it.” He admits. “You’re so different from everyone else here. It’s a nice change of pace.”

“Thank you.” You smile.

“I’ve got some comic books upstairs, if you want to come read them with me?” He offers.

“Comic books?” You scrunch your nose. “I’ve never read them before. Although I watched Iron Man and he was a comic book character I think.”

“I’ll show you, come on. They’re pretty good.” He grabs your hand in his, leading you up the stairs to his room.

His room looks similar to yours, not very personalised or intricate. You definitely wouldn’t assume it was a teenage boys room, but you realize that this is probably not where he grew up. You know nothing about Carl.

“Carl, where are you from?” You ask him as you sit down on his bed beside him, picking up a comic book.

“Georgia. Most everyone you met here today is from there, actually. We only got to Alexandria a few months ago.” He tells you. “What about you? You’re like this big mystery girl to everyone here.”

“Besides the fact that I’m fucking awesome? There’s not much to me.” You shrug. “I grew up in Tappahannock, a small town on the beach in lower Virginia. Once this whole shit storm happened, we traveled up north a bit and had a camp on a beach. That didn’t last, obviously, and here I am now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise. It’s fine. I’m a big girl and I handled things.”

“We went through a lot of shit, too. If it makes you feel any better. First it was a camp outside Atlanta, then Maggie’s farm, and then for a while we were staying at a prison but some douchebag who called himself the governor blew it up. There’s more, but…”

Before you realize what you’re doing, you lean in and kiss him on the cheek. He tenses as your lips touch his cheek, color flushing to his cheeks.

“Wow, I’m sorry, I have no idea where that-” You start to say, but you’re cut off by Carl’s lips pressing up against yours.

His lips move clumsily against yours, but it’s sweet. He presses down onto the bed, climbing on top of you as you two kiss. Your hands travel up to his shoulders as you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. The two of you pull away after a few moments, your foreheads pressing up against each other.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I saw you.” Carl whispers.

“Since the moment you first saw me in my underwear and you popped a boner? Yeah, I noticed that, by the way.” You tease.

“Yeah, that moment.” He smiles. “I never thought I’d be so happy about my dad bringing back some random girl he found in the woods.”