── CHAPTER ONE, 

what lies ahead.

ARDEN GRIMES LIKED TO DO THINGS WITHOUT THINKING. 

This is what his mother, Lori Grimes would say. Back in the day, she meant going over to a friends house without telling his parents, or spending way too much of his monthly allowance. That is why she got extremely worried when she saw him run after Sophia Peletier into the woods. She knew he would do it for Carl, but she just prays that he and Sophia would come back alive, just so that she could tell him how stupid he was. 

That is where Arden Grimes is now, out in the woods following his brothers best friend. "Sophia!" He yelled, moving the branches out of his way. However, the young girl kept on running, scared for her life. Quickly, he turned around, seeing a walker shortly after him. He had only killed one walker during his time in this new world. He went out by himself to get Carl's football that he threw much further than he expected too. When he retrieved it, a walker was right there. Instead of yelling and going back to his mom, he killed it. 

So, he was remembering what to do now. However, everything was going by way too fast. His mind was still on Sophia, hoping that nothing was getting to her. "Fuck," he muttered as he dropped his knife on the ground. He quickly fell down to the ground, as the walker kept on pushing him, wanting to bite his flesh. Out of breath he grabbed his knife and started to hold the walker's head back so that he could stab it. He missed the first time. Crawling backwards, the best he could, he found himself leaning on a tree. On the third try, before he was about to hit the walker in the head, the walker instantly fell on top of him, making him scream. 

"Arden!'' He heard the voice of his father. Grunting, he pushed the dead walker off him to see his father, with a worried expression all over his face. Rick Grimes had almost had a heart attack right then and there. When he saw his son laying on the ground fighting off the walker, he thought that he was about to get bit, or already had gotten bit. He helped Arden get up. Before he could say anything, Arden hugged his dad. 

"Thank you," he mumbled. Rick nodded, trying to get the blood off his face. The men couldn't stay like that forever. Sophia had one more walker after her. The Grimes men followed pursuit after the Peltier girl. Rick was the first one to make it towards her. Sophia stumbled into Rick, thankful that someone was looking for her. "Shoot them!" She yelled, making him try to get her to calm down. 

Rick crouched down to her level. "No. The walkers on the road would hear it. Then it wouldn't just be two, it would be hundreds." He said, before picking her up and telling Arden to come with them. They thought all they had to do was bring the little girl back to her mother, but that wasn't the case. Walkers all around the forest started to come after them. Rick placed Sophia on the ground, before jumping into the river. 

Sophia soon followed after, not wanting to leave their side. Arden was in a trance, looking behind him in case walkers came. "Arden!" His father quietly yelled, making him jump down after him. He stumbled to the ground, looking at his father. "Kids you have to do exactly what I say. Sophia, stay in there. Arden, watch her, do not leave her side. I'll draw them away from you guys." Arden started to push Sophia into the hiding place. "Dad! Dad! You can't go alone," he hissed. Rick tilted his head. "Arden! don't talk back, not not." 

"If I don't make it back, go straight to the highway. With the sun on you left shoulder." Rick said to the kids. "I'm scared," Sophia whispered the Arden, as he got down to her level, just as Rick did before. Arden held onto her side, shielding the view of his father fighting the walkers from her. "It's going to be okay." 

Arden decided to fully face the girl, as she was starting to cry while watching Rick cuss at the walkers. "You ugly son of a bitch, come on!" 

Arden faced the girl, looking back at his father every so often. He knew his dad told him to stay with Sophia, but his dad was in trouble. Arden slowly got out of the hiding space. Sophia looked up at him, wondering what he was about to go. "Sophia, I got to go help my dad. Sophia started to shake her head and try to get a hold of Arden. "Look, I know it's scary, but you'll be okay. Just come back the way you came. I'll see you in a couple of minutes." The boy promised, as Sophia started to cry silently. 

Arden looked at the young girl before running after his father, knowing that he needed help. Back at their hiding place, young Sophia sat down, with tears going down her face, not knowing what to do. With Arden thinking that he would see her after helping his father, he would actually not be seeing her ever again, no one will. And that guilt will live with him forever. 

Hearing his dad's voice, he ran up next to him, making him confused. "What the hell are you doing here?" He yelled trying not to keep the same pace as the walkers. "I'm helping you. I told Sophia the same thing you did, she'll be okay.'' Rick sighed. He knew his son well enough to know he would probably not listen to him, even in times like these. "Okay, go behind that tree, I'll go behind that one." The boy nodded, catching his breath for the first time. 

He copied his fathers stance, instead of his knife, he held onto a big rock, just like he did. As Rick killed the first walker, Arden threw his rock onto the next. He felt like he was going to get sick, looking at them and all the blood, but he held it in. Before both of the boys could go back, Rick made sure that the last walker was killed. He tried not to look at it as he did so. Arden covered his face with his hands, closing his eyes every so often. As the boys walked back to find Sophia she wasn't there. Man were they end for a terrible outcome. 

[ ronnie speaks } first chapter! please do not be a ghost reader! how did you like it?