━ CHAPTER ONE,
strangers.

a year later

WHO KNOWS HOW LONG ITS BEEN. The Hastings family and Apollo Maxwell had continued walking down the long road of Georgia for whoever knows how long. The only expression on their faces was exhaustion. The only goal for them was to find anything. Such as food, people, or a safe place.

Roman Hastings stops walking, "Let's rest up in the woods" He speaks up and everyone stops with him, Cassandra turning around to hear her dad. "It's gonna get dark soon. I can see if I find anything before then." Everyone nodded.

"I'll come too," Cassandra let out. Roman examined his daughter before nodding.

They walked into the woods and found a decent spot and area to rest down for the night. Cassandra and her dad, including Birdie who followed the blonde without invite. The three split off from the group and began to look around.

"How about we split up?" Cassandra asked her father and he nodded. "Keep Birdie close and your knife closer, alright?" "I know. I got it." Cassandra dryly chuckled and began walking away, the German Shepard following her every step.

    Roman smiled at his only daughter before wandering his own way.

ITS BEEN TEN MINUTES since they split up. The Hastings girl hadn't found anything and was feeling down about that although Birdie was very proud of her own finding of a squirrel and was now carrying it in her mouth. The sight wanted to make Cass gag, but Birdie's trots and tail wagging made it better.

She decided to head back to where she and her dad had last split up, wanting to wait for him back there. Cassandra took the road instead of walking through the woods.

While walking, she started to take notice of an engine creeping up behind her. She turned around and began walking backward, waiting for the said engine to come up over the hill.

If you asked anyone, Cassandra Hastings is a curious girl. It can get her into trouble sometimes, just like how she's not running off into the woods and taking cover if it's someone with a gun who could mistake her for a walker.

When the mystery person came over the hill, it turned out to be a motorcycle. She's never really seen one before. From her eyesight, it seemed to be two people on the motorcycle, one driving who looked like he had hair almost to his shoulders and a leather vest, the other looking kind of scrawny. Her eyesight isn't the best either.

They seemed to have taken notice of her as they began to slow down, making sure this blonde girl with a dog beside her, wasn't a walker. Cassandra stopped walking and kept an eye on the two strangers. Birdie had dropped the squirrel from her mouth and barked at the guys, "Birdie Stop it." The German Shepard let out one more bark before shutting up and settling herself in front of Cassandra's legs.

Cassandra gripped her knife as she saw the one in the leather park the motorcycle a few feet away and pulled out a crossbow and pointed it at her which caused her to let go off her knife and raise her hands. Birdie barked once again at the man who pointed a weapon at her owner.

"Your seriously gonna shoot an arrow at a minor and her dog?" Cassandra asked. The man in leather just squinted at her which caused the girl to mock his actions.

"What's your name?" The Korean guy asked her with only his hand on his gun. That made Cassandra think that he was probably the good cop in this situation.

She hesitated, "Cassandra... What's yours?"

"Glenn. And this is Daryl." Glenn answered, pointing to his friend beside him whose name was Daryl and who still had the crossbow pointed at her. Cassandra nodded at the information.

She caught the look between Glenn and Daryl, and she decided to speak up again, "So. I'll be going now. Nice to meet ya." She turned around but before she could take a step, a raspy voice spoke up.

"What are you doing out here alone?" Daryl had spoken up for the first time. He wanted to know why some kid with a dog was out here and not with any family in sight.

"I'm not alone. My family's waiting for me." She replied, looking back at the two men. "You guys look like you got somewhere good. Do you have a camp?" She acted on the idea that has been gnawing at her mind.

Glenn looks at Daryl and gives him a reassurance look when he caught the hopeful smile on the girl's face. Daryl put his crossbow down to his side and Glenn sighed, looking back at the girl and nodding. "Yeah. We do."

Cassandra's smile grew, "Cool! Follow me." She suggested, hoping that they would follow her.

Birdie yet stayed put as her owner and Glenn walked off, the German had her tongue sticking out and tail wagging looking up at Daryl. He sighed at the dog in front of him, wanting him to pet her but instead he walked off also. Birdie's pride didn't go down, she happily trotted after the man.

ON THE WALK TO where she assumed her father was and the rest of her family, Daryl had seemed to calm down a little bit but still visibly had his guard up for whatever this girl could be leading them into. Then, Glenn had let his hand rest of his gun and started petting Birdie as they walked.

"So, why were you this far from your family?"

"Scavenging. We had decided to settle for the night and me and my dad went to check around the area to see if we can find anything. We're low on some stuff." Cassandra confessed, looking back now and then as she talked.

It was quiet for a few seconds; the only noise being heard was Birdie's breathing and the leaves that they crushed with their boots.

"How many walkers have you killed?"

"Uh," Cassandra thought about it for a moment, "I'm not sure. A lot." She said and looked back at Daryl, "That's a weird ass question dude."

"Well, how about, how many people have you killed?" Glenn spoke up.

"None."

"Why?"

"Because it changes you. I want to be me. Even at the end."

THE REST OF THE walk was silent between the three which Cassandra was deeply grateful for. Even when she hated silence because it left her alone with her thoughts, and after that question, her mind was filled of them.

It was until they reached the camp that her family had set up. There was a string around the trees with old food cans so if anything, such as a walker came near, they would know. Cassandra led Glenn and Daryl through the cans, but Birdie didn't get the message and ran through them, making a huge noise.

Her whole family had gotten straight up with knifes and machete, ready to go, but once they saw Birdie and Cassandra following soon behind, they let their guard down.

Roman, who was worried sick, put his knife in his belt and ran to her. "Cassie." He hugged his daughter, filled with joy that she was safe. "I'm sorry." She whispered into her dad's chest. She felt immediately guilty. They had pulled away, "But I ran into some people." She said and as on cue, Glenn and Daryl had come out behind the trees.

"Guys, this is Daryl. And Glenn. They have a place." Cassandra announced. Apollo and Drew walked up and stood in front of Cass, putting her out of any harm's way. Delilah had stayed back near the fire and watched everything unfold. "Is that right?" Roman asked. Daryl nodded.

"They have questions." Cassandra interfered, poking her head out behind her two bodyguards. Drew looked at his sister with a confused look but only received a reassuring smile, so did Roman.

Roman nodded and waved his hand, motioning for one of them to continue with their questions. "How many walkers have you killed?" Roman chuckled, shrugging, "More than we would've liked." Everyone but Cass nodded behind him.

"How many people have you killed?"

"None"

"One."

Glenn's eyes followed towards Apollo, they looked him up and down, confusion filled him. This boy looked only fifteen and he had already killed? A person? "Why?" Glenn asked this time.

"She tried to kill her." Apollo's eyes flickered at the blonde girl beside him who's had her head down since he answered that question. She just wanted to forget about that day, it was hard for everyone.

Glenn frowned but nodded nothingness. Cassandra's mother, he assumed, had gripped Apollos shoulder as a comforting act and hugged her daughter. She led them to sit around the fire as Roman deals with the two men.

Roman cleared his throat, "How far is your place?" He asked one of them. "Not that far. We were just going on a run for supplies." He nodded. "Well, it's getting dark. How about you stay here for the night, and we can leave at dawn?" Roman suggested. Glenn agreed and sat down near the fire.

Daryl grunted and followed Glenn, but instead of sitting by the fire, he sat against the tree near the new group. He put his arms on his knees that were bent in front of him and left his crossbow close to him.

Roman just shook his head in disbelief and let out a dry chuckle before joining his family.

AS IT GOT DEEPER INTO THE NIGHT, Daryl had claimed he can be on watch and went farther from the fire. Delilah had gone to bed in her tent, claiming she wanted to have some good sleep before the big day tomorrow. Roman, Drew and Apollo following the Hastings mother's actions soon after. So, it was just now Cassandra and Glenn by the fire.

It was comfortingly silent between the two of them. Cassandra was practicing her knife twirling in her hand, every time she caught it after a big twirl, she smiled. "Where'd you learn to do that?" Glenn asked. "My dad. I'm still learning though." Silence had taken over the pair once again.

"Can I ask you something?" Glenn asked. Cassandra looked at him confused, putting down her knife and hummed. "What happened with Apollo?" Cassandra unintentionally sighed at the question. She guessed that at some point one of them would've asked but she was secretly praying that they would leave it be. "Our group used to be bigger than what you see now." She started.

"We've had many dark days. Lost people." The blonde looked at Glenn for a moment. He listened intently and you can see it. "Apollo protected me from someone he didn't think he would see for a long time. Even then, she came back as something else. He didn't have to protect me, but he did. It costed him something, I can see it, but I don't think it matters." She sniffled, wiping her teary eyes with the back of her hand. "It's not your fault." Glenn spoke in a flat tone. "Yeah." she muttered.

Glenn had scooted over just a bit and let his arm out. She looked confused, as if she wasn't used to the sort of hug thing, at least since the world ended. "Come on." He spoke softly. Cassandra gave him a genuine smile and leaned in which reacted with Glenn wrapping his arm around the sixteen-year-old girl. He felt bad. He couldn't believe that these kids were to grow up in a world such as this. He's seen Carl and the way he grieved over his mother passing and all the things a kid shouldn't do. Even Sophia.

Glenn has never killed someone. Even, with the way the world is and the experience his family has with it but just the thought of these kids now, already killing someone, he hoped his future kids would have something better. A better world.

Cassandra was the first to pull away, "I'm going to go to bed. Thank you, Glenn." Standing up and giving him another genuine smile, he nodded and said something about 'no problem' and she left the night at that and decided to get some sleep for the day ahead.

( word count: 2069 )

authors note.
hii! i just wanted
to say that in about 2
chapters, cass & her
family will meet the whole
crew such as RICK! 😁😁

i just really want to get into
cassandra and what they
went through before meeting
them. & apart of the group.
so bare with me pls 🙏

don't be a silent reader!!