PROLOGUE

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ARE YOU SCARED OF BEING ALONE? Alex was. She was scared of being alone in a world of walkers, scared of having no one there. no one to talk to. having no one to drown out the voice in the back of her head that tormented her. That was her biggest fear. but now it was true.

She wasn't scared anymore. that fear had come true. She was alone. she had been alone for weeks. the walker-infested world having swallowed the only people she had left. She was fending for herself, with a violent sense of grief that was eating away at her motivation to survive with each day that passed.

she'd been alone before the world crumbled, but this was different. this was the type of Alone that makes your thoughts run wild. The isolation plays tricks on you. hearing things that aren't there, seeing things.  seeing people that weren't there anymore... 

Sweat beading on her forehead, the hot Georgian sun beaming down onto her face surely leaving burns. Each step drained more and more energy from the 24-year-old girl. Rifle in her clammy hands, the sweat making it difficult to keep a good grip as she trudged Along the road, her breathing heavier than normal due to the added stress of the heat. Alex hoped following the road would lead her to some cars she could attempt to jump-start and find some supplies. yet after all this time, her hope was growing thin, weeks had passed. the last flicker of hope and light behind her eyes had vanished after losing her group. a group she had grown to call family.

her white tank top drenched with sweat, the material clinging to her skin as her mouth dried up due to dehydration. She tightened her grip on the gun, her clammy hands making the simple task more difficult than needed as she kept walking, her muscles weak as she kept pushing on. She couldn't give up she had to keep going, as long as her mind would allow it... 

the worn-down boots on her feet providing little support as she continued walking after what felt like hours, her feet aching, the pain travelling up her calves with each step, a sharp pain lingered within her back as her body began to give up.

each step proving more difficult than the last, she knew she didn't have long left if her luck kept going the way it was. but she was proud she'd lasted as long as she had. without him. no matter what demons plagued her brain, she would not let them be the reason she was taken down. She had to keep trying... For him.

she looked up from the floor the sight making her heart skip a beat. cars, people. the sight made her mouth dry up as anxiety pooled within her stomach, she needed their supplies. she kept walking, her heart pounding in her chest mentally coming up with a plan as she approached them all. with the energy she had left, she knew she couldn't win hand-to-hand combat, get them to trust her, and take off in the night. but could she even trust them for that long?  

She hated it, she wanted to trust people. but she knew. she knew she couldn't. the world, especially a walker-infested world. it wasn't made for a woman. she knew her chances. She knew what happened, she knew what people were capable of. and she knew she was weak... the lack of food drastically causing her strength to deteriorate. 

her heart raced as she got closer to the group, her eyes fixated on the group of people. men. Her heart skipped a beat as she kept walking. she noticed something there was no way. one man, he stuck out to her. her mouth dried up as her heart dropped. she saw him, clear as day standing with other men, and her eyes widened in disbelief. a small smile tugged at her lips as her pace quickened, her chest exploding with relief... she had to be imagining it. it couldn't be him. 

Alex walked towards the group of people, her heart racing with anticipation. She had been alone for so long, She couldn't believe it, Her mind must've been playing another trick, she shook her head trying to convince herself it couldn't be true... but it was.  

she got closer she could see him. clearly. there was no trick, it was him. it was her uncle. her throat almost felt as if it was closing up as disbelief rushed through her body, tears immediately pooling in her eyes.

"Rick?" she called out, her voice hoarse from disuse. Rick's head shot toward the familiar voice, his face fell as he caught sight of his niece, disbelief rushing through his veins as he stared unable to fathom the fact she was truly there.

"Alex??" he said his eyes glued to the brunette his voice cracking with emotion. He jogged towards her, and as he got closer, Alex saw his expression soften, a smile of disbelief growing on his face. The pair rushed into each other's arms embracing each other tightly, tears threatening to stream down their faces. It had been too long since they had seen each other, and the relief of finding each other alive was overwhelming. his arms wrapping around her caused a sigh of relief to escape her lips, and the ache deep within her heart paused for a moment. 

Alex pulled away breaking the hug to look up at him, insure it was really him, he was really there. a sob of happiness threatened to slip past her lips as she took in his appearance,  his longer hair and the lines on his face that had not been there before. Waves of disbelief washed through her body. It couldn't be. Surely.

"I can't believe you're here," Rick said, his voice still filled with emotion, His heart racing as he looked down at the young woman, his blue eyes filled with an emotion Alex had never seen before, as his hands rested on the girl's shoulders not wanting to let go on her in fear shed just disappear again. 

"Oh my god, you're alive" Tears sprang to Rick's eyes as he looked at his niece, the young woman looked more malnourished than any of the members of his group as he took in her exhausted appearance, he couldn't imagine what she had been through, how shed ended up right in front of him. a chuckle of disbelief escaped his lips before pulling the girl into another hug.

"Carl? Lori?" Alex asked, returning the hug, needing to know if her cousin and aunt were okay. Rick broke the hug again, nodding toward the car behind them. Alex followed his nod, looking at the now four men behind them: an old man, a young Korean boy who looked similar in age to her, and a man maybe a little bit older than her uncle with a rugged look to him, a Redneck.

"They're in the car with the other girls," Rick answered with a smile relief rushing through his veins. Alex's eyes shifted from the men to the car watching as the car door swung open, the two jumping out of the car upon seeing Alex through the window. Her chest constricted as Carl rushed toward her, a classic grin on his face as he ran into his cousin's arms. Alex's smile grew as she pulled her younger cousin into her arms. The little boy's hug made tears sprung to her eyes as she cradled the back of his head in disbelief. 

A chuckle of disbelief escaped her lips as she cradled the back of carls head, how was he here? warmth rushed through her body as a tear slipped down her cheek as the young boy clung to her grinning ear to ear.

"Carl I'm so glad you're okay" She smiled holding the young boy tightly, Her aunt's voice causing the warmth in Alex's body to spread further as she looked up from Carl to be met with the concerned eyes of her  Aunt, as a tear slipped down the woman cheek.

"Alex? Oh my, are you okay?" Lori exclaimed, joining the hug, concern laced her voice. The tears in Alex's eyes threatened to fall. She wasn't alone anymore. She hadn't seen her family for so long, she hadn't seen them since before she was deployed.

She hugged her aunt, one arm wrapped around her little cousin, the other around her aunt, as she felt emotions she hadn't felt in months, tears slipped down her cheeks as she clung to her family terrified they would disappear if she let go of them for even a second.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. are you? have You guys got water?" Lori cupped Alex's cheeks as they broke the hug, Lori examined the younger girl looking for injuries her eyes darting down the girl's slim frame as tears filled her eyes.

"we're all okay honey. Carl go grab the bottle from the car. are you hurt at all?" Lori asked examining her niece for any sign of injury as she ordered Carl to grab a bottle of water. Alex shook her head, She was okay... Just tired.

Carl rushed over to the car to grab a bottle of water as Rick returned to Alex's side a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at her uncle a smile on his face, one the group hadn't seen since the farm. the family shared a moment of peace. a moment of disbelief. they were together. they were alive. They were shocked. It Couldn't be true. Alex was waiting to be woken up, Everything being some horrid dream. but it wasn't. they'd defied the odds of finding each other. how was it possible?

Carl jogged back over with a bottle, handing it to Alex. "thanks jelly bean" she smiled ruffling his brown hair, his nickname making the smile on his face grow as he looked up at his cousin hoping she was okay. leaning against the hood of the car, Alex wiped the tears from her eyes before lifting the bottle to her lips. The water hit her mouth, she gulped down the refreshing drink she'd been deprived of. It was heavenly, it all was - her family, the water, the relief rushing through her veins.

Inhaling the rest of the water, Alex caught her breath, getting a better look at the rest of the group, and her family. That's when she noticed the bump - Lori was pregnant? Taking a double take, another wave of disbelief washed over her as Rick spoke again easily distracting the exhausted woman.

"Alex, what happened?" Rick asked, looking down at his niece, concern in his eyes as he looked at her small figure. worry consumed him as he asked what had happened, what she could've been through... The last time he'd seen her, she had been a lot more muscular. She still was, just skinnier. This was what the world had come to.

"I was with Eli... and some other guys... But we um- we got caught in a herd" Alex briefly explained, pain laced her voice as she avoided his eye contact not ready to go into further details about her time fighting to survive and what she'd lost - who she'd lost.

Rick nodded understandingly. After all, they had just experienced something similar with losing the farm. He was relieved, in shock, and thankful She was okay and that was enough for now.  Alex's heart ached as she thought back to what she had lost in the past weeks, The dull pain in her chest never seemed to fade. Picking up on her discomfort, Rick changed the subject, introducing her to the group.

"Alex, this is T-Dog, Daryl, Hershel, Glenn. Maggie, Beth, and Carol are waiting in the car," Rick introduced the group to Alex. As she nodded, her eyes flickered between the men of the group taking in each of their appearances with a keen eye. Did Rick trust them? really trust them? 

her gaze lingered on Glenn, who appeared to be the youngest man in the group aside from Carl, maybe the same age as Alex. The young man's innocent persona made Alex raise an eyebrow as he sent her a welcoming smile. He seemed like the type of guy who wouldn't hurt a fly, and Alex wondered how he managed to stand so confidently with the group of older men.

"Who are you?" T-Dog questioned curious about the family's heartfelt reunion. Alex looked at him Her eyebrows furrowed together. he had every reason to question her, after all, she'd do the same. she didn't trust them, not yet. 

  Rick answered before Alex had the chance, "My niece, Alex," with a half-smile, still in disbelief that she was alive. A happiness lingered within the group, almost as if the reunion has filled them with a new sense of hope.

After the initial introduction, Alex still had so many unanswered questions. The last she heard, Rick had been shot, and she had assumed he had died, with everyone else and there was nothing she could do to stop it. But oh how wrong she was.

"do you guys have a camp?" Alex asked, eyes scanning the group. The fact Lori was pregnant gave her a false sense of hope when it came to the group having a camp  As she noticed the looks on some of their faces, she realized that it might be a touchy subject.

"No, we're looking for somewhere. There's gotta be a place," Rick answered, his emotions clearly running high. Alex could tell that Lori was going to struggle being on the road, but she was here now. She could help. she would help in any way she could. Alex was so exhausted that she drowned out the conversation that began throughout the group as they discussed a plan. She couldn't believe it.  they were alive.. 

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a/n - I know this is a pretty boring chapter, but it's just the introduction-type stuff.

I'm finally fully proofreading and changing things up, I cannot believe how bad these chapters were before I've come back to edit them. proofreading on my laptop is so much easier than on my phone omg. 

I really appreciate comments and feedback hope you enjoy 🫶