I walk down the never ending road that leads to no where in particular. Thirst takes over my body and I can barely move. My legs feel heavy and my mouth like sand.

It's at least a hundred degrees out here and not a single cloud in the sky.

I see a faint out line of a building and squint to get a better view, having lost my glasses a while back.

I walk a little faster to it, excitedness taking over my body. I reach the door in no time and I clink the tip of my axe on the metal part of the door to make sure no walkers were in there. I heard growls, but they seemed to stay in one place, maybe stuck somewhere.

I slide my bag off my shoulder and pile cans into my bag, humming to myself as I do.

After I clear off the shelf of everything not rotten, I look for water. I search in the back of the station for the freezer section where they would keep soda and drinks. I look through the dusty glass doors until I see the clear bottles.

I Yank open the door and grab one.

"Yes! Finally! "

I crack open the seal and quickly drink it. I grab the rest and shove them into my bag.

I wander down the office hall way and open the doors, peeking in. The second to last door had a walker in it and I immediately kill it with my axe. Must've been the trapped one.

I open the last door and look inside. There had to be about twenty walkers in there and they all turned to face me. I screamed and tried slamming the door, but they charged at the door and pushed it open. I ran down the hall and back into the store area, running behind the counter.

I slashed madly at the Walkers that tried to claw at me. I'm doomed. Is this how I am going to die?

They shoved through the opening to behind the counter and pinned me to a corner.

Suddenly gunshots were fired and I heard people yelling. The walkers in the back turned to the new noise and I finished off the walkers still trying to get at me.

I hoped over the counter and slashed at more Walkers. Gunshots rang through out.

"Run!" I heard the man next to me yell. The other person, a boy, shot at another walker, but it clicked. Out of bullets.

"Damn it!" He cursed.

The man grabbed my arm and pushed me into the direction of the door. I ducked through the glass less door and killed a few walkers that were outside. The boy and the man came running out of the store and I followed them into the forest.

I tripped over a branch and the boy helped me up. The man stopped.

"I think we can stop now." The man said wheezing. His face was all bruised and bloodied. He held his ribs and I immediately guessed they were broken.

I dug into my bag and pulled out a roll of bandages. "Here, you ribs are broken I bet," the man pulled up his shirt to reveal bruises. "Yea, you might want to take this and wrap it tightly around, it should do till you find shelter."

The boy in the sheriffs hat stares at me with a blank expression on his face. The man takes the bandages. "Thanks. How do you know this? You look to be a teenager. They must have had some health class at your school." He jokes. The boy helps him wrap the bandages around the man who I guess is his father.

"I fall and trip a lot. Also I picked some fights in the beginning of all this," I reply. "I always carry a first aid kit and stuff like that. I'm very clumsy and picked up tricks along the way. " I smiled and put my oily blonde hair into a a messy pony tail.

"I'm Lauren. Thanks."

"I'm Rick and this is my son Carl." The man says as soon as he tucks the end of the bandage in, cringing of pain. The boy stares at me blankly still.

"We better get going if we want to find shelter." Carl finally speaks.

"Yea. I think there is a town not too far from here." Rick says. He turns to me. "Do you have a group?"

"No, not since the first couple of months. Kinda been on my own."
"Well, if you want to join us, you have to answer three questions. " Rick says. I nod.

"How many Walkers have you killed?"

"Too many."

"How many people have you killed?"

My eyes tear up. "Five."

"Why? "

"They were bit." Those horrible memories.

"You can join us Lauren. You look like a good fighter." Rick says.

"Do you have a group?" I ask.

Rick sighs and looks at the ground. Carl kicks the dirt.

"Oh." Is all I say.

We begin walking again. We reach the town just as the sun starts to set.

Carl and I make sure the house is clear while Rick boards up the door with the couch.

"Who were those people you killed?" Carl asks me.

"My family." I reply and open up the next door.

"Oh, I'm sorry. " Carl whispers.

"Don't be. I'm guessing you guys lost people too?"

"Yea, our group got split up when the prison we were staying at got taken over."

"You guys had a prison?" I ask in surprise.

"Yea. Cleared it out and kind of made it our home. " he says, walking into a room that might've belonged to a teenage boy. He looks at the books and stuff while I rumage through the closet.

I find a red flannel and throw off my old blue one. I toss Carl a blue and yellow flannel I found and some boys jeans.
"Why do I want this?" He asks.

"Cause yours has blood on it."

"I happen to like this flannel."

I hold up my blue flannel. "This ones my favorite, but I can change out of it to wash it."

He rolls his eyes and tells me to turn around. I obey and wait till he tells me he's done.

"How come you didn't change your pants?" He points out. God, this kid was going to get on my nerves.

"Those are boys pants, " I reply. "I'm going to go see if I can find any girl pants in that one room we found."

"That was for like a twelve year old."

I shrug. "I'm pretty short and skinny, I think I can fit into a size twelve. " I walk out the door and into the pink room.

Boy band posters were everywhere and the dresser had like ten different perfumes. I find some black jeans and put them on, they fit perfectly. I slip my black and white low converse back on and head back downstairs where Rick is passed out on the couch. Carl suggests we leave him be and sleep upstairs tonight. I agree, exhaustion taking over my body.

We head upstairs and I go to the pink -girly- room and carl goes to the boys room.

"Night Carl." I wave.

"Night Lauren." He smiles for the first time.

I set my axe on the nightstand and pull he pristine white sheets down. I kick off my converse and brush through my mess of hair real quick and climb into the bed. After sleeping on the ground for so long, it feels like Heaven to sleep in a real bed.

I drift off to sleep quickly.

A/N: Hey! What'd ya think? Comment to give me ideas! Thanks!

Stay in the salt circle Niall, so the walkers don't get ya!

~zombiefighter01