IT WAS NEVER a thing for him to count the days...but he often found himself doing so.

Two hundred twenty-five. That was the number of days since the world was introduced to the mysterious pandemic that would eventually lead to the collapse of society. The old world was seemingly gone...and now people had to endure the new one.

Walkers roamed the road in front of the small building. The two growled and shambled past each other until they heard a noise that caught their attention. Turning around to the sound of footsteps, one was met with a stab to the face.

Y/N pulled the sharpened stick out of its face and let the dead walker drop to the floor. The second undead shambled toward him but was immediately hit in the head with a crowbar.

The attacker stood over the walker and caved its face in until it could move no more. Y/N simply watched and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You really messed up her face." He remarked as he held his makeshift weapon.

The woman, Sasha, took a breath and stepped back.

"Things have to get messy when you don't have anything sharp." She replied, grasping her weapon.

Moments later, another man came across the road and joined them. It was Sasha's brother, Tyreese.

"I said wait up." He told the two of them.

"And we said to catch up." She shot back. "I'm tired of waiting for your big ass."

Sasha chuckled and moved ahead, the statement garnering a stifled laugh from Y/N. Tyreese heard and opened his arms.

"Come on."

Y/N shook his head. "Let's go, Ty."

The three made their way to the entrance of the abandoned building, which was part of Camp Sumter Shooting Range. They wanted to scavenge what was left there to bring back to camp.

Upon entering, the trio held their weapons and surveyed their surroundings. They could never know if a walker was around the corner.

The room looked overturned and debris was everywhere. For a place so secluded in Georgia, it seemed to have been already ransacked.

"Shit." Tyreese muttered. "Looks picked clean."

"We don't know for sure. We just gotta look harder and see if they missed anything."

"I know we're looking for potential guns...but what are the odds they have snacks here. I would kill for a chocolate bar." Y/N said as they walked in deeper.

Tyreese looked across the trashy floor as he replied. "Something like that would be melted in weather like this."

"And I wouldn't care." Y/N said.

The trio searched the premises for anything that would be useful. Aside from a roll of tape, a dented thermos, and a few shotgun shells, there wasn't much there.

Y/N looked behind the counter and saw a cabinet. He crouched down and opened it, seeing a lot of trash and dust in it. But he eyed a lunch bag under the debris and took it out. Upon opening it, he smiled.

"Holy shit."

Sasha was nearby. "What?"

He pulled out a protein bar and held it. The young man nodded. "Jackpot."

"That disgusting thing?" She asked.

"This brand is really good. I'd carry a bunch of these with me on the road."

Tyreese spoke from across the room. "You saying that because you actually like them or because you had to?"

Y/N knew he was referring to potentially being sponsored by the brand during his time as a baseball player.

"No, they were good. I only represented things I enjoyed. Wouldn't you know?"

Tyreese nodded, thinking back at his time as a professional NFL player. That was years ago though.

Y/N looked at the protein bar again and opened it, savoring the bite he took afterward. Although a bit stale, it was better than nothing.

"Praising the Lord over an expired protein bar." Sasha chuckled. "Long way from private jets and room service."

Y/N snickered and held out the bar. "Want some?"

"Nah."

He nodded and looked into the lunch bag some more. Y/N arched a brow upon seeing a shiny object. He took it out, seeing that it was a key.

"What do we have here?"

Sasha eyed the key along with Tyreese as he walked over to the counter. They wondered what it was for.

"Whoever rummaged through this place didn't find the lunch bag. So they didn't know about the key. Which means—"

"There's something here they couldn't open." Tyreese interjected. "Possibly a safe or a locked cabinet."

"Might have something good." Sasha added.

Y/N agreed. "Now we just gotta find it."

Suddenly, a walker pressed themselves against the closed door of the building. It startled them.

"Let's hurry then. That ugly motherfucker's friends are gonna wonder why he's trying to get in." Tyreese said and moved to the back room.

The three survivors looked around the building for anything that needed a key. Their extra effort in searching led to them finding more supplies, albeit minor.

It took a few minutes until Sasha called out to them from what looked like the owner's office.

"Over here!"

They walked in and saw her crouched down by a ripped sofa. She had moved it aside and pointed at a safe built into the wall hidden behind it.

"Those guys from before don't know much about B&E to look behind furniture." She remarked.

Y/N nodded and crouched down to unlock it with the key he still had. Tyreese stood nearby and took in what his sister had said.

"How do you know about breaking and entering?" He asked.

She shrugged. "You watch enough movies you start to learn things."

Y/N finally opened it and found an M1911 pistol inside. Another cubby had several cases of ammunition for it as well.

"So...uh..." Y/N began. "No one's going to call dibs?"

"My gun's with Donna back at camp." Sasha said.

Tyreese shook his head. "I ain't use a gun yet and don't plan to. Besides..." He brandished his hammer. "I'm good."

The young man nodded and took the pistol. He looked at it and tried to find the button that'd release the clip. They noticed him taking longer than usual.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh...well. I don't know how to use one."

Before they can respond, they heard glass shattering in the lobby. They looked out and saw three walkers trampling over the one that had broken through the door.

"I'll pack up the ammo." Sasha said, giving the two men the green light to rush into the lobby and deal with the undead.

Tyreese hit a walker across the face with his hammer. Once it was down he stomped on its cranium and split it open.

Y/N held his sharpened stick and stabbed a walker through the face. The third walker shambled toward him but Y/N shoved the limp body of the one he killed into it.

The third walker fell to the floor and was under the body of the other. Tyreese rushed over and stomped on its head as well.

The last walker was still on the ground from being trampled earlier. Y/N walked over and stabbed it in the head with his stick, dealing with the final undead being.

Both men panted from the ordeal.

Sasha walked out with one of her bags full of the goods. With a simple gesture of her head, she informed the men that they should leave.

They agreed and the trio walked out of the building and down the road.

• • •

THEY WERE CLOSE to their camp. Tyreese, Sasha, and Y/N conversed as they walked through the trees. Sasha finally brought up the question in her mind.

"So you've never used a gun?" She asked.

Y/N sighed and shook his head. "Nope."

"Not even at a shooting range or anything?"

"Never. I mean...I know how one works. Kinda. I've played Call of Duty."

Sasha scoffed and Tyreese laughed. Y/N held his hands out.

"Sorry, I ain't had the luxury." He said. "Were you both taught?"

"Our dad was a veteran." Sasha replied. "So we got some basic training."

"More her than me, though." Tyreese added.

Y/N nodded. Although he's known the two for a few months, it was the first time they'd told them about their father.

"That's good." Y/N replied, then spoke again after a slight pause. "That's good that he taught you. Dads should be cool like that."

They kept walking and Y/N looked down. The two siblings noticed his demeanor change after his statement but chose not to question it.

"I could teach you some things if that's all right. When we have the time." Sasha spoke mentioning his inexperience with firearms.

"Thanks." Y/N replied with a nod. "And maybe I can pay it back by showing you...some batting techniques."

She chuckled at his joke along with the other two.

"Might come in handy." Tyreese told Sasha.

"Right." Y/N said and pretended to hold a bat. "You want to have the right position and power if you want to knock some heads."

Finally, they made it to the camp. It was an abandoned RV park in Andersonville County, which had about twenty people including them. They vaulted over two broken down cars that served as a blockade at the entrance. From there they saw their fellow survivors sitting or walking around.

They were greeted by a few people. This included a man named Allen, who was a part of their group for a while before stumbling on the camp a month ago.

"You three okay?" He asked them.

"Couldn't be better." Tyreese replied.

"Everything all right here?" Y/N asked Allen.

"Just a little scare at the gate. Biters tried coming in but we dealt with it."

Suddenly, a man called out to them at a table by a mobile home. It was Alan, who was in charge of the camp for as long as Y/N could remember. Sasha heard this and handed the young man her bag.

"Give this to him. I'm going to see Donna and Ben." She said.

They nodded and the woman left with Allen to see the rest of their group. Tyreese and Y/N walked toward the mobile home with their things. They put them down on the table once reuniting with Alan.

"Everything went well out there?" The older man asked.

Portrayed by Denis Leary

"Yeah." Y/N replied.

"Any trouble?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle." Tyreese answered.

He nodded and rummaged through what they acquired. Alan was content with the supplies they had, especially the ammunition.

"Good haul." He said. "Was it just the ammo or was there also a gun?"

"Oh." Y/N took the weapon out from his waistband, showing him it. "Yeah. This too. You can take it—"

"It's all right, son." Alan waved it off. "Keep it."

Y/N nodded. Alan placed the supplies in a container with other items inside. He looked at a colleague of his.

"Darvin? Mind taking—"

"I got it." Y/N interjected and grabbed the container with both hands. "Want me to take this to storage?"

Alan appreciated the young man's help. "Sure. My daughter should be there with a friend sorting other stuff, they'll let you know where to put 'em."

With a nod, Y/N went off to another trailer that served as a sort of storage for the camp. One of his hands let go of the heavy container to knock on the door which opened moments later.

"Yes?" A woman of Mexican descent spoke after answering the door.

"Alan wanted me to drop off some supplies we got from the run."

"Oh, all right. Come in."

Y/N walked up the steps and entered the trailer. There he saw another young blonde woman with her who was sorting items into boxes.

"You can leave it here. We'll handle it." The other woman pointed at a spot on the sofa.

Y/N placed down the container but wasn't ready to leave just yet. He rested his hands by his waist.

"You don't need the help?" He asked.

She looked at the blonde lady, who simply shook her head. The Latina turned to Y/N.

"No. We got it."

"Come on." Y/N said with a chuckle. "Let me be of assistance somehow. It'd eat at me if I just leave and let you two lovely ladies do all the work."

The Latina chuckled at the man's charismatic statement. The blonde on the other hand rolled her eyes and kept doing her work.

"Well...I guess you could stay then." The Hispanic woman finally relented.

The blonde turned to her friend and harshly whispered. "Erica."

"The faster we're done the better."

Y/N grabbed some supplies from the container and placed them on the table, prepared to assist. Erica pointed at the other boxes.

"Items that could be used for maintenance...tape, nails, wiring...they all go in there. Ammunition, in there. Perishables should go in that box over there by Lili."

The blonde looked at the young man for a moment but quickly went back to her tasks. Y/N listened to Erica's explanation and nodded.

"Cool." He simply replied.

"Okay." Erica looked at the boxes when she suddenly remembered something. "Puta! I realized what we were missing. The box with the liquids."

Erica started making her way to the door. "Ramon was here last time. He probably knows where it's at. I'll be right back."

"Erica!" The blonde girl harshly whispered.

"I'll be right back." She waved her off and left the trailer.

For now, it was just Y/N and Erica's friend. In silence, the young man just sorted the things he had into the marked boxes.

He tried to think of what to say to spark a conversation. From the glimpses he had of her during his exchange with Erica, he saw that she was a beautiful woman. He never had a hard time speaking to girls but it had been so long since he's really tried.

"I never got your name." He said abruptly, looking from the item he had in his hand to her. "Your friend, she uh...she called you Lili?"

She still had her eyes on the items in front of her, then moved on to a clipboard to write on it.

"It's Liliana." She replied.

"That's a nice name." He said with a smile. "I'm Y/N. Y/N L/N."

She still didn't look at him. "Yeah. I know."

"You know?" Y/N asked with a grin, he had made sure to empathize his name. "Didn't think you were a fan."

"I'm not. I just remember you because you cost my ex-boyfriend a lot of money."

"Oh. Tell him I'm sorry...I guess?"

"Don't fret. He's probably too dead to care about his losses anyway."

Y/N simply nodded at her statement. There was a moment of silence until he spoke again...using the first thought that popped into his head.

"So...ex-boyfriend, huh?" He asked. "That mean you're—"

She finally turned to him. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I mean—I—"

"Your first few minutes speaking to me, someone you barely even know, and you try to hit on me?"

He smirked and chuckled. "I thought I'd give it a shot."

Liliana scoffed and turned to him, leaning on the table and resting a hand on her waist.

"I can tell the type of person you are."

He gave an intrigued look. "Okay. Shoot."

"You think you're at the center. That's how it was then, huh? Everything revolved around you? That you can have anything you want...anyone you want. Even with all the shit that's happened you still think you can do that."

The blonde had a point. During the days of normalcy, Y/N was known to be a player both on and off the field. He settled for different types of women. Y/N had never settled down with anyone in his adult life so far. Throughout his two-year career, tabloids always threw out rumors of him being with a different girl seemingly every few months.

"Where'd you hear that? On TV?" Y/N asked. "Your ex?"

Liliana just shook her head and returned to her task. Y/N kept speaking.

"Damn, well...sorry if I struck a nerve. Was just trying to get to know you, that's all."

"So you can charm me? Get close? Have a quick fuck then move on to the next?" She shot back. "Sorry, but it doesn't work like that anymore. That status you once had means nothing. You're just like everyone else now."

Those words stung him a bit. Not of his status having no meaning...but of her implying that he only wanted to sleep with her. He hoped that nobody else that knew him thought he was that way with every woman he came across.

The young man didn't have anything to say. Liliana walked toward the door and left the trailer.

"I gotta go see where Erica is."

The blonde exited the trailer, leaving the man alone with the supplies. Y/N stared at the door and contemplated what went wrong with the conversation and what else he could've said to change the outcome.

"Way to go, Y/N." He muttered to himself and looked down at the supplies. "An asshole just like your brother. Guess it runs in the damn family. But even with that, he got a wife while you're single as fuck."

With that self-talk, Y/N continued his tasks alone.