Rock and a Hard Place Ten-Died Without a Name- Fanfiction base on The Walking Dead by Lolita Lynn

Rock and a Hard Place Ten –Died without a Name-

            I stood there over the freshly covered grave breathing hard from the exertion of digging and the severe lack of food. Dana crafted a wooden cross from two broken branches and placed it at the head of the mound.

            This man I buried saved my life and I didn’t even know his name.

            “There. I found these flowers on the side of the road. Paul? Are you okay?” Dana asked me, her face was dirty and her clothes were tattered.  It has been a hard winter with food and water growing scarce. She’s lost a lot of weight, we both did.

            “Yeah…it’s just…we never even knew his name. Now we can’t even put one on his cross.” I spoke. I meet this man several months after the outbreak. I had lost everyone I ever loved and was on the verged of completely giving up. No food, no water, and no transportation to get away from the flesh eating mass that always seemed to be on my heels. Then this man showed up.

            He was mute and couldn’t speak but he was strong and resourceful. He taught me to fish for food, to purify river water, to avoid the wandering hordes. He kept me alive and gave me a new reason to stay that way. Other survivors. There were other people out there that needed help and if this man with no words could save me, then I should save others. But there was something I needed to do first.

            “I found his wallet but the ID is damaged. The name is missing but there’s an address. It’s not too far from here; he must’ve wanted to stick close to home.” I said.

            “Yeah? And?” Dana questioned.

            “And I’m going there.” I stuffed the ragged ID card in my pocket and began to pack up my supplies.

            “Are you crazy? I came from that direction, it’s swarming with a major horde. You’ll never make it there. Paul, please, we don’t have much weapons just a machete and a gun with one clip, it’s not enough.” Dana pleaded.

            “I’m not going to clear them out I just want to make it to his house. Maybe there’s some paperwork or bills that would have his name on it. And then I’m going to put his name on his gravestone. He deserves at least that.” I was determined even though in the back of my mind I was wondering the same as Dana. Will I make it out?

            “Paul, he’s dead. A name won’t change that…”

            “After everything he’s done for us he deserves to be named. To be mourned properly.” I knew the significance of mourning properly. I lost my 17 year old daughter in a car accident just a year prior to the world changing. I would stand at her gravestone and stare at her carved name for hours as if the action alone would summon her to appear in front of me so I could tell her that daddy loved her and I was sorry I wasn’t there.

            The other driver was drunk and swerved into her lane while she was visiting an out of state college for possible enrollment. The asshole lived while my daughter who had so much potential died alone on the pavement. I couldn’t bring myself to attend the trial or even look that man in the eye. I just wished him dead.

            “Dana, a name is important. How else can you remember that person? I’m going. Are you coming?” I asked her. She looked scared but she began to follow me.

            The walk was long and arduous, I could feel my feet rubbing raw inside my boots. On the outskirts, there were only random walkers milling about. I used what I learned to avoid them without a confrontation fairly easy. There was no point in taking them out, using up what little energy I had only to draw more in.

            Moving from house to house, we took this opportunity to gather any supplies we could find. The pickings were slim.

            “Paul, this is crazy. This whole place is surrounded by them, we should leave now.” Dana was nervous. She hadn’t been with them long, we found her on the side of the road only three days ago nearly dead from starvation.  She was in the kitchen and opened the door to the pantry; she let out a scream.

            A walker was inside and lunged at her. I was there in an instant and drove my machete through its partially decayed skull. Shit! The scream. I ran to the kitchen window to see an army of walkers turned in our direction. They were coming.

            “I’m sorry I didn’t think…” Dana apologized. She was shaking.

            “Don’t worry about that, let’s just get out of here alive. Follow me.” I led her out a side door on the other side of the house. The scream attracted them from all directions. I saw Sahara Street in the distance, that’s what I was looking for. We ran for it dodging walkers left and right. 1016 was a small non-descript house with a broken fence and uneven walkway. The door was unlocked and as I walked inside another scream sounded behind me.

            “Paul!” A walker had her arm in its mouth. It ripped through her flesh and nearly bit her arm in half. Another was on her from behind and sank its teeth into her slender neck. Blood gushed and she gurgled a scream.

            I tried to reach for her but the mass engulfed Dana. She looked at me. I mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ and closed the door. I leaned against it. Fuck! I questioned if this was really worth it.

            I turned to the dimly lit room; furniture and books were scattered in the living room. The house was ransacked most likely from other survivors looking for food. A name. All I needed was a name then I would collect whatever was left of Dana and bury her beside him.

            Picking through the papers in the kitchen I came across an old newspaper clipping; it was yellow with age and brittle but it was very significant. It was the article that detailed my daughter’s death. It had her picture.

            “What the hell?” I leafed through more papers and came across a medical record of sometime. The man’s picture was posted above a name, “David Harris”. Why did that name sound so familiar? The medical record documented that David was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor that was not operable. His prognosis was grim, only 3 years to live.

            “David.” I tried out his familiar name. I was still confused about the news article until I found a journal entry in the kitchen drawer.

            I was at my lowest. I had always had a hard time living in this world of words and not being able to speak them. Now this? A brain tumor? I’m dying and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. I guess… I guess I wanted to take my death into my own hands. I didn’t want to take anyone with me though. 17. God. She was just 17 years old. What have I done? I got drunk and just wanted the madness to end. I thought the cliffs would be a perfect spot to drive my car over but I never made it there. The accident was my fault and I lived. She didn’t. Her father wouldn’t even look at me. I tried to apologize so many times but I know it wouldn’t have made a difference. The judge took pity on me since I was going to die in three years anyway, I didn’t go to jail but this house is the only jail I need. This body is my jail. I’ll just sit and wait either for death or a chance to redeem myself. I’m sorry.

            David killed my daughter. But he saved my life over and over again. He died saving me. The horde outside grew larger and there was no other way out. At least I was able to give him a name…and I accept his apology.

Immune 18 -The Heart of the Dead- The Walking Dead Fan Fiction by Lolita Lynn

Immune 18- The Heart of the Dead

            “Don’t take any chances with her. She’s dangerous. We need to move her to the square. I want the people to meet their savior.” The Governor spoke while drying off his hands.

            “What about Merle and the other one?” Martinez asked.

            “Take them both to the square, we’ll have ourselves a little fun first. You,” he pointed to an unsure man in the corner, “get her to the square. Take this and knock her out first. Got it?” The Governor handed the man a Taser already loaded and on its highest setting. “You think you can handle that?” With that, the Governor left with Martinez and a few other men in tow.

            “What the fuck, man?” A man asked the one given the Taser. “Did that really happen?”

            “Shut your mouth, you really want to question a man that could do that? Let’s just get through this.” Vanessa still sat on the floor of the cell; her hands still held the metal bars. She stared blankly at the tub and the legs hanging off the side.

            “Vanessa?” Rick asked “Vanessa?” There was pain in his voice. Rick was a good man who has had to make hard choices, there was a time when Vanessa worried that Rick was losing his humanity with the decisions he’s had to make. Now it seems that Vanessa is the one who has lost everything she tried to hold onto.

            The man with the Taser shot her and Vanessa welcomed the electric agony that came with it and the blessed unconsciousness that followed. “Alright, Cooper, Johnson, pick her up and let’s head for the square. I don’t wanna miss the fight.” Taser man spoke. Vanessa heard them, she wasn’t fully unconscious as she would have hoped. They began to drag her along the concrete floor by her arms on her back, Vanessa could make out the thud of boots.

            Rotating her hands inward she grabbed the two by their wrists and flipped her feet above her head and drove them deep into their mid-sections. Using her momentum, Vanessa was able to roll up on her feet, back to them. She shifted her weight to one leg and twisted around to kick them in their faces with a powerful roundhouse.

            Taser man shot again but not letting the electric current phase her, she simple grabbed him by the neck and shoved him into the wall. He dropped the Taser as Vanessa continued to ram him into the cinderblock until blood appeared on the wall and his body slide down the wall.

            Vanessa stood there over the body breathing deeply. It felt good to kill him and she only wished it was the Governor at her feet instead. The sound of splashing water stopped Vanessa’s breath. A numb feeling fell over her as she immediately knew what the sound was.

            “Vanessa…wait. Just let us out, I’ll take care of it.” Rick spoke from the cell. The look in her eyes was dark and frightening.  Rick watched as the thing that use to be Lizzy began to slosh out of tub. She couldn’t do this. He couldn’t let Vanessa take this on. Having to kill walker-Lizzy would be the final nail in the coffin on what was once Vanessa’s soul.

            “Please Vanessa, let me help you.” Rick continued to plead with a cracking voice but Vanessa knew she would have to do this on her own.

            “I’ll take care of her, Rick.” She spoke in monotone. This Lizzy is in stark contrast to live Lizzy. She used to be so vibrant and alive. No longer. Her skin was pale and somewhat bloated from the water. Her eyes have become gray and clouded and her hair swung about her slumped shoulders. Vanessa let her shuffle closer, she used that time to think about what she had to do.

            Vanessa bent down and picked up the knife from Taser man’s belt; she held it against her leg as if it were too heavy to lift any higher. But it wasn’t the weight of the knife, just the burden of this world that was weighing her down. This dead world that made men into monsters, children into pawns, and friendships into liabilities; was not a world Vanessa wanted to live in much longer. How easy would it be to just end it? To stop the pain and hardships with one bullet.

            The thing that was Lizzy groaned and reached for her. Vanessa held her by the throat at arm’s length as it struggled.

            “Lizzy, I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you. You didn’t deserve this. I’m not sure I have anything left to give this world anymore. But I will do one thing for you, Lizzy. I’ll kill that bastard. I promise, with everything left I have in my heart, I’ll take him to Hell with me. I….I…..oh, God…” Vanessa’s voice trailed off and she spoke in sobs. She let the tears flowed down her face again.

            The knife plunged into Lizzy’s skull quickly and efficiently. Vanessa twisted her wrist to turn the blade inside, ensuring the brain is badly damaged, Lizzy slowly fell to the ground with a wet thud.

            Rick watched as Vanessa wiped off the blade and proceeded to check the fallen bodies for a set of keys to unlock the cell. Her movements were robotic with vacant eyes because there, lying on the floor in a dead heap, was Vanessa’s heart. Her purpose for staying alive in this desolate world for so long when at any time, she could have ended it.

            Rick sympathized because it was the same feeling he felt when his wife Lori died. He had been used to keeping her and Carl alive for so long that he didn’t know what his purpose now was until he realized he still had Carl and now a daughter. He still has his group; his surrogate family. Will the group be enough for Vanessa to care about living? To Rick, she already looked dead.

            The sound of a turning key and disengaging lock shook Rick back to situation at hand. Julian followed behind Rick as he led them to the back stair case that would lead up into an empty part of the warehouse. Vanessa went in the opposite direction.

            “We need to go.” Rick said in an urgent whisper. He still didn’t know how many guards occupied the warehouse or beyond.

            “No, I’m not leaving here until he’s dead.” She didn’t have to say who she meant and there was no arguing with her. Rick, still in pain from his wound, relented and followed Vanessa silently up the front staircase. He understood that she had to do this. She had to face this man and she’ll succeed in killing him even if it means she kills herself in the process.

            Outside the guards were light. Vanessa only came across two that she easily dispatched by snapping their necks from behind. They never saw her coming. She didn’t bother to stab their brains, she’d rather they turned while inside the wall. She was done playing games and taking prisoners. Now, anyone between her and the Governor is her enemy and will be killed. Her own train of thoughts were frightening enough but if Rick and Julian could see the image she had in her head of how she would kill the Governor, they would run the other way in horror.

            A crowd was gathered around a clearing. Along the inner ring of the crowd was a line of armed guards and at its center was the Governor.

            “Fuck my life!” Vanessa cursed. The Governor would have plenty of warning she was coming and enough guards between them to slow her down considerably.

            “I don’t see a way through without being undetected.” Julian surmised. “We should leave. We can regroup and plan…”

            “No. I’m here, I’m doing this.” Vanessa made a move to run for the center when Rick’s strong grasp stopped her.

            “Wait! Look, it’s Daryl and Merle. What are they….they’re going to make them fight each other? We need to stop this.” Rick demanded. “You go now and you’ll be killing them too. They’ll put a bullet in their heads before you get to him.”

            The cloud of rage was dispersing and Vanessa was thinking more clearly. Rick made sense. She was willing to risk her own life, but not everyone else’s. Vanessa handed Rick a gun she took off a dead guard, she handed Julian another. They took up positions without having to even speak and began to spray bullets amongst the crowd. They didn’t intend to kill, just distract to allow Daryl and Merle to escape.

            Screaming people began to run haphazardly. Guards fired blindly into all directions and Vanessa aimed her sights on the Governor. He wore a black patch over one eye and Vanessa secretly thanked the person that caused him pain. He was wondering around the center of the confusion unafraid of bullets or walkers that all flew around him. Vanessa slowed her breathing, quieted her heartbeat and steadied the weapon. She slowly pulled back on the trigger and let the bullet loose.

            Vanessa watched as Andrea walked in between the shot and the bullet entered her right shoulder and exited out her back. The force put her into a spin and just as she turned around, she faced Vanessa. There was pain on her face but also determination. She knew, Andrea knew the shot was fired and she intentionally walked into it. Vanessa could tell she will live from this wound.

            “Fuck.” Vanessa lowered her rifle. The Governor had ducked down beyond her line of sight and the element of surprise was lost. Andrea made her choice and she chose to be between her and the Governor; a perilous position.

To be continued….

Immune 17-Daggers of the Dead- Original FanFiction based on The Walking Dead

Immune 17 –Daggers of the Dead-

            The Governor stroked the hair of a dead girl in a secret room of his apartment. The little girl was outfitted in a frilly little dress that was somewhat clean with matted hair and arms in a restraint jacket. The Governor was soothing and gentle with his brush strokes and hummed a familiar tune. His eyes were blank and unseeing. He didn’t see an undead creature that would rip his hand off should she get the opportunity. He saw a daughter. He saw the little girl that maybe could still grow up normal if only he could find a cure.

            “It’s okay Penny. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s gonna take care of you. I’m going to find this woman no matter what it takes. Daddy loves you.” The Governor cooed as he tied the restraints back in place and ushered little Penny back into the dark cage in which she lived; waiting for a cure.

            Andrea and Michonne sat on a bench on the main road. Andrea watched life unfold here in Woodbury where the people seemed happy and content. She wanted that same contentment but Michonne was having problems blending in.

            “You shouldn’t have taken the sword, Michonne. He would have given it back to you eventually.” Andrea spoke while still looking at the kids play.

            “It wasn’t his to take from me to begin with. Andrea, don’t you see there is something wrong here?” Michonne turned towards here trying to make her see.

            “Isn’t this what we wanted? Didn’t we talk about a normal life again?” Andrea finally turned to face her friend.

            “This is not ‘normal’. This is a prison and I’m not staying here.”

            “You should listen to her, Andrea. I have a bad feeling about this place.” Vanessa walked up to the women. She had been listening and her thoughts mirrored Michonne’s. There was something off about this place, something just beneath the surface that Andrea is choosing not to see.

            “Van…I mean, Tina, you don’t know what we went through. I almost died this past winter and I don’t want to live that life anymore. You two can leave, I’m staying.” Andrea stormed off in search for solitude while Michonne walked with new determination.

            “She’ll just slow me down anyways.” Michonne headed for her shared room most likely to retrieve whatever supplies she has to leave Woodbury. They fought like an old married couple; signifies that they went through a lot together. It’s sad that they are parting ways like this.

            Vanessa and Julian have been assigned to Milton to aid in the search for Vanessa Summers. So far, her guise has been working and she hasn’t been uncovered yet. From what she saw and heard, finding a cure is very important to this governor. More than just protecting the people of Woodbury; there is something more there.

            It had been a week and 4 days since they arrived in Woodbury and Vanessa has been on the lookout for a way to slip out. The Governor has told them they would be able to leave whenever they wanted but there was always some excuse as why they couldn’t leave today.

            Michonne was able to walk through the gates and Vanessa hasn’t seen her since. The Governor has told them that he sent Merle out to check the roads and they were overrun with biters from all the recent activity. Vanessa thought that seemed plausible.

            It was just after dusk when some Woodbury citizen raised an alarm as to intruders within the wall. Armed guards took up positions along the perimeter.

            “What should we do?” Julian asked as we looked out the window.

            “We should get our things, we’re leaving.” Vanessa told him as she grabbed her back pack. She never did unpack it as was her habit.

            “What? There was walkers out there and now intruders in here.”

            “Yes, the perfect distraction for us to get over the wall and away from here. I need to get back to the prison.”

            “What about your friend, Andrea?” Julian’s questioned.

            “She made her decision.” Vanessa said after a pause. Maybe she’ll come back later and try to convince her but for now, she needs to get out of here. Outside on the street, people were yelling and running. They couldn’t pinpoint where the strangers were and so everyone was confused.   

            Sneaking around a building, Vanessa glimpsed what probably was the offending intruders huddle in an alley. There was something familiar about their organization; Vanessa has seen it before. She walked out beyond the shadows and into the road unfazed by the bullets that flew around her.

            “Rick.” Vanessa whispered to herself and allowed hope to spring in her mind. Did they come for her? How did they know she was even here? A shadow moved towards the group from the wall, it was Michonne. Perhaps she found the prison and told them. Vanessa made a move to run towards them when a strong hand pulled her back.

            “Get down! You’ll get shot.” Julian said as a bullet shattered the masonry right behind their head easily demonstrating his point.

            “It’s them, Rick and the others. We need to get to them.” Vanessa spoke. “We have to run, now!” Vanessa pulled him up and ran towards the wall. The group was making it over, one went down. Rick was holding the rear line to allow the others to get over.

            “Rick! Wait!” Vanessa yelled out. She watched him turn towards her and recognition spread on his face. But it didn’t last long when a bullet grazed his left arm and he went down hard. “No!!!!”

            “Hold your fire! I want them alive!” Vanessa heard the Governor’s commanding voice over the dying sound of gunfire.

            “Vanessa!” She heard her name and froze. Not from knowing her cover was blown but because of who screamed her name. A voice she hasn’t heard in months and wanted so desperately to hear again. Lizzy. Vanessa slowly turned and focused her eyes beyond the encroaching guards and the smoky haze to the angry Governor with a piece of glass where an eye should have been. He held Lizzy’s slender arm like a father holding a daughter.

            “So, Vanessa Summers, pleased to finally meet you.” The Governor’s words dripped with rage kept perilously in check.

            Vanessa, Julian, and Rick were taken down to a basement with cages set up to hold biters as well as people. Vanessa was put in a metal cage in the center when the Governor and his men arrived. Two men carried a claw foot tube and began filling it with water. Curious, Vanessa thought.

            Before they arrived, Rick told her about Maggie and Glen being taken by Merle and that they were here to save them. They didn’t know about her until tonight and Vanessa didn’t know about Lizzy until tonight as well. On the one hand, she was glad her search was over but on the other she had to deal with the Governor and his men.

            “Vanessa Summers,” The Governor walked in and sat in a lone chair near Vanessa. His eye was now bandaged and his clothes changed. “So you’ve been right here, under our noses all this time; hiding. Why…why is that huh?” He waited for an answer.

            “I didn’t know if I could trust you. I can’t really trust anyone. I wanted to find out more about you, about Woodbury first.” Vanessa spoke. She felt the need to face this man who seemed to be on the cusp of insanity.

            “And did you?”

            “Did I what?” She answered a question with a question.

            “Learn anything about us? Like how to disable our defenses? How to breech our walls? How to kill us?” He stood up so forcefully he knocked over the chair.

            “No, I didn’t know they were coming. Besides, they weren’t after me, they were after the two innocent people you kidnapped and tortured. This is because of you.” Vanessa said.

            “Because of me? So my little girl is dead because of me?” That struck Vanessa. What little girl? Rick and the others wouldn’t have killed an innocent like that unless she was caught in a cross fire. That must be the reason for the Governor’s disenchanted expression; the man lost his child.

            “I’m sorry…” Vanessa whispered to herself but he heard.

            “You’re sorry, you’re sorry. You know Summers, you’re gonna be here a long time. We’re gonna find a cure so you’ll be staying with us. We’ve moved your accommodations here. And if you are going to stay with us, you need to learn the rules. I’ve found that hope is a powerful thing. It can move mountains, build a town out of nothing, even give a man who’s lost everything a reason to live. But when that hope is gone….and there’s nothing left…..a man could do things he wouldn’t normally do.” The Governor motioned a man to open the door. In walked Lizzy who walked right up to Vanessa.

            “Lizzy,” Vanessa tried to hug her as much as the bars would allow. She didn’t speak except to say her name again.

            “I never knew her name. Lizzy. Lizzy has been with us for months now. She’s never spoken until tonight. Must have seen something terrible out there on the road. You see she was in my apartment sitting by the window when she say you walk by. She simply said Vanessa. Of course, I was looking for a Vanessa Summers and what a coincidence that she happened to know you. I was amazed. I guess she did prove useful after all.

            “Lizzy, listen to me. I want you to go, leave this room and go. Please.” Vanessa tried to plead with her.

            “No, Lizzy is going to help me prove a point about hope. When a person has no hope, they tend to not put up such a fight. Now you Vanessa, are a fighter. I can already see that. This should prove to you that if you fight me, you’ll be sorry.” The Governor ushered Lizzy to the bath tub now full of water.

            He violently pushed back into the water leaving her thin legs dangling off the side.

            “NO!!!! Please stop this! I’ll do what you want, please, please stop!!!!” Vanessa’s hands gripped the bars and she shook them with all the power she could conjure. She screamed and wept and pleaded to let her go. Water sloshed out with Lizzy fighting to breathe. Her legs kicked air and her hands clawed at him. She wanted to live and fought as such.

            “NO!!!!! Lizzy!!!! Please, please God!!! Please stop! I’ll do anything! Please!” Vanessa’s throat grew hoarse, her hands bled where the metal bars cut into them, her face was wet with tears; she felt helpless. The kicking finally stopped and Lizzy lay motionless in the tub. No one moved. His men had a look of shock and horror on their faces but did nothing.

            All Vanessa could do was cry. Cry for Lizzy and not being able to protect her from a psychopath that wore the disguise of a charming man. She felt empty, hollow and her sobs echoed throughout the basement.

            Vanessa abruptly stopped her crying and let the pain and anguish settle to the bottom of her stomach. She would use that; use the pain for revenge. She slowly lifted her head and allowed her eyes to shoot daggers at the Governor.

            “You’re going to die…..screaming. And I’m going to be there, I promise.” Vanessa spoke from a place in heart she didn’t know existed. A place of hate but spoke the truth.

To be continued……

Five Seasons-Original poem by Lolita Lynn

Five Seasons

It’s been Five years since I lost you mom

It doesn’t feel that long at all

It’s been Five winters and springs

Five summers and falls

It doesn’t feel that long at all

It wasn’t that long ago that I heard you voice

Laughed with you and felt your face

Letting you go was never my choice

And if I could, I would, I would take your place

It’s said the grave is dark and cold

But this world without you is colder still

If I could change the past I will, I will

It doesn’t fell that long at all

Five winters and springs

Five summers and falls

It doesn’t fell that long at all

Five Seasons

-September 3, 2013

Rock and a Hard Place Nine-Patient Zero- Short Stories Collection based on The Walking Dead

Rock and a Hard Place –Nine-

Patient Zero

            The outbreak was far from contained. The government issued a national emergency and citizens were ordered to designated refugee camps where they would receive food, water, and protection. That was a joke, thought Alan as he sat at his station in an underground bunker. Those same refugee camps quickly turned into human buffets for the dead.

            The world was in a panic and yet he and the other doctors and scientist waited in relative safety beneath the streets of Alexandria Virginia, just south of the nation’s capital. This was no hospital or clinic; this was a biological weapons manufacturer and they have been trying to combat this infection since the outbreak.

            “Hey Alan, how’s our celebrity doing?” Tyler walked in with his annoying smile and fake politeness. Alan never liked Tyler and damn sure didn’t like being cooped up with him at worlds end. Tyler was referring to the woman sleeping in a medically induced coma in the center of the room covered in a thick plastic cylinder; Patient Zero.

            There wasn’t much personal information on Patient Zero, just her first name as Serena but not much else. So they stuck with calling her Patient Zero; the first person infected with the zombie virus.

            “Same as she was yesterday, a vegetable. She doesn’t say much but she’s a great listener.” Alan said with a smirk.  Tyler came in every morning with the same question and he always got the same answer but that was a part of their procedure. Millions of bits of data have been collected on Patient Zero and how the infection reacts in her body. She is technically still human as the infection hasn’t turned her into a ‘walker’; as he heard them described by a few survivors.

            “You never wonder about her?” Alan asked while he notated the current vitals for Patient Zero for the records.

            “I try not to. Just focus on the job.” Tyler said as he changed out the IV bag and added more medications.

            “But…who is she? What is she like? What makes her smile or cry or laugh? What’s her most treasured memory, what’s her worst?” Alan spoke as he stared at her sleeping face. From weeks on this duty assignment, he’s gotten to know Serena’s face; every curve and smooth edge. Besides Dr. Restano, Patient Zero was the only other woman in the complex; Alan couldn’t help but stare.

            She wasn’t hard on the eyes either. Black shoulder length hair, coffee colored skin, slim figure and full lips; Alan wondered what color her eyes were.

            “I don’t know the answer and we never will. She’s been in a coma sense the beginning of all this.” Tyler spread his arms wide indicating the ruined world beyond the thick concrete walls of the lab.

            “But the real mystery is how she became infected with something that pretty much turned the world to shit. Why don’t we wake her up and just ask her?” Alan asked.

            “Her brain’s probably mush by now anyway.” Not wanting to continue the conversation, Tyler rudely left and Alan shot daggers at him. Patient Zero’s brain wasn’t physically mush as hundreds of CT Scans showed but mentally, Patient Zero could have the IQ of a jar of peanut butter. And still the desire to have a conversation with her was all Alan thought about in his limited off time. The world as they knew it was over; who were they trying to save with their research?

            The higher ups have sent out reconnaissance teams that have come up with no survivors, only death.  But the desire to save their own asses are what keeps Patient Zero asleep until one day Alan decided he wanted to meet her.

            For the next several days, the procedure was the same. Tyler comes in every morning to change out the IV bag and add medicine why Alan notates changes and collects data. Alan would disconnect her IV line so the medicine would not be delivered then reattach a line to an IV hidden underneath the mechanical bed. He had to be careful and discrete as the whole facility was under surveillance.

            It happened on a Wednesday; as if keeping track of the days had any meaning anymore; at three in the morning. Alan was on his shift drinking a cup of what passes for coffee when he heard a small voice speak from the center of the room.

            “Where am I?” Alan inhaled the liquid and coughed it back out. He slowly turned his head to see a frail looking girl siting up on the bed, Patient Zero.

            “Hello?” Alan spoke. “Patient…I mean Serena.”

            “I’m a patient? Was I in an accident? Paul! Where’s Paul?” She started to swing her legs over the side.

            “Is Paul your boyfriend?” Alan asked tentatively.

            “My dog, I was walking him in the park when…when…something happened. I can’t remember.” She said.

            Alan was relived it wasn’t her boyfriend, as if that would matter now, but her dog? Who names a dog Paul? Alan watched her as she sat cowering on the bed. She was scared and has no idea that the world has ended. She’s not a walker, obviously, but how is she Patient Zero? Perhaps she’s asymptomatic like Typhoid Mary; being infected but not showing any symptoms.

            But she’s talking and coherent. Alan’s training is telling him to treat her as an infected person, but his heart is not listening. Over the next two weeks the two fell into a routine. Alan still didn’t want to let his colleagues know what he had done and since their collective attention was focused elsewhere and not with Patient Zero, he continued the charade.

            Tyler would make his rounds, Serena would pretend to be in a coma, and Alan would prevent the medication from doing what was intended. Alan was able to record a sleeping Patient Zero and run the image on a loop for the cameras so that any security personnel watching would see no difference. During those days, Alan and Serena talked about everything. Her life before, her sister’s marriage to a jerk, her break up with a longtime boyfriend; Alan in turn brought her up to speed on the world ending, the virus, and the walking dead.

            “It’s unbelievable. Makes all my problems seem so trivial by comparison.” Serena spoke.

            “Serena, that day in the park when you were walking Paul, you said something happened. What was it? Do you remember now?” Alan asked cautiously. Serena was still a bit fragile.

            “It’s all blurry, like a bad nightmare in the light of a beautiful morning. I was walking Paul and I was supposed to meet someone. A friend I think? He said he had something for me but I can’t remember what it was.” Serena placed her hands over her eyes and her shoulders shook with a sob. Alan wanted to hold her, to tell her she’s going to be alright. Until now, Alan has not touched Serena for fear of the virus but the longer he spent with her the more he wanted to.

            He placed a hand on her shoulder, she felt warm. He brought her closer into an embrace and leaned in to kiss her. Her lips were soft and trembling but a sharp pain soon stopped him. At first he thought he became infected but when he pulled away, Serena’s mouth and chin was covered in blood. Did he do something to her? He soon realized she did something to him.

            Serena smiled as she spat his tongue on the ground with a wet thud. Alan couldn’t speak; less from shock and more from his tongue was bitten off. Serena started to laugh and Alan fell back on the ground. He held his mouth as blood fills his nose and throat, chocking him.

            “You asshole, who kisses someone whose infected? Her voice took on a hard edge as she slid off the bed and raked her right hand down Alan’s back. Her nails were long and effective, blood poured from Alan’s back and Alan couldn’t scream.

            He crawled along the ground trying to reach and panic button on the console that would sound the alarm.

            “You know Alan; I did meet someone in the park. He gave me a package with instructions to open it in the middle of the park. Inside…well I don’t know for sure what was inside but it was a container that held the virus. The perfect biological weapon and it had the same symbol that’s on your lab coat. The man paid me a lot of money two weeks before and since I was going to kill myself anyway might as well take as many people out as I can. My ex-boyfriend Todd was in the park with his new fiancé. I am infected, Alan, but not like the others. Not like you’ll be. I can still think and I’m stronger, faster, and more violent and more importantly, I didn’t die.” Serena laughed.

            Alan gurgled as he struggled to reach the alarm. He was chocking and knew he would die and come back. So the virus was a weapon made by his own superiors. They probably released it in a park for the greatest amount of casualties but probably didn’t expect the spread to get so out of hand. That’s why they were trying hard to find a cure; to save themselves from their own stupidity and greed. That’s also why they knew Serena was Patient Zero, she was chosen to be.

            “Your world is over. Mine is just beginning.” Serena grabbed Alan’s arm before he could press the alarm and ripped it out of the socket. Still, Alan couldn’t scream. “You all will get what you deserve. ‘Now, I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’” Serena quoted the creator of the atomic bomb. She reveled in the power she possessed and walked out the door with a sway in her hip. She would rip the men of this facility limb by limb, all the while spreading the infection.

            This is my world. Serena thought. I am God.

Rock and a Hard Place Eight- Innocence Lost Short Stories Collection based on The Walking Dead

Rock and a Hard Place – Eight-

Innocence Lost

 

            Todd and Jacob met in the most unconventional way; both were smashing the heads of walkers that converged around them. They had each taken refuge in an abandoned mall along with a larger group of survivors and they were able to live for a few weeks off the supplies and company. But all good things must come to an end as one night the mall’s glass floor to ceiling windows could no longer hold back the tide.

            A flood of walkers flowed inside and crashed against their makeshift barriers like water on rock. The group was soon overcome and one by one they fell. By the end all that was left was Todd and Jacob who before this hardly even spoke to each other. They now stood back to back while Todd clubbed the last walker.

            “I…I think that’s all of them.” Todd exclaimed utterly exhausted, his breath coming in spurts.

            “Shit, shit, shit. They’re dead…they’re all dead.” Jacob said bent over letting his meager lunch expel from his stomach.

            “We gotta go; it’s not safe here anymore.” Todd grabbed what he could from the fallen and started to head for an exit. He knew he couldn’t let them get surrounded again. The only way they survived was due to the sacrifice of the others. Two men could not hold back a major herd like that alone.

            “Where are we gonna go? There’s nothing, man.” Jacob was still trying to catch his breath. He was only 24 years old and worked at a pizza shop before the world ended. He had seen too many lazy days on a couch with a video game controller in his hands instead of being active.

            “I don’t know, but we need to find a safe place. We can’t be out on the road after dark.” Todd looked up and down the empty road as if waiting for a sign. After picking a random direction, they walked the road for hours all the while Jacob complaining about his feet. Todd thought back to his life before, where his only compliant was working too many hours on his landscaping business and not giving enough time to his girlfriend Amanda. She left him shortly before the world went to shit and he didn’t know what became of her.

            Looking ahead, Todd saw a shape on the horizon. “Move!” He said in an urgent whisper. The two rushed off the road and hid in the brush. They had learned to take precautions with both the dead and the living.

            The figure got closer and Todd could see it was that of a little girl. She wore dirty denim pants and a t-shirt that used to be pink with a red hooded sweatshirt that was many sizes too big; it almost swallowed her. Her face was muddy and her hair matted with a blank stare.

            “Hey, little girl, are you okay?” Todd ventured out.

            “I…I…lost my mommy. Can you help me find her?” Her voice was small and unsure. Todd guested she was about 11 or 12 years old. Todd had never had children but hoped one day to be a father, he couldn’t just leave this girl alone on the side of the road.

            “Come on man. She’s not our problem.” Jacob spoke behind him.

            “What? She’s just a little girl.”

            “She’s not your little girl besides we don’t have enough food and water for her and us. I’m sorry, but kids have no place in this world anymore. They’re better off dead.” Jacob went to walk past her.

            “You’re an asshole, Jacob. It’s not her fault that she can’t defend herself; it’s not her fault the world went to shit. You won’t even attempt to help her? Bastard!” Todd shouted knowing he shouldn’t, he didn’t want to attract walkers but the callousness of Jacob’s remark was shocking.

            “Whatever dude. Look, she’s your responsibility then, I don’t even like kids.” Jacob continued down the road, not looking back to see if Todd would follow.

            “What’s your name, hon?” Todd kneeled down and pulled her jacket closed against the evening chill.

            “Becca.” Her voice sounded more distant.

            “Becca, what a pretty name. Becca, you can come with us. We’ll take you someplace safe and maybe we can help you find your mommy but you do know there’s a good chance that your mommy…that your mom….” Todd couldn’t even bring himself to say the obvious. It was most likely that Becca’s mom was dead or worse, a walker.

            “I know…it’s just…I’ve been alone so long. I need…I need help.” She began to cry.

            “I can help you Becca. My name’s Todd.” He smiled but never saw the small sharp knife slice its way from left to right across his throat. Todd didn’t feel pain in his neck but he couldn’t breathe and his vision began to darken. Becca’s blurry face went from crying to smiling as she held up the bloody knife as a taunt. Todd’s body fell with a sickening wet thud.

            “You can help. I just need your stuff, I don’t need you.” Becca whispered. “I don’t need anyone.” She looked up at Jacob’s retreating back. He didn’t see what she’d done and didn’t know what to expect as Becca walked up behind him. She needed his bag too.

            Becca relished at the power she had. She wasn’t an adult so she wasn’t strong and smart but she was innocent; at least that’s what the adults think. She lets them think that. She’s found a way to survive in this cruel dark world by being cruel and dark herself.

Immune 16-Cloak of the Dead- The Walking Dead FanFiction by Lolita Lynn

Immune 16- Cloak of the Dead

            I left Julian standing on the street and walked to Andrea. She didn’t see me and I didn’t want her to yet, not until I can let her in on my rouse. She was speaking to a black woman that looks like she wasn’t having a very good day.

            “Andrea.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and she turned. She opened her mouth to say my name and I quieted her with a hug and spoke low in her ear.

            “Tina, call me Tina. No one can know who I really am.”

            “Why?” She whispered back.

            “I don’t know if I can trust them yet but they are actively looking for me.” The embrace couldn’t last too long and I looked her in the eyes, they began to water. Andrea with all her attempts to be strong and independent had tears in her eyes and relief in her voice. “We’ll talk back in my room, okay?”

            “Sure, oh this is Michonne. Michonne this is…Tina.”

            “Nice to meet you.” I got the feeling Michonne knew about me if she spent time with Andrea; she would. I’ll need to explain the situation to her as well.  Back at the room, I had Julian on watch by the door. There were still guards patrolling the area but they’ve pretty much left us alone; a show of faith, no doubt. I told Andrea what has happened up until now.

            “So everyone is okay at the prison, but Shane, Lori, and T-Dog? God...” Andrea spoke in a hoarse whisper. I didn’t go into details of Shane’s death and simply let her think he didn’t make it off the farm. Andrea told me of how she got separated and Michonne saved her. Also about being at the crash site and seeing the pilot Welles just before the Woodbury crew grabbed them. I got the feeling, even though she didn’t say, that Michonne didn’t trust them. She most likely didn’t trust anyone. Andrea had told her of me and the group in great detail but she didn’t know much about Michonne.

            “So that’s it. I can’t let anyone know who I am until I gauge the threat.” I said.

            “But they could have the best intentions.” Andrea spoke hopefully.

            “The road to hell is paved in good intentions.” Michonne quoted and she was right. The Governor could have the same intentions as the good doctor but until I know for sure, I’m not giving away information.

            “So you haven’t been able to find Lizzy at all?” Andrea asked.

            “No, I wish…I just wish I knew what happened to her. Whether she’s dead or alive, I just don’t know.” A vision on Sophia came into my mind. Carol has always said it was the not knowing that was killing her. I completely understand now and had more sympathy for her. Lizzy was not my daughter, in this new world, we are all motherless, but I promised I would protect her and I failed.

            “So what’s the plan?” Andrea asked me.

            “I was hoping you had one.” I spoke as I sat on the twin bed.

            “Well, this place doesn’t look so bad. They have a fortified wall and enough people to protect it. People here live in houses and not in tents, there’s running water and lights. Maybe we can ask to bring Rick and the others here?” Andrea seemed optimistic but I had my doubts.

            “We can’t be too sure of what we see on the surface. Things may seem fine here but they act as if the world didn’t go to shit outside these walls.” Michonne spoke up. I didn’t know who this woman was but she has a survivalist mentality; something we sorely need.

            “You can’t go on with this mistrust of everyone we come across, Michonne.”

            “That mistrust has kept us alive. The walkers are dangerous; people are even more dangerous. Especially if you have something they want.” I think Michonne was talking more to me than Andrea with that last statement. But she was right.

            “But…I want this life. I want to live without running, without wondering where my next meal is coming from. Life on that road is hell and I don’t want to go back to it.” Andrea was up and heading out the door.

            “Andrea…” I tried to stop her to remind her of the secret.

            “I know, I know. I won’t tell anyone.” And with that she was gone. Michonne and I looked at each other and she moved to follow. Once the women left, Julius came back into the room with some information.

            “I was outside talking to some of the residents of Woodbury. They seem pretty content here. Things don’t look as bad.” He said with the faint hint of hope in his eyes.

            “Yeah, that’s what Andrea said. But they’re complacent and that’s not a good thing. Even now, I feel naked without a weapon. More importantly, they won’t let us leave. That’s never a good thing.” I told him.

            “Well, they think we can help them. They think we can find…Summers…and find a cure.”

            “Yeah, we have what they want.” I mirrored Michonne’s warning. I hated to think that there were no more good people left in this world but this Governor and Woodbury somehow just felt wrong. Of course I wanted a normal life again, just like Andrea; but we may want something so bad that we blind ourselves to what’s really going on.

            The facts were this: I was kidnapped by the good doctor Julian in the hopes of finding a cure. The doctor’s cohorts were fully prepared to take me to some head honcho in Arlington until they were killed by the friendly men of Woodbury. Now I’m being held in a small town where children play and lemonade is being served charged with locating….myself. There’s so much going on in my head I can barely keep it straight.

            Somewhere in Woodbury in a dark warehouse, two men strategized their plan. The Governor was not who he seemed to be but he had ideas for this town and for Summers. One woman in this world is immune to this infection. From the transmissions they were able to pick up from one Doctor Jenner, they knew that she was female and her name but nothing else. Lately, The Governor had put a campaign in place to round up as many women as they could find. He had scouts out as far as Birmingham, Montgomery, and Augusta.

            He needed to find this woman alive and unharmed. His daughter’s life depended on it. The Governor walked to his room and sat on his empty bed, a small gold framed picture in his hand. He was a man that had lost so much but his story was no different from anyone else’s.  On his way out he noticed the petite pretty blonde that was brought in that same day and he decided to go play nice.

            “Is your room comfortable?” The Governor spoke with smooth tones.

            “Yes, thank you. It’s been a while since I had electricity and running water.” Andrea smiled up at him. She had always considered herself tall for a woman but even she had to look up at him.

            “I know. We’ve had electricity and running water for weeks now but it wasn’t always like this. We started off with just a few of us and we lost some pretty good people along the way. But I’ve been trying to give back some semblance of life before all this with the biters.” The Governor spoke as he walked through the clean streets. Andrea noticed there were no burnt out cars or bodies decomposing on the asphalt.

            “Biters?” She said with a smile.

            “Yeah, that’s what we call them. What do you call them?” He smiled back. She noticed his whole demeanor changed when he smiled.

            “We call them walkers.”

            “Walkers.” He said testing it out. “I like that. Have you lost anyone Andrea?” The question was moot as everyone has lost someone.

            “My sister, Amy. When I lost her I…I wanted to die. I didn’t think there was anything left for me.” Andrea answered honestly.

            “I lost my wife. I felt the same way. The only thing I have to live for now is this town, these people. I want to protect them.” He gestured towards a small group of women chatting in the shade of a tree. Their clothes were not ripped and dirty and they were well fed. Two children, a boy and girl, played tag nearby and life looked as it did before the world ended. “And I believe I know how to protect them. I need to find this woman, Vanessa Summers, she’s supposed to be immune to this infection.”

            “How do you know she’s immune?” Andrea asked cautiously.

            “We received transmissions from a Doctor Jenner. We recorded them and in it he talked about a woman he was working on that didn’t get the fever after being bitten several times. Unfortunately, he didn’t describe her only that she was a woman and her name. There are so many people who would benefit from finding her, don’t you think?” The Governor watched Andrea’s reaction. This woman was good at hiding her thoughts and emotions but not all of them.

            “I hope you find her.” Andrea said after a long pause. “I should go get washed up before we eat, I’m starving.” She smiled and left but the Governor knew she knew something. Make her trust him and make her talk.

To be continued…..