Scars

01 Guts

I grab both of my katanas out of the sheath on my back and start swinging in every direction, fighting off a group of about 10 walkers. As I slice the last one's head off, even more blood splattering on me, I run down the alley between my old apartment building and what used to be an office building. 

This whole apocalypse thing has been going on for maybe a month now and I'm not sure if there's a single damn soul left on this planet besides me. I climb up the fire escape and slide through the window to my bedroom. God, what I wouldn't give to have a hot shower. I walk through the living room to the kitchen.

Damn. I barely have any food left. 

I swear I had some more yesterday. Or was it the day before that? Fuck. I don't know anymore. I sigh and grab my backpack from off the counter. I'll try to find something, maybe I can go to the grocery store. If it isn't overrun, that is. 

When this whole thing started, I was with my little brother Sam. I tried to protect him, but it just wasn't enough. We were running through town trying to get back to my apartment when a walker just came out of nowhere. I heard his blood-curdling scream before I saw him. I jammed my Bowie knife into the walker's head, while he was eating my brother's intestines. His little blonde head had turned red from the blood. He was already gone by the time I got over to him.

Ten. He was only ten. He did not deserve this. But then again, no one really does.

As soon as I started climbing down the fire escape, the alley flooded with walkers. I immediately started climbing back up, all the way up to the roof. There was another fire escape on the other side. There was a department store on the side of my apartment building, that I was running towards. 

As I look over the edge of the roof towards the main road, I see a whole giant horde of walkers chomping down on a large animal. The horde of walkers were mostly along the main road. There's also a goddamn tank down there. 

Wait, why are walkers crowding and swarming around the tank? Shit, maybe there's a person in there. Maybe I'm not alone after all. Most of the walkers have moved from the tank over to the large animal. Wait, there's a person getting out the top hatch of the tank and making a run for it! He's running towards the side of the building that I'm going down. 

There's another guy with a baseball cap waiting for him. "Hey" I yell at them. They look at me and then back at each other. The guy with the baseball cap motions for me to come with them. "We have a group. Come with us" I jump down from the fire escape and follow them up the ladder of the department store. 

Once we get onto the roof, the guy with the baseball hat turns to me. "Do you have any others with you?" I shook my head. "I'm Glenn. Glenn Rhee." The man with the cowboy hat from the tank smiles at me "I'm Rick Grimes." I nodded. I noticed he was dressed like a cop. "Dani Mathis." Rick looked back at Glenn and asked "Are you the one who barricaded the alley?" 

I look back over the edge. I didn't notice the barricade before. Glenn thought for a second. "Somebody did... I guess when the city got overrun. Whoever did it was thinking not many geeks would get through." 

Glenn turned and motioned for us to follow him. We went down another ladder on the other side.  Glenn took out a walkie-talkie. "I'm back. Got 2 guests plus four geeks in the alley." I looked at Glenn and asked, "How many people do you have in your group?" He squinted at me. "There are five others with me, but we have a camp."  

Glenn leads us down a rickety set of stairs. Two men come out of the building wearing protective gear and holding baseball bats. They bash a couple of walkers brains in while Rick, Glenn, and I get inside the store. As soon as we get in the store, this blonde-haired lady points a gun in Rick's face.