Born to Die

1

Alli
On the news they told us about a disease. It's how we're all going to die apparently, and they barely know anything about it. The whole thing is screwed up, people die, but they move around like they're alive, just without a mind, or a soul. My name's Alli Wells, that's my mom's last name at least, but I prefer my dad's name "Dixon" even though he was hardly in my life. Not like it matters anymore, I'm stuck in what seems like the end of the world.

I grew up in South Carolina, minutes from the border of Georgia, so it wasn't a huge surprise when my family tried to go to Atlanta. The traffic was unbelievable though, we didn't move more than an inch within the hour, that's when my stepdad just decided it'd be safer to go somewhere else. The truck ran out of gas before we could even get far enough away from the city to be worth something.

Without the truck, it wasn't long until my family got picked apart. There were a lot of herds when we walked through the woods, we were only able to avoid one before it got them all. The crowd came through unexpectedly, my stepdad and mom were bit before my sister and I could even start to run. As hard as it was to leave my parents behind, I knew that Brooke and I didn't exactly have a choice.

She only ended up surviving one more day than my mom and stepdad. A walker got her unexpectedly as well. I stabbed the walker that bit her, then against everything I wanted, she made me stab her too, she didn't want to suffer anymore.

I didn't find shelter until a few weeks after that. There was a pretty secluded neighborhood where I was able to clear out a house. I never really took the chance to find other people again. Everyday I had a routine: wake up, scavenge, go back. I was done with taking chances, and things lasted like that for almost 3 years, until the day I met Carl.

I had just gotten done scavenging for the day, but when I came home to unlock the door, it was already pried open. I left my things at the door, pulling out my knife as I began to work my way around the house. I kept every room empty except mine, so most likely that's where someone would be. I crept up the stairs, listening for any sign of a person, only hearing a faint voice from behind the door of my room.

Carl
"Damn, I knew we shouldn't have split up." Michonne spoke through the walkie "I told you, I'm fine. I can stay the night in this place, we can meet up in the morning. It's not ideal, but it's less dangerous than looking for each other in the dark." I tell her and I heard a sigh through the static. "Alright, let me know when you wake up, we'll figure out where to meet." She agrees and I press the "talk" button again "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." I say, putting the walkie into my holster.

I hear a creaking on the stairs, I guess a walker got in, I forgot to close the door downstairs. I turn on my flashlight and pull out my knife, then I opened the door.

Alli
The door opens suddenly, revealing a boy, shining a bright ass light in my face. "Will you turn off that goddamn light?!" I snap at him and he obeys quickly. "Sorry, I thought you were a walker." He apologizes, referring to the roamers, I like his name for them better.

"Now, what the hell are you doing in my house?" I ask and he perks up "oh- I- um was scavenging, then it got dark so I couldn't meet up with my group, I was gonna stay here till morning." He explains himself and I debate with myself if he could stay, taking a look at him. He wasn't much taller than I was, his eyes were a pigmented blue, and his hair was long and dark. He wore a sheriff hat. It intrigued me, it must have some kind of story.

"What's your name?" I ask him and he responds quickly "Carl. Carl Grimes." He answers, extending his hand for me to shake it. I looked at it for a moment then took it, shaking it as I spoke "Alli Dixon" I had decided to go by my dad's last name, since my mom is dead anyway. He smiled a bit when I said my name, as if this was familiar to him. "I guess you can stay the night here, but I swear to God if you try to pull anything on me, I will kill you." I warned, earning a nod from him.

"Thanks." He grinned as he spoke to me "not in here though, this is my room." I tell him, nodding my head towards the door. He left the room and I shut my door, locking it, and as I remembered the stuff I had left downstairs, for the first time that I could remember, I felt calm enough to leave it there.