Survival Guide: To Surviving the Living Dead 101

Rule #18

Don't Go Crazy

Don't go crazy. That's all I should really have to say but let's go into why. If you go crazy you could put not only yourself but others in danger. And I know that in this new world that's a little hard. There has been so much death in just the last almost two years. And sure we're used to death. It happens everyday but since the outbreak there has been more deaths than normal. Millions of people died. Millions of people died and came back. Now they're just roaming around the world mindlessly looking for anything that's alive to eat.

Rick has started to go crazy. He kept going to the boiler room where Lori died. Hershel and I both caught him talking on an old landline. The phone wasn't plugged, not that it would have worked if it had been. But he swore he talked to Lori. He also said he talked to Jim, Jacqui, even Amy. Everyone we have lost. Hershel said he was in shock from losing Lori.

He had completely gone off on three survivors that Carl had helped when they came in through the part of the prison that was destroyed. He didn't even look at them, he was looking somewhere else and I started to wonder if he was now seeing her. He seemed to be getting a little better. He started holding the baby. And wasn't running off into the prison. But he still wasn't back to himself completely.

Then a woman who had showed up at our fences holding a basket full of baby formula. She explained to us that Glenn and Maggie had been taken by the guy who had shot her in the leg. They had mentioned which way the prison was. Then she told us about another community called Woodbury and their leader. A man who calls himself The Governor. We had to make a plan and go get Glenn and Maggie back. Rick, Daryl, Me, Oscar, and the woman, Michonne.

Glenn was pretty beaten up. Then Glenn told us who had done that to him. None other than Merle Dixon. The son of a bitch was still alive. Daryl didn't want to leave without him when he found out his brother was still alive. Oscar was killed when we tried to get over the buses they had as a wall. Daryl was captured and we had to go back for him. But of course Merle came along.

No one wanted Merle to come back with us and Daryl wasn't leaving him. "Come on, Daryl. You're so much better than him. You don't need him, he'll only drag you down." He had only looked at me with anger. "Don't act like ya wouldn't do the same with Rick!" While he walked into the woods with Merle the rest of us went back to the prison.

Rick went back to following a ghost and was outside the walls. Maggie didn't want to talk about what had happened to her and Glenn wasn't making it any better. He was angry and that's understandable. I sat in my cell trying to ignore the whole world. I didn't want to admit it but I've been falling more and more for Daryl Dixon. We have been doing everything together. We keep watch together, go out hunting, and clear any walkers near the fences or deeper into the tombs. I didn't want to deal with anything after we got back.

"Aunt YN?" I looked up to see Carl standing at the doorway to my cell. "Hey, buddy, what's up?' I asked. He sighed, "could you go out and get dad? He's outside the fence just walking around. I'm kind of worried." I ran my hand down my face and stood up. I wasn't going to tell my nephew no. "Yeah. I'll go out and see if I can get him to come back in," I told him. "Hershel's out there but I don't think dad's listening." I nodded my head, stopped beside him, took his hat off and kissed the top of his head before replacing his hat.

When I walked outside I could see Heashel down in the yard, gripping the fence. Michonne was standing over by the overturned bus. I walked towards the gate and Carl opened it for me then closed it as he followed me down to the one that led outside the fences. He made sure to shut it after I was through. I could see Rick in the trees walking around, mumbling to himself. I walked across the small little bridge that was one the stream.

"Rick?" I called out for him. It's like he didn't even hear me. "Rick!" I said a little louder. There were a couple walkers nearby and I didn't want to catch their attention. He looked around until he saw me then finally walked over to me. "What're you doing out here?" I asked. He looked around, "stuff and things," he said. "Stuff and things? What kind of stuff and things?" I asked. He looked at me and frowned. "You shouldn't be out here. It's not safe." I raised an eyebrow, "it's not safe? Then why are you out here, Rick? You're worrying Carl and everyone else."

That's when gunshots sounded in the air. Rick tackled me to the ground and covered me with his body. Our people responded quickly and started shooting at whoever was shooting at us. I could only assume it was the governor and his people. An ice cream like truck slammed into the gate and let out a bunch of walkers after it came to a stop. Michonne kicked into action to kill them and get to Hershel.

Rick and I were trying to fight off walkers that were being attracted to the sound. Both of us were running out of ammo and having to switch to our knives. "Fuck!" I yelled when a walker caught me off guard making me drop my knife. I struggled to keep it off of me. "Rick!" He was further down from me trying to get past the walkers that were in the way only to end up having to hold off his own walker from biting him.

I lost balance when I stumbled back, and fell to the ground. The walker came with me and snapped his teeth in my face. I held it back with one arm trying to feel around for my knife. "Rick!" I yelled again, losing my grip on the walker. More walkers started to approach. "Yn!" I heard Rick yelling. I couldn't die, not like this. I gasped when a knife pierced through its skull and was thrown off of me. I looked up to see Daryl holding his hand out for me. I grabbed it and he pulled me up, turning around and pushing me behind him. We were able to make it back to the entrance and get into the prison safely.