The Swan Verse: A Walking Dead Fanfiction

Chapter 3 - Growing Pains

- Three Weeks Later -

Some time had gone by since William, Harper, Alison and Lucy had been dropped off on the farm and their father had fled to the city.

The initial broadcasts stopped after a few days, despite brief descriptions of this new virus that they had heard on the radio, none of them were a whole lot wiser as to what was really going on.

A week after the siblings had been dropped off, the television and phones stopped working and there were said to have been bombings in the city. This obviously panicked them, especially Ali, who cried for a whole day at the possibility of never seeing her father again.

Lucy didn't end up staying with Beth, but luckily this was down to Beth's boyfriend Jimmy showing up on the farm needing a place to stay so it didn't look too bad on the youngest Swan sibling, despite her overall enjoyment about it.

Everyone was put to work. The end of the world or not, everyone had jobs to do as they were still on a working farm, which required upkeep and maintenance. William joined Shawn and Otis tending the farm, while Hershel kept an eye on the animals. Annette, Maggie, Beth, Harper and Ali kept the house going, focusing on cleaning and cooking. Lucy was told she had to do what all the other women were doing but the misogyny was becoming too much for her, she wasn't one to keep her head down.

Lucy had fled the house, she couldn't be bothered listening to all the women chit chatting about useless bullshit. She mumbled to herself as she practised throwing her knives at a hay bale "Don't put those spices in the stew. Who's doing the washing up?" She mocked in a bitter tone.

Ali had not seen her sister in a little while and was growing slightly concerned. She knew all too well that this lifestyle was hard for Lucy to adapt to, it was hard for her too. Alison had gone from never lifting a finger her whole life to scrubbing floors and helping with laundry, but weirdly enough she didn't mind, there was a sense of togetherness and family on the farm that she had never experienced at home.

Even if she did have to help with the cooking and the washing up, sitting down for meals on an evening was such a simple pleasure for her so she really didn't mind.

Placing the tea towel down that she was using, Ali wiped her hands on her jeans as she headed out to locate her sister. It wasn't hard to guess where she'd be, there were only a few places on the farm to hide and the hay bales seemed to be Lucy's favourite.

"You're really good with those," Alison said, in relation to her sister's knife throwing abilities, as she approached her.

"You should have brought your bow with you" She spoke as she collected her knives looking at her sister, noticing the wet stains on her jeans. "You enjoying yourself?" She raised a brow curiously, gesturing with the knife to her jeans.

Ali shook her head, looking down at the damp patches on the denim that were drying quickly in the Georgia heat. "About as much as you are" She began "but it's better than being out here on our own" Alison said with a half smile, wishing that her sister was even a little bit more grateful for the shelter that they had been given on the farm.

"You know I like being alone, plus I'm not like you Ali, I can't just slap a smile on my face and deal with things" She remarked with a shrug.

Ali sighed softly "I know this is hard for you" She said "But you just need to try, I guess. Everything can be kinda fun if you want it to be" She concluded, offering a smile.

"You always know how to find the good in every situation..." She gave her sister a genuine compliment before continuing "Look as much as I like Hershel, I don't like his misogynistic attitude"

Alison pondered her statement before responding. "Hershel is just... traditional, that's all" She said, defending the man who had technically been more paternal toward her than her own father. "I know it's different than we are used to but I think if you gave it a chance, you'd see it's not so bad" Ali encouraged.

"I'd rather be out in the fields with Will or looking after Rocky" She spoke, referring to her horse that she had in the stables. "I need to keep up my strength, especially as we don't know what this virus is all about"

Ali nodded "I know, I know, but the boys seem to have it handled" She said "Tell you what" Alison began "if we help make dinner, and we do it quickly, i'm sure Hershel won't mind if we take the horses out for a run around the grounds tonight?" Ali offered, her brow arched. Truthfully, the idea of just getting some fresh air on horseback was exciting to her, but even more so if it meant she could spend time with Lucy.

Lucy let out a sigh "Fine, but help me talk to Hershel?" She asked, raising a brow back at her, being like a little mirror image of Ali. Truth is, despite their differences, they were more alike than either one realised.

"Deal" Ali said, offering her hand out to shake. "C'mon, let's go in. Sooner we get started, the sooner we can go out riding" She smiled, turning back to head into the house and make a start on dinner. Annette mentioned something about meat pie, which seemed easy enough to make.

Lucy shook her hand tightly with a smirk and followed closely behind Ali, putting away her knives back into their holster which was attached to her belt.

Lucy was enthralled about making the dinner much like she had expected, however she had to admit that spending time with Maggie and Ali was nice, and made her feel somewhat at home.

Ali spoke to Hershel after dinner was concluded and cleared up, to which he agreed that they could spend some time giving the horses a run as long as the sisters didn't leave the property, which they agreed to. "You ready?" Ali asked Lucy as she pulled her boots on, ready for riding.

"You bet" Lucy smiled at her sister and tightened her Dr Martins before heading down to the field to see Rocky once again. Lucy climbed the fence and gave Rocky a few pets, a smile on her face. "I missed you buddy" She spoke to him softly.

Ali followed behind her sister, and greeted her horse - Lady. She gave her a few pets before saddling her up and getting on. She allowed her to trot for a little bit, just to get her settled before she broke into a canter and finally began to gallop.

"You coming?' Ali yelled back at her sister as she galloped away, her chocolate brown hair loose in the wind.

Lucy hopped onto Rocky and sped after Ali with a laugh, Rocky galloping away, the sound of the birds tweeting and hoofs clapping on the floor filled the air as the orange hues from the sunset made for a peaceful ride. Lucy's dyed black locks flew back in the wind and she soon sped past Ali "Hurry up" She yelled with a laugh.

Alison shook the reigns and Lady obeyed and began to gallop faster, as she laughed at this stupid race she was having with her sister. It was rare for them to agree on much, but times like this were the times that Alison really cherished.

Minutes turned into an hour until it was almost pitch black outside and it was time to head in for the night.

"That was fun," Alison said to her sister with a beaming smile. "It was nice to spend time with you" She smiled.

"It was" Lucy smiled "I missed just spending time with you outside of the house you know? I still don't know why dad never sold it after mom died.." She trailed off.

Ali nodded with a sombre expression across her face. Any mention of their mother made her stomach drop at the thought that Lucy still didn't know what really happened to her so she always tried to change the subject.

"Well the house was close to school for you, and close enough that I could come see Maggie on college breaks" Alison shrugged "No matter what, it's always our home - with or without Mom" Ali said with a gentle smile as the pair walked slowly back to the farm house.

"Yeah...I guess you're right...yet again" She laughed at the end, feeling bad for ruining their nice evening.