New Sheriff in Town | Rick Grimes x Female OC

5 | Welcome to Atlanta.

Ricks POV.

Driving down empty roads really lets reality sink in. I had no idea with the time that I'd spent in the hospital that the world would've been able to resort to—this.

Trying to radio from the car, I repeat the same words over and over, internally hoping somebody, anybody, will respond back. My words are cut off when a voice speaks up to the right of me.

"Rick. It's been like this for about a month, I think people have given up on trying to contact others around them." Natalie's voice is light, as if she's talking to me like I'm a child who doesn't understand when to stop. I look over at her briefly, her eyes breaking away from her gaze outside the window to stare back at mine. She shakes her head, taking the radio out of my hands as she sets it back onto it holster.

"I know it's hard to admit it, but the world has gone silent-"

"You don't know that for sure." I cut her off, telling myself that more than telling her. "Don't you think that other people, people like us  are out here doing the same? We can't be the only ones."

I watch her from the corner of my eye, her hands fidgeting with the knife laid in her lap. Hesitating for just a moment, I grab the radio again and continue the repetitive loop of the same words.

"Anybody out there; anybody hear me, please respond."

After hearing the static of silence for another five minutes, I finally give up, roughly putting the radio back in its place. After a few more seconds, the car abruptly stops itself. I glance over at the fuel gauge, and to my luck it's pointed right at empty. Pulling down the visor, I look at the picture of Lori and Carl, tucking it away in my jacket before glancing over at Natalie.

"We'll have to go on foot." I watch her nod after hearing my words, opening her door before sliding out, putting her knife away before moving to the trunk. I get out after her, watching her walk towards me with an empty gas canister in her right hand and the duffle bag of guns over her left shoulder.

"I'm afraid we'll be doing that a lot now." She stares at me right before stopping in front of me. She's not as tall as my wife—only a few inches shorter at the very least. "Keeping up with your cardio never hurt anybody." She smiles, walking past me as she hands me the empty gas canister.

"I can carry the guns you know." I try and reason with her, walking behind her from a reasonable distance.

She shakes her head, her recently done-up braid swinging with the motion. "They were mainly my idea, so they're my responsibility." She calls out behind her, readjusting how the strap of the duffle bag lays on her shoulder. One thing that I know for sure is that this woman—Natalie—is going to be a pain in my ass with how defiant she's already being.

After walking some time, Natalie's quick stride keeping me only a few paces behind her, we come across a farm house. It's secluded from majority of the houses around it. Without a second of hesitation, I call out to the seemingly still house in front of us. "Hello? Police officers out here. Can we borrow some gas?" Dropping the gas canister I walk up towards the house, passing Natalie as she lets down the duffle bags slowly. She jogs up next to me, taking her hat off as we both begin to stride up the stairs. Again, in a desperate attempt to make sure not to spook the home owner, I yell out.

"Hello..?" I pause in front of the door, looking in through to glass before knocking against it. "Hello? Anybody home?" I notice Natalie walking along the porch, looking in through one of the side windows. She shuffles over to the other one, abruptly stopping in her tracks as she watches thoughtlessly through the window.