𝘎𝘙𝘈𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘠, 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘹𝘰𝘯

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 2

Ella was fast asleep on her cot as Harper laid on her sleeping bag. They only had a certain amount of cots, Harper gave Ella hers while she took a sleeping bag. Harper has had a hard time sleeping, even before the world ended two weeks ago. This night was no different, although she was worried for her group that would be leaving for the city in the morning.

After tossing and turning for hours on end, she decided to head out of the tent and smoke a cigarette. She took her lighter and lit the end just as she saw somebody coming out of their tent. Unluckily for her, it was Daryl Dixon.

Daryl looked over at her before throwing his crossbow over his shoulder and walking past her. But not before Harper could ask her question "Where ya going?" Daryl just kept walking, "Hunting."

"You are so lovely to talk to! We are going to be best friends, I can feel it!" She whisper-yells, knowing he can hear her. The man throws his hand in the air and continues walking. Harper put her cigarette out and went to her sleeping bag trying to sleep for at least a few hours.

"Be safe, yeah?" Harper tells Glenn as she pats his shoulder and Ella gives him a tight hug. The little girl pulls away and smiles at him, "Yeah Glenny. Bring me back another candy if you can find one!"

Glenn laughs, "Yeah kiddo. I'll keep an eye out. No promises though." Ella shook her head up and down before she and Harper both walked off to talk to Dale and Shane. Once they walked up to them, Harper spoke, "Hey, I'm taking Ella out to get some practice and knowledge. We'll just be right out there, still in Dale's line of vision." 

"You think that's smart? She is just a little girl." Shane stated. Harper couldn't care less about what he thought. Ella was her responsibility, and she is going to do whatever she thinks is best. "Yes Shane, I do. In this world, you ain't a little girl or a little boy. You are alive. I plan to keep her that way." With that, she walked off, taking her sister with her. 

The two girls made their way into the woods. Harper didn't know what to start with, there was never any dead up where they were. She would just stick the the basics. How to hold a knife seems to be the safest for right now. 

"Hold it like this. This way you have a better grip." Harper told her little sister as she handed her the survival knife. The little girl takes it and holds it the way her sister showed her cautiously. Harper knew Ella was scared, but it was a necessity now. 

"Why do I need to do this? Aren't you always going to protect me?" Ella asked seriously.

"I may not always be there. Nobody may be there. You need to know how to protect yourself. It's just something you need to know, especially with the way the world is now." Ella held the knife out to her sister and spoke, "You don't think someone is going to save us? Save the world?"

The older girl let out a sign, "I don't know. Until then, you will learn to survive." Harper then walked away from her sister and the knife. "Now, hold it how I showed you. When you are faced with one, you always stab them in the head. The head is the only way to kill them. Since you are pretty short, you won't be able to stab them in the head, so hit their knees. It will cause them to fall, and then you can handle them." Ella shook her head up and down, telling her sister she understood. 

Harper grabbed her sister by her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, "I know you don't like this, but you do understand why it's necessary, right?" Ella looked up at her, "Yes." Harper brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. "Alright, let's head back."

It was around noon when the radio system Shane brought went off, " Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice?" All heads perk up as Amy and Dale run towards the radio. Amy responded to the voice, "Hey. Hello?" Harper stood up and made her way to stand next to Dale when a voice came through again, "Can you hear my voice?"

"Yes, I can hear you. You're coming through. Over." 

"If anybody reads, please respond. Broadcasting on the emergency channel. Will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85. If anybody reads, please respond." 

"We're just outside the city," Amy responds. Harper sighs and puts her hands on her hips, "He clearly can't hear us." Amy tries again, "Hello? Hello?" No response. The blonde turns to look at Dale who was right next to her, "I couldn't warn him."

Dale tells her to try again and waves over Shane, "Come on, son, you know best how to work this thing." Shane throws his axe into the tree stump that had the radio on it. He picked up the walkie and spoke, "Hello, hello. Is the person who called still on the air?" Static. "This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown. Please respond." Again, static.

Carl and Ella came over with Lori, waiting for the mystery man to respond. "He's gone," Shane says quietly as he puts the walkie back down. Lori breaks the silence, "There are others. It's not just us."

Shane looks up at her, "We knew there would be, right? That's why we left the C.B. on." "A lot of good it's been doing," Lori responds. Shane shakes his head and mutters a small 'okay'. "And I've been saying for a week, that we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city."

"Folks got no idea what they're getting into," Amy agreed. Shane stands up and addresses both women, "Well, we haven't had time." Harper decides to stay quiet, letting the others figure it out. She walks towards Ella and brushes her hair out of her face and smiles down at her. 

Lori wasn't giving up though, "I think we need to make time." Shane rubs his hand down his stubble that has grown in the last two weeks, "Yeah, that- that's a luxury we can't afford. We are surviving here. We are day-to-day." Dale backs Shane up and speaks again, "And who the hell would you propose we send?" 

Harper let out a soft laugh. Dale and Shane were right. Who would go? What could happen? They had to think about themselves. It's a sad truth, but they had to be selfish, more now than ever. Lori looks behind her shoulder at the woman and then back at the man with a serious face, "I'll go. Give me a vehicle."

Harper wanted to laugh again. Lori wasn't the type to go. She was always washing clothes or cooking, along with Amy and Carol. She doesn't have a clue how to survive on her own. "Nobody goes anywhere alone. You know that." Shane told her. Lori walked away with an attitude, Carl following. Shane steps in front and stops him from moving, "Hey hey hey. Go on, take a seat, bud. You're alright." Carl starts walking back to Ella and Harper as Shane follows his mom. 

𝗔𝗡: hiiii ! 1st episode is done. i hope you enjoyed and are excited for this story to take off. love you all !