Fear the Walking Dead [Nick Clark]

20. [Season 1]

❝ THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE A MAD WORLD, IS TO EMBRACE THE MADNESS. ❞ 

Survivors. Heroes. Lucky. Fighters.

Those were some of the labels that could describe these people the best. But those were not the qualities they were feeling about themselves. Yes, they were lucky, but no heroes; and yes, they were survivors, but not fighters. They had been thrown into a world of danger and death with no warning, and their actions would be judged from now on, whether they'd be good or bad. Until this point, all of them had done something terrible, something that made them ashamed of themselves, something they would regret until the day they'd die, (whether it'd be close or not) because they would die. And to prevent that from happening anytime soon: They would have to become what they once weren't.

No one was born ready to face this kind of imminent danger: a virus or bacteria capable of bringing back the dead; those who would roam the earth in moaning packs, ready to bite, eat, rip apart... But some, thought Allison as she stared at Nick, some had the exact amount of training during their lives. Nicholas' head lolled out of the window at the back seat of Madison's car as they drove away into the empty city of Los Angeles. 

Eyes narrowed in deep thought, hair disheveled with the wind and a peaceful aura surrounding him. It was contagious. Nick is finally free and he knows it. The playing field has been leveled and everyone is now playing the game he's been winning for years. And as Allison took in his small smile he gave her, she knew this was his exact moment of clarity. Victor Strand, the dark-skinned man in a suit that had saved Nick, sat on Allison's left, Bailey asleep on her lap. He had suggested that the group would go to his ocean front home.

Some roamers (Allison decided to start calling them that), could be seen on the freeway, moaning and groaning as the black car drove by, not once stopping. Travis' white trunk was following behind them, carrying the remaining of the group.

"Shit," Mumbled Nick as he stared up ahead.

Allison followed his gaze: Los Angeles' beautiful skyscrapers were emitting smoke, houses were or had been burning; it was unrecognizable. They continued driving in silence, for at least an hour, finding a crashed helicopter on the way, a roamer groaning at them as they passed. They reached their destination, a beautiful house at the shore.

"Come." and they did, hopping out the vehicles, and following Strand toward the automatic grid.

"Grid is dead," pointed out Nick, incredulous. But Strand ignored him, pushing on the buttons and, surprisingly enough, the grid opened with a loud beeping sound.

"Generators kick on when the power dies." He explained proudly, leading the way inside the house without one second look at them. Allison glanced around at the group, her eyes landing on Nick who still seemed unsure and a tad embarrassed at the man's response. She grinned playfully at him.

"You heard the man, Nicholas" She said, squeezing Bailey's hand and following behind him. "Generators." She yelled over her shoulder.

She could see Alicia smiling deviously at her brother, earning a small punch on her arm. "Seriously, I never thought about generators." She could hear them arguing from afar, "That's because you never stop and think Nick. Never did."

The house looked even more beautiful on the inside; every little object screamed 'expensive'. She was afraid to lay her fingers on anything. The rest of the group followed her inside, soon after, their expressions mirroring her own as they scanned the house: Astonishment.

"Anyone hungry?" asked Strand, a small welcoming smile plastered on his lips. "Help yourself." He crouched down at Bailey's height, ruffling with her braid. "Want some ice cream? There's some on the refrigerator."

Bailey's head nodded shyly. "Thank you." Said Allison, walking toward the enormous kitchen with the little girl. Bailey sits at a shiny metallic stool at the corner, while Allison digs through the refrigerator. She felt weird and evasive, going through other people's stuff, especially a strange man. She found a strawberry Popsicle, among others and retrieved one, handing it to the blonde girl.

People began to settle in, Ofelia and Daniel taking the couch as others wandered around, studying the house, learning their ways around. Ofelia's injured arm was still bleeding, so Liza joined them, aiding the woman the best she could. Allison walked toward a huge window, staring out at the ocean. She could see Madison and Nick in the balcony, talking. She felt relieved, knowing that he was alright, that he was here now, with them, with her... And to top it all, Bailey was here as well, safe and sound.

She glanced over her shoulder with a warm smile, watching the small blonde enjoying her Popsicle. And for a moment she forgot everything: that the world had gone to shit, her dad had died, Griselda and so many more.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, taking her by surprise. "You alright?" Nick's voice sounded. She let out a small sigh before nodding her head. "I'm going to do some exploring. Want to come?"

Allison's eyes focused on the floor as she thought, and she threw a small glance at Bailey who was with Alicia by the counter, both smiling as they spoke.

She turned to face Nick, who was giving her a hopeful smile. "Ok." She breathed out.

They walked down the fancy hallways, taking in the amazing decoration as they did so. Nick looked nervous, he kept fidgeting with his hands, his eyes glancing from Allison toward the floor and back at Allison.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." But the small, flustered smile on his face said otherwise. "It's just—Damn." He groaned, sighing deeply. "I need to tell you something. Something...very important."

They stopped by a door. He grabbed her hands with his shaky ones, smiling slightly. Her heart thumped against her ribs. "Allison, you're amazing and I'm sorry for everything that's happened a-and shit, I know now's not the time but back when you first moved to LA I-" He was stopped by a thumping sound. He turned to face Strand, who had accidently knocked over a frame while picking up some clothes hurriedly and placing them inside a bag.

Nick's eyebrow's furrowed. "Where are you going?"

She felt slightly awkward as Strand turned to face them swiftly, his eyes landing on their interlaced hands. She dropped Nick's hands slowly, throwing him a small grin. "I'm going to go check on Bailey."

Walking back toward the kitchen, felt like walking on a maze: she got lost a few times, entering empty rooms and large bathrooms, but soon spotted Liza, who was hugging Chris tenderly before leaving outside, Madison following not too long after her.

"Where did you get the Popsicle?" Asked Alicia, who was braiding Bailey's hair on the couch. "I want one too."

"Make that two." Said Chris happily, while jumping off the stool and taking a seat next to Alicia. Allison smiled, while walking toward the refrigerator. "Why not three?" She chanted, thinking she should eat one too. 

She took off three green, apple flavored, Popsicles and handed two to Chris and Alicia respectively. "Hey, let's go outside." Suggested Chris. Bailey hopped off Alicia's lap excitedly, grabbing Allison's hand.

"Alright, alright" Allison laughed quietly. "Let's go outside."

They stood outside, licking their ice creams happily, as they stared at the vast blue water. The wind was warm and the sun welcoming. It all felt so natural. She couldn't help but wish fate would give them time to settle in, time to breath in with no worries. Just time. Time with each other. Because all she thought about in that moment, was that she could've had more time with her parents. To tell them she loved them, say good bye, make sure they're alright.

But fate had other plans for them as the hairs at the back of their neck lift and chills ran through their body; the sound of a gunshot echoing around the beach.