Haven (A Walking Dead fanfiction)

Chapter 1

The dry Autumn leaves crunch under my feet as I run as fast as I can through the deep woods. My long brown hair flows in the breeze behind me. My stomach aches as I run, hunger eating away at me. I look back over my shoulder, and see the group of Z's I'm trying to get away from close on my trail. There's only about a dozen of them. I have no doubt in my mind that I could take them all out on a normal day, but not today. I'm weak. I haven't slept in days and I haven't eaten in even longer. So, I keep running. I skid to a stop as I reach a small cliff that leads down to a creek. I drop the backpack I've been carrying and turn to face my impending doom. I pull the pistol my brother gave me out of my jeans, and start taking out the Z's one by one, still trying to catch my breath. I make six clean shots to the head, I aim at the next lame brain but when I pull the trigger instead of the sound of a gunshot, an uneasy click meets my ears.

"Shit." I mumble as I start to panic. I remove the magazine and realize I'm out of bullets. I drop the useless gun to the ground and grab my pocket knife from my boot. I lunge forward, stabbing the dead freak closest to me in the eye. I try to pull the knife back but it gets stuck. It falls to the ground with the dead Z. I take a step back, wobbling on the edge of the cliff as the first of the remaining Z's stumble awkwardly toward me. I squeeze my eyes shut, anticipating my demise as I stand there defenseless. I wait for the decaying creature to reach me, preparing myself for the pain. Maybe it'll be quick, I hope. Part of me is ready for this all to me over. No more fear, no more hunger. I hope the afterlife is better than this. But to my surprise the pain never comes, the  moans of the dead have stopped. Am I imagining it? Maybe I've finally lost it. My eyes fly open when a twig snaps a few feet in front of me. I instinctively reach for my knife, using all my strength to yank it from the eye socket it rests in. The second its free I lift it, holding it out in front of me defensively. A raged man with blueish-green eyes stands in front of me, his crossbow aimed at the middle of my forehead.

"Who the hell are you?" I ask, on guard. The Z's may be dead, but I've learned first hand that the living are the real monsters.

"The man that just saved yer life little girl." He snaps back, shifting his crossbow as he takes a step closer. I want to step back away from him, but the dirt beneath my feet is already beginning to crumbles and slide down the cliff. One more step and I'd go over the edge.

"My hero." I mumble sarcastically. He smirks at me, lowering his crossbow a little. I lower my knife, watching him curiously. He slowly reaches his hand out, gently grabbing my chin. He turns my head to the side, examining the bruise under my eye, that I acquired from a run-in with a group a few days ago. I instinctively pull my face away. I'm trapped. Maybe I could try to fight my way past him, I wonder. 

"You bit?" He asks me, removing his hand. I can't help but sigh with relief.  

"No...you got a group?" He shifts, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. Maybe I won't have to fight him after all. 

"Yeah...you got a name?"

"Hailey." I answer cautiously.

"Well Hailey, what the hell are you waiting for? Let's go. I ain't got all day." He says impatiently.

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't." He says bluntly, before starting to walk away. I respect his honesty. If he had something to hide he could have lied, used some sort of rouse to get me to follow him, but he didn't. I don't know if it's my naivety or the fact that I'm just plain stupid, but I grab my stuff and decide to follow after him. Besides, trusting him is worth the risk. His group could have a camp and hopefully food. I'm too exhausted to chance walking away from that. 

"Why not?" I ask him curiously as I follow him blindly through the woods.

"You don't know anythin' about me."

"Well, do you have a name?...or should I just call you 'The raggedy man from the woods'?"

"Raggedy huh?" He scoffs. He doesn't say anything else and I decide not to break the silence. "Daryl." He says after a while.

"What are doing out here Daryl?"

"Lookin' for a little girl. Blonde hair, wearin' a blue t-shirt. You seen her?"

"No...sorry." He nods, then changes the subject.

"What's a kid like you doin' out here all on yer own?"

"I'm not a kid...not anymore, and I'm looking for my brother." I sigh sadly.

"Odds are he's walker food by now." Daryl says coldly.

"No...you don't know my brother. He was a cop and he's one of the toughest guys I know. He's alive." Daryl nods, sending us into silence once again. I get lost deep in thought as we walk. I know my brother's alive. He has to be.

"We're here." Daryl announces gruffly, snapping me from my thoughts. I look around and see a beautiful white farm house, seemingly untouched by death and decay. Cows graze the fields and I notice a horse stable and a big red barn partially secluded from the rest of the property. Part of me thinks I could be hallucinating. "Come on, let's go find the rest of my group." I nod a sudden wave of nausea and fear washing over me. Who knows what I could be walking into. As we near the big white house I see a group of people looking at something displayed across the hood of a car. A small fragile looking women with short grey hair approaches Daryl.

"Did you find anything?" She asks him hopefully.

"Sorta." He replies, gesturing toward me. They all look up at me. My mouth drops open, the fear automatically disappearing when I see a face I never expected to see here. His hand flies over his mouth, his eyes watery.

"Hails...?" He asks on the verge of tears.

"Shane!" I scream as I run to him. I jump into his arms, burying my head in the crook of his neck. I cry happily into his shirt as he does the same. He squeezes me tight, lifting me off the ground.

"I never thought I would see you agian...Oh God...Hailey." He says still crying.

"I knew you were alive. I never gave up Shane. Not once." He smiles down at me, as he places me back on the ground.

"I take it you two know each other?" Daryl asks smugly. I turn and see Shane's best friend Rick standing at the car. I run over to him and give him a huge hug. I was really close with his family before the world went to shit, he was like another brother to me. I used to babysit his son, Carl.

"Everyone, this is Shane's sister Hailey."