Compass • Rick Grimes

Chapter One

"I'm pushing up daisies, I wish they were roses,
I feel like I'm drowning but nobody knows it."

In a world of the living and the walking dead how do you survive?

What must you do to keep living?

How far would you go to keep your loved ones safe?

Those are the questions I ask myself every single day. And honestly? I cannot answer them. This new world is harsh, it's cold.

It's survival of the fittest.

It's both a blessing and a curse for me to still be here. My husband reminds me of it every time he throws me to the ground.

Sometimes I wish the earth would swallow me. Like now for instance.
I lay in the dirt, shaking pathetically. The fire's dying light was my only company and the crisp summer air felt good against my black eye.

What did I do to deserve this?

The night sky did not answer me and neither did any of the sleeping campers. I felt like I was drowning at the best of times but now the dead had risen and I was completely screwed in the most collosal of ways.

I was cut off from the rest of the world, living day to day with my abusive husband. The fear of death creeped around every corner, even on the good days. How much of a kick in the teeth was that? To fear both the living and the dead?

Pulling myself into a sitting position I thought about the others, savouring the quiet.
There was Lori and Carl Grimes. Carl was a sweet kid with the best intentions. His mother was nice, however, I didn't fail to notice the looks she exchanged with another named Shane Walsh. It struck me as odd, after hearing of the recent death of the father. Maybe I was over thinking but something didn't sit quite right with me.

Shane himself was an alpha male just like my husband Nathan. Both of them carried an air of authority and in a time with no civilisation they were exactly what the camp wanted.

Carol, Sophia and Ed Peletier. Carol and Sophia were in the same boat as me; we all saw the bruises, the way Ed ordered them around.

It broke me to see everyone turn a blind eye. As much as I wanted to speak up I feared the repercussions.

Nathan had everyone wrapped around his stupid finger. He was charming, strong, a natural born leader. He exuded charisma.

But that only lasted for so long before the manipulation started. Then the verbal abuse, followed by sexual and physical.
If you put a frog into boiling water it will jump out. If you put a frog into cold water and then heat it till boiling point it will stay there until it dies.

T-dog, Glenn, Jacqui and the Morales family were good people. They helped me with the chores regularly and never failed to brighten my day.

Last of all, the Dixons.

Merle Dixon was quite simply a thorn in everyone's side. He was a loud mouthed asshole who didn't know when to stop.

His younger brother Daryl Dixon was different. He was reserved and quiet but very observant. Too observant.

The archer kept a close eye on me whenever Nathan was around. We had spoken only a few words between us but regularly found ourselves sitting together, enjoying each other's company.

I had been stuck in my thoughts long enough for the sun to reach up from the horizon.
Cursing myself for the sleep I probably wouldn't get I made my way back into the tent, being careful not to wake Nathan.

I didn't fancy a second black eye.

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Why does this suck? 😭