The Start Of The End (Daryl Dixon fan fiction)

Chapter 1- Strength In Numbers

The start of the end has begun. The breakout hit, the dead started to rise and survival chances are minimal. Specially when left alone. No family, no friends, no one to rely on. My group had left me, or maybe I left them, due to the fact that I don't kill the living and they certainly did. Why kill a perfectly healthy and capable man that they found in the forest? Assess him and see if he is threat or not and then solve the problem one way or another. But don't kill the living unless they are not planning on harming you. Morals don't  matter anymore, but they do for me. I know that there is strength in numbers but even though it was the apocalypse I wouldn't bow down to my knees and give up my ways of living. Alone is better than with bad company.

I was walking through the woods in annoyance thinking about the incident at my camp. I had woken up before sunrise and stolen some stash to get by for some days. Some cans of beans, granola bars, water, a blanket, a gun, ammo and a hunting knife that I kept in my backpack. I walked along a river cause water always had the ability of calming me down and the soft sound would give me goosebumps. Even though I really didn't have a plan for the near future I tried to not think about it too much. I was just going to keep walking for some days and then try to find someplace safe to rest for some couple of days. And hopefully find some food too because the beans would only last about three days or so. But for now, I just followed the river and hoped to get somewhere.

I hadn't seen too many walkers yet. Just had to kill a couple of them that came across my way. There were no signs that there were herds nearby so I didn't need to panic so much. It didn't mean that I could let my guard down though.

My body stopped for a second when I heard a branch snapping not too far away from me. It didn't sound like a walker. My knife was already in my hand when I looked around to find the source of the sound. There was a man in the distance, he seemed to be walking towards my direction but he hadn't noticed me yet. Hoping to not get caught by the man I hid behind a tree and kept my mouth quiet. The footsteps got closer and closer to me and I felt his presence behind me.

"Shit." I sighed when I saw the man standing in front of me with his crossbow pointing at me.

"Who are you?" The man asked me. He had long, brown, side parted hair that covered his eye.

"Isa. You?" I held my hands up showing that I was not going to try to attack him.

"Stand up." He demanded.

"Ok. Your wish is my command, sir." He frowned at my sarcastic response. "Listen, I am wearing weapons, if that is what you are wondering. But I am not planning on using them on you." I lowered my hands while he still pointed the crossbow at me. "So why don't you let me go and you can keep doing your thing and I'll do mine. Sounds like a deal?" I didn't know where I was getting my courage from.

The man lowered his weapon but kept looking intensely at me as to tell me not to try anything on him. "What are you doing here?"

"Surviving. What do you think?"

"You gotta group?" He squinted his eyes suspiciously at me.

"Nope. All by myself." I said as I started walking. The man followed my steps.

"Been alone since it all began?"

"Gosh, so many questions! Listen, I understand. Threat assessment, right?" I turned around to face  him. " I left my group today, just this morning. I know you are going to ask me why, so let me answer that question for you before you say anything. I left them because I don't kill the living, because of their lack of threat assessments. Now if you let me I'll keep walking."

He didn't answer to anything I had said but kept walking behind me. There was an awkward yet pleasant silence between us. Honestly, I had no idea what the man was doing but I just didn't bother for the moment. I kept doing my thing and he seemed to be doing his thing,